Side Story (2) Prologue: Ah, this time I'll be happy. ...
He Yanzhou picked Zhu Xu up and carried him towards the bedroom. As he passed the dressing mirror at the top of the stairs, he suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and looked at something in the mirror.
Zhu Xu, who had been resting his head on his shoulder, looked over at him, feeling puzzled. His cheeks instantly swelled up as if they were about to explode.
The two of them had just gone to the study, and they weren't fully dressed. The side of him facing the mirror was precisely the side where her legs were being supported.
Zhu Xu shook him: "Are you a pervert? Get away from me!"
He Yanzhou shifted slightly as she shook him, and smiled silently.
She lifted her leg and continued walking towards the bedroom. One of her slippers, which was tucked into her foot, fell to the doorway of the study, while the other flew off when he threw it onto the bed.
Zhu Xu quickly rolled under the covers, leaving only his eyes sticking out: "Pervert."
He Yanzhou ignored her.
She watched as he quickly pulled off his T-shirt by the hem, his arms crossed. As he raised his arms, his abdomen automatically contracted, causing his pants to drop a little, revealing his prominent and sexy veins in the dim light.
I really wanted to know what it would feel like to touch lips with lips. I hesitated and thought about getting up, but in the end I didn't dare. I could only sigh deeply with regret and frustration.
His gaze swept over them; "What?"
Zhu Xu didn't speak, seeing that he was already taking off his pajama bottoms. He quickly leaned forward and pulled the person out from under the covers. The material of the nightgown was as thin as a cicada's wing, how could it withstand his somewhat rough movements? With a "rip", the shoulder strap broke.
However, he hovered above her, silently watching her.
Zhu Xu protested: "You ruined two of my nightgowns."
"It was by accident."
She generously didn't pursue the matter, lowered her eyes slightly, and touched his chest.
He Yanzhou suddenly asked her, "If you had won just now, what would you have asked of me?"
"I want to marry you."
After a moment, He Yanzhou turned his gaze away and smiled gently. In the dim light by the bedside, Zhu Xu saw that the corners of his eyes and the corners of his mouth formed a beautiful upward curve, indicating that he was extremely happy at the moment.
He Yanzhou: "So, win or lose, you've decided to marry me?"
"yes."
He Yanzhou pinched her: "Were you just teasing me on purpose?"
Zhu Xu lowered his voice, mimicking his manner: "Your memory isn't very good to begin with. Think again. I'm one step away from winning."
She chuckled, "How can you be so dishonest?"
He Yanzhou felt he shouldn't let her off so easily, so he felt the wetness and plunged himself inside.
Zhu Xu stopped laughing, his voice stuck in his throat, and he instantly raised his chin.
He Yanzhou stared at her current expression: "Is it fun?"
Zhu Xu shook his head with difficulty.
He Yanzhou knew that she was incredibly obedient at this moment, doing whatever he said without uttering a single word of argument.
He kissed her lips briefly: "A little earlier than I expected."
After a while, Zhu Xu finally adjusted: "Thank you for your understanding." She gently bumped her head against the headboard and hugged his back tightly: "Six years is enough time for me to forget the unpleasantness of my previous marriage."
Zhu Xu was grateful that he hadn't urged or hinted at anything over the years, giving her ample time to heal herself. She could feel his love and care, but she knew very well that taking the next step was entirely up to her.
When she consciously recalled the memories and stopped avoiding them, she knew she could embark on the next journey with him.
He Yanzhou buried his head in the crook of her shoulder: "I can accept the current situation."
Is it the truth?
He didn't answer.
"If...if I keep disagreeing, will you...will you break up with me?" She repeated it several times before she could organize her thoughts.
"No." He didn't stop for a moment.
What are you planning to do?
He Yanzhou was breathing heavily. He propped himself up on his arms and looked into her eyes as he continued, "Begging and pestering? By now even a stone would have been warmed up."
Zhu Xu smiled, but the next second, he frowned, clearly annoyed.
She tried to keep her voice from trembling too much: "Forced love is never sweet."
He mumbled, "Whether it's sweet or not is another matter, but it really does quench my thirst."
Zhu Xu lightly pinched his waist as punishment, but he grabbed his wrist and held it above his head.
The two remained silent for a while, and the bedroom was extremely quiet, yet certain sounds were amplified infinitely.
Zhu Xu was distracted by the thought that He Yanzhou was a very traditional man at heart. He would think that marrying and having children with the person he loved was a natural thing, but he probably couldn't maintain a romantic relationship with her for a lifetime.
As he said, they wouldn't break up, but one can imagine that they would be caught in endless arguments and entanglements, resulting in mutual harm and the erosion of any remaining feelings.
Everything is reciprocal, and she certainly wouldn't be that selfish. In fact, when she got together with him, she was already prepared to remarry.
She gradually realized that she couldn't let one experience define her future, so she just needed time, and He Yanzhou provided that.
As if sensing that she wasn't paying enough attention, he began to increase his intensity.
Caught off guard, Zhu Xu's heart leaped into his throat, and he angrily raised his hand to slap his arm.
But he only became more and more outrageous.
It turned out that everything was just an appetizer. She never had the chance to utter a complete sentence again. Those delicate voices were all broken up and melted into the moonlight.
...
The day after deciding to get married, Zhu Xu didn't want to talk to He Yanzhou.
Upon waking up in the morning, He Yanzhou first went to take a shower.
He woke her up as usual, and the two of them would go for a morning run for an hour. This habit had been going on for two years. At first, Zhu Xu couldn't keep it up, but she couldn't resist He Yanzhou's perseverance.
At first, he coaxed her gently, but later he stopped talking and simply dug her out from under the covers.
The result of her long-term commitment to exercise is that she has a regular schedule, plenty of energy, good skin, and a body full of vitality, able to hug and carry plants and porcelain pots in the warehouse.
Later, she would take the initiative to get up and go running with him.
Even when he returned to Lincheng for official business, she would consciously go out and repeat the route she had run countless times. Although they lived in different places, doing the same thing at the same time always made them feel happy.
But Zhu Xu didn't want to talk to him today.
The bedding I was sleeping on was silver-gray silk. I changed rooms last night, and the mattress in the master bedroom was completely soaked.
He deliberately prolonged the time, which exhausted her to the point that she no longer had the strength to even lift her leg.
He has a refractory period, but she can be transferred multiple times in a row.
He Yanzhou remembered that there had been some kind of bet before, and he automatically admitted defeat.
He was a man of his word, so he did it. At the same time, he added two more fingers.
The position of the hook is too terrifying; it can't withstand repeated attacks.
Zhu Xu was in a hurry.
He Yanzhou was caught off guard, like someone suddenly encountering a waterfall while climbing a mountain, getting their face and clothes wet with the spray.
She fell into a state of nothingness, completely oblivious to everything around her, until her reason returned after a dozen seconds. Her emotions erupted, and she began to sob. After that, she was so ashamed and angry that she refused to talk to him anymore.
He Yanzhou knew he wasn't innocent, so he gave up his morning run, lay back down, and hugged her, teasing and coaxing her.
/
The good news quickly reached Lincheng, and Wang Yajie was overjoyed. She immediately found someone to choose the most auspicious day for them to register their marriage.
Regarding the wedding, Wang Yajie suggested holding it in Lincheng, since the He family's network of connections was all there. He Yanzhou was about to object when Zhu Xu readily agreed.
Since we've already decided to get married, there's no need for any more fuss.
She's all alone in any city anyway, so it doesn't matter to her.
She was willing to make some concessions for him, and she didn't want to put the two elders in a difficult position.
That's how it was settled.
Unlike the third son, the eldest son of the He family was not high-profile, so his wedding was grand but not extravagant, and he only invited close relatives and friends. Zhu Xu's wedding was much simpler. Xiao Zhou had returned to his hometown to develop his career, so apart from Jiang Rao, Zhao Siqiao, Lin Yuan, and Jiang Ya, plus his colleagues from the company, there were just enough people to fill two tables.
On the eve of the wedding, Jiang Rao came to the hotel to keep her company.
Jiang Rao is different now than before. She can gradually let go of her two children, so she called her mother-in-law to take care of them while she went out to work.
Her figure has returned to normal, even more voluptuous and graceful than before, with exquisite makeup on her face, and she has finally regained her confidence.
Jiang Rao's advice, based on her experience: "When you have children in the future, don't be reluctant to let go. It's best to leave them with their grandmother. I'm a typical example, so don't make a fool of yourself." Then she thought, "He Yanzhou is so well-off; he definitely doesn't lack nannies or postpartum caregivers. You shouldn't need to worry about it."
Zhu Xu hung up the wedding dress: "We haven't thought about that step yet."
"He's too busy?"
Zhu Xu nodded, "My schedule is also very tight."
Last year, the company was finally able to move to a new address, which greatly improved both the location and the working environment. At the same time, the business scope expanded, and the pressure naturally increased as well.
"Alright, let's do it according to your actual situation." Jiang Rao suddenly remembered, "Didn't you tell your stepmother about your marriage?"
Zhu Xu shook his head: "I only notified Zhu Luan."
Thinking of Zhu Luan, she felt a pang of envy.
The child came by last night and brought her a gold necklace. It was a very elaborate and extravagant design, not something she would wear every day, so it was quite heavy.
He said it was saved from his living expenses.
“At first I didn’t know what to give as a dowry. I read online that cars are a common dowry.” Zhu Luan scratched her head and smiled. “I can’t afford a car now, but I’ll make it up to you when I’m earning money in the future.”
Zhu Xu hugged him tightly, trying to swallow all her emotions.
Zhu Luan knew that her whole family had let Zhu Xu down, and that he was too ashamed to attend her wedding, so she came to offer her congratulations in advance and did not show up on the day itself.
After Zhu Xu finished speaking to Jiang Rao, Jiang Rao also sighed deeply: "Zhu Luan is really a good child. It's quite rare that he wasn't influenced by his mother."
Zhu Xu remained silent and did not respond.
Jiang Rao hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell her anyway: "That scumbag Liang Haiyang is dead."
Zhu Xu looked at her.
"Do you remember when Liu Chuang first started his business, he asked Liang Haiyang for help, which is how he met Liang's partner who ran a self-media business? A few days ago, Liu Chuang ran into that guy and said that scumbag was dead. That was last year."
Zhu Xu asked, "How did you die?"
"That person couldn't say for sure, but he probably died of illness in prison." Jiang Rao felt a little regretful: "On such a joyous day, talking about this won't spoil your mood, will it?"
Zhu Xu laughed and said, "This is not good news."
After that, the two chatted about other things and went to bed early.
Zhu Xu couldn't sleep that night.
She thought she could keep a calm mind, but when she put on the elaborate wedding dress, she finally realized that she was going to marry He Yanzhou today.
She has decorated venues and made flower walls for others.
No matter how dreamlike the scene was, it couldn't stir any emotion in her heart.
However, when He Yanzhou appeared in her field of vision in a black suit, she still couldn't help but tear up.
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