CHAPTER 5

◎ Maybe You Can Live Off a Woman in the Future? ◎

Ye Rou stared at the Monday marked on the calendar. If not for the fact that she still wanted a bit of her own salary, she would’ve already quit her job.

And right now, lying at home, she really felt bored out of her mind.

But once her belly got bigger, she definitely wouldn’t keep working. She just couldn’t take it.

Ye Rou said, “Take me to work in the morning, and pick me up after work in the evening.”

It was like Zhou Huai’s smile got stuck on pause.

Ye Rou: “What, did you think that just because I go to work, you don’t have to care about me and your kid anymore?”

Zhou Huai rubbed his temples. “It’s your kid too.”

Ye Rou: “Yes, that’s right, it’s my kid. But just giving birth to this little one is already going to take everything out of me.”

At night, while washing up, they could already stand side by side at the sink brushing their teeth, unlike that awkward morning.

Ye Rou mumbled, “This yagua is really too spicy.”

Zhou Huai didn’t understand, and looked at her puzzled expression. He tried to guess, “You mean, the toothpaste is too spicy?”

Ye Rou nodded. Yes, this toothpaste was way too spicy. Before, she’d always carefully chosen her toothpaste, sometimes even fruity-flavored ones.

Ye Rou rinsed her mouth, wiped the foam off her lips, and said, “Tomorrow, buy a new toothpaste. It should smell nice, but not just smell nice—it has to actually work too. I’ll still be eating meat when I’m old.”

Zhou Huai was about to speak, but Ye Rou turned on the tap, squeezed out some facial cleanser, and started washing her face. The sound of running water drowned him out. When she finished, she beat him to it again.

Ye Rou: “And get me a new facial cleanser too. Just buy the expensive one.”

Since she didn’t know which brands were available now, going expensive was definitely safer than going cheap, right?

Looking at the man who still hadn’t rinsed his mouth, Ye Rou suddenly had some doubts. “Um… this won’t be too hard for you, right?”

She knew he’d be a rich and powerful man in the future, but she wasn’t sure about his financial strength right now.

Zhou Huai: “You’re just short of saying I might not even be able to afford raising this kid.”

Ye Rou: “How could that be.”

Zhou Huai: “How do you know? Maybe I’ll have to rely on your salary to get by.”

Ye Rou asked faintly, “Do you think my current salary is even enough to support myself?”

Zhou Huai did a quick calculation—no, definitely not. Based on Ye Rou’s expenses, she really couldn’t live on it.

Ye Rou patted his shoulder. “You keep working hard. Once I give birth, I’ll start a business. If you want, maybe you can even live off a woman in the future?”

Zhou Huai let out a dry laugh. “Ye Rou, are you sure this isn’t just you trying to avoid taking care of the kid?”

Ye Rou went into drama mode. “How could it be? The baby will love you the most, Daddy. Of course, if this Daddy has money, that’s even better.”

Zhou Huai: “I do have money.”

Ye Rou looked at the man in front of her, acting all smug, and pointed at the foam around his mouth. “Okay, I get it. But for now, rinse your mouth.”

Zhou Huai: “……..”

That night, Ye Rou was still hung up on her four-piece bed set. She wasn’t being picky—it was just what she was used to. Tossing and turning, she even got up to look at her set again.

Ye Rou: “Zhou Huai, are you asleep?”

Zhou Huai opened his door. “Not yet. What is it this time?”

Ye Rou: “If it rains, remember to bring in my four-piece set and my clothes. Also, wake me up in the morning. I want to go out for breakfast—I’m craving soy milk.”

Zhou Huai crossed his arms and looked at her. “Are you sure I’ll actually be able to wake you up?”

This morning had left quite an impression.

Ye Rou: “If I go to bed earlier, I should be able to get up.”

Zhou Huai: “Oh.”

Ye Rou: “Don’t ‘oh’ me! I won’t be late.”

Zhou Huai: “I seriously wonder how you even managed to hold down this job before.”

Ye Rou felt guilty, but then put on a bold face. “Of course it was thanks to my strong willpower to never be late or leave early!”

Zhou Huai gave her a thumbs-up. “Impressive.”

Ye Rou: “You’re pretty impressive too.”

The two of them exchanged fake compliments, not even enough to count as business flattery.

Zhou Huai shut the door and went back to his room.

Heh. The kid will be yours to take care of. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.

Thinking about going to work tomorrow—and maybe also because Zhou Huai didn’t believe she’d wake up on time—Ye Rou, miraculously, didn’t stay up late. She actually fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, when she woke up, she really wanted to keep sleeping. But Zhou Huai’s words still echoed in her ears. To stop that man from gloating, Ye Rou stubbornly forced herself out of bed.

Ye Rou: “Zhou Huai, I’m awake! Zhou Huai, I’m awake, I’m awake!”

Zhou Huai came out, his hair still a little messy. He looked at Ye Rou without losing his temper, then turned to head to the bathroom. Ye Rou wanted to follow, but Zhou Huai stopped her at the door.

Ye Rou: “Move aside.”

Zhou Huai: “I need to use the bathroom.”

Ye Rou nodded. Taking advantage of her still-slender figure, she slipped in from the side and shut the door, locking Zhou Huai out.

Zhou Huai: “……..”

The child is his, the child is his.

Ye Rou came out especially slowly. She washed up, and though she couldn’t use makeup, she still had to use skincare. As for clothes—she always had to pick something nice.

She rummaged for a long time but wasn’t satisfied with anything. She felt she might need to go shopping for new clothes.

Zhou Huai knocked on the door. “Ye Rou, you’re going to be late.”

Ye Rou: “Stop rushing me, stop rushing me. Why do you have no patience at all?”

In the end, Ye Rou came out in a blue plaid dress. Zhou Huai stepped back at once, clearly realizing Ye Rou was unhappy—but this really wasn’t his problem.

Ye Rou: “Zhou Huai, what are you standing there for? I want breakfast, then I have to go to work!”

Zhou Huai: “Alright, ancestor, you’re my ancestor. You’ve even got a little ancestor in your belly.”

Ye Rou beamed. “Since that’s the case, treat me better. Son, your dad really likes you. Because of you, he’s being good to me too.”

Zhou Huai: “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Make it a daughter.”

As if he didn’t want that himself. Who wouldn’t want a daughter?

The morning air was especially fresh. Ye Rou didn’t ride a bicycle; she worried the bumping would harm the baby in her belly. Ye Rou was being very cautious—worried for the child, and also for herself.

She really craved soy milk. Passing a breakfast stall, Zhou Huai suggested they eat there. Ye Rou tugged on him, sizing up the couple running the stall—both looked very clean—before finally agreeing to sit down.

Ye Rou ordered a bowl of soy milk and a meat bun. Zhou Huai ordered tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and a meat bun too, and even grabbed a small plate of pickles.

The food came quickly.

Ye Rou took a bite of the bun, and her eyes lit up. It was really delicious! She asked, “When I go to work, if I need to find you, how do I contact you?”

Right now, staying in touch was troublesome. Unlike the future, where cell phones were everywhere—smartphones, even.

Zhou Huai coughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Ye Rou, why would you need to contact me while you’re at work?”

Ye Rou: “???”

What do you mean why would she need to contact him?!

Ye Rou: “If something comes up at work, of course I need to contact you! When I left just now, I noticed you didn’t bring your beeper, so I asked.”

Looking pitiful, she started acting again. “I don’t want to eat anymore. Son, let’s not eat anymore.”

Zhou Huai asked the stall owner for pen and paper, wrote down his landline number, then jotted down his pager number too.

Ye Rou held the slip of paper. She wanted to tuck it into her pocket but realized her dress didn’t have any. So she slipped it into the small cross-body bag she carried.

By the end of breakfast, Ye Rou was stuffed.

After eating, Zhou Huai continued walking her to work. The clothing factory was close by—that was why Ye Rou agreed to walk here.

If it were farther, she probably wouldn’t even bother with this job.

When they arrived outside the factory, Ye Rou headed inside. Halfway there, she thought she should at least say goodbye, or something like “I’m off to work.” She turned back—only to catch a glimpse of Zhou Huai’s back already disappearing.

Ye Rou: “……..”

He ran off really fast.

Ye Rou lived close to the factory. Even after all that fussing around, when she reached the logistics department, some people still hadn’t arrived.

But the moment she sat at her desk, she felt something was wrong. She wasn’t comfortable. Back at her old company, she’d used office chairs. Now she only had a plain wooden chair with a cushion—and it wasn’t soft at all.

If she had a cellphone right now, she’d definitely complain to Zhou Huai!

Ye Rou had thought the whole morning would be miserable, but surprisingly, the office atmosphere was lively. The gossip was flying so fast she was afraid that even going to fetch water, she might miss something.

She soon got along with the girl sitting beside her, Chen Daniu, and at noon, the two of them went to the cafeteria together for lunch.

Humans were really strange. Staying home doing nothing felt boring, but going out to work felt tiring too. Still—if she had a phone and internet to surf, Ye Rou would gladly “lie flat” more often.

Zhou Huai had been busy all morning. During lunch break, he went out to buy toothpaste and face wash.

He had no idea about these things. He usually washed his face with just a bar of soap. For the face wash, he picked the most expensive one Ye Rou had mentioned. As for toothpaste, he couldn’t decide, so he simply bought several different kinds.

After that, he went back to the siheyuan. He’d been storing his goods from Yangcheng there. Unlike others, he wholesaled them out locally—he didn’t need to sell them himself.

Ever since being kicked out on his wedding night, Zhou Huai had been staying here. The place had everything, even a kitchen.

Carrying his pager, which he’d gone home to fetch, Zhou Huai checked for messages. Nothing from Ye Rou. He asked, “Anyone call for me?”

Zhang Ji: “Yeah, several. All those guys asking about stock. I told them everything already.”

Ye Rou hadn’t contacted him at all—that really was strange.