Pocket Money

Shui Xian really thought he was getting worse and worse at talking day by day. But that was only when he was around her. He was very good at talking and he knew it. But the same couldn't be said that when she was the person before him. How come he barely had anything to say before her? Her words weren't as complicated as one would think, but her simple words were dangerous. And her words always made him think.

Her bookish knowledge wasn't that easy to challenge. That was for sure!

They ate the rest of the dinner in silence. Shui Xian didn't try to force her again. Since he couldn't convince her to not wait for him, he could only make sure to come back home on time; not giving her the reason to wait.

Back in their room, Raelle was applying moisturizer on her hands when she heard Shui Xian's question, "When do you usually leave the office?"

Raelle turned her head to look at him, "Why? You're gonna come to pick me up?" That was something Cloe had mentioned to her today in the office whether her husband was coming to pick her up or not. Raelle didn't know why her husband had to do that since she had her own car and personal chauffeur. But Cloe argued that that's what husbands would do for their wives.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, "What if I am going to do that?"

Raelle raised her hand as if telling him to stop, "Wouldn't that be troublesome? Our companies are literally in the opposite direction. You'd really be wasting your time." She meant her words completely. What was the point of wasting so much time? If they had their companies on the same route, it'd be a different story.

Shui Xian shook his head at her, "Somehow I just knew you'd say that... Anyways I just thought if I know when you get free, I'd be able to adjust my time accordingly."

Raelle stared at his face intently, "You're gonna work around my schedule?" Shui Xian nodded his head and she asked, "Why?"

Shui Xian replied, "Didn't you say that marriage is a two-way street? We both need to give our 100 % to make it work."

Raelle rubbed her hands together and replied in a flat tone, "Be realistic. Giving your 100 percent doesn't make a relationship. Let's go with the 80/20 rule." Shui Xian arched his brow in question and she elaborated, "You can't provide me with that 100 percent that I need in my life, same goes for me. So, let's not expect unrealistic things from each other. Let's just give each other the 80 percent what the other needs in a relationship."

"What about the rest of 20 percent?" he inquired.

"The rest of 20 percent is something we need to look for our own selves." Her leveled tone didn't falter as she went on, "That'd be the best partnership."

"Are you writing a contract for a partnership?"

"Aren't we partners?" Raelle pointed at him and herself. "Partners for life? That red booklet we got the other day is the proof."

Shui Xian exhaled a long breath and rubbed his earlobe as his lips curved up, "We are... Partners for life." In her own calculative and extremely pragmatic way, she managed to remind him that you can't always become 100 percent of what your partner needs. That'd be over-romanticizing a relationship and expecting something completely unrealistic.

His previous marriage was solely based on love and his intense feelings. And maybe that's why it was easy for him now to understand that love had never been enough to keep a relationship or make it work. That's why Raelle's words had been very refreshing since the time he met her.

He went to get something from his wallet and placed it before her. Raelle looked at the black credit card before her eyes and looked at his face in confusion. "I've added you as an authorized user. So, you can use the card however you like."

Raelle took the black credit card in her hands and continued to stare at it for a while in silence. Shui Xian thought she wasn't happy to receive it. After all, her own earning were no less than his. She didn't need him to give something like this to her. However, since she was his wife, he wanted to treat her like one. And as his spouse, she had all the right on his money.

"I know you don't really need it but I wanted to give it to you," he tried to explain when he noticed that her silence was prolonged. "As my wife, this is one of your rights."

Raelle looked into his eyes and gave him a smile saying, "Is this supposed to be my pocket money?"

Shui Xian thought about his reply cautiously before nodding, "Yes."

"I've never gotten pocket money before," she told him. Shui Xian was yet again taken aback by her reaction. "Since whatever I needed, someone would always be there beside me to pay for it. So, this is my first time receiving money like this."

Shui Xian noticed the look in her eyes and asked, "Are you happy?"

"To answer that, I need to know what real happiness is. Because my grandfather says all I know is a bookish definition," she didn't hide it from him. "Until now, the happiness in my definition had been when Opa places his hand on my head and kisses my forehead. Or when Yanyan helps me in combing my hair or feed me with her own hands. Or when my best friend grumbles about always losing from me."

"That's how you define happiness?" he asked.

"All these instances had something in common, I felt really good," she told him. "And that is why I associate these instances with happiness." She looked at the credit card in her hand again and said, "I think right now I don't feel that bad either. So, maybe I am happy."

He hooked his index finger and traced the bridge of her nose to the tip of her nose lightly with a feather-like touch as he said, "It's good to know that." And gave her a smile.