9. Verification
"Xiao Qi, you'll stay here tonight and sleep with Xiao Yu."
The sun-drenched living room fell into an eerie silence. His expression was indifferent and unwavering, yet the focus in his eyes made it impossible to doubt the truthfulness of his words.
Li Li was a little confused.
Some things are unclear, whether they are real or fake.
Song Chiyu felt a strange urge to laugh, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up. She had told Ms. Li that she was as beautiful as a fairy, but Ms. Li didn't believe her.
"You just like her because she's pretty?" Li Li didn't believe it. With his looks and background, what kind of beautiful women hadn't he seen? There was no reason for him to fall in love with Song Chiyu at first sight.
"She likes to talk."
Li Li: "..."
She'd met her match. His tone and emotions were incredibly calm, yet the unwavering determination in his eyes made it hard not to believe him.
Song Chiyu pursed her lips, trying her best not to laugh out loud. Even if it was fake, it was still a pleasant feeling to have such a handsome man who knew how to appreciate her.
“Well,” Li Li was speechless for a moment, “with your qualities, you must have met many people better than Xiao Yu, right? There’s no reason for you to fall in love with Xiao Yu at first sight, is there?”
"Auntie, that's not how it's defined. I like her, and she's the best to me."
If it weren't for Li Li's presence, Song Chiyu would have given him a thumbs up and praised him, saying that he was indeed a university professor and that his words were indeed pleasant to hear.
Even though Li Li was determined to find fault, she couldn't find any flaws at this moment and fell into a long silence. Only after Song Chiyu went to the toilet did Li Li lean closer to Qi Yanzhou and ask, "How much money did Xiaoyu give you?"
"What?"
"How much did she pay you to act in this play for her?" She was too dedicated; Li Li had to be blunt.
“Auntie, she didn’t give me any money, and I wasn’t acting with her. We were really together.”
"Bullshit," Li Li couldn't help but swear, "You think I can't see that she used Qi Zhannan's escape as leverage to negotiate with you for this favor?"
"no."
Li Li couldn't find any fault with him.
There is a sense of helplessness in knowing something is fake but being unable to produce evidence.
"Fine, you two are really together." She wanted to see how long they could keep up the act. When Song Chiyu returned, Li Li couldn't wait any longer, "Let me see your marriage certificate!"
Song Chiyu handed it over.
Li Li examined it carefully for a moment, then gave a sarcastic laugh without reservation, "It's actually quite real."
Neither of them spoke. Her open and calm acceptance of the investigation only made her more uneasy. The deepest reason for this feeling was that she had vaguely realized that the marriage certificate was genuine, not some fake.
Her first reaction was that Song Chiyu had actually just randomly chosen someone to marry in order to scare her.
Qi Yanzhou is indeed a good person on the surface, with excellent qualities in appearance and personality. However, after talking to him for a few minutes, you will find that he is not as shrewd as he seems on the surface.
Although Qi Zhannan acts without thinking, he is easily seen through, making him easier to manipulate and control, thus allowing Song Chiyu to maintain control at home. But this Qi Yanzhou…
Li Li even suspected that he had seen through her little scheme, which was why he deliberately married Song Chiyu to get back at her.
Qi Yanzhou stared at her without saying a word.
His eyes were deep and calm, like a clear, still ancient well.
Feeling guilty under her gaze, she made an excuse to head towards the kitchen.
Song Chiyu wasn't sure if Li Li believed her or not, but at least she didn't dwell on the matter anymore, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Qi Yanzhou a thumbs up.
Qi Yanzhou's gaze fell on her.
Song Chiyu also felt uncomfortable under his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"Did Miss Song marry me simply because I'm a good match for marriage?"
"Do you also think that 'suitable for marriage' is a derogatory term?" Song Chiyu asked rhetorically.
"What?" He didn't seem to know those internet memes.
"Yes." Song hesitated for a moment, but readily admitted it.
He stopped pursuing the matter and looked away. Old Song, having overheard something from Li Li, came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. He was about to offer Qi Yanzhou a cigarette when he belatedly realized what he had said and took it back, revealing an awkward smile. In comparison, her parents seemed more like the ones at a loss.
Qi Yanzhou picked up the gift he had placed on the shoe cabinet. "Uncle, this is for you."
Old Song's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the wine packaging, but he restrained himself, afraid that only the packaging was like that, so as not to embarrass Qi Yanzhou. In the end, there were not only two bottles of wine as shown in the packaging, but also two cartons of cigarettes.
Old Song couldn't contain his joy; he genuinely felt that Qi Yanzhou was a person he could get along with.
"These two boxes of bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin are for Auntie." Qi Yanzhou handed him the remaining bags as well.
Old Song was so happy he couldn't stop smiling.
Li Li walked out, displeased, and nudged him hard with her elbow. This was probably bought by Song Chiyu, who just asked him to bring it over. She didn't know what he was so happy about.
After calming down briefly in the kitchen, Li Li regained the composure she had when they first met. "Since you're both married, let's sit down and talk about the bride price."
Qi Yanzhou sat down.
His composure made Li Li feel uneasy, so she crossed her legs in a show of bravado: "For such a big matter, I'm afraid we'll still need to have your parents come."
"Okay, I'll have them come over whenever Auntie feels it's a good time. You can discuss the bride price with me first, and I can make the decision."
"You can make the decision, right?" Li Li deliberately made things difficult for him. "Then it's 300,000."
Qi Yanzhou remained silent.
Li Li immediately revealed a smug look. She couldn't keep up the act when it came to money, could she? She raised an eyebrow at Song Chiyu triumphantly, but Qi Yanzhou didn't even glance at Song Chiyu. "The bride price in Anxi isn't that low."
Li Li: "..."
Song Chiyu lowered her head and pursed her lips. She had already told Qi Yanzhou that he insisted on keeping the money himself, but he still didn't believe her.
Old Song said, "We're not selling our daughter, why would we need so much? It's enough that you and Xiaoyu have a good relationship..."
“Then eighty-eight hundred thousand eight.” Li Li interrupted.
“Okay,” Qi Yanzhou agreed.
Song Chiyu had no intention of emptying the Qi family's coffers, so she smoothed things over by saying, "Alright, there's a limit to jokes. Eighty-eight thousand will do."
"You're the one who could only come up with 88,000, right?" Li Li still believes that all the money came from Song Chiyu.
Song Chiyu: "?"
"Auntie, do you want cash or a bank transfer?" Qi Yanzhou's face remained expressionless, showing no intention of joking with her.
Li Li looked hesitant: "Cash."
"Okay." Qi Yanzhou took out his phone and started texting.
Not only Song Chiyu, but Li Li also panicked. They pressed down on his phone screen together. Song Chiyu and Qi Yanzhou looked up at her. She coughed awkwardly, slowly withdrew her hand, and sat down: "Auntie knows your sincerity. Let's do as Xiaoyu says."
For him, saving face is a minor issue; letting Song Chiyu borrow money would be a huge loss.
Song Chiyu also breathed a sigh of relief.
Qi Yanzhou lowered his eyelids slightly and looked down at Song Chiyu, asking, "Don't you feel wronged?"
Song Chiyu felt that this guy was too immersed in the role.
I blinked at him desperately, "Brother, we're fake, we're fake!"
Qi Yanzhou seemed not to hear: "Hmm?"
"No." Song Chiyu could only state her position clearly.
Qi Yanzhou remained silent.
While waiting for Li Li and Lao Song to go into the kitchen, she quickly pulled him into her bedroom: "Teacher Qi, you're not questioning your family's capabilities, but whether it's a bank transfer or cash, it's not very convenient for me to return it to you."
Even if Li Li holds the money and doesn't give it to him for the time being, he can still come up with it himself if it's 88,000.
Qi Yanzhou lowered his eyelids slightly and after a long while, he softly murmured "Mm." Song Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief. "Teacher Qi, let's go out to eat."
Old Song prepared a large table of dishes.
She took out the wine that Qi Yanzhou had given her, poured two glasses, and Li Li, who was watching from the side, felt heartbroken. How could she ask Xiao Yu to return it? She became more and more frustrated.
The meal was quite peaceful.
Old Song and Qi Yanzhou ate until 2 PM, with Old Song doing most of the talking and Qi Yanzhou listening. Li Li quietly pulled Song Chiyu into the room: "Tell me, how much did you pay to get him to come to our house?"
What money do I need?
"Don't think I don't know you bought all those things." In the past, when Xie Yunjin came to their house, it was always her who bought the things to save face for Xie Yunjin and make them happy.
“That’s really not true.” Song Chiyu was telling the truth, but Li Li didn’t believe a word of it and sneered, “Keep making things up.”
Song Chiyu didn't know what to say.
Li Li took the two red envelopes from her hand and repeated her words from beginning to end: "You mean, he agreed as soon as you mentioned marriage, but you changed your mind later, and he waited for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau for a whole day? And after you got your marriage certificate, he gave you his salary card and settlement allowance to keep? When you met his parents, he prepared everything, and his brother and father even gave you more than 10,000 yuan as an 'opening fee,' which he didn't want a penny of and let you keep it all?"
"Okay." Song Chiyu nodded obediently.
Li Li was speechless for a moment, and touched her forehead with the back of her hand to check the temperature: "Xiaoyu, it's not that Mom thinks you're not good enough for such a good man, but listen to yourself, is this even possible? Mom won't force you to go on blind dates anymore, but can you tell me the truth?"
"That's the truth."
"Alright, alright," Li Li said, seeing that she had backed down, but Li Li still seemed stubborn. "So it's the truth, right? Then tell me, you've been married to him for so long, how come you've never slept outside the home even once?"
"If I come here without bringing him back, and he stays out overnight, would you agree?" Song Chiyu asked back.
"Okay, then you and he can stay at home together tonight."
Song Chiyu: "..."
"Can't keep up the act anymore?" Li Li bluntly stated.
"As long as you and Dad don't mind." Song Chiyu unconsciously looked away.
"Why would your father and I mind?" Li Li's face was filled with the joy of winning back the battle, and her expression towards Qi Yanzhou became even more amiable. "Xiao Qi, you can stay here tonight and sleep with Xiao Yu."
Qi Yanzhou looked up at Song Chiyu.
Song Chiyu didn't react, but Qi Yanzhou replied calmly, "Okay, but I didn't bring anything with me, so I have to go back and get it."
"What do you need? Just buy it at the shop downstairs. I'll have your uncle buy it for you later." Li Li gave him no chance to make an excuse to escape.
“Okay,” Qi Yanzhou looked at the already drunk Lao Song and supported his swaying arm, “I’ll go with Uncle after he’s rested.”
Li Li resolutely refused to give Song Chiyu and Qi Yanzhou any opportunity to be alone, waiting for them to break down and confess to her on their own. However, the two showed no sign of discussing a solution. After dinner, Song Chiyu took her pajamas to the bathroom, took a shower, and then went into the bedroom with Qi Yanzhou.
Undeterred, Li Li chased after Song Chiyu and deliberately gave her a box of family planning supplies in front of Qi Yanzhou.
Song Chiyu remained unfazed: "No need, we have our own."
Li Li: "?"
No, you two are serious?
Song Chiyu pushed her hand away and closed the door a crack: "Mom, if there's nothing else, we're going to sleep. Goodnight."
[Author's Note]
Small Theater——
Song Chiyu: I'm asleep, don't disturb me.
Li Li: Ahhhhh, what's going on between these two?
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