I love my wife deeply. Even though we've been married for over a year, I know my love for her has never wavered. To me, my wife is everything.
Sure, I once had a moment of doubt about Gu Xiaofei, but I knew it was just curiosity about having an affair. Besides, this was a task my boss assigned to me. If I didn't do it, I might find it hard to stay in the company.
Thinking about the mortgage that still needs to be paid off, I feel immense pressure, which is why I went along with it. For me, the pressure to survive outweighs everything else, and I see this as a way to protect my wife.
I can't imagine how my wife would react if she ever found out about an affair. I know it would break her heart. Just like that scene I saw on the street the other day—I preferred to believe it wasn't my wife but a stranger.
That night, I fell asleep dreaming of happiness. At that moment, I felt my wife was pure and innocent. I made a decision to protect our family and never be unfaithful to her.
The next morning, I woke up to my wife making breakfast for me. Life felt so sweet and happy. Her breakfast was filled with love, and I could taste it with every bite. I felt like the luckiest person in the world.
At 8 AM, I drove my wife out. Longquan Tea House is a place I frequent, especially when I was courting my wife. As we arrived at the entrance, I saw a girl wearing a red cape, reminding me of a scene I witnessed at the bank a few days ago. The figure, the look—it was a perfect match.
But my wife was right beside me, never leaving my side. A few days ago, I was anxious, but today, I was calm because I knew it couldn't have been my wife. There are many people who look alike in this world. What I saw that day couldn't have been her.
All doubts vanished. I thought maybe red capes were just trendy, and there were probably many women with a similar build to my wife.
I parked the car at the tea house entrance. Getting out, I realized the person standing there was Fang Min, my wife's best friend. Fang Min and my wife became best friends not only because of their compatible personalities but also because they both looked great. A plain girl could never be friends with a beauty.
Perhaps because of the girl in the red cape I saw at the bank, I couldn't help but take a few more glances at Fang Min. Today, she was dressed to impress, standing next to my wife like a pair of beauties.
It seemed Fang Min was determined to show her best self to meet her crush. The three of us went into the tea house, ordered a pot of tea, and chatted leisurely.
But by 9 AM, Zhao Hu still hadn't shown up, and I was getting impatient. What the heck is going on? Why isn't he here yet?
I couldn't hold it any longer and called Zhao Hu, ready to give him a piece of my mind. It took him a good half-minute to pick up.
"Zhao Hu, what's going on? Why aren't you here yet?" I asked, a hint of annoyance in my voice. Zhao Hu sounded groggy, like he had just woken up.
"Uh, what time is it?" Zhao Hu suddenly asked. If Fang Min wasn't there, I would've cursed at him, but given the situation, I couldn't.
I moved to a quiet corner and said to Zhao Hu, "Hurry up and get here. The girl's been waiting a long time, and she's really pretty!"
Young women always catch men's attention, and Zhao Hu couldn't resist when he heard 'pretty.' "Are you serious, Zhao Jian?"
"You saw her at my wedding, right? She was my wife's bridesmaid."
"That was a year ago. How could I remember? But I'm curious what Lu Wan's bridesmaid looks like."
I was puzzled. How could he be so clueless? Zhao Hu is usually all about pretty girls, so how did he overlook a beautiful bridesmaid?
The only explanation is that on my wedding day, the main focus was my wife, the most beautiful woman in the world. Could Zhao Hu have set his sights on my wife? They say you shouldn't mess with what's close to home, but if Zhao Hu even dared to think about my wife, I wouldn't let it slide.
Maybe he really was interested, because ten minutes later, Zhao Hu arrived at Longquan Tea House. Zhao Hu is handsome, so as soon as he walked in, he caught everyone's attention, especially the female staff.
I could tell Zhao Hu had dressed up today. In a sleek black suit, he looked striking. Such a man easily captures women's hearts.
When he approached us, Fang Min seemed a bit flustered. She quickly stood up, her eyes fixed on Zhao Hu. In all the time I courted my wife, I never saw her look at me like that. That's the difference.
Then we moved on to some interesting conversations. Zhao Hu is quite the charmer when it comes to wooing women, speaking with ease and confidence. I had to admire him because back when I was pursuing my wife, I couldn't even speak loudly.
When the time was right, my wife and I found an opportunity to slip away quietly. Walking down the street, my wife was practically skipping. I'd never seen her so happy.
This only proved one thing: she was genuinely happy. Whenever my wife is happy, that's when I'm happiest. I believe a man's most important responsibility is to protect his partner.
I'd rather spend my life like this, happy and carefree, without a worry in the world. At this moment, my wife took my arm and said, "If they end up together, Fang Min will definitely thank me."
I knew Zhao Hu's true nature, and I wasn't optimistic about this relationship. I just replied, "Let's hope so."
Just then, my phone rang. It was an unknown local number. As a driver, I sometimes pick up extra work, so getting calls from unknown numbers isn't unusual.
I answered the call. It was a woman with a gentle voice. As soon as I heard it, my expression froze. Even though the voice sounded slightly different over the phone, I knew who it was—Gu Xiaofei.
I had no idea why she was calling. Had my efforts finally paid off? "Is this Zhao Jian?" she suddenly asked.
With my wife beside me, I knew I couldn't say much, so I quickly said, "Sorry, wrong number."
My wife found my reaction strange and looked at me in surprise. I wasn't sure if she suspected me of being unfaithful, but my awkward expression certainly didn't help.
This only fueled her suspicion. "Who was that on the phone?" she asked.
"I don't know, just a wrong number," I said, showing her the number on my phone.
"But they called you by name. How do you explain that?" Clearly, she had overheard the woman addressing me and knew it was a female voice.
Could I show her the number? Definitely not. Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, there was no way to explain my situation with Gu Xiaofei.
The real trouble came when my phone rang again. It was Gu Xiaofei calling once more. My face turned dark, and I wanted to curse.
But if I upset Gu Xiaofei, what about my job? She could easily whisper something to Zhang, and I'd be out of a job. In this high-pressure society, keeping your job is crucial.
So, I hung up the phone. My wife looked even more suspicious, her gaze intense. "Zhao Jian, what's going on with this woman?"
Her asking meant she was fully suspicious and cared deeply about me. I started sweating, unsure of how to respond.