I Refused to Be a Substitute, and Shot to Fame on a Variety Show With My Mother-In-Law

47 Going to a Date

Upon hearing the words gold jewelry and necklace, Zheng Yuehua’s eyes lit up. She immediately turned to look at Xie Wen, clearly surprised. “Wenwen, you bought me a gold necklace?”

Xie Wen did not react for a moment. Li Xiwu smiled and reminded her, “I remember you left it in your mummy bag after you bought the necklace.”

“Oh, right.” Xie Wen finally reacted and entered the room to open her mummy bag. There was a logo with a “Gold” on a burgundy box. When she opened it, an exquisite gold necklace lay inside. The style of the pendant was perfect for a woman in her forties or fifties.

When Xie Wen saw this golden necklace, warmth welled up in her heart and she felt a lump in her throat.

!!

Li Xiwu would arrange everything in advance. She did not play mahjong without thought. After winning so much money from Zheng Yuehua, when she returned home, Zheng Yuehua would definitely take it out on Xie Wen. This golden necklace was given out in Xie Wen’s name. At least for the next few days, Zheng Yuehua would restrain herself a little. Most importantly, she had bought it with Zheng Yuehua’s money. The abacus clattered under Li Xiwu’s hand.

After Zheng Yuehua put on the necklace, she threw the unhappiness of losing to the back of her mind and kept showing off. “Aiyo, look. Does my neck look thin when I put it on? Last time, I wanted to buy one like this. It cost more than eight thousand. Thinking that I already had so many necklaces, I resisted the urge to buy them. You have to buy gold for necklaces and rings. Those 18k gold ones are not worth it at all.

“Wenwen is still the best.” Zheng Yuehua was very mean when she was mean. In front of outsiders, she still had to praise her daughter-in-law.

Li Xiwu smiled brightly and praised, “This necklace is very suitable for Auntie.”

“Right? I think so too.” The smile on Zheng Yuehua’s face had never stopped since she saw this golden necklace. Although she was unhappy that Li Xiwu had won so much money from her, she could not ignore her. She chuckled and took out her phone to take a selfie.

Li Xiwu was ready to leave. Xie Wen took advantage of the fact that her daughter was still taking her afternoon nap to send Li Xiwu to the elevator a few steps away from the door. “Miss Li, thank you for today.”

Li Xiwu turned to look at Xie Wen. “I remember that you acted in a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drama when you first debuted, but you were only the second female lead at that time. After work, you complained to me about being afraid of marriage, that if you met someone like in the drama, you would go crazy.”

Xie Wen smiled bitterly. “Probably soon.”

The remaining smile on Li Xiwu’s face faded. “Xie Wen, if possible, I hope to see you be yourself again one day.”

Xie Wen lowered her head, not daring Li Xiwu to see the tears in her eyes. “I hope so.”

Li Xiwu said, “Take out your phone.”

Xie Wen didn’t know what she wanted to do, but she still took out her phone and unlocked it before handing it to Li Xiwu.

Li Xiwu used her phone to transfer 5,000 yuan to Xie Wen. Then, she clicked on Xie Wen’s WeChat to collect the money. When Xie Wen saw this, she quickly said, “No need. I have money.”

Li Xiwu smiled. “Of course I know you have money, but your mother-in-law gave you this money. It would be a waste not to take it.” This was the money Li Xiwu had won from Zheng Yuehua. After buying the necklace, she had 5,000 yuan left. She had expected that it would be just enough money to win a necklace. She had been lucky today and had won a few thousand more than she had expected.

Xie Wen smiled through her tears. “Miss Li…”

“Alright, go in.” Li Xiwu returned the phone to Xie Wen. Then she took the elevator downstairs and got into the car. She planned to return to the company to see Xue Jinzhu. When she fastened her seatbelt and adjusted the navigation, she noticed that there were several unread WeChat messages on WeChat. Li Xiwu opened them—

Xue Jinzhu: [Miss Li, I don’t have time for this afternoon’s class. I’ll ask for leave from you.]

Xue Jinzhu: [I’m going on a date tonight.]

Xue Jinzhu: [Miss Li, don’t be angry. (Good girl JPG)]

Li Xiwu finished reading Xue Jinzhu’s WeChat message and replied, “Okay.” Then, she put away her phone. Looks like she doesn’t have to go to the office.

On the drive, she called Qiao Qiao and asked her out for dinner.

Qiao Qiao’s voice came from the Bluetooth earpiece. “I’m not going to be a third wheel. Pei Jingzhou’s three-foot-freezing aura can freeze me into an ice sculpture.”

Li Xiwu smiled. “No Pei Jingzhou, it’s just the two of us.”

Qiao Qiao said, “Just the two of us? He Wang already said that Pei Jingzhou has booked the entire Waldorf Restaurant tonight. Remember to take photos when you go. As usual, post on WeChat first.”

Pei Jingzhou booked the Waldorf Restaurant? Li Xiwu seemed to have thought of something and chuckled.

Qiao Qiao said, “You don’t say. This man is quite romantic. Treat it as enjoyment before the divorce.”

There was a red light ahead. Li Xiwu stopped the car and placed her hand on the steering wheel. She remembered that Xue Jinzhu had sent her a WeChat message not long ago saying that she was going on a date tonight. Now, she learned from Qiao Qiao that Pei Jingzhou had booked the Waldorf Restaurant…

Li Xiwu pondered for a moment. “There’s something I didn’t tell you. Pei Jingzhou has a lover outside.”

Qiao Qiao raised her voice. “You saw it with your own eyes?”

Li Xiwu’s voice was steady. “Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Booking the Waldorf was a date with his new lover. It had nothing to do with me.”

At this point, Li Xiwu smiled to herself. There was silence on Qiao Qiao’s end. The light turned green. Li Xiwu braced herself against the steering wheel with one hand and adjusted her Bluetooth earpiece with the other. “Shall we have Hunan or Sichuan tonight?”

Qiao Qiao’s voice was low. “Sichuan, I think. You like it.”

Li Xiwu said, “Okay.” It was rare for her to let herself go all afternoon without doing anything serious. The guilt of working men rose. She could only rely on spicy food to ease it.

In the Sichuan restaurant.

Qiao Qiao ordered six bottles of beer and tore off the cap with her teeth. She was very fierce.

Li Xiwu gave her a thumbs-up. “Good teeth, girl.”

Qiao Qiao clicked her tongue and filled Li Xiwu’s cup. The dishes were served one after another. The spicy and fresh fragrance assailed her nose and hooked her taste buds, making her hungry.

Li Xiwu switched her phone to silent mode and shared the joy of the afternoon with Qiao Qiao. “I used the mahjong skills you taught me today and won until I was numb.”

Qiao Qiao’s interest was piqued. “Who with?”

Li Xiwu told her about the afternoon.

Qiao Qiao laughed out loud. “Xie Wen’s mother-in-law is really unlucky. When she met a disciple I personally taught, she always killed everyone at the mahjong table.”

Throughout the meal, Qiao Qiao didn’t mention a word about what Li Xiwu had said on the phone. Although it was not unusual for Pei Jingzhou to find a new lover, it was not a glorious thing. It did not sound good.

The only teasing remark was, “Remember to provide for me when you get 400 million.”

Li Xiwu raised her lips. “Okay.”

After dinner.

When they’re going home, Qiao Qiao asked her, “Are we going back to Lake Lu?”

Li Xiwu remembered that Pei Jingzhou had asked her to go home tonight…

Li Xiwu, who had planned to return to Lake Lu, changed her mind. “Let’s go to your house.”

In any case, Pei Jingzhou was going to have dinner with his lover tonight. Pei Jingzhou might not know if she returned to Lake Lu, so she might as well not go back.

–

...

The next day.

Li Xiwu woke to see a lot of missed calls. The first person in front was Han Qianye. She called Han Qianye back first.

On the phone, Han Qianye asked her in a steady voice, “Where are you? We’re leaving.”

Li Xiwu gave her an approximate location.

Han Qianye said, “The car will be here soon.” Then she hung up.

Li Xiwu didn’t have time to look at the other missed calls. She quickly got up and dressed herself. When she came out, she saw that Qiao Qiao was still sleeping soundly. Li Xiwu didn’t wake her up. She left a Post-it note and hurried out.

The car quickly arrived at the location she had reported.

Li Xiwu got into the car and called out, “Auntie.”

It had only been a day since they last met. Han Qianye saw that Li Xiwu was a little uncomfortable. After nodding, she remained silent.

The car drove to Fu Town. The journey was quiet. No one mentioned the night of the blind date show.

Han Qianye waited for a long time but did not see Li Xiwu looking for a topic. She thought that Li Xiwu was too boring. Did her son only want her because it was quiet when he was with her?

...

Han Qianye could only speak first. “I have something to tell you.”

She sounded quite serious. Li Xiwu thought it was something serious and glanced sideways. “Go ahead.”

Han Qianye raised her head and puffed out her chest. “Yesterday, I’ve already finished reading the wild protected animal knowledge book.”

Li Xiwu: “…”