Eating Melons on the Street, and Getting Married Along the Way - Chapter 1

“Do you believe me? I could just grab anyone off the street and marry them, and they’d be better than you!” Catching a whiff of gossip, my best friend Zhao Zekai and I looked up almost simultaneously. We exchanged a quick smile, then, with a silent understanding, we both grabbed our bowls and ran out the door. I have to say, gossip truly is the best accompaniment to a meal. We squatted on the curb, slurping our noodles while watching a man and a woman arguing.

I swallowed the noodles in my mouth and pointed with my chopsticks at the heated argument. “Look, look! That woman is so agitated she’s almost slapping that man’s face!” My best friend mumbled, “That guy is such a wuss. Even like this, he doesn’t dare to touch her. Hey, don’t tell me, that woman is quite good-looking.”

“She’s indeed not bad.”

“Just enough for us to enjoy our meal.”

My best friend and I exchanged mischievous glances, and seeing his lewd smile, I couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

I quickly lowered my head.

Just then, my best friend’s voice came from beside me. “Holy [expletive], Old Qin, run! That woman’s walking towards us!”

How the [expletive] am I supposed to run? Noodles are coming out of my nostrils, I grumbled inwardly.

When I looked up, a beautiful face was less than a centimeter from my nose.

I quickly looked to the side; there was no sign of Kaizi. All I saw was a sneaky retreating figure in the distance.

I looked at the teasing glint in the person’s eyes and had already flayed Kaizi a dozen times in my mind.

She smiled and reached out a hand, pinching the back of my neck and lifting me. With both hands holding my bowl of noodles, I couldn’t push her hand away.

I quickly said, “Beautiful, I’m just eating some melon, isn’t this a bit much?!”

“Shut up!”

Hearing her fierce voice, I immediately quieted down. I was too familiar with that tone; after all, I’d been yelled at by my mom since I was little.

She pushed me towards the man she was arguing with. As we got closer, I grew anxious and pleaded in a low voice, “Miss, I’m just eating some melon, I don’t want to get involved in your business!”

To my surprise, she didn’t even look at me. Her face was icy as she told the man, “You’d better back down now. There are plenty of pretty boys out there besides you.”

I could see the man hesitated slightly, but he still retorted stubbornly, “What? Are you going to marry this pauper?”

You’re the pauper, your whole family’s paupers, I mumbled to myself.

Unexpectedly, the woman holding me saw his stubbornness, and her face became even more like a block of ancient ice. “Yes, that’s right.”

Hearing this, I panicked. I was still a virgin, you know! “Hey, no, miss, I’m just here for the gossip. I never said I wanted to marry you!”

Seeing this, the pretty boy’s smugness grew even more obvious. He put his hands on his hips and scoffed at her, “See? Even this guy in rags despises you.”

The woman next to me shot me a cold glare.

Although I’m a bit afraid of women because of my mom, in this situation, I had to stand up for myself.

“What? Did I say something wrong? No, I didn’t. I’m just an innocent bystander.”

To my surprise, her icy face leaned close to my ear. I thought she was going to hit me and instinctively raised my hand to block.

But she just whispered in my ear, “Marry me, and I’ll give you 100,000 every month, and you won’t have to fulfill any husbandly duties.”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but click my tongue. That’s 100,000! 100,000 a month for doing nothing.

I feigned a cough. “Uh, well, now that you mention it, wifey, when are we going to get our marriage certificate?”

“Now.”

Then, enduring the strange glances from the surrounding crowd and the furious stare of that pretty boy, she took my hand and led me out of the encirclement.

Midway, that pretty boy tried to stop us again, suddenly kneeling on the ground, which startled me.

He put on what he thought was a handsome expression, his eyes sincere as he said, “Qingxue, I was wrong. I know you just want to make me angry, you’re not really going to marry this guy.”

Then his gaze fixed on me. “And you, get your hands off my Qingxue!”

At this, I looked at the woman beside me with a pained expression. After all, a job paying 100,000 a month wasn’t easy to find! In my heart, I kept silently repeating: Don’t agree, please don’t agree.

And indeed, it was as I expected. The woman beside me snatched the noodle bowl from my other hand and dumped it upside down on the head of the man kneeling before us.

The pretty boy clutched his head and let out a pig-like shriek, so miserable that even I felt the pain. I gave him a pitiful look.

“You? You don’t deserve her. Let’s go.”

She coldly flung that sentence out and pulled me forward. Seeing this, I fearfully and obediently followed her, giving my brother behind me a sympathetic glance.

The guy indignantly stood up from the ground and yelled at us, “You two [expletive], if I’m not doing well, neither will you!” But with his face covered in oily sauce, he looked so comical that it was funny, completely lacking any deterrent effect.

Watching the red noodle soup drip down his hair, I silently apologized to him in my heart: Sorry, brother, your pal here likes spicy food.

At the Civil Affairs Bureau, the staff handed us two forms to fill out. Li Qingxue looked at me meaningfully. “Have you thought it through? Once you sign, you can’t go back, okay?”

Are you kidding? 100,000 a month, where else could I find such an easy job?

I resolutely and heavily signed my name on the form.

Walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, I stared blankly at the marriage certificate in my hand, looking at the section for the female party.

Li Qingxue.

Her name sounded nice. In the photo, the woman smiled at the camera, but I could tell the smile in her eyes didn’t reach deep down.

In contrast, I was grinning like an idiot, my whole face beaming with happiness.

Well, this is how it is, I thought to myself. Anyway, I’m just after her money.

“What’s wrong? Regretting it?”

I looked at her, dressed in a white dress, frowning prettily at me and speaking unhappily.

“No, I’m just lamenting that I got married so haphazardly.”

Hearing this, she chuckled.

I was mesmerized by her smiling face. This was the first time I had truly looked at her face carefully. Before, I was too absorbed in the joy of 100,000 a month; who had time to look at her?

Her loose hair shimmered in the sunlight, and when she smiled, two charming dimples appeared on her face. Below her slender willow eyebrows were a pair of sparkling eyes, and her cherry lips curved into a beautiful arc, revealing her pearly white teeth.

Seeing the girl’s face gradually redden, I finally reacted, awkwardly scratching the back of my head. Then I stretched out my hand and forced a smile, saying, “Uh, my name is Qin Ze.”

She shook my hand. “My name is Li Qingxue.”

After letting go, I didn’t know what to say. Coincidentally, she didn’t speak either. We just stood there like two idiots at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

A guy behind us finally couldn’t stand it and said to me, “Excuse me, can you two move aside, buddy? I’m in a hurry to get a divorce! I really can’t stand your act.”

We finally made way for them.

I guiltily bowed, “I’m so sorry! Brother, first time getting married, a little nervous.”

To my surprise, he didn’t appreciate it and just rolled his eyes at me. However, the woman behind him chuckled at me and followed him in.

Well, her, fine, but why did Li Qingxue also start laughing? I really couldn’t understand it.

“What are you laughing at?” I asked her, puzzled.

To my surprise, she covered her mouth, her eyes looking at a nearby coffee shop. She pointed with her finger. “Let’s go sit and chat there!”

Then she walked forward on her own, and I, clueless, followed behind her.

Inside the coffee shop, I looked at the digital menu in my hand and couldn’t help but marvel that the owner was a [expletive] genius.

Not only did they open a coffee shop across from the Civil Affairs Bureau, but the coffee names were also outrageously [expletive] awesome.

A “Love Connection Cappuccino Set” – I just wanted to ask how two cups of coffee could sell for 520 yuan!

Even more exaggerated was the “Happiness Latte Set.” Just adding the word “happiness,” and it actually dared to sell for 1314 yuan.

He clearly could have just robbed me, but he was kind enough to give me two cups of coffee.

Every price on the menu made me shake my head.

The key was that this shop still had so many customers.

“What’s wrong?”

Li Qingxue across from me looked at me with a strange expression.

“Oh, nothing. Don’t you think the prices on this menu are a bit… problematic?”

I whispered to her.

“Are they? I don’t think so.” Li Qingxue lowered her head, glanced at the menu, swiped a few times, then looked at me and said.

I looked at her blank expression and slapped my forehead, thinking to myself: How could I forget this girl is a rich woman! My apologies, my apologies.

“Nothing, nothing, you order!” To avoid awkwardness, I flipped my phone’s menu over, no longer looking at the screen.

She tapped the screen a few times, then turned off the display.

If I wasn’t mistaken, she seemed to have ordered the most expensive set. This move completely stunned me.

“Let’s discuss what we need to do between us.”

“What?”

I came back to my senses, wondering when she had changed her demeanor. Her hands were crossed, her chin rested on them, and her eyes were filled with shrewdness and calculation.

Seeing this, I shrank my neck in fright. “Boss, you said I wouldn’t have to fulfill any husbandly duties.”

To my surprise, she suddenly burst out laughing, breaking the tense atmosphere. “What are you… thinking about? I meant other things.”

Hearing her speak word by word, I immediately felt a blush creep up, having misunderstood and thought of something else.

So I quickly said, “You say it, you say it.”

Li Qingxue gave me a charming glance that sent shivers down my spine.

“While you don’t need to fulfill husbandly duties, you still need to fulfill the duties of a son-in-law.”

“I need you to be present when my family wants to see you. Also, during holidays, I’ll need you to accompany me home to see my parents.”

“Of course, if you need me on your side, I will also meet the above conditions.”

“How about it?”

So that’s all it was! I thought it was something big. It’s just making old people happy! I’m good at that.

I confidently said, “No problem, you can trust me with this. After all, it’s 100,000 a month! I guarantee our parents will have nothing to say.”

“It’s good that you’re confident.”

Seeing her disbelieving look, I secretly thought: Just you wait and see!

“Oh, right, let’s add each other’s contact info first, otherwise, it’ll be exposed before it even starts.”

I mumbled, “And my salary hasn’t been discussed yet! It’d be best if you just transferred it directly through this.”

Looking at the balance on my phone, which had become 102000.3, my heart was filled with joy.

I was already eager to tell my good brother about this.

I bid her farewell, “Well then, Ms. Li, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. Call me if anything comes up later!”

Without waiting for her nod, I sprinted towards the door.

On the way, I encountered a waitress. After clarifying that I was from her table, I shamelessly picked up one of the cups and chugged it down, under the waitress’s astonished gaze.

And I must say, expensive things do have their reasons. It was better than the one-dollar-a-pack instant coffee I usually brewed.

Then, under everyone’s bewildered stares, I dashed out the door.

On the other side, Li Qingxue stared blankly at Qin Ze’s mysterious actions. When the waitress looked at her, bewildered, she awkwardly nodded.

Just as she took a sip, her phone rang. Seeing the name flashing on the screen, she impatiently furrowed her brows, put down the coffee cup, and walked out of the cafe.

Before the other party could speak, she said, “No need to worry, I’ve already found someone to marry. We’ve already registered.”

It took a long time for a voice to come from the other end, but it sounded a bit lacking in confidence.

“Mom isn’t forcing you, it’s just that the old man stipulated that you have to be married to get the company, otherwise, it will go to your cousin.”

The other party seemed not at all surprised that her daughter was getting married.

“Mm, I know,” Li Qingxue said coldly, her tone devoid of any emotion, as if she were talking to an enemy rather than her mother.

Li’s mother heard the coldness in her daughter’s voice and sighed. But what could she do? It was all caused by greed, but now it was too late to turn back; there was only one path to take.

Then she changed the subject to distract her daughter. “So, how’s your son-in-law?”

Hearing this, a comical scene of Qin Ze flashed in Li Qingxue’s eyes, and she rarely showed a hint of tenderness.

“He’s alright.”

Li Qingxue unconsciously changed her tone of voice. Li’s mother on the other side naturally heard it and was overjoyed, but before she could speak, the other side said, “I’ll bring him back to see Grandpa next week.”

After saying that, the call was hung up, and she found no opportunity to interject.

In a luxurious manor-style room, a woman dressed elegantly and gracefully, bearing an eight-tenths resemblance to Li Qingxue, sat quietly on the sofa. Indeed, this was Zhao Lan, Li Qingxue’s mother, who had just finished talking to her.

A playful smile hung on her face. She naturally knew what her own daughter was like; her daughter was interested in a man!

She wondered who this person was and was about to tell the butler to investigate his background. But then she remembered that her daughter would bring him home next week, so she stopped that thought.

I kicked open the dorm room door, and with the creak of the wooden door, a pilot gloriously fell.

“Oh, oh, oh, Kaizi, you too, don’t you know how to close the door when you’re doing that?” I said, covering my mouth and chuckling as I watched Kaizi on the bottom bunk, one hand holding a roll of paper and the other fiddling with something under the covers.

“My [expletive]! I’m wiping sweat, wiping sweat, understand?”

“What do you mean I didn’t close the door? Did you knock?”

I looked at his exasperated face, laughing unrestrainedly. “Hmm, my bad, I should have knocked.”

He rolled his eyes at me speechlessly, then suddenly, his face showed a sad expression.

“The dorm supervisor told us to move out before Monday. Have you found a place to stay?”

Hearing this, I put away my playful grin, but what came to mind was: I’ve already registered my marriage with her. It wouldn’t be embarrassing to live with her, would it?

Then I coughed. “Well, buddy, I just got married in my spare time. If nothing unexpected happens, I guess I’ll be a kept man.”

As I spoke, I pretended to wipe a tear from my eye, looking up at the ceiling.

Then I looked at my good brother on the bed, who surprisingly chuckled and rolled his eyes at me.

I immediately pulled out my marriage certificate and threw it at his face. “Look carefully, is it real or not?”

After saying that, I strutted with an arrogant gait to his bed and sat down.

He looked at me for a while, then at the marriage certificate, his face full of disbelief.

“No way, you actually got married?”

“That’s right, the doctor said my stomach isn’t good and I can only be a kept man. I can earn 100,000 a month doing nothing.”

I understood his gritted-teeth expression. After all, if I were with a rich woman, I’d have the same expression.

Both afraid that your brother is suffering, and afraid that your brother is driving a Range Rover. That’s exactly what they say.

Just then, my phone rang. I picked it up, almost dropping it in fright.

It displayed the three big words: “Awesome Woman.”

I shakily pressed the answer button. My good brother was too scared to make a sound at this point.

“Hello… hello, Mom!”

A rough voice came from the other end. “Why are you speaking so softly, kidney deficiency? No wonder you couldn’t find a girlfriend in college.”

I dared not respond. The other side continued to speak.

“Also, I’m giving you until this Sunday to find a girlfriend. Whatever method you use, if you don’t find one, don’t call me Mom anymore.”

I silently swallowed my saliva. Although I had a marriage certificate, I didn’t dare to tell her yet, fearing I’d be beaten into an idiot.

The other side, seeing my silence, roared, “Did you hear me?!”

It startled me so much I almost dropped my phone. I quickly said, “Heard it, heard it!”

Only then did the other side hum in satisfaction and hang up.

I heard Kaizi swallow hard. Since we grew up together running around naked, he also got beaten by my mom quite a bit.

To my surprise, he sighed again, rolled his eyes at me, and said, “Now you’re all set, you’ve got your certificate. What’s there to be afraid of about such a small thing?”

He then slapped his head and fiercely told me, “If my mom finds out you got married and then nags me to find someone, I’ll skin you alive first.”

I gave him the middle finger.

“Come on, let’s go to the internet cafe. Today, I’m going to make you, this dog rich guy, treat me well.”

He suddenly flipped out of bed.

“Let’s go then. I’ll show you the skill of the number one Talon in the country.”

True to our word, we played until dawn the next day.

“You dog, 0-13, and you call yourself the number one Talon in the country? I’ve never seen anyone so bad.”

I stubbornly retorted, “I’m just not in form. You’re talking as if your score is so great, 1-14, and you even stole my kill.”

We argued all the way from the internet cafe to the dorm. The moment we touched our beds, we fell silent as if under a spell.

Until I woke up in the afternoon, looking at the string of missed calls on my phone from someone saved as “Rich Wife,” I instantly sobered up and called back.

Meanwhile, Li Qingxue, who had obtained all the company shares, was reviewing cooperation proposals in the CEO’s office on the top floor of the Li Corporation.

At this moment, seeing the words “Cheap Husband” displayed on the phone screen resting beside her, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Although she had some good feelings for him, Li Qingxue was not someone who could be casually neglected.

She waited until the tenth call before picking up.

I kept pressing the redial button over and over. After all, being late on the first day of work wasn’t good. Finally, she picked up, and as soon as the call connected, I quickly apologized, “Wifey, wifey, I was wrong. I stayed up all night playing games and overslept.”

On the other end, Li Qingxue had originally intended to warn him, but hearing Qin Ze call her “wifey,” a strange feeling surged within her, though it was certainly not dislike.

Then she spoke, “Be careful next time, go to bed early.” After saying it, she herself was stunned; such words had come from her own mouth.

Listening to her soft voice on the phone, I felt like my brain was about to sprout, but luckily, I managed to suppress that feeling in time.

“Wifey, is there something wrong?”

Li Qingxue then seemed to remember what she wanted to tell me and quickly said, “Are you free next Monday? I need to take you home.”

I remembered my mom’s words and quickly said, “I have a situation on my end too. I need you to accompany me home this Sunday.”

“Okay.”

Hearing her quick agreement, I gritted my teeth and pressed my luck. “Uh, do you have any spare rooms over there?”

“What do you want to do?” Li Qingxue crossed her legs, her brows furrowed, secretly thinking: Did I misjudge him?

I understood that she had misunderstood me and said, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just leaving school after my senior year! I have nowhere else to go, so I can only stay with you, wifey.”

Hearing Qin Ze say that, Li Qingxue secretly let out a sigh of relief. Then, hearing him call her “wifey” again, she secretly spat in her mind: “Lecher!”

“You wait at school! I’ll have my assistant help you move.”

With that, she hung up, shook her head, and continued to handle her affairs.

After hanging up the phone, I turned my head and saw my brother’s resentful gaze. In response, I raised my hand (raising my hand wasn’t an apology, it was more like, “Brother, you still need to practice”).

I heard him muttering “You [expletive],” but I ignored it, just considering it idle chatter as I stepped onto the peak of my life.

The cool CEO’s efficiency was always excellent. Indeed, just two hours later, the assistant contacted me.

I leaned out of the luxury car and blew a kiss to my傻 brother behind me.

You know, showing off in front of your brother really feels good.

My good brother’s messages popped up on my phone one after another, but I decisively put my phone on silent.

When the assistant led me into a luxurious villa, seeing the surrounding environment and the exquisite interior decorations, I was stunned.

She led me to a guest room. Although it was a guest room, it was larger than my old two-person dorm room, and to my surprise, it had its own independent bathroom.

Although she and I had registered our marriage, in essence, there was only one difference between us and a servant: I didn’t have to work. I understood this and didn’t expect any “love blossoms over time” drama.

In the following days, I didn’t see Li Qingxue return. Only a few maids were cleaning the villa, coming and going.

These days, I complained to my good brother on the phone about Li Qingxue’s extravagance, living in a villa but not coming home. But I usually only received eye rolls and silences from him.

It was only the day before Sunday that she finally deigned to return. If she hadn’t come back, I would have called her already.

Seeing her sitting on the sofa, I breathed a sigh of relief. After all, my mom was a go-getter. If I didn’t find a girlfriend to bring home tomorrow, she really would disown me!

“You’ve been quite idle lately, haven’t you?” Li Qingxue coldly glanced at the person on the stairs. Although she hadn’t been back lately, the maids in the villa reported his every move to her daily, including his complaints to his brother about her.

Hearing her words, I scratched my head and chuckled awkwardly, “So-so.” The main thing was that I wasn’t very familiar with my wife yet; this was only the second time we’d met.

Considering he had been relatively well-behaved these past few days, Li Qingxue just rolled her eyes at him and didn’t press the matter further. “When are we going to your place tomorrow?”

“Depart at nine, should arrive around noon.”

I saw Li Qingxue sitting on the sofa, stretching her graceful figure, and she spoke wearily, “I’m going to sleep now. Wake me up tomorrow morning.”

Without waiting for my agreement, she walked directly past me and headed towards the master bedroom upstairs.

It was best if she ignored me; I’d have more peace and quiet, and fewer troubles.

I walked directly to the kitchen, started the stove, and oiled the pan, all in one go.

Li Qingxue, who had just finished washing up, was about to go to bed when she smelled the aroma of plain noodles.

She immediately opened her eyes and followed the scent to the kitchen.

“Mission accomplished, Qin-style Plain Noodles!” I looked at the bowl of noodles in front of me and chuckled foolishly.

Unexpectedly, I looked up and saw Li Qingxue wrapped in a bath towel. Her fair skin only stunned me for a moment; the next second, I returned to normal.

After all, I could distinguish between inaccessible beauty and edible noodles.

Looking at her, my mind already imagined the scene of a soft, sweet anime girl asking me for noodles.

But to my surprise, she was ruthless. Without a word, she simply took the entire bowl of noodles I had painstakingly cooked.

And she even spit in it twice.

This move completely stunned me.

Is this still the aloof CEO?

I was about to argue with her, but then the three words “100,000 yuan” floated past my eyes.

I endured!!!

Then I washed the pots and pans, making a loud, discontented clatter. Seeing her still silently slurping her noodles, I stomped back to my secondary bedroom in a huff.

Hearing the loud bang of a door closing upstairs, Li Qingxue suddenly laughed, completely devoid of her usual aloofness. One leg was draped over a chair, the other was shaking, a truly common folk vibe.

She slurped her noodles and lamented, “He can even cook, and the food isn’t bad.”

If I had heard that, I would have had to retort, “A Chongqing boy must know how to cook!”

Unfortunately, I was currently curled up in my blanket, sullenly with my eyes closed.

The next day, in the car, I looked at the woman driving with a shocked expression.

Makeup skills? All pathetic.

Now, behold the transformation.

In just one night, she had transformed into the image of a girl next door.

Li Qingxue, who was driving, felt the shocked gaze beside her and secretly gloated: Little idiot, I haven’t even tried to charm you yet.

So, I directed her from the passenger seat, and we finally made it home before lunch.

Li Qingxue walked in front, and I followed behind, carrying the gift boxes. To my surprise, as I watched my mom smilingly take the gift boxes from my hand, she immediately shut the door on me.

Is this something a biological mother would do? Having a daughter-in-law means you don’t need a son anymore, right?!

If it were someone else’s family, I might not have believed it, but in my family, it wasn’t impossible. I chuckled helplessly at the closed door, wondering what was going on inside.

The tightly shut door only opened when the sun was about to set.

I watched my mom smilingly send my rich wife out, not even sparing me a glance. I followed behind them, watching the two of them chatting and laughing, feeling surprised.

These two only spent less than half a day together and are already getting along so well?

I got into the car, still puzzled. No matter how much I asked her in the car, she just gave me a teasing look and said nothing else.

After asking for half a day with no results, I was tired. I slumped into the seat, letting things happen as they may. I couldn’t control it anymore.

People like me deserve to be kept men and drive luxury cars. It’s all because of past misdeeds that I ended up like this in this life.

After returning home, I cooked myself a bowl of noodles alone. This time, I was smarter and directly spit into it.

She didn’t try to snatch it this time, and I happily finished my bowl of noodles.

I did some calculations: eating her food, using her things, I don’t have to pay for anything, and I get 100,000 a month with zero expenses.

Thinking about my bank account balance jumping from six to seven, then to eight digits, I laughed so hard I couldn’t eat my noodles.

Li Qingxue, who had just started walking up the stairs, saw this scene and thought: This guy isn’t going to get food poisoning, is he? He’s so silly.

Finally, seeing that he was fine, she chuckled lightly and then walked towards her master bedroom.

Another peaceful week passed. This week, we got along like roommates, except the original chef was fired, and that silly rich woman now made me cook for her every day.

Every time I chopped vegetables, I gritted my teeth, imagining that I was vigorously chopping Li Qingxue with each stroke.

Every time the cutting board made a loud thud, she would come to check. For a monthly salary of 100,000, I had to endure. Each time, I greeted her with a smile and asked what she wanted to eat.

To my surprise, this woman became even more demanding. She even had her assistant get me a menu. If she wanted to eat something, she would just order it and have me make it and deliver it to her company.

As a result, everyone in her company got to know me. Every time they saw me, they would bow and scrape.

I could only find some sense of presence from this! In reality, I was just a cook.

Today was the day to meet her family. I specifically used my hard-earned kept-man money to buy a suit. At the very least, I needed to dress formally.

Who knew she had already prepared one for me? I took the one I bought to her for reimbursement, but she wouldn’t reimburse me.

80,000 yuan! My whole month’s kept-man money was gone, and I only bought such a [expletive] piece of clothing. My heart ached.

But when I got in the car and saw her attire, it stunned me even more.

“No, are you really going home in your pajamas?”

I stared blankly at her sitting in the driver’s seat, disheveled and wearing pink pajamas.

To my surprise, she floored it and took off. “What’s with the nonsense! Do I have to dress as formally as you just to go home?”

Hearing her say that, it sounded like there was nothing wrong with it, so I turned my head away, but I still felt like something was off.

I completely missed the mischievous smile on Li Qingxue’s face in the driver’s seat.

Who knew that as soon as I got out of the car, Li Qingxue got out of the driver’s seat and fell into my arms, rubbing against me repeatedly.

Just then, the villa gate opened, and a crowd of people came pouring out.

I simply stared wide-eyed at them, and they stared back.

My face instantly turned red from my neck to my ears. I quickly yelled at the person in my arms, “Wake up! Don’t mess with me!”

To my surprise, she closed her eyes and said with an enjoying expression, “Aren’t you good at this? Show me your skills.”

Seeing her like this, I laughed unceremoniously. “Alright! You asked for this.”

Li Qingxue felt a little panicked inside. She wanted to break free from his arms, but the disparity in strength was too great. She struggled, her face turning red, but she still couldn’t break free.

I held the person in my arms tightly. Under the shocked gazes of her family, I directly lifted her in a princess carry and walked towards them.

The person in my arms finally settled down, but whether the blush on her face was from exhaustion or shyness, perhaps Li Qingxue herself couldn’t say.

I smiled and greeted them one by one. Li Qingxue had shown me photos before, so I could address most of the people present.

To the two middle-aged people at the very front, I smiled and called out, “Dad, Mom.”

These two clearly hadn’t reacted yet. I rolled my eyes, opened my mouth, and began to fabricate.

“Dad, Mom, Xue’er and I played a bit late last night and she fell asleep in the car. Can I take her to her room? So I can put her down.”

“Hiss~”

That [expletive] was pinching the flesh on my stomach.

I lowered my head and looked at the unusually quiet person in my arms.

Suddenly, an energetic old man behind me chuckled loudly and said to me, “You young people! Come with me!”

I looked at the people around me, who dared not make a sound at this moment. Li’s father and mother looked at me with complex expressions, and the person in my arms gradually turned red.

I finally remembered who that old man was and grinned. “Okay, Grandpa.”

The person in my arms burrowed deeper into my embrace, her entire face now as red as a cooked lobster.

I whispered to the person in my arms, “How am I doing? Wifey?”

The grip on my arm tightened, making me wince in pain.

Before long, the old man opened a door. Looking at the pink decor inside, I glanced at the person in my arms in surprise.

How could a cool CEO’s room be this color?

The person in my arms seemed to sense my thoughts and gave me a fierce glare. I could only look at her innocently.

When I put her on the bed, the old man, to my surprise, didn’t leave. He stood behind me, watching me.

“Let’s go, young man, it’s time to eat. Let her sleep here.”

I nodded in agreement. It was only at the dining table that I realized, without Li Qingxue present, I didn’t know anyone around me!

Seven or eight pairs of eyes at the dining table stared at me, and I could only sit awkwardly in my seat.

Until the old man spoke up, “Why are you all staring at young Qin? Eat, everyone!”

I gratefully glanced at the old man.

To my surprise, the next words from the old man nearly made me spit out the food in my mouth.

“Young Qin, when are you and Xue’er going to give me a great-grandchild?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. There was no Li Qingxue to support me.

I could only laugh awkwardly and say, “We’ll do our best, as soon as possible.”

To my surprise, the old man put down his chopsticks, sighed, and suddenly said sadly, “Alas! I’m an old man now. I don’t know if I’ll live to see the day I can hold my great-grandchild.”

I felt pressure from all sides, my heart silently crying out: Do you have to go all out right away?!

What else could I do? If I didn’t agree, no one would enjoy this meal.

I smiled helplessly and said, “Grandpa, we’ll work hard this year, try to get pregnant this year, and you can hold one next year.”

To my surprise, he slyly said, “Is that so? You’re not trying to fool an old man, are you?”

“Absolutely not!”

To my surprise, he pulled out an agreement from behind him and handed it to me. I opened it and saw that the content was exactly what he had promised me.

I smiled bitterly at the old rascal opposite me. So he had prepared this long ago! But I still gritted my teeth and signed my name.

I signed it, but whether she cooperates is your granddaughter’s business.

Indeed, as soon as I finished signing, the old man snatched it away. After seeing the signature, he burst into laughter, completely devoid of his previous dejection.

“What are you waiting for?! Eat, everyone, eat!”

Seeing the old man’s expression, everyone then began to eat without restraint.

People around me kept toasting me, and the old man kept making me drink a strange-tasting soup. Since the old man himself poured it for me, I couldn’t very well refuse, could I?

But when I realized something was wrong, I immediately collapsed onto the dining table.

The people at the dining table seemed to have expected this outcome. Some lifted his arms, others his legs, carrying him towards Li Qingxue’s room.

Li Qingxue, who had been sitting on the bed since Qin Ze left, was holding a stuffed animal and fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist, deep in thought.

Hearing the commotion outside, she quickly lay down and pretended to be asleep.

Everyone tiptoed as they carried the person into the room, then walked out on their tiptoes.

Once everyone had left, Li Qingxue finally opened her eyes.

Smelling a strong scent of alcohol from Qin Ze’s body next to her, Li Qingxue frowned with distaste and slapped him on the stomach.

But Li Qingxue stared blankly at the person beside her for a few seconds, then uttered a few words: “He’s quite handsome.”

She was about to get out of bed but was pulled back.

Then she turned to look.

Qin Ze stared at her, his eyes bloodshot. Li Qingxue secretly thought, “This isn’t good,” and quickly screamed in horror, “Qin Ze, wake up!”

But how could Qin Ze, drugged, hear her?

Then, no more sound came from inside the room. It must have been a storm, presumably.

The next day, I shook my head, looked at the messy surroundings, and couldn’t help but pat my head.

The old man really came up with it. To think he would drug me. This is truly tragic; now I really have to take responsibility.

My movements must have been too big, waking up the person next to me.

To my surprise, she didn’t fuss or complain, but the way she looked at me sent shivers down my spine.

Then she sent a few messages on her phone to someone unknown, got out of bed, put on her clothes, and left.

I sighed and got up, preparing to tidy the messy bed.

Seeing a splash of fresh red on the bedsheet, my eyes changed. I silently put the bedsheet away and put everything else where it belonged.

Who knew, the moment I got dressed, washed up, and pushed open the door, a clothesline came straight for my face.

I instinctively took a step back and saw that the person who came was none other than my mom.

I asked in confusion, “Mom, why are you here? Also, why are you hitting me?!”

“Still dare to dodge?”

“I’ll beat you to death, you little [expletive]! How dare you bully Qingxue? You’re tired of living, aren’t you?”

Then I saw Li Qingxue behind my mom, tears on her face. I looked at her with a complicated expression.

Just then, my mom hit me with a stick, and I yelped in pain, dodging all over the room.

I kept begging for mercy while dodging.

Li Qingxue watched the scene with great interest.

Just now, she had sent a few messages to Qin’s mother, saying that Qin Ze had bullied her.

Qin’s mother then came angrily to their door.

Watching Qin Ze scrambling around, being beaten, Li Qingxue recalled a few scenes from Qin Ze’s home.

There was Qin’s mother pulling her to see photos of Qin Ze as a child, playing in the mud with his [expletive] out.

There was a photo of Qin Ze exploding cow dung and getting it all over himself.

There were photos of him winning awards.

Among them, the most impressive was the scene where Qin’s mother held her hand and handed her the family heirloom jade bracelet.

Now it seems that even if she truly married him, she wouldn’t lose out. Qin’s mother was on her side.

…

One year later.

“Why does Grandpa look a little unhappy, wifey?”

At this moment, the old man’s face no longer held the smile from the dining table that day, and he had lost all his former spirit. His dark circles were even heavier than mine.

Li Qingxue smiled and rolled her eyes at me.

At this moment, the old man saw me as if seeing a savior. He handed the child in his arms to me and then ran away.

I mumbled, looking at his back, “Isn’t he your great-grandson?”

“What? You’re not happy with three great-grandchildren?”

Li Qingxue picked up the other two from the floor and said, “They’re not well-behaved.”

I looked at the two children playing wildly in her arms and then playfully poked the child in my arms, saying, “Good thing I’m not well-behaved! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have married your mom.”

—End of Full Text—