Volume 2 Chapter 5: Not Letting Go
Unexpectedly, Fu Xueman was very generous. She was the first to break the awkward atmosphere and smiled at Shen Bing, "Sit down and eat first, otherwise the food will get cold soon."
Only then did my mother wake up from her dream and hurriedly asked Shen Bing to sit down.
Shen Bing's face changed, turning into a bitter one, and she whispered to me, "You almost scared me to death just now. I brought you clothes in front of your fiancée, and called you a bumpkin. I hope this won't ruin your relationship?"
I was stunned. I thought she was unhappy when she heard the news because she liked me. It turned out it was because of this. I was so happy for nothing!
"It's okay, she's not a stingy person, just sit down." She dealt a heavy blow to my mood, which plummeted.
"This is a family dinner. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for an outsider like me to attend. I'd better go back." She whispered again.
When I heard this, it seemed like this girl had some hidden meaning in her words, something about a family dinner for outsiders, clearly trying to test my thoughts. I smiled at her and said, "Stop talking nonsense and take a seat."
The two of us whispered to each other, and our heads were almost connected. Could we be ordinary friends? Fu Xueman could no longer be generous, and her face darkened again.
Shen Bing nodded, smiled awkwardly and walked to the dining table and sat down. I said let's have a drink, it's not as warm as your home, drink some wine to warm yourself up.
"I'm driving, I can't drink, and besides I don't like drinking. You should drink less. You drank so much last time and it kept me awake all night..." As she spoke, she covered her mouth and fell silent.
This girl is outspoken. You should either keep silent or speak clearly. The words that have been tossed around all night will give people endless reverie. My mother opened her mouth wide and was stunned. Fu Xueman's face was as gloomy as it could be, staring straight at the table, looking very angry.
I hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Last time, you were afraid that I would choke so you served me all night. You were so kind. Otherwise, how could we entertain you when you came to our house?"
When my mother and Fu Xueman heard this, they suddenly realized what was going on, and their faces relaxed. Fu Xueman smiled as she picked up some food for me. I pretended not to notice and picked up a dish for Shen Bing. Fu Xueman tightened her mouth again.
Seeing that the atmosphere was still quite awkward, I said to Shen Bing, "Let's have a drink. If you can't leave today, don't leave. I'm worried about you driving alone during the New Year. Stay here for a few more days and try my mom's cooking."
"Forget it, how about sleeping on your bed? Your bed smells so bad!" She was about to ruin everything as soon as she said it, but she regretted it right after she said it. She covered her mouth again, blinked her eyes at me, and wanted to cry.
Fu Xueman suddenly raised her head, looked at Shen Bing and said, "What is your relationship?"
"We have nothing to do with each other!" Shen Bing insisted.
One asked a thorny question and the other answered an idiotic one.
My mother looked around, looking very embarrassed. Today was the first time she let her future daughter-in-law have a meal at home, and it was also New Year's Day, so how could such a thing happen?
I raised my head and drank a large glass of white wine and said, "We are friends. Her name is Shen Bing, she works at the provincial police station. She came to town to handle a case a few days ago, and we got to know each other."
Fu Xueman was happy again after hearing my clear introduction. Didn't I understand what she meant? She clearly thought I couldn't climb up to Shen Bing's high branch. She smiled and kept picking food for Shen Bing. This girl is quite cunning. To curry favor with Shen Bing, isn't that just to please me?
As the atmosphere became lively, my mother smiled, but I could still see a hint of worry in her eyes. I knew what my mother was thinking. She had said before that as long as I brought Shen Bing home, she would agree to cancel the marriage. As a result, Shen Bing came uninvited today. She must be worried about this matter.
I thought to myself that Shen Bing and I were just good friends. From all indications, she didn't like me. Besides, even if she did, would she quit her job and live in the countryside? There was no chance for us, so mom, you don't have to worry about it.
At first I thought that Shen Bing's presence would make the meal more enjoyable, but I suddenly felt depressed again and wanted to drink. The wine was all gone, and it was useless for the three of them to persuade me. I into a daze and forgot how I ate. I slept until five in the afternoon and woke up to find that Shen Bing had not left. She was sitting in the living room chatting with my mother.
I felt better when she didn't leave. At least it was fun to bicker with this girl. After I came out, my mother asked us to chat while she went to the kitchen to cook for us.
As soon as my mother left, I rubbed my still aching head and asked Shen Bing, "Why didn't you leave? It's so unsafe to drive in the middle of the night."
Shen Bing glared at him, "You country bumpkin, what do you mean? You got drunk and acted crazy at noon and wouldn't let me leave, and now you're kicking me out again!"
I slapped my head. I was drunk and fell asleep at noon, but I was blacked out and couldn't remember anything. I said, "Why are you drunk and not letting you go? You want to frame me."
"You drank too much at noon, and your fiancée helped you into the house . Just as I was about to leave, you ran out of the house and held me tightly, refusing to let me go. You insisted that I stay at your house for a few days to taste your mother's cooking. Have you forgotten?"
"Is that true?" When she mentioned it, I vaguely remembered that I really pulled her over.
"If you don't believe me, go ask your mother. I made myself embarrassed in front of your fiancée. If I didn't agree to you, something bad would have happened. Your mother and your fiancée begged me not to leave, so I stayed." Shen Bing said with a pout.
I covered my face and thought to myself that I was attracted to this girl, otherwise I wouldn't have kept her company after drinking. But this feeling was different from when I was with Yaxue. I was confused whether I was attracted to her or not.
"When did Xue Man leave?" I quickly changed the subject.
"She left a long time ago, but she seemed hostile to me. You've killed me again this time, making me look like a mistress." She said aggrievedly.
"If you really want to do that, I don't mind."
"Bah, you country bumpkin, what do you think I am?" He cursed and punched me on the back.
My mother just came into the house to get something, Shen Bing quickly withdrew her hand and walked away from me, and my mother also hurried away. But I couldn't help laughing and asked her: "Why did you suddenly come to our house on New Year's Day?"
Shen Bing held her chin with both hands, with an elusive look in her eyes. She looked at me and said, " It's boring to spend the New Year alone, so I thought of you. Besides, your mother's cooking skills are really unforgettable to me, so I just wanted to come over to chat with you and have a meal. There's nothing else to it."
She was right. It was indeed lonely to spend the New Year alone in the city. It was not strange for someone with her personality to suddenly come to our house to spend the New Year.
"Then you can stay a few more days and we can have a good chat. You don't have to pay for the meal since you bought so many things." I joked.
"Don't you have to accompany your fiancée?" Shen Bing stared at me and asked.
"I've never been with her. We were in an arranged marriage. I don't have any attraction to her."
"What era is this? There are still arranged marriages. I really sympathize with you." She pouted, then widened her eyes and asked in a low voice: "You really don't like her?"
I nodded and whispered to her, "Do me a favor."
"help you with what?"
"My mother said that as long as you agree to be my girlfriend, she will agree to cancel the marriage. How about you pretend to be my girlfriend for once?"
Shen Bing blinked her beautiful eyes, tilted her head and thought for a while, finally shook her head and said to me seriously: "No, what if our fake becomes real and I fall in love with you? If my colleagues and friends knew that I fell in love with a bumpkin, I would be so laughing that I would die!"
