Chapter 14 Indulging Your Pampered Nature: "Does that include kissing?"
After the tour, we left the studio, with Xie Qingci in front, intending to go directly to the tea room.
Besides her art studio, the only other rooms on this floor are her bedroom and a small tea room.
With nowhere else to go, the latter was the only option.
Liang Jingzhuo followed behind her, slowing his pace to match hers.
The light from outside the window streamed in, illuminating the long, dark corridor. She walked through it, her back slender and straight, her black hair swaying at her waist.
The chaotic footsteps gradually came together, and Xie Qingci walked to the door of the tea room, pushed it open, and went inside.
"This is a small tea room. My grandparents usually use it when they come over, while guests usually use the one downstairs."
There was no need to entertain guests upstairs, but after she finished speaking, she paused for a moment, as if he were also a guest today.
Hmm... a guest who will soon no longer be a guest.
She turned to look at him, smiled, and led him inside.
As soon as I sat down at the tea table, Aunt Luo brought over the tea set, put it on the table, and asked with a smile, "Would you like me to stay and help?"
Xie Qingci felt that everyone in the Xie family manor was acting strangely today; they all spoke to her with a slightly teasing, smiling tone.
She glanced at Aunt Luo and replied, "No need, you go and rest, I can do it myself."
Aunt Luo has been by Ms. Zhou's side for many years, and her staying behind inevitably raises suspicions of surveillance and spying.
Aunt Luo smiled and agreed, then set the table and went out.
The door to the tea room closed, and Liang Jingzhuo looked up and saw a painting hanging on the opposite wall.
The painting depicts an elderly woman sitting in a chair, her head tilted slightly with a kind smile.
Xie Qingci finished brewing the tea, noticed Liang Jingzhuo's gaze, turned around to look at him, and explained, "It's my maternal grandmother."
That grandmother was a longtime friend of his.
Liang Jingzhuo withdrew his gaze and looked at the person sitting opposite him, "You and your grandmother have a very good relationship."
Even non-professionals can see the deep emotions behind the brushstrokes.
Xie Qingci lowered her eyes as she poured tea, responding softly with a "Mm".
"I spent more time with my maternal grandmother when I was a child."
At that time, her oil painting teacher was from Shanghai and was very famous in the industry. In order to get this connection, Mr. Zhou went to great lengths.
Artists tend to have a certain arrogance, and they are not usually very appreciative of money and power. It wasn't until Xie Qingci attended a few classes that her attitude changed.
Although he may not have any special talent, he is quick to understand, hardworking, and has potential.
These are the teacher's exact words.
Later, to make it easier to attend classes, she spent a long period of her middle school years studying in Shanghai.
Liang Jingzhuo nodded, glanced at her expression, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
Xie Qingci reached out to pour him tea, then looked up at him with an unreadable expression before laughing, "What's there to apologize for? It's been many years."
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable parts of life, and she has accepted them.
After saying that, he looked at the tea being poured from the fairness cup into the cup and smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Jin Jun Mei tea you prepared for my grandmother last time."
I just heard Ms. Zhou say that it was a gift from Grandma Xie, and it's a Jin Jun Mei tea of good quality.
She brought it back that day, but forgot to tell the old lady that it was prepared by Liang Jingzhuo. Perhaps the old lady mistook it for a gift she received from somewhere.
"Please try the tea you brought yourself," she said, her expression lively and engaging as she invited him to taste it.
Looking at the smile on her lips, Liang Jingzhuo took a sip of tea, then slightly curled the corners of his lips and replied, "Mm."
Seeing him smile, Xie Qingci smiled too. She took a sip of tea and remembered what Ms. Zhou had told her downstairs earlier. "Should I also go to your house?"
Liang Jingzhuo put down his teacup. "Going later in the month will be the same."
"The latter part of the month?" Xie Qingci didn't understand what she meant.
He nodded. "Okay, let's register our marriage."
Xie Qingci paused slightly, "To Hong Kong Island?"
They hadn't discussed this before, and she didn't know the process.
Liang Jingzhuo looked at her and replied, "Yes, it's more convenient to do it on Hong Kong Island."
Ms. Zhuang mainly felt that marriage registration on Hong Kong Island was more ceremonial. She had considered the procedures on both sides and felt that girls would prefer the atmosphere on Hong Kong Island.
It just so happens that they registered their marriage the day before National Day, which allows Xie Qingci to spend a few days on Hong Kong Island.
Although Liang Jingzhuo believed the second reason was far better than the first, he did not object.
Are you available?
The charity exhibition had ended by then, and it was close to a short holiday, so it should be possible to ask for an extra day off.
Xie Qingci nodded, "That's convenient."
Halfway through her tea, Xie Qingci suddenly remembered something. She looked up at the person opposite her, pursed her lips, and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "There's one more thing I need to ask for your opinion on."
Liang Jingzhuo looked up at the sound and said, "Go on."
Xie Qingci hesitated for a while before speaking, "Should we not tell anyone around us about our marriage yet?"
Liang Jingzhuo's gaze paused for a moment, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "You want to secretly marry me?"
Do you need it?
She wasn't sure what he was thinking, so she thought she'd ask him if they could avoid having a wedding before she graduated, so that there would still be a way out.
"No need," he replied without hesitation, rejecting her suggestion.
She glanced at his determined eyes, nodded, and replied, "Okay."
Just as he was finishing his tea, Liang Jingzhuo received a phone call from Hong Kong Island.
He spoke Cantonese with a full and mellow accent, which Xie Qingci didn't understand, so she sat silently opposite him.
Her understanding of Cantonese was limited to popular Cantonese dramas; this was the first time she had actually heard it in person.
However, Liang Jingzhuo speaks standard Mandarin with no regional accent, and his pronunciation is clear and accurate.
The unfamiliar language seemed to suddenly pull everyone in front of her further away, and she realized that she was facing a completely unfamiliar environment and family.
As she drifted off into thought, she remembered what he had told her yesterday—"Let's take it slow."
A moment later, Liang Jingzhuo finished the call, put down his phone, and looked at Xie Qingci on the other end.
Her gaze lingered on the teacup on the table, its surface shrouded in a thin mist, as if she were lost in thought.
He glanced at her lips, which appeared even redder from the tea, and said, "I'm going to London on a business trip for two weeks."
I just got a call from Hong Kong Island about this. The original schedule was for three days later, but something has changed and it needs to be moved up.
Xie Qingci looked up at the sound, "Today?"
He nodded. "Okay, I'll pick you up after this is over."
In about two weeks, it will be time for them to get their marriage certificate. Xie Qingci nodded in agreement.
As Xie Qingci left the tea room and passed by the bedroom door, she paused, as if remembering something, and asked Liang Jingzhuo to wait for her.
After saying that, he went into the bedroom and came out with a paper report in his hand.
"This is my medical examination report. You can take a look at it when you have time."
I had planned to send him an electronic version, but since he came in person today, I simply gave him the paper version.
She was healthy and had no problems with any of the required tests.
Liang Jingzhuo glanced at the report she handed him, took it, and replied, "Okay."
Xie Qingci smiled and was about to turn around and go downstairs when Liang Jingzhuo suddenly called out to her, "I also have something to give you."
She stopped again and turned around to look.
Liang Jingzhuo took out a small box from his pocket. "I didn't know your finger size, so I chose the live one. We'll exchange it for a new one after you register."
After saying that, she took out the women's ring from the box.
Because they are a pair of wedding bands, the design is not as eye-catching as a formal diamond ring. The delicate Möbius strip with small diamonds, held on his fingertip, refracts light and sparkles brilliantly.
Xie Qingci was taken aback.
They just finished discussing whether or not to keep their marriage a secret, and now they're going to put on rings?
She reached out to take it, saying, "Okay, thank you."
The outstretched hand failed to touch the ring; instead, it touched the warm pad of the finger.
Liang Jingzhuo took her hand, lifted it up, and gently slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
The cool platinum ring feels like a piece of ice on a summer day when it touches the skin, but it is quickly warmed by the body's temperature and fits snugly around the finger.
The metal ring closed, and Liang Jingzhuo glanced at the final size.
When he held her hand that day, he was worried that his basic ring size might be too big, and that she might not be able to wear the smallest opening. Now it seems that it was just right.
The ring was bought together with the necklace. As he was about to hand over his card to pay, SA somehow realized that he was buying a gift for his partner and enthusiastically recommended a wedding ring to him.
He paused for a moment, staring at the gleaming ring in the display case.
He did not know Xie Qingci's finger size.
SA noticed his hesitation and took out a new pair of wedding rings from their store this season, telling him, "If you're worried about the size not fitting, you can choose this adjustable one. It'll be convenient to determine the exact ring size if you buy a diamond ring in the future, and you can just have it custom-made."
After saying that, she carefully explained the design concept of their brand designer to him: "The Möbius strip symbolizes endless, cyclical love without beginning or end, which has a very good meaning."
He didn't know what occasion to give her. He felt it wasn't appropriate to give her a ring on their first date on Qixi Festival, so he only gave her a necklace.
To this day, she says her paintings have been bought by others, and that Uncle Zhong said she was very popular that day.
He decided to give her the ring today.
His fiancée seems to be quite popular.
It wasn't about asserting sovereignty, but rather about avoiding some trouble; that's his thinking.
After putting on the ring, Xie Qingci withdrew her hand, glanced at the ring firmly on her ring finger, and said, "It fits perfectly, thank you."
"Xie Qingci," he called out to her unexpectedly.
She looked up. "Hmm?"
"You don't always have to thank me."
They don't need that word.
"..." Xie Qingci smiled and replied, "Okay."
She wore a makeup look that suited her very well today, and under the light from the window, she looked even more radiant and vibrant.
His gaze first fell on the tip of her small, round nose, then moved down a little to her pink and full lips.
The medical report in my hand felt heavy, like it was sinking down.
Xie Qingci felt inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze, and slightly turned her eyes to look to the side, "We..."
Should we go downstairs now?
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the person in front of her, "I haven't had my premarital checkup yet."
She smiled after hearing that, "It's okay, no rush."
She told him that his schedule was flexible, since the official marriage registration date was still far off, and she just happened to have some free time, so she did it ahead of schedule.
The surroundings were quiet. After a moment of silence, he moved his lips and asked her, "Does this mean that all intimate acts must be based on a premarital medical examination report?"
Xie Qingci paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on his face, as if she had already guessed what he was about to say.
His gaze, which had been fixed on her lips, slowly moved upwards to look into her eyes.
Does that include kissing?
A note from the author:
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The next chapter is for VIP members! Tomorrow's update will be a bit late, around midnight, but there will be a 10,000-word long chapter! Red envelopes will be randomly given away in the comments section!
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