Chapter 121 is about to expire
In the study room of 1601, the afternoon sun lazily spreads on the carpet, and the air is filled with the smell of cedar and paper and ink.
Yu Ling sat cross-legged on the carpet, her back leaning against the soft sofa, with Xinghui's market report spread out in front of her, and the pen twirling between her fingertips.
My heart has flown away long ago.
The taste of the "tasting meal" at Muhe is still dancing on the tip of my tongue - the freshness of the caviar bursting in my mouth, the dizzying sweetness of the blue lobster, and the last "morning dew", which was as sweet as hope.
But what hurts even more is the smell of gunpowder on Zhao Chen's cuffs, and the panic-stricken and frightening light in his eyes when she exposed his "future" trick.
Gu Qianqian's "ant" nonsense was shattered, but another thunderbolt was even louder - that marriage contract that was about to expire! The "Mutual Aid Marriage Agreement" was about to expire in one year!
The more he doted on her and protected her, the more the cold-blooded clauses of "non-interference" and "one-year term" became like a poisonous thorn, piercing her heart deeper and deeper.
Did he do this because he loved her? Or... was it just for the contract?
Click!
A crisp sound seemed to press the switch of her tense nerves!
Yu Ling looked up suddenly.
At the other end of the study, Zhao Chen was hunched over in front of a massive mahogany bookcase. Several thick, fallen books lay at his feet, and in his hands he was clutching a dark blue cardboard file box, the lid of which had been shaken open. He hurriedly went to pick up the books, but his elbow buckled.
Snap!
A document with frayed edges and yellowed pages slipped out from the crack of the box and fell precisely on the carpet at Ling's feet!
On the cover of the folder, there was a line of bold black words, which burned into her eyes like a red-hot iron!
Mutual Aid Marriage Agreement
Party A: Yu Ling
Party B: Zhao Chen
boom--!
Yu Ling's mind went blank! All the blood in her body rushed to her head, then instantly drained away! Her face was as white as paper, her fingers were cold, and she forgot to breathe!
protocol!
That cold, icy deal that she had deliberately forgotten!
So naked, so unexpected, it hit her right in front of her! At this moment when he was pretending to be an "ordinary husband" the most!
Zhao Chen saw it too, his body visibly stiffening! He quickly glanced at Yu Ling's instantly pale face. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes flashed with panic, embarrassment, and a hint of... damn nervousness?
He immediately squatted down, frantically trying to pick up the books on the ground with one hand. His other hand, as if burned, quickly reached for the fatal agreement, mumbling:
"Ah... this... old paper, so dusty... I'll... put it away..."
His fingertips were about to touch the cold cover!
"Don't move!" Yu Ling's voice was dry and tense, shaking even more than she realized. She practically lunged forward, slapping the agreement in the face!
Her heart was beating wildly in her throat! She suddenly raised her head, her eyes fixed on Zhao Chen who was frozen in front of her.
The sunlight slanted across his face, casting a half-bright, half-dark image. The look behind his glasses lost its usual warmth and pretense of innocence, leaving only the panic of being stripped naked and a deep, unsettling complexity.
The air froze. Only the heavy breathing of the two people competed in the dead silence of the study. The agreement lay in the middle, like a frozen river.
Yu Ling looked at his stiff posture and the panic in his eyes. The poisonous sting of "contract expiration" in her heart was suddenly pulled out, bringing bloody pain!
A huge sense of grievance, unease, and panic of being tricked instantly overwhelmed her! What was he panicking about? Was he afraid she would find out that the contract was about to expire? Or did he simply not want her to see it?
She used all her strength to suppress the sobs in her throat and the soreness in her eyes. Her voice was trying to be calm, but it was trembling underneath:
"Zhao Chen..." For the first time, she didn't call him "Mr. Zhao" but directly called him by his name. "This thing is about to expire, right?"
She paused, her gaze like a scalpel, ready to cut through all his disguises and pierce his heart:
"What are you going to do?"
Asked it out!
This question, which had been lingering in her mind and tormenting her since she returned from Muhe, or even before, was thrown out by her with all her might! With sheer courage and overwhelming fear.
Zhao Chen's body trembled imperceptibly the moment she called out his name. He remained in a half-squat position, his hand still suspended in the air, his fingertips mere centimeters from the agreement. He lowered his head, his hair covering most of his face, making it difficult to discern his expression.
Time is like lead, hammering down second by second, making people feel suffocated.
Just when Ling was about to be driven crazy by this dead silence——
Zhao Chen finally moved.
He raised his head very slowly and with great difficulty.
The eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were no longer panicky, but as dark as thick ink that could not be dissolved, with immense pain and struggle swirling in them.
He looked at Yu Ling, at her pale face, at her eyes that were trying hard to hold back tears but were extremely stubborn and insisted on getting an answer, and his Adam's apple rolled violently.
He didn't answer.
It didn’t say “forget it when it expires” or “renew it”.
He seemed to have exhausted all his strength before squeezing out a few words from his throat, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper grinding wood:
"Lingling...I..."
He opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat. A huge, inexpressible emotion surged in his eyes, almost swallowing him up.
He stood up suddenly, his movements were as frantic as if he would explode on the spot if he stayed for another second.
"I...I'm going to the kitchen!" He babbled incoherently, his voice cracking with panic. "Truffles! Yes...there are truffles in the fridge! Tonight...stew a chicken! This time! I'll make sure I can tell the males from the females! I'll definitely tell them apart!"
He stumbled out of the study as if being chased by a ghost, not even caring about the books on the floor or the glaring agreement! The word "escape" was written all over his back.
Bang!
The study door was slammed shut, shaking the wall so much that it trembled.
There was dead silence in the study.
Only Yu Ling was left.
On the carpet lay the cold "Mutual Aid Marriage Agreement" and several scattered books.
The immense loss and icy despair were like a drenching cascade of icy water pouring down upon her head! He had run away! Without even saying a word! He had used the idiotic excuse of "distinguishing male and female chickens" to dodge her most fatal question!
Tears finally burst out! She bit her lip tightly to stop herself from crying out loud, but her body trembled like a leaf in the wind. She felt as if her bones had been pulled out, and she slumped down, her fingers trembling as she touched the cold cover of the agreement.
turn out to be……
The expensive truffle caviar, the fresh blue lobster, the fondant cake in the frying kitchen, the guard in the smoke of gunpowder... none of them can compare to this piece of expired paper.
He was just acting.
Play the role of a conscientious "contract husband".
When the time comes, the show ends.
Her heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand, the pain stifling her breath. She curled up into a ball, buried her face deep in her knees, and her scalding tears silently fell into the expensive cashmere carpet.
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