When Linda heard how I had slashed my own arm with a beer bottle to scare off those office workers, a flicker of emotion flashed in her eyes—but her expression remained unchanged. Her pretty face was still stern, and she even curled her lips slightly as she scoffed, "No skills, yet always trying to act tough."
In the past, when Linda called me useless or incompetent, I could always feel the deep disdain and contempt in her words. But this time, it was different. Maybe it was because of the inadvertent hint of concern and worry in her eyes, making me feel like her words weren't meant to mock me. There was even a faint trace of care in her tone, almost like a wife scolding her husband for drinking too much when he shouldn't have.
I scratched my head and said, "The situation was dangerous, and I didn't have any other options. I had to act tough to scare those guys off. Luckily, they were just timid office workers. If they'd been real troublemakers, that act wouldn't have worked."
Linda was still curled up in the blanket, only her head peeking out. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a brand-new Durex condom packet on the bedside table, and her expression instantly darkened. "Andrew, you actually brought *this*? And you still claim you didn't have ulterior motives?"
I quickly explained, "That wasn't mine! It was given to me by a volunteer outside the nightclub—just like the one you got last weekend."
Linda froze for a couple of seconds before locking eyes with me. "You knew about that?"
Now feeling awkward, I rubbed my nose and admitted sheepishly, "Yeah… Linda, about last weekend—I went too far. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me—"
"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it…" Linda suddenly acted like a spoiled child, her grudge-holding nature refusing to let her forgive me so easily. She pointed at the door. "It's already morning. Go back to school for your classes. I won't forgive you."
I checked my phone—it was already 6 a.m., half an hour before the school's wake-up bell. But it seemed Linda wasn't planning to forgive me anytime soon. Dejected, I prepared to leave.
But just as I took a few steps, Linda suddenly called out, "Hey—Andrew, wait!"
"What is it?"
I turned back in surprise and saw Linda sticking a fair-skinned arm out from under the blanket, gesturing for me to stop. Looking at her huddled under the covers, I suddenly understood—her dress from last night was still in the bathroom, soiled from her vomiting. Right now, she was only in her underwear. If I left, how was she supposed to leave the hotel?
Linda huffed, "I don't have any clothes to wear. Go buy me something, or how am I supposed to leave this place?"
I glanced outside at the barely lit sky and smiled wryly. "It's just dawn. No clothing store is open this early. Even if I wanted to buy something, I couldn't."
Linda thought for a moment before saying, "Then go home and bring me a set of clothes."
I couldn't help but bargain with her. "Qingqing, if I go home and get your clothes, will you at least consider forgiving me?"
Linda, ever the tsundere, gave me a deep look before lifting her flawlessly beautiful chin. "Andrew, let me be honest with you. In all my life, I've never been treated the way you treated me last week. You didn't care about my feelings at all—you even called me a *bitch*. I will *never* forgive you. So, are you going to get my clothes or not?"
Her words made me feel guilty all over again. What I'd said in anger last week had truly been hurtful. I nodded. "I understand. I'll go get your clothes. Goodbye."
With that, I turned to leave, my spirits low. I didn't know if it was my dejected appearance that softened Linda's heart or if the shocking wound on my arm reminded her of all the times I'd been good to her—but she called out to me again.
"Andrew."
"Yeah?"
Linda's eyes darted around before she said in an offhand tone, "If you behave better from now on… maybe I'll consider forgiving you."
For a second, I was stunned—then my entire mood lifted. I almost blurted out, *What counts as behaving better?* But I held back, realizing how dumb that would sound.
With a small spring in my step, I left the hotel. What I didn't know was that the moment the door closed behind me, Linda's stern expression melted like snow under sunlight. A hint of deep amusement flickered in her eyes as she smirked triumphantly. "*Daring to yell at me last week, then storming out like you owned the place? Your temper's gotten bold, huh? If I don't make you suffer, my name isn't Linda.*"
When I got back to the Zhang residence, my in-laws were already out for their morning walk in the park—saving me from an awkward encounter.
I headed straight to the bedroom and opened the wardrobe to pick out clothes for Linda. Inside was a dazzling array of dresses and outfits of all brands. I didn't bother choosing carefully—just grabbed a random office suit and, blushing, picked out a matching set of underwear. Stuffing everything into a bag, I hurried back to the Golden Tai Hotel.
Just as I was about to unlock the door to the room, I heard Linda talking on the phone inside—and she sounded *happy*. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pressed my ear against the door to eavesdrop.
"Mom, Andrew knows he was wrong. He even apologized just now and begged me to forgive him. I told him I wouldn't, and he looked so scared—it was *hilarious*!"
Hearing that, I nearly choked in outrage. *This woman is really something—she was just messing with me!* I kept listening.
"...No, I won't break up with Andrew."
It seemed my mother-in-law had suggested Linda leave me—not knowing that Linda would *never* agree to that. If I weren't the Zhang family's live-in son-in-law, they'd have to find another man to carry on their lineage. And Linda wouldn't want that—because no other man would let her boss them around like I did.
Linda's voice turned lazy. "Honestly, Andrew has a lot of flaws, but he's got his good points too. Sure, he dared to yell at me last week, but normally, he's *very* obedient around me. And if anything happens to me, he's always the first to panic. When I was sick, he carried me to the hospital. When I got pressured to drink at banquets, he stepped in to take the shots for me—even if it meant getting wasted. And when we ran into thugs, he was willing to *kneel* to save me. That's… kind of touching, actually."
I couldn't help but grin smugly outside the door. *All my efforts haven't been in vain!* Linda used to call me useless all the time, but at least now she saw me in a slightly better light.
When her conversation seemed to wrap up, I deliberately stomped my feet loudly outside the door, pretending I'd just arrived, before unlocking it and walking in.
Linda hurriedly pulled the blanket around herself. When she saw it was me, the cheerfulness from her phone call vanished, replaced by a cold frown. "What took you so long?"
"Got delayed on the bus."
Looking at her icy expression, I thought to myself—*If I hadn't overheard her call, I'd never have guessed she was actually in a good mood. Women really are born actresses. The prettier they are, the better they act.*
Linda made me turn around before she got out of bed and took the clothes to the bathroom to shower. About half an hour later, she emerged in a perfectly fitted office dress. Since I'd forgotten to bring her stockings, her long, slender legs were bare beneath the skirt—stunningly flawless.
Most women's legs might look great in stockings but reveal flaws—like coarse pores, uneven skin tone, or imperfect shape—once bare. But Linda's legs were naturally perfect, without a single blemish. *Not only is Linda the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but she also has the best legs.*
When Linda noticed me staring dumbly at her legs, she rolled her eyes. "What time do you think it is? Why are you still standing around? Hurry up and get to school!"
I grimaced. *Use me and then kick me out? Talk about ungrateful.*
Linda gathered her things, and we checked out together. Outside, the streets were filled with morning joggers and rushing office workers. Aside from breakfast stalls, the only shops open this early were florists.
As we passed a flower shop called *Destiny*, a middle-aged man in his fifties was picking out roses—apparently for his wife's 26th wedding anniversary. Linda slowed her steps, her eyes glued to the roses like a three-year-old staring at cakes in a bakery, her face full of longing.
I was surprised. *So she likes roses?* I discreetly checked my pocket—I'd had over 150 yuan yesterday, but now only 15 remained. A whole bouquet was out of the question, but a single rose was doable.
I deliberately lagged behind, letting Linda walk ahead before doubling back to the florist. I bought the most vibrant yellow rose I could find—since yellow roses symbolize *apology*—hoping to cheer Linda up and earn her forgiveness.
When Linda realized I wasn't following, she turned around with a frown, about to scold me for dawdling—just as I caught up and thrust the blooming rose at her.
"Linda, this is for you."
Her eyes widened briefly with delight before she schooled her expression. She took the rose casually, then glanced at the man in the distance holding a *whole bouquet* of red roses. With a disdainful pout, she said, "*One* rose? You think this will make me happy?"
*Damn, this woman is so vain!* Annoyed, I retorted, "Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, throw it away. I'm going to school."
With that, I boarded a bus. Linda wasn't heading to school—she was going home first—so she didn't follow.
What I *didn't* see was how, the moment the bus left, Linda's face blossomed into a radiant smile. She gazed at the rose in her hand with pure joy, even bringing it to her nose to inhale its fragrance with deep delight.