10. Living together
"Actually, it's fine if you come up to sleep."
Li Li is destined to have a sleepless night.
She leaned against the door, listening to the two people talking, and then she heard the sound of a mattress shaking inside the room.
Li Li was a little unsure, so she beckoned to Lao Song, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked him after he came in, "Do you think they're telling the truth or not?"
“I’ve shown you the marriage certificate, how could it be fake?” Old Song hadn’t expected her to be pressing her face against the door just to hear this, and he felt a little embarrassed: “Why are you meddling in these things about the children?”
As he spoke, he pushed the person away.
As Song Chiyu watched the shadow under the door disappear, the arm that had been pressing down on the mattress also stopped.
Qi Yanzhou leaned back on the stool in front of his desk, scrutinizing her. "Wouldn't this be bad for my reputation?"
Song Chiyu was stunned for a moment before he realized that he would care about this. He waved his hand and said, "It's normal for someone your age to care. Nobody will laugh at you."
Qi Yanzhou curled his lips into a smile, shook his head helplessly, and continued reading the book in his hands.
Song Chiyu's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the undulations between his pajama bottoms. No wonder he always sat so upright; looking at him like this, it was quite obvious, like a big rat.
She quietly looked away. "If you want to sleep, come and sleep here. I'm going to sleep now."
“I won’t sleep,” he said, his indifferent yet gentle gaze falling naturally on her face. “I’ll go out after your parents are asleep.”
Song Chiyu was not surprised at all, which is why she did not react.
Goodnight.
"Um," he asked, holding the book in one hand, "Do you want me to turn off the light?"
What are you looking at with the lights off?
"It's fine if I don't read it." He closed the book in his hand.
"Don't you get bored sitting here like this?" Song Chiyu asked, lying on the bed and covering herself with a summer blanket.
"No." He closed the book and turned off the desk lamp.
Song Chiyu couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She stared at the dark ceiling above her head and pondered for a long time before suddenly saying, "Actually, it's okay if you come up here to sleep."
He didn't say anything.
Song Chiyu couldn't see his expression, only his motionless figure like a sculpture in the darkness. "Although our feelings aren't real, the marriage certificate is."
He remained silent.
Song Chiyu had no choice but to continue, "So I will fulfill all the obligations that I am obligated to fulfill."
He was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his clear, deep voice carrying a gentle quality like grains of sand, "No need, I have no desire for that."
Faced with such a clear rejection, Song Chiyu's face began to burn.
She turned away and stopped looking at him.
His gentle yet distant voice rang out again: "Do you have that kind of desire for me?"
It was as if he could accommodate her if she had one.
"No!" Song Chiyu denied without even thinking.
Song Chiyu didn't know how she fell asleep last night. When she woke up, there was no one at her desk.
She got out of bed, pushed open the bedroom door, and bumped into Li Li coming out from the opposite side, who greeted her as usual.
Li Li scratched her head and casually asked, "Where's your husband?"
Song Chiyu instantly regained her senses. "He..."
"What?" Li Li subconsciously looked into the room. "He's not sleeping here?"
Song Chiyu quickly raised her hand to cover her eyes, and just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a soft knock sounded at the door. The two paused in their argument, exchanged a glance, and walked towards the door. Song Chiyu opened the door, and Qi Yanzhou, already dressed, stood outside. He wasn't particularly surprised to see her awake: "Awake?"
Song Chiyu nodded.
He naturally bypassed her and placed the breakfast he had bought outside on the table: "When I went out, I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you."
"You've already gone back once?" Song Chiyu asked, looking him up and down.
"Yeah, I went for a run and took a shower and changed my clothes when I got home." Qi Yanzhou glanced at the bewildered Li Li next to him and brought out a bowl of porridge from the kitchen: "Auntie, there's some porridge cooking in the kitchen. You can get some if you want."
After saying that, he placed the porridge in his hand on Song Chiyu's seat.
While Song Chiyu sat down to eat, he went into the bedroom to tidy the bed, neatly folding the summer blankets she had slept on. After Song Chiyu finished eating, she went back to the bedroom to change, and he went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. When he came out after washing the dishes, she was just going into the bathroom to wash up, so he went back to the bedroom to tidy up her pajamas.
Li Li watched the whole thing in stunned silence. She used to think Lao Song was already good enough to her, but compared to him, he still lacked a certain thoughtfulness. Seeing this, she felt that whether it was true or false no longer mattered. If he could pretend like this for the rest of his life, what did it matter if it was fake?
Song Chiyu rushed off to work as soon as she came out of the restroom.
Qi Yanzhou had already taken her phone from the charger and neatly placed it on the shoe cabinet in the entryway along with her bag. He stood by the door waiting for her.
She hurriedly put on her shoes, "Mom, Yanzhou and I are leaving now."
For the first time, Li Li truly felt the reality of her marriage. It was as if, after walking through this door, she really was someone else's family. She couldn't help but stand up and say, "Hey, slow down."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Chiyu's body trembled. She instinctively wanted to step forward to take it, but another, more slender and beautiful hand took Song Chiyu's arm first.
Qi Yanzhou took the bag from her hand and watched her put on her shoes before letting go.
Li Li watched her go downstairs and couldn't help but see her to the door. Qi Yanzhou, who was walking behind, vaguely sensed something and turned around: "Auntie, because I usually travel a lot for work and am not at home much, I would appreciate it if you could take good care of her."
These words greatly eased Li Li's reluctance to part, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Song Chiyu had been trying to smoothly gloss over the fact that Qi Yanzhou would be living at home after her marriage, but she hadn't expected Qi Yanzhou to bring it up so naturally. She was even more grateful and, leaving the hallway, sincerely said, "Thank you, Teacher Qi."
He glanced at her indifferently. "You're welcome."
"Then I'll head out now." She was really going to be late for work.
“Okay,” he said, gazing at her calmly, without the slightest hint of reluctance he showed, only the nonchalance of someone who had completed a task. “Take care on the road.”
Song Chiyu waved to him with her back to him, then jogged to her car. A casual glance in the rearview mirror revealed him standing there, just like that night, watching her intently. She had no choice but to roll down the window and lean out, asking, "Is there anything else?"
He gently shook his head and waved his hand at her, indicating that she didn't need to worry about him.
She stopped thinking about it and drove away with the window rolled up.
**
Six months have passed.
Thanks to Qi Yanzhou, Li Li never mentioned arranging blind dates for Song Chiyu or moving her great-grandfather's grave again. Instead, she began to boast to her relatives and friends about how outstanding her son-in-law was and how considerate he was to Song Chiyu. She could finally hold her head high on the matter of Song Chiyu's marriage.
Song Chiyu thought the matter was over.
Unexpectedly, her second aunt's words, "Then Xiaoyu's husband must come back for the New Year, right?" shattered the tranquility of her life. Song Chiyu naturally didn't want to trouble Qi Yanzhou to accompany her back for the New Year. The New Year is an annual event, and if she started this trend, there would be gossip if she didn't go back for even one year. It was better to shut them up the first year.
So Song Chiyu nipped all possibilities in the bud with the statement that "she's going to Anxi for the New Year this year." As a result, no one urged her to bring her boyfriend back, and she herself couldn't go back.
However, she couldn't let anyone know about this, otherwise her colleagues would be certain that she was "faking a marriage to spite her ex-boyfriend."
On Lunar New Year's Eve, Song Chiyu left her workplace at 5:30 a.m., and some shops on the street were already closed.
She rushed to the nearest store and bought a few things. Just as she was about to pay, she bumped into Xie Yunjin, who was coming in to buy water. The moment their eyes met, Xie Yunjin said to her for the first time in a long time, "Aren't you going home for Chinese New Year this year?"
"Okay." Song Chiyu pushed the shopping cart to the checkout counter without any panic and took out the items and placed them on the table one by one.
"Why?"
"Because I'm going back to Anxi with my husband for the Chinese New Year," she replied, staring at the barcode scanner in the cashier's hand.
"Are you really married?"
"kindness."
"What kind of person is the other party?" Xie Yunjin asked.
"A very good person."
This answer is too vague and lacks persuasiveness for anyone. "I heard it's a teacher?"
"kindness."
"Their teachers should have already started their winter break, right?" After she finished paying for her items, as she moved to the other side of the checkout counter with her belongings, he placed his own items on the counter and asked, "Why do you have to wait until after get off work to buy things on New Year's Eve?"
"Because he went back to Anxi first, I'll go there tomorrow," she said calmly, without a trace of annoyance or impatience, as she picked up the bagged items and said goodbye to him: "Goodbye, Teacher Xie."
She was so calm that even though he knew she was lying, there was nothing he could do. "Okay, goodbye."
That's so unlucky.
Before entering, Song Chiyu whipped herself a few times with a willow branch before continuing to carry her things inside.
She had just finished cooking and hadn't even taken a few bites when Ms. Li called via video. She pretended not to see it, and a little while later, Qi Yanzhou called.
I dare not refuse.
She deftly wiped her lips, her tone respectful and polite: "Hello, Teacher Qi."
"You didn't go home for the Chinese New Year?"
Song Chiyu didn't know how he knew about this, but after hesitating for a moment, she told him the truth. His voice was deep and solemn, with a hint of helpless gentleness: "Nonsense."
"How did you know about this?" Her voice trailed off.
“Your dad just called me and said you weren’t answering your phone. I guessed you must have told them you were with me.”
"What did you say?" She sat up straight immediately.
"I said the flight was delayed, and I haven't picked you up yet." Qi Yanzhou quickly filled in the gaps in the logic of the matter, and it was impossible to find any flaws without careful examination.
Song Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief. As expected of Teacher Qi, he was so thoughtful in his words and actions. Qi Yanzhou continued, "Call them back later and say you just got off the plane. Pretend you saw me and then hang up."
"kindness."
Where are you now?
"At home."
"one person?"
"Mmm." Her voice was even softer, almost inaudible.
He sighed softly, but Song Chiyu still heard it, and felt even more guilty. "I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again."
"It's not your fault, it's my oversight," he said, his voice tinged with concern and a hint of tenderness. "Have you eaten?"
"kindness."
"What are your plans for the next few days?"
"Let's just stay home." That way we won't run into acquaintances when we go out, and then things will get even more complicated.
"Never thought about going out to play?"
Song Chiyu sensed the hidden meaning in his words: "Where do you want to go?"
"Anxi?"
"You really came to see me?" Song Chiyu had never thought of this before, and was inevitably a little dumbfounded.
"kindness."
"You must have a lot of people at home, right?" She remembered when he came to her house, not to mention his whole family. Pretending for those few days was much more tiring than going to work. "Forget it, I'll just stay home and rest for a couple of days."
When are your parents coming back?
"It's usually around the fourth day of the Lunar New Year."
Qi Yanzhou didn't speak, but Song Chiyu sensed his worry and self-blame, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "Teacher Qi, this has nothing to do with you. I just didn't want to cause trouble."
"Yes," Qi Yanzhou replied. "Have you thought about what you'll do if your parents or relatives and friends call you again in the next few days?"
"I won't answer."
"Aren't you afraid of being exposed?"
Song Chiyu didn't take it to heart: "It's just that they said a few things to me, there's no way they'll expose me or anything."
"There will be a sacrificial ceremony tomorrow, and all the relatives will come. The women in the clan will have to get up around four o'clock to prepare. You can pretend that you also got up around that time."
It's understandable that she was too exhausted to deal with the people back home.
“Okay,” Song Chiyu replied repeatedly.
"Add me on WeChat, and I'll send you some photos of our area." This would have prevented her from sharing anything with Ms. Li, thus arousing Ms. Li's suspicion.
"Teacher Qi, you're truly amazing." Song Chiyu gave a thumbs up and asked, "What's your WeChat ID?"
Qi Yanzhou was truly at his wit's end. He sighed and gave her a WeChat ID: "I have to go back to my hometown to sweep the tombs on the second day of the Lunar New Year. I need to get up around 3 a.m. I'll send you some photos then, and you can send them to your parents to complain."
Song Chiyu's eyes widened as she listened. "Then you still want me to go back?"
Qi Yanzhou chuckled softly. At this moment, her little brain started working. "You won't make me do it even if you come. Just sleep peacefully and get up to eat when it's mealtime."
"Won't your family gossip about it?"
"Nobody dares."
Song Chiyu naturally didn't believe it. No matter what, it was impossible for her to go back with him. Although their family had declined, they hadn't lost any of their rules.
"So what do you do in your final year of junior high?"
"I'll be treating friends and some business partners to dinner on the third day of the Lunar New Year," Qi Yanzhou replied truthfully.
[Author's Note]
Mini-theater:
Song Chiyu [cracked]: This marriage is really impossible.
Qi Yanzhou: Rules are rules, they have nothing to do with you. [Heart emoji]
Song Chiyu: I'm very touched, but I don't believe it. [Heart emoji]
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