5. Keep bragging.

◎"Is your husband the famous 'high-and-mighty beauty' of the History and Literature Academy?"◎

Song Chiyu works in a restoration room that specializes in the restoration of ancient books. Sometimes, when they encounter problems they can't solve, her colleagues go to the School of History and Culture at Cheng'an University to consult with teachers. She has been working there for almost three years and has never been there once.

She held her phone, intending to give Qi Yanzhou a heads-up beforehand, but He Zhu clung to her tightly the whole way, giving her no chance to lie, so she had no choice but to give up.

Upon entering Cheng'an University, He Zhu began teasing her.

As she walked by, she asked a middle-aged man, "Is that your husband?"

Song Chiyu ignored her, which only fueled her enthusiasm. She walked to the History and Literature Department and continued to scrutinize the lecturer in the classroom: "Is that him?"

It seems that Song Chiyu wouldn't give up until he admitted it.

Song Chiyu was also looking around. He passed several classrooms but didn't see anyone. Just as he was about to say that he probably wasn't there today, he suddenly spotted a figure in front of the podium in a classroom. The figure was resting one hand on his hip, looking intently at the students answering questions. His handsome and gentle face showed no emotion and appeared particularly distant.

Song Chiyu stopped in her tracks. "Ah, I found it."

He Zhu followed her gaze and asked, "Is this your husband?"

"kindness."

As soon as she finished speaking, He Zhu slapped her on the shoulder without any politeness: "You're just bragging! Who is this? The famous high-and-mighty beauty of the History Department, even a fairy descending to earth wouldn't be able to save him! You know how to pick people, even when you're bragging you know to find someone handsome!"

Song Chiyu sensed that she seemed to know a lot about this: "You know her?"

“Who doesn’t know him? Otherwise, why do you think everyone would run to the Academy of History and Literature when they encounter a little trouble?” He Zhu muttered, “It’s just that he’s really hard to get along with, so people stop running until they can make a name for themselves.”

"Why are you difficult to get along with?"

He Zhu knew immediately that she didn't understand him. "You say he's your husband? You don't even know why he's difficult to get along with?"

"Because I think he's easy to get along with."

He Zhu rolled her eyes.

He rarely paid her any attention, and instead pulled her by the wrist and walked away. As they passed by the door, Qi Yanzhou seemed to sense something and suddenly looked at her. Song Chiyu immediately looked away and walked quickly forward.

Go up to the fifth floor.

Upon entering the ancient script research office, the teacher in charge was not there; only an unfamiliar male teacher was looking up materials, and he didn't even look up when he heard them come in.

He Zhu moved quietly and carefully took two oracle bone script comparison tables from the bookshelf and placed them on the table. She opened the photos of oracle bone script rubbings on her phone and she and Song Chiyu each took one to look at the characters.

Song Chiyu finally understood why two people had come.

She searched for half an hour, flipping through half a book and finding only two items; she didn't know when she'd find the other four. The two of them leisurely flipped through the pages. Just as they were about to finish one book, Song Chiyu suddenly felt the light dim. Qi Yanzhou, carrying a stack of books, silently sat down next to her. The male teacher next to them clearly recognized him, looking him up and down: "Don't you have your own office? What are you doing here?"

"I need to prepare for tomorrow's lesson, so I'm looking up some information." Qi Yanzhou pulled out a book and began to read it.

"You're preparing your lesson," the male teacher said, sizing him up. "Where are your things?"

"Just go through it in your mind." He didn't even look up.

The male teacher's expression was somewhat subtle. He left with a curt "A good brain is good" and then fell silent. Song Chiyu hesitated whether she should greet him, secretly glancing at his arm, which was so close to hers. His white shirt was still buttoned up tightly, and not an inch of skin could be seen except for his wrist.

Her gaze unconsciously followed the back of his hand. Beneath his pale skin, she could see the prominent blue veins, which reflected a faint sheen in the soft light. Song Chiyu was mesmerized, but then her eyes fell on the ring on his ring finger. Suddenly realizing something, she quickly looked away. He Zhu took in her reaction and gently nudged her with her arm, saying, "Your husband is here."

Song Chiyu caught the teasing in her voice and kicked her under the table. If Qi Yanzhou heard this, how would she save face?

He Zhu suppressed a laugh, looking smug: "Let's see if you'll still tease me in the future."

Song Chiyu sensed Qi Yanzhou's gaze out of the corner of her eye and tugged hard at He Zhu's trouser leg, signaling her to be quiet. Following her gaze, Qi Yanzhou examined the back of his hand, and as if he had figured something out, he suddenly released his hand, placed it under the table, and handed it to her.

Song Chiyu looked up, puzzled, and silently asked, "What are you doing?"

"Here, have some to play with." He glanced at her indifferently, then continued reading the book in his hands, replying softly.

Song Chiyu's face immediately turned red.

She gently brushed his hand away from her lap, hiding her face behind a book, and whispered in a barely audible voice, "Thank you, but no need."

He didn't press the matter, and as he withdrew his hand, he casually put down the book he was holding. "Would you like some water?"

“No need,” Song Chiyu said, hearing the sound of the chair under him being moved. She quickly pinched the fabric of his sleeve to signal him not to move. “You go about your business and don’t worry about me.”

Qi Yanzhou looked at her skin, which seemed to be burning under her books, and unconsciously raised the corners of his lips. He straightened the chair he was sitting in and said, "I understand."

Both of them spoke very softly, especially Song Chiyu, whose voices were almost coming from his throat. However, He Zhu still managed to hear some of it. Like a detective, she followed the clues and came over. Her surprised and questioning eyes looked back and forth between the two of them, and finally her gaze settled on the matching rings on their ring fingers.

"Ah—" she couldn't help but let out a scream.

The male teacher next to her gave her a disapproving look, and she quickly covered her mouth, gripping Song Chiyu's arm tightly. "Holy crap, Teacher Song, are you serious?"

The heat that had just subsided on Song Chiyu's face flared up again. She didn't know how to explain to Qi Yanzhou, so she could only mumble a response.

Ignoring the dissatisfaction of the male teacher next to her, He Zhu held up her wrist and extended her hand to Qi Yanzhou: "Hello, brother-in-law, I am He Zhu, a colleague of Teacher Song."

Qi Yanzhou didn't take it, but still nodded politely.

Qi Yanzhou.

He Zhu was gripping Song Chiyu's thigh tightly on the table, clearly more excited than the gossipmonger herself. Song Chiyu impatiently pushed her hand away: "You're hurting me."

Her voice was very soft, almost as if it were being spat out between her teeth, but Qi Yanzhou still heard it. His cool gaze followed her hand to her thigh. She was wearing a pair of fitted black trousers, which didn't reveal the condition of her skin underneath, but it did show her originally slender and well-proportioned figure. Song Chiyu knew he meant no harm, but she still felt a little embarrassed by his staring. She unconsciously lifted the hem of her coat. Qi Yanzhou noticed her embarrassment and looked away: "What are you looking for? I'll help you find it."

Song Chiyu handed He Zhu the rubbings on his phone to him, saying, "These few characters are still missing."

He leaned closer to her, and Song Chiyu, smelling his scent, unconsciously straightened up to avoid him. He didn't have the usual body odor common on other boys; instead, he smelled of laundry detergent and sandalwood, exuding a cool and aloof air that matched his temperament.

"This is the epidemic, this is the child, this is learning, this is the other, in today's terms it means not wanting to go to school."

Song Chiyu found it hard not to suspect that he was teasing her, and she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

He wasn't joking with her at all. "This must have been a divination performed by a young royal from the Shang Dynasty named Zi when he was ill." [1]

He Zhu happened to find two of the characters and quickly patted Song Chiyu, saying, "Found it, found it!"

Song Chiyu leaned closer to her and confirmed that it was indeed the two words he had mentioned, but he wasn't sure if that was what they meant. Regardless of the meaning, Song Chiyu thanked him for his kindness. He asked softly, "This shouldn't be from the Shang Dynasty site you excavated, right?"

"How did you know?" He Zhu asked.

“I’ve read some related literature before.” He seemed reluctant to answer, but after glancing at Song Chiyu beside him, he patiently replied.

"Wow, you teachers are so knowledgeable," He Zhu flattered.

He ignored her, watching Song Chiyu write down the corresponding words and prepare to leave: "Don't you want to have lunch together before you go?"

Song Chiyu glanced at the time; there was still an hour until lunchtime. "Next time," she said.

"Then I'll see you out." He moved the chair he was sitting on and stood up.

He used "you" instead of "they," and He Zhu instantly realized that she was being superfluous. She silently moved to the side and quietly said to Song Chiyu, "Why don't you have a meal before you leave, Teacher Song? I'll go back to report first."

They were still making fun of her.

Song Chiyu pinched He Zhu's waist to signal her to shut up, then hurriedly pushed He Zhu out, refusing his offer. Qi Yanzhou had no choice but to give up.

Just as she stepped out, she heard another male teacher ask Qi Yanzhou, "Who are you?"

His voice was calm as he said, "My wife."

Hearing his gentle tone, Song Chiyu's face flushed again, and she quickly pulled He Zhu away.

I walked out of the teaching building.

Song Chiyu breathed a long sigh of relief. He Zhu had recovered from her shock and her eyes were full of teasing: "I didn't realize your husband was so clingy to you, but why do you look so shy in front of him?"

"I'm not shy—" She was embarrassed, especially at the thought that Qi Yanzhou might find out she was lusting after his hands, and she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. What married woman would lust after her husband! Just thinking about it made her feel ashamed.

"Then what are you?" He Zhu smiled and lifted her chin. "You are—"

“I was worried you’d get hurt,” Song Chiyu said, knowing at a glance that she wasn’t going to say anything nice, and couldn’t wait to interrupt her, preemptively saying, “After all, my husband is so handsome.”

"Damn it—" He Zhu was truly hurt. "Yeah, we're all the same person, so why is your husband so handsome and still so clingy to you?!"

"Don't worry, we'll take our time and there will be opportunities." Seeing that the topic had been successfully changed, Song Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief.

How exactly did you and your husband meet?

"Didn't I tell you? His nephew didn't come, so he gave himself to me as payment."

"Keep blowing, keep blowing." He Zhu didn't believe it at all.

"Why would I lie to you? I just asked him if he would marry me, and he said yes, so we got married."

He Zhu had no intention of paying any attention to her.

It's unbelievable that someone who is usually so reliable and dependable wouldn't tell the truth about this matter.

Back in the courtyard.

In the short two hours that Song Chiyu was out, her words in the restoration room had spread throughout the courtyard, embellished to the point that "she married a divorced university teacher with two children in a flash to spite Xie Yunjin." Not to mention others, even Song Chiyu herself laughed when she heard it.

He Zhu, being the only one who had ever seen her husband, naturally wouldn't stand for it and would explain to everyone she met: "Her husband is handsome, what do you mean by second child and second marriage? He's that handsome guy we always see at the History and Literature Institute! A high-class beauty!"

However, Qi Yanzhou's image as an unattainable beauty was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that no one believed it.

He Zhu had no choice but to give up.

When Xie Yunjin heard about this on her way back to Beijing, she laughed so hard that she spat out the water in her mouth.

A classmate standing nearby sighed with emotion, "This Xiao Song really can't let you go."

Xie Yunjin thought of the ring on her hand and tacitly agreed with her words. It was really hard for her to go to such lengths to make him jealous, buying such a small thing just to appease him.

A classmate asked, "You really don't plan to make up with Xiao Song?"

He calmly gazed at the sunset outside the high-speed train window and said, "We'll see."

[Author's Note]

[1]: From "Jian Shang"

Mini-theater:

Song Chiyu (Strict Version): We didn't talk about it, we just got married.

Qi Yanzhou (willing to let her play version): ...Thank you, no need to remind me.