When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The 1950s’ Wife of Bran and Chaff (31)

The mere thought that someone had swooped in and replaced Zhu Yun made Lin Jin tremble with suppressed excitement.

Without Chu Shenyu, what kind of man could a tacky, used-up woman like Zhu Yun possibly find?

By then, even someone like Wu Quanquan would probably be a pipe dream.

Because of what happened during the May Day holiday, Guo Meiyun was forced to get engaged to Wu Quanquan, and she still resented Lin Jin for it. She felt Lin Jin hadn’t tried hard enough, causing her to needlessly miss out on such a great opportunity.

Zhu Yun chuckled softly and linked her arm through Chu Shenyu’s. She glanced at Lin Jin’s belly and, still affecting a cloyingly sweet tone, said, ”Shen Yu, who’s this? She’s even gone and arranged your dinner for you.”

A shiver ran down Chu Shenyu’s spine. The woman’s voice was like a cloyingly sweet piece of candy, yet he found he liked it immensely.

’He truly was the most ordinary of men, with absolutely no resistance to people and things that pleased the senses. His wife’s allure was overwhelming. What was he to do if he couldn’t take it?’

However, he kept his face taut, still remembering how he had been plotted against during the May Day holiday.

Although he wasn’t the least bit reluctant about his marriage to Zhu Yun, as a man—and a man who had been outstanding since childhood—being plotted against was a humiliating and ego-crushing affair.

And since he wasn’t exactly a magnanimous person, Chu Shenyu played along. ”I don’t know her. Just a neighbor, I guess. I have no idea why she’s being so familiar with an unmarried man like me.”

”If it weren’t for her pregnant belly, people who overheard might get the wrong idea.”

Lin Jin nearly coughed up blood. Mr. Chu was usually so sparing with his words, so why was he being so sharp-tongued today?

’To treat a woman like that... so classless!’

She was furious but forced a smile. ”Mr. Chu, you’re quite the kidder. You and my husband are colleagues and often eat and drink together, so I was just being polite. It’s clear you’re still angry.”

”After Zhu Yun arrived, she came over to bother you quite a bit too. Still, I never thought you two would actually get together.”

”To be honest, if I had known it would cause you so much trouble, I would have hired a nanny, even if it cost money, rather than letting my mother-in-law nag me into bringing Zhu Yun here.”

In Lin Jin’s eyes, a man as outstanding as Chu Shenyu, who had rejected so many women, must have incredibly high standards for his future partner.

To be forced into a pairing with a vulgar, illiterate country woman like Zhu Yun... it was utterly pathetic.

No wonder he had seized the opportunity of a business trip to quickly find himself a more suitable match.

Lin Jin looked at the woman before her—fair-skinned, beautiful, and fashionable. Standing next to Chu Shenyu, they were the very picture of ”a talented man and a beautiful woman.” Her heart swelled with an extreme mix of envy, jealousy, and hate.

She couldn’t resist running her mouth about Zhu Yun right in front of them, just to annoy them and vent her own frustrations. At the same time, she reminded herself of the fact that Zhu Yun had been dumped, and a secret delight bloomed in her heart.

Later, she would have to share this wonderful news with Guo Meiyun!

Zhu Yun smiled and raised an eyebrow. ”You certainly have made a lot of foolish mistakes. TSK TSK, pregnancy already makes a woman look haggard, and you’re worrying so much on top of it. Plus that ear-length bob makes you look so old. TSK TSK, how old are you, ma’am? Forty-something?”

Lin Jin was so angry her body started to sway. One was more sharp-tongued than the other, their words like knives stabbing directly at her weak spots!

She was the star performer of the Machinery Factory’s Art Troupe, one of the ”Six Golden Flowers” known for both her talent and beauty. She had every reason to be proud, and now someone was calling her old to her face...

’But,’ Lin Jin thought, ’I can’t wear makeup while pregnant, so I do look a bit listless. And lately, the baby has been making it hard for me to eat well, so my skin isn’t as supple and dewy as it used to be.’

’They say your hairstyle is your second face. I didn’t want to cut the long hair I’d painstakingly grown for so many years either. But because of Zhu Yun, the house got infested with lice and fleas. I didn’t notice in time and had no choice but to cut my hair short, then swallow my pride and tell everyone it was because I was worried about the baby not getting enough nutrients.’

Before, when Lin Jin was resting at home during her pregnancy, she hadn’t thought much of it. But standing next to this glamorous woman, she was indeed thoroughly outshone.

This was the first time in her life that she, the pampered daughter of the Lin Family, had ever been so overshadowed!

Time was precious, and neither Chu Shenyu nor Zhu Yun wanted to waste it on others, so they opened the door and went inside.

Although Wang Xianbing and Chu Shenyu were both comrades in the engineering department, their jobs were different.

Wang Xianbing was more on the management side, responsible for trivial matters like advanced training, study tours, and exchanges for the engineering department staff. He was slowly building his network, and as long as he showed some results, he could steadily climb the ranks.

Chu Shenyu, on the other hand, was a true technician, a top graduate who held the factory’s advanced technology in his hands and was highly valued by the leadership. The people he interacted with were all heavyweight research bigwigs.

So, even though Wang Xianbing was a deputy director and Chu Shenyu held no official title, there was a significant difference in all aspects, including salary and benefits.

The two lived across the hall from each other, but Wang Xianbing had a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, while Chu Shenyu had a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment, enjoying the same perks as a deputy factory director!

The rooms were all fitted with wood flooring in a light coffee color, which was uncommon for the time and gave the space a bright, airy feel.

There was a complete set of polished, natural wood furniture, including a shoe cabinet by the door, a TV stand, a chest of drawers, a sofa, and a coffee table in the living room; a dining table and chairs in the dining area; and a wardrobe, a large bed, and a desk in the bedroom. On the balcony, there was even a woven rattan round table and matching chairs.

The walls were a soft, warm yellow, bathing the entire space in a cozy and comfortable feeling.

”Do you like it?” Chu Shenyu asked, following slightly nervously behind Zhu Yun as she toured the apartment. ”I saw a friend’s place that was decorated nicely, so I had him find some workers to copy the style.”

”It was all done in a hurry, so there are probably some things that aren’t perfect. We can adjust them slowly later. There are still some odds and ends to get, and my mom and sister will help buy them.”

”If there’s anything else you need, you can just tell me.”

Zhu Yun smiled and shook her head. ”It’s wonderful. Better than I imagined.”

With that, she walked briskly into the living room and began gesturing to him. ”We’re both good-looking, so we can go to a photo studio, take a bunch of pictures, have them developed in different sizes, and hang them here.”

”We can put a couple of photos on the nightstand, too.”

”Didn’t the betrothal gifts include a sewing machine? I’ll buy some nice fabric and sew curtains, tablecloths, and chair covers myself...”

”We can grow some flowering plants on the balcony, and put a vase with a few flowers on the table.”

”Hmm, and we can hang some decorations on the walls...”

Chu Shenyu watched her quietly as she spoke, and the image of their home in his mind grew more vivid. The once-empty, lifeless apartment was now filled with traces of her touch.

He also began to seriously trace her features with his eyes.

Every technician possessed superb drafting skills. He could draw a component with precision without a ruler, accurate down to the millimeter.

Anything he could draw became etched in his mind as if it were engraved.

And now, he had traced a perfect copy of Zhu Yun in his heart, clearer than ever. Because of this, he felt an even deeper appreciation for this meticulously sculpted beauty, akin to a craftsman’s love for the golden ratio!

How could Zhu Yun not feel his gaze?

Chu Shenyu’s eyes were long, narrow, and deep. When he focused his gaze on someone, it was intense enough to drown them.

Her eyes flickered. She walked up to him with her hands behind her back and asked earnestly, ”Mr. Chu, do you know which side my heart is on?”

Following her words, Chu Shenyu’s gaze swept across her chest. He tilted his head slightly, revealing ears that had instantly turned scorching hot. His voice, no longer as crisp as before, was slightly husky. ”The left side.”

Zhu Yun blinked, then couldn’t help but grin. She hadn’t even finished her line, and he’d already derailed the conversation. ”Wrong. It’s with you, Mr. Chu!”

Chu Shenyu blinked, connecting her two sentences. This time, even his face—blessed with skin that never tanned—flushed a deep red, as if it were a boiling iron kettle.

”Mr. Chu, what time is it now?” Zhu Yun was having a blast, like a child who had just discovered a fun new game in this bygone era. She continued with a straight face.

Chu Shenyu’s cheeks felt impossibly hot. He glanced at the clock on the wall. ”Five past eight.”

”No. It’s the starting point of our happiness.”

This time, Chu Shenyu felt both helpless and a little flustered. His heart was POUNDING, and he knew perfectly well that she was just teasing him.

”Quick, say you like me so I can proudly reject you!” Zhu Yun continued, her foxy eyes twinkling with a smile.

Chu Shenyu looked at her. ’She’s really something else,’ he thought. ’If you gave her a tail, she could probably use it to extinguish the Flaming Mountains.’

’Isn’t this just a roundabout way of getting me to formally confess to her?’

He was happy to play along with his wife-to-be. He grasped her slender shoulders with both hands and said, word by word, ”I like you!”

Zhu Yun felt a jolt run through her. She then said shyly, ”Well then, I suppose I can reluctantly agree...”

The man moved in, cutting off the rest of her words with his lips.

Even though he was a man, his lips were hot and soft. He only brushed them against hers with great tenderness, lingering there without making another move. He was so chaste that it made her feel wicked by comparison.

After a moment of this gentle friction, as her large, dewy eyes blinked, Chu Shenyu said, ”Did you know? A man’s affection for a woman is never in his words, but in his actions!”

She... she had been flirted with in return...

Seeing that he had finally seized the initiative, Chu Shenyu gently ruffled the hair of the slightly dazed woman. He took a square, red velvet box from the coffee table drawer and handed it to her.

”I saw this on my business trip and thought it would suit you, so I bought it.”

Zhu Yun took it with a smile and opened it curiously. Inside was a watch. The small, silver face was inlaid with a few tiny diamonds, and the delicate band gave off a cool, metallic sheen.

She pushed the watch back into his hands, held out her left wrist, and smiled at him.

Chu Shenyu also smiled and shook his head. He took the watch out and carefully fastened it on her.

Her wrist was fair, and the watch only served to accentuate her delicate elegance.

’Mmm,’ he thought. The soft, smooth feeling still lingered on his fingertips. ’I suddenly understand why they call it ”eating tofu” when a man takes advantage of a woman. This kind of ”tofu” is indeed fatally attractive!’

He couldn’t help but lean down slightly, his hot breath washing over her wrist as he placed a reverent and cherished kiss upon it.

Chu Shenyu pulled her into his arms again, his voice a mixture of contentment and anguish. ”We can’t see each other alone again before the wedding.”