Wei Li choked and quickly drank some water.

Are you going in a little while?

Seeing his shifty and uncertain eyes, Zhao Xiheng thought he didn't want to go and felt a little annoyed. Just as she was about to speak, Wei Li grabbed her hand.

"How about we go after you finish your afternoon nap?" Zhao Xiheng frowned; he knew she was going to be unhappy.

There's no difference between going in the morning and going in the afternoon; perhaps Wei Li has something to do, which is why he seems hesitant.

Zhao Xiheng never makes trouble when it comes to serious matters. "If you have something to do, we can reschedule for another day. Just tell me when you're free."

"It's nothing important..."

Looking at her earnest expression as she considered his feelings, Wei Li's heart stirred. He lowered his gaze slightly, his dark eyelashes fanning out beautifully. He pressed her head down and slowly lowered his head to kiss her.

The room was filled with a tender and affectionate atmosphere. The maids covered their eyes, not daring to look, but secretly peeked out through a crack.

As Zhao Xiheng watched his face draw closer, she instinctively pushed him away. Caught off guard, Wei Li fell backward, chair and all. He stared at Zhao Xiheng in disbelief, pointing at her, stammering, "You...you...you..."

You struggled for ages but couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

Zhao Xiheng felt a little guilty; she seemed to have overreacted. So she quickly reached out and pulled the person up, saying, "Cough, I didn't mean to."

Wei Li was still in a daze. When she saw her coming over to help her, she even shrank back a couple of times.

He couldn't believe it; when did Zhao Xiheng become so strong?

Such a delicate and soft person, who was scared to tears when first met, could it be that her temper would worsen and her strength would increase after she got pregnant?

Zhao Xiheng felt a little guilty, so she cupped his face, gently kissed his cheek, and said coquettishly, "My lord, don't be angry. I didn't mean to."

Wei Li's eyes flickered, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He figured she hadn't done it on purpose; it was just that he hadn't been on guard for a moment. He pointed to his other cheek, "And here."

"Tsk, why are you so troublesome? You have so many things to do." Zhao Xiheng took a bite out of his other cheek, leaving two shallow teeth marks.

Wei Li paused for a moment, then pulled her hand to stand up. With teeth marks on half her face, he asked with a hint of concern, "Should we find a doctor to take another look?"

"I'm perfectly healthy, what are you looking at?" Zhao Xiheng asked, lifting her eyes.

Afraid that she would get angry and throw a tantrum again, Wei Li could only nod, "Then you say you don't want to watch it, and you don't have to."

It doesn't matter if you have a bad temper or are strong, as long as you are healthy.

After the two talked for a while, Wei Li went out, and Zhao Xiheng assumed that he was going to attend to important matters.

In the study's washroom, there was a bronze mirror as tall as a person, clearly reflecting Wei Li's figure.

He looked in the mirror and removed the string of shiny silver earrings from his left ear, leaving several tiny piercings that were barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

Then she let down her ponytail, took out a jade crown, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to fuss with her hair.

In the past, combing hair was extremely simple. Just comb the hair straight and tie it up, at most gathering a few small braids to secure it. It was nothing like how complicated it is now. After a busy period of time, fine sweat appeared on my forehead, but I still couldn't put the hair crown on properly.

Wei Li wanted to smash all of these things, but in the end, she patiently took off the hairpin, put it in her mouth, and combed her hair again.

Finally, feeling utterly frustrated, he had no choice but to temporarily abandon the headdress and change his clothes first.

The clothes were pure white robes, the very ones Zhao Xiheng had made for him last year. Zhao Xiheng thought they didn't look good on him, and Wei Li also felt they didn't suit him, so he just left them lying around and never touched them again.

After getting dressed, Wei Li calmed himself down, suppressed his agitation, and patiently picked up his hair ornament and combed his hair again. This time, he barely managed to look presentable.

He looked at himself in the mirror, pinched his cheek, and tried to soften and relax his facial expression.

Zhao Xiheng's parents must like a son-in-law like Xie Qingyu. He recalled Xie Qingyu's usual behavior and smiled, making sure the corners of his mouth were level and his eyes were slightly curved.

The fierce-looking young man suddenly appeared somewhat incongruously kind. The person in white robes and jade crown with a friendly smile felt like a complete stranger to Wei Li, so much so that he couldn't even recognize himself.

Aside from his face, he seemed to have aged considerably.

He took two slow steps, his pace so deliberate that it gave him a touch of gentleness.

Wei Li tilted his head and ended up like this. Was it worth it?

Who cares if it's worth it or not?

He wanted to go with Ah-Dan to properly pay respects at her parents' memorial tablets, to tell them that Ah-Dan had a child, but how could he, in his previous state, be the son-in-law they desired? Would they feel comfortable entrusting their daughter to him? Would they feel comfortable having him as the father of their grandson?

Perhaps Xie Qingyu's appearance is the kind of son-in-law they hope for.

Wei Li's palms were slightly sweaty as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Although he dressed and learned somewhat like Xie Qingyu, he was not as handsome as Xie Qingyu, nor as talented as Xie Qingyu, and he especially could not imitate the demeanor that Xie Qingyu exuded from the bottom of his heart.

This is a poor imitation, nothing more.

If he goes out like this, will Ah-Dan see through his intentions and think he's inappropriate and makes a fool of himself?

At the last wedding, he and Ah-Dan paid respects to her parents' memorial tablets together, but this time it was different. He could no longer wear wedding clothes to cover himself, nor was he separated by a curtain of the green bridal chamber.

He needs to be like a husband and a father.

When Zhao Xiheng woke up from her midday nap, she vaguely saw a figure beside her, dressed in white. She mistook it for Xie Qingyu and jumped up in surprise.

Why did Xie Qingyu end up in my bedroom?

Upon closer inspection, she discovered it was actually Wei Li.

He was actually wearing all white? That's completely out of character.

Zhao Xiheng laughed, "Why did you wear this outfit out of the blue?"

Wei Li didn't respond to her. He just lowered his head slightly, his hands clenched slightly, hidden under his sleeves, and refused to let go.

Zhao Xiheng nudged him for a long time before he finally turned his head slightly away.

His cheeks and ears were flushed red, and there were a few beads of sweat on his forehead. The string of sparkling silver earrings that had been on his left ear was gone.

"If it doesn't look good, I'll go change it." He couldn't bear Zhao Xiheng's scrutinizing gaze any longer, and felt extremely ashamed. He almost ran away as if he were fleeing.

He knew it all along, he knew it all along, he knew he shouldn't have brought this humiliation upon himself.

Zhao Xiheng sat up and hugged his waist. "You look good! Sit down and let me see you."

With Zhao Xiheng pressed against his back, warm and soft, Wei Li sat down stiffly, his hands hanging down on his knees.

Zhao Xiheng touched his string of ear piercings and exclaimed, "So many!"

Wei Li's body stiffened even more.

She touched her earlobe again, "Does it hurt to get your ears pierced?"

Wei Li shook his head, "It doesn't hurt." Of course, it didn't hurt him.

Zhao Xiheng's eyes lit up. "I want to get my ears pierced too, so I can wear pretty earrings."

"It hurts." Wei Li suddenly changed his mind, "Getting my ears pierced hurts. I misremembered."

"Then forget it." Zhao Xiheng said reluctantly; she was a little afraid of pain.

Wei Li touched her fair and delicate earlobe. "It's beautiful. You don't need to get it fixed."

He felt uncomfortable licking it after I hit him.

Did you put honey on your lips this afternoon? How come you speak so sweetly? Zhao Xiheng happily and generously kissed the tip of his nose.

Ever since Wei Li changed into these clothes, his temper seemed to have been sealed away. He answered whatever Zhao Xiheng asked him without uttering a sound.

He was indeed well-behaved, but Zhao Xiheng didn't know why he had suddenly changed his appearance and temperament today.

She got up and changed her clothes; they had said they would go to the ancestral temple together that morning.

She wasn't wearing brightly colored clothes, just a thick, light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a snow-white cloak draped over it.

The memorial tablet was placed in a side hall. The joint burial tomb is still in the imperial mausoleum in Jinyang, so naturally there is no chance to worship there now.

Wei Li's stiffness and affectation reached their peak the moment he faced the memorial tablet, at least that's what Zhao Xiheng thought.

She suddenly realized why Wei Li had dressed like this today, which was unusual for him. She felt a little touched, but also a little bittersweet.

He didn't need to do that. His parents wouldn't dislike him, and even if they did, they couldn't hit him.

The two knelt before the memorial tablets, and Xiao Tao lit three incense sticks for each of them.

Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li bowed three times and placed the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Even though her parents have been gone for many years, Zhao Xiheng still feels sad whenever she recalls them.

Her eyes glistened with tears, which she bit back, her vision blurred by the tears. She seemed to see her parents, their figures indistinct, sitting at the head of the memorial tablet, smiling at her, their voices and appearances just as they had been back then.

She had come today for a happy occasion, so she couldn't shed tears. However, she couldn't find a handkerchief after searching around. Wei Li then reached out his sleeve and wiped her face with it.

Zhao Xiheng took his arm and, with a smile and a choked voice, said to the two memorial tablets at the head of the table, "Father and Mother, you've met this person before, he's your son-in-law."

“He’s a good person, and he’s good to our daughter. He’s no worse than the one you chose for her, so don’t worry.”

Wei Li's heart was pounding more violently than ever before.

Is it true or false that Zhao Xiheng said he was no worse than Xie Qingyu?

Zhao Xiheng muttered to herself as she looked at the memorial tablet, "I came here today to tell my father and mother some good news. I'm going to have a child soon, and you'll soon have a grandchild. If you were still here, you would be so happy."

She tugged at Wei Li's hand, "Look, our daughter and son-in-law are both very good-looking; their child will definitely be beautiful too."

Wei Li could barely hear any of what Zhao Xiheng said afterward; only one thought echoed in his mind: Zhao Xiheng said he was very good and that he was handsome.

Zhao Xiheng, her eyes red, nestled beside Wei Li, but secretly pinched his waist, saying, "Say something!"

Wei Li snapped out of his daze and kowtowed three more times to the memorial tablet. He had everything he wanted to say in his heart, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law could hear him.