Chapter 1 "Did you take your medicine?"
Glass Butterfly / Jin Wu
2025-9-8
Exclusive publication
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"Is it genuine? A celadon-glazed Ru ware cup from the late Northern Song Dynasty."
Qiao Shu took out the cup from the dark red wooden box. It was a round, wide-mouthed bowl with a neat and rounded rim. The sky-blue glaze was covered with ice cracks, and the glaze was as smooth as solidified fat, fresh and elegant. She turned the cup over and saw that there were spur marks the size of sesame seeds on the bottom.
She lowered her eyelashes, twirling the cup in her hand. The surface of the cup had a small, round pit from the kiln, but no other flaws.
"How much did you pay?" Qiao Shu asked.
Qiao Kaiyu held up five fingers, explaining that he had received the item from a friend. He had it examined by several people, who all agreed it was genuine. He believed it to be 70% true and immediately sought out Qiao Shu to appraise it after receiving it.
First, they are family members, and can be trusted.
Secondly, Qiao Shu is an expert in antique appraisal. She apprenticed under the current director of the city museum, and her auction house is thriving.
Ru ware was only produced for about twenty years during the Northern Song Dynasty. It was produced on a small scale and in small quantities. Most of the pieces that have survived to this day are now in museum collections.
Private collections are extremely rare; this piece was acquired with considerable effort.
Qiao Kaiyu leaned back in his chair and asked, "How was it?"
It was nearly dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the gray, softly lit brick floor. The office had been recently renovated, with a brown leather armchair, a wooden side table, and a full-wall bookshelf directly opposite the desk, with a few handicrafts scattered around. In the corner, a Kentia palm tree stood with its slender, vibrant green leaves.
The overall color scheme is cool, with lotus root pink being the only warm color.
Qiao Shu's style of dressing is different from Lao Qian's understated and low-key style. Her wardrobe is full of highly saturated and bright colors, like an overturned color palette. Today, she is wearing a champagne-colored long dress, with her long black hair curled at the ends. She is wearing red-soled stilettos, and her calves are long and straight. She has big eyes with upturned corners. When she lowers her eyes, her long black eyelashes curl up, and the curve of her eyes disappears into her brow bone.
The hint of indifference and aloofness in her eyes and brows didn't seem out of place on her flamboyant and bright face.
Qiao Shu put the celadon cup back, her slender, delicate fingers touching the desk: "It's a little hot."
Qiao Kaiyu's brow twitched: "Fake?"
Qiao Shu smiled, giving a playful look, then turned and sat down on the sofa in the lounge area, slowly sipping her coffee. Qiao Kaiyu followed, carrying the box, and said, "Two people have already authenticated it and said it's genuine. I won't be set up by someone, will I?"
"The Ru ware from the Song Dynasty is sky blue with a hint of gray because the clay contains trace amounts of copper. Yours looks whiter, and the crackle pattern is regular and beautiful."
Qiao Shu lay back on the sofa, tilting her head back, her long neck arching beautifully, her voice clear and melodious: "You know, there are only about a hundred pieces of Song Dynasty Ru ware on the market now. Brother, you're not buying it as if it were Song Dynasty Ru ware at this price. Are you testing me?"
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, particularly during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, there was a popularity of imitating Song dynasty Ru ware porcelain. Ru ware glaze is known as "sky blue after rain," with a warm and jade-like color and crab claw patterns on the glaze surface resembling frost and snow crystals. Ming and Qing dynasty imitations were more sophisticated in their craftsmanship, resulting in a more even glaze and a thinner body.
Because the Ming and Qing dynasties intentionally imitated these works, and because the dates were subtly engraved, it was difficult to distinguish them with the naked eye.
Qiao Kaiyu, having been caught out, smiled and said, "Then what period do you think it is from? I'm afraid this is something from the Republic of China era. If so, I've really lost a lot of money."
Qiao Shu tilted her head, her soft hair fluttering as it slid down her shoulder. She smiled gently and asked, "How much did you pay?"
Qiao Kaiyu held up one finger.
"The glaze is bluish and the surface is translucent and lustrous, looking like it's from the Yongzheng period. To find out more, you can send it to me; I need to get the equipment to test it."
"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Qiao Kaiyu closed the box, feeling cheerful. His gaze fell on his cousin, Qiao Shu. She wasn't his biological sister; he had a younger brother. This was the only daughter in the Qiao family. Before her marriage, she had been supporting the old man. She was sweet-talking and knew how to win his favor.
Qiao Kaiyu called his assistant, and a young man walked into the office. His gaze instinctively shifted, meeting a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. He hurriedly looked away and said, "Hello, Miss."
"Hello there." Qiao Shu rested her chin on a cushion, looking as languid as a cat, and extended her hand in greeting. "Did you manage to get tickets last time?"
The assistant lowered her head, her face flushed: "I'm so grateful to you, Miss, for helping me get the tickets. I don't know how to thank you enough."
Qiao Shu smiled gently, her eyes crinkling: "I'm happy to be of help."
"Thank you so much,"
Qiao Kaiyu handed over the box, interrupting their conversation: "Send it over today. Go in person, get the test results, and then come back."
"Okay, Mr. Yu." The assistant took the box and said goodbye to Qiao Shu before leaving. Everyone here liked Qiao Shu. Despite being a young lady from a wealthy family, she wasn't arrogant. She remembered their names, greeted them with a smile, invited them to afternoon tea, and even helped them with some matters.
"You'll have to bribe everyone here," Qiao Kaiyu said half-jokingly.
Qiao Shu blinked lightly: "Who told you to be my most respected older brother? If you treat them well, they will work more diligently for you."
That's just how she is. She's meticulous in her dealings with people, making them feel comfortable and at ease. But Qiao Kaiyu knows better than anyone that his sister is like a bright firework in the night, dazzling and warm on the surface, but cold to the touch.
That being said, all members of the Qiao family are like that.
Qiao Kaiyu asked, "Will Yu Zeheng come over for dinner tonight?"
Qiao Shu got married two years ago, not because of a natural progression of their relationship, but because she followed her family's arrangement and married Yu Zeheng, the second son of the Yu family.
The Qiao family operates in retail, supermarkets, and e-commerce, while the Yu family is involved in finance, real estate, and the entertainment industry. This marriage between the two conglomerates allows the Qiao family to leverage the Yu family's capital and expand its resources, while the Yu family utilizes the Qiao family's platform to enhance its influence in finance and real estate. When the marriage was announced, it quickly dominated headlines across various news platforms, with the media declaring the two newlyweds a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
This marriage was not based on love, but only on interests and calculations. After marriage, Qiao Shu and Yu Zeheng rarely saw each other and could be described as respecting each other but not on each other.
In the eyes of both sets of parents, a stable relationship is naturally good, but if it's not there, it can't be forced. If necessary, it's enough to just go through the motions.
Yu Zeheng hasn't shown up at the Qiao family home for several months. The old man has pressured Qiao Shu several times, saying that no matter how busy he is with work, he should have time to come home for dinner.
Qiao Shu frowned; the name Yu Zeheng was quite disheartening.
Qiao Kaiyu said, "The old man has nagged him many times, it wouldn't be right if he didn't show up. What problems do you and your husband have that you can't solve behind closed doors? In my opinion, you need to control your temper, take the initiative to soften your stance, and say a few kind words. Men care about their pride."
Qiao Shu was unwilling to listen to the lecture. She put on her high heels, grabbed her handbag, waved it perfunctorily, and prepared to leave.
“I’ve been watching the recent races. His team is doing quite well. The new driver he recruited is very similar to his previous style. He’s very willing to go all out. I think he can get a good ranking this time.”
"I'm leaving." Qiao Shu walked out in her high heels, her skirt fluttering around her ankles. Someone had already opened the door for her, and she gave a bright smile and said thank you warmly, saying that she had worked hard.
The smile vanished as soon as she entered the elevator.
Yu Zeheng no longer races and is now content to be a team owner, which has nothing to do with his marriage. Three months before his wedding, he was involved in a car accident at the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco due to bad weather. His car collided with another car on a corner, causing him to slide off the track and crash into the guardrail. The accident resulted in two broken ribs and a severe fracture in his left hand. He was hospitalized for two months before announcing his retirement. Two years later, he returned to racing as a team owner.
F1 racing takes place in many countries, and he travels all over the world with his team, so the couple doesn't see each other often.
Qiao Shu and Yu Zeheng didn't have a fight. Their relationship hadn't reached that point yet. She knew that Yu Zeheng didn't like her. They hadn't reached the point of hating each other, but even after two years of marriage, they hadn't developed much affection for each other.
They are like mascots for a marriage between two families. When needed, they appear together as a perfect couple; when not needed, they live their own lives, and even a single meeting is a rare treat.
When Qiao Shu went downstairs, the car was already parked downstairs. It was an Alphard minivan, which cost a million yuan to buy. She had the interior modified at a car dealership, with marble floors, aviation seats, and the modification cost more than the car itself.
"Uncle Qin, let's go back to the old house." She tossed aside her handbag.
Uncle Qin was in his forties. He had been Qiao Shu's driver for over ten years, ever since she started school. Even after Qiao Shu got a job and got married, Uncle Qin continued to follow her. He was one of the few people she trusted.
Qiao Shu picked up her phone, scrolling through dozens of contacts until she found a chat window with a "." in the name of a contact. The chat history ended a week ago; she had told him she was coming to their house for dinner a week later, and he had replied: "[Check the time]".
Her expression turned cold, and she tossed it aside without even looking at it.
Qiao Shu: [Where are you?]
She typed three words, then deleted them again, expressionless, and switched to the next page, turning off the screen. He, Yu Zeheng, was a man of high status and wealth, requiring her to beg him repeatedly, as if she were pleading with him.
The car drove back to the old house, the iron gate opened, the car slowly drove in, circled the central fountain, and stopped in the parking area.
As Qiao Shu got out of the car, her aunt called out, "Young Miss is back!" She smiled and greeted her affectionately as "Aunt Li." Aunt Li had worked for the family longer than Uncle Qin; she had been with the Qiao family since she could remember. Having grown up without a mother's care, Aunt Li felt sorry for her and treated her like her own daughter.
"Have you finished your bird's nest from last time?"
"Oh dear, I can't stand eating such expensive things, please don't buy me any more." Aunt Li took her coat, smoothing out the wrinkles with her palm, and complained with a smile.
"As long as you like it, that's fine. It's good for your health to nourish your yin and moisten your lungs." Qiao Shu looked around and asked, "Where's Grandpa?"
"Play with the young master in the backyard." Aunt Li went to hang up the clothes.
The backyard was newly planted with turf at the beginning of summer. By midsummer, the Bermuda grass had become a turf. The backyard was more than 100 square meters and was surrounded by lush plants. Old man Qiao Zhenkai stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a dark blue modified Chinese style. He was tall and sturdy. He called Qiao Yan back as she chased a Maltese dog into the bushes.
Qiao Yan is the son of the eldest brother, Qiao Kaiyu, and the youngest great-grandson of the Qiao family, showered with love and affection.
Qiao Shu stepped onto the lawn and called out to Grandpa in a clear voice.
Qiao Zhenkai turned around and saw her. He nodded slightly and asked if she had just arrived. His stern gaze behind his glasses fell on her, and his deep voice asked, "Where is Zeheng?"
"Auntie!" Qiao Yan saw Qiao Shu and ran back carrying the Maltese dog. He loved his auntie the most in the whole family. Only his auntie would buy him all sorts of toys, many of which he had never seen before. Even the little dog in his arms was a gift from his auntie. He ran back with the heavy load, his forehead covered in sweat, but he smiled at Qiao Shu with undiminished enthusiasm.
The little Maltese in my arms tilted its head back, grinned, and stuck out its tongue.
"Hello, handsome young man."
Qiao Shu squatted down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, rubbed his soft cheek with his thumb, and looked up to answer, "He has a competition recently and is still in Morocco and can't come back. He asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. When he comes back, you can punish him severely."
She could come up with excuses like these effortlessly, without batting an eye.
Qiao Zhenkai frowned, pursed his lips and remained silent, causing the atmosphere around him to darken.
Qiao Yan didn't understand the atmosphere among adults. He picked up the puppy and proudly said that he was taking good care of it.
“Our Xiaoyan is already a little man.” Qiao Shu bent her index finger and rubbed it against Qiao Yan’s nose.
As it approached dinner time, the others arrived one after another. Except for the second brother, the eldest uncle's family, including his aunt, sister-in-law, and eldest brother, were all present. Qiao Shu's father was not there because his grandfather was angry about the recent gossip, so he was not allowed to come back.
Qiao Shu's mother died early. Two years later, he married a woman ten years younger than him, and since then, he has never stopped having women around him.
"Have a meal."
Qiao Zhenkai took the seat of honor and started eating, and then the others took their chopsticks one after another, which is a tradition of the Qiao family.
The eldest uncle asked, "Is Zeheng still busy?"
Qiao Shu's fingers twitched slightly. This question was like a bomb, and all eyes on the table turned to her. Once again, she became the center of attention. She made a gesture of surrender and explained, "Uncle, he's competing in Morocco. I can't exactly have someone drive him back, can I?"
"It's his team's race, not his own. Why are you so busy?" Qiao Kaiyu interjected with a half-smile, his chopsticks resting on the rim of his bowl.
Qiao Shu said calmly, "Brother, you know how obsessed he is with racing. He always puts racing first and his wife second. I'm used to it."
“How can you be willful after getting married? As his wife, you should restrain him instead of letting him do whatever he wants.” Aunt glanced at Qiao Zhenkai out of the corner of her eye.
Qiao Zhenkai has remained silent.
Qiao Shu smiled, holding her chopsticks: "I will definitely heed my aunt's teachings and learn more from you."
"What's the use of just listening without doing anything? Has Zeheng spent even a few days at home these past few months?"
Two fists can't fight four hands. Even though Qiao Shu was used to being able to get along with different people, she was still annoyed by her family making a fuss about her marriage. Especially because of Yu Zeheng's problem, she was exhausted from dealing with it. Under the old man's watchful eye, she had to be on her guard.
The sound of a car engine came from the front yard. Li Ma walked over and said with surprise, "It's the son-in-law's car. The son-in-law is here."
Qiao Shu's smile faltered for a moment. She put down her chopsticks, rested her arm on the table, and unconsciously rubbed her index finger with her thumb, looking even more impatient than before.
What exactly is Yu Zeheng up to?
If he hadn't come, so be it. She would have just taken a few criticisms and pretended to be clueless to get by. But now he's suddenly showing up without a word. Does he think he's here to save the day and that she should be grateful to him?
Qiao Kaiyu pulled out two tissues, dabbed at his lips, and said half-jokingly, "Our brother-in-law really did drive back from the Morocco competition."
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall figure walked in through the open door. He wore a satin double-breasted suit jacket with a lapel and loose black trousers. He was formal yet had a lazy and rebellious air about him. He stepped in with a few quick steps. His facial features were smooth and distinct, with deep-set eyes, a high nose, thin lips, and a sickly pale complexion. His whole demeanor was cold and gloomy.
Yu Zeheng handed the gift box to Aunt Chu, his voice steady: "Grandpa, I'm sorry I'm late."
"It's not too late, it's just the beginning." Qiao Zhenkai, who had been stern all night, finally smiled.
"Uncle, Aunt." Yu Zeheng walked towards the dining table, greeting everyone one by one. He stopped beside Qiao Shu, placed his hand on the back of her chair, and felt her familiar presence. He looked down and met Qiao Shu's gaze as she turned her head, his voice low and deep: "Xiao Shu."
The way Xiao Shu called out was extremely natural.
Qiao Shu felt a chill creep up her arm from her fingertips. She put her left hand on her arm, and her surprised expression made her eyes even more lively: "Didn't you say you had a competition and couldn't come back? Since you're back, why didn't you message me?"
“I sent it, but you didn’t reply.” Yu Zeheng lowered his head, his long eyelashes revealing eyes as black as lacquer: “It was a little late because of traffic.”
"Sorry, I was so busy playing with Xiaoyan that I forgot to check my phone." Qiao Shu's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Sit down and eat." Qiao Zhenkai asked someone to add a bowl and chopsticks next to Qiao Shu.
Qiao Kaiyu glanced back and forth between them and teased, "My little sister said you weren't coming back for dinner. I thought you two were arguing and throwing a tantrum again. It seems I misunderstood."
Yu Zeheng took the hot towel handed to him by Li Ma and wiped his hands. He said, "How could I dare to make the princess angry?" Qiao Shu's smile faded, and she tightened her grip on the chopsticks. The word "princess" was a derogatory term among them, full of sarcasm.
Qiao Zhenkai asked Yu Zeheng what he was doing: "How's the competition?"
Yu Zeheng's team is among the top in the standings this time. If there are no surprises, they could have achieved a top-three finish at the station. The new driver is on a roll, but his performance is inconsistent.
Everyone present was enthusiastically discussing racing, and even the eldest sister-in-law asked Yu Zeheng to verify whether the gossip about racers she had heard online was true.
Qiao Shu had no appetite and only drank soup symbolically to clear heat and soothe her liver, which she desperately needed.
Finally, her temper flared up so much that she couldn't even drink the soup. Bored, she picked up the spoon and, out of the corner of her eye, saw Yu Zeheng's arm resting on the table, a bit of his white shirt cuff peeking out from his wrist. His fingers were long and slender, his nails were neatly trimmed, and the veins on the back of his hand, beneath the thin white skin, revealed an unshakeable strength.
Qiao Shu lowered her eyes. The porcelain spoon hit the edge of the stew pot with a very faint crisp sound. She simply let go of the spoon handle and picked up two green vegetables to chew carefully.
After dinner, Yu Zeheng was pulled aside by Qiao Kaiyu to chat, and the conversation revolved entirely around cars. Qiao Yan clung to the Maltese and wouldn't let go, so his mother ordered him to wash his hands, while his aunt gently coaxed him.
"Come here for a moment," Qiao Zhenkai said.
With nothing else to do, Qiao Shu followed them to the backyard. Behind them, the house was brightly lit, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a clear view of the interior. Qiao Zhenkai spoke up: "Tell me the truth, is there some kind of problem between you and Zeheng?"
It's not that there's a problem, it's that there's always been a problem.
Everyone knows, but they just turn a blind eye. Now they're asking what exactly went wrong with them.
"I don't know, maybe they're not getting along."
Qiao Shu said half-jokingly, "I only know that there are big problems, and it has reached the point where we can't get along. After we got married, I realized that it was better to stay at home. Otherwise, I would come back and continue to take care of you?"
Qiao Zhenkai's expression turned slightly serious as he stared into her eyes: "What kind of talk is this? You treat marriage like a game, getting a divorce just like that? What promises did you make to me back then? In less than two years, you've forgotten them completely."
She said, "Grandpa, believe me. I'm not much worse than your two grandsons. I'll only do better and be more worthy of your reliance."
Qiao Shu was still smiling: "I was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously?"
They didn't get married because of love, so how can they get divorced because of incompatibility? Didn't they know from the beginning that they didn't like each other?
Qiao Zhenkai rebuked him, "Don't disappoint me like your father did."
"I can't," she said softly, her voice carried away by the wind.
It was nearly ten o'clock when they returned from the old house. A gentle night breeze was blowing. Qiao Shu didn't look to the side and got into the car first. The other side of the car door was opened, and she looked up to see that Yu Zeheng had already gotten into the car. Ignoring her cold gaze, he sat down next to her.
How long has it been since they last saw each other? Two months or three months?
"Uncle Qin, let's go," Yu Zeheng said in a low voice.
Qiao Shu leaned back in her seat. From the moment he appeared, a terrible and negative emotion began to spread and grow. On the way back, she played on her phone with a cold face the whole time. Yu Zeheng also showed no intention of talking to her. The only sound in the car was the music that Uncle Qin was playing.
The car drove to South Bay. This detached villa was given to Qiao Shu as a wedding home. At the time, the wedding was scheduled and there was no time to renovate it. However, Qiao Shu was quite satisfied with the place. The security was tight. In one month, the soft furnishings were completely changed according to her preferences. Even the yard was designed by a professional landscape architect to create an Eden Garden with a wide variety of plants and flowers blooming in all four seasons.
The housekeeper was already resting, so Qiao Shu went straight upstairs to the second floor, followed by steady footsteps.
She took a shower in her pajamas, and when she came out, Yu Zeheng had already finished washing up in the guest bathroom and was lying on the bed.
The sheets had just been changed, and suddenly there was a man in the bed—it was an eyesore no matter how you looked at him. Qiao Shu glanced at him; lingering for even a second longer felt like a relapse. She lifted the left side of the blanket and lay down.
Qiao Shu has many sleeping problems. For example, she is delicate and requires a custom-made mattress. She is also very picky about the materials of her bedding. What is even more unbearable is that she is afraid of the dark and must leave a wall lamp on while sleeping, and then she inexplicably puts on a silk eye mask.
In the brief silence, only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard.
Qiao Shu couldn't fall asleep for a while. She frowned and was about to clear her throat to tell Yu Zeheng to go to the second bedroom to sleep when she touched his fingers. As she reflexively pulled them back, his broad palm pressed down on her, palms touching, and the soft mattress sank.
Like dry, scorched grass that ignites easily when exposed to fire, they understood each other without saying a word.
Yu Zeheng turned over and kissed her. He pulled off her blindfold and kissed her eyes, his lips feeling her fluttering eyelashes.
Although they had many grievances against each other and their marriage was not going to stand up to scrutiny, they were very compatible in this matter.
The night was long, and the moonlight was like water.
Qiao Shu suddenly thought of Yu Zeheng's collection that was on display at her auction house—a priceless treasure. She exhaled and said, "If we get divorced in the future, you can give me the celadon chopstick bottle."
Yu Zeheng's long eyes swept over the area.
The next second, he leaned in forcefully, silencing Qiao Shu's unfinished words. At the same time, he lowered his body, clamped her chin, and kissed her lips with his lowered head, muffled her voice.
Qiao Shu felt like her lungs were being shoved, and she couldn't catch her breath. When he released her, she gasped for air and glared at him: "Did you take your medicine?"
Yu Zeheng's dark eyes gleamed as he retorted, "Don't you know whether I ate it or not?"
A note from the author:
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I'm here! Long time no see! *kissing sounds*
As usual, there are red envelopes available 24 hours a day.
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It's basically a story about two arrogant and tsundere characters. Neither the male nor female lead is a perfect person. I respect everyone's opinions, but please refrain from personal attacks. Enjoy reading, and feel free to click the "X" if you don't like something.
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