Chapter 16 Indulging Your Arrogance: "Will You Stay?"
As Xie Qingci was about to reach the car, Uncle Zhong got out and opened the door for her.
The strong lines of the car frame slowly unfolded, and Uncle Zhong greeted her with a smile, "Long time no see, Miss Qingci."
More than half a month in total, which is indeed quite a long time.
She smiled and said, "Long time no see." Then she bent down and got into the car.
Liang Jingzhuo turned his head to watch her get in. Uncle Zhong closed the car door, jogged around the back of the car, and went to the driver's seat.
In the brief, enclosed space, the jasmine in her hand gently released its fragrance.
The atmosphere was quiet for a moment until Xie Qingci fastened her seatbelt with a "click," and no one around her spoke.
She tilted her head slightly to look at him.
After not seeing each other for more than half a month, the sense of familiarity that had been built up from the previous few meetings suddenly plummeted, leaving a feeling of awkwardness from a long separation.
Liang Jingzhuo's gaze lingered on her for a moment. "You seem to have lost weight."
Uncle Zhong opened the door, got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car.
Xie Qingci looked down and asked, "Is there?"
She felt it was probably not the case; it was likely due to the clothes she was wearing today—a fitted off-the-shoulder sweater and loose jeans—the difference in style between the top and bottom made her waistline appear narrower.
Liang Jingzhuo glanced at her face, which seemed smaller than the last time he saw her, and replied, "Mm."
When he looked away, he caught a glimpse of her hand resting on her lap; the ring he had put on her finger when he left last time was still there, untouched.
His gaze gently touched the slender knuckles, then fell upon his own hand. He recalled the meaning the shop assistant had told him after he bought the ring that day—eternal love.
With his extended fingers resting on his lap, he slowly clenched his fist.
Xie Qingci recalled the registration materials she had brought with her. "Take another look. Are these the materials required?"
The marriage registration process in Hong Kong Island is different from that in mainland China, and the required documents are also different. She was worried that she might have overlooked something.
Liang Jingzhuo reached out and took it, replying, "Okay."
In the stillness, the sound of pages turning could be heard. Xie Qingci sat quietly waiting for him to finish reading.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his legs bent in front of the chair, covered by fine suit trousers, and below that, spotless leather shoes.
Just like on their date, she glanced at her white sneakers.
When Ke Meng and Duan Siyu recalled that day when she said her marriage partner was Liang Jingzhuo, they were so shocked that their mouths were agape for a long time.
He stared at her blankly for a long time, then asked again to confirm, "Has he really never had a girlfriend?"
Compared to shock, gossip is more important.
She shook her head. "He said it wasn't true."
There are even entertainment gossips speculating about his sexual orientation, but there are no rumors about him having affairs with women, so it's highly likely that he really hasn't.
Hsieh Ching-Tzu doesn't really care about whether there is trust or not; she believes that mutual trust is essential and the foundation of marriage.
He said no, and she chose to believe him, which was also a sign of respect for each other.
Ke Meng looked at her for a long time before finally speaking softly, "I can finally put my mind at ease. You two are a perfect match, Aci."
She bit her lip silently for a long while, "It seems...not really?"
He was eight years older than her and more mature in every way. In terms of clothing, aura, and interpersonal skills, they were actually not a good match.
Duan Siyu, however, wholeheartedly agreed with Ke Meng's point of view. The two put their arms around each other's shoulders and formed a strategic alliance. "Mature man and young girl, older and younger, mature and naive, damn! This is just too good to pass up!"
Xie Qingci didn't understand what these "shipping points" and "cute points" were back then, and she still doesn't understand them now.
Liang Jingzhuo reviewed the application materials and found no problems; they were well-prepared.
In fact, he himself did not understand the specific procedures for marriage registration in Hong Kong Island before this, so he asked Lu Li to print out a registration guide for him. After reading it, he listed the relevant details and sent it to Xie Qingci.
It's the first time for both of us, and we're both learning.
He put the materials back into the file bag and said, "All complete."
After saying that, he remembered what he needed to give her, turned around and took a medical examination report, "I didn't go back to Hong Kong Island, there wasn't enough time, so I had it done at an institution in London."
In addition to the routine premarital check-up required in China, he also had all the other tests done, so it was quite comprehensive.
Xie Qingci glanced at the report he handed her; it was thicker than hers.
He took it and replied, "Okay."
As soon as I turned the first page, I saw the list of examinations, which was not limited to premarital checkups but included a large-scale physical examination.
She paused for a moment, then turned to him and asked, "Do I need another copy?"
Same as his.
As soon as she finished speaking, Liang Jingzhuo denied it, saying, "No need, I've looked at yours, there's nothing wrong with it."
Aside from being a little thin, it's okay, I can recover gradually.
She nodded, casually flipped through a few pages, and seeing that all the indicators were within the healthy range, she closed the medical report and handed it back to him.
Liang Jingzhuo looked at the medical report that she handed him again. "Aren't you going to take another look?"
Judging from her page-turning speed, she must have only read the first few pages.
Xie Qingci laughed, "I've already seen it."
I looked at the metrics for some projects.
After saying that, she looked at him and continued, "Premarital checkups are just a process. Knowing each other's health status is a sign of being cautious about marriage. But if there is any hidden illness that you want to hide, there are always ways to do so. You trust me, and I trust you."
As the car entered the main road and merged into the traffic, Uncle Zhong slowly closed the slightly open window, smiled, and glanced at the rearview mirror.
The clear evening breeze and the slanting rays of the setting sun were blocked. Liang Jingzhuo looked at her for a moment and replied, "Okay."
-
To avoid a repeat of the last time they were stuck in traffic in the city center after dinner, Liang Jingzhuo booked a private restaurant this time, located in a courtyard house.
The Chinese-style decor and cuisine, along with the taste and scenery, were quite good. Xie Qingci personally felt that it was more to her liking than the French restaurant that was popularized by a certain hit romance drama.
After finishing their meal, the waiter told them that there would be a Peking Opera performance in the backyard that evening, and all customers dining in the restaurant were welcome to go and watch.
The courtyard, with its four sections, is said to have been the private villa of a prince.
Anyway, it's still early, so I might as well go and join in the fun.
Xie Qingci asked Liang Jingzhuo, "Are you going?"
Her bright, sparkling eyes revealed her ulterior motives for asking the question.
Liang Jingzhuo looked into her eyes and nodded in response, "Go ahead."
When we arrived at the backstage, the performance was about to begin. After finding a seat, the waiter brought us tea, snacks and treats.
Xie Qingci smiled and thanked her.
Amidst the clamor of gongs and drums, the actors and actresses made their grand entrance. Although Xie Qingci had eaten a very full dinner, she still ate a piece of candied fruit from her plate.
Grandma Zhou used to love watching operas, and she would often accompany her, so she could understand most of the tunes.
Compared to Xie Qingci's familiarity with the language, Liang Jingzhuo couldn't understand it at all.
He learned Mandarin from a young age, but he still couldn't translate these artistically expressive languages fluently.
He couldn't concentrate at all while watching the well-organized singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatics on the stage.
A couple at the table in front of me were snuggling together intimately. The boy would occasionally peel a nut and feed it to the girl. The two of them huddled together and discussed in hushed tones what the play was about.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the nut the boy had put into the girl's mouth, then he glanced at the fruit platter of the same kind on their table.
Today's song is "The Imperial Stele Pavilion." When the lyrics reached the line "[Recalling the embroidered mandarin ducks of yesteryear, sharing the same bed and pillow, our affection is long-lasting]", Xie Qingci noticed out of the corner of her eye that a lotus-patterned porcelain plate was slowly pushed from the other end of the table to her side.
She paused for a moment, then turned to look.
A small dish full of nuts and kernels.
Looking up again at Liang Jingzhuo's table, there was already a pile of nut shells.
She said, "Thank you."
Then, as if realizing something, he laughed and whispered, "Shall we go?"
His Mandarin was so good that she momentarily forgot he hadn't grown up entirely in a Mandarin-speaking environment.
He probably doesn't understand Peking Opera at all.
Liang Jingzhuo looked at her eyes and brows illuminated by the bright red lanterns, "Aren't you going to listen?"
She nodded and made an excuse: "Well, I checked the weather forecast before I came out, and I was worried it would rain later."
Liang Jingzhuo nodded and replied, "Okay."
Before the song on stage was finished, the two quietly left. Before getting up, Xie Qingci glanced at the nuts in the porcelain dish and took them with her.
Leaving the stage, the backyard is decorated in the style of a classical garden, with winding corridors and streams, and retro palace lanterns illuminating the way.
After crossing a stone bridge over the water, the koi in the pond sensed the approaching people and scrambled to the surface to beg for food.
The dog-like appearance made Xie Qingci stop and look at the nuts in her hand. She turned to Liang Jingzhuo, blinked, and asked him, "Can I feed them one?"
After all, he was the one who peeled the food; it doesn't seem right to feed it to him without asking his opinion.
Liang Jingzhuo glanced at the fish darting around in the pond. Nuts are actually not easy to peel; they're a bit rough on the hands. Although there weren't many, it still took him a long time to peel them.
He finally nodded. "Okay."
Having received permission, Xie Qingci turned around, picked out a piece, broke it into pieces, and threw it into the water.
The fish instantly became active. She withdrew her hand and said, "Okay, that's all."
After saying that, he didn't linger and walked off the stone bridge.
As they left the private restaurant, Uncle Zhong had already arrived. The two got into the car in front of the door, ready to take Xie Qingci back to the Xie family's old residence.
As the car drove out of the alley, Uncle Zhong asked, "What time is your flight to Hong Kong Island tomorrow?"
Xie Qingci's plane ticket was booked by Liang Jingzhuo, but he had already told Uncle Zhong the specific departure time after booking, so he didn't understand why Liang was asking again now.
Just as he was about to speak, the senile old butler finally remembered, "Oh, I remember now, the flight is at nine o'clock."
After saying that, he frowned with a serious expression, "I just checked the weather forecast for tomorrow, and it doesn't look too good. There might be traffic jams at this time."
Fushun Hutong and Xie Family Old Residence are both located in the heart of a congested area, and the travel time during the morning rush hour is impossible to estimate.
Liang Jingzhuo's slightly parted lips slowly closed; he had already guessed what Uncle Zhong was going to say.
As expected—
"Why don't you stay at Fushun Hutong tonight, Miss Buci, and then go directly from Fushun Hutong tomorrow? That would be more convenient."
Xie Qingci paused for a moment.
Do you live in Fushun Hutong?
At Liang Jingzhuo's house?
Uncle Zhong spoke up at the right moment, adding, "A few days ago, I asked Aunt Wen to prepare a guest room. It's perfect, you can stay there now."
Xie Qingci was stunned for a moment, recalling the wardrobe photo that Liang Jingzhuo had sent her last time. Was it prepared back then?
She paused for a moment, then turned to look.
The person hidden in the dim light turned to look at her, his dark, bright eyes meeting hers silently for a moment before he slowly asked, "Do you want to stay here?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: One more chapter to go at 00:00~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
