The Legal Wife Becoming the Other Woman

Cheating?

An affair?

Or had they already broken up?

In an instant, multiple thoughts flashed through Tang Manman's mind. Strangely, when the third possibility crossed her thoughts, she inexplicably felt her mood lighten a little.

But...

What if it was one of the first two scenarios?

Tang Manman furrowed her delicate brows and decided it would be best to get to the bottom of this—she couldn’t let Lin Yu be deceived.

Handing the chicken soup to the shop owner to be reheated, she discreetly took a seat at a table one over from the couple, positioning herself with her back to them. She pricked up her ears, straining to catch their conversation.

"Come on, baby, don’t be mad. I remembered now, didn’t I?"

The man’s voice was soft, almost pleading.

"What good does remembering do?"

"You remembered, and this is where you bring me?"

"Hu Dong, what was I thinking when I chose to be with you?"

The woman’s tone had lost all traces of sweetness, replaced by sheer impatience.

The man let out an awkward, forced laugh, but quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"It’s just the end of the month—money’s tight. Next month, when I get paid, I’ll take you somewhere nice for our three-year anniversary. A proper celebration, I promise."

"A proper celebration?"

"Where, exactly?"

"And let me make this clear—if you take me to that cheap buffet under a hundred yuan again, I swear I’ll lose it with you!"

"Haha, this time it won’t be like that..."

Their conversation continued, but Tang Manman, still facing away, could no longer focus on a single word.

Three-year anniversary?

Her pupils constricted in shock.

Had these two been dating for nearly three years?

Which meant… Lin Yu had been unknowingly cheated on for three whole years?

No, no—that couldn’t be.

Tang Manman shook her head, quickly dismissing the thought.

Impossible.

Given Lin Yu’s age, three years ago he would’ve still been in middle school. There was no way he could’ve been in a relationship with this girl.

Then, suddenly, it hit her.

Her jaw nearly dropped, and she instinctively raised a hand to cover her lips.

Could it be…

A case of the wife becoming the mistress?

No way!

Tang Manman clenched her fists, recalling all the times she’d seen Lin Yu cherish this girl. The more she thought about it, the more she felt he deserved better.

She couldn’t let this girl keep deceiving him.

She had to help Lin Yu see the truth.

With that resolve, Tang Manman pulled out her phone, ready to snap a photo of the couple in an intimate moment—just as the woman, now softened by her boyfriend’s sweet talk, leaned back into his arms, the two of them cozying up again.

Stealthily, she angled her phone’s camera toward them and lightly pressed the capture button.

Click!

The abrupt sound of a photo being taken echoed through the cramped little restaurant, accompanied by a bright flash that landed squarely on the woman’s heavily made-up face.

Time seemed to freeze.

Staring at her phone screen, Tang Manman’s stomach dropped. The woman’s furrowed brows and sharp glare straight at the camera screamed trouble.

I’m so screwed.

The man, who had been sitting with his back to Tang Manman, whipped around at the sound and the sudden burst of light. Seeing his girlfriend being photographed without permission, he shot to his feet, his face twisted in fury as he turned toward the source of the noise.

Upon seeing that the direction held only a single girl, a flicker of confusion crossed his face, and though his anger eased slightly, his expression remained stern as he strode over and stood beside Tang Manman, demanding:

"Hey, why are you taking pictures of my girlfriend?"

Tang Manman clutched her phone, frozen under the man’s aggressive tone, too flustered to respond.

Just then, Cheng Ya also rose from her seat and approached.

When their eyes met, Cheng Ya’s initially puzzled expression shifted the moment she took in Tang Manman’s delicate, striking features—clearly, something clicked in her mind.

"Hey! I’m talking to you! Why’d you take a photo of my girlfriend?"

The man, seeing Tang Manman standing there dumbly without answering, raised his voice and repeated the question.

Tang Manman still struggled to find the right words, but Cheng Ya, standing beside the man, quickly jumped in to defend her:

"Oh, it’s nothing serious. So what if she took a picture? It’s just between girls—it’s not like anyone’s losing anything."

With that, Cheng Ya tried pushing her boyfriend away, urging him to return to their table and finish their meal.

"No way!"

The man refused to let it go. He shoved Cheng Ya aside and stepped back toward Tang Manman, his tone furious:

"Delete that photo right now, or I won’t let this slide!"

"No."

By now, Tang Manman had regained her composure. Firmly, she replied:

"I won’t delete this photo. It’s evidence!"

"Evidence?"

"What kind of evidence?"

The man’s curiosity was piqued.

Standing nearby, Cheng Ya sensed disaster looming. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the man’s arm, even abandoning their half-eaten meal as she tried dragging him away.

"Ugh, who cares about evidence? Let’s just go—I want to catch a movie."

Cheng Ya’s desperate attempt to leave only deepened the man’s suspicion. His expression darkened as he glanced at her, then turned back to Tang Manman.

"What evidence?"

"Explain yourself. Now."

"Her!"

Tang Manman pointed straight at Cheng Ya, enunciating every word:

"She’s the evidence of her cheating on my friend!"

"What?!"

The man gasped, whipping his head around to stare at Cheng Ya, who was still clinging to his arm, trying to pull him away. His voice trembled with fury as he demanded:

"What do you mean, cheating?!"

"Who’s this friend of yours?"

"Who did you cheat on?!"

"I—"

Cheng Ya hesitated, her gaze darting between Tang Manman and the man. Finally, in a pleading tone, she said:

"Just come with me now—I’ll explain everything later, okay?"

"What do you mean, ‘later’?!"

Feeling the metaphorical grass growing a little too green above his head, the man shoved Cheng Ya away and roared:

"You’re explaining this right now!"

"Did you go behind my back again, you damn slut?!"

"I didn’t!"

Cheng Ya cried out, her voice thick with indignation.

"Then tell me what’s going on!"

"Who’s this friend? What’s this about cheating?!"

The man’s eyes burned crimson, his rage terrifying—as if, unsatisfied with the answer, he’d lunge forward any second.

"I—I—"

Cheng Ya, ever the professional, hesitated again. Only when the man looked ready to strike did she finally relent, blurting out the truth in desperation.

"This time, I didn’t cheat on you! It was all just an act—me and that guy were playing a role!"

"Acting?"

"What kind of acting?"

The man's furious temper eased slightly as he asked in confusion.

"It's just acting!"

"He asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend—just to put on a show for her!"

Cheng Ya raised her hand and pointed at Tang Manman, who sat on the stool, her face frozen in shock.

The man turned to glance at Tang Manman, then swiveled back, his eyes filled with suspicion. Clearly, he didn’t trust Cheng Ya at all.

"It really was just acting!"

Seeing that she wasn’t believed, Cheng Ya grew anxious. She pulled out her phone from her bag as proof and said,

"Look, I even have his payment records here!"

"Five hundred yuan."

"And here, see? These are the notes he asked me to memorize."

She pulled up the chat history and thrust the screen toward the man. Still wary—perhaps because Cheng Ya had tricked him one too many times—he took the phone but, unsatisfied, placed it on the table in front of Tang Manman. He tapped the surface with his finger, demanding confirmation:

"Is this the friend you were talking about?"

As he spoke, he glared menacingly at Cheng Ya, his expression screaming, If it’s not her, you’re dead.

Cheng Ya, in turn, met his gaze with unshaken defiance, as if declaring, I’m not lying one bit.

The two locked eyes in a silent standoff, but the man still didn’t get a clear answer.

"Speak! Is it her or not?"

Impatient, he whipped his head back toward the girl—only to freeze. His words died in his throat as he noticed the perfectly round teardrops glistening on the phone screen.

"Yes... it’s him."

Tang Manman covered her mouth, her voice trembling.

...

In an elegantly decorated private room, Xia Muzhu frowned with worry. Watching Xia Yueshan fiddle with his phone, a mischievous grin plastered on his face, she asked uneasily:

"Xiaoshan... will he really come?"

Xia Yueshan looked up, flashing a confident smile that showed off his pearly white teeth.

"Guaranteed, sis!"