My wife thought for a long time, not saying anything.
After a while, she finally said to me, "I'm sorry, Zhao Jian. I was wrong today."
She was apologizing to me, after I'd been at another woman's place? The only explanation was that she'd cheated on me.
Suddenly, I felt like I had a giant green hat on my head.
When she apologized, it felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
I would have preferred anger, tears, a full-blown fight.
But my wife is a well-educated woman. Words like "shrew" just don't fit her.
I waited for her explanation.
She said, "The county is holding a teachers' sports meet, and the school leaders signed me up for the long-distance running. So I've been training these past few days."
I thought about it and said, "But I went to the track, and there was no one there."
She replied, "The visibility isn't great in the evening, so I've been practicing in the indoor track."
I knew her school had an indoor track, so on the surface, her explanation made sense.
But it still felt a little weak to me.
Because I knew her breathing way too well. I couldn't think of anything else that would make her breathe like that.
But the fact that she offered this explanation meant she cared about me.
Then she asked, "Why did you go to Gu Xiaofei's?"
I thought about it. That was a tough one to explain.
If I said I was taking the boss there, why would Gu Xiaofei answer my phone, and why would I be at her place?
More importantly, a woman's intuition would tell my wife that Zhang Zhiyuan wasn't in the picture at all.
All the explanations pointed to one thing: I was having an affair with Gu Xiaofei.
I knew that if my explanation didn't satisfy her, it could lead to a huge fight, which was the last thing I wanted.
I thought about it and decided not to answer her directly.
Since I still suspected her of cheating, I decided to go on the offensive.
I looked at her and said, "Why do you know Gu Xiaofei?"
Hearing me ask that, she looked surprised at first.
Yeah, that was a pretty loaded question.
But she's a smart woman. She said, "Why are you asking that? Did Gu Xiaofei say something to you?"
I nodded. "Yeah, Gu Xiaofei did tell me some things. But I want to know if they're true."
Honestly, those two sentences were pretty clever. They not only got me out of a tight spot but also put the blame back on her.
She sighed. "There's really nothing going on between Mr. Zhang and me. Gu Xiaofei completely misunderstood."
Hearing her say that, my eyes almost popped out of my head.
I knew what kind of guy Zhang Zhiyuan was. His reputation for chasing women was well-known. If my wife really knew him, he probably wouldn't have left her alone.
My mood instantly went south. I stared at her and asked, "Do you even know what kind of person Zhang Zhiyuan is? I've seen a lot working for him. He's a notorious womanizer."
She didn't deny what I said, which meant she knew what kind of man he was too.
I was really confused. Why would my wife associate with someone like that? Were sweet words really that powerful?
But her answer surprised me. She said, "That's exactly why I couldn't possibly be having an affair with Zhang Zhiyuan."
She said it so calmly. Judging by her personality, I didn't think she was lying.
She continued, "Gu Xiaofei suspects me because she's jealous. But the truth is, Mr. Zhang and I have a completely innocent relationship."
That actually made me even more suspicious. I stared at her and asked, "If it's so innocent, then why are you seeing her behind my back? You're my wife, not his."
She seemed to be hiding something. She said, "Because Zhang Zhiyuan has been kind to me."
Hearing that, I started to get really frustrated. So, there was a secret between her and Zhang Zhiyuan.
Now I wasn't going to let it go. "What kind of kindness? Tell me everything, the whole story."
She thought for a moment and said, "Zhao Jian, you know my family background, right?"
Thinking about her family made my heart ache a little.
Growing up, even though she was always the prettiest girl in school, her family was really poor.
I knew it was incredibly hard for her to finish college, and that's one of the things I admired most about her.
But then she said, "My family couldn't really afford to send me to college. It was Zhang Zhiyuan who helped me back then."
Hearing that, I was completely stunned. Zhang Zhiyuan wasn't exactly known for his charity. He wouldn't just randomly help a poor student.
Besides, there were so many poor students. Why would Zhang Zhiyuan specifically help my wife? It just didn't make any sense.
"Why would he help you?" I asked, pressing her.
At this point, she was close to tears.
Suddenly, I felt really sorry for her.
Husbands and wives should love and support each other. Was I being too hard on her?
And as someone from a poor family, she must have her pride.
I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"I'm sorry, honey. This is my fault," I said, being the bigger man and admitting I was wrong first.
Hearing me say that, she continued, "Honey, you have to believe me. I would never do anything to disrespect you."
I nodded, but inside, a million curse words were running through my head.
Seeing that I'd apologized, she took the opportunity to change the subject. "Honey, didn't you make this whole table of food for me today? I have to try some, no matter what."
Damn, so my wife hadn't even eaten yet.
I started to believe her about the running.
Her appetite also seemed to confirm what she said.
After dinner, it was time to shower. And after exercising, she definitely needed one.
We had a routine at home: my wife always showered first.
When it was my turn, her dirty clothes would be right there.
I usually didn't think anything of it, but then I suddenly noticed something unusual.
A pair of red panties was lying there.
As far as I could remember, my wife never wore red panties.
I picked them up and looked at them. They were new.
I remembered very clearly that she wasn't wearing these red panties last night.
That meant one thing: she had changed her underwear today.
Why would she change her underwear for no reason?
I thought back to her heavy breathing on the phone. It definitely wasn't normal breathing.
She only made sounds like that when she was really excited.
Was she still lying to me?
When we went to bed, I usually wanted to be intimate, but tonight I just wasn't in the mood at all.
That pair of red panties kept bothering me.
But I didn't know how to ask her about it.
All the signs pointed to her really having an affair.
Okay, I'd play dumb for now. But when the time came, I was going to find that other man and see what my wife had to say.
I just needed to find the right opportunity.
Suddenly, I thought of Gu Xiaofei. She seemed to really hate my wife and wanted to find proof of her cheating. I should ask for her help.
Having made up my mind, I decided to go to sleep.
But then, my wife suddenly said to me, "Honey, can you get off work a little early tomorrow?"
Usually, drivers get off work pretty late, and I'd even taken the day off today.
I frowned. "What's up?"
"I want to go back home tomorrow. Can you drive me?"
I was really curious. Ever since we got married, my wife rarely went back to that rundown place. Why did she suddenly want to go back now?
"My older brother told me our dad's sick. Let's go back and see him together. It's been a while since I've been home anyway."
Hearing her say that, I suddenly felt like I hadn't been a good son-in-law.
"Honey, I'll go back home with you tomorrow. Tell me if you want to buy anything."
Hearing me say that, she smiled like a flower. "You can decide what to buy. It's the thought that counts."
I didn't say anything.
Because I knew very well that since we bought the apartment, we didn't have much savings left.
In this day and age where everything depends on your parents' connections and money, I could only rely on myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so spineless with Zhang Zhiyuan.