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

Zhao Ya gripped the doorknob, able to hear her own heart pounding in her chest, each beat a heavy blow to her nerves.

At this moment, the ear pressed against the door could only catch the heavy breathing inside, and the occasional, indistinct sounds that belonged to the mother.

She belatedly realized how outrageous and absurd she had been.

But the next second, a flood of Cheng Zhe's recent abnormalities came to mind: his increasingly late nights, even staying out all night, and the way he subconsciously avoided looking at his phone when it lit up.

And there was the scent of perfume that I occasionally caught on his collar, a scent that didn't belong to her.

Those details that she deliberately ignored gradually solidified the wavering thoughts in her heart.

Rather than letting those unknown women outside...

She bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms, letting her heavy breathing gradually calm down, but the panic in her eyes had long been replaced by certainty.

She wanted to push the door open and go in, even just to take a peek inside, but then Zhang Cuiting's dignified and authoritative appearance flashed through her mind again.

She has always been strong-willed and values ​​her reputation above all else. If she were to be caught in her embarrassed and unwilling expression, how would she be able to get along with her in the future?

That awkwardness was like an invisible barrier, holding her hand tightly and leaving her in a dilemma.

She could only huddle to the side of the door, each second of waiting feeling like an eternity, both hoping the commotion inside would end soon and fearing the embarrassment that awaited her afterward.

After an unknown amount of time, the heavy breathing inside the door gradually subsided, leaving only sporadic, faint sounds, before falling silent.

Zhao Ya's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously took half a step back, straightened up, and stood helplessly at the door, her eyes even darting away.

After waiting a moment, the door was gently opened with a "click".

Zhao Ya looked up and saw Zhang Cuiting with her long, slightly wavy hair loose, the strands of which were now somewhat messy and stuck to the side of her neck, with a few stray hairs hanging down beside her cheeks, obscuring her expression.

She was wearing the same bodycon mini skirt as before, the hem slightly wrinkled, giving her a languid look.

What surprised Zhao Ya the most was her face. Gone was her usual dignified and proper demeanor. Her cheeks were flushed with a lingering blush, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, giving her a touch of alluring charm.

The reluctance and embarrassment that may have been there just now are nowhere to be seen, only this irresistible and captivating beauty remains.

Zhang Cuiting looked up and saw Zhao Ya frozen in place. The allure in her eyes vanished in an instant, almost like an illusion, before she regained her usual calm, though her voice was still slightly hoarse: "Ya Ya, what are you still doing here?"

"Mom, what happened? Cheng Zhe... what did he say?"

She took a half step forward, her gaze fixed on Zhang Cuiting's face, trying to find a trace of reluctance in the blush that had not yet completely faded.

All the torment and self-persuasion she had just endured outside the door condensed into this one question: she desperately wanted to know the answer.

Did Cheng Zhe finally give in? Did his mother make those demands to him as she had previously pleaded?

Seeing her daughter's anxious and uneasy appearance, Zhang Cuiting's flirtatious gaze vanished completely, replaced by a complex calm.

She raised her hand to tidy the messy stray hairs on the side of her neck, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke, her voice carrying the allure of someone who had just experienced a passionate encounter.

"Xiao Cheng agreed."

"Mom did everything you said, and explained everything that needed to be said and mentioned to him."

Zhao Ya stood frozen in place, her gaze still fixed on her mother's disheveled hair at the side of her neck and the folds of her skirt. Those unmistakable traces of ambiguity, and the frankness of her mother's words, "I did as you said," tore at her nerves.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask, "Did you really do as I said?" and "What are you really thinking?", but the words that came out were just a dry sigh.

Her mind was in turmoil. She didn't know what Zhang Cuiting was thinking at that moment—whether she was unwilling, forced, or doing it for her happiness.

Zhao Ya dared not look Zhang Cuiting in the eye, afraid of seeing her grievances.

"Ya Ya, what's the panic about?" Zhang Cuiting's voice was filled with an indescribable tenderness, and the charm in her eyes was impossible to hide. A faint smile even appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Xiao Cheng is a very nice person, I don't dislike him."

She looked up, her gaze meeting Zhang Cuiting's alluring eyes.

She took another half step forward, almost whispering in Zhang Cuiting's ear, and said, word by word, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Since Mom doesn't mind... then you should try a little harder."

Zhang Cuiting's smile froze instantly, and the charm in her eyes instantly solidified. She looked at her daughter in disbelief, as if she were seeing her for the first time.

"Ya Ya, this..."

"I want him to be completely satisfied."

Her gaze swept over Zhang Cuiting's disheveled hair and flushed cheeks, then over the wrinkled bodycon skirt she wore. Those ambiguous marks, at this moment, became her bargaining chips to win back Cheng Zhe.

"Mom, you've seen it too, he's been sleeping outside lately. Only you, only you can make him happy and put his mind at ease."

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and said the words that even she felt ashamed of: "Be more proactive, work harder, and make him completely unable to leave you."

"That way, he won't think about other women anymore, and he'll stay with us forever."

By the end, her voice was trembling with tears.

She knew how outrageous and absurd her words were, but when she thought of Cheng Zhe's unusual behavior and the fear of losing him, all the shame was suppressed deep in her heart.

Zhang Cuiting remained silent for a few seconds, the shock in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex emotion.

"it is good."

From that day on, Cheng Zhe's days became completely secretive.

Every day after get off work, as soon as he parked his car downstairs, he would see Zhao Ya leaning against the entrance of the building, waiting for him with a gentle expression on her face.

"Zhe, you're back! Mom made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, they're still warm."

Upon entering, Zhang Cuiting, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen. However, when she looked at him, there was a complex light in her eyes, as if she was hiding unspoken thoughts.

At the dinner table, Zhao Ya kept putting food into his bowl, chatting about everyday things, and her words kept steering towards Zhang Cuiting: "Mom, you see, A Zhe has been working hard lately, so give him more soup. Your soup is the most nourishing."

Cheng Zhe's hand holding the chopsticks stiffened slightly. Every time Zhao Ya made an "arrangement," and every time Zhang Cuiting silently complied, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He felt helpless and frustrated. He knew Zhao Ya was afraid of losing him, but this way of doing things made him feel suffocated.

She looked to Zhang Shiyi for help, hoping she would say something, but was only met with a look of self-deprecation.