"Haven't you heard? The cuticle on hands is very easy to peel off. If you knead dough with your bare hands, you'll end up eating your own dead skin."
Lu Mingzhe wrinkled his nose as if nauseated. "You're getting more mischievous with your words."
"Heh heh. I'm very professional. I always wear gloves, so don't worry, you won't eat my dead skin."
"Thank you for your trouble. But don't you find it uncomfortable to constantly take off and put on gloves because of your ring?"
Lu Mingzhe extended his hand for her to see.
"I really can't get used to wearing it, so I took it off again recently."
"It's alright, the gloves are quite loose, I didn't feel the ring..."
Fang Shuya subconsciously clasped her hands together, reaching to touch her wedding ring.
As she did, her expression changed drastically.
Lu Mingzhe pretended not to understand and asked gently.
"What's wrong? Why the sudden change in your complexion? Are you feeling unwell?"
Fang Shuya's eyes darted back and forth, a telltale sign of lying.
"Sorry, honey, I think I really did leave my ring in the baking classroom during class yesterday. I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't mentioned it."
"Oh. I see. It's fine. I also took mine off because I found it inconvenient. We can just get them back tomorrow. Don't worry too much."
Fang Shuya gave a rather unnatural smile. "Thank you for your understanding, honey."
Lu Mingzhe came to a conclusion in his heart.
She wasn't just taking off her wedding ring for the first time today, but had become accustomed to it.
Changing a habitual behavior doesn't happen overnight.
Could it really be that she got used to taking off her ring because she needed to for baking class?
But her own words just now indicated that she didn't need to take off her ring for baking class.
She was lying.
Why would Fang Shuya suddenly lie to him?
He had originally intended to directly discuss their divorce, but now, Lu Mingzhe didn't want to.
He had doubts in his heart. He wanted to clarify everything before saying goodbye.
Until things were cleared up, he still felt indebted to her.
"Actually, you don't have to go to so much trouble. If it's just to make desserts for me, you don't need to deliberately attend classes. I don't really like sweets."
"But if it's your personal interest, then just disregard what I said. I support whatever you do."
Fang Shuya smiled happily. Out of guilt, she leaned over the table and gently kissed his cheek.
"I know. Mom always said you spoil me too much, that you'll spoil me rotten. I really think so. You're afraid I'll get tired doing such a small thing. You're so good to me~"
She was wearing a V-neck, dust-blue skirt. When she made such a large movement, the view in front of her was unavoidably revealed.
Lu Mingzhe didn't want to look, but some things still caught his eye.
Then, amidst a expanse of white, he saw a few faint red marks.
Though not very severe, because Fang Shuya's skin was fair and delicate, he could faintly discern the shape of several finger marks.
It looked like a palm had gripped something tightly, leaving these marks from a prolonged squeeze.
Lu Mingzhe's temple twitched uncontrollably.
Fortunately, Fang Shuya retracted after the touch, like a butterfly's kiss, so he didn't have to make a deliberate effort to refuse.
They both sat back in their seats. Lu Mingzhe grabbed his phone to check. It was past one o'clock in the afternoon.
"What are your plans for the afternoon?"
"Actually, nothing much. My cousin's wife recently arranged a trip with some friends. I was thinking of joining them since I'd be bored at home. But since you're back, I won't go."
"My only task now is to spend quality time with you."
Lu Mingzhe was surprised by how well she could act. He chuckled faintly, without much emotion.
"Where were you planning to go?"
"The same old places. My sister-in-law is sentimental and feels a place has good scenery, so she keeps wanting to go back."
"Do you want to go?"
Fang Shuya thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Like I said, I just want to spend time with you now."
Fine. If she left, it would be difficult to handle things.
Lu Mingzhe nodded. "Okay. I have something to attend to this afternoon and will likely be back by dinner. You can do whatever you wish in the meantime. We'll talk tonight."
In the past, if they hadn't seen each other for a long time, and he had to leave again right after returning, Fang Shuya would surely have been unhappy.
She would have pestered him, acted cute, and complained endlessly.
But today, she appeared very calm.
"We haven't visited Mom's place in a while. Should we go there tonight, or stay home?"
"What dishes would you like to eat? I'll have someone prepare them in advance."
"Just the two of us, let's eat at home. Any home-cooked meal will do."
He went to change and left. Fang Shuya followed him with gentle consideration the entire time, but didn't say a single word to stop him.
After leaving home and getting into the elevator, Lu Mingzhe turned on his phone and logged into the monitoring system.
Although there were cameras installed at home, he had never bothered to watch them before. He didn't even feel the need to remember the password, which he had set to the simplest digits.
But upon logging in today, he found the password had been changed.
The only mistress of the house was Fang Shuya, so it was obvious who had changed it.
However, wasn't this too obvious?
Did that man even come to the house?
Changing the password out of the blue was like protesting too much, wasn't it?
He went downstairs and got into his car. He called Zhan Beijue. "I need your help with something."
They hadn't spoken for half a month, and Zhan Beijue couldn't resist teasing him.
"You only call when you need something, and it's never good news. Am I indebted to you?"
Lu Mingzhe scoffed. "Don't get angry so quickly. Perhaps I have another joke for you to laugh at, making this favor worth your while."
"What do you mean?"
"I know you're a master hacker. I need you to personally investigate someone. I'm on my way to you now."
Soon, they met at Zhan Beijue's office.
Lu Mingzhe uttered a name, and Zhan Beijue frowned.
"I thought Fang Shuya had done something against you. Who is this?"
"Just investigate. With your intelligence, you'll figure it out soon enough."
Zhan Beijue hacked into the platinum systems of all high-end and mid-range establishments in the city and entered the cousin's wife's name.
Quickly, he found her at several renowned bars, clubs, and hotels.
After filtering these addresses and hacking into their security systems, he soon found her consumption records and times.
Based on the consumption times, he selectively reviewed the surveillance footage. In less than half an hour, he spotted Fang Shuya among the companions from yesterday.
Zhan Beijue was indeed smart.
"Did someone arrange a hookup for your wife?"
"Something like that. Do you see that man?"
Zhan Beijue hadn't expected his marital journey to be so bumpy. Now that he had finally settled down to a good life, this...
His brother was caught cheating; this was a favor he had to help with.
"This kind of thing is always kept secret. How could they appear in public together? Investigating them is simple. Go and inquire at the scene."