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墨書 Inktalez
A chill ran down my spine as I thought to myself, it must be wrong, it definitely must be wrong. Ever since I entered, I felt that the atmosphere was strange, but I thought I was just being overly sensitive and didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings. I wanted to ask the waiter to describe Deng Xiaomei or Huang Zhang, but Wang Xu was in front of me, so I held back, nearly exposing the fact that I had met Huang Zhang and Deng Xiaomei.
I gripped my hands tightly, feeling very uncomfortable. It was so close; the words almost slipped out, but I managed to suppress them in time. Otherwise, Wang Xu would find out that I had arranged to meet Deng Xiaomei. Now was not the time for that discussion.
Wang Xu was sitting across from me, demanding an explanation from the manager. He insisted that they needed to provide a resolution, stating that if something happened in their establishment, there should be corresponding feedback measures; otherwise, he would escalate the matter.
The manager wiped his sweat and respectfully replied, “Sir, how about this: we will waive this meal for you, and I will arrange for someone to take you to the hospital for a check-up. If there is any harm done, we will definitely take responsibility.”
From the manager's perspective, this was a normal response. Wang Xu wasn’t looking for financial compensation; he just wanted an explanation because he felt wronged. However, from my standpoint, this made me break into a cold sweat.
How could I go to the hospital! If I went now and the results showed that I wasn’t pregnant, everything would be ruined! I couldn’t let Wang Xu do this!
Wang Xu’s expression relaxed a bit as he opened his mouth to respond. Seeing this, I quickly interjected sharply, “Who asked you to do all that! Just tell me whether you will compensate or not!”
I even slammed my hand on the table loudly. The surrounding customers were drawn by the commotion and glanced over curiously while whispering among themselves. Being put on the spot like this made me feel embarrassed; I was naturally shy and found it hard to endure such humiliation in public. But now, I had no choice but to keep up the act; I couldn’t afford to mess up at this point.
“This customer,” the manager began, “if you experience any health issues, we will definitely take responsibility and won’t shirk our duty. Please go to the hospital for a check-up so we can understand the situation better.”
I scoffed twice and looked at the manager disdainfully. “So if I go to the hospital and find nothing wrong, you’re off the hook? This bug came from your establishment; what if I don’t die? Should I just swallow this thing down?”
“Customer, you’ve misunderstood us; we truly don’t mean that…”
“You know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you—I will not leave this restaurant until I get a fair resolution. Don’t think you can dismiss us and destroy evidence thinking everything will be fine; it doesn’t work that way!”
Wang Xu hurriedly tried to calm me down. “Honey, don’t get angry; you can’t get upset! Let me handle this with them; just stay calm for your health—you still have a baby!”
"Child, child! I'm sitting here being treated like a monkey and you don't care at all. All you do is talk, and I almost got taken away while you're happily speaking up for others!"
"That's not it, dear. We're not in a negotiation right now, are we? How about this: you tell me what to do, and I'll handle it afterward, okay?" Wang Xu said, softening his tone and looking at me with a pitiful expression.
"Alright then, let's just have them pay up. A fair amount, and we'll handle the rest ourselves. Otherwise, if this escalates, it won't be good for anyone."
Wang Xu seemed genuinely worried that my emotions might affect the child. He quickly started discussing the compensation issue with the manager, who followed Wang Xu's lead. Once the tension eased between them, they moved to a corner to discuss.
I sat in my seat, slowly inhaling and exhaling. The waiter in front of me looked awkwardly at me, perhaps wanting to clear the table but I didn't let him. I retreated from their view, feeling a wave of sadness wash over me. I could imagine how terrible my image must have been just moments ago, but to avoid raising any suspicion from Wang Xu, I had to shift my focus to the compensation.
The manager probably believed that I was only causing a fuss over the compensation money, but after spending so much time with Wang Xu, I wondered if he would see through my act; it was still a mystery.
I anxiously waited, and the longer I waited, the more I could picture how embarrassing I had been earlier. Before long, the manager and Wang Xu returned. Wang Xu comforted me with a few words and said we could leave.
Once we stepped out of the restaurant, he proactively told me that the manager had agreed on a compensation amount. He extended his palm towards me with a smile on his face but suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, "Dear, let's go to the hospital for a check-up. Who knows if there’s anything wrong? I'm worried; let’s go now."
I grabbed his arm and immediately countered, "What do we need to go for? Didn't you say you would buy me clothes and bags? Now that we have the money, let's go shopping! I barely drank that juice earlier; you saw it too. I've been feeling nauseous these past couple of days and most of it was drunk by you. If anyone needs to check up, it's you! But first, let's finish shopping!"
I clung to his arm in a playful manner to prevent him from leaving. Wang Xu looked troubled: "Let's get checked first; we can shop afterward. You still have clothes and bags at home; just wear those for now. There's no rush; we can buy more in a couple of days."
My expression immediately fell as I forcefully shook off his hand: "So you mean you're not going to buy them for me?"
I intentionally raised my voice, drawing attention from those around us. Wang Xu glanced at the people nearby before looking back at me and pulled my hand aside: "What's wrong with you? You used to dislike these things so much! You usually prefer buying clothes and bags online; when I mentioned it before, you didn't like that I thought you were being cheap. Now you're suddenly keen on shopping outside?"
Yes, it's different. I silently admitted to myself that in order to cover up my true reason for not wanting to go to the hospital, I could only pretend that my pregnancy was causing emotional fluctuations. If I had to put on a show, I had to do it convincingly, with all the trimmings.
So I mustered my courage, nearly bursting into tears: "Alright, you really don't want to buy anything for me, do you? I'm pregnant! Do you still want me to wear clothes from Taobao? Shouldn't I be able to buy some bags or something at the mall? Am I supposed to suffer and not enjoy myself? Is that what you mean?"
"Of course not," Wang Xu hurriedly retorted. He scratched his head, looking helpless. "Okay, okay, if you want to go shopping, then let's go. Don't cry; what if you hurt your body by crying? Buy whatever bag you want, however many you want. Just don’t get too worked up. Look at you lately; your emotions are all over the place."
I forced a dry laugh: "My emotions are all over the place? Haven't you asked your mom what pregnant women are like? I'm like this and still taking care of your feelings; shouldn't it be your turn to take care of me? If you're feeling wronged, just say it! You can leave if you want!"
In the end, Wang Xu seemed genuinely pained by my antics. He took my hand and led me into the mall. He walked ahead while pulling me along from behind, standing at an angle where I could see the sharp lines of his profile.
While choosing bags, my mood wasn't great either, but I had to try hard to pretend to be happy. I picked up one after another and asked Wang Xu which one looked good. He pinched the bridge of his nose and casually said any of them would do. When I turned away from him, my expression fell.
In the end, I picked up two or three bags and bought a few other items, spending all the money I had just made from causing a scene in the store. Throughout it all, I kept a smile on my face, pretending to be very satisfied.
Wang Xu seemed affected by my mood and joked, "So how is it? Are you happy now? Do you think your husband is particularly capable and reliable?"
I felt nauseous enough to almost throw up but forced a laugh in return: "Yes, yes! I think you're the most capable! Actually, I didn't understand before; now that I think about it, as a woman, having nice bags and clothes in the closet reflects how much a man loves a woman. Thank you so much today; I'm really happy."
To make it sound more heartfelt, I leaned in and gently kissed Wang Xu on the cheek. He was so delighted he couldn't contain himself and kept saying everything he did for me was worth it. He even mentioned resigning from his job.
He exaggerated his "resignation," saying how he refused his boss's pleas to stay and insisted on leaving even when offered a high salary just so he could spend time with me and mend our relationship.
When he mentioned "mending," my heart sank. It turned out he knew there was a crack in our relationship. Perhaps he thought it was small enough that a little effort would fix it. What he didn't see was that beneath that crack lay an abyss capable of swallowing us both whole.
On my way home, I stopped by the herbal shop to buy a gift box of Cordyceps for my mother-in-law, saying it would be good for her health since she was getting older and not as strong as before.
Wang Xu was delighted and praised me for being a good daughter-in-law, saying I was thoughtful and even remembered to bring something for my mother-in-law while buying things for myself.
As I watched the staff wrap the gift box, I silently thought that this was just a way to prepare for when my mother-in-law would inevitably get upset; first, she would get angry, then I would offer her the supplement.
Carrying the items, Wang Xu insisted that I come home with him, saying it was inconvenient for me to be alone. I refused, pretending that wanting to be nice to my mother-in-law didn’t mean I wanted to spend more time with her. However, Wang Xu insisted on taking a taxi back to his community, and I stood firm at the entrance.
"I'm not going back. You go ahead; I'll get a taxi and go home myself."
Wang Xu persisted, "What do you mean? We're already here; it's just a short walk home. Why do you want to go to your parents' place? They’ve gone back to their hometown."
"I just want to live alone; why do you care so much?"
"Hey, what's gotten into you lately? You're acting so differently, Zhuang Jun!"
Just as we were arguing, my mother-in-law suddenly appeared, her face beaming with joy as she walked straight towards me. "Zhuang Jun, you're back!"
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