Marry me, and I'll protect you for life.
These words are easy to say, but to actually do them is extremely difficult.
But under those circumstances, Shen Nan still made that promise to Zhou Zuizui. She didn't know if Shen Nan said it to comfort her or for some other reason, but he did say it.
Shen Nan paused, stared at her intently for a few seconds, and nodded.
Zhou Zuizui curled her lips and gave a mocking smile: "Fine, I'll go back with you."
After arranging everything at the tavern, Zhou Zuizui and Shen Nan embarked on their journey home the next day.
When Ai Zeyang learned that Zhou Zuizui was also going back to Beicheng, he was shocked and immediately changed his plane ticket to be on the same flight as them.
On the entire flight back to Beicheng, Zhou Zuizui was in a bad mood. The usually mischievous person was silent the whole way. Even Ai Zeyang, who was always joking around, didn't dare to talk to her much.
After getting off the plane, the three of them got into the car and went back together.
Ai Zeyang's driver came to pick her up. After Zhou Zuizui got into the car, she turned to look out the window, her eyes flickering slightly. She hadn't been back for too long.
Two years ago, when she left, she was feverish and arrived in the ancient town in a daze. When she left, she didn't even have a chance to properly look at the scenery or the bustling traffic of the city.
She stared intently outside, so even if Ai Zeyang wanted to say something, he had no chance. As for Shen Nan, he remained silent from beginning to end, only uttering a word when giving Ai Zeyang's driver the address.
The group remained silent until they got off the bus.
After thanking Ai Zeyang, Zhou Zuizui entered the residential area with Shen Nan.
She looked up at the residential area in front of her, and her mood, which had been low, improved a bit. She raised an eyebrow and teased Shen Nan, "Captain Shen, how come you haven't improved at all after all these years? Still living here?"
Zhou Zuizui had been to this house before.
Shen Nan glanced at her coldly and sneered, "I'm sorry to have wronged you."
Zhou Zuizui: "..."
These words were like a punch landing on cotton, leaving her with no room for criticism.
To be honest, no one has lived in Shen Nan's house for two years.
Back then, I only bought it as a place to live occasionally, not for a long time. Later, after I met Zhou Zuizui, I brought her here twice, and she stayed here for a while. Then she left, and Shen Nan also took on a mission and left, so the house has been left unused ever since.
Only today, when they were about to arrive, did Shen Nan make a phone call to have the house cleaned. So when the two of them opened the door, the house was spotless, even the floor was gleaming.
Zhou Zuizui didn't have much luggage, just a small suitcase. Shen Nan carried it for her the whole way. After entering the house, the two changed their shoes. Without mentioning who would sleep where, Zhou Zuizui consciously pulled her luggage to the guest room on one side.
Shen Nan watched, raised an eyebrow, but did not stop him.
After the two tidied up, Shen Nan looked at her and asked, "Do you want to rest, or go to the hospital to get checked out?"
Zhou Zuizui remained silent for a moment, then stared at Shen Nan in silence before saying coldly, "Go to the hospital."
Whether you go early or late, you have to go.
After eating something outside, the two drove to the hospital.
The weather in Beicheng today is not good. It has been drizzling, and the temperature is more than 20 degrees Celsius lower than in the ancient town. It is extremely cold.
Zhou Zuizui changed into a black wool coat at home and put on a hat, exuding an aura of unapproachability. She sat in the car, squinting and resting. Shen Nan glanced at her occasionally, frowned, but didn't say anything.
After arriving at the hospital, Shen Nan went to park the car.
"Which ward is he in?"
Shen Nan looked at her: "Third floor, room 301."
"Okay." Zhou Zuizui picked up her bag, turned around, and left.
Shen Nan didn't stop him; sometimes, people need some space.
Zhou Zuizui went upstairs and went straight to the third floor. Only when she stood in the corridor did she reach out and cover her rapidly beating heart to calm herself down a little.
You're back to see them make a fool of themselves, not to let them make a fool of you. Remember, you must never lose your composure.
After hypnotizing herself for a while, Zhou Zuizui slowly walked to the door of ward 301. As soon as she arrived at the door, she heard conversations coming from inside.
"Madam Zhou, you're awake."
"Mmm." Mrs. Zhou's voice was very gentle.
The other person smiled and said, "Now that you're awake, why don't you have something to drink? The doctor just came to check on you and said you're recovering very well."
"Really?" She chuckled gently, sat up from the hospital bed, leaned against the headboard, and propped herself up with a pillow.
Mrs. Zhou looked out the window at the gloomy, rainy weather and sighed, "It's raining again. I wonder when it will stop."
"Yes," said the aunt next to me. "It's been raining nonstop for ages. It feels like it's been raining for this long in ages."
...
Zhou Zuizui paused at the door and exchanged a glance with Shen Nan, who had followed her.
Shen Nan smiled, a rare occurrence, his expression softening considerably. He walked closer to Zhou Zuizui and extended his hand to her: "Let's go."
Zhou Zuizui lowered her eyes, staring at the broad, warm hand in front of her, a slight stirring within her… Shen Nan's appearance had given her the courage to go in. She paused, then placed her hand in his palm, letting him hold it.
"Thanks."
She was genuinely afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself when she came here.
The two knocked on the door, and the person inside looked up at the sound: "Who is it?"
As soon as the door opened, the woman named Madam Zhou's pupils contracted slightly when she saw Zhou Zuizui. Then, she clutched her chest with immense excitement and exclaimed, "Chuichui?"
Zhou Zuizui gave a mocking smile and walked in with Shen Nan.
She sat down on the sofa on one side without paying attention to herself.
Shen Nan greeted her politely, "Aunt Zhou."
He should actually call her "Mom," but if he did so in front of Zhou Zuizui, she might immediately turn on him and leave.
Madam Zhou's eyelashes fluttered, and she nodded, looking at Zhou Zuizui behind Shen Nan: "Chuichui, did you come back to see your mother?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zuizui sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, glanced at her coldly, and said, "No."
Mrs. Zhou paused, looked at her with teary eyes, and asked pitifully, "Chuichui, don't you miss your mother?"
Shen Nan glanced at his wife, feeling helpless.
Zhou Zuizui looked at the woman not far away, unsure how to react. They had used the same tactic when they locked her up and threatened her. She felt absolutely no sympathy for this kind of crying, only disgust.
The longer she stayed here looking at the familiar people in front of her, the more restless and uneasy she became.
Zhou Zuizui immediately stood up from her chair, looked at Madam Zhou, and used sharp words to protect herself: "Since you are not yet unable to move, then there is no need to have Shen Nan notify me to come back." She sneered and said sarcastically: "After all, you have already used this trick once."
After saying that, she turned around and tried to leave.
Before she could leave, a middle-aged man with a serious expression entered. He was carrying something, dressed in casual clothes, and staring at her with sharp eyes.
"Zhou Zuizui." The person approached her.
Zhou Zuizui subconsciously took a step back, and Shen Nan reached out to support her waist so that she could stand up straight.
She steadied herself, looked at the person, and pursed her lips.
The newcomer's voice turned cold, and he reached out in a fit of rage to hit her: "Do you think you've grown wings just because you're married?!"
With a 'snap'.
The slap landed on Shen Nan's arm, not on Zhou Zuizui's face.
Zhou Zuizui was held protectively in Shen Nan's arms.
She was stunned and looked at Shen Nan in surprise. Before she could react, Shen Nan took her hand and pulled her behind him, his eyes dark as he looked at the man in front of him: "Uncle Zhou."
Zhou's father was taken aback, not expecting Shen Nan to block him.
Shen Nan met his gaze, pointed at Zhou Zuizui, and looked at Zhou's father with a hint of disapproval: "Zuizui came back to see her aunt, not to be beaten by you the moment you saw her."
Before Zhou's father could speak, Shen Nan continued in a deep voice, "You are an elder, and we juniors cannot refute what you do, nor can we say you are wrong, but..." He paused, pulled Zhou Zuizui to his side, and said softly, "Zuizui is now my wife. No matter what she says or does wrong, I should bear the consequences."
After speaking, Shen Nan politely looked at Zhou's mother to the side, nodded and said, "Zui Zui and I have something to do. Since Auntie has no problem, we'll be leaving now."
With a 'bang,' the door slammed shut. And with the door closed, the ever-growing distance between them also disappeared.
After getting in the car, Zhou Zuizui ignored Shen Nan's expression and immediately started pulling at his clothes.
Shen Nan was both amused and exasperated, and helplessly looked at her while holding her wrist: "What are you doing?"
"Let me see." Zhou Zuizui glared at him. "Why are you blocking me? He should have been the one to shoot it down."
That way, no matter what she says or does, she won't feel too guilty later. It's not like that person only hit her once; one more time won't make a difference, and one less time won't make a difference either.
Shen Nan was taken aback, looked down at the people making a ruckus to the side, paused and said, "It's really nothing."
"We'll only know after we see it." Zhou Zuizui continued to take off his clothes.
To get Shen Nan's clothes off, she practically had to lie on top of him. But Shen Nan was wearing two layers of clothing today, and after taking off the outer one, there was still another one... Zhou Zuizui had no choice but to move a tiny bit closer.
At first, Shen Nan didn't feel anything, but after a while, one side of the body moved closer and closer, the soft body sticking to him, making it almost unbearable.
He is a normal man, not to mention that the person clinging to him is his wife.
When Zhou Zuizui's cold hand reached out and touched his skin with her soft touch, Shen Nan's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and before he could regain his senses, he grabbed Zhou Zuizui and pulled her back into the passenger seat, scolding, "Sit still, we'll see when we get home!"
Zhou Zuizui: "..."
She choked slightly, her eyes filled with inquiry, and looked Shen Nan up and down, teasingly asking, "What are you going home to see?"
Shen Nan was so angry that he laughed.
He and Zhou Zuizui stared at each other silently for a while, listening to the sound of rain pounding outside the window, before he finally asked, "Are you in a better mood?"
"A little bit," Zhou Zuizui said with a smile, looking down. "It was so satisfying to watch you roast people just now."
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, "I've never seen you so angry with an elder before."
In her memory, and based on what others said about Shen Nan, he was not the type to argue with elders. He was like a robot, never getting angry and rarely smiling.
Today was quite an unexpected day.
Shen Nan glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Zhou Zuizui remained silent for a while, looking at the heavy rain outside the window. She wasn't actually in a good mood either. However, she was good at hiding it and didn't want others to worry about her.
She's pretty good at processing things on her own.
After a while, Zhou Zuizui took out her phone, glanced at it, and looked at Shen Nan: "Are you on vacation recently?"
"Um."
"How long is the leave?"
"For a period of time."
I spent two years in the frontier without a break, and as soon as I came back, I went on another mission. So, I guess I have quite a lot of vacation time in Shennan.
Zhou Zuizui pursed her lips, then suddenly exclaimed "Hey!" and pointed to a bar on the side, saying, "Captain Chen, wanna have a drink?"
Shen Nan: "...I won't drink."
"Drink up." Zhou Zuizui's eyes were filled with longing. "It's been so long since I've had a drink from a bar."
Shen Nan paused, his eyes darkening as he looked at her and sternly forbade her: "You're in a bad mood, you're not allowed to drink tonight."
"Why?"
Zhou Zuizui blurted out the question, and after asking it... she realized why.
The last time she was in a bad mood was two years ago. Back then, she had a low alcohol tolerance and got drunk after just a few drinks.
Then--
Zhou Zuizui looked at Shen Nan's expression, remained silent for a while, and then asked, "Are you worried that I'll get drunk and sleep with you again?"
Author's Note: Captain Shen: Give me some face!
Chui Chui: No way! I was the one who slept with you, not the other way around!
Captain Chen: Almost there!
Waaaaaah, I'm so sorry! I'm late today!!
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