Chapter 213 The Best Gift

Yu Li was taken aback.

Looking at Qi Chenyan and Tang Shi in the photo, they were very young, a young Qi Chenyan that Yu Li had never seen before.

And the girl nestled beside Qi Chenyan, smiling radiantly at the camera.

The feeling of childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, is almost overflowing from the photos.

In the past, Yu Li would have just laughed it off.

After all, it's impossible for a young master from a wealthy family like Qi Chenyan not to have a childhood sweetheart or a confidante by his side.

Outstanding people, regardless of gender, are never short of beautiful women around them.

But after spending so much time together, Yu Li subconsciously believed that Qi Chenyan was self-disciplined and had no shady relationships around him.

Therefore, subconsciously, she felt that Qi Chenyan's unexpected marriage to her must be because he had never had any romantic experience before; both of them were novices in love, starting from scratch.

But when she heard Deng Bailing mention the arranged marriage, Yu Li's heart began to race and she felt uneasy.

That feeling of depression, sullenness, and unhappiness is like a nameless fire burning in my chest, neither rising nor falling, making me very uncomfortable, yet I can neither vent it nor describe it.

Just then, a clear and melodious voice broke Yu Li's reverie.

"What kind of arranged marriage is this? Don't talk nonsense in front of my wife. Do you want me to be kicked out of the bedroom tonight?"

Qi Chenyan appeared at the door at some point.

He took off his coat, leaving only a navy blue striped shirt, tucked into a narrow waist, which accentuated his height and long legs.

He crossed his arms and leaned casually against the doorway.

A pair of dark eyes, as deep as still water, looked down, as if they had crushed countless stars into dust.

As Yu Li looked over, Qi Chenyan strode towards her.

As he bent down, he grasped Yu Li's hand, and then their simple grasp turned into an interlocking of fingers.

"Dinner's ready, shall we go?"

Yu Li said "oh" and got up.

Deng Bailing clicked her tongue behind her and said, "So nervous, it's like I'm bullying your wife. We were just chatting casually, we didn't say anything we shouldn't have, right, Xiao Yu?"

Yu Li smiled, but anyone who knew her could tell that it was a polite but fake smile, and even contained a hint of unhappiness hidden in her eyes.

After leaving the study, Qi Chenyan suddenly stopped at the corner.

Face to face, directly facing Yu Li, his dark eyes, like a galaxy, reflected her in his eyes at that moment.

"Lili, are you unhappy?"

Yu Li was stunned. She hadn't expected Qi Chenyan to be so perceptive. Before she had even said anything, he had already noticed that she was in a bad mood.

Normally, she would have said it was nothing.

But at this moment, facing Qi Chenyan's warm and calm black eyes, Yu Li suddenly spoke up: "Then can you guess why I'm unhappy?"

"Is it because of what your teacher's wife said about childhood sweethearts?"

Yu Li felt that Qi Chenyan was too smart; it seemed that all the little schemes were invisible to him.

But Yu Li herself doesn't want to hide anything. If she's unhappy or has any conflicts, she'll just say it directly. If she keeps it inside, it will only make her develop a lot of health problems.

"Actually, I'm also a little curious. You have such a good relationship with your teacher's family. Your teacher and his family watched you grow up. Your teacher's daughter is the same age as you. Why aren't you together?"

Fearing that Qi Chenyan might misunderstand that she was questioning him, Yu Li added, "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious. After all, who doesn't have one or two childhood sweethearts or close female friends?"

Qi Chenyan chuckled and asked in return, "Do you have a childhood sweetheart, someone you grew up with without any romantic feelings?"

Yu Li felt that directly saying she had never been in a relationship made it seem like no one wanted her, but she didn't want to hide it.

After all, although she had never been in a relationship, she was quite good-looking, and she had many suitors since she was a child.

She hadn't thought about getting married before; her biggest wish and goal was to help her and her grandmother establish themselves in Beijing.

As for matters of the heart, perhaps due to her family background, Yu Li doesn't have any expectations for dating or even marriage.

"I have a childhood sweetheart, we grew up wearing the same dress, can't you be envious?"

Qi Chenyan laughed out loud, "You can't envy that. Shishi and I are just brother and sister. I've always treated her like a sister since I was little. There's nothing else between us."

"Later, she went abroad to study after graduating from high school. Apart from the New Year when I visited her teacher's house, we barely exchanged more than two words throughout the year."

"As for childhood betrothal, there was no such thing. It was just something my mother and her friends mentioned casually when we were born. But my mother believed that matters of the heart should be natural and should not be arranged by parents or matchmakers."

"Those are the ideas of the older generation. As young people, it is up to us to decide who we like and who we don't like."

Yu Li blinked and deliberately asked, "But I've heard that wealthy families often like to form powerful alliances through marriage. Doesn't Mr. Qi have any worries about this?"

Qi Chenyan smiled and said, "Miss Yu, do you think I need to rely on a marriage alliance given my abilities?"

Yu Li exclaimed, "So this is the real Qi Chenyan! You're so narcissistic!"

"Perhaps because I've always had a smooth life since I was young, to be honest, I hadn't considered dating or even marriage before. I felt that for my beloved diplomatic career, anything else that would take up a lot of my energy was a waste of time."

Yu Li raised an eyebrow. "If you marry me now, you'll have to revolve around me and the kids in the future. Don't you think that's a waste of time? Actually, it's not too late for you to regret it now."

“I grew up with my grandmother, so I’m quite independent. I shouldn’t have any problems raising a child on my own.”

"But if you're going to fight me for custody of the child, I definitely don't have as much money as you. If things get ugly and we end up in court, and you take the child away, I'll haunt you even in death..."

Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was covered by the man's large hand.

The man's palms were broad and warm, just like his all-encompassing black eyes, which were now filled with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

"We will not get a divorce, and there will be none of the chaotic things you described."

He told her clearly and earnestly, "Because after marrying you, I gradually realized that you are definitely the best gift God has given me in this life."

"You have brought a completely different color to my otherwise monotonous life, Lili. I am so grateful that there is a you in this world, and that such a wonderful person like you could come into my life and start a family with me."

"In the future, we will spend many days and nights together, never to be separated."