Chapter 140 Embrace of 140

Zhu Tianhong spared no expense on his wedding, and the banquet was held at Fengzeyuan, which was originally a hotel catering to foreign guests.

It's said that a single meal costs nearly two hundred yuan, so as soon as Luo Yan sat down, she began to look forward to what she would eat for lunch.

She whispered to Zhou Yuying about the menu and casually saved a seat for her brother.

Liu Yinfeng and her husband sat at a table with their close neighbors. She glanced at her daughter out of the corner of her eye to make sure she was there, and then continued talking to the others.

Luo Yan nodded to her parents, then looked around and asked, "How many tables are there?"

Zhou Yuying, who was familiar with Li Jianhong, said, "It seems there are about fifty tables."

Good heavens, where did all these guests come from?

Luo Yan put herself in Luo Yan's shoes: "It would be amazing if I could invite a whole table of people to dinner in the future."

Zhou Yuying: "I'll put together one for you then."

Uh, Luo Yan touched her face, involuntarily trying to find out where Zhou Weifang was.

Zhou Weifang was also looking for them.

He was wearing a red flower on his chest and came over in a hurry: "Second sister, I have something to tell you."

"Say it now? So directly?" Luo Yan gave him a look.

Zhou Weifang instinctively wanted to pat her head, but then remembered where they were and held back, only smiling and saying, "Sit down, I'll come over in a bit."

Zhou Yuying thought it was meant for her, and wondered why it was something else to say but she was being kept in suspense.

But when she saw her younger brother looking at her, she suddenly realized, "He's not asking me to sit down."

Zhou Weifang: "I have something to tell you."

What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?

Zhou Yuying put her bag on the chair and asked Luo Yan to watch it for a while before following her younger brother to the side.

Only when they were all alone did Zhou Wei speak: "I have something to tell you."

Fortunately, Zhou Yuying was extremely patient; otherwise, his inconsistent opening remarks alone would have been enough to drive anyone crazy.

She said, "Then tell me."

Despite Zhou Weifang's willingness to speak freely in front of Luo Yan, he was somewhat embarrassed at this moment, and his smile was rather hesitant.

Zhou Yuying seemed to understand: "The love letter is done?"

Zhou Weifang nodded, then gasped sharply after being slapped hard by his second sister.

Zhou Yuying: "I'm happy for you."

Zhou Weifang touched his arm and grinned, "I can tell you're really happy."

Zhou Yuying: "But what's the point of hiding this? We can't even say it in front of Yanzi."

She didn't think the two of them had a bad relationship.

Zhou Weifang divided a sentence into three parts: "When she's in front of her, she'll feel a little embarrassed."

Why should Luo Yan be embarrassed when other people are dating?

Zhou Yuying didn't quite grasp it at first, but her eyes slowly widened: "It's her??"

Her gaze darted back and forth between Luo Yan and her younger brother not far away, growing more and more incredulous with each look. She tried to speak several times but failed, finally letting out a "Wow!"

Zhou Weifang: "What does that interjection mean?"

Zhou Yuying: "Shocked and I didn't realize it."

It's quite complicated. Zhou Weifang: "Anyway, you know, and it's enough that the eldest sister knows."

"Don't worry, we're tight-lipped."

Zhou Weifang trusted them.

He came to help out today, and it was a busy time. After finishing the most important thing, he said, "I'm going to get to work."

Zhou Yuying nodded indifferently, and watched him stride over to say something to Luo Yan before leaving. She was still very shocked and shuffled back to her seat like a tortoise.

Luo Yan pursed her lips as she looked at her, her hands obediently placed on her lap.

Zhou Yuying suddenly laughed out loud: "I am both shocked and inexplicably feel that it is particularly appropriate."

Perhaps it was the sense of entitlement derived from witnessing Luo Yan cry years ago and her brother's helplessness in the face of her misfortune.

When people are dating, who doesn't like to hear things like "we're a perfect match"?

Luo Yan: "I wanted to tell you this morning, but..."

Zhou Yuying was understanding: "It's okay, he's shameless, let him say it."

Luo Yan chimed in, "It is indeed thick."

The two women formed a united front by saying "bad things" about Zhou Weifang. When Luo Hong arrived, he saw them whispering to each other and didn't know what they were talking about. He pulled out the chair next to his sister and sat down, listening intently without any hesitation.

Luo Yan was easily startled and was startled by her brother's sudden appearance. She punched him lightly and said, "You didn't even make a sound."

Luo Hong rubbed his shoulders: "You'd be startled if I made a sound too."

My sister only has this much courage.

Luo Yan admitted that it was very likely, but refused to acknowledge anything that hadn't happened: "It's not necessarily true."

Luo Hong gave a perfunctory "uh-huh," glanced up, and said, "There's someone I know there. I'll go say hello."

He didn't even know how many acquaintances he had; he wandered off until after three dishes had been served before returning.

Luo Yan was enjoying her meal when she urged him, "Eat quickly, it's getting cold."

Halfway through the meal, the newlyweds came to offer toasts.

Luo Yan held up her soda and said congratulations, her eyes inadvertently glancing at Zhou Weifang, who was mixed in with the others in the group.

He had already drunk quite a bit, and he winked, emboldened by the alcohol.

If you're not in the know, you might not be able to tell anything.

But the people sitting on either side of Luo Yan happened to be a few who knew about it, so she pretended not to see them and kept talking to the newcomers.

However, opportunity always favors the prepared.

Zhou Weifang fell behind for a moment, then bent down and squeezed between his childhood friend and his sweetheart, saying, "I'm not drunk, I even ate a bowl of noodles."

"It's better not to drink on an empty stomach," Luo Yan said. "Drink slowly, and it won't be so uncomfortable."

After the two men said this, Zhou Weifang caught up with the main group.

Luo Yan knew he had a high alcohol tolerance, so she wasn't too worried. However, after the party ended, she couldn't help but look around to see where he was.

Luo Hong had to open the shop that afternoon, so he turned around and asked, "Are you going home or..."

Luo Yan: "Go home and read books."

Zhou Yuying hadn't left yet, and upon hearing this, she was puzzled as to why she liked her younger brother. But fate is something no one can predict.

She said, "I'm going now."

As she left, Luo Hong glanced at his sister and said helplessly, "I'll go with you to see where they are."

Luo Yan smiled ingratiatingly at her brother and, using him as a "flag," went to find Zhou Weifang.

He was struggling to carry the drunken Li Jianjun alone when he saw his childhood friend and quickly called out, "Give me a hand, give me a hand!"

Luo Hong took two steps forward, not forgetting to greet Zheng Sanmei: "Sister-in-law, I'll take care of it."

Zheng Sanmei, holding her sleeping daughter, said thank you: "I don't know how much you drank."

Days like today are inevitable.

Luo Yan even smelled alcohol on her and reached out her hand: "How about I carry Hongyu?"

Zheng Sanmei, who works in the fields year-round, said: "It's alright, she's very light."

Drunkards are different.

Zhou Weifang had also drunk quite a bit, but he couldn't exert much strength at all. Luo Hong disliked him, saying, "Get out of here, all you do is shout without doing anything."

Zhou Weifang let go of her hand and slowly took a step back.

Taking the opportunity, Luo Yan asked him, "Are you dizzy? Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhou Weifang: "It's alright, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

He seemed alright, but Luo Yan was still a little worried and whispered, "I'll take you back."

"That's good," Zhou Weifang said. "Weren't you going to read this afternoon?"

Luo Yan: "It won't make a difference in a little while."

As they were talking, the group arrived at the restaurant entrance, but suddenly encountered a problem, because Luo Hong had come by bicycle.

Without much hesitation, he said, "I'll take Jianjun back first, then I'll come back to ride."

Back and forth, it's still not enough trouble.

Zhou Weifang: "You go to work. I'll take them to get a taxi back. Just to the alley entrance, I can drag them in."

After a few words of discussion, everyone stood by the roadside and started waiting for the bus.

Seeing that she had nothing to do, Luo Yan winked at Zhou Weifang and said, "Then I'll go back first."

Zhou Weifang translated it as "I'm waiting for you at home," and laughed as if he'd picked up money on the street.

Luo Hong didn't bother to guess what their riddles were, and simply said, "Slow down."

Luo Yan waved to everyone and rode her bicycle home first.

As soon as she entered the hospital, she saw a group of people washing and cleaning. She went up to her mother and said, "You guys take the bus so fast."

Liu Yinfeng: "I thought you were out playing this afternoon."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Zhou Weifang pulling Li Jianjun in and said knowingly, "No wonder."

Luo Yan pretended not to understand, pondering whether she should wait at the alley entrance, humming a nonsensical tune.

"Go play, it's a rare holiday," Liu Yinfeng said, trying to give her daughter a way out.

Luo Yan walked out naturally, and Zhou Weifang also ended the small talk and followed behind her seemingly unintentionally.

They boarded the bus one after the other, like underground party members making a rendezvous, but didn't exchange a word.

Luo Yan didn't know why she found it so funny, and she kept laughing as she looked out the window.

Zhou Weifang was a step away from her, and he was quite narcissistic, thinking: So this is how happy I am to be with her.

He was naturally even happier. After getting out of the car, he saw that she was still pretending not to recognize him, so he couldn't help but call out to her.

Luo Yan laughed loudly, pushing him towards the car as she said, "Hurry up and go to sleep."

Zhou Weifang was already clingy, and after drinking, he became even more so, grabbing her hand and refusing to let go: "Are you leaving?"

Luo Yan coaxed him, "Don't go, don't go, you go upstairs."

Zhou Weifang was pushed to the stairwell in a daze, and slipped on his first step.

The place was already narrow, and Luo Yan felt it was really unsafe, so she said, "Wait a minute, I'll go up and grab you."

When the two apprentices realized it wasn't going to work, they stopped pretending and said, "Why don't we do it ourselves?"

Luo Yan was quite confident: "It's alright, you guys go ahead with your work."

She was still somewhat curious about what the attic looked like, and after going up, she looked around before reaching out her hand.

Zhou Weifang remembered not to pull her too hard; after going up, she fell to the ground.

Luo Yan, being tall enough to stand upright on top, grabbed him and said, "Why don't you lie down on the bed?"

Zhou Weifang was still somewhat particular: "I haven't taken a shower."

That's true, but the stairwell is definitely dangerous.

Luo Yan: "Lie down inside, don't fall."

Zhou Weifang tried to stand up, but he didn't have enough strength, so he simply crawled forward.

"What is this?" Luo Yan laughed uncontrollably. Seeing a thin jacket hanging nearby, she covered him with it and said, "We don't even need to mop the floor anymore."

Zhou Weifang patted the bed: "Sit down."

"Sit down? Don't talk. Close your eyes. We have time today. I'll go to the city library and buy you some good food later."

Zhou Weifang was just like Luo Yan when she was little, always crying at the slightest thing, but she was glared at and didn't dare to say a word, looking aggrieved: "Then you must come back."

Luo Yan squatted down and coaxed him, "I'll definitely come back."

Zhou Weifang nodded with his eyes half-closed, and saw that after she went downstairs, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep with heavy eyelids.

Luo Yan peeked out from the stairwell one last time before leaving, feeling reassured.

She had wanted to go to the city library for several days, so she stayed there until almost closing time, then took the books she had just borrowed to the car dealership.

The three people in the shop were talking, and when they saw her, they all tacitly shut up, but their expressions revealed that they wanted to say something but didn't.

Although Luo Yan wasn't very good at reading facial expressions, she could still tell from this obvious "we want you to ask" message.

She asked, "Is there something you need?"

Zhang Hongmin, acting as the representative, hesitated and said, "The boss said yesterday that we'd have the night off."

Although tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, many people have chosen to celebrate today because it's a day off.

Luo Yan immediately understood: "Oh, oh, oh, then you guys can go home. I'll wake him up to lock the door later."

Others didn't know their relationship, but the three people in the shop knew best. So, they all took off their gloves and disappeared in a flurry.

Fearing that guests might come, Luo Yan hung up a "Closed Today" sign and locked the door from the inside. After confirming that Zhou Weifang was still asleep at the top of the stairs, she sat downstairs and read a book.

I had only read a few pages when I heard some commotion upstairs.

Zhou Weifang opened his eyes and saw that no one was beside him. He slowly sat up, threw the clothes covering him aside, rubbed his face to wake himself up, and went downstairs.

He had barely taken a step when he saw Luo Yan looking up at him: "You're awake!"

Zhou Weifang imagined seeing her every morning after they got married, and he chuckled, "Have you eaten? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it."

Luo Yanxian told him, "Hongmin said they have the night off."

Zhou Weifang stopped and slapped his forehead: "That's right, I forgot to tell them to leave when it was time before I went to sleep."

Luo Yan quickly asked, "What time is it? They didn't leave until almost 5 o'clock. Did they delay their business?"

Zhou Weifang: "There's no set time, it's around dinnertime."

"That's good," Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then asked him, "Is it okay to have porridge tonight?"

Zhou Weifang knew this was for him, and said, "I'll buy you rice. What dishes would you like to eat?"

Luo Yan helped him sit down in the chair: "I'll go buy it, it's right next door anyway."

Zhou Weifang quickly stood up, and immediately changed his tune, saying, "Then I'll go take a shower."

"It's time to wash up," Luo Yan said, taking a step back. "Go ahead."

Zhou Weifang went and returned quickly, smelling strongly of soap when he came back.

When Luo Yan opened the lunchbox lid, she couldn't help but ask, "Did you eat soap?"

Zhou Weifang raised his hand and smelled it: "Does it smell good?"

It wasn't just the smell; Luo Yan felt as if a leaf was sweeping around in her heart, making her chopsticks awkward. When she met Zhou Weifang's gaze, she looked away and awkwardly tried to start a conversation: "Are you the only one watching the shop tonight?"

Zhou Weifang noticed something was wrong with her, but still went along with it: "It's just me."

Luo Yan casually remarked, "Being alone is quite nice."

Huh? Zhou Weifang was full of questions and a little flustered: "Yanyan, which kind of person are you referring to?"

Luo Yan: "I don't know what nonsense I was just talking about."

As long as it wasn't a veiled criticism, Zhou Weifang breathed a sigh of relief, sipped his porridge slowly, and secretly glanced at the person opposite him.

How to describe this expression? It's probably like Luo Yan when she was a child, her throat hurt so much she couldn't speak, but she wanted to beg for candy.

She placed her left hand on the table and stretched it out in front of her: "I keep my word."

Zhou Weifang immediately grabbed his hand and awkwardly used his right hand to pick up the chopsticks, but he couldn't manage to pick up a piece of meat for a long time. However, he still ate happily.

In fact, this move was exactly what Luo Yan wanted.

She couldn't explain why she felt so restless, but she knew her instincts were driving her to do something. However, her long-standing upbringing left her unsure whether she should follow her heart.

Shouldn't the guy take the initiative in this kind of thing?

Luo Yan didn't really understand, but she never compromised herself, so she pulled out a chair and sat down next to Zhou Weifang.

This way, the two of them were very close together.

Zhou Weifang forgot to hold her hand again and just stared at her blankly.

Luo Yan noticed the soapy smell was stronger, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Eat quickly."

Zhou Weifang couldn't possibly be focused on the food; he would take a bite and glance at her.

Luo Yan noticed but pretended not to know, feigning concern for the dishes in front of her, yet finding it all too funny and unable to contain herself.

You laugh, I laugh, but neither of us says a word, as if we're competing to see who can eat the fastest.

After finishing her meal, Luo Yan declared matter-of-factly, "You wash the dishes."

"We'll talk about the bowl later," Zhou Weifang said, staring intently at her. "Yanyan."

Luo Yan pinched her ear: "Why is it that every time you call my name, it sounds different from how you call other people?"

"Different?" Zhou Weifang repeated it again, his mind starting to wander.

He held his breath slightly, reached out, and pulled the person in front of him into his arms.

Luo Yan instinctively curled up, covering her chest with both hands and resting half her face against his neck.

Zhou Weifang didn't dare to place his hand on her waist, only giving her a loose embrace. But the radiant heat from her body was so great that he still felt his palms burning hot.

After only a few breaths, Luo Yan poked his collar: "I have to go home."

Zhou Weifang held her hand: "Just a little longer."

He counted to ten in his mind, then reluctantly let go of her hand: "I'll take you."

Luo Yan felt a little empty. Her gaze fell on Zhou Weifang's face, but then she looked away as if she had thought of something.

Zhou Weifang didn't notice and took things from the shelf on his own: "Someone gave me two boxes of pastries. I forgot to give them to you yesterday. I also saved some pomegranates and candy for you, but eat less, or your teeth will hurt again."

Seeing this, Luo Yan asked, "Are you planning to move all the house out?"

Zhou Weifang took a step towards her: "Actually, the one who most wants to be taken away by you is me."

Luo Yan shook his hand, saying, "Tuesday is the day after tomorrow."

Zhou Weifang: "Then you can think about what you want to eat."

Luo Yan had just finished eating and didn't have many thoughts for the moment, nor did she want to continue their sweet talk: "We'll talk about it later, I really need to go home."

Zhou Weifang escorted her to the alley entrance as usual, and after she disappeared from sight, he turned a corner and went to Sparrow's bookstore.

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Author's note: Good night!