chapter 14 You will support me from now on

Theodore Zhao was momentarily stunned, countless midnight dreams had been for the sake of waiting for these words.
But now that it had really happened, he felt as if it were a dream or illusion.
Suddenly, a harsh honking sound shattered all illusions.
Theodore Zhao woke up from the dream and shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"I'm already married."
A very natural statement, yet it made Theodore Zhao feel an unprecedented sense of relief.
He didn't linger any longer, nor felt any constraints, and strode back to the car.
Esme Su pulled up the makeup mirror, and just as she looked up, she caught Ava Shu's gaze - cold and piercing, going straight to the heart.
Her lips curled up slightly, unable to hide a sense of triumph. Even if she doesn't like Theodore Zhao, he is still her man. As long as she hasn't let go, when is it Ava's turn to intervene?
Theodore Zhao was unaware of the exchange of glances between the two women. He gently closed the car door, "Let's go."
Esme Su shrugged, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood, I just accidentally hit it."
A not so convincing explanation, but it made Theodore Zhao chuckle.
Esme Su casually said, "Why are you laughing so creepily? Is the sound of the waves still lingering? Don't worry, I won't stop you. Once the civil affairs office opens tomorrow, we'll go through the procedures."
Theodore Zhao shook his head, "No, it's just that I didn't expect a goddess like you to be jealous."
"Jealous? Me, jealous of you? Are you daydreaming!"
Esme Su rolled her eyes. As the car glided past Ava Shu, she impulsively rolled down half of the window.
She waved her hand, speaking cheerfully, "Doctor Shu, see you another day!"
"Sure, see you another day!"
Ava Shu lifted the corner of her mouth, with a somewhat provocative meaning.
Only after the car left the hospital did Esme Su take her eyes off the rearview mirror.
"I didn't expect you to be quite popular with women. If you weren't there just now, she would definitely have started a fight with me."
Theodore Zhao curiously asked, "You're afraid?"
Esme Su matter-of-factly retorted, "Of course not, but why should I fight with another woman because of you?"
Seeing he couldn't argue with her, Theodore Zhao simply shut his mouth.
Esme Su persisted, "Don't play dead. Tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Uncle Huang? I can't believe it, I've known Uncle Huang for so many years, yet I don't have as much sway as you!"
"Work-related."
Esme Su thought she caught his slip, "Work? What work do you have? Weren't you a soldier before? I warn you, don't lie to me. Even if you don't tell me, I can find out from Uncle Huang!"
Theodore Zhao's memory vaguely returned to the past, "Professor Huang was doing scientific research abroad and encountered a riot by local terrorists. It was me who brought him back to the country."
"Are you talking about the peacekeeping troops?"
It wasn't that Esme Su was smart, but the war in peacetime easily led to such associations.
"Sort of."
Theodore Zhao didn't elaborate further.
Esme Su was greatly puzzled and kept asking questions, but she couldn't get any more information she wanted to know.
"Cut the crap!" she scoffed.
She might not care verbally, but her curiosity was piqued to the extreme.
Intuition told her that it wasn't as simple as Theodore Zhao had made it seem. This could be seen from Professor Huang's attitude.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
"You clearly knew Uncle Huang, but you didn't say it earlier. Were you deliberatly attempting to play the fool?"
"I didn't realize you could be so sneaky!"
"Are you satisfied now? Luca Cui almost clung to your thigh, and even Ava Shu seemed to be reconsidering. And here I am, playing the villain!"
Theodore Zhao cried injustice, "You're misunderstanding. I only knew Professor Huang was involved in pharmaceutical research. How could I know he was the President of Tian Zhou Hospital?"
"Besides, the last time we met was years ago. I had long forgotten about it."
Esme Su believed him a bit but was still not satisfied, "I think you did it on purpose. I'm not happy about it!"
Theodore Zhao looked at the time, "Then shall I invite you to dinner as an apology?"
"What, spicy hot pot again?"
Esme Su was just teasing, not really mocking, but it reminded them of the unpleasant lunch.
The atmosphere turned a bit awkward.
Theodore Zhao changed the subject, "Is there a supermarket nearby? Let's go buy some groceries."
This time Esme Su was surprised, "You're going to cook?"
Theodore Zhao didn't explain. Once Esme Su parked the car, he quickly entered the supermarket.
Esme Su hesitated for a moment before following him in.
As the pampered jewel of the Su family, she often went to supermarkets, but it was her first time buying groceries.
Curiosity and novelty drove her to follow Theodore Zhao, who was pushing the shopping cart ahead while Esme Su trailed a few steps behind.
Fearing he might misunderstand, she quickly said, "Just to be clear, I can't cook. I've never used the kitchen at home, so don't expect anything from me!"
Theodore Zhao, of course, didn't expect the goddess Esme Su to cook for him. He simply asked about her taste preferences.
Esme Su couldn't name any dishes, only mentioning a few ingredients.
Theodore Zhao breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her preferences. Her taste was for light, fresh flavors, not fond of sour, sweet, or spicy, which didn't conflict with his own preferences.
Soon, a fish, half a pound of meat, and several vegetables were added to the cart.
Esme Su, having satisfied her curiosity, no longer wandered around and headed straight to the snack section, quickly filling the cart.
At checkout, Theodore Zhao was stunned.
The bill came to over eight hundred, with groceries accounting for only fifty, the rest being imported snacks and various nuts, with a box of chocolates alone costing over three hundred.
For the first time, he felt the huge gap between himself and the goddess. Just these snacks cost nearly half a month's salary, not to mention those cosmetics costing hundreds or thousands.
It was painful to think about, and the pressure was immense!
Enjoying the envious looks that the goddess brought was gratifying, but the price to pay was indeed substantial.
Indeed, Miss Su was not someone an ordinary man could afford to take care of.
He had thought that the only differences between them were in temperament and worldview, which could be smoothed out over time.
However, he soon realized that even their spending habits were an insurmountable chasm!
Expecting Miss Su, who had been pampered since childhood, to live a modest life?
Such a statement sounded like a fantasy.
Esme Su also noticed something was off and, worried about embarrassing Theodore Zhao, offered to pay, "Don't worry, most of it is mine. I'll pay for it."
As if prepared, she took out her bank card and handed it over first.
Before Theodore Zhao could speak, an embarrassing moment occurred. The card was declined due to insufficient funds.
Esme Su handed over another card with the same result.
Now it was Esme Su's turn to feel embarrassed. She wasn't used to carrying cash, and despite going through all her cards in her wallet, not one worked.
The people in line behind them started murmuring.
"Can you hurry up, please? There are many people waiting!"
"If you don't have money, why come to the supermarket? Really!"
Esme Su, somewhat annoyed, asked, "Is there a problem with your machine?"
The cashier's attitude was somewhat cold, "Sorry, the machine is working fine."
Esme Su had never been humiliated like this before, but she had nowhere to vent her frustration. The embarrassment of not having money made her wish she could disappear.
At a critical moment, Theodore Zhao stepped in, "Let me do it."
After saying that, he handed over his salary card.
The payment went through without any issue.
As they walked away from the cashier, Esme Su kept her head down, not letting anyone see her facial expression.
"Consider this a loan, I'll pay you back when we get home!"
Theodore Zhao had no intention of asking her to repay it, but saying so now would only embarrass her further, so he silently agreed.
Esme Su quickly walked ahead, took out her phone to check something, then made a call.
Shortly after, a woman's voice came through the phone.
Esme Su's tone was harsh, "Did you do this?"
The woman seemed to have anticipated this, calmly replying, "I don't understand what you mean."
"My bank cards, why are they all frozen?"
"The Su family is in a difficult situation right now. All the money is needed to get through this crisis. Besides your salary, there's no extra money for you."
Esme Su was at a loss for words, "You"
The woman's cold reply, "Isn't this what you wanted? This is the freedom you wanted, right? If you don't want to bear the pressure of the family, this is what you have to face!"
Esme Su saw through her intentions and scoffed, "Don't think you can force me into submission like this!"
The woman spoke softly, "I'm not trying to force you. You know the family situation better than I do."
After a pause, she added, "By the way, you can keep using the villa and the car for now. If things get worse, the family might have to take them back."
Esme Su was furious, "Isabella Wu, don't go too far! That house was a birthday gift from my dad, what right do you have to take it away?"
The woman on the phone countered, "Because I'm your aunt. Your dad is still in a coma, and I call the shots in the family!"
Esme Su's sarcastic reply, "So you can just take over blatantly?"
The woman didn't argue further, softening her tone, "I know you and that security guard are just putting on a show. If you come back, I believe we can get through this together!"
Esme Su glanced back at Theodore Zhao, defiantly saying, "We're very happy, you don't need to worry!"
The woman pierced through her façade, "Really? I've looked into Theodore Zhao's background. A retired soldier with a sick mother at home. His resettlement money was all spent on hospital bills."
"Half a million for the surgery, even if you pay for it, the recovery process is a bottomless pit!"
With a tone close to mockery, she continued, "With his monthly salary of five thousand two hundred, how can he take care of you?"
Esme Su had no comeback and instead retorted sarcastically, "If I starve to death, wouldn't that just be what you wanted?"
The woman's voice grew louder, "You don't like Charlie Wei, I can introduce someone else to you! Are you really going to ruin your happiness just to defy me?"
Esme Su bit her lip, tears swirling in her eyes, "Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine!"
The woman sighed, "If you can't handle it, come back. As long as I'm here, no one in the family will laugh at you! If you really fall for that security guard, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
She knew Esme Su's stubbornness; if this tactic didn't work, she had other plans.
In any case, she couldn't let that unknown security guard enter the family so easily.
Theodore Zhao was unaware that he had already been condemned. He carried the shopping bags, and though he hadn't heard the phone conversation, he could guess from Esme Su's expression.
He wanted to comfort her but didn't know how to start.
Especially seeing Esme Su's red eyes and her stubborn refusal to show weakness, he felt heartache.
Esme Su spoke first, "Do you still mean what you said before?"
Theodore Zhao was taken aback, "What did I say?"
"That you'll take care of me from now on!"