The words were directed at the cat.
However, to Shen Wuqiu, it was not just that; it sounded more like an elder complaining about a daughter-in-law who couldn't control her husband's infidelity.
Shen Wuqiu felt embarrassed and a little aggrieved, but she didn't show it. She smiled faintly and asked, "What has Lingyu done now?"
"Who knows what she's doing?" Zhao Jiujiu snorted. "I just overheard what Xiao Zheng's friends were saying. From what they were saying, it's highly likely that Xiao Zheng has some feelings for someone."
Shen Wuqiu lowered her eyes. Perhaps women have an innate and keen intuition about rivals in love; she had already sensed it.
“I think my previous guess was right. This little rascal is a fickle person. On the surface, he acts like he doesn’t like people and argues with them, but in reality, he just wants to get attention…” Zhao Jiujiu had been prejudiced against a certain cat these days, so naturally, she was “willing to find fault.”
Shen Wuqiu was stunned for a moment, but she wasn't swayed by her. She still felt that the person wasn't like that, so she calmly defended her: "She's just like a child, how could she have such petty thoughts?"
"See, you got fooled." Zhao Jiujiu wanted to poke her forehead, but remembering the electric shock she felt last time, she held back and asked instead, "Tell me the truth, with you two like this... were you forced or did it voluntarily?"
"...What do you mean?" Shen Wuqiu really didn't understand.
Zhao Jiujiu seemed energetic and impulsive, but when it came to these matters, she became quite reserved. Looking around and seeing everyone was outside the courtyard, she quietly gave her two thumbs-up, "I know, you two definitely did *that*. Gu Lingyu said that even though the child in her belly is some kind of pregnancy fruit, what needs to be done still has to be done..."
"..." Shen Wuqiu understood, but was extremely embarrassed. He deliberately mumbled, "What did Auntie say?"
Zhao Jiujiu turned her head to look at the blush slowly creeping up her face, "You're already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, it's normal to have some physical needs, you don't need to be so embarrassed with your aunt. I just don't know if this little beast forced you..."
Shen Wuqiu couldn't possibly respond to her words and wanted to quickly change the subject. "No, Aunt, please don't say such things."
"Not forced?" At this point, Zhao Jiujiu suddenly thought of something and looked at Shen Wuqiu, "I've been researching the matter between you two girls these past two days. So tell me the truth, who initiated it between you two?"
"..." Shen Wuqiu wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and rubbed her burning face. "Auntie... I have four babies in my belly, you hear me."
This is definitely not suitable for children.
"What can these four little kids understand?" Zhao Jiujiu said dismissively. Then she remembered that the four babies in her belly were not ordinary creatures, so she gave up and said instead, "You two have come to this point, and it's not like she forced you. It's clear that you have feelings for her. Since that's the case, you should keep a closer eye on her."
You jump over one pit, only to find another.
Shen Wuqiu had a headache and said helplessly, "I know."
"They're flirting right under your nose, and you still know?" Zhao Jiujiu felt like her heart was about to break. "Your dad doesn't know the truth. I think those two old men from the Gu family look respectable, but they don't really have any elder's manners. Now that I'm the elder who knows the truth, I have to make some plans for you."
"...What are you planning?"
"..." Zhao Jiujiu glared at her, "I said, how can you be so carefree? That cat is quite good-looking, even you are blinded by her, not to mention those men. If you don't keep a close eye on her, she might become unfaithful. What if, after your child is born, she and her whole family take the baby and go find new lovers? Wouldn't you be in big trouble?"
Shen Wuqiu looked at her with a complicated expression.
Zhao Jiujiu felt a little uncomfortable. Well, she was indeed thinking the worst about the kitten, but she was just worrying unnecessarily about her niece.
Clearing her throat, Zhao Jiujiu pressed on: "I'm just asking you, do you really want to spend your life with someone?"
"Hmm?" A lifetime is too long, and Shen Wuqiu really didn't have time to think about this question.
Zhao Jiujiu said, "If you're just looking for something new, then we can just let the old be the new and ignore this little vixen. But if you're serious, then you really have to do something about it. I'm not trying to belittle ourselves by praising others, but Xiao Zheng is good-looking, capable, and eloquent. With a little effort, plenty of girls will be throwing themselves at a man like that."
Shen Wuqiu: "I just don't like it."
"..." Zhao Jiujiu glared at her, "You don't like it, isn't it because you were bewitched by that little vixen first? As the saying goes, 'A man's infatuation can be explained, but a woman's infatuation cannot.' Don't you understand?"
Just as she was getting into her lecture, the little devil she was talking about excitedly came over with a whole roasted chicken. "Sister, the chicken is ready! You should try it. Father also marinated some fish. I'll... Aunt, you're here too."
Zhao Jiujiu has been finding fault with her these past few days, and she's not as enthusiastic as before, not even giving her a second glance. "Didn't you see Qiuqiu is pregnant? It's best to eat less of these things."
Gu Lingyu, carefree and oblivious to her attitude, said, "Aunt, don't worry. Mother put some evil herbs in it for me. Sister can eat it."
As he spoke, he broke off a chicken leg for her, saying, "Auntie, try this. I'm sure my roasted chicken tastes better than theirs."
Zhao Jiujiu didn't want to accept it, but looking at the golden appearance and smelling the crispy aroma, her cravings were irresistibly tempted—her own niece had gone through so much trouble to get pregnant for someone else, so what was wrong with eating one of her chicken legs?
So she took the chicken leg.
Gu Lingyu broke off another chicken leg and handed it to Shen Wuqiu, saying, "It's not hot anymore, it's perfect to eat now."
Before getting pregnant, Shen Wuqiu quite liked eating chicken. But after getting pregnant, probably because of the kittens in her belly, she didn't like eating chicken as much anymore. She felt sick of it just looking at it. "Just give me a little bit of meat, I can't finish this chicken leg."
Gu Lingyu simply used his mouth to pick a piece of meat off the chicken leg for her.
"..." Upon seeing this, Zhao Jiujiu suddenly lost interest in the chicken leg in her hand and said disdainfully, "Don't you have hands?"
Shen Wuqiu wasn't sure if she was referring to herself or a certain cat, so she didn't reach out to take it. "I'll just break off a little bit myself."
Gu Lingyu didn't insist, and just chewed the meat in her mouth a couple of times and swallowed it. Seeing that Zhao Jiujiu was giving her the cold shoulder, she was quite sensible and put the plate of roast chicken on the coffee table. "Then Aunt, you and my sister eat here. I'll go grill some fish."
Zhao Jiujiu didn't say anything. After she left, she broke off a wing from the roast chicken and said casually, "You're quite good at currying favor. This roast chicken is pretty good."
Shen Wuqiu pushed the whole roasted chicken towards her, saying, "Then Auntie, have some more. I don't like it anyway."
Zhao Jiujiu: "What, you want me to be obligated to pay for your food?"
"..." Shen Wuqiu felt that perhaps being sarcastic and unsettling was human nature.
****
After enjoying a roast chicken meal, a leisurely afternoon quietly slipped away. The hospitable Mr. Shen naturally invited them to stay for dinner before they left.
Zhang Jin is a man who loves to party. At first, he thought he was going home and insisted on not drinking, but in the midst of toasting and drinking, he was persuaded to drink by Uncle Shen and Uncle Zheng.
Unable to drive after drinking, he simply drank freely and even dragged Shi Lei along.
The homemade rice wine from the countryside was sweet and refreshing, and very easy to drink. The two-jin bucket of rice wine that Su Yunzhi brought was emptied in no time.
In the end, it was only after Zheng Xinghe, who was determined not to drink, persuaded Su Yunzhi again and again that she stopped bringing over more alcohol.
The rice wine had a strong aftereffect, and Zhang Jin and Shi Lei, who were half-drunk, were spurred on to play cards.
Zheng Xinghe didn't want to play cards, so he made an excuse that he didn't know how and asked Mr. Shen and Uncle Zheng to play the cards.
Su Yunzhi thought He Meilin, being a girl, wasn't fun, so she originally wanted Shen Wuqiu and Gu Lingyu to play cards with her.
Shen Wuqiu disliked playing mahjong, finding it too noisy, and refused, citing her pregnancy as a reason. Gu Lingyu, seeing that she wouldn't play, naturally wouldn't either. In the end, Zhao Jiujiu, Daiying, and Su Yunzhi joined He Meilin to play mahjong together.
With guests at home, Shen Wuqiu felt embarrassed to go back to her room early for some peace and quiet, so she sat in the courtyard with Gu Lingyu to continue grilling the fish that wasn't finished.
Zheng Xinghe watched the cards for a while, then joined in the fun.
Gu Lingyu just wanted to enjoy some time alone with her partner, and seeing him as a third wheel made her feel extremely annoyed. Her tone was not very pleasant: "Mr. Zheng, didn't you eat enough for dinner?"
Zheng Xinghe didn't seem to care much about her sarcastic remarks. He added a few charcoal pieces to the pot and teased, "Will Miss Gu share some fish with me?"
Gu Lingyu glanced into the marinade bowl and said, "Do it yourself, and you'll have plenty to eat and wear."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xinghe grabbed the barbecue skewers and went to skewer the fish.
Upon seeing this, Shen Wuqiu immediately said, "Lingyu was just joking with you."
"I'm not..."
“You grill two for Mr. Zheng.” Before Gu Lingyu could finish speaking, Shen Wuqiu interrupted her, then smiled and looked at Zheng Xinghe, “I heard that Mr. Zheng is a designer, so I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
Zheng Xinghe was a smart man, and he knew immediately that she had something to say to him, so he put down his barbecue skewers and walked over to her. "I wouldn't call it asking for advice, but I do hope I can help Miss Shen."
“Mr. Zheng is too modest.” As she spoke, Shen Wuqiu looked at Gu Lingyu and said, “You continue grilling the fish. I’m going to talk to Mr. Zheng over here for a bit.”
Gu Lingyu pursed her lips but didn't reply.
Shen Wuqiu glanced at her, then ignored her and deliberately walked a few steps away to make sure she couldn't hear him before stopping.
Zheng Xinghe followed her, and seeing that she didn't seem inclined to speak, he took the initiative to say, "I wonder what kind of design Miss Shen would like? Personally, I'm more inclined towards interior design."
Shen Wuqiu leaned on the fence of the yard, tilted her head and smiled at her, "More inclined? Mr. Zheng is also an all-around designer?"
Zheng Xinghe smiled and said, "I wouldn't call myself an all-rounder, but I do know a little bit about various architectural designs."
“That’s already amazing.” Shen Wuqiu looked at him. “A man as outstanding as Mr. Zheng must have high standards for choosing a partner.”
Zheng Xinghe paused for two seconds, then subconsciously glanced in Gu Lingyu's direction. "I haven't thought about any standards. The most important thing in this kind of thing is fate."
Shen Wuqiu noticed his gaze, tapped her fingers lightly on the stainless steel railing a few times, and lowered her eyes to ask, "Does Mr. Zheng feel that his destiny has arrived?"
Zheng Xinghe: "Miss Shen, please speak your mind."
Shen Wuqiu looked up at him, "Then I'll be frank. Lingyu is not suitable for Mr. Zheng. If I'm overthinking it, I hope..."
“Miss Shen is indeed very perceptive; you haven’t overthought things,” Zheng Xinghe interrupted her. “Although it’s not the right time, I still can’t help myself.”
Shen Wuqiu was taken aback by his direct admission and paused for a moment before saying, "Mr. Zheng, don't you think... this is too sudden? After all, you've only just met..."
Zheng Xinghe: "Perhaps this is the charm of fate."
Although she had long suspected that the man in front of her had designs on a certain cat, Shen Wuqiu still found it hard to accept when he admitted it so openly. "You don't understand her at all. You're probably just fooled by her appearance..."
Zheng Xinghe: "Miss Shen, don't you think she's very genuine? I believe that the people around her who like her will love her innocence and naivety, including her willfulness and spoiled nature."
"...Is that so?" Shen Wuqiu had always thought that all her concern for Gu Lingyu came from the accumulation of those dreams. Only now did she realize that her concern for people was not just that, because the images flashing through her mind were all the inconspicuous things he did in his daily life—unrelated to the romantic things in the dreams.
Zheng Xinghe: "Ms. Shen is a very charming and capable woman. But for me, I hope that a girl like Ms. Gu will appear in my life. She is flamboyant and unrestrained, and she will definitely bring a lot of unexpected excitement to life."
Indeed, her life, which had been orderly and peaceful for over twenty years, underwent a dramatic change after she met this person.
It was an accident, a shock, but the lingering feeling it left behind was a greater expectation for life.
Shen Wuqiu's calm heartstrings seemed to be plucked hard, and the feelings hidden deep in her heart seemed to dissipate from the layers of mist. If what Zheng Xinghe said meant liking, then she had to admit that her unwilling concern for Gu Lingyu was actually liking.
As if to give her time to process this, Zheng Xinghe spoke again after a short while: "Therefore, I do not agree with the inappropriate question that Miss Shen raised."
Shen Wuqiu didn't consider herself an indecisive person. After being enlightened by Zheng Xinghe's words, she readily acknowledged her feelings for Gu Lingyu.
There's even less reason to let Zheng Xinghe's feelings for someone go unchecked. "Perhaps I should be more direct with Mr. Zheng. Although you are very outstanding, Lingyu will not like you. Unrequited love is painful, and I hope you won't fall into that sea of suffering."
Zheng Xinghe also looked at her, "Although I don't know what position Miss Shen is on when she says these things to me, I still want to thank Miss Shen for the reminder. However, liking Miss Gu is my business, and whether I can make her like me is also up to my ability."
From this moment on, Shen Wuqiu decided to regard Zheng Xinghe as her rival in love. "Then I'll wait and see. However, I also want to say thank you to you."
"I wonder what Miss Shen wishes to thank me for?"
Shen Wuqiu smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zheng, for making me understand my feelings."
"???"
Shen Wuqiu didn't intend to explain. Before ending the chat, she remembered something and said to the other person, "By the way, as for my stance, I think I need to tell Mr. Zheng that I am Gu Lingyu's partner."
"..."
Chapter 68 Forming a Contract
Shen Wuqiu lowered her eyes and chuckled softly.