Chapter 345 Can’t Even Handle a Woman

Chapter 345 Can’t Even Handle a Woman

Penny stormed out in a fit of anger.

Her family was in Cloud Town—she wasn’t about to starve.

To calm herself, she wandered into a nearby mall. She treated herself to a sushi dinner, browsed through a few stores, bought things she didn’t really need, and finished it off with a cup of coffee.

Only when her mood had steadied did she return to the hospital.

She was scheduled for the night shift today.

But the moment she stepped into the building, her phone rang.

Bernard.

She answered.

Before she could even speak, his voice came through—sharp, edged with accusation. "Penny, don't you think you went a bit too far today?"

Penny froze.

“Too far?” she shot back defensively. “What exactly did I do that was ‘too far’?”

“If you didn’t want to cook, you could’ve just said so,” Bernard continued, his tone tight. “I already told you I’d take time off to help you. But instead, you just walked out without saying a word. My parents were left sitting there—they’re hurt, Penny. Now they’re insisting on going back home. They’re so upset they don’t even want to acknowledge me as their son.”

Penny felt anger rising inside her.

She had thought that no matter how difficult Bernard's parents were, at least Bernard was on her side. But now he was blaming her too.

No wonder people say that in your in-laws' home, you'll always be an outsider, never truly part of the family.

“Yes, I walked out,” Penny said, her voice rising. “So what?” “I already told you I don’t know how to make pie. I’m not good at it! Your mom clearly knows how, but she just waited until I was completely lost before helping me. And your dad just sat on the couch without moving a finger. Why is it never like this at my house? In my family, whenever we cook, everyone pitches in. Everyone contributes. But in your family, everything falls on the woman—and when something goes wrong, it’s the woman’s fault too!"

Bernard said, "I know you feel wronged, but walking out in anger wasn't right either, Penny. If we keep going like this, with neither of us willing to compromise, we won't last."

“Compromise?” Penny laughed bitterly. “Fine. You tell me—how exactly am I supposed to compromise?” She was so angry that she didn't even want to change into her nurse's uniform.

After a long pause, Bernard said, "I think we need to cool down. I don't want to fight with you."

"Then don't!" Penny hung up.

……

Penny moved back into the Savoy family home.

When Jasmine saw her return, she let out a quiet sigh.

So young and inexperienced in marriage—of course, she was bound to stumble.

That evening, Kevin came home too. At first, he didn't say anything when he saw Penny, but later, noticing she'd been down all evening, he asked, "Penny, did you have a fight with your future in-laws?"

Penny bit her lip, then told him everything—the cooking, the silence, the tension.

When she finished, Kevin sighed.

That only made her more anxious.

“Dad, why are you sighing?” she asked helplessly. “Give me some advice—I’m going crazy.”

Kevin leaned back slightly, choosing his words carefully.

“Marriage is complicated,” he said slowly. “Some things require constant compromise, while others you absolutely can't compromise on. People who manage their marriages well are successful people—they'd succeed in any field. Also, a woman's status in her in-laws' home depends on how her husband treats her. If her husband doesn’t value her, even once—it sets a precedent. And from then on, others will follow.

Your mom and I can't make this decision for you—you have to figure it out yourself. But one thing is important: we don’t want you to keep feeling wronged. If being with him means constant frustration… then maybe both of you need more time to cool off.”

After listening, Penny couldn't help but think.

Bernard was indeed very good to her, but only when they were alone. In front of his parents, he still leaned toward making her compromise because he wanted to be a good son.

……

At the Lewis residence—

the atmosphere had been tense for days.

Mr. Lewis was openly displeased, his temper flaring at the slightest trigger.

Mrs. Lewis, on the other hand, kept trying to smooth things over.

Mr. Lewis got upset just seeing him, constantly muttering: "Can't even handle a woman. What'll happen after you're married? You'll probably cut ties with us completely."

Mrs. Lewis quickly intervened.

“Oh, don’t say that,” she coaxed. “Our son has always been outstanding since childhood. There's no way he can't handle one wife. Penny's father is a government official—she's been spoiled since she was little."

Mr. Lewis slammed his hand on the table.

“Then break up!” he snapped. “Does she think she can bully us just because of her background? Is there no justice left? Back in the old days, even a princess had to bow to her in-laws after marriage!”

Mrs. Lewis frowned.

“This isn’t the old days anymore. Which young woman still bows to her in-laws? Look at the family next door—their daughter-in-law is treated like a guest of honor.”

“That’s nonsense!” Mr. Lewis barked. “That will never happen in this house!”

Bernard listened to his parents going back and forth, feeling increasingly irritated. He just went out to play games with some friends.

His friend could tell he was in a bad mood and asked, "Bernard, did you fight with your girlfriend?"

Bernard sighed, "If it were just a simple fight, that would be fine. At least I could sweet-talk her and she'd listen. But this involves my parents. I really don't know how to handle it. Do you guys know?"

Bernard told them about his situation.

They were all college roommates with close relationships. After he finished, the others looked at each other, also unsure how to handle it.

One friend said, "Girls these days all think they're princesses. Marriage means sky-high bride prices, they demand houses, expect to be taken care of during pregnancy, want you to help raise the kids. I don't know who spoiled them like this. I'm not daring to get married—I'd rather be alone forever."

Another friend said, "My mom says the house, car, helping with pregnancy and kids are all fine, as long as I bring someone home. But I'm not doing it. Why marry a princess? Isn't it better to earn money and spend it on myself?"

Another friend chimed in, "You guys should be grateful. Being able to find a wife is good enough. I want to find one but can't."

"It would be great if it were like the old days - women came into the family and did housework and raised kids, while we men just went to work and earned money."

The more Bernard listened, the more irritated he became.

“Enough,” he said abruptly. “Let’s just play.”

……

Back at the Savoy house—

Penny waited at home for two days without receiving any calls or messages from Bernard. She was furious and decided not to reach out to him either.

Unexpectedly, on the third day, Mr. Lewis actually called her.

Mr. Lewis said they would be returning to their hometown soon, and before leaving, they wanted to meet her parents.

Penny's first instinct was to refuse the meeting.

Bernard hadn't even contacted her, yet his parents wanted to meet hers—what kind of arrangement was this?

“I’ll need to check with my parents first to see if they are available,” she replied cautiously.

Mr. Lewis agreed.

That evening, Penny waited at home for Kevin to return.