Gadelia was unhappy with the reason Zhou Ming had sought her out. She had no intention of joining his harem.
“I can’t believe the first time you came to me on your own initiative was for something like this. Hmph! And here I was actually happy about it.”
“It’s the second time.” Zhou Ming replied expressionlessly.
“I was the one who came to you yesterday! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come looking for me at all.”
Gadelia was once again irritated by Zhou Ming.
‘Can’t you say something else for once?!
Zhou Ming ran to a convenience store by the roadside, bought a pack of bread and a bottle of water, and started eating right in front of Gadelia.
“If you don’t want to eat food I cooked, just say it straight!”
Gritting her teeth, Gadelia said each word deliberately. She really wanted to slap Zhou Ming to death.
“I haven’t eaten all day! I’m really hungry!”
‘Then what about that heart I just heard?!
“That was me deliberately tricking you, just to make you angry.”
To avoid eating Gadelia’s cooking, Zhou Ming had gone to great lengths, even risking his own safety to protect himself.
“Is that so? I’m very angry now.”
Her ears turning red, her nails digging harshly into the skin of her palms, Gadelia replied with a blank expression.
‘Hopeless.’
She wore a low ponytail, with no stray hairs falling beside her face, her strands neatly tucked behind her ears.
“…I understand.” Gadelia seemed a bit at a loss, her ears slowly regaining their redness. She wanted to tidy the hair beside her ears but didn’t quite know where to start.
“Gadelia…”
‘No way? She’s that hot-tempered? Is she going to hold a grudge against me in her heart? It should be fine…’
Zhou Ming couldn’t help but let his thoughts run wild. He glanced sideways at her and noticed her ears were flushed.
Under the glow of the setting sun, that blush was even more obvious.
‘Oh no, this is going to be a disaster.’
“Gadelia.”
Zhou Ming called out again.
“I didn’t mean to. It’s just that I can’t control my eyes or my thoughts from focusing on you because of the feelings.”
He lowered his head, kicked a pebble on the roadside, gathered his courage, and looked into her eyes.
“I… I don’t know what to say, but Gadelia, I really didn’t mean it! It’s just that some thoughts are beyond my control. But honestly, I never meant to mock you or put you down!”
“What about your childhood friend?”
“It’s true!”
“I’m With Two now!”
Zhou Ming remembered that Gadelia had once said “With Three” hadn’t abolished polygamy yet, so he patted his chest and said that.
Gadelia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She knew why Zhou Ming had said that. This kind of thick-skinnedness was indeed rare. But unexpectedly, she didn’t hate it.
“I kind of like you now. Really.”
“Feelings aren’t love, just the beginning of love. Gadelia, you need to realize that.”
“Putting on airs of righteousness.” Gadelia gave a light snort, pushed away Zhou Ming’s hand resting on her shoulder, and started walking toward the residence.
“The emotional turmoil you bring me is greater than what my parents cause. I’m really afraid I’ll fall too deep later.”
Gadelia reined in her emotions. Zhou Ming let out a soft sigh and responded with a smile.
“Then I’ll just have to accept a life of having both arms full.”
“Ha, first you have to get past your childhood friend, Jiang Jialie.”
***
Looking at his phone, Zhou Ming raised his head to confirm Gadelia’s expression. Seeing no extreme reaction from her, he felt relieved and answered the call.
‘We haven’t even confirmed our relationship, yet it feels like Gadelia is already the main wife.’
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Zhou Ming focused on listening to Jiang Jialie’s voice on the phone.
“Zhou Ming, where are you? Let’s go eat together!”
Zhou Ming glanced at Gadelia again to make sure she wasn’t angry or displeased before replying to Jiang Jialie.
“Sure…”
“Gadelia is here too!”
“You better explain yourself!” Jiang Jialie’s voice came through the phone, tinged with anger.
Zhou Ming quickly tried to soothe her: “It’s fine. Trust me. Once you get here, I’ll tell you slowly.”
“Alright. Be careful of that woman!”
“Okay, I’ve got it.”
Hanging up the phone, Zhou Ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He suddenly felt a bit like a harem protagonist from an anime—but not quite the same.
‘I’m a civilized person. I need to be moral. I can’t have multiple wives.’
“How noble and righteous.” Gadelia glanced at him, her tone full of contempt. “A harem protagonist talking about morality—so this is what they call youthful naivety?”
“The heart is willing but the flesh is weak. At least the impulsiveness has that youthful vibe.”
Zhou Ming was momentarily speechless.
‘If one were strong enough, polygamy might not invite criticism… but the problem is, I’m clearly not that kind of person.’
For some reason, a doubt rose in his heart—why had he talked so much and so deeply with Gadelia?
“Zhou Ming, do you think our relationship is close?” Gadelia suddenly asked.
“I don’t know. I guess we’re just ordinary friends, though I do have some feelings for you.”
Gadelia nodded and said nothing more.
‘Not close, huh? Well, I suppose it’s not easy to get close in such a short time. Still need to keep working at it.’
The two returned together to the entrance of Gadelia’s residence. From a distance, they saw Jiang Jialie standing there, staring blankly into space.
Jiang Jialie was furious.
She and Zhou Ming had been childhood friends, and their families had arranged a marriage since they were kids. But just as they had barely reached adulthood, someone else had set their sights on Zhou Ming.
And that foreign woman named Gadelia surpassed her in looks, ability, and wealth by a huge margin.
She couldn’t accept it.
‘Zhou Ming and I are the official match!’
‘That fox better not try to steal Zhou Ming!’
As soon as training ended, Jiang Jialie hadn’t even changed her clothes before calling Zhou Ming. All she got was an address and a phrase—“together with Gadelia.”
She rushed over immediately.
After waiting downstairs for a long time with no response, she was about to call again when she suddenly heard Zhou Ming’s voice.
“Xiao Sui!”
Zhou Ming shouted Jiang Jialie’s nickname as he walked quickly toward her.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Mm! It’s okay. You’re here now, that’s what matters!”
Jiang Jialie’s eyes were slightly red. She wanted to throw herself into Zhou Ming’s arms but hesitated because she was drenched in sweat.
In the end, she gently hugged him anyway.
As if declaring sovereignty, she held on tightly.
The three of them entered Gadelia’s residence together.
Zhou Ming immediately volunteered to cook—he really didn’t dare let Gadelia do it herself.
He would never forget her title of “Kitchen Killer” for the rest of his life.
Jiang Jialie wanted to help, but Zhou Ming shooed her to sit in the living room.
Seeing Gadelia seem to head toward the bathroom, Jiang Jialie looked down at her sweat-soaked training uniform and glanced at her, seeming to want to say something but stopping.
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