Chapter 26: Encounter Again

Chapter 26: Encounter Again

After leaving the house, Fu Yining hurried to a nearby spa. By the time she emerged, it was already noon.

She hadn’t expected the full-body treatment to take so long, but mostly, she just had to lie there and relax.

The spa staff were all fragrant, with soft hands. The massage was so relaxing that she dozed off for a bit.

It was lunchtime, and Fu Yining didn’t feel like going home or hitting up the fancy restaurants she used to go to.

She decided to wander around the area. With such a long pedestrian street, there had to be somewhere she could grab a bite.

There was a snack street nearby, but it got busier at night, so she skipped it for now.

By chance, she spotted Jia Jia and Yuan Yuan, the two girls she had met at the buns place. They seemed to be heading for lunch as well.

Fu Yining remembered that Jia Jia was a local and had mentioned bringing Yuan Yuan, who was visiting, to try local delicacies. Following them seemed like a good plan.

Fu Yining hesitated for a moment, then quickly caught up with them.

Pretending to be casual, she followed them, stopping and starting as they did. Wherever they went, she followed.

Jia Jia, who knew the area well, led Yuan Yuan through a few twists and turns before stopping at a roadside restaurant.

The place served both meat and vegetable dishes, and also fried rice.

Fu Yining looked up at the signboard and thought she might be exceeding her carb intake for the day.

But it was fine. After all, she would be walking around in the afternoon, so it was best to eat a full meal at noon.

With only a second of hesitation, Fu Yining followed them into the restaurant.

The restaurant’s entrance was small, but the interior was surprisingly spacious.

There were quite a few people dining inside, and Fu Yining couldn’t find an empty table. Her eyes then shifted to Jia Jia and Yuan Yuan’s table.

The two girls were sitting on the same side of the table, leaving the opposite seat empty.

But Fu Yining didn’t go over immediately.

She wasn’t sure if they would be okay with sharing the table with a stranger. Should she look for another place to eat instead?

The waiter behind her walked over, gesturing for Fu Yining to sit anywhere and asked what she wanted to order.

Before Fu Yining could refuse, Jia Jia and Yuan Yuan invited her first, “Sister, would you like to sit with us?”

“Yes, thank you!” Fu Yining replied, more than happy to accept.

Jia Jia and Yuan Yuan, seeing more and more people coming in to dine, thought it was better to let a lone, pretty lady join them rather than parents with noisy kids.

Having someone nice to look at made the meal even better.

After sitting down, Fu Yining thanked them again. The two girls smiled and told her it was no trouble.

Soon after, the waiter took Fu Yining’s order, and she picked up her phone to scroll through it idly.

Jia Jia and Yuan Yuan leaned their heads together, chatting and occasionally giggling.

As they chatted, Jia Jia's phone buzzed with a new message. When she saw the content, the smile on her face disappeared instantly.

Yuan Yuan caught on immediately. "What, is Big Head trying to win you back again?" Big Head was Jia Jia's boyfriend, a nickname given to him by their college dorm mates.

Fittingly, he did have a big head.

Jia Jia shook her head. "No, it's from his mom."

Yuan Yuan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jia Jia bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. "Well, Big Head recently came to live with me, and his mom said she doesn't trust us, so she came along too."

"Are you saying Big Head's mom is living with you?"

"Um, well, I couldn't let her stay in a hotel alone, could I?"

As she said this, Jia Jia felt a little guilty, because she had just mentioned that she and Big Head were having problems and that she wanted to break up with him, but now she was living with him again.

This is such a mess!

Yuan Yuan clicked her tongue a few times and pointed at Jia Jia's head, scolding her. "Jia Jia, I have to say this: why are you still with that Big Head? Didn't you just say you wanted to break up with him?"

"But we've been together for so many years, and I can't bear to leave him." Jia Jia's voice was so small it was barely audible.

Yuan Yuan sneered. "Can't bear to leave him? So you're just going to let him bully you? No, wait, it's not just him now, it's also his mom!"

"No, his mom is actually quite nice."

"And you're defending them?"

As if remembering something, Yuan Yuan grabbed Jia Jia's hand and asked, "Is Big Head paying rent since he's staying at your place?"

Jia Jia froze for a moment before answering honestly, "It's a house my parents bought for me. He doesn't need to pay rent, right?"

"What about his mom? Does she plan to live with you forever?"

"No, no, she's just here for a visit and will go back to their hometown in a few days."

Yuan Yuan didn't believe her. She had a feeling that the mother and son had ulterior motives and were taking advantage of Jia Jia's soft heart.

She frowned and asked Jia Jia, "So, are you not breaking up with Big Head? Aren't you afraid he'll get cozy with other women again?"

Jia Jia shook her head. "No, he promised me he won't do it again."

"Can you trust his promise? Last time he said the same thing, then turned around and cheated on you?"

Seeing that Yuan Yuan was genuinely angry, Jia Jia quickly soothed her. "Hey, don't be mad. I just want to observe a little longer. What if he actually changes? We've been together for so many years, and I really can't bear to leave him."

"If he was going to change, he would've changed by now. He's just testing your limits! Also, what did Big Head's mom want when she messaged you?"

"She just wanted me to buy some groceries and... um, cook." Jia Jia's voice faded, unsure of herself.

But Yuan Yuan heard her, and she heard it loud and clear. "You mean they're living at your place, and you're cooking for them?"

Jia Jia waved her hands frantically. "No, no, they do cook sometimes too."

Yuan Yuan gave her a skeptical look.

"But they specifically asked you to go back and cook today, right? Do they know you're with me?"

"Yeah, they probably know. I mentioned it to Big Head."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan became even angrier.

"They know? And they still want you to go back and cook? Don't they have hands of their own?"

What's wrong with these people? That place was bought for Jia Jia by her parents, so Big Head and his mom are practically outsiders. Who do they think they are, bossing her around?

They’re not even married, and already acting like they own the place?

Yuan Yuan was fuming, while Jia Jia looked uncomfortable.

From their conversation, Fu Yining got the gist of the situation: As an only child, Jia Jia was dealing with a manipulative boyfriend and a difficult mother-in-law.

Seeing how harshly Yuan Yuan was scolding her, Fu Yining, who had once been in a similar position, kept her head down and stayed quiet.

She felt like she was being blamed, even though she hadn’t done those things.

Trying to make amends for her boyfriend, Jia Jia offered Yuan Yuan a cup of water. Yuan Yuan turned it down.