The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

There's a rather chic coffee shop near the school gate. Because it's not very cost-effective, few students usually come here. At this mealtime, there are only a handful of couples, cuddling on the sofas by the window, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Soft, melodious jazz music played in the restaurant. Xiao Yuan ordered a latte, then politely handed the menu to Su Wen, saying, "I'm not hungry yet, are you?"

“Me too.” She smiled, ordered a latte, and also added a plain cheesecake.

She was actually starving, and all she wanted to do was devour the braised pork chops made by the cafeteria lady. But faced with Xiao Yuan's aura, she felt a sense of defiance and gritted her teeth, saying she wasn't hungry.

Xiao Yuan was indeed a socialite from an upper-class family, and this elegant Western atmosphere seemed designed to accentuate her气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament). Occasionally, she would look up, her bright eyes sparkling, and even as a woman myself, I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my heart.

She politely extended her hand: "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Nie Suwen."

“Miss Nie,” a faint smile played on her lips, “I came all the way from the city this time, actually for Lu Zheng’s grandfather.”

So she was a young lady from the capital. She continued, "The old man is getting on in years, and naturally his temper is getting short. He had a fight with Lu Zheng before, and in a fit of anger, he ran here. His family has tried to persuade him to go back many times, but he refuses to go. The money they sent him has all been returned untouched. It seems he's determined to sever ties with his family. This time, the old man is even in the hospital, and he keeps talking about Lu Zheng, so they sent me here to sound him out."

“Miss Nie,” she said directly, without beating around the bush, “I know you have a close relationship with Lu Zheng, and I hope you can help me persuade him.”

Xiao Yuan's words kept echoing in her mind. She admitted that she didn't want to help. Firstly, she didn't have a good impression of Xiao Yuan to begin with, and secondly, what would she do if Lu Zheng went home?

He was depressed all day, and even kept spacing out in class. When the professor called on him, he just stared blankly and didn't know what to say.

When Lu Zheng drove to pick her up that evening, he could clearly sense that she was distracted, so he pinched her soft little face and asked, "What are you thinking about? Is it because your cooking skills aren't good enough, and you're having second thoughts about cooking later?"

She then came to her senses and remembered that he had said he would cook at home before going to bed last night.

"Let's go to the supermarket first. We don't have anything at home."

He drove to the supermarket, took her hand, and they went shopping together. She walked ahead, exuding a calm and contented air, like a little housewife. It was as if what she put into the basket was a token of her affection, not just vegetables.

He put his arm around her shoulder and teased her, asking her to eat this and that, throwing fresh vegetables and meat into the basket one by one. In no time, it became so heavy that she couldn't lift it anymore.

He smiled and kissed her on the nose: "You bought so much, it's enough for the two of us to eat for a month."

She doesn't know how to manage a household. Looking at the basket, a month's supply is a bit of an exaggeration, but a week's supply would definitely be enough.

Passing by a kitchenware counter, we bought some pots and pans and tableware, filling the car trunk to the brim. Both of us felt a sense of satisfied happiness.

Back home, she changed into her newly bought couple slippers, tied on an apron, and went to the kitchen to get busy. Lu Zheng took off his coat and leaned against the door, watching her silently, his eyes crinkling with a smile, as if he could never get enough of her.

Sometimes she would be startled by the lively, jumping fish, and she would cry out and hop backward, looking as cute as a little white rabbit. He couldn't help but go up and hug her from behind, laughing heartily.

She nudged him with her elbow: "You're delaying my work."

He shamelessly said, "Then take your time. I'm not in a hurry. I'll eat you first when I'm hungry."

Unable to do anything else, she resorted to threatening him with knives and spatulas.

Watching him hop and run away in his slippers, even she couldn't help but laugh.

She clumsily chopped the broccoli and lettuce into pieces and put them into the steaming chicken soup. When she lifted the lid of the clay pot, steam filled the air. She did these ordinary and trivial things for him, yet she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Lu Zheng, who was in the living room, also smelled the fragrance and jumped in to ask, "What is it? It smells so good!"

She scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to his lips, saying with no small amount of pride, "Try my cooking."

He took a sip, disbelievingly, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time. Actually, Su Wen wasn't entirely confident either, and seeing his reaction only made her more anxious. So she shook him and asked, "How is it? Is it really that bad?"

She was eager to try it herself, but suddenly she was pulled into a warm embrace. Lu Zheng held her close, his breath, carrying the aroma of chicken soup, close to her ear: "My wife is so virtuous."

At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into her head: life is just like this, it's good.

If only things could stay like this forever, she thought. She decided to put Xiao Yuan and her grandfather out of her mind.

Xiao Yuan stayed in the city for a while longer. She often came to see Lu Zheng, sometimes staying at his house to eat with them, and sometimes going out with him alone. She disliked Xiao Yuan very much. A woman's intuition told her that their relationship could never be a simple brother-sister one. She understood all too well the look in Xiao Yuan's eyes when she looked at Lu Zheng; it was a deep infatuation, a kind of entanglement that even the person involved sometimes didn't realize.

However, she was proud and determined not to ask Lu Zheng directly. Fortunately, Lu Zheng's attitude towards Xiao Yuan remained cold; although he was aloof and polite, he seemed unwilling to see her. This put Su Wen somewhat at ease.

Xiao Yuan finally booked her flight to leave the city. That day, Su Wen felt like she was walking on air after class, her mood as bright as the sun overhead. She roughly estimated that Xiao Yuan would be heading to the airport, and to show her open-mindedness and generosity, she decided to skip class to see this young lady off.

As soon as she arrived at Lu Zheng's house, she saw that the door was half-open and that a heated argument was coming from inside. She paused and instinctively stopped in her tracks.

The thin, trembling voice belonged to Xiao Yuan, as if she was trying her best to suppress some emotion. She said, "I don't mind if you play around. I know you're angry with your grandfather, but it's been so long, your anger should have subsided by now. Your grandfather has already forgiven us and asked me to come and invite you. What are you still insisting on?"

"His affairs are none of my business. If he wants me to go back, it will only mean that I will continue to be manipulated by him and become a puppet of the Lu family."

How could you say that? You're also a member of the Lu family!

"If I could, I would rather not have the surname Lu!"

"Third Brother... what about our engagement? Will you go back on our engagement to defy Grandfather?"

Outside the door, Su Wen couldn't help but gasp.

She leaned against the wall, her hands and feet cold.

A marriage contract... a marriage contract... their marriage contract...

Then what am I?

There was a slight noise coming from inside the house, so she moved a little further away and hid in the corner of the stairwell.

It was almost time to head to the airport. Lu Zheng carried Xiao Yuan's luggage out first, followed by Xiao Yuan, whose eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying.

He pressed down, then stood at the elevator door and used the back of his hand to wipe away her tears. He had done this gentle gesture to her countless times before, but now it seemed that he and Xiao Yuan standing together were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

She remained hidden in the shadows, watching the two figures intently, her fist clenching tightly to one side, her nails digging deep into her palm without her realizing it.

The pain had already numbed her; no amount of pain could compare to the agony she felt when she saw this scene.

She remained in that position, trembling, watching the two of them enter the elevator hand in hand. Only when the elevator doors closed with a "ding" did she finally lose her balance and slide to the ground.

This drunken stupor will eventually end.

When I woke up, I realized how painful it was.

Lu Zheng saw Xiao Yuan off at the airport, then called Su Wen's cell phone, only to find it was switched off. He went to the school to pick her up, but her classmates said that Nie Su Wen hadn't attended seven or eight classes.

His mind went blank, filled with an inexplicable restlessness. He drove around the city streets, searching for any place she might be. Finally, he found her on Xueyuan Road.

It was already dark. She was wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and hot pants, her slender waist bent over as she whispered in a man's ear.

After talking for a while, the two of them laughed. The man opened the car door, and Su Wen actually intended to get in!

He couldn't help but slam his fist heavily on the wheelbarrow, the horn blaring a sharp "beep!" The crowd at the starting line all turned to look, and someone exclaimed, "Lu Zheng's here!"

Su Wen also looked over, a trace of sorrow flashing in her cold eyes, but she didn't move her feet, still leaning against the sports car of the Jiang family driver behind her.

Lu Zheng slammed the car door shut with a loud bang and strode aggressively toward them.

Seeing the situation was turning against him, the referee in charge of the match quickly jogged over to him, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Lu Zheng, you should have given us a heads-up beforehand. Otherwise, we would have definitely welcomed you. But the bets have already been placed, so..."

Lu Zheng snorted and said, "You guys do your thing, I'm just here to take someone away."

He then walked toward Suwen.

Suwen avoided his gaze and said to the man beside her, "Let's go, get in the car." She slid into the passenger seat and was about to close the door when suddenly a man's arm reached in and blocked the door!

Suwen ignored him and tried harder, but the man's arm was as hard as steel, and she couldn't close the car door no matter what she did.

She finally snapped, looking up at him and demanding, "What do you think you're doing?"

He scoffed, "You're asking me? What are you doing?"

She pretended not to know what he was asking and said seriously, "Of course I'm here to make money. What woman comes here without making money?"

Enraged, he punched the car door with his backhand, denting the alloy surface!

Suwen was startled by the loud noise and was pulled out of the carriage by him.