Su Wan and Zhou Ziming's relationship began with an introduction, but it was essentially a case of Zhou Ziming pursuing her—albeit through a mutual acquaintance.

Though framed as "free love," the reality was that Zhou Ziming had taken the initiative, enlisting a middleman to bridge the gap between them.

Their connection traced back to their school days—Zhou Ziming, two years her senior, had known Su Wan as the quiet, gentle girl in the grade below him. They’d attended the same middle school but never really interacted.

At the time, Zhou Ziming had been interested, but Su Wan had been too young, indifferent to such matters, and then graduation had come, and the thought had faded.

Had their paths remained separate, Su Wan would have considered it for the best.

But fate had other plans.

Late last year, Su Wan had managed to secure a temporary job at a wholesale food market—only to run into Zhou Ziming there.

The sight of her, now taller and even more beautiful than in school, had been enough to make him fall head over heels. He immediately sought out a mutual acquaintance to arrange a meeting.

By then, Su Wan, freshly graduated from high school, was at an age where dating and marriage were natural considerations. She hadn’t agreed to anything right away, discussing it with her family first and only agreeing to meet him after receiving their blessing.

Six months had passed, and Zhou Ziming had grown increasingly attached to her.

In his eyes, Su Wan was the epitome of grace—beautiful, kind, sensible, and considerate. She embodied every positive adjective, a world apart from the vulgar, materialistic women he’d encountered.

So when Su Wan had bluntly mentioned wanting their family’s wealth and status, even Tang Jiangying was stunned—though for her, it was more disgust than surprise.

The atmosphere in the living room grew tense.

Unlike Tang Jiangying’s outright revulsion, Su Wan’s words left Zhou Ziming momentarily speechless.

How shameless can she be? Tang Jiangying scoffed, a sneer tugging at her lips.

"Ziming, did you hear that? She doesn’t love you—she just wants to climb onto our family’s pedestal!"

The Su family lived in a run-down neighborhood on the city’s outskirts, barely better than a rural village. Of course she’d be dazzled by a family like theirs.

Tang Jiangying had seen through her from the start—pretending to be sweet and demure, all to deceive her foolish son.

Now, Zhou Ziming snapped out of his daze, meeting Su Wan’s clear, bright gaze with a smile. "Mom, we have plenty of food at home. I’ll pack some for Xiaowan to take back later. It’s no big deal." few snacks? He didn’t even care about that.

Today was supposed to be a friendly meeting, and he refused to let such a trivial matter ruin it.

He knew full well the disparity between their families. His mother had warned him—Su Wan, raised in a crumbling neighborhood, was just like all the petty, small-minded people from those areas.

With your advantages, you could have any beautiful girl. Why her?

Because she was after their family’s wealth.

And wasn’t that how matchmaking worked? Everyone looked at background—it was his advantage.

Besides, he was convinced Su Wan wasn’t truly like that. Her earlier words were just a slip of the tongue.

After all, they’d have to exchange gifts after the meal—of course they’d send something back to her family.

Having placated his mother, Zhou Ziming turned to Su Wan with a low voice. "Mom’s already prepared some things for you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get extra. Just behave yourself, and I’ll pack a few more cans for you."

Su Wan’s eyes lit up. "Really? You promise?" She turned to Tang Jiangying. "Auntie, by the way—will I be getting a red packet? Old Lady Zhou from our courtyard said families like yours give a ‘meeting gift’ to the girl on her first visit. I don’t know if that’s true, but looking at your TV, your sofa, all these nice things… surely you wouldn’t mind giving me one, right?"

Like a country bumpkin seeing the city for the first time, she began wandering around the room, her gaze lingering on every item with wide-eyed wonder.

In her previous life, she had cleaned this house for nearly twenty years—rising before dawn, scrubbing floors and wiping surfaces twice a day, all to appease her mother-in-law’s obsessive cleanliness.

The Zhou family had once hired a maid, but once she married in, why bother paying someone else? Their new daughter-in-law was free labor.

Her eyes swept over the refrigerator, the radio—curious, but not greedy.

After handling these things for so long, the sight of them only repulsed her. What was there to covet?

But to Tang Jiangying, her expression screamed I want it all.

Tang Jiangying was practically boiling with rage, but she prided herself on being refined. Arguing with this ignorant country girl would only lower her own status.

So she merely sneered, fixing Zhou Ziming with a look of pity and exasperation.

Look at the girl you like—how vulgar. I’m ashamed for you.

Zhou Ziming felt like he was on fire, his face burning with humiliation.

Setting down the items in his hands, he stepped closer to Su Wan and murmured, "Whatever you want, just tell me privately. I’ll give it to you. Let’s not talk about this today, okay? We already agreed—I’d cook for you. Come on, I’ll take you to the kitchen."

Though he didn’t understand why Su Wan had changed so drastically, her snow-white skin and breathtaking face made him determined to push any doubts aside—for now, he just wanted to marry her.

To show affection, he even brushed his fingers against hers.

Su Wan recoiled as if she’d touched a slug, goosebumps rising along her arms.

On our first visit, he’s already having me cook for his family?

This man had known all along that his relatives disapproved of their match, subtly pressuring her to lower herself to secure a place in their home.

In her past life, she’d been such a fool—completely oblivious.

Zhou Ziming had claimed his mother was a bad cook, saying he wanted to taste her food. He’d assured her not to be shy, treating his home as her own, using the kitchen freely, cooking whatever she wanted without pretending to be a guest.

She’d believed him—had even prepared an entire table of dishes, eagerly awaiting praise.

Tang Jiangying had tasted them, offering only a noncommittal "Not bad."

Zhou Ziming’s sisters had smirked as they ate, their laughter cutting deeper than any insult.

Back then, she’d been confused—If it’s good, just say so. Why laugh?

Only later had she realized—they were mocking her, ridiculing her lowly status.

Remembering this, Su Wan subtly distanced herself from Zhou Ziming, a bitter smile on her lips. "Ziming, if you’re having me cook on our first visit, does that mean I’ll be your family’s maid after we marry?"