Chapter 35

Yeah, what a treat.

Treat my a**! Can’t your little buddy take a break on special days? Growing some skills and daring to treat your wife like a servant! I’ll make you understand right now, who is the true master of this house!

“Crack!”

First, break a cucumber to intimidate the chicken. Show off the momentum! But when I turned around—

“How many times have I told you, don’t eat cold things these days!” Du Hongting snapped off the two halves of cucumber in my hand, handed me a bowl of red bean soup, and said, “Bought this for you on the way home as a midnight snack, added lots of your favorite glutinous rice balls.”

Me: “…”

Du Hongting: “What’s wrong? Won’t eat unless I feed you?”

Me: “You said I’m in for a treat earlier, and it refers to this?”

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Xb.

Forgot she’s in the business of online retail.

Liu Lijuan recommended a lot of new items—clothes, bags, shoes, and so on. In total, it added up to 1,800 yuan, claiming she didn’t earn a penny.

I found it expensive.

She exclaimed, “These are the best-quality A-grade replicas nationwide!”

“What is A-grade?” I asked.

She replied, “Let me explain it to you this way. These things fulfill the dreams of many girls, so what I’m selling is dreams. Get it?”

At that time, I didn’t quite understand and thought it was some divine brand to wear every day. Later, I found out what A-grade really meant. I must admire Aunt Liu for describing high-quality replicas so elegantly.

Following Liu Lijuan’s guidance, I started paying attention to my outfits, and even the usually picky Lin Yan praised me for becoming more tasteful lately. However, Du Hongting’s reaction was a bit strange. He stared at my outfit with a contemplative expression, and when I mentioned I hadn’t received my salary yet, his frown deepened. He kept asking why I didn’t use his credit card.

I guessed he might think I dressed too plainly. We have a walk-in closet at home, and my stuff only occupies one section, while Du Hongting’s items pile up and are countless. Yet, he always claims he has nothing to wear. The pressure is intense. I want to be more equal with him, but the disparity in power is growing.

Do you know what I fear the most? While the potential stock is appreciating, I’m being devalued. Lin Yan said that an 18-year-old girl wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a ponytail is invincible, a beautiful girl. However, a woman in her twenties dressing like this is considered untidy and lacking taste. I decided to learn makeup.

On the first day, Du Hongting poured cold water on my efforts, saying, “Why are your eyes swollen?” That was eyeshadow! Eyeshadow! Undeterred, I continued. One day during an impassioned speech at a meeting, the finance department whispered, “Boss, your eyebrow is really stealing the show.” After the meeting, I looked and saw that my eyebrows were drawn into a long line. Forget it. Du Hongting isn’t shallow; he surely loves me for my inner qualities.

Then came the perfect opportunity. Du Hongting upgraded his Land Rover with a top-notch sound system and had high requirements for the audio source. He claimed he was too busy to download songs and asked me to help. I inquired about his music preferences, and he said anything would do. After downloading the songs and putting them on a USB drive, it turned out that he only listens to the radio during his commute, rendering my efforts useless.

Until one day when it was pouring rain, and I didn’t have an umbrella. Du Hongting came to pick me up, and his client was in the car too. Unfortunately, there was a traffic jam, and the radio kept playing advertisements. Du Hongting suddenly switched to USB mode.

I was dead.

A shocking voice could pierce through the listener’s soul— “Take off your coat! Take it off! Take off your top! Take off everything!” Shocked, Du Hongting quickly changed the song, but what followed was an even more shocking one— “Use your fiery lips! Let me endlessly melt in the midnight!”

I dared not look at the client’s expression. Praying that this incident wouldn’t affect his judgment of Du Hongting and withdraw the investment. That night, my dream of becoming Du Hongting’s virtuous wife was shattered.

Actually, I had long realized that I couldn’t be the woman behind a successful man. One time, Du Hongting took me to a banquet with media reporters, a grand occasion. After attending once, I swore never to come again. Before that, I thought I had a successful career, a bit of fame, but in front of Du Hongting, my only identity was his wife.

First, people joked, “Mrs. Du has good taste, picking a potential stock! It’s better to marry well than to do well!” What does that mean? Am I not doing well enough? Though I felt uncomfortable inside, I could only smile and be happy in front of others. As this kind of banter continued, I became annoyed. Surprisingly, Du Hongting said, “Marriage itself is an investment.” 

How pragmatic. How could he have such thoughts?

Then, he told others, “The best investment I’ve made in my life is my wife.” 

Wow. I’ve even planned the headline for tomorrow’s financial news — “I am Du Hongting, endorsing Mary Sue.”

At the banquet, where people were bustling and Du Hongting was busy dealing with clients, I decided to sneak away to the buffet area for some peace. While enjoying my meal, a beautiful girl approached.

She introduced herself as Du Hongting’s intern assistant, implying that she got the position through connections with a major client. Her tone was a bit sour. She expressed curiosity about Du Hongting, the perfect man, and was surprised to find that his wife turned out to be someone like me.

What’s wrong with me?

The intern assistant then “kindly” advised me that even though it might be challenging for someone with my qualifications to be Du Hongting’s wife, I shouldn’t spoil men too much. I silently muttered to myself, if it weren’t for you being born into a good family, you’d probably have perished by now.

I really didn’t want to leave the buffet area, but the intern assistant was too annoying. While I was conflicted, Du Hongting approached me. The intern assistant tried to get his attention, but he seemed not to notice, instead, he frowned and scolded me, “Don’t eat too much ice cream; you’ll get a stomachache later.” Suddenly, he crouched down, saying, “Your shoelace is untied. If you fall later, see how you’ll handle it.”

Wearing an exquisite suit, completely ignoring the surroundings, he knelt down to tie my shoelace. The intern assistant expressed her heartache, feeling like a big cabbage being snatched away by a pig.

I care about my mental health. Recent events have left me feeling melancholic and troubled. Worried that I might develop an illness from suppressing my emotions, I took some time to see Dr. Zuo and consult about my psychological issues.

Dr. Zuo said, “My usual rate is 2,000 yuan per hour, but since we know each other, I’ll give you a 10% discount.”

I replied, “Let’s just chat for a bit. Talking about money feels tacky, doesn’t it?”

Dr. Zuo said, “My job is to chat with people; don’t you know that?”

Fair enough. Since I’m here, and our company’s market value is in the millions, I can still afford this.

I said, “I’ve been feeling quite bothered lately.”

Dr. Zuo lowered his head, continuously writing on the medical records, “Hmm.”

I said, “I feel like I’ve been caring too much about my husband lately.”

Dr. Zuo: “Hmm?”

I continued, “Since I found out he’s so successful now and popular with the opposite sex, I’m afraid he might be stolen by someone else. So, I always thought I should choose an ordinary man as my husband, preferably not too attractive, with an average job. That way, life would be more worry-free! But, I ended up marrying Du Hongting. In fact, I was very reluctant to date him initially. I value equality and hate climbing up the social ladder. I’ve been working hard to improve myself because I’m afraid I won’t be up to someone else’s standards. These years, I’ve been living too exhaustingly. My original dream was to be an ordinary programmer with a monthly salary of a few thousand. But now, I’ve become a CTO with an annual salary of millions, and it still feels far from enough! On the other hand, Du Hongting blames me for being too career-focused. He says that he can handle the money matters, and it would be better for me to return to the family, take care of the household, and teach the children. He said his ideal life is having meals ready while he’s in bed! If that’s the case, what’s the difference between being a woman and a domesticated pig?”

Dr. Zuo: “Hmm.”

I continued, “I admit that I lack confidence, am timid, and have a strong defensive mechanism. Do you know? Although I’m now the CTO of the company with a three-million annual salary, when I go to eat hot pot, I still order seven vegetarian dishes and three meat dishes. Mainly because I’m afraid that if the company goes bankrupt, it would be easier to accept a vegetarian diet. I’m also wary of Du Hongting. On the one hand, I don’t want him to think he has me figured out, getting arrogant. On the other hand, I’m worried that if I love him wholeheartedly and end up being abandoned, it would be heartbreaking. So, I’ve been restraining myself from valuing him too much.”

Dr. Zuo: “Hmm.”

I said, “I know that you psychologists have confidentiality rules, so I dare to say this.”

Dr. Zuo: “Hmm?”

I continued, “Actually, I love him a lot.”

After rambling on like this for an hour, Dr. Zuo said, “The next scheduled patient is here. You can stop here today. Turn right when you go out and pay at the reception. Thank you.”

I replied, “You didn’t say much besides ‘hmm’ throughout the whole hour, yet you earned 1,800 yuan for this?”

Dr. Zuo asked, “Is your problem resolved?”

I said, “More or less.”

Dr. Zuo said, “That’s good. Next!”

I mumbled, “…”

I also want to become a psychological counselor.

Back home, I plan to have a detailed conversation with Du Hongting. He can strive for excellence as much as he wants; I won’t accompany him. Being a CTO is enough for me. I’ll tell him that I care about him a lot and hope he won’t become arrogant because of favoritism.

The only request is for him to be faithful in marriage.

Unexpectedly, my words came true.

One day, on a whim, I wanted to help him with the laundry. However, I found many business cards from women in his pocket, representing various industries. Considering his current work circle and social environment…

I resisted the urge to comment.

Later, I couldn’t resist anymore.

The cause of the incident was that I couldn’t find my phone, so I used Du Hongting’s phone to call my number. Surprisingly, I, a genius, couldn’t remember my own phone number.

Du Hongting’s intelligence is extraordinary, especially with numbers. If he pays attention, he can easily remember anything.

So, his phone contacts don’t have a single number saved.

But, with a glimmer of hope, I checked his contacts.

There was only one contact: Second Dog.

Who on earth is Second Dog?

How can they monopolize his phone contacts!

Before I could check the number, Du Hongting suddenly appeared and asked, “What are you doing?”

Startled, I replied, “I can’t find my phone…”

Du Hongting took back his phone and said, “Your phone is on the toilet! You always throw things around.”

After thinking for a moment, I still asked, “Who is Second Dog?”

Du Hongting became unhappy, “Why are you messing with my phone?”

His reaction was too abnormal.

I pressed, “Who is it?”

He surprisingly sang cheerfully, “I won’t tell you, won’t tell you, won’t tell you, you you you!”

This is madness!

No, something is definitely wrong. I have to find a way to figure it out!

Finally, I seized the opportunity.

At night, Du Hongting and I were sitting on the couch watching a variety show. During the commercial break, he got up to go to the bathroom, leaving his phone screen lit, directly in front of me.

After some internal struggle, I picked up his phone.

Suddenly, a text message from an unknown number appeared – “Ting Ting, are you asleep?”

I wanted to hit someone!

Suddenly, Du Hongting returned from the bathroom.

I quickly pretended not to have seen anything, watching TV, just watching TV.

He sat back down, checked his phone, exited, locked the screen, threw the phone, and continued watching TV without any emotional fluctuations.

Is he really good at hiding, or is he just used to it?

But regardless of either case, it’s terrifying!

I almost didn’t sleep all night, understanding for the first time what it means to have something on your mind.

Deciding to search online for how ordinary people handle such situations, the answers were shocking.

“Men often indulge in such antics. Just turn a blind eye for the sake of the family, pretend to be ignorant.”

“Flirty messages are nothing; they even have children together.”

“Checking your husband’s call records reveals he had intimate relations with a hundred women!”

…

Breakdown.

Dealing with extramarital affairs is something I’m really not good at. After all, a life of a tech geek can’t withstand even a bit of drama and soap opera twists.

Wait, a tech geek?

Cracking Du Hongting’s phone, real-time tracking, and call monitoring are all a piece of cake for me. But what’s the point of doing that? The most important thing in a marriage would be lost.

Directly asking might startle the snake, so I decide to observe in secret and wipe out the problem at once.

I always thought my love and marriage were unique, transcending lowbrow tastes. Never thought this day would come so soon.

One day, Du Hongting returned late, smelling of alcohol, and had obvious lipstick marks on his collar.

So cliché, it’s just unbearably banal! I suddenly felt like I had fallen from a little fairy into a mundane person.

Now, the question is, how do I confront my husband next?

So annoying!

I’m so tongue-tied that I even need to search the internet for tutorials on how to argue with someone!

Is there any hope for me?