Chapter 3 A Tense Dinner

I am someone who has never been in a significant relationship, and throughout my life from childhood to the present, I have always been pursuing my former fiancé. My life seems to revolve around him and his family. Therefore, now in the eyes of others, when I propose marriage to a stranger, it is as if a child is rebelling because they have lost something they want.

I know I have grown up. I need to bear the consequences of my actions.

Just like the words I have spoken cannot be taken back, that is the last bit of dignity I want to protect.

Alice Wayner may have been mocked by others for many years, but not now.

Because they will no longer have that opportunity.

I think about something I have longed for, the only dream of my life... Emotions continuously fill me, making me smile.

I hold a photo of my beloved family in my hand, gently touching each person in the picture with my fingers.

"Excuse me, ma'am..."

The hesitant voice of the salesperson brings me back to reality. I look at the two people in front of me, one is a salesgirl trying to maintain a professional smile, and the other is a man wearing a light brown suit.

I immediately understand why the salesperson is in a difficult position.

Because the man in the suit really looks imposing, like a pile of garbage covered by an expensive cloth. My eyes scan around, and everyone in the store seems to be glancing at the wandering man, obviously sharing the same thoughts as me and the salesperson.

Then I look back at the wandering man, he stands still, his messy and untidy hair makes it impossible for anyone to see his expression. I think maybe he is sleeping here and no one would know. I stand up and walk towards the wandering man, he remains motionless.

When he and I are facing each other, not even fifty meters apart, I lower my head, wanting to see what his expression is at this moment.

Surprisingly!

I can't see his eyes!

How can he grow such magical hair?

I am really curious about this person. I reach out to lift the messy hair in front of his face, but another thin hand stops me.

"Take this set."

I raised my eyebrows at the wandering man who had just spoken. Interesting, this set is the most expensive in the store, and he talked as if he had to bargain a lot to accept these clothes.

I pulled my hand away from his, and with a pout, said to the frozen salesperson beside me:

"I want to take this suit, please process the payment for me."

I handed my bank card to the salesperson. Seeing the amount deducted as notified on my phone, I sighed. From now on, I have to provide for the family. Expenses will surely increase even more. But I have no regrets, as this is one of my own choices.

I calmly took the receipt and the newly purchased bag, gesturing with my eyes for the wanderer to leave. As I walked through the customers who were still paying attention to our actions, I could hear them whispering to each other:

"Why bring such a ragged person here, it's ruining my shopping mood!"

"She doesn't look wealthy at all, why not find some rich guys to be her sugar daddy?"

"Look at that face! Which rich guy would tolerate that, unless it's some old man close to death with perverted tastes!"

"Ha ha ha! Oh my God, don't make me die laughing!"

I glanced at the sky, sighing at how humans really are creatures that love to gossip about others, they even have interpreted our story into hundreds of different versions.

But I had no interest in arguing with them, I can't control what comes out of their mouths.

I didn't realize that, from the beginning to the end, the wanderer had been observing my every reaction and gesture.

...

The wanderer and I were walking on the bustling road, thinking about how his hair like that would not be convenient for observing his facial expressions. Maybe I should take him to get a haircut?

After pondering for a while, I turned to look at the wanderer:

"Do you want to go to the barber shop?"

He turned his head towards me, without any hesitation, he replied:

"No need."

Well, if he doesn't need it, then it's fine.

Since the wanderer didn't want to, I also dropped the idea. After all, why do I need to observe his face? He is just a wandering man who has entered into a marriage contract with me, not like those people in my family, whom I've given my life just to seek a bit of their attention.

I closed my eyes, trying to control the old memories that were threatening to surface.

After that, our journey home continued in an eerily quiet state. Both the wanderer and I were content with this silence.

Finally, the evening came, and the wanderer and I stood in front of Richard's house.

I took a deep breath to compose myself, and then I suddenly remembered something. I still didn't know the wanderer's name!

I turned to look at the man beside me, who had cleaned off the dirt and grime, wearing a light brown suit that made him look at least like an ordinary office worker. Fortunately, the wanderer did not want to cut his hair and shave, but at least he agreed to wash his messy hair. I helped him comb and tie his hair neatly. Now, the wanderer just looked a bit gloomy. I was quite satisfied with his appearance. At least I wouldn't be scared if the power suddenly went out and he appeared behind me.

I quietly asked him:

"I forgot to ask your name. What is it?"

The wanderer turned to me, and at this moment, I suddenly realized that he was a whole head taller than me!

"Alan."

"Ah? Oh, your name is Alan?"

Regaining my composure, surprised that I had been so stunned by his height, I nodded at him to indicate that I had memorized this name, "Alan." I took a deep breath to calm myself and then pressed the doorbell.

Ding dong!

The sound of the doorbell echoed, filling me with anticipation. When I heard the sound of the lock opening and saw the familiar face of the young man, I knew that my mission with Alan for today had begun.

"Hello Alice, come in quickly! My sister-in-law is preparing the food! We can talk while we eat!"

I saw his eyes looking at me with kindness, his words gentle as if there had never been any misunderstanding between us. And indeed, it was only a misunderstanding on my part; to Richard, it meant nothing at all.

Immediately after, Richard's gaze shifted to the man next to me, his scrutiny not at all concealed, making me feel embarrassed.

"Is this your fiancé?" he asked.

I awkwardly replied, "Yes, it is."

Then, Richard stepped back, making way for Alan and me to enter the house. As Alan walked a few steps ahead of me, Richard closed the door, leaned in, and whispered in my ear:

"This fiancé of yours seems a bit wild."

I could only offer an awkward laugh; honestly, I didn't know what else to do. But it seemed that Richard was not very pleased with Alan, and he once again commented:

"Are you sure you're not being deceived? He's not a homeless man trying to approach you to scam you out of love and money, is he?"

Richard's speculation made me jump. He was sharp, almost getting the whole story right. But Richard, the one being deceived here is not me... it's the man you're wary of.

I don't know if I should feel lucky or not because I've always been an honest and quiet person. So the label of a fraudster has never stuck to me before. This might be the success of a first-time liar.

However, this title is not something to be proud of!

I knew if I continued to remain silent, Richard might misunderstand that I was so charmed by the man that I couldn't even speak. So, I smiled lightly and responded:

"No, Alan is very kind and thoughtful. He would never deceive me."

That's it, my defense seemed useless. Evidence of this was in Richard's eyes, which narrowed even more, showing his disbelief. I quickly went inside the house; I was afraid that if I accidentally said something more, everything would be revealed.

After escaping Richard's questioning, I barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before I had to face the gentle face of Richard's newlywed wife, Mia Guetta.

"Hello Alice, it seems like you and my husband are really close, aren't you? Were you two whispering over there about me?"

Her charming smile, combined with her lovely face and neatly tied blonde hair, made this beautiful woman impossible to dislike. Mia's cheerful tone suggested she was joking, but a hint of coldness flashed in her blue eyes, a clear warning to me.

I understood the purpose of this dinner; it was nothing more than a display of dominance and... an attempt to create conflict in my relationship with my soon-to-be husband.

I glanced at Alan, who was already seated at the dining table. If he were really my fiancé, he would probably feel a bit uncomfortable seeing his woman standing close and talking intimately with another man. After all, relationships that aren't long-term can easily be cracked by suspicion.

Everyone knew that before Richard got married, I wasn't close to any other man. So, trust wouldn't be strong.

Mia would never expect that while we did just meet and were indeed planning to get married, this dry relationship of ours was nothing more than a contractually bound connection. It didn't require loyalty from either side.

I smiled, walked confidently over, and greeted Mia:

"No, not at all. Richard was just complimenting my fiancé."

Then I moved to the side of the wandering man, smiled brightly, and placed my hand on his shoulder, introducing him to everyone with pride in my voice.

"This is Alan, my fiancé."

I then lowered my head, bringing it quite close to the wanderer's, creating an image of intimacy for those looking from the outside. I extended my hand towards the two people opposite us, addressing my nominal husband:

"This is Richard, a childhood friend of mine. And this is Mia, his wife."

Alan slightly turned his head towards me, and I felt his gaze on me. He then looked back at the two people opposite us, nodded, and simply said:

"Hello."