The Best at Pacifying Her Wife

A breeze swept past.

Beside the lounge chair, Lin Yang folded her arms and looked at the two of them with a cool expression.

Her face gave nothing away—no joy, no anger.

But her tone was edged with something sharp and sour.

Xu Zhitong’s hair practically stood on end.

She didn’t dare move. Her instincts told her it was best not to speak first.

Wen Jing, on the other hand, stood up with perfect composure and studied Lin Yang for a couple of seconds.

A very beautiful woman, probably a little younger than her.

She had a good figure too. She was wearing a simple off-shoulder top and cream linen trousers. There wasn’t a logo in sight, but Wen Jing knew her stuff. Everything she wore was from L-brand’s latest line, which emphasized comfort and texture; the price was no lower than that of the better-known luxury labels.

On her wrist was a very understated women’s watch, an ultra-thin platinum model. There weren’t many of those in China.

Which heiress from Jiangshi was this?

If she weren’t a “love rival,” Wen Jing would have complimented her taste and made small talk to get acquainted.

She smiled. She had no intention of antagonizing Lin Yang, so she took the initiative to greet her. “Hello, I’m Wen Jing from Anlai Group, and I’m also Xu Zhitong’s senior.”

Lin Yang paused, then nodded. “Hello.”

She didn’t introduce herself.

Wen Jing shrugged. She glanced sideways at Xu Zhitong, who moments ago had looked like she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground in front of her.

By now, Xu Zhitong had already sat up eagerly, her eyes glued to Lin Yang.

She probably wanted to explain something, but with Wen Jing here as an outsider, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

What a pity; she really did have someone.

And on the surface, they seemed to have a very good relationship.

Of course, that had no effect on Wen Jing. Not to mention Xu Zhitong was someone she’d failed to win back in her youth.

She didn’t have much of a moral bottom line, but she at least knew how to be decent. Since she’d already gotten Xu Zhitong’s Yinfu account, there was no need to try to dig through the wall in front of the person herself.

Wen Jing kept smiling. “Then I’ll head off first. We can chat next time if we get the chance. You two have fun here.”

After that, she looked at Xu Zhitong and gave her a very subtle wink before turning to leave.

Her heels clicked away, slow and unhurried, until the sound disappeared around the corner.

Xu Zhitong could only stare at Lin Yang pleadingly.

Lin Yang lowered her eyes and didn’t look at her.

Xu Zhitong watched her for a while before weakly saying, “Yangbao...”

Lin Yang’s gaze dropped; she glanced at her and probably noticed the bathrobe she’d wrapped herself in.

She gave a soft huff, turned, and walked off.

!!

Xu Zhitong practically shot up from the lounge chair at once.

She hurried after her in a few quick steps, but Lin Yang was walking fast, and Xu Zhitong was still soaked through. She didn’t dare stop her or throw herself at her.

So she could only keep pace at her side and explain desperately, “I was swimming here; she came over on her own to talk to me. I barely paid her any attention at all.”

Lin Yang said coolly, “Really? I couldn’t tell.”

From the moment she’d walked over from afar, the two of them had been standing close together the entire time, like a pair of intimate lovers; she’d been the outsider instead.

Xu Zhitong grew even more anxious. She circled around Lin Yang, moved to her other side, and kept explaining, “It’s true. If you’d come a little later, I would’ve already shouted for help. Or if you’d come a little earlier, you would’ve heard me. No matter what she said, I just kept saying ‘mm-hmm, mm-hmm.’”

Lin Yang said, “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

Xu Zhitong pouted. “Don’t be like that TT”

Lin Yang gave her a sidelong look. “Your clothes are open.”

“Ah, ah.” Xu Zhitong quickly looked down and tugged at the bathrobe tie.

After she finished, Lin Yang said, “Don’t you like dressing sexy? She doesn’t fit your taste?”

Where was that coming from!

When had she ever said something so abrupt...

Oh, wait. She had, hadn’t she?

Back when she’d just lost her memory, in the hospital.

Xu Zhitong touched her face and remembered saying that Lin Yang dressed so sexy she wanted her body.

But wasn’t that just the kind of sweet talk wives said to each other?

She had a wife; how could she possibly have her eye on anyone else?

Xu Zhitong’s brain ricocheted between “my wife remembers even the one compliment I gave her” and “how can my wife be jealous over some random passerby?”

It was nearly ready to crash.

So she resorted to force. She shamelessly grabbed Lin Yang’s hand and dragged her around the corner.

Lin Yang didn’t resist; she just stood there with a cool expression. She lifted her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly as she looked at Xu Zhitong, waiting for an explanation.

Xu Zhitong said aggrievedly, “I only think you’re the one who looks good. Of course you look good in anything. Besides, I’m not some kind of sex maniac. Just because someone dresses a little like that, does that mean I won’t be able to look away?”

Lin Yang curved her lips. “Is that so?”

Xu Zhitong nodded furiously, then added fuel to the fire. “Exactly. She even wanted to add me on Contact, and I wouldn’t let her. I told her I already had a girlfriend.”

Lin Yang said nothing, but her expression softened a little.

Xu Zhitong pressed her advantage. “It was just a chance encounter. I’m not close with her. We stopped talking ages ago.”

She looked at Lin Yang with extremely fervent, sincere eyes.

At that look, Lin Yang narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, “Which senior was this? Why don’t I know about her?”

Xu Zhitong: “Ah, she was a junior-high senior... In second year of middle school, we were friends for a while, but we stopped hanging out very soon after.”

Lin Yang gave a half-smile. “How impressive. You were so close with your senior.”

Xu Zhitong touched her face and said cleverly, in a low voice, “Not as close as I am with you. To me, you’re one of a kind, Lin Yang.”

She’d had many friends, but only Lin Yang was the one she’d seen from afar and immediately wanted to get to know. The one she wanted to be nice to forever, to do every fun thing in the world with, the one she wanted to crown with the title of her very best best friend.

And only Lin Yang had given her so many improper thoughts, making her want to kiss, hug, and cling to her all the time.

Feeling that she’d explained herself enough, she lowered her head, watched Lin Yang’s expression, and shook her hand.

She felt that Lin Yang was probably not as angry anymore.

Honestly, what an unjust accusation.

Xu Zhitong said, “I only like you, whether as a friend or as a partner. Believe me, okay?”

They were standing on the covered walkway outside the pool. The sun had sunk lower, and the evening wind moved through the wooded hills.

Her swimsuit, still not fully dry, clung coldly to her body.

Xu Zhitong tilted her head and couldn’t help sneezing.

She rubbed her nose, a little embarrassed.

“...”

Lin Yang lowered her eyes and helped tie her bathrobe tighter, then pulled the loosened collar closed as well.

“Go change clothes first.”

Xu Zhitong let out a tiny sigh of relief.

After picking up their things from the poolside, the two of them prepared to head back.

Along the way, however, Lin Yang still didn’t speak.

Xu Zhitong tried to hold her hand, but was refused; when she tried to kiss her cheek, Lin Yang dodged that too.

Xu Zhitong’s eyes widened. She’d thought she’d already coaxed her into forgiving her, but apparently not.

She bit down on the inside of her lip in annoyance. Once they reached the small courtyard, before they’d even gone inside, Xu Zhitong stopped Lin Yang and gently pressed her against the door.

Lin Yang looked up at her in surprise.

Xu Zhitong held it in and held it in, then lowered her head and kissed Lin Yang’s cheek.

“Yangbao, if you’re mad, you still have to talk to me.”

Lin Yang paused slightly. This time, she didn’t dodge. “Why?”

Xu Zhitong said, “I don’t like it when you don’t talk to me.”

She looked at Lin Yang with a pitiful expression; she seemed even more uncomfortable than she had during the earlier misunderstanding.

Dusk had fully settled. The wall lamp by the courtyard gate cast a warm yellow glow, and that light trembled softly in Xu Zhitong’s eyes as well.

“...”

Lin Yang’s heart softened a little, and suddenly she let go.

This was probably just an innocent disaster for Xu Zhitong.

Xu Zhitong was so beautiful, so warm, so dazzling, so innocent.

It was actually completely normal for many people to like her, to come up and talk to her.

For so many years, Lin Yang had watched from behind a screen and long since accepted that many people liked Xu Zhitong; she was merely one ordinary person among the crowd.

So why, now that she saw her being pursued and pestered in real life, was she angry instead?

Lin Yang thought bitterly that she’d become greedy.

She practically wanted to lock Xu Zhitong up, make her belong to her alone, and not let anyone else covet her.

Yet she still had to pretend. She had to pretend that all she wanted was to be good to Xu Zhitong, including in this so-called “relationship”; she always had to seem half-pushed, half-pulled, as if everything were driven by Xu Zhitong.

She didn’t dare admit or reveal any initiative or desire she had for this relationship.

And yet she still couldn’t pretend well enough; she’d ended up losing her temper at Xu Zhitong.

Maybe the feeling Xu Zhitong gave her was too beautiful, which made her keep forgetting her original intention and her own position.

Xu Zhitong was the most innocent of all.

She was being deceived by her, misled by her, and still had to bear her emotions.

Lin Yang bit her lower lip. When she looked up again, she said, “Mm. It won’t happen next time.”

Xu Zhitong nodded. “Exactly. We’re lovers; we should trust each other. If something comes up, isn’t it better to talk it over?”

Xu Zhitong firmly believed that all problems could be solved through communication.

She hated the silent treatment and cold neglect.

Lin Yang paused, then nodded. “Mm, I know.”

Xu Zhitong narrowed her eyes and grinned.

“Okay then, I forgive you.”

It was truly the natural order turned upside down; her wife had gotten jealous, and she still had to forgive her wife.

Xu Zhitong’s tail practically wanted to shoot up into the sky.

She was very understanding of Lin Yang.

After all, Lin Yang had started dating her right after graduating from middle school.

They were each other’s first love; neither of them had ever experienced a relationship with anyone else.

And when she thought about Lin Yang’s family situation, Lin Yang probably hadn’t learned how to manage a relationship by watching her mothers the way Xu Zhitong had.

Besides, before her memory was lost, they’d already reached the seven-year-itch stage.

Lin Yang being a little bad at handling jealousy, and not having enough security or trust in her, was something Xu Zhitong felt she could understand.

After thinking all that through, Xu Zhitong lifted Lin Yang’s face with both hands and kissed her against the courtyard door.

The wind rustled softly; the courtyard gate creaked.

She should have felt sour in her heart.

Yet in this kiss, Lin Yang’s heart strangely settled down again.

Xu Zhitong sucked so hard at her tongue it was almost sore, and their saliva was about to spill from the corners of their lips before they finally separated.

Xu Zhitong said, “I’m going to take a shower and change clothes, then we can go eat dinner? We’ve been asleep all afternoon; are you hungry?”

“Mm.” Lin Yang lowered her head, wiped the corner of her mouth, swallowed, and said, “Okay.”

So obedient.

Xu Zhitong felt that if there were a competition in the world for coaxing wives, she would take first place without question.

*

The club’s restaurant served mountain delicacies and game. Rumor had it the chef came from Michelin, and the food was both exquisite and delicious.

The layout was all private rooms, with very few people around. The server even lit candles for them; it was a candlelit dinner.

After they finished eating, the atmosphere between the two of them had returned to normal as well.

When they got back to the room afterward, the wine and flowers Xu Zhitong had ordered earlier had already been delivered.

And on top of that, there were quite a few heart-shaped scented candles.

Only the warm lights were on in the room. The fragrance drifted through the air, adding even more ambiguity.

Xu Zhitong played dumb. “Wow, the club even sent us all this?”

Lin Yang assumed it was the lawyer’s doing.

After all, in the lawyer’s eyes, the two of them had come here on vacation as lovers; perhaps he had specifically instructed them to make the room more romantic.

Xu Zhitong had already gone to get the wine from the ice bucket.

She’d specifically asked for a sweeter white wine. After pouring two glasses and setting them down, she decided it wasn’t a good idea to soak in the hot spring right after eating, so she dug out the board game they hadn’t finished playing that afternoon.

She set out the pieces and asked eagerly, “Yangbao, do you want to add a little wager?”

Lin Yang hesitated. “...What kind of wager?”

Xu Zhitong pulled a box out from the cabinet like she was presenting treasure. “This. Couple flight chess!”

Lin Yang: “...”

It was obvious Xu Zhitong had planned this for a long time.

She had probably discovered this flight chess game in the afternoon.

But Lin Yang had been sleepy then, which was why Xu Zhitong had finally found her chance now.

Xu Zhitong was full of anticipation as she explained, “It’s simple. The loser rolls the dice and has to do whatever number they land on.”

Lin Yang paused.

She braced a hand on the table and picked up the board game to look at the activities on each square.

Thankfully, there weren’t any especially outrageous ones.

Lin Yang told herself not to forget her original intention, then nodded. “Okay.”

With her mind clear, Lin Yang played board games the way she did everything else; she counted points and cards.

She no longer let Xu Zhitong take back moves the way she had in the afternoon.

In the first round, Xu Zhitong lost.

She obediently rolled the dice, moved five steps, and looked at the activity she drew.

“Not allowed to say a word for the entire round.”

？？？

Xu Zhitong had researched this in advance.

Whatever activity she got, it would be a reward for her.

—But how could there be something like this too? Her luck was way too bad!

Lin Yang was already reshuffling the cards. Xu Zhitong tried to bargain. “Can we change it...?”

Lin Yang shook her head and said with a smile, “This one. No changing.”

Xu Zhitong pressed her hands together and practically flattened herself onto the table, leaning in very close to act spoiled in front of Lin Yang.

“Please, please. If I can’t talk, I’ll die.”

As she spoke, she even sang softly, “Cupid, please, please, please, please let her love me a lot...”

Why was she even singing a sugary little love song?

Lin Yang laughed. She let out two more helpless chuckles, her eyes nearly turning into crescents.

Only after she finished laughing did she raise her index finger and wag it in front of Xu Zhitong.

“No can do.”

“Fine.”

Xu Zhitong stared at Lin Yang’s smiling face for a while, then let out a little huff.

She obediently pressed her lips together and began the second round.

This time, Xu Zhitong was determined to win.

She couldn’t help it. Even though she’d bought her own props, the moment she saw Lin Yang draw a new exchange card, she wanted to cheat.

Lin Yang gave her a cool, indifferent glance and deliberately said, “What are you doing? I don’t understand.”

Xu Zhitong snorted angrily. She pointed at her own prop, then at the card on the table. Leaning over, she reached out and rolled back the move Lin Yang had just made, trying to swap cards.

Lin Yang held down her hand and raised a brow. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Are you a pig? Explain.”

How mean; she couldn’t talk.

Xu Zhitong looked at Lin Yang for two seconds, then gave up on communication. She lowered her head and gently bit Lin Yang’s finger that was pinning her down, then licked the pad of it.

Wet, soft, and ticklish, as if to say: If I can’t speak, can’t I bite instead?

Still biting Lin Yang’s fingertip, she leaned over the table and looked up at her with pleading eyes from below.

Lin Yang’s ears warmed. She drew back her slightly numb hand and let Xu Zhitong cheat her way out of the card she’d just drawn.

Her luck seemed to improve a little after that, and Xu Zhitong won the second round.

She cheered.

Now it was Lin Yang’s turn to draw a flight-chess activity.

The dice stopped at 3, and Xu Zhitong leaned forward to count the squares.

“1, 2, 3... ah.”

—Call your wife in a spoiled voice.

Xu Zhitong: “Oh!”

Hehe.

Lin Yang: “...”