He had assumed that by now, Shen Zhiyi would be holed up in Lihua Village, too depressed to leave the house. He never imagined she would actually be working as a chef at Fumanlou.
And not just any chef she was the head chef!
Recently, his colleagues had been raving about the delicious new dishes created by Fumanlou’s new cook. He never in a million years guessed that this new female chef was his own wife.
“What a coincidence. I thought you came here ready to get on your knees and beg me. Turns out you’re just here for a nice meal with your mistress,” Shen Zhiyi said casually, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
“Zhiyi, don’t misunderstand. Tongtong had a cold, so I brought her to the doctor. We just happened to run into Brother Yusheng, and since it was lunchtime, we came to try those Cola Chicken Wings everyone’s been talking about.”
“I never imagined you created them. They actually taste quite good.”
“Good? It’s just cloyingly sweet, dark, and sticky. It’s disgusting, Shen Zhiyi,” Lu Yusheng said harshly, trying to undermine her.
“Oh? If it’s disgusting, you shouldn’t have ordered it,” Shen Zhiyi retorted, glancing at the pile of bones on their table.
He had eaten so much, yet now claimed it tasted bad?
Who would believe that?
Well, she supposed she had to play along.
“This isn’t about ordering or not! There was a fly in your food. How do you explain that?”
“Explain what? I’ll pay compensation. How much do you want?”
“Eighty yuan.”
Honestly, one dared to ask, and the other dared to answer.
“Eighty? A plate of wings is only eight yuan during the launch promotion. You want ten times the price? Did the food go bad?”
“And if a fly flew in from outside, am I supposed to control the wind?”
“Shen Zhiyi, how can you be so sure it came from outside? Is your kitchen even that clean?”
“Sir, if you have doubts about cleanliness, you can put on our staff uniform and I will personally give you a tour of the kitchen,” Boss Wei stepped in.
“I, Wei Defu, have run this restaurant for over ten years. Hygiene is our top priority. Every ingredient is fresh and guaranteed quality.”
“You look familiar, sir. You must be a regular customer, so you know our standards. Finding a dead fly today… it truly must be an accident.”
“How about this? This meal is on the house. My sincere apologies to you, your wife, and your child. I will have our head chef immediately make a fresh plate of wings for the child, and I’ll throw in Cola Ribs and Trotters as well. Is that fair?”
“Boss Wei,” Shen Zhiyi spoke up, “the child has a cold. She shouldn’t eat this dish anyway cola can make coughing worse.”
“Oh, is that so? What a shame. No worries, come back another day and Uncle Boss will treat you then. By the way, do you go to Central Primary School?”
Boss Wei tried to cheer Tongtong up.
But the little girl was shy and scared of his large build, hiding behind Jiang Ruochu immediately.
“Xiao Shen, get back to work,” Boss Wei ordered, then told the cashier to waive the bill for their table.
After Shen Zhiyi left, Lu Yusheng suddenly lost his appetite. Jiang Ruochu was also feeling nauseous the rich, greasy food was making her stomach turn.
They had actually gone to the hospital that day for her checkup.
Another week had passed, and Jiang Ruochu was getting impatient. If her morning sickness got worse, people would notice before her belly even started to show.
Lu Yusheng needed to divorce Shen Zhiyi quickly so they could register their marriage and hold a wedding. Otherwise, it would look terrible.
Lu Yusheng had already rewritten the divorce agreement at his office, but with Shen Zhiyi being so stubborn, he refused to be the first to back down. His family also told him not to give in.
Seeing him distracted, Jiang Ruochu pressed him again, her tone sharp.
“Stop rushing me! I’m annoyed enough as it is,” Lu Yusheng snapped.
Tears welled up in Jiang Ruochu’s eyes immediately. Tongtong immediately hugged her mother protectively and cried out, “Uncle Lu, don’t be mean to Mommy!”
Lu Yusheng panicked. They were hiding in an alley, but someone could walk by anytime especially his colleagues or patients. He couldn’t afford to lose face.
“Ruochu, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” he quickly softened his tone and comforted her.
As soon as he apologized, she forgave him.
“It’s okay. I know I’m being pushy. But Brother Yusheng, I really have no choice. I can’t even eat greasy food outside without feeling sick. It’s getting harder to hide.”
“Also… Brother Yusheng, what did Shen Zhiyi mean that day? She said kneeling would work within three months, but after that, the conditions change. What was she talking about?”
“Does she know about me… about the baby?” Jiang Ruochu clutched her stomach, terrified.
“Stop overthinking. She’s just a village woman. Even if she can cook, she’s not that smart,” Lu Yusheng dismissed her fears.
Jiang Ruochu nodded, hoping he was right.
Otherwise, it would be truly terrifying.
“Ruochu,” Lu Yusheng asked softly, “do you really want me to get on my knees and beg that woman?”
Jiang Ruochu shook her head immediately. “Of course not.”
“If she insists… how far are you willing to go for our future?” Lu Yusheng manipulated her gently.
Jiang Ruochu looked into his eyes, filled with what she thought was love, and made an impulsive decision.
“If she forces you to kneel… then I’ll get rid of this baby. We will fight her together, no matter what.”
“Ruochu…” Lu Yusheng hugged her tightly, feigning emotion. “You truly are the woman I love with my life.”
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Ruochu’s lips.
She already had a son and a daughter. Losing this one wasn’t a big loss at all.
Her body was healthy and she conceived easily anyway. She could always have another one later when the time was right.
With Jiang Ruochu’s “support,” Lu Yusheng made up his mind. He would drag this out and wear Shen Zhiyi down.
After the lunch rush, Shen Zhiyi had a few hours of break before dinner service began.
Lu Yusheng and Jiang Ruochu had shown up, but Zhou Muchuan was nowhere to be seen this entire week.
What was he busy with?
She had submitted the application to reopen her case, but it had been a week with absolutely no news.
That didn’t make sense.
Were they even going to process her appeal?
Filled with questions, Shen Zhiyi packed a box of freshly made Cola Chicken Wings, rode the restaurant’s bicycle, and headed straight for the South Street Police Station to find Zhou Muchuan.