606. Old Friends
“Esentially, Shuqin’s already in school…”
“Why does it feel like I’m more exhausted?”
Ning Chu picked up her daughter from kindergarten, slowly riding her electric bicycle home.
“I was thinking of going to Wen Yang’s company to work~”
Her daughter, sitting in the child seat, looked up at her mom with a puzzled expression: “Is Mommy very tired?”
“A bit…”
Ning Chu let out a heavy sigh.
Every day, she had to clean the house, buy groceries, cook, tutor her daughter, complete various parenting tasks, and deal with a pile of chaotic matters from the kindergarten…
In her mind, her daughter going to school should mean less work for her,
but it seemed she was busier than ever.
“Is it because Daddy bullies you all the time?”
“No way!”
Though lately, there had been some indulgence on their part, after all, Ning Chu and Wen Yang had been holding back since pregnancy. Finally having a chance to enjoy their world together without interruptions, a little excessive playfulness was nothing to fuss about!
Besides, she was a succubus! Even if she collapsed into bed after a full stomach, her spirits glowed as if she’d absorbed all the good vibes.
“What’s with your teacher assigning family projects? I end up doing all the work!”
Ning Chu complained, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be this tired.”
“I help too!” her daughter raised her right hand, “I’m very capable!”
When it came to being unhelpful, her daughter truly excelled.
“Mom! Why doesn’t Auntie come to play with me?”
“She has to work too~ Helping out at your dad’s company.” Ning Chu said in a sweet, high-pitched voice, “In a few days, there’s the National Day holiday~ Auntie will come to play with you every day, okay?”
“Okay~”
Speaking of which, Black Bean was blending in at Wen Yang’s company like a fish to water…
With that adorable look and catgirl vibe, she had won over the hearts of other employees. Rumor has it that they were even considering changing the company logo to a black cat. Black Bean was on her way to becoming the company’s mascot!
God knows why a flat-chested catgirl was so popular.
But clearly, if Black Bean didn’t get her act together at work, all that popularity would soon fade.
After taking the elevator with her daughter, Ning Chu reached her front door and immediately spotted two unfamiliar pairs of shoes by the entrance.
She froze for a moment, pausing in front of the door, listening intently.
“Mom? What are you doing?”
“Shh~ Be quiet…”
What if it’s a thief? Although, a polite thief probably wouldn’t bother taking off their shoes.
Faintly, Ning Chu could hear conversation in the living room.
It was Wen Yang’s voice, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“At home, I make all the big decisions, and Ning Chu handles the little things.”
Just as she was about to open the door, she hesitated, caught in the midst of their conversation.
“Usually, when I tell Ning Chu to go east, she never dares to go west. And at night, she has to bring me water and help wash my feet, isn’t that right?”
“Wow~ Ning Chu is so… virtuous now?”
That voice sounded a bit unfamiliar, but she quickly realized it was Zhang Shaoqing, that cheeky guy.
“Of course! After so many years of marriage, she listens to me completely!”
Though Ning Chu had indeed brought Wen Yang water and washed his feet, hearing it come from his mouth was just so hard to bear!
She couldn’t take it anymore and expressionlessly opened the door, took off her shoes, and led her daughter inside.
The noise startled Wen Yang, who was boasting, making him jump a little. He quickly turned around, his smug expression freezing, and gave Ning Chu a cheeky wink.
“Wifey! Shaoqing and Qian Qian are here! Go buy some drinks downstairs! Hurry up!”
He instructed Ning Chu, then turned back to Zhang Shaoqing to brag, “This is called knowing your place in the family, get it?”
“Why aren’t you going to buy them yet?”
Ning Chu crossed her arms with a sarcastic smile, looking at Wen Yang, “Are you trying to start a revolution?”
Wen Yang’s bravado immediately deflated. He awkwardly glanced at Zhang Shaoqing, got up quickly, and leaned in closer to Ning Chu, whining, “Wifey~ cut me some slack~ It’s been a while since I’ve seen Shaoqing, I was just bragging!”
“Isn’t a man supposed to want a little dignity? Wifey~ Wifey~”
At nearly six feet three, his whining was hard for Ning Chu to handle. She turned her head away in disgust, “Alright already, what do you want to drink?”
“Anything will do.”
“Crazy…”
Ning Chu scoffed, then finally looked at the two old friends lounging on the sofa.
“Qian Qian~ Long time no see! I’ll go downstairs to get some drinks! We’ll chat later~”
The catgirl Qian Qian smiled and nodded, “I’ll join you downstairs~”
“Great!”
Ning Chu stole another glance at Zhang Shaoqing. This guy looked all put-together, but that smug grin of his hadn’t changed a bit.
Being around Zhang Shaoqing had really influenced her husband, who couldn’t stop blabbing and was all about saving face.
“Just buy whatever you want; don’t worry about it.”
Zhang Shaoqing shrugged, “You really aren’t going to let him show some appreciation for what he just said?”
“Less fanning the flames; my bond with Ning Chu is stronger than gold.”
Her daughter hid behind Ning Chu, clinging to her leg while peering curiously at the visitors. When Zhang Shaoqing’s gaze landed on her, she immediately shrank back in shyness.
“Mom, kitty…”
Her daughter tugged at Ning Chu’s clothing, looking at Qian Qian’s cat ears.
“Don’t pull her tail or ears; you should call her ‘Sister.’”
She peered out timidly: “Sister~”
Qian Qian’s heart nearly melted at the cuteness: “Your daughter is so adorable~”
“Right? Shuqin, you should call him ‘Uncle.’”
Zhang Shaoqing was suddenly unhappy, “Why is Qian Qian ‘Sister’ and I’m ‘Uncle’? That’s not right!”
His voice noticeably rose, which startled the little girl, making her retreat further back. Before Ning Chu could say anything, Qian Qian swiftly slapped him on the back of the head.
“You scared the child!”
“Oh…”
Clearly, Zhang Shaoqing’s position at home wasn’t very high.
“Go find your dad; I’m heading downstairs.”
Handing her daughter over to Wen Yang, Ning Chu exited with Qian Qian.
They had once been teacher and student, and later, close friends, but it had been years since they last met, so there was an inevitable awkwardness in the air.
As they waited for the elevator, Ning Chu stole a few glances at Qian Qian.
Qian Qian had on light makeup today, but it couldn’t hide the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She had a touch of elegance now, her necklace and earrings sparkling as if highlighting her wealth, which made Ning Chu feel a bit distant.
The hallway was silent, but through the slightly ajar door, they could hear Zhang Shaoqing’s voice.
“Look at you being so timid earlier! If Qian Qian dared to talk to me like that, I’d just slap her!”
“…”
Ning Chu and Qian Qian exchanged a knowing glance, then burst into laughter. With that, the distance between them shrank significantly.
“Zhang Shaoqing acts like that at home too? Don’t you ever hit him?”
“Of course! I just smacked him earlier!”
“Wen Yang usually isn’t this big on saving face—he’s been corrupted since hanging out with your Zhang Shaoqing.”
“He acts like he never grew up~” Qian Qian sighed, “Wait for me a sec.”
Even as the elevator arrived, Qian Qian rolled up her sleeves and dashed back inside, followed by Zhang Shaoqing’s wails and cries.
