From Fake to Forever

Fu Mingshi glanced over with a piercing look.

The driver grinned foolishly, "I'm just rambling, don't take it seriously Boss Fu."

But Fu Mingshi's mind became unclouded. His furrowed brows relaxed.

~

Zhen Bao also had the good habit of sleeping and waking up early. After eating breakfast and washing the dishes, she was in the backyard planting seedlings in the vegetable patch. She suddenly heard the geese honking loudly in the front yard. Recalling the image of the big scammer from yesterday acting sanctimoniously, Zhen Bao finished uprooting several more seedlings before dusting off her hands and heading to the front yard.

Outside the wicker fence, Fu Mingshi's face was ash gray. Inside the fence, the seven big white geese had their necks stretched tall as they honked and flapped their wings aggressively at him.

"I read your agreement. I'm sorry but I still can't agree." Zhen Bao stood in the doorway, completely impolite.

She had changed into a pair of lighter wash jeans, paired with a black and white horizontal striped tee. Her features were elegant, but her words unexpectedly firm. Fu Mingshi already realized his mistake. Ignoring the big white geese, he apologized loudly, "I'm sorry, I was too impatient and didn't consider things thoroughly yesterday. How about this - you move to the Fu house first, and if ultimately you still can't accept me, I'll send you back."

Grandfather liked Zhen Bao. As long as Zhen Bao was in the imperial capital, grandfather could rest easy focusing on his treatment.

Zhen Bao sneered. Was this guy feigning compromise because he realized she wasn't easy to fool?

Unwilling to waste time on a scammer, Zhen Bao waved her old Nokia phone at him and coldly warned, "I already said no means no. If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!" The volume of her voice indicated her mood. She always spoke gently to villagers, but now she was yelling loudly. Hei Dan and the white geese could all tell that their owner didn't welcome this stranger, and immediately started honking even louder.

The old grandma next door curiously came out and asked Zhen Bao in the local dialect what was going on.

Fu Mingshi didn't want Zhen Bao to speak badly of him, so he quickly spoke up before she could open her mouth, "Ms. Zhen, for the sake of our elders' relationship, can you let me in to talk?" He wanted to discuss things with her calmly.

Zhen Bao looked at him, then turned and told a little white lie to the neighbor granny that Fu Mingshi was a salesman before actually starting to walk towards the door.

The geese became well-behaved again in front of their owner, obediently making way on both sides.

Fu Mingshi thought Zhen Bao had come around, and apologized again when she approached, "I'm sorry for the trouble."

Zhen Bao looked up at him with a smile. "You leave immediately, then I'll forgive you."

She smiled brightly, even sweeter than her photos, leaving Fu Mingshi a bit stunned before he came back to his senses. "Ms. Zhen, I..."

Not appreciating that she had given him one last chance, Zhen Bao's patience wore out. She suddenly pushed him forcefully. Fu Mingshi had martial arts training, and instinctively grabbed her hand. Seeing his quick reaction, Zhen Bao became even more certain he was a bad guy. She stomped on his leather shoe, then took advantage when Fu Mingshi loosened his grip to swiftly dodge inside the fence.

She dodged, but the geese inside the fence scrambled to run out and join forces against their owner's enemy.

"Honk honk honk!"

Fu Ming Shi was born and raised in a mansion, and had only ever seen foie gras on the dinner table. How would he know that geese could commit murder?

When the first big white goose stretched out its neck and came at him, Fu Ming Shi lifted his foot to kick it away. But from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Zhen Bao standing with her arms crossed, sneering as she watched the fun unfold. Fu Ming Shi was both angry and confused. He was about to try negotiating peacefully again when his pants suddenly tightened. Before he knew it, a stabbing pain shot up his leg!

Did this goose actually know how to bite people?

Fu Ming Shi shook his leg in agony. One goose was flung away while another charged at him.

"Mr. Fu, Mr. Fu!"

The driver had been waiting for Fu Ming Shi's instructions on the cement road. Seeing his boss under attack by a flock of geese now, his face turned pale with fright. He sprinted over to rescue the man. Seeing they were in cahoots, Zhen Bao knew even if she called the cops, they wouldn't arrive in time. So she threatened sternly, "If you don't leave now, I'll call for help!"

Still focused on fending off the big white geese, Fu Ming Shi heard her first. He looked up at her.

Morning sunlight spilled beautifully over the small farm courtyard, but while the woman looked harmless on the outside, her eyes were filled with hostility.

Fu Ming Shi froze. The Zhen Bao before him now was nothing like the refined, sweet girl in the photos.

As he stood motionless, the geese seized the opportunity to attack as one. With a tearing sound, a large chunk of fabric was ripped from Fu Ming Shi's left pant leg!

"Mr. Fu!" The driver finally reached them, brandishing a long stick he had grabbed from the road to drive the geese away. Hei Dan was just a two-month-old puppy. Knowing his bites didn't hurt, he only barked at his master's feet without leaving the fence.

The geese had twisted Fu Ming Shi's calf several times, drawing blood. He had never been fully committed to marrying a country bumpkin from the start. And now that Zhen Bao was condoning her poultry injuring people, Fu Ming Shi completely gave up. He would rather infuriate his grandfather than waste any more time in this backwater valley.