Chapter 72 Harmony

◎For Jingjing and me, marriage isn't the end; loving each other forever is.◎

"Jingjing, shouldn't we both think about it and start a new life?"

After saying this, Chen Jingshu pulled her arm out from under her neck.

Without giving her much tenderness or extra time to think or answer, I told her I had to go out for a while and let her rest on her own.

Lin Yu sat quietly on the bed, with Chen Jingshu's lingering warmth and the faint scent of ebony and sandalwood still beside her.

She stared blankly at the doorway where Chen Jingshu's figure had disappeared, feeling as if a piece of her heart had been emptied.

Because, upon closer reading, that sentence didn't sound like something a long-separated couple would say; rather, it seemed more like a foreshadowing of their eventual separation.

She thought: After two years of separation and numerous breakups and reconciliations, Chen Jingshu has probably finally come to his senses and decided to end things with her.

Lin Yujing took a deep breath and forced a bitter smile.

As I laughed, tears began to stream down my face.

But who can we blame for all of this?

Between her and Chen Jingshu, it was he who wanted an explanation.

Despite her thoughts, Lin Yujing still reluctantly took out her phone and mustered her last bit of courage to call Chen Jingshu.

Thinking that this might be the last time they said goodbye, she wanted to avoid looking at his face and just talk through the phone or the internet to minimize the hurt for both of them.

"What's wrong?" Chen Jingshu answered the phone. The sound on his end was a bit noisy, like he was in a shopping mall. "Are you hungry, or do you need anything? I'll buy it for you."

Lin Yujing held back her tears for a moment, but when she finally spoke, she choked up, "Chen Jingshu, do you mean that if we start our own new lives, you really don't want me anymore?"

Chen Jingshu was silent for a moment, then let out a low laugh tinged with helplessness, as if he had already pictured her aggrieved and pitiful face in his mind through her voice. "Jingjing, I told you to rest well, not to overthink things."

“If I’ve revealed what you’re thinking, I can leave now. Come back; it’s not safe on the streets at night.” Her voice was soft, tinged with fear and sorrow.

Chen Jingshu sighed even harder, "You're not allowed to go anywhere. Just wait for me at the hotel." Then, he added in a slightly commanding tone, "If you dare to leave, we're truly finished."

He didn't say anything more and hung up the phone directly.

Lin Yujing grabbed Chen Jingshu's bathrobe and wrapped it around herself. It smelled of his perfume, which gave her a greater sense of security.

But she could no longer patiently lie in bed waiting for Chen Jingshu, so she simply sat on the sofa in the living room to ensure that she could observe his emotional expression the moment he opened the door.

Just ten minutes later, the sound of the electronic lock opening came from the entrance hall.

As soon as Chen Jingshu opened the door, he saw Lin Yujing sitting on the sofa, staring at him nervously.

She must have just been crying; her face was deathly pale, except for the redness around her nose and eyes.

Those eyes, which had always been filled with stubbornness and aloofness, now held only vulnerability and fear of the unknown future.

This was a side of Lin Yujing that he rarely saw, a side that knew his weaknesses and made him soften instantly.

The next moment, the person on the sofa ran down barefoot, threw aside the bouquet of flowers in his arms, and rushed into the room.

As the soft, fragrant body fell into his arms, Chen Jingshu's heart began to pound.

He thought to himself: Is this how Lin Yujing looks when she's nervous and afraid he'll leave?

"Where did you go?" Lin Yujing buried her whole body in his arms and asked cautiously.

Fortunately, Chen Jingshu responded to her actions, his arm quickly wrapping around her waist, his warm palm caressing her most sensitive spot on her lower back, "I'll buy you flowers."

Lin Yujing's brow twitched, and her voice became more nasal, "Chen Jingshu, is buying flowers really that important?"

Is it more important than holding her and telling her about the years of separation?

Chen Jingshu rubbed her head and kissed her forehead.

After pulling her out of his embrace, he picked up the bouquet of flowers she had tossed aside, took a step back, and knelt on one knee in front of her.

As if anticipating something, Lin Yujing couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her lips to keep herself from making a sound.

The hotel room was lit in warm tones, which fell on Chen Jingshu's face, giving him a gentle glow.

He knelt on one knee and gently squeezed the red rose in the very center of the bouquet. When the petals were revealed, it was a huge snowflake-shaped diamond ring.

“I was supposed to prepare a grand proposal for you, but I couldn’t wait.” Chen Jingshu licked his lips, and you could tell he was a little nervous. Even the hand holding up the diamond ring was trembling a bit. “When I said we were starting a new life, I meant that the two years we’ve been apart have changed me a lot.”

"For example, I used to think that as long as there was true love between us, that would be enough. Later, I realized the importance of having the right to make the rules. Now, I think it's better not to give you too many choices, but just to set the end of your road ahead by my side."

“Jingjing, we are no longer the impetuous teenagers of our youth, with so much energy and excitement to mess around, treating breakups and reconciliations as a game to prove our love.” Chen Jingshu’s voice gradually choked up. “I truly feel that we should put a period to the past and start a new life.”

"Lin Yujing, will you marry me?"

The venue was very ordinary; there was no grand proposal ceremony, and no family or friends to witness it.

One of them was wearing a bathrobe, and the other was wearing a dusty T-shirt.

Yes, but it was just a hastily wrapped and ordinary bouquet of red roses. The only thing that seemed formal was the diamond ring, which was the size of a pigeon's egg.

But for the two who had been entangled for half their lives, this seemed to be enough.

Those rainy morning mists that soaked them through their entire adolescence, the love that never reached the height of summer, and the magnolia blossoms that still visited their shoulders in late winter, even without snow.

These lonely and helpless years finally came to an end on the day of the Beginning of Summer this year.

The gears of fate will restart in the next second.

His fiefdom was to be garrisoned by a military flag named "Lin Yujing".

"Okay!" Lin Yujing was almost in tears.

She extended her slender but thin left hand to him.

When the slightly cool diamond ring was placed on her left ring finger, all the past frustrations vanished completely.

She knelt before Chen Jingshu, cupped his face, and placed a soft, wet kiss on his lips.

Chen Jingshu was still holding her hand, his fingertips caressing the snowflake-shaped diamond ring.

With his other hand, he hugged her waist and pulled her close to his lower abdomen.

When a kiss wasn't enough to express his emotions, Chen Jingshu hugged her legs and walked directly to the bedroom.

Chen Jingshu pressed down on her legs and buried his head in her heart.

Like savoring a cherry, gently sucking on it, she said, "Take a day off tomorrow, let's go to Las Vegas."

Lin Yujing was breathing heavily, her silk bathrobe crumpled from her gripping fingers. "Want to go play?"

"Let's get the marriage certificate. You little liar, I need some legal rights to protect myself." He leaned back slightly, the extreme pleasure making his words incoherent, yet he still kept in mind his premeditated plan.

Lin Yujing frowned amidst the surging tide, then bit Chen Jingshu's lips hard. "I've already said it, lying to you before wasn't my intention, and I won't lie to you again."

"If that wasn't your intention, then why?"

Lin Yujing looked at him, rolled her eyes, and decided to forget the past grievances.

Anyway, this world is full of filth, as long as they end up together, that's enough.

Lin Yujing: "Do you remember when we first met, I asked you for a promise?"

Chen Jingshu: "What?"

Lin Yujing: "I had the right to lie to you once, and now I'm going to exercise that right."

Chen Jingshu smiled, took her hand, and kissed the diamond ring. "It doesn't matter. As long as you don't leave me again, what else can you lie to me about?"

"Mr. Chen, you're dragging me to Las Vegas to get married tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to sign a prenuptial agreement beforehand? Your net worth is not what it used to be. Tell me, what else can I possibly lie to you about?"

Chen Jingshu glared at her, grabbed her waist and thrust deeper into her warm nest, "You've already deceived my heart, what do I care about those material things? If you like, take them all."

Money, power, influence.

If she wanted something, she didn't even need to ask; he had already arranged everything for her.

"I just... when you leave, I hope you won't forget to take me with you."

Lin Yujing smiled, then suddenly remembered, "Speaking of leaving, aren't you supposed to be flying back to China tonight, Mr. Chen? You're about to miss your flight."

Chen Jingshu acted as if he hadn't heard her, and instead mischievously pinched her waist, saying, "My new wife is here, where else can I go?"

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The two didn't wake up until the afternoon of the following day.

Lin Yujing opened her eyes and saw Chen Jingshu lying on his side looking at her.

Why are you looking at me like that?

"Look how beautiful my wife is."

His eyes shone with love, a deep affection that hadn't faded even after decades of separations and reunions.

"Okay, get up." Their evening flight landed directly at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

After settling their luggage, the two went to the municipal marriage registration office.

It's said that getting married in Las Vegas is incredibly easy; both parties just need to be present, and you don't even need to prepare your ID cards or household registration books to get a certificate.

In fact, the municipal marriage registration office here is open 24/7, and couples can become legally recognized couples in just a few hours.

"Are you sure you don't need to inform your family?" Lin Yujing asked, linking her arm with his.

With her shoulder bag slung over his shoulder, Chen Jingshu gave her round, pert buttocks a playful pinch and replied, "No one can make decisions for me right now. From now on, the only person I need to report to is my wife."

The two smiled at each other and stepped into the registration office.

-

After receiving their official marriage certificate, the couple randomly chose a restaurant with a nice atmosphere.

While waiting for the food to be served, Lin Yujing took out her phone and took a picture of their marriage certificate. Then she waved to Chen Jingshu and said, "Honey, let's take a picture together to commemorate the first day we became husband and wife."

Chen Jingshu cooperated fully, getting up from the seat opposite her and sitting down next to her.

The two did not engage in any particularly intimate actions; Chen Jingshu simply put his arm around her shoulder.

"Look at the camera."

The moment Lin Yujing pressed the shutter, Chen Jingshu blinked and turned to look at her.

"This one is great." After taking a satisfactory photo, Lin Yujing pushed him away. "You even sat across from me. I like seeing your face."

Chen Jingshu ruffled her hair, his expression full of affection.

Before Chen Jingshu could even sit down, his phone started buzzing with WeChat message notifications.

Seeing Lin Yujing's barely concealed smugness, he took out his phone, and a series of red notifications for unread messages appeared on the WeChat interface.

He has mutual friends with Lin Yujing, as well as several of their brotherhood groups.

Chu Yan was the first to react, exclaiming, "What?! Brother Jing, why do you always do big things quietly? You've already gotten your marriage certificate in such a hurry!"

The rest were just ordinary friends who came to congratulate him on his wedding.

Chen Jinyi's message was rather unique: "This is so informal. Grandpa wants you to bring Jingjing home so we can have the ceremony."

"You posted it on WeChat Moments?" Chen Jingshu actually enjoyed Lin Yujing's initiative to express her love. He leaned back in the upholstered chair, his face full of the sweetness and pride of newlyweds.

"Hmm. Such a joyous occasion should certainly be shared widely."

Lin Yujing first received congratulatory messages from Qi Woxue, Jiang Yingli, and Li Mu, and then from the Hundred Schools Alliance group chat.

Of course, there was also the innocent puppy Zhang Jiale, who cried out to her: "Senior, you still haven't given me a chance."

Chen Jingshu rarely checks his WeChat Moments because Lin Yujing never posts anything.

Today is the first time Lin Yujing has posted on WeChat Moments, and it's also the first time he's seen it.

Lin Yujing posted a total of three photos.

The first picture is their marriage certificate registered in the United States, and the second picture is a recent photo of them together.

The third photo is a picture they took together when they were 18 years old, after they first confirmed their feelings for each other on the beach in Penghu.

A decade has passed, and the two have gone from being naive to mature.

The only constant was that his affectionate and doting gaze was always directed at her.

Chen Jingshu saved the three pictures and also added them to his WeChat Moments.

Caption: Jingjing and I, marriage is not the end, loving each other forever is.

/End of text/

Side story - To be continued...

A note from the author:

This concludes the main text, but I believe their story continues...

I will start updating the extra chapters tomorrow.

Currently available titles include: [Post-Marriage Romance], [Grand Wedding], [A Thousand Gold Pieces (Chen Jingshu's life as a devoted husband and father)], [Energetic and Bright Qi Woxue X Beautiful as an Angel Liu Hua (He's incredibly handsome; while writing, I pictured an early Korean idol with god-like looks)], and [Self-Disciplined and Courteous Jiang Yingzhi X Unruly and Reckless Jiang Yingli (A story about a woman who faked her death, ran away pregnant, and then reunited with the child's biological father who came looking for her)].

What else would you like to see? Feel free to suggest it in the comments!

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Thank you to all the little angels who supported the official version and accompanied Peach all the way to the end.

There's a completion bonus in the comments section of this chapter, so feel free to give it a shout-out!

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Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-10-31 22:48:14 and 2023-11-01 22:48:57!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of lemon;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!