novelRona Chapter 1615 The husband sings and the wife follows
Chapter 1615 The husband sings and the wife follows
5:30 p.m.
When Qin Hao arrived at Zhou Mei's company building, it was still light out. In Shanghai's autumn, the sun doesn't set so early, and the light shines obliquely on the glass curtain walls of the tall buildings, making it hard to open one's eyes.
He sent a WeChat message: Arrived.
I waited for five minutes, but there was no reply.
Another message was posted: ?
Two minutes passed, and there was still no movement.
Qin Hao frowned as he looked at his phone screen. When they parted this morning, Zhou Mei had said she wasn't busy this afternoon and told him to be downstairs at 5:30, she'd be right on time. Knowing Zhou Mei's habits, she wouldn't ignore a message, unless—
He put his phone back in his pocket, turned around, and went into the building.
The hallway was very noisy when the elevator doors opened.
A woman's voice, shrill enough to pierce through three floors, was mixed with a few vulgar curses. Qin Hao quickly turned the corner and saw a crowd gathered in front of Zhou Mei's company's glass door. They were all colleagues leaving get off work, and no one was leaving; they were all blocking the entrance to watch the commotion.
In the middle of the crowd, a middle-aged woman was pointing her finger at Zhou Mei and cursing.
The woman wasn't tall, maybe 1.5 meters, but she was very strong. She was wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt, and her arms were thicker than Qin Hao's thighs. Her face was flushed red, and her spittle almost landed on Zhou Mei's face.
"You vixen, you shameless bastard, how dare you seduce my husband!"
Zhou Mei stood very straight, her face expressionless, but Qin Hao could see that the muscles in her jaw were taut, and her cheeks were clenched into a line.
A crowd of people gathered around him.
Some people were pretending to drink water, some were leaning against the partition pretending to look at documents, and a few were directly taking pictures with their phones. But no one stepped forward, and no one said a word.
Qin Hao noticed a woman in business attire standing at the front of the crowd, arms crossed, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if watching a good show.
"You say your husband is honest and dutiful, but you're the one who can't control him, and you're blaming me instead?" Zhou Mei finally spoke, her voice not loud, but each word was clearly enunciated.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman became even more enraged: "You still dare to be stubborn! I know my husband better than you do. If you didn't dress like this and flaunt it in front of him all the time, would he have been so bewitched by you?"
As she spoke, she raised her hand and slapped Zhou Mei across the face.
The hand was grabbed in mid-air.
The middle-aged woman was stunned. She turned her head and saw a young man standing next to her, gripping her wrist with such force that she felt her bones were about to break.
"Who are you?" The middle-aged woman struggled for a moment, but couldn't break free.
Qin Hao ignored her and turned to look at Zhou Mei.
The moment Zhou Mei saw him, her expression became complicated. Her lips moved, but she only managed to squeeze out, "Why did you come up here?"
"If you don't come down in a while, I'll come up and check on you."
The middle-aged woman was still struggling: "Let go! Do you know who I am? She seduced my husband, and I'm here to settle accounts with her. What business is it of yours?"
Qin Hao then turned his head and glanced at her.
His gaze was calm, sweeping over the subject from head to toe. Then, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, a smile that held a hint of something unreadable.
The middle-aged woman felt a little uneasy under his gaze: "What are you looking at?"
Qin Hao didn't speak. But his expression said it all.
The woman in business attire next to them spoke up at this moment, her voice sarcastic: "Handsome guy, I advise you to mind your own business. This kind of person doesn't deserve any sympathy."
"Exactly." Someone nearby chimed in, "The mistress deserves to be beaten to death."
Qin Hao glanced at the person who spoke. It was a man in his thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked refined, but there was an inexplicable excitement on his face as he spoke.
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman regained her confidence and said smugly to Qin Hao, "Did you hear that? Let go of me right now, or I'll sue you for indecent assault!"
Qin Hao released his grip.
The middle-aged woman thought he was scared and was about to continue speaking when Qin Hao spoke first.
"indecent?"
He sized up the middle-aged woman—she was about 1.5 meters tall, weighed at least 150 pounds, and had a waist as big as a bucket. She was wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt, and because of sweat, two dark patches had appeared under her armpits.
Qin Hao chuckled.
"Someone like you, if you go to the police station and say I molested you, who would believe you?"
The surroundings suddenly fell silent for a second.
Then, someone couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Then, as if contagious, laughter began to rise in twos and threes. Several people who had been filming with their phones started shaking.
The middle-aged woman's face instantly turned a deep liver color.
She had originally come to cause trouble, but after being publicly humiliated like that, she completely lost face. However, she didn't dare do anything to Qin Hao—the force of that pinch earlier told her this man was not someone to be trifled with.
So she turned her attention back to Zhou Mei.
"What are you laughing at! You slut, how dare you laugh! I'll tear you apart!"
She yelled and lunged at Zhou Mei.
Qin Hao was much faster than her.
He reached out and grabbed Zhou Mei's arm, gently pulling her up from the chair and then behind him. Before Zhou Mei could react, she was already standing behind Qin Hao.
The middle-aged woman missed her target, lost her balance, staggered a couple of steps, and stepped on a bag on the ground—it was Zhou Mei's bag, which had fallen to the ground in the chaos—and slipped, falling forward.
A muffled thud.
She fell flat on her face.
Another suppressed laugh rippled through the crowd.
The middle-aged woman was thick-skinned and didn't suffer a serious fall. She scrambled to her feet, her hair disheveled, her floral short-sleeved shirt covered in dust, looking utterly disheveled.
She glared at Qin Hao, her eyes practically spitting fire: "What's your relationship with this slut? If you dare meddle again, I'll beat you up too!"
"I'm determined to handle this matter." Qin Hao shielded Zhou Mei behind him, his tone indifferent.
The middle-aged woman shouted angrily and slapped Qin Hao across the face.
Qin Hao did not dodge.
Snap—Snap—Snap.
Three sounds.
Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes and didn't see what happened clearly. When they came to their senses, they saw the middle-aged woman sitting on the ground, her left cheek swollen and a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Her already swollen face was now even more swollen, resembling a pig's head.
The middle-aged woman froze for two seconds before realizing what had happened. She reached up and touched her face, feeling the swollen area, and gasped in pain.
Then she opened her mouth and let out a howl.
"Ah—someone's been hit! Someone's been killed!"
The sound was so sharp it almost pierced one's eardrums.
Zhou Mei stood behind Qin Hao, her brows furrowed. She glanced around—her colleagues, who had been watching the spectacle moments before, now wore a variety of expressions. Some wore gloating looks, some frowned as if they couldn't bear to look, and a few were still enthusiastically taking pictures with their phones.
She gritted her teeth.
Then she took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Qin Hao.
"Shut up!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was deep, carrying a power that had been suppressed for a long time.
The middle-aged woman was stunned by the shout, and her howling stopped abruptly.
Zhou Mei took her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, opened a chat window, and then shoved the screen in front of the middle-aged woman.
"You say your husband is honest and upright, and that I seduced him. Fine, I'll show you whether he's a good person or a bad one."
The middle-aged woman subconsciously looked down at the screen.
The chat history above left her completely stunned.
All the messages were sent by her husband. The content was extremely explicit—from "Baby, what color are you wearing today?" to "I miss you so much I can't sleep," from "My wife is just a haggard old woman, she has no romance at all" to "If you want, I'll divorce her tomorrow."
Every line of text felt like a slap across the face of a middle-aged woman.
The crucial point is that Zhou Mei never replied to a single message.
"See?" Zhou Mei put her phone away. "I haven't spoken to him at all. It was all his wishful thinking. If you keep causing trouble here, don't blame me for being rude."
The middle-aged woman froze for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out to snatch Zhou Mei's phone.
Qin Hao had anticipated this move and grabbed her wrist.
"What? Trying to destroy the evidence?"
The middle-aged woman winced in pain, but still tried to explain, "I...I didn't see clearly, let me take another look."
"When we get to the police station, we'll print it out so you can look at it as much as you want."
"What police station? Who wants to go to the police station?" The middle-aged woman's face changed instantly.
"You came to my girlfriend's company without any reason and publicly slandered and damaged her reputation, which constitutes disorderly conduct," Qin Hao said, already pulling out his phone with his other hand. "As for how long you'll be detained, that depends on how the police handle it."
When Zhou Mei uttered the word "girlfriend," several of her female colleagues immediately turned their gazes to her.
There was envy, jealousy, and a hint of something else in those eyes.
Zhou Mei stood behind Qin Hao, watching his back.
He had broad shoulders and stood there like a wall.
She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Having worked in a public relations firm for years, she's seen it all. Difficult clients, ostracized colleagues, and sabotaged by her boss—she's always shouldered it all herself. When she's wronged outside, she comes home too tired to even shed a tear; she just washes her face and it's over.
But at this moment, looking at the man's back, she suddenly had a feeling she had never experienced before.
That feeling is called peace of mind.
Just as Qin Hao was about to dial, a hand pressed down on his phone.
It's Zhou Mei.
"Never mind," she said.
Qin Hao turned and glanced at her.
Zhou Mei walked up to the middle-aged woman, her voice much calmer: "You should know what kind of person your husband is now. What you should do most right now is find a lawyer and gather evidence of his infidelity so you won't be kicked out when you go to court. Don't just keep arguing with me like this."
The middle-aged woman was taken aback.
“Believe it or not,” Zhou Mei continued, “if I call the police right now, your husband will have a perfect excuse to divorce you—he can turn around and accuse you of causing trouble outside and disgracing him. You won’t get a single penny.”
The middle-aged woman's expression changed completely.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word. Finally, she lowered her head, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "Please...please don't call the police..."
After saying that, she turned around and tried to slip away.
But Qin Hao reached out and stopped her.
"Wait a moment."
He took out his phone and turned on the video recording function.
"To avoid you causing trouble for my girlfriend later, tell me exactly what you just did."
The middle-aged woman tried to brush it off: "There's...there's no need for that..."
"Record a video or call the police, the choice is yours."
Qin Hao's tone was calm, but there was no room for negotiation.
The middle-aged woman looked up at him and saw the determination in his eyes, knowing that she couldn't avoid it today.
She bit her lip and recounted what had just happened in fits and starts, from how she came to settle scores with Zhou Mei, how she cursed at her, and how she hit her—her voice trembled with tears at the end.
After Qin Hao finished recording, he put away his phone.
"Alright, you can go now."
The middle-aged woman felt as if she had been granted a pardon and ran out without looking back.
The glass door slammed shut behind her.
The corridor fell silent again.
Zhou Mei glanced at her colleagues who were still watching the commotion, said nothing, and began to tidy up the things on the table.
When her colleagues saw her looking over, they all looked away, pretending to be busy, and dispersed in twos and threes. The woman in business attire was the last to leave, and before she did, she turned back to look at Qin Hao, her eyes filled with a meaningful scrutiny.
Qin Hao ignored her.
After everyone had left, Zhou Mei slung her bag over her shoulder and walked up to Qin Hao.
She reached out and took his arm, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettishness: "Actually, I can handle it."
"That was before." Qin Hao put his phone back in his pocket. "Isn't that what boyfriends use around these times?"
Zhou Mei looked up at him.
There was light in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, about to say something—
The phone rang.
She glanced down at the caller ID, and her pupils constricted sharply.
"broken."
"What's wrong?"
"I forgot about my dad." Zhou Mei grabbed Qin Hao and ran towards the elevator.
-
Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of a Western restaurant.
Qin Hao got out of the car and looked up—the decor was exquisite, with a dark brown wooden-framed glass door and a small blackboard hanging on it, displaying today's recommendations in chalk. Through the glass window, he could see warm yellow lighting and a dining table covered with a white tablecloth.
"Your dad has quite the romantic flair," Qin Hao remarked.
"He's just too romantic." Zhou Mei rolled her eyes. "I've lost count of how many this is."
Qin Hao chuckled: "Is your dad planning to form a football team?"
"It's a good thing he's old, otherwise I'd really worry he'd father a whole football team of children," Zhou Mei sneered.
The two people pushed open the door and went inside.
The air in the restaurant smelled wonderful, a blend of the sizzling aroma of steak and the rich fragrance of red wine. A soothing jazz piece was playing on the piano, the volume just right to help one relax.
Zhou Mei stood at the doorway and glanced around, then paused.
She changed direction and walked towards a seat near a window.
Qin Hao followed behind her and looked in the direction she was looking—a man in his sixties and a woman in her fifties were sitting by the window.
The man wore a dark blue polo shirt, his gray hair was neatly combed, and he had a smile on his face, looking quite energetic. The woman beside him wore a beige dress, a thin pearl necklace, and light makeup. She was well-maintained and looked at least ten years younger than Zhou's mother.
"Dad." Zhou Mei walked to the table, and without saying hello, sat down directly opposite the woman, crossing her arms.
The smile on Zhou's father's face froze for a moment.
He glanced at Qin Hao next to Zhou Mei, then at his own female companion, and cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.
"Yes, it's here."
Then he looked at his female companion and introduced her, "This is my daughter, Zhou Mei."
The woman smiled and nodded, about to speak—
"They changed people again?" Zhou Mei spoke first.
The smile on the aunt's face froze instantly.
Mr. Zhou sighed helplessly, "Can't you wish me well for once?"
As he spoke, he looked at Qin Hao and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
“My boyfriend, Qin Hao,” Zhou Mei introduced casually, then pointed to her father: “This is my dad.”
He then pointed to the woman—"This...is not important."
The aunt's expression changed immediately.
"What do you mean 'not important'? How can you be so rude?"
Zhou Mei leaned back and said casually, "Sorry, I grew up without a father, so no one taught me this. If you don't want to hear it, you can leave. Anyway, it's none of your business today."
The aunt was so angry that her nose was crooked, and she turned to look at Zhou's father.
Mr. Zhou rubbed his temples, clearly used to this scene: "Alright, alright, calm down."
He looked at Zhou Mei: "And you, can't you compromise a little in front of your boyfriend?"
Zhou Mei tilted her head, glanced at Qin Hao, and raised her chin even higher.
"It's because he's around that I can be even more reckless."
Zhou's father was speechless for a moment.
Qin Hao watched with great interest from the side.
Yesterday's act was one of meekness and subservience in front of her biological mother; today's act is one of fierce retaliation against her stepmother. This girl's script is certainly quite flexible.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhou's father gave up on the idea of competing with Zhou Mei and turned to look at Qin Hao.
"Not bad, young man, quite handsome." He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "What do you do for a living? How long have you known each other?"
Before Qin Hao could even speak, Zhou Mei interrupted and answered.
"He's unemployed and just lying at home."
Mr. Zhou almost dropped his teacup.
"What do you mean?" He frowned. "Are you supporting him now?"
“Yes, that’s right.” Zhou Mei shrugged. “It’s not like I can’t afford to support him. Giving him money not only provides financial support but also emotional support. Come to think of it, I learned this from you.”
Mr. Zhou's face darkened instantly.
He took a deep breath, then coughed twice violently, choking on the air.
"You...you're a girl, what kind of talk is that!" He slammed his teacup down on the table. "Is this how your mother raised you?"
Zhou Mei's smile faded slightly.
"Don't you know how my mother raised me?"
These words were like a needle, gently but firmly pricking Zhou's father's heart.
Mr. Zhou's expression froze for a moment.
Of course he knew. He knew better than anyone what kind of person Zhou Mei's mother was—controlling, rigid, and intolerant of any deviation. A large part of the reason he divorced that woman back then was because he couldn't stand that suffocating feeling.
But he didn't expect Zhou Mei to use those words to shut him up.
Zhou's father remained silent for a few seconds, then turned his attention to Qin Hao.
"You, such a tall and handsome young man, why did you have to do this...?"
Qin Hao was amused.
He followed Zhou Mei's lead and replied with a smile, "Uncle, you yourself said I'm so handsome, it would be such a waste if I didn't do this."
Mr. Zhou completely lost control of his facial expressions.
He stood there with his mouth agape and his eyes wide open, like a fish pulled ashore, unable to utter a single word.
Zhou Mei was stunned for a second—she didn't expect Qin Hao to follow up on her words—then she laughed so hard she almost fell over, leaning back in her chair, laughing until tears were streaming down her face.
Everyone in the restaurant turned to look this way.
Mr. Zhou's face flushed red and then turned pale. The aunt next to him also looked embarrassed and fidgeted.
“You…you two…” Zhou’s father pointed at the two people, his fingers trembling.
Finally, he stood up abruptly and said to the woman, "Let's go!"
The aunt paused for a moment, then quickly grabbed her bag and followed.
The two of them practically fled the restaurant.
Zhou Mei laughed so hard she was slumped over the table, her shoulders still shaking.
It took her a while to recover. She wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and looked up at Qin Hao.
"Just now..." she gasped, still laughing, "Why didn't you explain when I called you a gigolo?"
Qin Hao picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip.
"Seeing you having so much fun, of course I have to play along with the character you gave me. Otherwise, it'd be such a downer."
Zhou Mei looked at him, her eyes sparkling.
She suddenly stopped talking and just stared at him for several seconds.
"What's wrong?" Qin Hao was a little confused by her gaze.
"Honey, I'm hungry."
Qin Hao chuckled and picked up the menu to flip through it.
"Anyway, I'm a gigolo, you pay, order whatever you want."
Zhou Mei laughed again, amused by him.
She was flipping through the menu when she suddenly looked up and said, "Qin Hao."
"Um?"
"Thank you."
Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being overheard.
Qin Hao didn't look up, flipping through the menu, and said, "What are you thanking me for? Thanking me for helping you drive your dad away? Then this meal needs to include a lobster."
Zhou Mei smiled.
The sky outside the window had darkened, and the city lights were turning on one by one.
The piano piece changed to a different one, which was more soothing than the previous one.
The candlelight in the candlestick on the table flickered slightly.
-
It was already past 8 p.m. when we came out after dinner.
The two walked slowly along the tree-lined avenue. The streetlights cast their shadows long, then short, then long again.
Zhou Mei suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm wondering if I should go see all your relatives tomorrow?"
Zhou Mei rolled her eyes at him: "Dream on. You've met my parents, and there aren't many other relatives you'll want to meet."
"You've finished meeting everyone so quickly?" Qin Hao feigned surprise. "I thought we'd have enough for a whole mahjong game."
Zhou Mei reached out and pinched his arm.
"Ouch!" Qin Hao exclaimed dramatically.
After pinching him, Zhou Mei took his arm and rested her face on his shoulder.
"Yesterday..." she whispered, "I argued with my mom like that, and today I argued with my dad like this. Don't you think my house is a huge mess?"
Qin Hao thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."
"All right?" Zhou Mei looked up at him. "Don't you think my parents are pretty eccentric?"
"It's quite bizarre," Qin Hao said. "But thinking about it carefully, it's really remarkable that you've been so outstanding growing up in such a strange family."
Zhou Mei was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant: "Are you insulting me or praising me?"
"I'm praising you." Qin Hao said seriously, "A strange pair paired with a strange pair, a match made in heaven."
"I'll strangle you!"
The two of them were playfully bickering, their laughter carrying far on the night breeze. (End of Chapter)