Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Don't worry, you and I are both good at superficial work...
Heartbeat at Marriage
Text/You Zao June 21, 2025
First published by Jinjiang Literature.
Misty mist crept onto the bathroom mirror, and water droplets slid down her snow-white skin, her slender fingers wiping away the turbidity. Mi Yanyan tied up her damp hair, squeezed out the water, and draped it over her right chest.
The house was so quiet that it was unsettling, with only the last few drops of rain from the shower head dripping down.
Besides her bottles and jars, six bottles of black skincare products were neatly arranged in another corner of the dressing table. The woody sandalwood scent was trapped in a glass bottle with a transparent seal, which was both conspicuous and unnecessary.
Just like her husband who disappeared from the world.
They hadn't seen each other for half a month after getting the certificate. She thought about it carefully and realized that he was prudent and considerate, elegant and modest.
Oh, no, that's his brother.
Reorganize the few fragments of memory in your mind...
Arrogant and unruly.
This is her husband.
The hair dryer's plug brushed against the marble countertop, spilling lotion. The black bottle clattered against the sink, and she reached out to retrieve it, missing it. The next second, without hesitation, she opened the cabinet door beneath her and stuffed everything inside.
No one uses it and it's just an eyesore. The master bedroom bathroom has been restored to its single-person status, and a smile appears on the corner of his mouth.
There is a large lawn outside the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. Mi Yanyan returned a missed call, stroked the cat's head and admired the golden retriever running wildly in the sunset. The most exciting thing about moving into the villa was peanuts and popcorn.
"Wanwan, I didn't hear the call." Mi Yanyan said lazily.
A sigh escaped from the other side. Yu Wan guessed she was still asleep and didn't dare to call her any further. "Worked the night shift again yesterday? Your hospital is so inhumane, arranging so many late nights right after your wedding."
Mi Yanyan stretched lazily. After all, the marriage was just a formality. No one knew about it except relatives and friends of both parties. Naturally, it would not affect her work schedule. She joked, "Vet hospitals serve cats and dogs, so they must be inhumane to their doctors."
Yu Wan chuckled, her mind completely focused on the questionnaire she had carefully polished. "It's been quite a while since we moved into our new home. How do you feel?"
Mi Yanyan knew what she wanted to ask, and she honestly explained that they had not seen each other since their marriage. This villa, which was registered under her name before the marriage, had no trace of human beings except herself, a cat and a dog.
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and then a terrifying wail was heard.
"Sisters are so beautiful, the second son of the Shi family doesn't have any hidden illness, right?"
Yu Wan had been friends with her for over twenty years, and when he first heard about her getting married, he was strongly against her rushing into marriage and tried to dissuade her from doing so several times.
She understood the logic; marriage was a must. The person on the receiver was still mumbling as she opened WeChat, scrolled down for a long time without seeing it, and then went back to look for it, clicking on a slightly out-of-place dialog box amidst a pile of work group messages.
The only content of the chat between the two people is - you have successfully added the other party as a friend.
The secretary took care of all the time arrangements, transfer procedures, and everything else. If the state regulations did not require both husband and wife to be present when getting a marriage certificate, the secretary would probably have signed for him.
This was the kind of marriage she was supposed to be, so she was too lazy to start it.
Seeing that the other party showed no sign of calming down, Mi Yanyan changed the subject and asked, "When will Xiao Yichi be back?"
She has lived in the compound since she was a child. Besides Yu Wan, there is another childhood friend who will return home tonight.
"I'll be at Yichuan at nine o'clock. I said I'd pick you up."
Mi Yanyan had a slight headache, and Xiao Yichi came to pick her up. Her parents couldn't help but nag her when they saw her.
Yu Wan was waiting for a reply, but she only heard someone shout "Peanuts" on the other end, and then she hurriedly hung up the phone. She understood that the naughty golden retriever was probably doing something bad again.
Mi Yanyan carried the troublemaker with a mouthful of grass back to the living room. Just as she was about to teach it a lesson, she bumped into her aunt running out of the kitchen.
She was about fifty years old, with a kind face. She wiped the water off her hands on her apron. "Madam," she said first, "I'm the aunt of the Shi family's old house. You can just call me Aunt Chen."
Meeting someone in the villa for the first time, Mi Yanyan awkwardly covered her pajamas, tucked her scattered hair behind her ears, and called out "Auntie Chen" with a smile.
"Hey, sir, you're going back tomorrow. I'll take care of you from now on."
Peanut looked happy because a stranger showed up and saved him from death, but Mi Yanyan tried her best to hide the complicated look in her eyes and replied with difficulty.
I never expected that my free and easy single life after marriage would end so soon. I am so heartbroken.
"What would you like to eat, ma'am? I'll make dinner right away." It was almost dusk outside, and the light made the people in front of her look bright and peaceful. It was also the first time that Aunt Chen saw the daughter-in-law of the Shi family, and she couldn't help but sigh.
"You're even more beautiful than in the photo."
After bathing, she had no makeup on, her lips were red, her teeth were white, her face was plump, and she looked cute and well-behaved in her brightness. Her figure was well-proportioned, and the waist, which was wrapped in the thin straps of her nightgown, was tight and dazzling. No matter how you looked at it, it was obvious that she had been raised in an excellent family.
Her face flushed slightly as she loosened her grip on the restless peanuts. She smiled and apologized, "Sorry, Aunt Chen, I have to go back to my parents' house for dinner later."
Not only does he have to go home, but he also has to attend a party organized by Xiao Yichi in the evening. He has always been generous, and I don't know if he can come back alive today.
Aunt Chen expressed her understanding, saying it was natural for a newlywed to miss his family. She consoled him, "Okay, then be careful." Then she went to leash the dog, gently patted Peanut's head, squatted down, and said, "You're so good. I'll give you a snack later."
Hearing about the snacks, Popcorn, who was basking in the sun on the sofa, ran over to rub Aunt Chen's trouser legs with his tail raised, looking very affectionate.
Mi Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief. The aunt arranged by the Shi family was not afraid of her children.
An Xin returned to the second floor and saw the sensor light in the cloakroom was on. Half of the four suitcases she brought were not put away properly.
The row next to her was filled with sets of dark suits neatly arranged. They had all been packed up and were standing guard in the closet before she moved in.
Mi Yanyan casually fiddled with two pieces of clothing, and four words came out of her mouth unconsciously: What a waste of effort.
After saying this, he thought that the house would have a new owner tomorrow, and pushed the two messed up items back to their original places.
She put on a pure white and gold-threaded knee-length dress, tied up all her hair, and even the few remaining strands were not spared. She fixed it on all sides with black invisible hairpins to ensure that nothing was missed, and checked in front of the mirror.
Decent and elegant, meeting the standards of going home.
I glanced down and saw Aunt Chen still busy in the kitchen. She quickly opened the extra-large aluminum suitcase inside, found a set of clothes and stuffed them into the drawstring pocket as if she were in the right place, closed it, scrambled the code, and quietly put it back in place.
The guard on duty saw Mi Yanyan and gave her a familiar smile. My mother had already called twice on the phone, and after those two calls, she received another message.
Zhang Qiaoshu: [Yan Yan, where are you? Hurry up.]
She held down the voice call, resting the phone case against her chin, and replied breathlessly as she ran: "Downstairs, I'll be there soon."
Inside the room, Zhang Qiaoshu spoke with a voice amplifier, smiling at the silver-haired old man at the table, "Dad, Yanyan will be up soon."
Mi Zhenhua took the plate brought by the aunt, wiped off some dripping soup, and warned: "Don't rush her, she will fall again later."
Mi Yanyan grew up with her grandparents. Her parents were not at home all year round. It was not until her grandmother passed away a few years ago that the family reunited after many years.
The person outside the door just stopped, straightened his slightly messy skirt, took a deep breath and put on a smile, but before he knocked, the door creaked open.
When I looked up, I saw Zhang Qiaoshu frowning. He looked me up and down, and said in a completely different tone and expression, "Yan Yan is here," and then turned to sit at the table.
Mi Yanyan lowered her head out of habit and found that the brooch was a little crooked, so she quickly straightened it.
"Grandpa, Mom and Dad, there's a traffic jam on the road, so I'm sorry to have delayed your meal."
After she finished speaking, she bent down, holding the hem of her skirt. Aunt Qian took out her special slippers and handed them to her feet. She pointed to another pair of dark linen men's slippers and said, "I prepared them specially for you, my son-in-law. They are the same style as yours. You wore them last time and they were the perfect size."
Mi Yanyan was stunned for a moment, then continued, "Aunt Qian is so thoughtful."
"My son-in-law is the one who took it seriously. He came to see Grandpa before leaving and brought a set of tea sets with him. It's a private collection of a master craftsman and it's not easy to buy."
She didn't know that Shi Jingzhou had been to her house. Judging from the date, it should have been before they left and before they got the marriage certificate.
After all, they had just come out of the Civil Affairs Bureau when he rushed to the airport and there was no news.
When she saw the small pot on her grandfather's tea tray, the words Jingzhou whispered to her ear when they received the certificate kept flashing in her mind.
He said - "Don't worry, you and I are both people who can do superficial work."
It was indeed well done. The gifts touched the old man's heart. Mi Yanyan smiled and sat down at the table.
The serving chopsticks moved back and forth around the bowl in front of him. Grandpa, as usual, gave her the best ones and asked with a smile, "Why are you so thin?"
Mi Yanyan affectionately took her grandfather's arm. Due to years of surgery, his wrist was thin and the veins were clear. She felt a pang of sadness: "No, you have lost weight again." After saying that, the grandfather and grandson smiled at each other, with deep meaning in their eyes.
Mi Wenzhong, who had been silent for a while, asked, "Jingzhou hasn't come back recently?"
She looked up at her father and replied calmly, "He's busy with work."
The other party replied with a hint of ridicule, "Zekai is a caring family man."
Mi Yanyan suddenly felt the old man move his chopsticks, and the atmosphere instantly became serious.
Her first choice for marriage was Shi Zekai, the eldest son of the Shi family. Unexpectedly, Shi Jingzhou suddenly appeared. The most surprising thing was that it was the old man who made the final decision on this marriage. He insisted that Mi Yanyan marry the second son of the Shi family, completely ignoring Mi Wenzhong's opinion.
"Dad can't make a mistake in choosing someone," Zhang Qiaoshu, who was good at smoothing things over, quickly shifted the blame onto his daughter. "It's just that Yanyan is so naive. She's still incredibly busy even after getting married. We have a medical family, and now we have a veterinarian."
The old man of the Mi family is the head of the orthopedics department of the Eastern Military Headquarters in South City. His only legitimate granddaughter failed to inherit his legacy. Since she started college, her mother has scolded her countless times, and she has been involved in every banquet, big or small.
After finishing dinner with her, it was already dark. She quietly browsed the messages. The photo sent by Xiao Yichi showed that he was already downstairs of her house. She quickly tapped the screen with her fingers and sent a reply.
Xiaomila: [Drive a little further away, my parents are home.]
Seeing that it was almost nine o'clock, the old man didn't want to stay any longer and asked Aunt Qian to notify the driver to send Mi Yanyan back to the villa. She hurriedly refused, saying that Xiao Yichi had just returned and was having a small gathering with friends. After that, she quickly picked up the canvas bag by the door.
"What's this? You're carrying it around." Zhang Qiaoshu looked unhappy and warned her, "You're all married now, so stay away from Xiao Yichi."
To be frank, the old man of the Xiao family and grandpa were comrades-in-arms. Xiao Yichi was a good family man and childhood sweetheart of Mi Yanyan. Unfortunately, he was too carefree and playful, and was not liked by his elders.
"Go ahead and go home early." The only one in the family who could stand Xiao Yichi was the old man. He waved his hand and let his granddaughter go first.
Headlights shone fifty meters down the road. A man leaning against a black sports car snapped his sunglasses back on, looking handsome and full of energy. He had been waiting downstairs for an hour. When he saw a familiar figure emerge, he immediately got out to greet them, so attentive that he completely forgot that tonight was supposed to be his welcoming party.
Mi Yanyan smiled and was quite obedient, not stopping at the door.
"What's going on? Are you so hasty in getting married? Did the night shift mess with your brain?"
Her good mood was completely destroyed by Xiao Yichi's three fatal questions. She glared and put away her smile.
"If you insist on asking these questions, I'll go home."
Mi Yanyan was calm and composed, keeping her distance. Xiao Yichi was so angry that he had no place to vent his anger. He gave up and waved his hand to stop the fight, then opened the car door for her and watched her get in.
He has never been a match for Mi Yanyan. He wanted to say a few more words when he got in the car, but when he saw her putting on makeup as if no one was around, he swallowed his words back.
The neon lights were just coming on, the light and shadows were intertwined, and as soon as I got off the car, I was hit by a rolling heat wave.
Xiao Yichi threw the keys away, and the person at the door respectfully called him "Mr. Xiao". After that, he glanced at the woman next to him, his expression calm, and walked straight to the bathroom.
When Mi Yanyan changed her clothes and came out, the booth was already full of people. Yu Wan stood up and called her over.
She was wearing a short black dress with laces, revealing her shoulders and skin as white as cream. Just a few steps away, the drinking party was paused and everyone's eyes frequently glanced at her.
Yu Wan was already used to Mi Yanyan's appearance. She stood up, took a few steps, and pushed away a few QR codes that were crying out for help. She then pulled the person back to her side. "Did you buy these shoes?"
Mi Yanyan held up her skirt and sat down. She put the black hairpin she had just taken off into her bag, shook her long hair a few times and felt relieved. "Yes, I've been waiting for two months, and finally I have my size."
Two black straps inlaid with diamonds wrap around the ankles. The heels are high and thin, making the calves look straight.
There was a glass on the table filled with amber liquid and spherical ice cubes shaking in it. Xiao Yichi pushed the glass.
Mi Yanyan declined, "I have surgery tomorrow, so I don't drink."
He leaned over, raised his hand to cover his mouth and leaned closer, "I know you don't want to drink, so I'm just pretending with iced black tea."
Mi Yanyan smiled and nodded, very satisfied. It would be difficult to refuse Xiao Yichi's request, so she raised her glass generously with a squinting eye, "Then let's celebrate Chichi's return to China," and then drank it all in one gulp.
"This must be the childhood friend that Mr. Xiao has been thinking about!" Someone at the table started to make a fuss, "You're so late, you should punish yourself." He was used to being teased, so he blocked all the wine and drank it all himself.
The shining light opened a gap in the dim atmosphere, and every frown and smile fell into the eyes of the man on the second floor.
Qin Muchuan followed his gaze downwards and said, "Jingzhou, you two are quite interesting, one upstairs and the other downstairs."
The man sat cross-legged on the sofa, his black shirt two buttons open, his cold white fingers holding a wine glass. His eyes were dark, and the bottom of his eyes was unclear. The curve of his mouth disappeared, and he put down the wine glass, grabbed the suit beside him, and said coldly, "Let's go."
Qin Muchuan took a sip of wine and felt a chill all over his body.
While everyone was having fun, Mi Yanyan was replying to a message from the front desk in the work group chat. There was an unexpected surgery scheduled for the next day, and they asked if she had time. She looked at the empty dialog box and replied, "Sure."
Having a legitimate reason to come home late and reasonably reducing contact is simply perfect. Mi Yanyan happily picked up a piece of watermelon.
The bar manager, looking nervous, came up to Xiao Yichi with a black leather wallet in hand and leaned over to whisper something. Xiao Yichi frowned and raised his voice an octave higher, asking, "Why are you buying my bill?"
Several bottles of Tibetan wine were stacked in front of him, and the bottoms of the bottles hit the cold marble table, creating a solemn and eerie atmosphere.
The manager replied with an embarrassed look on his face, "Mr. Qin's friend bought it."
"Who is it?" Xiao Yichi couldn't stand anyone showing off in front of him. He was even more annoyed when he heard that it was his partner Qin Muchuan's friend.
The manager pointed cautiously at the stairs and replied, "Last name: Shi."
Mi Yanyan held the iced black tea in her mouth, her throat choked with shock, and she looked up.
The man was walking down the stairs slowly, his leather shoes were spotless, his suit trousers were straight and slender, his suit was draped over his arm, his profile was cold, his nose was high, and he was serious.
When they reached the last step, the man suddenly opened his eyelids and looked straight at her.
The two looked at each other with no expression.
Mi Yanyan swallowed the drink and wondered, isn't he coming back tomorrow?
Blinking in panic, the man casually turned his watch, then looked away and strode away.
She lowered her eyes and came back to her senses to comfort herself, thinking that the light was too dim and she must have seen it wrong, maybe it was his elder brother.
Yu Wan nudged her and asked doubtfully, "What's your last name, Shi? Is your husband back?"
"No, I don't know him." She answered casually.
The manager's brows were twisted into a knot. He spread out the bill folder in his hand and handed it to Mi Yanyan with trepidation.
The music in the bar seemed to be muted, and the wine list was signed in black and white.
——Shi Jingzhou.
In cursive writing, the tip of the pen lightly strokes the bill.
She was not mistaken. She looked at the signature several times when she received the certificate.
There is another line of large characters below, written by the same person.
——Have fun.
The author has something to say:
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Zhouzi: I wrote this with gritted teeth
Xiaoyan: Why are you everywhere?
The seedlings are ready! Welcome everyone to the base for cultivation!
As we all know, Xiaozaozi is a Cunwen player, so don't worry.
Before v, it was stable and updated every other day. There will be more updates. After v, it will be stable and updated every day.
SC Marry first, love later. So sweet. Thanks for your support. Wish everyone all the best.
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