Chapter 62 My Fiancé is Handsome
To be honest, Jiang Yuzhi didn't reject Bai Yan and could sense his true feelings. Since they met, their repeated "unavoidable" physical contact had become a habit.
She simply didn't know what expression to make, nor did she know how the princess would view her.
After all, the princess was unaware of the many secrets between herself and Bai Yan.
Looking back carefully, constantly flirting without giving the other person a clear response really makes her seem like a heartless woman.
The shadows of her eyelashes obscured the dark light gleaming in her red eyes.
If Bai Yan were to actually contact other people—it would be unacceptable.
Bai Yan took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, "I... love reading storybooks."
Jiang Yuzhi: "?"
Seeing Jiang Yuzhi's increasingly dazed expression, Bai Yan clenched his fist, covered his mouth, and coughed lightly twice. "I don't get to go out much, and I'm already tired of those clichés. Yuzhi knows I'm not in good health, so the storybooks are just a way to keep me awake. This body is always accompanied by a needle-like pain, but when I saw you that day... I suddenly felt refreshed."
Jiang Yuzhi was even more stunned. She only knew that he was physically weak, but she didn't know...
Bai Yan didn't tell the whole story. It wasn't just the stinging pain; he had never slept well, and his breathing was shallow, as if an invisible hand was covering his mouth and nose, sparingly letting out a tiny bit of life through his fingers.
Xiao Yao was always afraid that her son would die silently and painfully in his sleep, so she stayed by his side day and night.
Until Bai Yan got older and learned to disguise himself.
Even though she had just cursed herself for being a heartless woman, Jiang Yuzhi still gently grasped Bai Yan's wrist, trying to ease his pain.
Bai Yan reacted quickly, taking her hand in return, and calmly continued, "I didn't believe in the fabricated stories in the novels; I just read them for fun. But then you appeared."
The snoring beside him paused silently for a moment, then resumed flawlessly.
“I just received the first book written by Chung Yu-hsiu. I envied the protagonist in the book for being able to get rid of her illness and find the love of her life. I thought God was still looking out for me.”
"Later, as I got closer to you, you said you had no interest in me. Perhaps we hadn't known each other long enough, and I was the one who offended you. So I told my mother to postpone the marriage proposal."
“My health is gradually improving. My mother hopes that I will get married and live an ordinary life. She doesn’t mean to pressure you. She likes you very much... and so do I.”
As he spoke, Bai Yan secretly observed the changes in Jiang Yuzhi's expression.
"And what about you?"
Jiang Yuzhi pursed her lips and lowered her head. The noise from the front yard intensified, turning her chaotic thoughts into a tangled mess.
Reason ultimately prevailed.
Under the pale moonlight, dark red eyes met increasingly lighter amber eyes.
"White inkstone".
"I am here."
"I must tell you, I am a ghost. If we marry, you will not have children." Jiang Yuzhi stated the facts in an extremely calm manner, as if she could calmly accept whatever the other party said.
Unexpectedly, Bai Yan's eyes lit up immediately.
Jiang Yuzhi's gaze had long since shifted to the leftover food on the table. "Most people cannot accept dying without offspring, and I'm sure Uncle and Aunt feel the same way. Putting aside the fact that I'm not human, have you ever thought about how you'll explain things to Uncle and Aunt after they pass away and go to the underworld?"
Bai Yan waited patiently for a while, and only after confirming that Jiang Yuzhi had no other questions did he say with a smile, "So, Yuzhi feels the same way about me?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Yuzhi slowly turned her head and looked at him again.
“My mother never hoped I would have children; she only hoped that I would live a long and healthy life to the age that a healthy person should live. As for what will happen to my parents in the afterlife, they will probably be overjoyed to see you.”
"you……"
"How is it? Are there any other problems? Tell us and we'll solve them together."
Jiang Yuzhi was speechless.
The biggest obstacle between them has never been the opinions of outsiders, but rather the will of Heaven.
Jiang Yuzhi glanced cryptically at the star-studded sky, hesitating whether to speak.
The snoring that had been rising and falling was reduced to a single sound. Di Ting finally couldn't stand it anymore, so it lazily got up, nudged Chi Chi, who was drooling on top of it, to the side, and shook its fur in disgust.
Pretending to be nonchalant, she walked over to Jiang Yuzhi's feet, lay down, and yawned, "Ouch~ You guys are so noisy. I'll take pity on you and cast a spell on you. Just mutter to yourself and you'll be quiet."
After saying that, it flicked its tail, closed its eyes, and seemed to really fall asleep.
Jiang Yuzhi's pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she coughed twice in a mocking manner.
Bai Yan was still thinking about how to speak to his wife in his mind when a familiar voice echoed in his mind: "Concentrate, think of my face, and silently say what you want to say, and I will hear you."
Bai Yan quickly grasped the essentials. [Good]
Jiang Yuzhi: [The rules of heaven and earth forbid the union of humans and ghosts, as it violates human ethics. Those who violate this will surely be punished by being struck by lightning.]
Bai Yan asked solemnly, "Is my wife harmed?"
It's so hard to control what you want to say to someone; it's easy to let what's in your heart get into their mind.
The words had already been spoken, and a mixture of secret joy, worry, and embarrassment almost overwhelmed him.
Jiang Yuzhi was used to it, but thinking that Bai Yan might habitually use this inappropriate form of address in front of outsiders, she slightly exaggerated the consequences.
[I am unharmed, but Bai Yan, you must never address me like that in public. If Heaven decrees that we are to marry, I may be annihilated.]
Bai Yan froze.
He had previously learned that his wife harbored feelings for him, and all his joy was gone.
Seeing his state, Jiang Yuzhi felt a pang of pity. "We can maintain the status quo, isn't that good? As long as you don't marry, I won't marry anyone else."
As the next president of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, Bai Yan's forte was managing those merchants who loved to exploit loopholes. He was about to express his thoughts, "If I were..."
【No! You can!】 Jiang Yuzhi's voice suddenly amplified in his mind.
I knew what he was trying to say without even listening to the whole thing. Wasn't it just that if I became a ghost, we could be together openly?
Bai Yan looked aggrieved. "But...Mother, Yu Zhi, I wasn't going to live long anyway."
Jiang Yuzhi: [The Map of the State is still being revised; it will eventually be restored to its complete state. At that time, you could easily live to be seventy or eighty years old.]
Bai Yan: [By then, Yu Zhi will still be young and beautiful, while I'll be an old man. Are you sure you won't dislike me?]
Jiang Yuzhi: [...]
Bai Yan: [You hesitated!]
Xiao Yao's words still echoed in my ears: find someone handsome.
Jiang Yuzhi quickly turned her head away, not daring to look at Bai Yan. Her reddened earlobes were exposed to Bai Yan's eyes. [Ahem, you're overthinking it.]
Bai Yan wasn't angry; her face was so gentle it could melt hearts. But the words she conveyed were far from childish: "Then Yu Zhi should make it up to me! Your hesitation hurt me."
Jiang Yuzhi lowered her head, her voice heavy with unease. "What kind of compensation do you want?"
Bai Yan: [Let's get engaged first. With the engagement in hand, even if we can't get married, others will know about our relationship.]
Jiang Yuzhi: [I... I haven't found my parents yet. Marriage is a major life event, and it's all about the parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words.]
Bai Yan didn't necessarily want to settle things right away; he just wanted to establish a formal status for himself. [It's alright, there's no rush to find my future in-laws. As long as Yu Zhi acknowledges me, that's enough.]
Jiang Yuzhi finally gave in, saying, "Alright then."
Bai Yan opened her arms wide. "Now, may you give your fiancé a hug that has nothing to do with the Map of the State?"
Jiang Yuzhi stared intently at that gentle and handsome face, and then obediently hugged him.
...
Late at night, Jiang Yuzhi lay in bed, trying to fall asleep.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck.
She sat up abruptly in bed, startling Diting at the foot of the bed, who asked groggily, "What's wrong, Zhizhi?"
"It's okay, it's okay, you go to sleep."
Jiang Yuzhi's mind seemed to clear completely at this moment.
Didn't she initially just want to ask about the marriage proposal?
How did Bai Yan become her fiancé?
However, the rules of heaven and earth do have loopholes in this area; marriage and marital relations are two key points for judgment.
If a human and a ghost marry, the ghost will be struck by lightning; if a human and a ghost have sexual relations but are not married, it will be considered as a marriage, and the ghost will be struck by lightning.
If one does not get married or have sexual relations, Heaven will likely turn a blind eye, since it does not cause any substantial impact.
Jiang Yuzhi had read relevant records in the miscellaneous books of the underworld; they were all the hard-earned experiences of her predecessors.
So, how exactly did they end up talking about Bai Yan becoming her fiancé?
How should she explain this to the people in the underworld?
How do I explain this to the deity in the backyard?
And what about Xiuxiu and the Eldest Princess?
Jiang Yuzhi stared at the curtains above her head, pondering all night.
During the day, Bai Yan accompanied Jiang Yuzhi to have breakfast, leaving Chichi at the Jiang residence before heading to the palace alone to prepare for the imperial examination. Before leaving, he specifically told Jiang Yuzhi that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would come to have dinner with her that evening to celebrate.
Jiang Yuzhi was preoccupied with how to explain, and didn't hear what Bai Yan was saying at all. She just kept nodding and saying "uh-huh".
Bai Yan entered the palace in high spirits, and returned on time in the same night in high spirits.
The servants from the Bai family next door delivered the prepared dishes to the Jiang residence in a continuous stream, and also brought over several round tables specifically for banquets.
Sui Gu and the others also learned that Bai Yan had some important news to announce that evening and would be hosting a banquet for everyone.
Even Zhao Pingfeng, who has a very low profile, received an invitation.
Yang Jian happily brought his dog, Xiaotian, to join in the fun.
The Celestial Dog, along with Chichi and Diting, had been playing all day and were now hungry.
Jiang Yuzhi spent the day in a daze, doing nothing.
When Zhi San came to ask if she should invite Madam Zhou over, she simply nodded and replied, "Whatever."
So, following Bai Yan's request, Zhisan invited all the people her young lady had a good relationship with in Kyoto.
When the banquet began, a huge crowd filled the banquet hall of the Jiang residence.
Zhang Yue, Chen Zhenzhu, Zhong Yuxiu, and all the children and adults from the orphanage sat around the table, waiting for Bai Yan to announce the so-called great news.
While Di Ting was happily eating with Xiao Tianquan and Chi Chi, he couldn't help but secretly roll his eyes at Bai Yan, who was greeting guests.
Damn it, I should have known better than to give him the chance yesterday. He's already acting all high and mighty before anything even happened.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Bai Yan stood next to Jiang Yuzhi, who seemed to have just come back to her senses and then fell into a daze again, and gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't overthink it, I'll take care of everything."
Yang Jian, Sui Gu, Fang Xiangshi, and the others sat at the same table, all waiting to see what would happen.
Bai Yan cleared his throat, adopting the posture of holding a meeting in the council hall, "Yu Zhi and I will be getting engaged soon! We cordially invite you all to come and celebrate. Once the imperial decree of marriage is issued, we will invite you all to attend the ceremony!"
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Author's note: Bai Yan: I almost forgot what I was originally supposed to do. Ha, these crude rules of heaven and earth are full of loopholes. Watch me die immediately!
Jiang Yuzhi: No way!!!
Bai Yan: Is it really not possible, my wife? [heartbroken]
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