[XVIII]

When Zac finally knew that something was up, it was already too late. The moment he swallowed the cabbage, it felt as if his whole mouth was burning. He coughed with great force, trying to get rid of the spice.

Hazel had put a whole bottle of wild pepper into the pot without anyone noticing.

Seeing his face flushed and sweaty as he ran to the kitchen to get some water, Hazel was in a good mood. She picked up the chopsticks and began to eat slowly. A smile was playing on her lips.

When he returned to the table, Zac smiled bitterly. "Are you feeling better now? Do you want to punish me again?"

Hazel snorted in disgust. In fact, she was far from done yet. As long as she continued to think of Zac 'cheating' on her, her anger continued to spread like wildfire.

"You better clean your room today. I swear, don't you even think about catching infectious diseases?" she snapped. She had always thought that Zac was a clean freak. It seemed, however, that sex was his exception.

Zac took a deep breath. He knew that if he didn't explain his situation as soon as possible, his life with her would be a living hell.

His lips twitched. "Honey, nothing happened."

'Nothing happened? His entire bed was shaking that anyone would think that an earthquake was coming,' she thought incredulously.

"Look, you're free to do whatever the hell you want, and I don't care. Since you already have a girlfriend, then we better keep our distance from each other, all right?"

She slammed the tableware onto the counter before turning back to her room. At this point, he had already ruined her appetite.

He stood up and hugged her from behind, placing his chin on top of her shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Hazel tried to kick him in the leg, but he still didn't loosen his grip. In a rage, she turned her head and bit his arms.

Zac groaned and winced, but he still didn't let go. Instead, he leaned closer and said hoarsely, "Mindy is just an actress. I paid her a lot of money to pretend that she was my girlfriend. You're my wife. Do you think I'll cheat on you?"

Stunned, she loosened her bite almost immediately. "What did you say?" She was afraid that she had misheard him.

He sighed. "All you care about is friendship. You treat me like a gift that you'll never open," he explained. "I have to at least know if you still have feelings for me." Zac's helpless voice pulled on her heartstrings.

Her gaze swept over his bleeding arm as guilt rose up in her chest. "Do you really not like Mandy?"

"Well, I have to keep my integrity for my wife, don't I?" he joked.

"Your wife? I don't know who she is." Hazel pouted adorably. All the sadness and despair that she had felt the night before had vanished.

Now, she looked like a kid who was told that Christmas came early. She couldn't help but feel strange about it all. What were her feelings towards Zac?

Although she didn't sleep well last night, she slept like a baby today. In fact, she didn't even wake up until dawn. She was awakened by her phone ringing out. When she saw that it was her mother, she answered drowsily.

" Hazel, are you still sleeping?" Lucy's soft voice sounded on the phone.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Your father and I are downstairs at your apartment. Ask the security to open the door," she advised.

What? Hazel almost rolled off the bed in shock.

"Wait, where are you?" she repeated as her eyes widened.

"Your apartment."

"Mom, why didn't you tell me that you'll come here?" Hazel's forehead was already drenched with cold sweat as she thought of all the possibilities that could run her over.

Lucy burst into laughter. "We wanted to surprise you, silly."

It was a surprise, all right. It was going to be her surprise funeral. Hazel didn't take another minute as she jumped out of bed and put on her clothes. She rushed into Zac's room. Her face was flushed.

"It's over," she said quickly. "My parents are here."

Zac was shocked. He didn't expect he would meet his in laws so soon. But knowing he had to help her at the moment, he regained his composure and said, "I'll come with you to pick them up."

"No, thanks. I can go downstairs myself." Waving her hand, Hazel added, "Don't forget that we're just roommates. You are not allowed to mention the marriage in front of them or anyone else for that matter."

He nodded his head in understanding. Her parents hugged her as soon as they saw her. It was a great pleasure to meet their daughter. After she graduated from university and came to Yang City, they hadn't had an opportunity to see her.

In the living room, Zac had already placed tea for them. Before her parents could ask who he was, she answered, "His name is Zac Rong, and he is my roommate. We split the rent."

Bob's face creased with a frown. Even though he was a liberal man, the idea of his daughter sharing her apartment with another man bothered him.

Lucy looked at Hazel's roommate, using her motherly instincts to figure out the relationship between them. From what she knew, her daughter had never been in love. On top of that, she was a mother who believed in giving her daughter privacy. Hence she never tried to pry in her matters.

"Uncle, aunt, have some tea." Zac poured them two cups of tea and began to peel the fruit.

Bob wandered around the house, trying to inspect every nook and cranny. There were three bedrooms and two parlors, but only two bedrooms were furnished with a bed. The other room had a tailored table and a sewing machine. It was his daughter's design room.

"Only you two live in this house?" He was a little worried.

Noticing her father's expression, Hazel held his arm and said, "Dad, it's expensive now. But if we find a third person, we would be more than happy to take them in."

'Why not look for a girl to share your apartment!' he wanted to ask, but bit back his words. Moreover, it would be wrong to speak about it in Zac's presence. He hoped to mention it some other time.

Hazel handed the apples peeled by Zac to her parents and said, "Dad, mom, you should tell me in advance and let me make preparations."

"We are family. You don't have to prepare for our visits." "Actually we came with your aunt this time. Your cousin, Finney, graduated from college and now she works here. You two should often visit each other," Lucy suggested with a smile.

"That's great. Which company does Finney work for?" Hazel asked, looking quite interested.

"Hengyaun Co., Ltd." As soon as these words came out of Lucy's mouth, Hazel's face changed.

"Okay," she replied without any enthusiasm. An unnoticeable shadow drifted across Hazel's face and she changed the topic immediately. "Dad, mom, have you had your breakfast yet?"

"Yes, we did. But it looks like you just woke up. Do you have noodles? I'll cook for you." Bob stood up. He was graceful in the drawing room and skillful in the kitchen.

Hazel clapped her hands cheerfully and said, "Okay, I haven't eaten the noodles cooked by my father for a long time. I am craving for them."

After Bob went into the kitchen, Lucy began to sip her tea. Turning her gaze back to her daughter, she decided to ask about her job.

Hazel didn't want them to worry about her, so she hadn't told them she left Bella Company and opened an online store. But now seemed like the right time to come clean. One by one, she filled her mom in.

Lucy responded calmly. According to her, it was a good thing for young people to start their own business. She wasn't worried, instead she thought Hazel was in the right direction.

"What does Zac do?" she asked, her gaze shifting to her daughter's roommate.

"Mom, he is an architect." Hazel didn't give Zac a chance to answer. Instead, she answered for him. Hearing this, her mother was impressed.

"An architect? That's amazing," Lucy said with a smile.

"Yes." Zac nodded and glanced at Hazel. Of course it was a lie. She had no idea what he was doing and didn't want to know at the moment. She was glad he decided to play along.

'It doesn't matter. They will never have to know what he does,' she told herself, hoping this lie was a safe one.

After the breakfast, Hazel and her mother began to clean up the room. Zac asked her parents to sleep in his room and he would make himself a bed in Hazel's work room. He was quite helpful today.

"Mom, hang your clothes in my closet." Hazel dragged the heavy suitcase in.

Lucy meant to tidy up the cabinet so that there was enough room for her daughter. She picked up the canvas bag that was placed in a corner. Suddenly, a red paper fell out from it.

"Mommmm!" Hazel screamed, jumping up like a frog. But it was too late. Lucy had already read the bold words on the marriage certificate.