Chapter 123: Both Husband and Wife Attract Romantic Troubles, Jealousy Ensues  

Lin Jiadong bent down, grimacing in pain. He shook his head, then nodded.  

Jiang Wanrou turned to the culprit. When she saw Shen Yiyi’s mocking expression, her anger flared up. “Shen Yiyi, what right do you have to hit people?”  

“You all spread rumors, slandering me, a married woman, accusing me of having improper relationships with men. The fact that I haven’t sued you for defamation is already merciful enough—why shouldn’t I hit you?”  

“You’ve always liked my partner… Ah!”  

Before Jiang Wanrou could finish her sentence, a stool came flying toward her. This time, it wasn’t Shen Yiyi who threw it—it was Li Chen. His expression was cold and stern. “Where do you get the nerve?”  

Jiang Wanrou dodged quickly, but the stool still hit her shoulder. The sharp pain contorted her face. Facing this ruthless couple, she was so enraged that she trembled.  

Shen Yiyi didn’t care whether she was trembling or not. She looked at them with a cold gaze. “If you have the ability, bring out the evidence. If you don’t, then stop spreading lies. Otherwise, next time, I’ll really call the police.”  

Saying that, Shen Yiyi took Li Chen’s arm and was just about to leave when something came to mind. She turned to Lin Jiadong, smiling sweetly. “Oh, right. Her job loss has nothing to do with me, nor with Qian Xiaoling. She tried to use Yang Xiong to secure a permanent position while secretly defying him.”  

“At the end of last year, I even saw her having a meal with Yang Xiong at a state-run restaurant. Yang Xiong said she was his partner, that she ate and drank on his tab… I found it strange. She already had you as her partner, so why was there suddenly a Yang Xiong? So, I asked him. When Yang Xiong realized he had been deceived, he was so furious that he slapped her. That’s why she was dismissed…”  

“Shen Yiyi!” Jiang Wanrou roared, trying to rush forward to shut her up.  

Li Chen stepped forward, standing in front of Shen Yiyi. His cold eyes swept over Jiang Wanrou.  

Jiang Wanrou recalled the ruthless strength with which he had just thrown the stool and dared not advance any further. Meanwhile, Lin Jiadong was already shaken by Shen Yiyi’s words. He looked at her in disbelief, then turned to Jiang Wanrou.  

Jiang Wanrou hurriedly tried to explain. “Adong, it’s not what you think. I have nothing to do with Yang Xiong. I didn’t even let him hold my hand…”

“But you did play hard to get with him!” Shen Yiyi delivered another blow.  

“Shut your…” mouth!  

Jiang Wanrou wanted to shout at Shen Yiyi in anger, but when she met Li Chen’s cold gaze, she didn’t dare to say another word.  

“She’ll definitely tell you that I’m making things up.” Shen Yiyi continued, unfazed by the intimidation, further provoking Lin Jiadong. “If you don’t believe me, you can go ask the staff at the state-run restaurant. This incident caused quite a stir—they’re bound to remember it!”  

After dropping that bombshell, Shen Yiyi ignored the crowd gathering around to gossip. She and Li Chen went to retrieve the small stool that had been thrown.  

Things in this era were built to last. Despite being hurled so forcefully, the stool wasn’t broken—only its edges and corners had a few minor dents.  

Shen Yiyi simply pulled out three yuan and handed it to the cashier. “I’m really sorry for damaging your stool. Let me compensate you.”  

The cashier, a middle-aged woman, beamed with amusement. “The stool isn’t even broken, just a little scuffed. It’s still perfectly usable—don’t worry about it! Honestly, women like her deserve a beating. Messing around with men while spreading rumors about others—ugh! Hitting her was too lenient. She ought to be dragged out and—”  

The more the middle-aged woman spoke, the angrier she became. She turned to Li Chen and advised: “Brother, don’t just listen to one side of the story. I can tell your wife is truly devoted to you—you better treat her well!”  

Li Chen was usually distant toward strangers, and with his sharp, chiseled features, he often gave off an intimidating aura.  

But suddenly being addressed like this, the cold edges of his expression softened with a hint of a smile. He responded with a simple “Mm.” but though his reply was meant for the cashier, his gaze was fixed on Shen Yiyi.  

The cashier, force-fed with affection, was speechless. “…Alright, alright, just go already!”  

With that, the couple left the cinema. It was just past five in the afternoon, and neither of them felt like cooking, so they decided to head to the state-run restaurant to get some takeout.  

The bicycle ride from the cinema to the restaurant took about five minutes. The moment they got off, Shen Yiyi noticed that Li Chen was still smiling.  

It wasn’t an exaggerated smile—just a slight upward curve at the corners of his lips, a relaxed brow, and a slow, lingering warmth in his eyes. The usually sharp contours of his face seemed noticeably softer.  

For someone who rarely smiled, when he did—it was absolutely lethal!

Even the natural air of intimidation he carried was no longer as fierce. Instead, it carried a dangerously alluring charm, drawing people’s attention to him without them even realizing it.  

Li Chen wasn’t some delicate, fair-skinned pretty boy, but his sharp features, tall and sturdy build, and strong presence made him the epitome of a mature tough guy.  

Some people were particularly drawn to this type, and Shen Yiyi had already noticed several female workers who had just finished their shifts sneaking glances at him as they passed by for dinner.  

As for the culprit himself, not only was he completely oblivious, but he even lowered his voice to ask her what she wanted to eat.  

Shen Yiyi shot him a sidelong glance. “Brother Chen?”  

“Mm?”  

“You seem… very happy?”  

Li Chen, still unaware that his wife was getting jealous, let the curve of his lips lift even more. “I am happy.”  

“Because of what that cashier said?”  

“…To be more precise, because you hit Lin Jiadong.” Li Chen admitted honestly.  

“…” Shen Yiyi’s lips curled up slightly, but just as she caught another few women sneaking looks in his direction, her smile abruptly flattened. She spoke domineeringly: “Then save your smiles for when we get home!”  

“?”  

Li Chen was confused. “Wife, what’s wrong?”  

“You’re asking me what’s wrong?” Shen Yiyi huffed. She looked around and, seeing no patrol officers nearby, went on tiptoe and pinched both of Li Chen’s cheeks. “Do you even realize how much unwanted attention you’re attracting like this, huh?”  

“?”  

Li Chen instinctively steadied her to keep her from losing balance, then glanced around. Sure enough, quite a few people were looking in their direction. Finally, he understood the reason behind her unusual behavior.  

He tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t. A deep, uncontrollable chuckle escaped from his lips, his chest even vibrating slightly with amusement.

Because Shen Yiyi was pinching his face, the flesh on Li Chen’s cheeks was squeezed forward, forcing his lips into a pout. His entire face looked like an adult version of Three Baos. It might not have been the most appropriate comparison, but describing him as “both handsome and adorable” was neither an exaggeration nor a contradiction.  

On the contrary, it only drew even more attention.  

Shen Yiyi: “…” Forget it, forget it. It was rare to see him this happy.  

She let go of him and shot him a playful glare. “Let’s go, let’s go, time to buy food.”  

She took the lead into the restaurant while Li Chen followed behind her. Suddenly, he called out in a loud voice: “Wife, wait for me!”  

As he caught up, he continued asking: “What do you want to eat?”  

The women who had been frequently glancing his way instantly had their romantic fantasies shattered at the word wife. They withdrew their gazes and went back to minding their own business.  

Shen Yiyi stopped in place, unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips. She playfully chided: “Then hurry up!”  

A soft, coquettish tone like that naturally caught the attention of men. Moreover, Shen Yiyi was young and beautiful, so this time, it was the men who started stealing glances at her.  

Just as Li Chen was feeling satisfied, he noticed those blatant gazes directed at his wife. His face darkened.  

Since they were already inside the state-run restaurant, no one would scold them for being inappropriate in public.  

Li Chen took the opportunity to casually drape an arm around his wife’s shoulders, silently declaring his claim.  

Shen Yiyi knew exactly what he was up to. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she teased: “Brother Chen, why are you holding me? No hugging in public! Quick, quick, put your hand down!”  

???  

Li Chen was both amused and exasperated. He tightened his grip slightly, pulling her closer just as someone nearly bumped into her. Using this as an excuse, he explained: “It’s crowded during meal hours. I don’t want anyone knocking into you!”  

Oh, really?  

Shen Yiyi lifted her chin smugly, silently asking: Do you think I believe that?  

“…Fine.” Li Chen admitted defeat. “Wife, what do you want to eat? I’ll go line up.”  

“Let’s go together!” Shen Yiyi stifled a laugh. Since they both disliked the attention from others, they might as well stick together and keep each other in check.  

In the end, they packed up a few steamed buns and meat-filled buns, along with a serving of braised pork and cabbage stewed with glass noodles—just needed to be reheated once they got home.