Urban System: Beautiful lady, I really didn't steal your black stockings!

Zhang Cuiting lay in Cheng Zhe's arms, her anger mostly subsided, but she was still sullen.

Their breathing gradually calmed down, and only their soft breathing could be heard in the room.

She didn't get up immediately, but nestled in his arms to rest for a while.

After a while, she finally moved and broke free from Cheng Zhe's arms.

Her clothes were disheveled and revealing, which made her even more uncomfortable.

She didn't look at Cheng Zhe, but silently got up and changed into her previous pajamas.

Throughout the entire process, she remained silent, as if she were still angry.

After changing her clothes, she turned around and her gaze fell directly on Cheng Zhe.

The anger from before was gone from her eyes, replaced by an indescribable sense of grievance and reproach, as she glared at him fiercely.

Cheng Zhe felt a little awkward under her gaze. He was about to say something when Zhang Cuiting had already looked away, opened the door without turning back, and walked out.

Cheng Zhe was left alone on the bed, which was a mess.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Zhang Cuiting was already busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron.

She had dark circles under her eyes and her face was deathly pale, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept all night and hadn't slept for long.

Her fingers gripped the spatula, but her movements were somewhat sluggish, and her expression was dazed. The unexpected events, grievances, and inexplicable frustrations of last night kept welling up in her heart.

It made her so unsettled that she almost lost control of the heat when frying the eggs.

When the last plate of fried eggs was served, Cheng Zhe was already sitting at the table with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of him, but he hadn't touched it much.

Zhang Shiyi sat opposite him, slowly poking at the bread on her plate with her fork, her expression revealing little emotion.

Zhao Ya arrived last and immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere at the table as soon as she sat down.

The atmosphere at breakfast was unusually complicated; no one took the initiative to speak.

Zhao Ya's gaze swept over Zhang Cuiting's face, her obvious haggardness impossible to hide. She frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Mom? Didn't you sleep well? Your dark circles are so heavy."

As soon as Zhao Ya finished speaking, Zhang Cuiting's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly paused, and her eyes instantly showed a hint of panic.

She quickly lowered her head, avoiding her daughter's gaze, and explained rapidly, "No, it's nothing. I just had a bit of insomnia last night and tossed and turned a lot without sleeping. It's nothing serious, don't overthink it."

Zhang Cuiting's excessive explanation only made things worse, and Zhao Ya frowned even more.

In the past, even if Mom didn't sleep well, she would just casually say, "I didn't sleep well last night."

He never spoke so incoherently before, and I even specifically told her not to overthink it, which only deepened her doubts.

Just as Zhao Ya was about to ask a few more questions, Zhang Shiyi suddenly smiled and instructed Zhang Cuiting, "Auntie, please heat up that glass of milk for me; it's a little cold."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya's eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively retorted, "Hey, go heat it up yourself! Why are you making my mom do this? She hasn't been sleeping well..."

But before she could finish speaking, she saw Zhang Cuiting silently get up, pick up the milk in front of Zhang Shiyi, and turn to walk towards the kitchen.

Seeing her mother's obedient manner, Zhao Ya's doubts deepened.

Although her mother was gentle in the past, she would never listen to Zhang Shiyi when they first met, especially when she was clearly not in a good state.

She turned to look at Cheng Zhe, who was just eating breakfast, seemingly lost in thought.

Looking at Zhang Shiyi again, she still had a faint smile on her face, as if the instructions she had just given were nothing out of the ordinary.

All of this made Zhao Ya feel that something was wrong.

It was the weekend, and Zhao Ya had made plans to go shopping with her friends early in the morning. She wanted to ask a few more questions, but seeing the oppressive atmosphere at the dinner table, she swallowed her words.

She hurriedly ate a couple of bites of breakfast, picked up her coat draped over the back of the chair, and said while changing her shoes, "Mom, I'm going out with friends, I won't be home for lunch."

Zhang Cuiting had just come out of the kitchen carrying a cup of warmed milk when she heard this. She paused for a moment and replied softly, "Okay, be careful and have fun."

It seemed as if Zhao Ya's departure had brought a sense of relief.

The moment the door closed, the air in the house seemed to freeze, and the awkward atmosphere became even more intense than before.

Zhang Cuiting placed the milk in front of Zhang Shiyi, not daring to look at her or Cheng Zhe.

Silently, I sat back down in my seat, picked up my chopsticks but had no appetite anymore, and just poked at the fried egg on the plate listlessly.

Zhang Shiyi put down her milk glass, finally breaking the silence. She glanced at Zhang Cuiting and said, "Auntie, now that you're awake, do some more work. Clean up Cheng Zhe's room in a bit."

"You made a complete mess of things last night."

Zhang Cuiting tightened her grip on the chopsticks, her cheeks instantly turning red with embarrassment.

But when she thought of Zhang Shiyi's smug look when she caught her and Cheng Zhe doing things last night, all her grievances and resistance could only be swallowed down. She gritted her teeth and replied softly, "I understand."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shiyi's lips curled into a mocking smile. She leaned forward slightly, her voice low but threatening: "Auntie, I advise you to be more obedient and well-behaved."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Zhang Cuiting's instantly stiffened figure, and continued, "If I accidentally let slip what happened between you and Cheng Zhe last night, what do you think Zhao Ya will think of you as her mother?"

"Shiyi, stop talking."

"Auntie is getting on in years, and last night was already bad enough for her," Cheng Zhe said, frowning as he finally offered some words of comfort.

Zhang Shiyi pursed her lips, but ultimately, out of respect for Cheng Zhe, she didn't continue to make things difficult: "Fine, I know you care about your aunt."

The atmosphere in the living room eased slightly, but Zhang Cuiting kept her head down and remained silent.

She dared not refute, much less resist in the slightest. Just thinking about the disappointment and disdain her daughter Zhao Ya might show after learning the truth made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

To preserve what little dignity she had left, and to avoid losing her daughter, she had no choice but to obey.

Seeing Zhang Cuiting's submissive appearance, Zhang Shiyi's eyes flashed with a playful smile. Without saying anything more, she turned and walked straight to the bedroom.

A moment later, she came out carrying a neatly folded set of clothes, which she casually tossed onto the sofa. The clothes fell apart, revealing the style underneath: a school uniform paired with a pair of white knee-high stockings.

"Auntie, please change into this outfit."

"I'll wear this while doing housework at home today."

Zhang Shiyi leaned back on the sofa armrest, speaking in a nonchalant tone.

Zhang Cuiting looked up and saw the clothes on the sofa. She was instantly shocked, and her face turned even paler than before.

The school uniform was childish, and the white stockings that went over her knees were even more childish, completely out of place with her age and status.

It made her feel extremely humiliated just by looking at it, and a sense of resistance welled up in her heart.

Her body trembled slightly, and she looked at Cheng Zhe with a panicked gaze, her eyes filled with pleading, hoping that he would speak up again to help her out of this predicament.

Zhang Shiyi took in her reaction and couldn't help but chuckle, "Auntie, don't expect Cheng Zhe to say anything."

"Don't I know him? He definitely wants to see you in this outfit, why would he speak up for you?"