Chapter 83 By the way, what are your plans after marriage...?

Lin Xi still didn't quite understand what Fu Qingli meant and was about to ask further.

But then they heard Zhou Qi's voice chasing after them: "Brother Fu, Xiao Xi, wait for me!"

"Don't tell Zhou Qi about these things beforehand," Fu Qingli whispered to her in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Lin Xi nodded and stopped to wait for Zhou Qi to come over.

Are you heading to a restaurant now? Could you give me a ride?

Lin Xi didn't know where to have dinner that night, so she could only look innocently at Fu Qingli.

He nodded and, out of concern, asked, "Where's your car?"

"It's not open," Zhou Qi explained. "My friend brought me here."

"Male or female?"

"A woman." Zhou Qi answered, then realized something was wrong. Fu Qingli wasn't the type to meddle in such matters.

"Brother Fu, no, why are you asking this? Your wife is still here!"

Fu Qingli glanced at her speechlessly, wanting to say something, but after thinking for a moment, she finally said nothing: "Stop your messy thoughts and mind your own business."

"Oh." Zhou Qi suddenly realized, "Did you hear about my relationship and want to ask about it?"

"Yes, my aunt came to ask me if I knew who your boyfriend is, and asked me to keep an eye out for him."

"Actually, I lied to my mom about being in a relationship. You know she's been determined to set me up on blind dates lately, and I had no other choice but to resort to this." Zhou Qi clasped her hands together towards Fu Qingli. "Brother Fu, please don't tell my mom, or she'll definitely make a scene."

Fu Qingli frowned, somewhat speechless: "So Jiali and Azou also knew it was fake?"

"Yes," Zhou Qi said guiltily, fiddling with her fingers, "I asked them to help me keep it a secret from my mom."

She had hoped that having the two of them would prove she had a boyfriend and that her mother would finally calm down.

Who would have thought she would ask about Fu Qingli?

"Brother Fu, please, please don't tell my mom."

Seeing her pitiful look, Fu Qingli sighed, not really wanting to get involved: "Okay."

"But think it through yourself, so you don't end up messing things up."

"I know, I've thought it all out. Once my mom isn't so keen on arranging blind dates for me, I'll tell her I broke up with my boyfriend."

Fu Qingli didn't say anything more.

Lin Xi asked Zhou Qi, "Can't you just tell your family that you don't want to date for the time being? You're still young, there shouldn't be any rush, right?"

"You don't know, in our circle, people my age are either engaged or not. If I told my family I didn't want to date for the time being, they'd probably follow suit and arrange a family marriage. Although I don't have anyone I like, I don't want to marry someone I don't know well."

Lin Xi hadn't expected this, but after hearing it, she felt that what she said made sense: "Marriage should be taken seriously, and you should marry someone you like."

After she finished speaking, she clearly felt Fu Qingli's burning gaze fall on her.

She then realized that she had unintentionally confessed her feelings, and blushed as she changed the subject: "Let's not stand here, let's talk as we walk."

The restaurant where we had dinner that night was called Gouyue Pavilion, a quaint and traditional private restaurant.

Upon entering, passing a screen depicting fish playing among lotus leaves, one finds an indoor spring with lush lotus leaves on its surface.

In this late autumn of the northern city, a few tender yellow water lilies are still blooming in succession.

Seeing Lin Xi's surprised expression, Fu Qingli introduced, "Do you remember Yunqiaoji in Nanqing? It's owned by the same person as this one, named Gu Keli."

“Hook Moon Pavilion, Cloud Woodcutter’s Chronicle.” Lin Xi murmured, “Hook Moon and Cloud Woodcutter grow old together, without honor or disgrace, without worry (Note).”

Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Is the name of his shop a confession to someone?"

“We all think so, but he himself has never admitted it.”

"Brother Fu, don't spread rumors about me to my face!"

As the window of the private room by the pond was pushed open, a teasing voice came, "I'm not denying it. What I've always said is that if she doesn't know, then it doesn't count as a confession."

Lin Xi looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a dark red silk shirt. His handsome face had sharp features and a carefree smile on his lips. He was leaning against the window and looking at them.

Fu Qingli glanced at Gu Keli, her tone indifferent: "Oh? Does she know?"

Gu Keli pressed his tongue against his chin and chuckled softly, "Fine, I'm the one who won't admit it."

"I hope Brother Fu won't be offended by my uninvited visit."

As he spoke, he waved to the waiter and instructed, "Put this meal on my tab."

This naturally prevented Fu Qingli from blaming her, and she nodded slightly in agreement.

To everyone's surprise, Zou Song, who appeared with Gu Keli, complained loudly, "Gu Keli, you asked me for help, so this meal is on you! And what's with this 'Brother Fu' thing?! No respect for elders! Brother Fu is my senior, you should call us Uncle, understand? Hurry up and call us Uncle!"

"He's only four or five years older than me, why should I call him uncle?"

Gu Keli ignored him and arranged for someone to welcome Fu Qingli and the other two into the private room.

Just a dozen steps away, I could still hear Zou Song shouting, "You're not calling, are you? Well done! Don't forget, I'm still your boss, I'll arrange for you to go to Nanqing in another group."

Lin Xi suddenly realized what it was about.

Back in Haicheng, Fu Qingli had mentioned to her that Nanqing City was planning a public welfare event to promote intangible cultural heritage and had approached Song Jia to plan it.

For some personal reasons, someone wanted to invite her to be the chief planner.

She neither agreed nor refused at the time.

It wasn't that she didn't want to do it, but rather that she didn't know her own situation or whether she could return to Nanqing and live there for a while.

On the way here, Fu Qingli probably considered that the place to eat was Gouyue Pavilion, and fearing that the current situation might occur, so he mentioned this matter to her in advance.

“I hope you’ll give it a try, not for any other reason. I asked the doctor, and he said that given your current condition, appropriate stimulation would be beneficial for your recovery. But if you really don’t want to go back to Nanqing, that’s okay too; I’ll help you refuse.”

But she still hadn't made up her mind. She wasn't sure if she had the courage to return to the place that held so many memories and live there permanently.

Upon seeing them enter, Ji Jiali greeted them, "Brother Fu, sister-in-law, please have a seat."

But Lin Xi had no time to pay attention and apologized to Gu Keli: "I'm sorry, Mr. Gu, I haven't decided whether to take on this project yet."

Gu Keli, abandoning his previous nonchalant attitude, became serious and sincere: "Take your time to consider it. I'm just personally hoping that you can take on this project, but I won't force you."

Because of Gu Keli's words, Lin Xi was deeply shaken and even seemed absent-minded while eating.

On the way home, watching the street scenes flash by outside the car window, Lin Xi suddenly turned to Fu Qingli and asked, "Before we go back to Haicheng, can we go to Jiangcheng?"

"I want to... get a psychological evaluation done again."

Seeing her silence, Fu Qingli worried that he might have been too hasty and shouldn't have let her meet Gu Keli so soon to ask her about the project.

Just as he was considering whether to refuse her directly, he heard her say these words.

Re-evaluating her psychologically means that she is willing to face her true self and genuinely wants to confront her past.

He suppressed his excitement and tried to remain calm as he replied, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements."

"Yes, I have a regular doctor. I'll talk to him about it sooner rather than later."

Lin Xi didn't notice the slight upturn of her lips, and turned back to look out the window: "Actually, I know that Dad left for the sake of justice in his heart. This is the world he tried so hard to protect, and I shouldn't despair of it. In fact, there are still many beautiful things in this world waiting for us to see together, right?"

“Yes!” Fu Qingli reached out and stroked the back of Lin Xi’s head. “We should have high hopes for this world.”

-

Although he had already heard the news the day before, Han Fangyuan was still very excited to see Lin Xi at the outpatient clinic.

"Girl, you've finally decided to come back and see this old man." Han Fangyuan took off his reading glasses and carefully examined Lin Xi for a minute. "You look good, more cheerful, and your cheeks are fuller than before."

Lin Xi was so thin before that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as skin and bones.

She has been trying to gain weight for the past few years, but without much success.

This time, Fu Qingli's care finally paid off, and she was very happy: "Really? I've been eating very regularly lately, and I'm eating well."

"Looks like you've been very obedient this time," Han Fangyuan praised, then looked up at Fu Qingli, feigning ignorance, "And who is this?"

Lin Xi took Fu Qingli's hand and introduced him somewhat shyly: "This is the Fu Qingli I told you about, my... husband. We got married two months ago."

"That's wonderful." Han Fangyuan looked at Fu Qingli and exclaimed sincerely, "Congratulations on your hard work finally paying off."

However, Lin Xi did not understand what he meant and thought he was talking about her condition: "Well, so I want to do a psychological evaluation again to see if my condition has improved and whether I need to adjust my current medication dosage."

"Okay, I'll give you the prescription."

There were many items to check, but Fu Qingli didn't find it troublesome and accompanied Lin Xi the whole way.

This was the first time Fu Qingli had accompanied Lin Xi to various examinations, and seeing how adept she was at it, his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

"Did you always come alone before?"

Now that there's nothing she can't say, Lin Xi didn't hide anything: "At first, my condition was quite serious, and I was hospitalized. Aunt Yao and Zhou Leyan would take turns coming to visit me. After I was discharged, I basically came alone. After all, Aunt Yao and Zhou Leyan still have to take care of me, and I can't keep bothering them."

Fu Qingli nodded with difficulty, a lump forming in her throat: "Yes, Xiaoxi is very brave."

"But don't be so strong alone in the future, you can rely on me."

Lin Xi didn't have any particular feelings about him going to the doctor, but seeing that he was not feeling well, she quickly hugged his arm to comfort him: "Actually, it's nothing, just routine tests like blood tests and electrocardiograms. But I promise you, no matter how busy you are or what you're doing, I'll stick with you."

Realizing she was trying to cheer her up, Fu Qingli tried to compose herself, smiled, and reached out to pinch her nose: "Respect, you little clingy one!"

After all the tests were completed and they returned to the consultation room, Han Fangyuan was already looking at the reports.

While looking at the computer screen, Han Fangyuan spoke to Lin Xi: "You're in good shape, you've made a lot of progress compared to before."

"My physical condition is good, and all indicators are normal, but I still need to take my daily vitamins."

"By the way, you two are planning to have children after you get married, right?"

-----------------------

The author's note: "Fishing for the moon and woodcutting amidst clouds, we grow old together, free from honor and disgrace, without worry." (Taken from Tang Yin's "Inscription on a Painting of Fishermen and Woodcutters in Dialogue")

P.S.: Just to reiterate, Gu Keli is the male lead in my new novel, "Keli's Little Fish."

The text is as follows:

1. No one knew that the arrogant and unruly young master had turned the world upside down in Beicheng, all because of Zhou Zhiyu's words, "Not a good match."

Gu Keli thought that since she cared, he would dig up all the dirty secrets of the past and show her that they were truly destined for each other.

Zhou Zhiyu was unaware that the brooch in her hand was priceless, capable of ensuring an ordinary person's lifelong safety.

2. As a prominent family in Beicheng, the Gu family has strict family traditions and adheres to etiquette.

Unexpectedly, a cynical and unconventional man named Gu Keli appeared, who was unruly and eccentric in his behavior.

The old master of the Gu family was troubled by his affairs every day, but he had to admit that his eldest grandson was quite capable.

The unruly prince, with a face that could charm any young girl or woman, could walk through a field of flowers without a single petal touching him.

But without any warning, he suddenly announced that he would marry Zhou Zhiyu, the adopted daughter of the poor Zhou family in Beicheng.

There are rumors that Zhou Zhiyu is not an adopted daughter, but rather Mr. Zhou's illegitimate daughter.

With the wedding date approaching, Mrs. Zhou released a DNA test report, confirming that Zhou Zhiyu was the daughter of a mistress.

She argued that Zhou Zhiyu's status was lowly, and that the Zhou family was willing to let their biological daughter, Zhou Tingnu, fulfill the marriage agreement in order to save face for the Gu family.

Gu Keli scoffed at the news, completely unaffected by the unexpected turn of events, and actively prepared for the wedding.

People in the circle admired Zhou Zhiyu's skillful methods, but also felt that she couldn't control the carefree young master and would eventually leave him.

3. Zhou Zhiyu was adopted by the Zhou family as an infant and raised in a suburban villa under the care of a nanny. She had no worries about food and clothing, but no one loved her.

The only warmth she felt in her childhood came from the boy next door who pulled her out of the lotus pond in the backyard.

On the day she left with her loved ones, he gave her a brooch with a fish playing among lotus leaves: "It will grant your wishes in the future, so don't lose it."

When they met again, she had just agreed to a marriage alliance as the adopted daughter of the Zhou family when the young man stopped her, saying, "I'm richer than him, why don't you marry me?"

She stroked the brooch in her palm and resolutely refused, "Mr. Gu, the gap between us is too great; we are not a good match."

Everyone knows that the young master of the Gu family despises children born out of wedlock, so how could she possibly tarnish his reputation?

4. After marriage, Gu Keli began to observe etiquette and observe proper conduct like a member of the Gu family.

But only in front of Zhou Zhiyu did he unleash his unrestrained and wild nature.

Overcome with passion, he tucked her earlobe in his hand, kissed her lips, and called out in a low, husky voice, "Little Fish, Little Fish."

Young fish emerge from the green lotus pot after the rain.

I first saw the lotus pond when I was a child.

He wanted to give this stranded fry a vast ocean, so that she could be free and carefree forever.

[A flamboyant young master x a resilient inheritor of intangible cultural heritage] Age difference of 4 years

Copywriting warnings:

1. Both are virgins and have never been with any member of the opposite sex who crosses any boundaries;

2. The female lead is not the daughter of a mistress; she was deliberately framed.

3. The female lead has her own growth process and is not a parasitic plant.