Ruan Jiu Jiu didn’t know whether the original body’s owner had met these people before, so she didn’t know what to say and could only stand there accepting their scrutiny.
Cheng Jun said very calmly: “My wife.”
Tu Nan and Jiao Fan almost let their exclamations of “WTF!” slip off their tongues, but in front of Gu You, they could only force the words back down. The two of them were dumbstruck, the reason for their shock being that they totally hadn’t expected Sister-in-law to be so beautiful.
Their company was like a monastery full of celibate monks, and the ratio of men to woman was absolutely pitiful. A woman as classy and beautiful as An Rou was practically acknowledged company-wide as their representative female idol. Even if she occasionally showed a bit of attitude, they were unable to get mad at her.
Now with Ruan Jiu Jiu as comparison, An Rou, who previously looked good no matter how you looked at her, immediately lost some of her luster.
Going off what An Rou had said before, they thought that Ruan Jiu Jiu wasn’t very good looking, so they had all made mental preparations. But now that they were faced with the sight of beautiful Ruan Jiu Jiu standing prettily before them, they couldn’t help but lose their wits a little. They stammered nervously, unexpectedly at a loss for words. The two adult men were both blushing up to their ears. Hopping nervously from one foot to the other, their envious eyes were practically about to turn green.
His wife was so beautiful, she was so nice, and she was so good in the kitchen. This guy was literally winning at life!
The two of them desperately wanted to call out “Sister-in-law” but they had to resist the urge. Cheng Jun’s identity was top secret and couldn’t be revealed in front of outsiders, not even Gu You.
Contrary to the others, An Rou’s face paled in a flash and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her utensils. She clearly remembered that back then, after asking around and pulling some strings she had finally managed to see his wife Ruan Jiu Jiu face-to-face. Her impression was that she was high-maintenance and a massive flirt; simply put she was disgusting. How had she now practically transformed into a different person?
No! That was impossible!
In Tu Nan’s mind, he was thinking that Sister-in-law was not only mind blowingly beautiful, she also had such an approachable personality. Without holding anything back he frantically praised, “Bo-…B-Bro, Cheng your wife is so pretty!”
Jiao Fan coughed.
Why did his words sound a little off?
Cheng Jun very calmly gave some introductions for Ruan Jiu Jiu: “Some friends of mine, we grabbed a bite together.”
He knew with certainty that Ruan Jiu Jiu wouldn’t pursue the matter, just as he was certain that the others wouldn’t take the initiative to expose his true identity. As such, he wasn’t worried at all about the cat getting out of the bag.
Who could imagine that a big boss like him would actually need to conceal his true identity from his wife, to keep her from divorcing him.
Ruan Jiu Jiu had never paid any attention to the gossip around Jiacheng. She only felt that Tu Nan looked a little familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on where she might have met him before. The only thing in her head right now was a sigh of relief—Cheng Jun actually had his own friends.
My baby’s all grown up! This old auntie is extremely gratified.
Unexpectedly, Gu You said in amazement, “What a coincidence, haven’t we met before?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu nodded her head in embarrassment, thinking that she also found it hard to believe that there could be such a coincidence. With a charming smile she said, “Hello, I’m Ruan Jiu Jiu.”
Watching the two’s exchange, the others were all flabbergasted.
They hadn’t expected Gu You to be acquainted with their sister-in-law. Tu Nan and Jiao Fan’s expressions turned odd. In their minds they envisioned a ten-ton-heavy, verdant green hat sprout up on top of Cheng Jun’s head, even seeming to see Gu You personally placing it on his head.
“…”
Gu You paused silently for a moment, and then in a tone of both surprise and doubt he asked, “Can it be…that you’re Jiu Jiu Jiu?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu was startled: “Who are you?”
He smiled in response and said in a very polite tone of voice, with some regret at having to reveal himself, “Reminiscence of the Past.”
All the players knew that Reminiscence of the Past felt a little something towards Jiu Jiu Jiu. Tu Nan and the others were privy to the drama. They knew Jiu Jiu Jiu was Sister-in-law. The scene right now was very awkward. It was over. Gu You just had to fall for their boss’s wife. If they let Gu You into Jiacheng Corporation, that would be the same as welcoming a wolf into your den.
Ruan jiu Jiu looked at him and was at a loss for a moment.
In the game, everyone was a screen away and it didn’t feel real. But now, Gu You was standing in front of her in flesh and blood. Ruan Jiu Jiu recalled the glory and achievements to be had in his upcoming years. She remembered his pain and love confession. For a moment, it seemed like there was a string that pulled him out of the book and placed him right in front of her.
Cheng Jun was only a passing mention in the book. He wasn’t like Gu You. Ruan Jiu Jiu had been witness to Gu You and Xu Bi Ying’s romance.
When reading the novel, Ruan Jiu Jiu felt like it was a pity that Gu You got with Xu Bi Ying. She had vented in a string of curses.
But now thinking about it, it was such a mystical experience. She was in a book!
The others thought differently. They just saw Ruan Jiu Jiu lock her gaze on Gu You. Her gaze was complicated. Tu Nan inwardly felt like the situation had gone bad. Did Sister-in-law have a thing for Reminiscence? He thought it over. His boss was an unromantic, passive guy who spoke little. How could he compare to Reminiscence’s tender, family-guy vibes?
Gu You said, “What a coincidence, what about we eat together…”
Cheng Jun suddenly reached out to hold Ruan Jiu Jiu’s bags for her. He cut off Gu You mid-sentence.
His body just so happened to be blocking Gu You, and he languidly said, “Let’s go home.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu blinked. “Ah… okay.” She also wanted to go home. She felt a little weird being stared at.
The two left first. An Rou couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. The gentle ladylike smile she always had on her face cracked. She stared holes into the backs of the departing figures. Her pretty lips pursed into a tight line, and her gaze sharpened.
She didn’t believe the two were together! She was even less likely to believe that he loved that girl!
“I never thought she’d be such a beautiful lady.”
“Yeah… Ahh, don’t talk about it anymore. I’m so jealous I could cry right now.”
Gu You looked at their expressions in thought.
He asked, “So, Cheng Jun is Liszt.” Though his words formed a question, his tone seemed assured.
Tu Nan said, “Keep it a secret.”
Gu You said, “Relax, I can keep a secret.”
He gave a slight smile. All he could think of was Ruan Jiu Jiu’s cute smiling face and her soft fingertips. He was a bit dazed.
After the two left, the rest didn’t have the heart to continue eating. They paid the bill and left the restaurant. Tu Nan left with Gu You and planned to talk with him on the way home. Jiao Fan volunteered to drive An Rou home.
An Rou had a heavy expression on the ride home. When she thought of Cheng Jun returning home with that woman, her jealousy could almost swallow her whole.
She knew Cheng Jun’s personality a little.
When he had said, “let’s go home” that meant that in all likelihood he saw Ruan Jiu Jiu as family and treated her thus.
Jiao Fan glanced through the rearview mirror at An Rou. He cautiously asked, “An Rou, are you okay? You aren’t looking so good.”
An Rou, who was sitting in the backseat, suddenly spoke softly and asked, “Um, if you compare me to Ruan Jiu Jiu, who do you think is prettier?”
Jiao Fan was a dense moron with zero EQ. Without a thought, he replied, “Sister-in-law is prettier of course. She’s a one in a million! But…” His voice softed. “You are the prettiest in my heart.”
An Rou was almost angered to death by his “comforting” words.
On the other side, it wasn’t all sunshine and butterflies, and lovey-dovey-ness like the others had thought.
Ruan Jiu Jiu pretended as if nothing had happened while she sat in the taxi. Cheng Jun sat right next to her and didn’t say a thing. The two were very quiet. With a guilty conscience, Ruan Jiu Jiu decided to break the silence. “Um… I saw that you didn’t even eat much. Aren’t you hungry?”
Cheng Jun’s faint response: “No worries, I’m just scraping by.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
Fine, having her weak spot discovered could be counted as her being unlucky.
Ruan Jiu Jiu cleared her throat and attempted to make it up to him: “Then how about I cook you something to eat?”
Cheng Jun’s faint response: “Just scraping something together will do.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
She should just keep her mouth shut.
She silently turned her head and stared out the window. It was a bit stuffy inside the taxi so she lowered the car’s window slightly, leaving a tiny gap to let the air circulate better. The cold air rushed against her face and, not having taken care to keep herself warm, she hiccupped.
From the other side, Cheng Jun’s quiet voice continued: “Full?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu, on the verge of bursting into tears: “…”
She had learned her lesson and now bitterly understood what it meant to offend a foodie. She would never again go off to eat by herself! Never again!
After getting off the taxi, the rain had already stopped.
The wet and muddy ground was a bit slippery, but thankfully Cheng Jun was there to help carry her shopping bags. Ruan Jiu Jiu was able to use both hands to carefully hold up the ends of her coat, to avoid getting mud splattered on herself.
Cheng Jun’s pace of walking wasn’t slow, and Ruan Jiu Jiu followed behind him the whole way, her heels click-clacking on the steps.
“Oh yeah,” Ruan Jiu Jiu recalled the other’s matter and was still a bit doubtful, “why was Gu You eating with you guys, is it related to the game?”
“Mhm,” Cheng Jun slowly responded.
Ruan Jiu Jiu waited for him to continue explaining but unexpectedly, Cheng Jun didn’t say anything after that.
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”
This guy really knew how to hold a grudge!
Facing Cheng Jun’s back, Ruan Jiu Jiu made a face. But the other suddenly turned his head back and saw her baring her fangs in such a stupid manner.
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
Ruan Jiu Jiu coughed. “Next time you turn around, can you give me a head’s up.”
Cheng Jun stared at her for a while. Under the dim lights, his pupils were so black one couldn’t see the depths of them. It made Ruan Jiu Jiu forget her lines.
Cheng Jun swallowed the question “Do you care about Gu You that much?” back into his mouth.
He slowly said, “I want to eat egg noodles.”
“… Ah.” So it was that.
Ruan Jiu Jiu immediately relaxed. Here she thought Cheng Jun had something important to say. But in the end it still had to do with food.
“Okay, sure.”
※
Just as Cheng Jun was finishing off his bowl of noodles, Tu Nan changed the group chat to “It’s Good But It Ain’t No Dumpling” and people started spamming in excitement. It didn’t take long for them to rack up 99+ notifications.
Tu Nan: Sister-in-law is soooo pretty! My God!
Jiao Fan: Yeah yeah! You don’t know how dumb we all looked!
Fu Zi Cheng: Wtf! I work overtime and miss such a big thing??? Why didn’t you guys call me!
Fu Zi Cheng: How pretty was she? I really wanna tag Boss and ask for her selfie! Ahhh! Am I crazy?
Tu Nan: You ain’t even that bad. I might not even be able to see the sun tomorrow.
Only
Jiao Fan: You shoulda seen Tu Nan’s face when he saw Sister-in-law. He was like a dog looking at meat. He didn’t even blink.
Fu Zi Cheng: Omfg kms. My god I wanna cry. I also wanna meet sister-in-lawwww—-
Ten minutes later.
[Cheng Jun has changed the group name to “Group Chat.” ]
[Tu Nan has been kicked from the chat.]
Not too long later, a voice text from Cheng Jun appeared. His voice was clear and sounded nice. His tone was calm and steady.
“You want to work overtime?”
The two poor little things still left in the chat started quaking.
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