Bai Tao’s heart immediately swelled with pity for Pei Shi. Looking at this man, even though the news was all over that she had supposedly cuckolded him, his first reaction wasn’t to accuse her but to cautiously probe and ask what she thought. He was giving her an out, as if all she had to do was admit, “It was a little thing, won’t happen again,” and they could move past it.

Because he loved her so deeply, Pei Shi had decided to numb himself!

It was so heart-wrenching!

But she was innocent!

The more Pei Shi acted this way, the more Bai Tao felt that this couldn’t be the end of it. She looked at Pei Shi and declared firmly, “Honey! It’s not true! Our relationship is so good. How could I possibly like someone else?”

In order to gain Pei Shi’s trust, Bai Tao went all out with her flattery, “You’re so handsome, tall, fit, capable, and good at everything. How could I look for someone else? With you by my side, I wouldn’t even notice those average guys! And you don’t have to worry! I only like older men! What’s with those young guys? I’m not interested! Older men are experienced, qualified, caring, mature, and considerate. They’re not clingy, don’t pout, are gentle, sensible, and have money! What does a young guy have? They’re just young bodies! But I prefer my meat a little more mature!”

“…”

Bai Tao rambled on, and Pei Shi, who had seemed tense earlier, visibly relaxed. However, perhaps fearing that Bai Tao was considering divorce, his face turned into a terrifying shade of dark. He glanced at Bai Tao and finally interrupted her,

“I’m only twenty-six.” Clearing his throat, Pei Shi looked away calmly and corrected her, “And I’m still a young body.”

“…”

Apparently, all her rambling had boiled down to Pei Shi absorbing just this one line…

Luckily, under Bai Tao’s gaze, Pei Shi finally returned to a serious topic, “But you’re right. Our relationship is absolutely fine. We will definitely not get divorced.”

His resolute tone and his attitude of surviving a calamity made Bai Tao feel a pang of heartache again.

She couldn’t help but pat Pei Shi on the shoulder, “Honey, you need to be more confident in the future, and as a man, you must have dignity! Only a man who respects himself will be loved. A man shouldn’t be submissive in relationships. If you withdraw, I will leave. You have to have integrity!”

Pei Shi paused, then furrowed his brows and instinctively replied, “I do respect and love myself…”

Bai Tao, feeling a bit sorry for him, interrupted his self-justification, “Don’t be like this, honey. It hurts to see you trying so hard. No need to say more. I understand you…”

Perhaps touched in a sensitive spot, Pei Shi’s face immediately darkened, and he retorted, “No, you…”

Bai Tao gently touched Pei Shi’s lips with a finger, silencing his unfinished words. This time, she spoke sincerely and from the heart, “Even though I know you love me deeply, before loving someone else, you have to love yourself. If I really betrayed you and made you wear a green hat, you shouldn’t tolerate it. You should be firm. Don’t be so submissive.” She paused and patted Pei Shi again, speaking earnestly, “Honey, I feel sorry for you when I see you like this.”

“No need…”

Seeing it had come to this, Pei Shi, typical of men who valued their pride, refused to admit his own submissiveness in this marriage.

Bai Tao gave him a knowing look, “Honey, no need to say more. Some things, we understand in our hearts.”

“… “

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Pei Shi didn’t speak further, just pursed his lips, his expression indescribable.

To encourage Pei Shi to respect himself more, Bai Tao decided to play her trump card, “Honestly, I actually prefer men with integrity. Honey, let’s work together in the future to change for the better, to become a man of integrity, okay?”

Pei Shi seemed to be suppressing some emotions desperately this time, with a hint of gritted teeth in his silence, but still didn’t speak.

Changing someone’s character wasn’t easy, especially for someone like Pei Shi, who loved herself to the point of madness.

Bai Tao encouraged, “Don’t worry, honey. I don’t despise you. It’s just for the healthy development of our relationship in the future between husband and wife, equality is essential. You shouldn’t keep yourself so low. It pains me to see it…” She coaxed gently, “Come on, promise me. Be a man who respects and loves himself from now on, okay?”

Perhaps sensing Bai Tao’s persistence, Pei Shi finally yielded under her urging and encouragement. Reluctantly, this man who was reluctant to admit defeat finally opened his mouth and said a simple “okay.”

Bai Tao’s earlier words were indeed sincere. Pei Shi was a good person in every aspect and loved her to madness. Although being loved like this did give her a good sense of self-worth, a healthy and orderly marital relationship still relied on equal love and communication.

Bai Tao wanted to live a good life, so she had been wanting to correct Pei Shi’s self-deprecation for a long time.

Now that she had spoken out, she realized that communication between husband and wife wasn’t that difficult after all.

Next, she had to deal with these rumors. Bai Tao was determined not to condone them. This was not only about defending her own rights but also about proving her innocence strongly in front of Pei Shi.

Bai Tao looked at Pei Shi, “Honey, do you have a lawyer? Can you help me find a lawyer to sue the marketing company that started these rumors? This is a distortion of my image and a smear on our marital bond! We must sue them publicly for an apology and compensation!”

Trashy marketing companies! If there’s been no affair, then there’s been no affair! Bai Tao decided to bankrupt this rotten marketing company! No settlements accepted!

*****

To Bai Tao’s great satisfaction, Pei Shi seemed even more concerned than her about maintaining their marriage. He took full charge of suing the marketing accounts spreading rumors. That evening, he contacted lawyers to arrange for evidence collection.

“I’ll be attending a big data-related roundtable summit as a guest speaker the day after tomorrow. It’s a two-day event with an overnight stay. If you need to reach me and can’t, you can contact Yuan Mu.”

Tomorrow was the weekend. Bai Tao had been experiencing life as a junior employee with Pei Shi these days, which surprisingly sparked a lot of inspiration. She was planning to immerse herself in drawing manga serials. Pei Shi being at home actually felt distracting, so she nodded in agreement after some thought.

Despite Pei Shi showing great trust at the moment after the affair rumors, Bai Tao felt she still needed to strengthen their marital bond.

She composed herself and looked at Pei Shi coquettishly, adeptly playing the part, “Honey, are you really going to the meeting? But what about me? You haven’t even left yet, and I already miss you. If it’s two days and one night, can’t you come back on Saturday evening first? I won’t be used to not seeing you for so long…”

Faced with her cajoling, Pei Shi first looked surprised, then awkwardly turned his head away from Bai Tao’s gaze, “Behave yourself at home.”

Was this man shy?

Remembering her past miserable rejection when she confessed to him, Bai Tao suddenly felt mischievous. She pointed to her cheek, “Then you have to give me a kiss. I’ll only listen to kisses from my husband.”

Pei Shi seemed to struggle for a moment, but eventually leaned over and quickly pecked Bai Tao on the cheek before just as swiftly averting his eyes.

Tch, playing the innocent.

Whatever was meant to happen or not, it had all happened. What was the point of pretending to be a pure young man now!

However, despite these thoughts, Bai Tao couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Oh Pei Shi, Pei Shi, didn’t expect this, did you? Back then, you were indifferent to me, but now, you let me tease you as I please!

Hahaha!

*****