Not wanting to continue the topic, Lin Xinyan said, “Since we’ve clarified it, can I leave now?”
Mrs. Zhou swiftly waved her hands. “I’m sorry. You can go.”
Lin Xinyan raised her head to look at Zong Jinghao, feeling tired. She murmured, “Let’s go.”
Zong Jinghao lowered his gaze to look at her. She looked exhausted and in a daze. It seemed like this mess had gotten to her.
He held the hand that Lin Xinyan had hooked in his arm and narrowed his eyes. Shooting a grim look at Bai Yinning, he warned, “Stay away from my wife. This is your last warning. I won’t be as nice of a man to talk to the next time.” At that, he swept his icy gaze across Zhou Chunchun and Mrs. Zhou before leaving with Lin Xinyan.
Only after they walked out of the lingerie store, then did Zong Jinghao asked, “Why are you here alone?”
Lin Xinyan sighed before teasing, “Then should I have brought you along for shopping?”
She did not have many friends, and the only person whom she was more familiar with was Qin Ya, who was resting at home due to injuries. At the thought of Qin Ya, Lin Xinyan’s heart sank.
Zong Jinghao turned to look at her. “What do you want to buy? I’ll accompany you.”
Lin Xinyan was not shopping alone; she was just teasing him earlier. She knew he was busy, and she knew he could not accompany her for shopping like other husbands.
Lifting her head, she smiled and sweetly said, “Will you really keep me company?”
Zong Jinghao leaned down to peck a kiss on her lips. He chuckled, “Do I not sound serious enough?”
Right then, Bai Yinning, who just came out of the clothing store, saw them. His expression remained calm, but an odd emotion flashed past his eyes. It was clear to him that Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao adored each other.
Mrs. Zhou did not notice Bai Yinning’s expression; she was still stunned by the fact that Zong Jinghao was married and his wife was pregnant. “I can’t believe the most eligible bachelor Zong Jinghao is already married.”
Bai Yinning glanced at Mrs. Zhou before he quietly wheeled himself away. Zhou Chunchun hurried after him, and when Mrs. Zhou saw her daughter’s panicking look, she sighed.
It was one thing for her daughter to be innocent, but she was also too concerned with Bai Yinning; she listened to every word he said. If Bai Yinning is to leave her one day, what will she do?
It was not that Mrs. Zhou was hoping for the worst for her daughter, but her daughter was too naïve. She did not know how the world work, and she did not know how to appeal to a man’s heart. As time went by, she feared for her daughter’s inability to keep her man to her side.
She called out, “Chunchun, slow down.”
Then, she went after them.
On their way back, Bai Yinning was silent, as though he was quietly complaining about his dissatisfaction.
He could see that Lin Xinyan was angry.
After all, no one could be in a good mood after someone else accused them of being the third wheel in a crowd.
He had never thought of a day where Mrs. Zhou would stop Lin Xinyan from leaving, despite how embarrassing it was.
It’s absurd.
The Zhou family lived in a neighborhood beside B City’s governmental building. In front of the governmental building was a large park, so their house was in a pleasant environment. The neighborhood was to the right of the park, and the trees concealed most of the houses there. The neighborhood seemed average, but those who lived in it were not; only civil servants were allowed to live here.
Furthermore, it had various facilities and a good security system.
Soon, the car came to a stop. With Gao Yuan’s help, Bai Yinning came down from the car before Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Chunchun did.
This was the first time after their marriage that Bai Yinning brought Zhou Chunchun to B City to meet his parents-in-law. At the same time, he planned to talk to Zhou Huaihou about work.
Zhou Huaihou was not involved in the corporate world; he was a civil servant, and he held quite a substantial amount of influential power in his department.
His wife, Gu Huixin, was the Gu family’s third daughter. However, she was not raised in the Gu family; she grew up in her aunt’s family. That was why she was not close to her parents.
After her marriage with Zhou Huaihou, they became even more distant.
Furthermore, her husband did not like the Gu family, especially Gu Bei, who often did shady things. Zhou Huaihou was a righteous man, so they did not have a fantastic relationship with each other.
However, Gu Huixin and her husband were in a loving relationship. They only had one child—Zhou Chunchun. Although their daughter was not the smartest, and she was innocent, neither was upset by it. They tried their best to protect and love her, and they had never thought of having another child.
Bai Yinning had gone out earlier after receiving Zhou Chunchun’s message. When Zhou Huaihou saw them returning together, he asked, “Why did Chunchun ask you to go out?”
Bai Yinning did not answer him. He was still upset about Gu Huixin’s actions. Although he did not love Zhou Chunchun, and he wanted to use the Zhou family for his own goals, he never thought of hurting Zhou Chunchun. He truly wanted to let the innocent girl stay by his side.
He did not enjoy the feeling of someone questioning and suspecting him.
With one glance, Zhou Huaihou realized Bai Yinning was unhappy. He turned to look at his daughter. “Tell me what happened, Chunchun.”
Zhou Chunchun then told him what had happened at the lingerie store. “I couldn’t persuade Mom, so I told Yinning about it.”
The moment she said those words, Bai Yinning uttered, “While I did pay attention to her family background when I married Chunchun, but I truly like her. She’s not smart, but she’s the kindest woman I’ve seen. I want her to stay by my side forever, and I’ll do my best to take care of her for my whole life.”
Bai Yinning had no love for her; he only liked her innocence.
He was not a man of conflict. If he was not fated to be with the one he loved, then he would spend the rest of his life with someone whose company he enjoyed.
Bai Yinning raised his head to look at Gu Huixin. “After what happened today, I can sense that you don’t trust me. I thought you let Chunchun be by my side because you understand and trust me. But that doesn’t seem like it. I’m uncomfortable with this knowledge.”
Gu Huixin wanted to explain, but she could not find the words. It was true that she had suspected Bai Yinning’s character.
“All right. I was rash this time. It won’t happen again. You can’t hold a grudge against me forever because of this .” Gu Huixin was an open-minded person; she was not adamant in denying her mistake and refusing to apologize just because she was his elder. “I’ll apologize to Mrs. Zong another day. After all, I’ve embarrassed her in public.”
At that, she sighed, “Who knew that woman was Zong Jinghao’s wife?”
Bai Yinning was not a man who held onto unreasonable grudges, and he was respectful of the Zhou couple. After a moment of contemplation, he muttered, “Don’t look for her. You’re her elder. Let Chunchun do it. She’s around the same age as… Mrs. Zong. She’s more suitable for the apology.”
Bai Yinning had a personal motive. He wanted Zhou Chunchun and Lin Xinyan to become good friends.
It was not a plan to get close to her; he just wanted to see her.
After giving some thought to his words, Gu Huixin nodded. It was embarrassing for someone like her to apologize to her. Her daughter would be able to represent her. However, she was afraid that Zhou Chunchun would not be able to do it; the young woman was not good with courteous words.
Noticing Gu Huixin’s worry, Bai Yinning reassured, “Mom, don’t worry. That… Mrs. Zong is a kind woman. She won’t make things difficult for Chunchun.”
