Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Hearing this Winnie's name, Joel instinctively frowned. He wanted to make it clear to Primrose about yesterday, however, as soon as Primrose finished the announcement, without waiting for him to reply, he quickly hung up.

Joel sighed; while tonight is not the best time for everyone to meet to discuss Winnie's problem, it is still preferable to return after eating and speak with Primrose later. There are a lot of people here anyway, and he thinks Winnie won't do anything too much.

That evening, as planned, after Primrose and Joel got off work, they both went home to change and then went to Primrose's house together. Winnie had already finished preparing, and as soon as she saw Primrose and Joel getting dressed, they went downstairs and ran happily.

"Can you two see how well I'm dressed?"

Winnie opted for a long, light blue dress with a square neckline that fitted both her collarbone and slim shoulders. The skirt is also designed to open the waist, as if not revealing the small and slim waist. At the same time, Winnie tonight also intentionally put on gentle makeup in the style of a gentle little girl.

Red lips painted with a light lip gloss, a straight high nose bridge, and sparkling eyes. Joel looked at this innocent figure, secretly snickering in his heart.

"It suits you very well; it looks both girly and cute."

Winnie rolled her eyes and smiled back, her eyes seemingly unconscious, glancing at Joel with pursed lips, thinking about something. Joel had no interest in becoming entangled with Winnie and quietly pulled Primrose's hand away.

"Primrose, let's go. Your parents are waiting for us; don't delay."

Primrose saw that Joel's state was not quite right, but did not have time to think much, just vaguely following. Winnie was ignored, somewhat unwilling to follow the two closely, her eyes darting around.

Joel was driving today, so it was natural to open the passenger door for Primrose. However, as Primrose leaned over to sit in the passenger seat of the car, suddenly, Winnie in the back spoke up.

"Primrose, can I sit in the seat next to the driver's seat in the car? I got motion sickness, so I couldn't sit in the back seat."

Primrose felt this was nothing and was about to nod in agreement when Joel coldly interrupted.

"Impossible. Primrose is my wife, and only she has the right to sit in the co-driver's seat of my car. Other women can't."

Joel, of course, guessed what Winnie wanted, lost his temper, and glared at him, his tone calm and devoid of emotion. Winnie's eyes widened, looking weak, and she took a step back, her voice also becoming sobbing.

"I didn't mean that. It's just that my health isn't always good, and sitting in the back seat frequently causes headaches and stomachaches. If it doesn't work, don't be angry, it's all my fault."

Primrose still didn't quite understand the current situation, but seeing that Winnie was still biting her lips, lowering her head, and shaking her shoulders, she felt pity and spoke up.

"Joel, let her sit there. It's just a seat."

Joel snorted coldly. The problem was not her sitting position but Winnie's intentions. He coldly threw the car keys to Winnie, then casually took Primrose by the hand and sat in the back seat.

"If you are afraid of motion sickness, then drive to sober up. You studied abroad for so long, you must have a driver's license already."

Joel scoffed, and Winnie could only bite her lip to comply, resentful that she had failed to meet the goal.

After getting in the car, Joel felt that Winnie would sometimes stare at him through the rearview mirror. He frowned in annoyance. Looking at Primrose next to him, his voice was cold.

"Primrose, I have something important to tell you when I return tonight."

Winnie vaguely sensed what was about to happen and was extremely worried, but her hands trembled slightly. She thought she had to act fast tonight, or else she wouldn't be able to wait until Joel told the story.

It was because she was too hasty, too confident in her charm, that she dared to openly meet Joel while wearing that thin nightgown. How did she expect that Joel would be not only unmoved but also angry?

Winnie unconsciously clenched the steering wheel in her hands, her eyes flashing with cruelty and unwillingness.

Winnie sadly drove home to Primrose, and when the car stopped in front of the familiar gate, Joel supported Primrose's waist and got out together, Winnie gritted her teeth and followed like a tail. The three of them returned home, talked with Primrose's parents for a while, and then went to Anna's house to have a party.

"Auntie, this long dress suits you very well, is it the latest style of the Yen brand?"

Winnie is like an outsider who is not noticed by Joel, so it is very timely to start a conversation with Primrose's mother to find a sense of existence.

"That's right. Yesterday I went for a walk with some friends and found this dress very elegant, so I bought it. Very pretty, isn't it?"

July looked down at the dress, naturally delighted that Winnie loved her skirt. After all, she is an old woman, she likes to hear pleasant compliments like this.

Winnie kept nodding and adding a few words of flattery, making July even happier. Joel, standing next to her, could not help but be somewhat disgusted.

No wonder Primrose loves talking with Winnie so much, she knows how to talk and says exactly what others want to hear. So, it was understandable that Primrose was deceived by something so harmless and lovely.

His arm around Primrose suddenly tightened slightly, startling Primrose. She turned around, eyes wide in surprise.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

Joel captured a vague displeasure on his face. At this time, five people had entered Anna's house, and July was happily chatting with Anna. Joel's eyes fell on the man in the gray T-shirt standing next to Anna, guessing that maybe it was Primrose's close neighbor as a child.

"Primrose, long time no see. How are you these days?"

While Joel was still quietly assessing the strange man, Anna spoke softly to Primrose.

"Still fine. I haven't been to your house for a long time, but you are still so young and beautiful, and your skin is still shiny."

Primrose smiled and continued talking, her soft voice so pleasing to Anna. She looked at her son, Lay, who was standing beside her, and suddenly sighed.

"Lay, you didn't say hello to Primrose, did you? You two were very close before, why have you been so cold to her after a few years?"

Anna is a generous and pleasant woman, and the atmosphere briefly becomes harmonious when Primrose and Lay begin to reminisce about the past when they were still children.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce to you, this is my husband, Joel."

Primrose talked to Lay for a moment before she had to remember that she hadn't introduced the black-faced man standing next to her. After hearing Primrose's words, Joel's gaze softened slightly, showing a hint of satisfaction.

He and Lay shook hands, talked a little about their own work, and then they all went to the dining room together. Today, Anna's family invited guests, so the food on the table was very rich, and there were also a few bottles of precious wine, whose price at first glance was definitely very expensive.

The maid in Anna's house quickly arranged seats for each person and then quickly poured wine. Anna was the first to raise a glass, she said proudly.

"Let's all enjoy the wine first. This is a very precious wine in an old liquor store in H city, Lay had to spend a lot of money to buy it."

Anna's family loves to enjoy alcohol, so whenever someone goes abroad, they will buy precious wines, then invite their neighbors to the party and drink together.

At this time, everyone was also very happy to clink glasses, drinking together from the glass of wine in their hands.

Primrose took a sip first. The original bitter taste melted away, still leaving a pleasant sweetness in the mouth. The smell of wine was faint but very fragrant. She closed her eyes and drank the whole glass of wine, suddenly feeling extremely high.

"You have something to eat first. Drinking a lot of alcohol on an empty stomach is not good."

Joel helped Primrose shred the beef on her plate, skewering a small piece in front of her. Primrose was also polite; she bent down to eat the piece of meat he fed, continuing to drink another glass of wine.

The people around were all busy chatting, so they didn't notice the movement here, only Winnie held the fork in her hand, and her eyebrows were also tightly knit. She purposely sat next to Joel to easily start a conversation but was accidentally ignored by Joel, who calmly got close to Primrose in front of her.

After all, what good is Primrose? She doesn't believe that Joel is completely uninterested in her.

At the beginning of the meal, Primrose and Joel remained relatively close. However, after that, Lay started talking to Primrose; the two were always talking about stories that Joel couldn't interfere with.

"Why did you suddenly study abroad that day? Apparently, the other day we promised to go to the amusement park together to eat ice cream, and the next day you got on a plane to another place."

Lay mentioned the past, and Primrose also casually asked about the past. At this moment, Lay's eyes flashed with nostalgia. He lowered his voice slightly and replied.

"At that time, my grandfather abroad was ill and had to go to the emergency room; although he was in critical condition, he did not have much time to live. My parents wanted my grandfather to have a companion there, so they immediately prepared documents and packed things so that I could go there to study abroad for a few years."

Speaking of which, Lay's state became not very good. Primrose also knew the meaning and returned to tell the happy stories of their childhood.

Joel was beside him, listening, only feeling that his existence was a bit redundant. The two of them had been neighbors since childhood, and at that point in their story, there was no sign of him.

Because of the unpleasant feeling when seeing Primrose laughing with others, Joel unconsciously drank a lot of alcohol. This is of course very true of Winnie sitting next to her; she directly took the bottle of wine from the maid's hand, constantly pouring wine for Joel graciously.

Although Joel was very puzzled by Winnie's sudden enthusiasm, there was no room for an outburst in his uneasiness. There are too many people in this place anyway; if he were too strict with this cousin, Primrose's parents might think he was a strict and difficult person. He only had to glare at Winnie instead of a warning, making sure she didn't put anything strange in the wine so she could drink it with peace of mind.