Chapter 34 My life's obligation to marry you has always been solely because of me...

Quiet, empty, and desolate, the endless night amplifies one's senses for no reason.

With a clear, fluctuating heartbeat, chaotic thoughts, and a faint, indifferent scent, Zhou Jinqin curled up in bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what she did.

She suddenly realized with a profound sense that she seemed to be somewhat unaccustomed to Liang Minghe not being by her side.

Resignedly opening her eyes, Zhou Jinqin rolled to the right end of the bed, clutching the blanket, and lay down again. It seemed that the lingering scent was stronger there, as if she were being gently embraced from behind, and her heart inexplicably calmed down.

Finally, after a good night's sleep, Zhou Jinqin lazily crawled out of bed, awakened by both the alarm clock and Tuantuan's calls.

She has a strong sense of time and dislikes the feeling of being rushed, so she never rushes to work and always appears calm and unhurried on her way to work.

Today was a bright and sunny day. Jia Yang's umbrella was still in his bag. Zhou Jinqin thought for a moment and got off the bus two stops away from the company, intending to bring Jia Yang a croissant as a thank-you gift.

Among ordinary colleagues, especially male colleagues of the opposite sex, carefully selecting gifts can seem odd. Giving food, on the other hand, is less likely to put pressure on the recipient. Like milk tea and coffee, it's always the best choice as a token of gratitude.

She had considered just ordering a coffee, but the company had a fixed amount of drinks, so she couldn't go for that and opted for a croissant instead.

Liang Minghe often orders croissants from this shop for her; they're not too sweet, so men can accept them relatively easily.

When it came time to pay, Zhou Jinqin realized that with so many people in the office, it seemed inappropriate to go around to several workstations and deliver the food to Jia Yang alone. So, she simply added some more food according to the number of people and also asked for an extra portion of cookies to take away.

The croissants weren't all distributed yet. Occasionally, some colleagues would force themselves to accept things they didn't like, disregarding the feelings of the newcomer, and their behavior seemed a bit distant. But Zhou Jinqin felt that this was fine. After all, everyone was gathered here just to make money, and there was no need to force herself. Besides, she wasn't a particularly enthusiastic person, and this sense of distance made her feel more comfortable.

After distributing the extra birds to her favorite colleagues, Zhou Jinqin finally found Jia Yang with her umbrella.

"Thank you for yesterday."

The umbrella was folded neatly, as if it had just come out of the factory.

Jia Yang took the umbrella and the paper bag of croissants mixed with cookies, and was about to reply when he sneezed loudly.

"You have a cold?" Zhou Jinqin's pupils dilated slightly.

Jia Yang shook his head, then, realizing his muffled voice wouldn't fool the other person, nodded again: "Yeah, it seems the air conditioning was set too low tonight."

Zhou Jinqin knew this was just a way of comforting her, and guessed that his illness was most likely caused by getting caught in the rain yesterday, so she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

She asked with concern, "Did you take your medicine?"

Jia Yang shook his head again.

Zhou Jinqin asked him curiously, "Aren't you studying pharmacy? Logically speaking, your knowledge should be enough to guide you in using medication."

"I don't have prescription rights." Jia Yang still had the leisure to make some jokes, but his appearance was really bad. His already thin face was now pale with a sickly look, which inevitably made people worry.

Zhou Jinqin asked about the symptoms in detail, and then placed an order for two boxes of cold medicine on the food delivery platform.

As she placed the medicine on Jia Yang's table, she suddenly remembered what he had just said and asked him with a smile, "I'm no longer a doctor, so do you think it's appropriate for me to prescribe medicine for you?"

Jia Yang must have a solid foundation in pharmacology; he only needed to glance at the pillbox to know how to take it.

He took a sip of water, swallowed the medicine, and then replied, "I believe in you." Then, realizing it wasn't quite right, he added three words, "your strength," with a slight delay.

The office wasn't too quiet. Reba and her circle of friends especially loved to chat. Many of the married women talked about their families, sometimes boasting, sometimes complaining. They didn't care much about privacy when they shared. In just two days, Zhou Jinqin had already figured out how many people were in Reba's family, where her husband worked, which school her son was applying to abroad, how many houses they owned, how well her in-laws treated her, and how their relationship was. It was all very detailed and insightful, as if she were a member of Reba's family.

Of course, the topic would occasionally drift to Zhou Jinqin. Most of the time, she would just smile and remain silent. To the self-proclaimed seasoned middle-aged woman, this seemed too shy and ignorant, the kind of behavior one would expect from an unmarried woman, so she stopped trying to get her to talk about family matters.

Zhou Jinqin thought this was for the best, at least she would have some peace and quiet, so she didn't explain further.

When Liang Minghe got home from get off work, her grandparents had already prepared dinner and were waiting for her.

Liang Minghe had given advance notice, saying that he was worried she wouldn't eat properly if she was home alone, so he asked two elderly people to come over and keep her company occasionally.

There were only three people eating dinner, and they all had small appetites, so Grandma didn't cook too many dishes.

There were four dishes and a soup on the table, mostly vegetarian, with the only meat dish being steamed eggs, all of which were within Zhou Jinqin's acceptable range.

Zhou Jinqin knew they were accommodating her tastes, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Just as she was about to say something, her grandmother interrupted her.

She smiled and said in very broken Mandarin, "It's still better to eat with you. We're getting old, so we can only eat light food. We feel disgusted by greasy and meaty food."

The main reason the grandparents came this time was to check on Zhou Jinqin's work situation. They were worried that she might be bullied if she hadn't had a good start in her job, and that she couldn't do without someone to support her.

Zhou Jinqin told them that everything was fine, and her grandmother was very happy, praising her for being so sensible, and giving her a Hermes bag as a new job gift.

Even someone who doesn't know much about goods can tell from the packaging that it's expensive. Zhou Jinqin couldn't resist the old man's kindness and accepted it. However, she probably wouldn't carry it around often and thought it would be good to leave it to Liang Minghe in the future.

Grandpa also asked about her work. After learning about her job, he exclaimed that the family had produced an expert in the medical field. He couldn't help but compare her to his good-for-nothing grandson, scolding him for not doing anything productive all day, but for having an exceptionally good eye for choosing a wife.

In most traditional perspectives, freelancing seems to represent a lack of proper work, while entertainment and art appear to be dispensable. Freelancing is naturally considered inferior compared to other contributors to society, making it arguably the easiest profession to be scorned. Especially for someone like Liang Minghe, whose appearance and personality are particularly flamboyant, preconceived notions or stereotypes easily lead to him being perceived as a flashy and unreliable figure.

Zhou Jinqin spoke up for him: "Xiao He's work is also very meaningful. I have read his picture books, which are actually very educational. To some extent, he is also a disseminator of knowledge and indirectly fulfills the responsibilities of a teacher."

"In addition, he does a great job with his voice. Whether it's relaxation and entertainment or popular science learning, it can all be conveyed through sound. I had a blind patient before who really liked content that was primarily based on sound. She said that it made her feel like she was still connected to the world."

She smiled gently: "You two probably don't know, but Xiao He actually has quite a few fans. He always shines in the fields he's involved in."

Zhou Jinqin didn't talk much at the dinner table, but now she was talking at length about her grandson. The grandmother couldn't help but feel touched and secretly proud. She picked up the cat toy and hit the grandfather on the back several times, scolding him for being a blind old fool who was bringing bad luck to his grandson.

Grandma yelled at Grandpa to wash the dishes. Grandpa knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't say anything and obediently went to carry the plates.

The meal was already prepared by the elderly woman, and now she wasn't even allowed to touch the bowl. Zhou Jinqin felt bad, thinking, "How can I let someone nearly eighty years old serve me?"

She stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and insisted, "You rest, I'll take care of it."

"There's no need for you. I've only asked him once, so let him do it." Grandma kindly pulled her down to sit again.

Seeing Zhou Jinqin's slender wrist beneath her sleeve, she put her arm around her thin back, sighed, and said with concern, "You're too thin..."

As soon as she got to this point, Zhou Jinqin suddenly thought of her cousin during the Lunar New Year. Her cousin's husband's elders surrounded her and said the same thing, except they added a blunt comment: "It's hard to get pregnant."

My maternal grandparents lost their only child early on, and now this is their only bloodline, so naturally they are more anxious.

Moreover, they are indeed very old, and the approaching end of their lives is a devastating prospect that could come at any moment.

Influenced by traditional thinking, the older generation often sees urging marriage and childbirth as a mission. Considering that she had only just started working and hadn't been married long, there were some things she couldn't say aloud. Although her grandmother didn't explicitly say it, Zhou Jinqin could easily guess her thoughts.

She understood, but...

Her mind felt like a tangled mess of hemp thread, impossible to untangle. Zhou Jinqin turned the bathroom water on full blast, letting it pour down from above her head. The frenetic rock music from her phone filled the enclosed space, finally masking the buzzing noise in her head.

A short, abrupt notification sound interrupted the music.

Zhou Jinqin looked over and saw it was a message from Liang Minghe. She turned off the water, dried her hands, unlocked the door, and read the contents.

Can we video chat?

After the hot water stopped, the wind blowing on her skin felt cold. Zhou Jinqin blushed and shivered for a moment, then replied to him in a voice message, embarrassed: "I'm taking a shower."

A male voice, tinged with a faint static, was laced with clear laughter: "It's alright, I don't mind."

These words made it sound like she had already agreed. Zhou Jinqin's face burned red. Knowing that the other person was joking, she locked her phone and angrily ignored him.

She lingered in the bathroom for a long time before finally emerging. When Liang Minghe saw her, she was still covered in a layer of misty water, like a delicate flower just emerging from the water, stirring up one's heart.

Liang Ming rested his right hand on his chin, tapped her face on the screen with his left hand, and asked, "Why didn't you dry your hair?"

Zhou Jinqin casually wiped the water droplets rolling off the ends of her hair with a towel and said, "I'm a little tired, but it's okay. It's not long anyway, and it'll dry on its own in this weather."

Liang Minghe noticed that she wasn't in a good mood and pressed her for details: "Are you unhappy today?"

Zhou Jinqin lowered her eyes and didn't answer, but asked inexplicably, "Liang Minghe, do you like children?"

She thought that people who could work with children would at least not be opposed to it.

The man in the video didn't move. Zhou Jinqin thought he was probably thinking about how to tease her, such as asking her if she wanted to have a child of his own.

But no, Liang Minghe suddenly sat up straight, his face becoming serious: "Are your grandparents urging you to have a baby?"

"It doesn't seem like it..." Zhou Jinqin suddenly felt a lump in her throat, her wet head drooping low, like a broken flower ravaged by wind and rain, unable to say anything.

Liang Ming softened his voice and used his natural vocal advantage to guide her: "Zhou Jinqin, look at me."

The moisture in her eyes increased even more, and her not-so-large eye sockets could hardly contain it.

Meeting those somewhat timid eyes, Liang Ming suddenly felt a sense of disgust for this godforsaken place, Shanghai, which seemed so remote.

He calmly and earnestly told the pitiful woman in front of him, "I work with children simply because I like it, I'm suited for it, and I'm capable of it. It's always been about the industry, not the people."

"I would say I don't hate children, but I've never included children in my future life plans."

“Our little family consists of just you and me, and maybe a little Tuantuan at most. Other people’s advice is not for us to consider. We are the ones who live our lives, and you don’t need to care about what others think. And now I’m telling you clearly that I don’t consider carrying on the family line as a necessity in my life, so you don’t need to regard it as a responsibility or obligation that you must fulfill.”

“I think you’ve gotten to know me better during our wedding days. You should know that I’m not the kind of person who listens to others. If I don’t want to, no one can force me.”

Is that so? But what if it's the most cherished elder? Zhou Jinqin wondered.

For example, just like the pressure to get married, didn't Liang Minghe, who was "high and mighty," also choose to bow down and compromise with his elders?

In the video, the man directs the chubby little boy, Tuantuan, to struggle and jump towards Zhou Jinqin's legs, burrow into her arms, and press his face against hers.

The cat's thick fur clung to her body and even wiped away the teardrops that were still hanging from her eyelashes.

Liang Minghe was also very close to the camera. Even though they were thousands of kilometers apart, Zhou Jinqin felt as if his voice was wrapped in a warm and humid breath lingering near her ear.

Zhou Jinqin didn't know if it was because her emotions were always written on her face, or if Liang Minghe had the superpower of mind reading, but he could always easily understand her unspoken thoughts.

He said, "I only married you because I wanted to."

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Author's note: I saw everyone's nutrient solution comments earlier, thank you all! [laughing]

Xiao Ming does have mind-reading abilities, but he can only understand Xiao Qin's mind. [heart emoji]