Chapter 30 - Are the wedding candies sweet? Then let's try some more.

Fu Qingli carried Lin Xi into the car and held her in his arms to rest.

Lin Xi leaned against his chest, the steady, clear sound of his heartbeat in her ear, and the unique scent of his body lingering in her nostrils.

After being exposed to the sun for half an hour, his body was already soaked in sweat, yet he still didn't smell bad. On the contrary, due to the accelerated blood flow, the scent of cedarwood was stronger than usual, naturally clean and refreshing.

Fu Qingli's cold voice rang out from time to time, and Lin Xi's consciousness, which she had been struggling to maintain, gradually became hazy, and she slowly fell asleep.

She was jolted awake from her light sleep by a sudden feeling of weightlessness, only to find herself being carried horizontally in Fu Qingli's arms and being walked forward.

In fact, Fu Qingli deliberately made her movements light and gentle, not wanting to disturb her rest.

However, she had just experienced a violent emotional upheaval and lacked a sense of security. Any slight movement would make her subconsciously uneasy.

Her body suddenly jerked, and Fu Qingli naturally felt it immediately.

He instinctively tightened his arms around her, immediately glancing down to check on the person in his arms.

When he met Lin Xi's open eyes, the faint panic in them made his heart ache. He quickly comforted her, "Xi Xi, don't be afraid, we're home."

Lin Xi then realized that the surrounding environment was very familiar; it was downstairs from the Xuefu Mingyuan residential building.

The daylight was still bright, and it looked like it was still afternoon.

She didn't react for a moment; after the panic subsided, she was left stunned: "How did we get here?"

"Forgot?" Fu Qingli continued walking, a gentle smile playing on her lips, reminding her, "We came back to get the household registration book. You promised to go with me to get our marriage certificate."

Lin Xi remembered.

The photos of Su Yi'an had a tremendous impact on her mental state, and she was unable to control the overwhelming waves of despair that engulfed her.

However, they still retain their rationality and are able to control themselves at critical moments, preventing them from taking extreme actions.

Of course, it's not to the point of having no memory of that period.

She could clearly recall how she cried and shouted that Fu Qingli had married someone else, how Fu Qingli proposed to her, and how she agreed to get a marriage certificate with him, and so on.

Even if one's emotions were unstable at the time, these actions were understandable.

But when she came to her senses and recalled the memory, Lin Xi felt extremely embarrassed to let Fu Qingli see her like that.

Lin Xi's expression shifted from sudden realization to embarrassment.

Fu Qingli observed her emotional changes and asked again, "Xiaoxi, are you awake now?"

"Hmm, I'm awake now..."

Fu Qingli sighed softly and said, "It's good that you're awake now."

Lin Xi subconsciously thought that Fu Qingli's reaction was one of relief.

That's true. They've been separated for six years, and they're not the same people they used to be. They probably only proposed marriage to comfort him in a moment of desperation because they saw him breaking down emotionally.

How could someone as far-sighted as Fu Qingli make such an impulsive decision as to get married in a flash?

A wave of bitterness and pain washed over Lin Xi. She knew she was now fully awake and could no longer take his words of comfort seriously.

But she really didn't know how to face his subsequent rejection. To be more precise, she didn't want to wake up from that false comfort; she just wanted to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich and refuse to hear anything she didn't want to hear.

She turned her head to the side and covered her face with her hands, hoping to prevent Fu Qingli from seeing her sadness.

Fu Qingli opened her mouth as if to say something, but the elevator had just arrived at the first floor and opened, revealing several people coming up from the basement. This was not a suitable occasion for what to say next.

Fu Qingli carried Lin Xi inside and softly apologized to the kind old man who had helped press the elevator button.

The journey of a few minutes was enough for Lin Xi to mentally prepare herself.

She knew she could no longer escape, and as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she struggled to get off Fu Qingli.

Fu Qingli refused to put her down: "Xiaoxi, be good, I'll carry you to open the door."

His gentle, coaxing tone made Lin Xi's eyes redden. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she still subconsciously listened to him.

She unlocked the door with her fingerprint, and he walked in without hesitation. Although it was his first time inside, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity and ease.

Fu Qingli carefully settled her on the sofa, and instead of immediately leaving, he knelt on one knee on the carpet.

He placed his hands on either side of her thighs, raised his head, and looked directly into her eyes.

His usually deep black eyes were now burning with a mixture of trepidation, anticipation, and unease.

Fu Qingli's outward display of emotion stunned Lin Xi, who didn't look away and stared directly into his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Lin Xi's heart raced; she had a feeling that something big was about to happen!

Fu Qingli didn't seem to be in much better shape either; she noticed that the veins on his temples were slightly bulging and throbbing faster.

After deliberating for a while, Fu Qingli licked her lips and finally spoke, her voice unusually tense: "Lin Xi, I want to confirm with you again while you are sober, are you willing to marry me today? I know this decision is sudden for you, but I have been waiting for this day for a long time, and it is not an impulsive decision. Now that I have said it, I don't want to wait any longer. I want to be with you and never be apart again!"

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out a delicate, full-circle diamond ring. He held it in his palm and presented it to her, explaining nervously, "This isn't a formal diamond ring, it's just that there wasn't enough time to prepare anything else, this is all I have. But I'll make up for everything else later, will you marry me?"

At this sacred moment, a long-held question suddenly flashed into Lin Xi's mind, and she didn't want to guess anymore. She asked directly, "Fu Qingli, do you love me? I mean romantic love, not sibling affection."

"Can you tell the difference? If you just see me as a younger sister, or just feel sorry for me and want to take care of me, then you don't need to go to this extent."

Fu Qingli reached out and caught her tears, her eyes filled with bitter heartache: "Of course I love you. Those days when I treated you like a younger sister were just to cover up my despicable lust. I've been waiting for you to grow up, waiting for you to be able to judge that your feelings for me are not just dependence or a passing fancy. I was too presumptuous and never seriously told you 'I love you'."

"Xixi, I love you. I've only ever loved you in the past, and I'll only ever love you in the future. I want to be with you, not because I think you need me, but because I can't bear to live without you!"

The tears that fell on Lin Xi's cheeks were eventually gently kissed away by Fu Qingli.

*

What happened next became perfectly logical.

As Lin Xi received the two red notebooks from the staff, their light weight made her feel unreal, as if her legs were floating in the air, unable to land on solid ground.

In contrast, Fu Qingli smiled and thanked each of the staff who had offered their blessings. Her assistant and photographer, who had come along, produced a large bag of wedding candy from who-knows-where and distributed it to everyone in a lively manner.

Like other newlyweds who have been in love for many years and finally tied the knot, they share their joy with the world.

Lin Xi's mind was in a mess, her thoughts were scattered.

Thinking back, while I was asleep, Fu Qingli made a lot of preparations for getting their marriage certificate: clothes, a bouquet, wedding candy, and even hired a professional makeup artist and photographer.

After a while, she nervously flipped through her marriage certificate to check if her eyes were noticeably swollen.

Thankfully, the makeup artist is very skilled, so it's not very noticeable.

Fu Qingli, on the other hand, was so busy tidying her up that she only changed her clothes and had the makeup artist do a quick haircut.

But he has excellent bone structure, with prominent brow bones, smooth and neat facial lines, and a slight smile at the corner of his lips that softens his cool temperament, making him look handsome and outstanding.

Fu Qingli stood beside her and watched with her.

"It looks great."

Lin Xi blushed and put on her marriage certificate.

Fu Qingli naturally reached out and took it, carefully tucking it into her bosom: "Can we leave now?"

While waiting, he asked her for her opinion, suggesting whether they should return to Nanqing and tell their father the good news as soon as possible.

Lin Xi hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

Nanqing, the city that holds all her memories with her father.

Since her father's burial, she has not stayed there for more than a day, nor has she had the courage to step into that empty house again.

Every time she thinks of Nanqing, she is forced to confront her father's death once again and realize the reality that she is all alone.

But at this moment, with Fu Qingli by her side, she felt boundless courage welling up inside her.

Her father taught her from a young age not to run away from reality, but to bravely face all the hardships life throws at her.

She no longer wanted to run away from these realities she should have faced long ago. She wanted to tell her father that she had been living a good life all these years, and that she had found Fu Qingli again.

They got married and will have a home that belongs only to them, and they will never be separated again.

My father liked Fu Qingli so much when he was alive. He must have been very happy to know that they were together.

Seeing her nod, Fu Qingli took her hand and walked outside.

His well-defined fingers slipped between hers, interlocking with hers in a practiced way, as intimate as they had always been.

Lin Xi looked down at their intertwined fingers, the rough, warm skin between them, and the strong, hard knuckles that felt so real.

Suddenly, I felt at ease and had a real sense of the potential for our relationship to progress further.

She moved her fingers, and when Fu Qingli sensed the movement and looked at her, she smiled brightly at him and said in a lighthearted tone, "Fu Qingli, happy marriage!"

Fu Qingli raised an eyebrow slightly, remaining silent. The coldness between his brows melted away, and he smiled back, tightening his grip on her hand as they continued walking forward, his steps quickening slightly.

Over the years, Lin Xi could see that his smile contained joy and happiness, and that he was genuinely happy, just like herself.

He was never good at sweet talk, he did more than he said, so Lin Xi didn't mind his silence and was secretly happy.

When Fu Qingli got into the car, Lin Xi was fastening her seatbelt.

Her hand suddenly clenched, and the light in front of her dimmed. Lin Xi subconsciously looked up and met Fu Qingli's smiling, deep eyes.

He leaned over, wrapped his arms around her wrists and pressed them against the leather seat, his face very close, his high nose almost touching hers. As he spoke, his breath brushed against her cheeks, like strands of hair gently brushing against her skin, causing a slight tickle.

Lin Xi's heart was also itching.

Because she heard Fu Qingli's cold, deep voice utter a tender and affectionate sentence: "Happy wedding, please take good care of me in the future, Mrs. Fu."

Lin Xi wondered if she had misheard, then felt a soft touch on her lips.

Fu Qingli pressed her lips to hers, without any hesitation, her nimble and soft lips sliding in directly, slipping between her slightly parted lips and teeth in surprise, and placing a small candy on the tip of her tongue.

Lin Xi felt as if her head had exploded, and she was completely unable to think straight.

His soft touch gently caressed her lips and tongue, tenderly licking between her teeth. The strawberry-flavored candy melted on her tongue, filling her entire mouth with his movements.

This wasn't their first kiss, but it was the first time Fu Qingli had stuck out her tongue during a kiss.

In the past, kisses always remained superficial, limited to a mere touch of lips—pure, gentle, and cautious, stirring the heart yet always feeling a lack of passion.

This time, Fu Qingli's kiss was extremely aggressive, conquering her senses and seizing all the sweetness she had hidden away.

The kiss lasted for several minutes, and both of them became somewhat lost in it, their breathing becoming erratic.

Fu Qingli only reluctantly withdrew when Lin Xi was out of breath and started pushing him away, but his lips remained pressed against hers.

Lin Xi looked incredibly cute in her stunned expression, and he gave her a quick peck on the corner of her moist lips.

Lin Xi's mind went blank, and for some reason, she asked a really stupid question: "Why are you secretly eating candy?"

Fu Qingli couldn't help but chuckle: "Our wedding candy."

He gently nuzzled her nose against hers, his slightly husky voice coaxing, "Is it sweet?"

"sweet."

A beautiful light shone in Fu Qingli's deep eyes. He pressed his lips to hers again, whispering softly, a murmur reserved only for lovers: "Then let's taste it a little longer."

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Author's note: Here I'd like to recommend my upcoming novel, "Ke Li's Little Fish," [a flamboyant young master x an optimistic intangible cultural heritage inheritor], with a 4-year age gap. I'll start writing this one after I finish this one.

Just a quick quick update: if you like Republican-era novels, I recommend my friend Lao Niu Geng's sweet novel, *Double Paper Cranes*. It's a story about raising a child bride; the female lead is a child bride, and the male lead is reborn. The male lead's feelings for the female lead evolve from responsibility to irresistible attraction. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories about raising a child and bittersweet romance.