When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: 1950s Abandoned Wife (30)

Chu Shenyu felt incredibly guilty. He’d always been a bit face-blind when it came to the opposite sex, which had led to plenty of embarrassing moments when he was a kid. He wouldn’t even recognize his own deskmate if she just changed her outfit.

In truth, he didn’t have high expectations for marriage. He saw it and having children as just another mandatory task in life, like a job. Because of this, he’d always adopted a ”put it off for as long as you can” mentality.

But after meeting Zhu Yun and becoming intimate with her, he found that he could actually accept the idea of getting married and starting a family. He was even beginning to discover the joy in it.

Especially since she was the one with the highly recognizable dark complexion who also knew how to cook, and he had, well, taken advantage of her. He had started to take the idea of marriage seriously.

She was his future wife, after all—the partner he would have children with and spend the rest of his life with. Chu Shenyu was treating this with the utmost seriousness.

But now it seemed he hadn’t been serious enough. ’Otherwise, why didn’t I recognize my own fiancée when her skin got lighter?!’

The more Chu Shenyu looked, the more the image of his fiancée in his mind came to life. The dark face was gone, replaced by a fair, smooth complexion. Her features were exceptionally sharp and beautiful—even more flawless than the mechanical parts he tinkered with!

”Fi-fiancée,” he stammered, his face instantly flushing red. ”You... you... you’re so fair now. You look beautiful.” ’Like silken tofu pudding, reflecting the morning light,’ he thought. ’It makes me want to take a bite...’

The two of them were speaking softly. What others saw was the newly-crowned factory belle whispering a few words to the factory hunk with a look of playful anger. The hunk then just stared blankly at her for a moment before his own face turned bright red, and he took on an appeasing expression—a far cry from his usual cool demeanor!

And so, the two of them left side by side, carrying their things...

”Well, looks like Mr. Chu is about to make a big mistake!”

”And right here on the second floor of the canteen, in front of Chef Zhu...”

”Even if that woman is stunningly beautiful and so fair it’s blinding, Mr. Chu is already taken. How can he be a two-timer? And he doesn’t even leave any for the rest of us...”

”What a waste of Chef Zhu’s kindness, always looking out for him at every meal. She just made him a special dish of steamed eggs, and what does he do? He comes back from his business trip with a new flame...”

”I used to think Mr. Chu was a good man, someone who valued inner beauty. I never thought he’d be so superficial and irresponsible! No matter how good he is at his job or how educated he is, it can’t hide his terrible character!”

Everyone unanimously condemned Chu Shenyu, but in their hearts, they were silently praying that Chef Zhu wouldn’t let her emotions affect her work. Their palates had been spoiled, and they had no desire to go back to the miserable days of eating generic canteen food.

Sister-in-law Qian and Xu Xiaohui exchanged a look, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Although they were also astonished by how much Chef Zhu had changed, they clearly remembered her arriving that morning dressed in that exact outfit!

To stop the rumors from spreading, they had no choice but to patiently explain, ”Everyone, it’s a misunderstanding. The person with Mr. Chu just now was our very own Chef Zhu.”

That one sentence made everyone’s brains short-circuit. ”Wait, Sister-in-law Qian, what did you say? That woman who’s as fair as snow is your Chef Zhu?”

Wasn’t that hilarious? It wasn’t that they looked down on Chef Zhu for being dark-skinned, but it was rare for even the women who worked in offices or were in the song and dance troupe to have such a good complexion and looks. How could that possibly be Chef Zhu?

Out of respect for Chef Zhu, everyone forced themselves not to laugh, but it was hard work, and their faces were turning red from the effort.

”Why don’t you believe me?” Sister-in-law Qian grew anxious. ”Chef Zhu isn’t naturally dark-skinned. She just suffered a lot in the past, and it took a toll on her skin. For the past month or two, she’s been taking good care of it, so it’s normal for it to recover.”

”Besides, Chef Zhu is genuinely beautiful. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the misfortune of being targeted by the Wang Family, which held her up for a good seven or eight years!”

”And what’s more, Mr. Chu has worked at our factory for several years. We’ve all seen what kind of person he is. He’s not the type to be fickle.”

Xu Xiaohui chimed in to explain, ”That’s right. Chef Zhu came in this morning wearing that exact outfit. Many of our colleagues in the kitchen saw her.”

The chef and kitchen helper at the next window nodded dazedly. ”It’s true. An auntie even complimented her on her nice clothes and wanted to have a set made for her daughter who’s getting married.”

Everyone exchanged glances. The facts were right there, but why couldn’t they convince themselves to believe it?

It was simply as if Chef Zhu had gotten a whole new head!

***

All the way back, Chu Shenyu kept glancing sideways at her. He used to think her dark skin was distinctive, but now her fairness was just as astonishing.

Zhu Yun had been eating well for the past two months, and her whole being was like a withered tree in spring sprouting new green shoots. It extended its branches, and soon all one could see was vibrant, thriving life.

Because her face was fair and oval-shaped, it had a bit of soft baby fat, which softened the seductive charm of her almond-shaped eyes, making her look exceptionally soft and adorable.

”What,” Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow, a hint of anger still on her face. ”Am I too superficial for your tastes?”

Chu Shenyu quickly cleared his throat and said in a dead-serious tone, ”I’ve just discovered that I’m actually a very common man. Quite superficial, in fact. I just like that you’re fair and beautiful!”

Zhu Yun couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She shot him a sidelong glance. ”Can’t you have a little backbone? No wonder you’re a man of few words. You’re already good-looking; if you were a smooth-talker too, you’d probably have enough romantic prospects to host a festival.”

”Then I’ll only say these things to you from now on?” he asked, laughing with her. ”Come over to my place for a bit. I have something for you.”

Zhu Yun nodded. As the two of them walked side by side, they earned a three- or four-hundred-percent head-turn rate from the passing workers and their families.

”Mr. Chu, you’re back from your trip? Who’s this?” a nosy person came right up to them and asked openly.

Chu Shenyu just smiled faintly and said, ”This is my fiancée.” Then, afraid people would get the wrong idea, he added, ”Chef Zhu!”

The words hit them like a bombshell. Everyone’s head whipped toward the beaming Zhu Yun.

What? This woman, who was practically the fairest one around, was the dark-faced chef?

Was the sun in the sky so bright that it was causing them to see and hear things?

But the two didn’t stop, explaining all the way home.

Chu Shenyu took out his key and had just inserted it into the lock when the door opposite them opened at the sound.

Lin Jin was four months pregnant, wearing a white dress with a yellow floral print that faintly outlined her baby bump.

”Oh, Mr. Chu, you’re back?” Lin Jin said with a light laugh. ”My husband was just talking about you. You’ve been gone for a month, haven’t you?”

”Look, don’t go to the canteen for dinner tonight. Come eat at our place with your colleagues from the engineering department. Have a couple of drinks to unwind.”

”Oh? And who is this lady?”

She acted as if she had only just noticed Zhu Yun.

The Chu family was in the education sector, and the surrounding area was full of residential compounds for families from various other sectors. The Lin Family also lived nearby, so she knew almost everything there was to know about a prominent figure like Chu Shenyu.

’A girl this outstanding is definitely not one of Chu Shenyu’s relatives. And judging by the way they were just looking at each other, there’s clearly something going on between them!’