Chapter 7: Cheng Fei’s First Real Acting Experience
“Thank you!”
While speaking, Cheng Fei grabbed the woman’s wrist on purpose, squeezed it lightly, then let go and turned back with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, I was trying to carry the basket.”
The female employee smiled softly.
“It’s okay.”
Oh wow!
That shy little expression was seriously heart-stealing. If Cheng Fei were not planning to run away later, she would honestly want to come shop here every day.
Gao Ming’s parents did not notice what had just happened, but Gao Ming saw everything clearly.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that hiring a female cleaner for the house later might become troublesome, and maybe switching to a male cleaner would avoid future problems.
But then again... that did not seem appropriate either.
What if she ended up getting harassed instead?
Forget it.
Doing housework himself would probably be safest.
After choosing the groceries, Cheng Fei obediently carried the shopping basket while staying beside Guo Rui. Meanwhile, the Gao father and son chatted occasionally, though the conversation was painfully short.
Now that their son was very successful, Gao Limin and Guo Rui still remained ordinary intellectuals at heart. They did not oppose rich daughters from wealthy families, but deep down, they still found girls like Cheng Fei more warm and approachable.
The house had two floors in a typical duplex style. The size looked just right. Aside from the missing wedding photos, the current decoration already made it more than suitable as a newlywed home.
After helping them change into slippers, Cheng Fei also served tea and water attentively.
Even in small details, Cheng Fei answered naturally and smoothly. Other than feeling that this future daughter-in-law seemed much more cheerful than before, the couple did not notice anything especially different from their last meeting.
Carrying the grocery basket, Cheng Fei entered the kitchen and immediately started preparing dinner. Gao Ming followed behind her.
“You... can actually cook?”
Cheng Fei rolled her eyes at him while her hands continued working. She pinned down the fish that had still been jumping around alive just minutes ago and skillfully removed all the bones right in front of Gao Ming.
Then she cut decorative cross-shaped knife marks into the fish, coated it with starch, and dropped it into hot oil.
Gao Ming stared in surprise.
Very quickly, her signature dish, Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, was finished.
Cheng Fei motioned proudly for him to taste it.
Gao Ming picked up a small piece, ate it silently, and said nothing. But the bright look in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Hah, little guy.
Other than professional hotel chefs, she had never lost to anyone when it came to this dish. He could keep pretending to stay calm for the sake of pride all he wanted.
Finally, Gao Ming could not hold back anymore.
“Not bad.”
Tch. You just won't admit, will you!
“Unlike rich people like you, ordinary people can’t casually go to restaurants and spend dozens or hundreds every meal. I can’t afford that. And takeout food is full of unhealthy recycled oil. If I want to live a few more years without donating all my money to hospitals, I have no choice but to cook myself.” Cheng Fei sighed.
“...Isn’t buying groceries and cooking actually more expensive?”
“I buy discounted food right before the supermarket closes. Cheap!”
“But those items have already been picked through all day by who knows how many people. The bacteria count is probably terrifying. Health-wise, it’s no better than takeout made with dirty oil. So where’s the ‘healthy’ part?”
“......”
Yes! It was not clean, and it was not fresh either.
But she had no choice!
The money she saved was meant for future marriage expenses.
Seriously, this guy always ruined the mood.
Cheng Fei glared fiercely at him and chopped even harder on the cutting board, the knife hitting it loudly again and again.
There were seven dishes on the table, most of them home-style dishes. Like she said before, they could not compare to restaurant chefs. In Cheng Fei’s opinion, only the Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish truly counted as an impressive dish, her personal specialty.
It was the first time Gao Ming’s parents had enjoyed food made by their future daughter-in-law, and they ate very happily.
Originally, they had not expected much. Even if the taste had only been average, they would not have minded because the thought itself was what mattered most.
But unexpectedly, this girl they had mostly only heard about before actually had real cooking skills.
The person might not always seem reliable, but the food truly tasted good.
Just as Gao Ming was thinking that, Cheng Fei started her flattering performance again, making Gao Ming’s expression darken once more.
Still, that did not stop the two of them from continuing their fake display of affection.
“You’ve been busy lately and using your eyes too much. Eat this and nourish yourself a little.”
Cheng Fei scooped out the shriveled fish eye and dropped it into Gao Ming’s bowl. Her true purpose was simply to disgust him.
Gao Ming looked up and smiled back calmly before placing a piece of pork elbow into Cheng Fei’s bowl.
Hah.
So he was mocking her for having almost no curves!
Whatever. She did not care anyway. Honestly, even her current figure already felt troublesome enough. Becoming completely flat like a washboard someday would feel even better!
“You didn’t eat well last night. Eat more.”
Watching the two of them exchange this “love” back and forth...
Wow, it really did feel like the sweet atmosphere of newlyweds.
In reality, both of them were almost getting sick from smiling at each other so much.
Gao Ming’s parents watched happily. Gao Limin smiled so much the wrinkles on his face almost flattened out, and he even drank extra alcohol from happiness.
“Mom, Dad, let me do it.”
Finding the perfect timing to finish eating first, Cheng Fei immediately started serving tea and water again. The moment she saw them about to clean up the dishes, she quickly stopped them and transformed into a hardworking little bee.
Late into the night, the older couple stayed in the living room chatting while watching TV, showing no sign of leaving at all.
But they also could not shamelessly continue acting as a third wheel between their son and daughter-in-law, so eventually they returned to their room.
What exactly were these two elders trying to do?
They even listened carefully near the bedroom door first, as if checking whether the young couple was just pretending for their sake!
While frowning and thinking deeply, Cheng Fei lifted her legs out of the water.
She gently touched them and—
Hiss... wow!
They were so smooth, soft, and pale. The feeling was unbelievably nice. Even someone who was not obsessed with legs would lose their mind over this!
If these legs belonged to her girlfriend, then with her level of self-control, she probably would have died ten years earlier from excitement!
Sadly, now she did not even have the chance to “die young” anymore...
Thinking about that made sadness rise in Cheng Fei’s heart again. She completely lost the mood to admire herself. Quietly sinking into the bathtub, leaving only her head above water, she stared blankly at the ceiling.
By the time she finally got out, the water had almost gone cold.
Drying herself afterward became another strangely tempting experience. Cheng Fei simply could not resist the temptation and barely managed to control herself before things got out of hand.
Then came the biggest trouble of all, drying her hair.
After blow-drying it, combing it again reminded her of the embarrassing accident from this morning. She moved carefully, trying her best not to make her already wounded heart suffer more physical pain.
When she finally walked out of the bathroom, Gao Ming had already prepared bedding on the floor.
“......”
The two looked at each other silently. Neither spoke, but Cheng Fei could clearly tell Gao Ming was unhappy.
Was it really necessary to act like this just because she showered a little longer?
Half an hour!
That was already faster than most women, okay?!
Back when she was still a man, her ex-girlfriend would spend at least an hour in the bathroom every single time. And after coming out, she would still insist that was considered “fast.”
Gao Ming took his pajamas and went into the bathroom.
When he returned, Cheng Fei was leaning against the bed while playing on her phone.
“Not sleeping yet?”
Cheng Fei looked up and saw Gao Ming speaking sideways to her while staring closely at the dark crack beneath the bedroom door.
“You—”
Before she could finish, Gao Ming covered her mouth with his hand.
Then he pressed what looked like a decorative button on the wall.
Immediately, the darkness outside became bright. Thin shadows appeared beneath the door.
Someone was standing outside!
There were no servants in this house, so who else could it be besides Gao Ming’s parents?
Only then did Cheng Fei understand why Gao Ming had been acting so strangely earlier.
Those two elders were seriously careful. Even now, they still did not fully trust them!
Their son had clearly inherited that suspicious personality too. He had even prepared anti-spying measures.
Meanwhile, Gao Ming’s parents still thought it was just the automatic hallway light turning on. They continued standing outside the door.
Afraid that even the slightest sound might be heard, Gao Ming picked up the tablet beside the bed and wrote a few words,
“Start acting.”
Cheng Fei frowned, snatched the tablet away, and quickly wrote back.
“Overtime pay! Salary increase! Thank you.”
Gao Ming narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
Cheng Fei smiled in satisfaction.
Imitating the sounds from certain romance movies, she began making soft kissing noises while secretly counting down with her fingers toward the bed.
Suddenly, she turned and staggered dramatically toward the bed together with Gao Ming.
She motioned for him to sit down, then suddenly jumped onto the bed herself, imitating the sound of a couple losing control and falling onto the mattress together.
“It’s still too early... Mom and Dad aren’t asleep yet... mm~ wait until they go to sleep first...!”
Whether it was because she had watched too many dramas or because old memories unconsciously surfaced, Cheng Fei’s acting sounded shockingly real.
So real that even she herself nearly threw up after saying it.
Gao Ming’s whole body stiffened too, his teeth clenching tightly.
Damn it!
Now that they had started, there was no turning back.
Gritting her teeth and hardening her resolve, Cheng Fei’s performance became louder and louder.
“Don’t... mm!”
“I really can’t hold back anymore.”
Apparently feeling Cheng Fei acting alone was not convincing enough, Gao Ming joined in too.
That made everything sound even more believable.
“Mm... mm... ah~!”
That final dramatic sound from Cheng Fei completely defeated the older couple outside.
No matter how shameless they were, they could not continue listening anymore.
Both of their old faces turned bright red as they hurried back to their room awkwardly.
Once the shadows outside disappeared, Gao Ming carefully bent down to check beneath the door.
Only after confirming they were gone did the exaggerated breathing sounds finally stop.
After everything that had just happened, the way the two looked at each other was now filled with pure disgust.
Without saying a word, both climbed into bed feeling sick to their stomachs.
The next morning, when Cheng Fei woke up, the bedding on the floor and Gao Ming himself were already gone.
Only a bank card remained on the bedside table with a note underneath.
“Payment. Password is the last six digits.”
Money!
Beautiful, lovely money!
Who would not be happy seeing that?
Cheng Fei quickly checked the balance with her phone. Five thousand yuan was not a huge amount, but earning this much in only a few minutes was already amazing.
Thinking about it carefully, what happened last night really was not that terrible.
If one performance earned 5,000 yuan, she could happily act until her voice gave out!
Back when she first entered the sales industry, what suffering had she not experienced?
Once, just for work performance, she had spent an entire night drinking with a rich woman weighing over 300 pounds. While being hugged tightly by those “pig trotter” arms, she had even been told not to “pretend to struggle anymore.”
Sigh...
The past was too painful to remember.
Whether it was those old experiences or last night’s acting, just thinking about them made her stomach uncomfortable.
Still, the reward made it feel worth it.
Happily putting the bank card away, Cheng Fei washed up and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
To make this whole act look convincing and create a believable smoke screen for Gao Ming, making her future escape easier, did people know how hard she was working?!
While frying slices of ham and carefully watching over the eggs, Cheng Fei silently complained to herself.
Just as she finished preparing the milk, Gao Ming returned.
Shorts and a sleeveless shirt...
Had he gone out jogging?