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墨書 Inktalez
I sat dejectedly in my seat, watching Deng Xiaomei and Huang Zhang leave. Next to me, Miao Miao was no better off, trembling with anger, her hands gripping the fabric on the table until it wrinkled. A trembling waitress approached us, asking if we needed any help.
"Get lost!" Miao Miao shouted, sending the waitress scurrying away.
The waitress shrank back, leaving in a hurry, disappearing just like before.
"How despicable! That bitch dares to bring a man and play these games! She's young but cunning," Miao Miao cursed loudly, her voice echoing in the quiet café, just as isolated as we had felt moments ago.
I hadn't anticipated that Miao Miao hadn't considered either; while we reveled in our own schemes, we underestimated our opponent's strength. Deng Xiaomei was indeed more than just her youthful charm. At that moment, I suddenly realized that the gap between us was far greater than I had imagined.
I quietly wallowed in self-pity, replaying Deng Xiaomei's words from earlier. I remembered every word she said, reminding me of my shortcomings and my fanciful ideas.
From the moment she deleted the photos, I should have been on guard; she wouldn't be easy to deal with. Yet I had let my guard down and suffered a defeat at the most critical moment. The best opportunity had slipped away, and I didn't know when I would have another chance to encounter Deng Xiaomei again.
I was the one being led by the nose. She, Deng Xiaomei, truly had the ability to counter every move; I could only look on from afar.
"Don't rush it, Zhuang Jun. There are still chances for a counterattack. We need to think this through and not let our guard down again," Miao Miao advised me with a furrowed brow, trying to encourage me. Her expression wasn't much better than mine; perhaps she was shaken by what had just happened.
I whispered an apology: "Miao Miao, I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. You didn't mean it. It's not the worst yet; at least we haven't been harmed."
I couldn't tell how much of Huang Zhang's aggressive attitude was genuine fear or just bravado.
After all, both Miao Miao and I had come out of university feeling a bit anxious but generally smooth sailing; things had been relatively harmonious.
Even the well-informed Miao Miao might not have seen a man as arrogant as Huang Zhang, and she certainly didn't expect Deng Xiaomei to bring him over.
"Deng Xiaomei brought Huang Zhang here. This man, he really doesn't mind that Deng Xiaomei has had an affair with another man and is even pregnant?" The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Although Deng Xiaomei had mentioned that Song Qi introduced Huang Zhang, I never doubted it this much.
"Miao Miao, do you think the child is really Wang Xu's?"
Upon hearing my question, Miao Miao sighed softly. Unlike my hopes, she was more composed: "Zhuang Jun, listen to me. Even if the child isn't Wang Xu's, she would still need to navigate through a paternity test. Look at Deng Xiaomei; is she really cooperating with us? This woman is too calculating."
As she spoke, her frustration grew. Miao Miao tugged at her hair in irritation. I listened to her analysis and found it quite reasonable. Deng Xiaomei's previous "cooperation" had already led me to bitter consequences. Now, I dared not underestimate her; dealing with Deng Xiaomei required utmost caution.
"This woman is only twenty years old. How can she be so deep in schemes? It shouldn't be like this. Damn, did she experience some kind of trauma in her childhood that made her so despicable?" Miao Miao murmured softly, analyzing as her voice gradually lightened, as if lost in thought.
"By the way." Miao Miao suddenly grabbed my arm excitedly: "Deng Xiaomei must have family; we should start from her family members. She must have some weaknesses."
What Miao Miao said was exactly what I was thinking. Deng Xiaomei had clearly indicated that she cared for nothing but money and boundless greed.
What one seeks is often their weakness. Deng Xiaomei's warning stemmed from our nearing her interests.
"There must be some weaknesses; they just haven't been discovered yet. She's hidden them so deeply. We've investigated everything we could before; family members or close people might still hold some clues!" Miao Miao said excitedly, hope blooming on her face as she smiled at me.
"Don't worry, Zhuang Jun. Cheer up! Let's just consider this a setback in society; now we know where the traps are and how to avoid them. It's okay; there's still hope."
She was stronger than I was, holding my hand to encourage me not to give up.
I had no doubt about what Miao Miao said; I couldn't give up either. Just as I believed in hope, I had to believe.
Dragging my weary body home, I tried to lift my spirits at the door so my parents wouldn't worry. As soon as the door opened a crack, the sounds of a noisy argument came from inside, including Wang Xu's voice.
"Dad, listen to me, it's not like that, it's all a misunderstanding, really, it's all a misunderstanding. Zhuang Jun misunderstood me, Dad, Dad!"
I was one hundred percent sure it was Wang Xu's voice. Hearing his commotion, I quickly opened the door and took a few steps into the living room. He had his back to me, cradling his face with one hand and still crying out.
"Dad, it's not what you think. I don't have that kind of ability. Zhuang Jun is upset that I didn't care about her enough; there’s absolutely no cheating involved!"
I could hear Wang Xu's words clearly, and his tone was telling. He was pushing all the blame onto me, and I was instantly filled with rage. How could he do this!?
My dad looked at him with a stern expression. After decades as a police officer, he exuded an intimidating presence even when calm; now that he was furious, it was even more frightening.
When I entered, Wang Xu stopped speaking and turned to look at me, his face filled with surprise.
"Go on, say it! Say it in front of my dad and clarify the facts. Do you still want to deny it?" I never expected this day would come.
Wang Xu came to my house and, in front of my dad, shifted all the responsibility onto me.
I recalled similar scenes from before when I had evidence of Wang Xu's infidelity. He had blamed everything on my mother-in-law and Miao Miao while completely avoiding any mention of his own responsibilities.
How could he be such a man?
Wang Xu flashed a nervous expression but quickly concealed it, turning confused instead. "Honey, the truth is that you misunderstood everything. You know me; how could I do something so ridiculous?"
He removed his hand from his swollen face, revealing clear red marks etched into his innocent and pitiful expression. It was strikingly vivid. He then approached me, turning his back to my dad as he gestured for me to follow him into the room to talk. I shook off his hand and pointed towards the door.
"Wang Xu, get out."
"Honey, you said..."
"I told you to get lost."
Previously, when Wang Xu shirked responsibility, I thought he still had feelings for me. Now, as he continued to evade accountability, I could only believe it was his true nature. After the major incident, everything Wang Xu did was an attempt to shift blame, even coming to my house to accuse me.
"Enough!" my dad shouted, and both Wang Xu and I fell silent.
His face flushed red as his gaze landed on Wang Xu. With a cold snort, he said, "Wang Xu, I once regarded you as a son. I never favored my daughter over you. You know what kind of person she is; do you really think she would falsely accuse you? She has endured so much just to tell us the truth. You're truly despicable!"
Wang Xu's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth in silence. He softly argued, "Dad, Zhuang Jun misunderstood. It's not what you think. Let me talk to Zhuang Jun again, just once."
He raised his index finger in the air, desperately trying to convey "one." He looked at my dad pleadingly, almost kneeling before him. Once my dad turned away, he hurriedly grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room.
In just a few steps, my arm felt uncomfortable from his grip. Once we were inside, he finally released me, quickly locked the door, and turned around to whisper angrily, "Did we not agree not to tell Mom and Dad? Why did you say anything? Don't you know they would worry?"
I scoffed; was it too late for him to care about my parents' well-being?
"You don't need to worry about that. What you should be concerned about is this situation."
Faced with my retort, Wang Xu continued to feign innocence. "That time was my fault. I've already apologized and made promises. Why can't you trust me one more time?"
"Trust is built on loyalty, and you, Wang Xu, have betrayed me time and again yet come here asking for trust. Do you deserve it?!"
"I betrayed you? Fine, I'll admit it." Wang Xu readily acknowledged it, but the crux of his argument was different: "But what were you doing behind my back? Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
I felt a surge of anger in my chest. How could Wang Xu now start slandering me to deflect blame? "So tell me, what do you think I did behind your back?"
I've done things that were extreme; all of it was just retribution for Wang Xu's own actions.
"Wang Xu," he said, his eyes cold and filled with despair, as if he had endured great humiliation. "I am still holding on to our relationship, yet you are thinking about separating. Zhuang Jun, I have given you a home and promised you a stable future. What more do you want?"
He was referring to the agreement I had with my mother-in-law. Perhaps he thought I, Zhuang Jun, was greedy and wanted to take everything from him.
"Wang Xu, you can no longer provide me with stability. What you can offer me now is reasonable compensation."
Wang Xu furrowed his brows tightly. "What do you mean?"
"I want a divorce; it's a done deal. No matter how much you try to hide or deceive me now, even if you cut off my escape routes and leave me feeling hopeless, I will find any corner you cannot avoid and make you experience everything I have endured."
"Divorce? You really want to divorce me?" Wang Xu's expression showed disbelief, as if he had heard something absurd.
"No, no, we can't get divorced. I love you, and you love me. We married out of love; it shouldn't be like this." He pleaded with a pained expression, accusing me of not giving him a chance.
"I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. Let's talk it over properly. How could I possibly hide anything from you? Just ask me anything, and I'll tell you everything. Please trust me one more time, okay?"
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