Picked Up a White Cut Black Wife - Chapter 9

In the blink of an eye, the girl lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Shen Zhao’s waist like a wolf that had been lying in wait for far too long.

Before Shen Zhao could react, she felt the girl’s face nuzzle against her collarbone. Her mind exploded, her cheeks instantly burning crimson.

This isn’t a child at all! This… this is clearly a female hooligan!

“Hey, let go! Don’t move… you… don’t…” Shen Zhao tried to dodge the girl’s face, but the girl’s warm breath kept brushing against her neck, raising the temperature around them.

Suddenly, Shen Zhao felt something soft against the side of her neck. Realizing what the girl had just done, she involuntarily shoved her away, finally escaping her clutches. She fumbled for the light switch, panting, her brow furrowed. “Get out!”

“Wife,” the girl murmured, looking utterly harmless, a complete contrast to her earlier behavior.

Shen Zhao gritted her teeth, now realizing she had let a wolf into her home. “Get out, now! And pack your things and leave tomorrow! Don’t make me kick you out!”

The girl immediately adopted a pitiful expression. “Wife, I was wrong.”

Shen Zhaoyu’s anger hadn’t subsided. She forced the girl back out of the room, her voice icy. “I won’t say it again.”

“Wife,” the girl’s voice trembled as she lowered her gaze and carefully took Shen Zhaoyu’s hand. “I just missed you so much. I was wrong to be so impatient. I should have been more reserved.”

What? What does she mean by ‘so impatient’?!

Shen Zhaoyu grew angrier with each word. She wanted to yank her hand away, but then she felt something cold and wet drip onto her skin. The girl looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Hey, you…”

You’re the one who… How are you acting like you’re the one who’s been wronged?!

Shen Zhaoyu gritted her teeth, her decades of good temper nearly shattering.

“Wife, I was wrong,” the girl murmured, staring blankly at her as large tears rolled down her cheeks like strings of crystal beads.

“You… go back to your room and sleep. Behave yourself,” Shen Zhaoyu said, pressing a hand to her forehead and wearily rubbing her temples.

The girl seized the opportunity to retreat. She nodded through her sobs, turned reluctantly, and left.

Shen Zhaoyu immediately slammed the door shut and swallowed a sleeping pill with a glass of water.

Unfortunately, Shen Zhao had always been a restless sleeper. The unfamiliar bed only exacerbated her insomnia. She tossed and turned for hours, unable to drift off. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene from earlier replayed in her mind, fueling her frustration. She desperately wanted to drag that female hooligan back and give her a good beating.

Knowing she had to work the next day, Shen Zhao focused on regulating her breathing to fall asleep quickly. As the medication finally took effect, drowsiness washed over her. In her hazy state, only one thought remained: I need to get rid of that woman—the farther away, the better!

She slept soundly until dawn, jolted awake by her alarm. Still groggy, Shen Zhao couldn’t remember the last time she had woken up naturally.

After a quick wash, she glanced at the figure curled up on the sofa before hurrying out the door.

“Wife, will you be back for lunch?”

Shen Zhao stopped, pulled some cash from her bag, and left it on the entryway table. “Go buy yourself something to eat if you’re hungry.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed the girl’s face. “Wife, I want to be with you. Can I come?”

“No.” Her tone left no room for argument. With that, Shen Zhao closed the door.

By the time she arrived at the repair workshop, most of her colleagues were already there. Seeing Shen Zhao, Yu Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, “It’s rare to see you arrive at work on time!”

“I woke up a bit late today,” Shen Zhao said, pulling on her work uniform as she sat down to begin the restoration work.

“I was about to ask if you’d been possessed, but seeing how quickly you’re moving, I guess not,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, shaking her head in admiration.

Time always flew by when Shen Zhao was focused on restoration. Before she knew it, the day had slipped away, and the other restorers had left for the day, leaving her alone in the workshop.

Due to the severe damage to the ancient painting, Shen Zhao spent a considerable amount of time cleaning it. However, the initial cleaning yielded poor results.

Piecing together the fragments, she could vaguely discern that it was a portrait. Leaning closer, she examined the details carefully—it depicted a man’s attire.

If that tomb truly belonged to the Princess, why would it contain a portrait of a man? Could she have been her consort?

Eager for answers, Shen Zhao cleared her workbench and immediately decided to perform another round of cleaning and deacidification. But with only herself to complete the task, she knew tonight would be a sleepless one.

Suddenly, she remembered there was someone at home. I wonder if she’s gone out to eat? Did she close the windows…?

Wait, why am I even thinking about her?

Shen Zhao frowned in annoyance, dragged her thoughts back to the task at hand, and continued working.

When she was focused, she felt nothing. Only after finishing did exhaustion wash over her. Shen Zhao thought of resting in the adjacent room. As soon as she stood up, a wave of dizziness struck her. She steadied herself against the table, but then the old injury in her lower back flared up, the pain so intense that cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

After panting for a long while, the pain eased slightly. She shuffled to the rest room, but her sleep was soon disrupted by a nightmare. When she woke, Shen Zhao looked noticeably more haggard.

She casually tied her hair back and went to the restoration room. The cleaned painting had already dried, its details now much clearer than before, which would simplify the subsequent mounting and framing work.

Just then, Ai Jingshan called.

“I knew you’d be the only one awake at this hour,” she said.

“Senior Brother, what’s up?” Shen Zhao asked.

Ai Jingshan replied, “I’m at Feng’an Mausoleum, finishing up the last bit of excavation. We’ll be wrapping up soon, and the artifacts will be shipped out over the next few days. That half-painting is among them.”

“Okay, got it.”

“By the way, how’s the restoration going?”

“I’ll send you a photo.” Shen Zhao snapped a picture and sent it over.

After studying it for a moment, Ai Jingshan said, “You haven’t been working in the restoration room all night, have you? I heard restoring this painting completely takes quite a while.”

Shen Zhao gave a heavy hum of agreement. “That’s right.”

“You can’t keep working like ten people by yourself. Why are you still pushing yourself so hard, just like before? And the Spring Festival is just around the corner. The painting isn’t going anywhere. Take a break for yourself…”

Perhaps it was Shen Zhao’s taciturn nature and relentless work ethic that magically transformed everyone around her into chatterboxes and mother hens.

Shen Zhao had to interrupt him. “Alright, Senior Brother, I get it.”

“I bet you’re just saying that,” Ai Jingshan retorted. Then, remembering something, she added, “I heard from the professor that the museum plans to hire new staff after the festival. We could find you an assistant to help out.”

Hearing this, Shen Zhao frowned slightly, her resistance showing. She’d always preferred working alone. “No need. I can manage on my own.”

“Just meet them first. If it’s not a good fit, we can reconsider.”

Why does this sound so much like what my mother, You Shu, says when she tries to set me up on blind dates?

Shen Zhao politely declined again. After a few more casual exchanges, they hung up.

As she put down her phone, a thought struck her: with everyone gradually taking time off for the Spring Festival, how was she supposed to find a job for that woman?

What a nuisance!

Since the other half of the painting was due to arrive soon, it made sense to restore both halves together.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Zhao decided to pause her work and resume after the holiday.

For now, the most pressing matter was how to get rid of the female hooligan who had been freeloading at her house.

Lost in thought, Shen Zhao drove home.

It was a rare snow-free day, and the sun even peeked through the clouds, bringing a hint of warmth.

As she neared home, she noticed a roadside vendor selling roasted sweet potatoes and sugar-roasted chestnuts. She wondered if the woman had managed to find food yesterday.

“Roasted sweet potatoes! Hot, fragrant, and sweet roasted sweet potatoes!” the vendor called out.

People stopped to buy, and Shen Zhao, as if possessed, pulled over and joined the crowd. “One roasted sweet potato and half a pound of chestnuts. How much?”

“Twenty yuan. Cash or QR code payment accepted. Here you go!”

“Thank you.” After paying, Shen Zhao took the bag, tied it securely, and carried it to her car.

The elevator reached her floor. As she rounded the corner of the hallway, a figure suddenly flashed before her. Before she could identify the person, she felt someone press against her chest. Only when the familiar scent reached her did Shen Zhao relax slightly.