Chapter 119 The Uninvited Guest She almost obsessively believed that in love…
At one o'clock in the morning, the snow outside suddenly stopped, and the wind instantly calmed down.
He Ming closed the window and walked back to the bedroom, deep in thought.
On the desk, the laptop still emitted a faint blue light, and the WeChat icon in the lower right corner of the screen kept flashing.
He leaned back in his chair and mechanically opened the app.
In the work group, messages from Lin Hui and Gu Xufeng filled half the screen.
At first, they were discussing work in a serious manner. Gradually, the topic veered off course and suddenly shifted to him.
He Ming glanced at it briefly, ignoring his colleague's gossip.
He casually opened a procurement contract, stared at the data on it several times, but couldn't understand a single word.
The conversation from that day kept echoing in my ears.
She said she wanted to find someone to rely on, someone who could make life easier.
She added that she actually has no plans to get married in her life because her family members suffer from immune system diseases, and she is afraid of passing on bad genes to the next generation, and even more afraid of harming her partner.
She also said that choosing to get a marriage certificate with him was just to appease societal expectations and that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
That day, he was truly "grasping at straws" and couldn't discern how much truth and falsehood was in her words. Now, after calming down and reflecting on it repeatedly, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
He typed "What does a positive HLAB27 test mean?" into his phone's search bar.
The all-powerful search engine quickly answered his question.
"HLA-B27 is a genetic marker that is tested positive in about 90% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The presence of this gene increases the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis, but it does not mean that the disease will definitely develop. Many people who are HLA-B27 negative may also develop ankylosing spondylitis..."
After carefully reading this popular science article, He Ming fell into deep thought once again.
He completely understood Zhu Liushuang's fear and worry about the future, and he didn't think she was being overly pessimistic. On the contrary, he felt that she was an exceptionally kind girl with a high sense of morality, always considering others.
But as a man, his thinking might be more rational. Since there's a chance of developing the disease regardless of whether the gene is positive or not, it's better to bravely face the unknown and refocus on life itself. Love if you want to love, marry if you want to marry, and have a new life if you want to...
If she truly doesn't want to risk giving birth, then he can accept that.
After all, children are not a necessary part of marriage.
Having figured everything out, He Ming felt a sense of clarity. He decided to find time to have a serious talk with Zhu Liushuang about his feelings for her and their marriage in name only. He also planned to visit Director Liu of the Rheumatology and Immunology Department at the People's Hospital to consult about disease prevention related to ankylosing spondylitis.
But not now.
With the year-end approaching, he was overwhelmed with work and simply couldn't find the time to have a calm, all-night talk with her.
Furthermore, he needs to lay the groundwork.
If I were to reveal all my feelings at once, would she be so shocked and scared that she would run away?
Perhaps the Spring Festival holiday would be a more suitable time.
Without the constraints of work, they had plenty of time to open up to each other and understand each other's thoughts.
Chinese New Year is late this year, not until mid-February. What should he do for the remaining month or so?
This is a real challenge for someone with no romantic history.
He Ming had never pursued anyone himself, but he had witnessed other men around him pursuing women. To summarize, the secret was probably—to be proactive.
Indeed, he could have been more proactive. Like tonight in the kitchen, he could have teased her intentionally, openly displaying the feelings that were quietly growing within him.
Zhu Liushuang is a sensitive and thoughtful girl, and she must have sensed his change.
Her eyebrows were neatly ironed, and a hint of anticipation shone in her phoenix eyes.
He was eager to see her reaction and also desperately wanted to know if her feelings for him were the same as his, having unknowingly crossed the line of "contractual marriage".
————
Zhu Liushuang felt that He Ming had been acting strangely lately.
Although he doesn't spend much time at home, whenever he does, he frequently appears in your field of vision.
She cooks in the kitchen, and he comes over to help her prepare the vegetables and wash the pots.
She was doing practice problems in the living room, while he sat down at the dining table not far from her with his laptop to work.
She was collecting clothes on the west balcony, and he would come over with a watering can to join in, ostensibly to take care of the plants.
...
Such examples are too numerous to mention.
With her keen senses, how could she not detect the hidden meaning?
But Zhu Liushuang still tried her best to appear calm and composed, quietly watching his "performance".
Before, she was always the one who intentionally approached him; now the roles were reversed, and she finally experienced what it was like to be actively pursued. The living room was filled with different kinds of flowers every two or three days; slices of fruit were always on the coffee table; and there were timely greetings in her phone's chat window…
The man's way of expressing love was simple and clumsy, yet Zhu Liushuang found it incredibly endearing.
To be honest, before this, she found it hard to associate the word "cute" with He Ming.
Others always described him as aloof, serious, and unapproachable. When had they ever seen this man's sincere, gentle, or shy side?
It is said that "a man pursuing a woman is like crossing a mountain."
What separates them is not an insurmountable mountain, but a thin layer of window paper.
Even though Zhu Liushuang's heart was already filled with flowers, she was still unwilling to easily break through the barrier.
She was the first to step into the river of love, but she had her own principles.
She was almost obsessively convinced that in love, whoever confesses first is at a disadvantage.
Since that anonymous confession text message was sent to the wrong number, it proves that fate has given her a chance to regain control of the situation.
This time, she was determined to wait for him to speak first.
He told her that he loved her.
Of course, some emotions are impossible to hide, and feigned composure will eventually crumble.
For example, she couldn't resist his gaze.
Tian Xingyu once secretly complained to her that He Ming's phoenix eyes looked too sharp and cold, far less appealing than Yue Lin's peach blossom eyes.
But Zhu Liushuang doesn't think so.
Since that night, his gaze lingered on her longer and became more tender.
He liked to stand and talk to her face to face, and he especially liked to lower his head while speaking, firmly locking his gaze into hers. When their eyes met, all the sharpness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a tender and lingering affection.
Every time she met those deep eyes, her chest would tremble.
My heart felt like it was being tossed around in scalding hot syrup, rising and falling, pounding from side to side, until I was completely overwhelmed.
In addition, the increasingly frequent physical contact was also overwhelming for her.
Whether he had someone helping him devise strategies behind the scenes, Zhu Liushuang had no way of knowing.
But He Ming has indeed finally figured it out.
When he handed her something, his fingertips would inadvertently brush against her palm, and the faint itch made her feel restless.
When the crowd is large, he will reach out and gently wrap his arms around her back, giving her a sense of security.
When he sees her doing her homework, he will come over and ask if she has any questions. If she needs his explanation, he will bend down and get very close to her.
He seemed like a completely different person, abandoning all pretense of "gentlemanly conduct" and "propriety," intentionally or unintentionally teasing her.
Zhu Liushuang told Tian Xingyu everything that had happened in the past few days, and her friend on the other end of the phone cheered, genuinely happy for her.
Before hanging up the video call, her friend repeatedly urged her: "Shuangshuang, He Ming is like a peacock that only shows off its feathers to you now, fawning over you and showing off! Hang in there... don't give up so quickly. You've had a crush on him for so many years, and now that things have finally turned around, if you don't keep him in suspense, I'll feel sorry for you!"
Zhu Liushuang agreed, and new expectations began to form in her heart.
He Ming has already been so "blatant," so when will he take that final step?
————
It was late January.
Zhu Liushuang did not receive the confession she was looking forward to, but instead received an uninvited guest.
She got off work late that day, and it was already 7 p.m. when she got back to Chunhua Lane.
He Ming messaged her in advance saying he would arrive around 7:30 pm and wanted to have dinner with her. As for the food, he would pack it from a restaurant near the entrance and bring it over, so she wouldn't have to go to the kitchen.
Zhu Liushuang was enjoying her leisure time. After arriving home, she went straight to the bathroom and gave herself a nice touch-up.
I was combing my hair when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Her face lit up with joy. She put down the comb and hurriedly ran towards the entrance.
Halfway there, he wondered: the door had a combination lock, and He Ming usually came home by himself, so when had he ever run the doorbell?
Did you buy too many groceries and not have a hand to ring the bell?
The "ding-dong" sound outside continued incessantly. Without thinking, she opened the door.
"It's been so long since you opened the door, did you change the password?" A dissatisfied voice rushed in first, filling her ears.
Zhu Liushuang opened her mouth awkwardly, the words "Hello, Uncle" stuck in her throat, finally turning into an uneasy smile.
"Xiao Zhu?" He Guanshan was clearly not expected that the person who opened the door was not his son. He was slightly dazed, and his tone was even colder than a few seconds ago. "Where's A-Ming?"
Although Zhu Liushuang disliked this nominal father-in-law, she still answered respectfully, "Aming will be home around 7:30, Uncle... please come in and sit down." As she spoke, she opened half of He Ming's shoe cabinet, preparing to get him a pair of slippers.
Looking straight ahead, you can't even see a single extra pair of men's slippers.
She awkwardly took a pair of shoe covers and handed them to the middle-aged man standing in the doorway, saying, "Uncle, I did a big cleaning a few days ago and threw away all my old slippers. I haven't had time to buy new ones yet. Please... make do with these."
Not knowing whether he believed her story, Zhu Liushuang forced a smile and looked at the newcomer with great difficulty.
He Guanshan glanced at the dusty shoe covers and gave a barely audible snort. But he didn't embarrass Zhu Liushuang on the spot. After putting on the shoe covers, he silently walked to the sofa in the living room and sat down.
Zhu Liushuang brewed some tea and placed it on the coffee table, then sat down at the other end of the sofa with her.
The atmosphere in the living room was unusually serious, making everyone feel extremely uncomfortable. She hesitated for a long time before deciding to speak, but before she could even begin to exchange pleasantries, He Guanshan cut her off.
"You and A-Ming are living together?"
Traces of her life can be seen everywhere in this house, and even if she stubbornly denies it, He Guanshan probably won't believe her.
So, Zhu Liushuang, who was being tortured on the pile of firewood, could only nod stiffly.
Looking at the increasingly gloomy face on the other end of the sofa, she clenched her fists with a lack of confidence, desperately hoping that He Ming could come home as soon as possible and rescue her from her predicament.
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Author's note: These two chapters are transitional, so there are quite a few internal monologues.
A new storyline has begun! [Cat emoji]
"HLA-B27 is a genetic marker that is detected in approximately 90% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The presence of this gene increases the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis." —From the internet
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