The Foolish Wife Turned Scheming After Her Recovery - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: “Put it in my bag! My bag is big!”

Ever since Lu Zhilin added Yu Yao on WeChat, their relationship had become purely online—and a very one-sided one at that, with Lu Zhilin eagerly clinging on while Yu Yao grew more and more distant.

Yu Yao’s replies had grown increasingly short, and even someone as dense as Lu Zhilin could feel the rejection and avoidance from the other side. Gradually, she became afraid to message too much and disturb her. So instead, she just sat on the sofa every day, clutching her phone and sighing endlessly.

Cross-legged on the sofa, one hand holding her phone and the other gently stroking Little Cake’s fur nestled against her leg, Lu Zhilin stared at her quiet chat window. It had been five hours since she sent Yu Yao a good morning message—and there was still no reply.

She slumped over and buried her face into Little Cake’s belly, mumbling, “Why isn’t the princess replying to me? Did I do something to upset her?”

Little Cake meowed twice, confused why its human was upset.

“Maybe I should ask Xiaoqing. She probably understands these things!” Lu Zhilin said, already reaching for her phone to call Xie Yanqing.

But just then, Housekeeper He walked over and reminded her, “Miss, you have jiu-jitsu class this afternoon. It’s time to leave.”

Jiu-jitsu was something Fu Shuang had arranged for her since childhood, mainly to ensure she wouldn’t be bullied. After her accident, when Lu Zhilin became a little “slow,” the class became even more important.

Fortunately, while her mind might have slowed down a bit, her muscle memory was still intact. Her thrice-weekly jiu-jitsu sessions helped her burn off some of that untamed energy.

Lu Zhilin obediently went upstairs to change clothes and came bouncing back down with her gym bag slung across her shoulder. The plan to call Xie Yanqing had to be changed to just sending her WeChat messages.

YaoYaoPrincessNumberOneFan: “(︿)”

Don’tCallMePreschoolTeacher: “?”

Xie Yanqing replied instantly.

YaoYaoPrincessNumberOneFan: “Whoa, Xiaoqing, you actually replied instantly!”

YaoYaoPrincessNumberOneFan: “But Yu Yao isn’t replying to me :(“

YaoYaoPrincessNumberOneFan: “Did I do something to upset her?”

Thanks to her consistent training from texting Yu Yao, Lu Zhilin’s typing speed had drastically improved—no more relying on voice messages. She even threw in emoticons effortlessly.

Xie Yanqing was lying on a spa bed at the beauty salon. When she saw the message, her interest spiked instantly. She wasn’t passionate about much—but she was all about gossip. Especially when it came to her cousin.

Don’tCallMePreschoolTeacher: “What do you mean? What did you do to her? Did you two meet again? Hold hands? Kiss?”

Lu Zhilin’s face flushed bright red. How could Xiaoqing even think like that!

YaoYaoPrincessNumberOneFan: “Absolutely not! We didn’t do anything! We haven’t even seen each other!”

Seeing that, Xie Yanqing’s excitement instantly deflated. She lazily sent a voice message: “Oh. Well, if nothing happened, then how could you have upset her?”

Lu Zhilin stared out the car window at the scenery flying by and sighed. “Then why isn’t she replying to me?”

“Missy, it’s because people have jobs! Not everyone’s like us, just wasting the day away. Some people need money to live, and they have to work for it. Get it?” Xie Yanqing said, eyes closed, enjoying the beautician’s gentle face massage.

There was no reply for a while, so Xie Yanqing sent another voice message, “Why aren’t you answering? Don’t you have jiu-jitsu class today? You haven’t gone yet?”

“I just checked my allowance. I could give some to Yu Yao—then she wouldn’t have to work anymore, right?”

Along with that voice message, she also sent a screenshot of her WeChat wallet showing a six-digit balance. After registering the new account, her dad had transferred her some spending money, in addition to what she had saved in bank cards stored in a drawer at home.

Hearing this, Xie Yanqing felt oddly emotional. See? She knew that rich kids didn’t need to be taught how to spoil someone—they just knew. Her cousin was so honest and straightforward. Even when she was eight, she already knew that the way to someone’s heart was sending them money.

“Jiejie, do not send her that message directly, okay? She will definitely block you!”

“But you can send her flowers, a handbag, or some gifts. Just don’t go too expensive at first—if it’s too much, she definitely won’t accept it.”

Lu Zhilin listened earnestly to the advice and started jotting down notes in her phone’s memo app. By the time she was done, the car had already pulled up to the destination.

The jiu-jitsu class was at a studio on the fifth floor of a shopping mall. Her coach used to be her personal trainer. Later, when her sessions became less frequent, he opened a small jiu-jitsu gym—not for classes, just for fun. Lu Zhilin was his only student.

Before her accident, Lu Zhilin had already reached a brown belt level—just one rank short of a black belt. After the accident, she never took the exams again. These thrice-weekly lessons were more for physical fitness and releasing pent-up energy.

The class lasted two hours. After she finished and took a shower in her private locker room, it was already past six.

“Xiao Lu, wanna come home for dinner with me and the missus? She’s making spicy shrimp tonight,” said Coach Zhao, buzz-cut and built like a tank.

Lu Zhilin shook her head and slung on her bag. “Thanks, coach. I have something to do today, so I’ll pass.”

“Alright. Is Housekeeper He sending someone to pick you up? Don’t go wandering off on your own.”

“I told them to wait downstairs. I wanna go buy something first.”

“Alright, see you the day after tomorrow.”

She nodded and looked down at her phone again, reviewing her memo. She was going to shop for a gift for Yu Yao.

She’d been to this mall a few times with Fu Shuang. Most of what she wanted was on the third floor. Wanting to move fast, she skipped the escalator and headed straight for the elevator.

But just as she turned to glance toward the escalators, she saw a very familiar silhouette.

Yu Yao!

…

Yu Yao still held a report folder in her hand. Her assistant Yezi was walking beside her.

“This new product is doing pretty well. When you get back, ask Sister Zhou to allocate a bonus for everyone.”

Yezi pushed her glasses up and nodded happily. “Thanks, Sister Yu!”

“No problem. Thanks for coming out with me today. What do you want for dinner? My treat,” Yu Yao said, glancing at her assistant with a rare good mood.

But just then, she caught a glimpse of someone running in the corridor beside the elevator. Unfortunately, the elevator had already descended to the fourth floor, blocking her view—she didn’t get a clear look.

Could it be…?

Yu Yao frowned, clutching her phone tighter. Her replies to Lu Zhilin had grown more and more delayed, and the girl had gone from chattering non-stop to only sending brief greetings. If it weren’t for this glimpse just now, she might’ve forgotten this person entirely.

“Sister Yu?” Yezi gently tapped her on the shoulder.

Yu Yao snapped out of it. “Hm? Have you picked where to eat yet?”

Yezi shook her head. “Actually, I have a class reunion tonight. I probably can’t join you for dinner.”

“No worries. Are you tight on time? If so, take the car. You can drive it to the studio tomorrow.”

“You’re not using the car tonight?”

“I’ll take the subway. Driving just means getting stuck in traffic.”

“Hehe, okay! Thanks, Sister Yu. I’ll head off then!”

“Alright. Be careful.”

After Yezi left, Yu Yao stood there thinking for a moment, then turned and headed back toward the upward escalator. Just as she turned around, she saw someone running down the escalator.

“Yu Yao!”
Lu Zhilin’s amber eyes lit up with surprise and joy. She never expected to run into Yu Yao at the mall today.

Her affection was impossible to hide—like a spark burning against Yu Yao’s skin.

“Miss Lu, what a coincidence.” Yu Yao looked a little flustered. Getting caught avoiding someone online only to run into them in real life—yeah, awkward.

Trying not to appear stunned, she went to put her phone and the report into her bag—only to remember that her assistant had taken it. She had no choice but to carry the thick report in her hands.

Lu Zhilin, seeing her look down, thought she had dropped something and followed her gaze. She saw the report and realized Yu Yao didn’t have a bag.

Quickly, she unzipped her own shoulder bag and opened it wide.
“Put it in my bag! My bag’s big!”

Yu Yao: “…”

This was… even more awkward.

But seeing the sincerity in Lu Zhilin’s eyes, Yu Yao couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“…Then, thank you, Miss Lu.”

“It’s okay!” Lu Zhilin beamed at her.

Yu Yao quickly looked away, her heart racing. That impossibly beautiful face—with every expression—was like a siren call to her face-obsessed soul.

“Yu Yao, are you working right now?” Lu Zhilin asked carefully, nervously tugging at the hem of her shirt.

“Mhm. There’s a store here that partners with our studio, so I came to take a look.”

Lu Zhilin breathed a sigh of relief. So what Xiaoqing said was true—Yu Yao wasn’t ignoring her on purpose, she was just busy with work.

“That’s good.” The two of them walked side by side, aimlessly, until Lu Zhilin finally asked, “Are you off work now? Can I treat you to dinner? There’s a really good Thai place here!”

Actually, she had no idea if that was true—just remembered Coach mentioning the Thai restaurant on the sixth floor.

Yu Yao found herself unable to say no to that face. It was just dinner—nothing unexpected. Maybe she could use the opportunity to gently hint that they weren’t really suited for each other.