Criteria for choosing a wife – chapter 36

“You got off work early today,” Xia Yuan said, standing in the cold wind, her face slightly pale but her eyes filled with pure joy.

Meng Xiyue took off the scarf from her neck and wrapped it around Xia Yuan. The warmth and faint fragrance surrounded her. Xia Yuan looked up, watching Meng Xiyue carefully pull out the hair trapped under the scarf. Xia Yuan smiled and said, “Meng Xiyue, you’re so good to me.”

Her voice was soft, and the warm breath lightly brushed against Meng Xiyue’s face. Meng Xiyue paused, her fingers brushing through Xia Yuan’s hair, and their eyes met. Xia Yuan’s clear eyes were filled with countless tender emotions, making Meng Xiyue’s lips turn a faint red. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she quickly finished adjusting the scarf.

Meng Xiyue’s fingers slid down Xia Yuan’s hair and held her slightly cool hand. She squeezed it gently and said in a low voice, “Why didn’t you wait for me in the car?”

Earlier, Xia Yuan had sent a message saying she would come to pick her up from work. Meng Xiyue had finished her work for the day and didn’t want Xia Yuan to wait too long like last time.

Between work and her lover, she would find a balance.

Xia Yuan never hid her emotions. She was always straightforward and bold, clearly telling Meng Xiyue, “Because I wanted to see you sooner.”

Meng Xiyue tightened her grip on Xia Yuan’s hand, a blush creeping up her ears. Her beautiful lips curved into a small arc, and she said softly, “Restraint.”

Xia Yuan glanced at her, thinking, “She’s obviously very happy, but Meng Xiyue is too restrained and reserved.”

Her gaze fell on their tightly held hands. Who was the one not being restrained?

Forget it, she wouldn’t expose her. Xia Yuan leaned closer to Meng Xiyue and said, “Let’s not eat out today. Let’s go home and cook ourselves.” She then started listing dishes, as if she was certain Meng Xiyue would cook for her.

Home.

Meng Xiyue’s eyes curved slightly, revealing a gentle smile. Her gaze towards Xia Yuan was warm and soft.

“Okay.”

Meng Xiyue could cook, though only simple home-cooked dishes. She was also good at following recipes, managing to replicate about eighty percent of the taste.

The two of them went to a supermarket near their apartment, bought some groceries, and went home. At the door, Xia Yuan proudly pressed her fingerprint first.

Meng Xiyue stood beside her, her eyes gentle.

Xia Yuan had never dealt with these things before. Watching Meng Xiyue skillfully sort the groceries, she stood by and couldn’t help but focus on Meng Xiyue’s hands moving among the ingredients.

Long, fair, and soft.

Her gaze was so intense that Meng Xiyue couldn’t ignore it even if she tried. She handed a green pepper to Xia Yuan and said, “Wash the vegetables.”

Xia Yuan instinctively said, “I don’t like green peppers.”

Meng Xiyue withdrew her hand and placed the green peppers aside. “Got it,” she said, handing Xia Yuan a tomato instead.

This time, Xia Yuan didn’t say anything and started washing the tomato. The water was warm, so her hands didn’t get cold. As she washed, she said, “Meng Xiyue, let’s cook for ourselves from now on.”

Meng Xiyue, who was slicing potatoes with precision and focus, replied, “Okay.”

Xia Yuan felt happy. She thought Meng Xiyue was really obedient, which also meant that Meng Xiyue liked her a lot.

She washed the tomato over and over again, feeling satisfied only after it was thoroughly clean. Just as she was about to ask Meng Xiyue for another task, the doorbell rang.

Meng Xiyue, still slicing potatoes, said, “Yuan’er, go get the door.”

Xia Yuan wiped her hands, feeling delighted by Meng Xiyue’s affectionate tone. Her voice was sweet like candy as she replied, “Okay.”

When she opened the door, she saw Ding Yaoyao’s miserable face. Her smile vanished instantly, and she switched to her villain mode. “What are you doing here? Get lost. You’re not welcome here.”

Ding Yaoyao was startled to see Xia Yuan at Meng Xiyue’s place at this hour. But she had no other options left. Ignoring Xia Yuan’s cold demeanor, she bit her lower lip and said, “Miss Xia, I’m here to see Miss Meng. Can you ask her to come out and meet me?”

Xia Yuan glanced disdainfully at Ding Yaoyao, who looked like she had aged several years. She flipped her hair and said, “She’s busy cooking for me.”

Ding Yaoyao, still in a state of confusion, didn’t catch the boastful and territorial tone in Xia Yuan’s words. She was on the verge of tears and tried to force her way in, but Xia Yuan quickly shut the door.

Now, both of them were locked outside. The cold wind blew, and Xia Yuan, dressed lightly, felt a bit chilly. She crossed her arms over her chest, not wanting Ding Yaoyao to see her weakness. She lifted her chin slightly, her soft clothes unable to hide the arrogance and domineering look on her face. “Ding Yaoyao, I’m warning you. Stay away from Meng Xiyue.”

“Don’t come looking for her for no reason.”

“The person you should be looking for is Li Ting, not Meng Xiyue. Just because Meng Xiyue is kind doesn’t mean you can cling to her.”

Ding Yaoyao touched her barely concealed belly, tears streaming down her face. Li Ting was too heartless. This was his child. If she hadn’t been quick-witted today, the child would have been gone.

She had indeed agreed to Li Ting’s demand to abort the child, but the moment she entered the operating room, she felt the baby kicking her, so she ran away.

She couldn’t bear to lose the child.

“Miss Xia, can you help me go abroad? I promise I’ll never appear in front of you again and won’t interfere between you and Li Ting.”

Li Ting was ruthless, but the thought of giving up on this relationship made Ding Yaoyao feel like she couldn’t breathe. She truly loved him.

Xia Yuan seemed to have heard something amusing. She tilted her head and let out a disdainful chuckle, then looked at the tearful Ding Yaoyao, who appeared pitiful: “Did you get something wrong, or did Li Ting not tell you?”

“I, Xia Yuan, no longer have him in my eyes.”

“He’s nothing now.”

“Now, please leave. I’m not a fool to help you go abroad. I’d rather do charity.”

Ding Yaoyao wanted to say something, but the door opened, and she saw Meng Xiyue coming out. Her eyes lit up, and she instantly found support, “Miss Meng, can we talk?”

Xia Yuan heard the door open and was momentarily flustered. Seeing Meng Xiyue’s usual expression, she coughed, “Meng Xiyue, I didn’t bully her. If you don’t believe me, ask her.” After speaking, Xia Yuan, who was slightly turned away from Meng Xiyue, squinted and gave Ding Yaoyao a warning look.

Ding Yaoyao bit her lip and didn’t speak up for Xia Yuan. Meng Xiyue looked at Xia Yuan, who dared to stay outside in just a single layer of clothing for so long, and gently squeezed her palm, “Do you want to catch a cold?”

Xia Yuan then felt the chill and couldn’t help but shiver.

Meng Xiyue glanced at her, pulled her inside, and slightly turned to look at Ding Yaoyao standing in the cold wind, “Come in, Miss Ding.”

Xia Yuan unhappily squeezed Meng Xiyue’s hand back and snorted, but held Meng Xiyue’s hand tightly.

She looked at Ding Yaoyao with extreme displeasure.

Annoying b*tch.

Meng Xiyue poured hot water for the two of them. Xia Yuan and Meng Xiyue sat on the same sofa, while Ding Yaoyao sat on a single sofa.

Xia Yuan looked at the cup Ding Yaoyao had touched and secretly decided to throw it away later.

Ding Yaoyao took a sip of warm water and felt much better. She looked at Meng Xiyue, ready to speak, then glanced at Xia Yuan, her eyes hesitant, “Miss Meng, could you ask Miss Xia to leave for a moment?”

Xia Yuan, who had just taken a sip of water, unhappily put the cup on the coffee table, “Ding Yaoyao, you…”

Before she could finish, her hand was patted soothingly. She looked at Meng Xiyue’s distinct knuckles, snorted, and got up to leave.

But Meng Xiyue held her back. She heard Meng Xiyue say, “Sorry, Miss Ding, I can’t agree to that.”

Meng Xiyue calmly looked at Ding Yaoyao. Ding Yaoyao understood the meaning in her eyes: if she insisted, the conversation would end.

Xia Yuan, on the other hand, was smug, crossing her legs and looking at Ding Yaoyao with pride, snorting.

This b*tch finally knows her place.

Meng Xiyue shifted her gaze and glanced at the smug Xia Yuan. Xia Yuan immediately put her leg down, but the smugness in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Meng Xiyue’s eyes softened for a moment as she looked at Ding Yaoyao, who was still brewing her emotions with her head lowered, missing the sweet atmosphere between the two.

“Miss Meng, could you lend me some money? I want to go abroad.”

“I promise I’ll pay you back soon.”

Xia Yuan held back her words and squeezed Meng Xiyue’s fingers, quietly playing the role of a background character.

In her mind, she thought.

If Ding Yaoyao gets any more shameless, she’ll tear her mouth apart.

Hearing this, Meng Xiyue knew the plot had reached the point where the little wife runs away with the baby, and five years later, returns with a genius son who looks exactly like the male lead when he was young.

In the original plot, she should have gone to find the loyal second male lead, not her, a mere passerby.

Seeing Meng Xiyue not speaking, Ding Yaoyao became anxious and said, “Miss Meng, I will definitely pay you back.”

Meng Xiyue actually didn’t understand the logic of this female lead in the book. She asked, “Why do you want to go abroad?”

In her view, even if she broke up with Li Ting, they could part ways peacefully. Now, unlike in the original story where Li Ting’s Tianyu was revived, and Li Ting could cover the sky with one hand in City S, forcing Ding Yaoyao to go abroad.

Ding Yaoyao smiled bitterly, “I have no other choice.” Because of her, her father, stepmother, and stepsister all lost their jobs. That home really couldn’t accommodate her anymore.

And Su Yan, who had always been gentle with her since childhood, was also transferred to a branch office because of her. She couldn’t drag him down any longer.

Su Yan indeed suffered because of Ding Yaoyao. Initially, Li Ting wanted to fire Su Yan, but then Tianyu had an incident. Su Yan’s company didn’t know if Tianyu could recover and couldn’t bear to lose Su Yan’s talent, so they had to demote him.

The plot had already been completely disrupted by this point.

In the original plot, Su Yan was fired from the company and eventually went abroad with Ding Yaoyao, willingly helping her raise her son.

Meng Xiyue pondered for a moment, “I can lend you one million.”

Ding Yaoyao’s previously dim eyes instantly brightened, “Thank you, Miss Meng. I will definitely pay you back. I’ll write the IOU right now.”

Meng Xiyue handed her a pen and paper.

Lending her this money, Meng Xiyue had her own considerations. As the story’s female lead, the protagonist’s halo would shine the brightest in the later stages, allowing her to meet all kinds of influential people. Five years would be enough for her to ensure that NS could no longer be easily suppressed.

Undeniably, she valued Ding Yaoyao’s future protagonist halo.

After writing the IOU, Ding Yaoyao handed it to Meng Xiyue. Meng Xiyue glanced at it, confirmed it was correct, and signed a check for one million, handing it to her.

All of this happened right under Xia Yuan’s nose. Although she was extremely displeased, she did not stop Meng Xiyue’s decision.

Ding Yaoyao took the check and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Miss Meng.” She bowed to Meng Xiyue and left.

After she left, Xia Yuan was about to speak, intending to tell Meng Xiyue not to be so kind-hearted next time.

Before she could say anything, Meng Xiyue handed her the IOU. Xia Yuan was puzzled: “What?”

Meng Xiyue said, “For you, as promised.”

Anything related to Ding Yaoyao had to involve her. Meng Xiyue had done it. Now that they were lovers, Xia Yuan didn’t like her interacting with Ding Yaoyao, so she gave her the IOU to put her at ease.

Strangely, Xia Yuan understood her meaning. She took the IOU, happily storing it away, unable to hide the smile on her face: “You gave it to me yourself. I didn’t ask for it.”

Meng Xiyue replied, “Mm.”

The anger in Xia Yuan’s heart instantly dissipated. Her voice softened as she acted coyly, “Meng Xiyue, I’m hungry.”

“Okay, just wait a bit.” Meng Xiyue patted her head and got up to go to the kitchen.

Xia Yuan touched the spot where she had been patted, her eyes curving into crescents, filled with stars.

Xia Yuan didn’t have to wait long. Soon, the dishes were ready. They were simple home-cooked meals, with two dishes she liked.

The taste was ordinary, but Xia Yuan ate happily, consuming an extra bowl of rice compared to usual. Her stomach was full, and she patted it, thinking, was there anything Meng Xiyue couldn’t do?

Before going to bed, Xia Yuan looked at Meng Xiyue, who was reading a book, and hesitated a bit: “Meng Xiyue, I need to tell you something.”

Hearing this, Meng Xiyue put down her book and looked at her seriously.

Xia Yuan threw herself into Meng Xiyue’s arms, hugging her tightly, and said pitifully, “Meng Xiyue, I have to go to Yunnan for three days. Don’t miss me too much, okay?”

The sudden intimacy made Meng Xiyue’s body instinctively stiffen. Smelling Xia Yuan’s fragrance, she relaxed. Hearing her words, her hands, which had nowhere to go, silently placed themselves on Xia Yuan’s back, patting it soothingly.

“Have you packed your luggage?”

Xia Yuan nuzzled against Meng Xiyue’s neck. “Mm, Aunt Lin has already packed it for me.”

“Meng Xiyue, when I come back, I’ll move in with you.”

Meng Xiyue lowered her eyes. “Okay.”

After saying that, Xia Yuan lifted her head. Her slightly curly hair was now fluffed up from the nuzzling, and she looked at her eagerly. “So, don’t miss me too much, okay?”

Meng Xiyue helped smooth Xia Yuan’s hair, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she lowered her gaze. “I will miss you.”

Xia Yuan’s smile was as bright as a flower. “Mm, just think of me once a day, no, at most three times a day.” Too much would affect work.

“I’ll miss you too.”

Meng Xiyue: “Okay.”

…

The next day, as soon as Meng Xiyue moved, Xia Yuan woke up.

Seeing her struggling to keep her eyes open, Meng Xiyue said, “It’s still early, sleep a bit more.”

Xia Yuan’s flight was at eleven, and it was not yet seven.

Xia Yuan shook her head. “No, if I sleep more, I won’t be able to see you today.”

Early in the morning, Meng Xiyue awkwardly averted her eyes and responded with a hum.

Xia Yuan reached out her hand. “Help me up.”

Meng Xiyue complied, helping her wash up and have breakfast. When it was time to part, Meng Xiyue picked up her briefcase. “I’m leaving.”