Chapter 45 Obtaining the Marriage Certificate (Part 1)
"It's not too late." Zhuang Bieyan glanced at him, his eyes holding a hint of something unreadable. "Just right."
For some reason, when Qu He heard this, she thought of the bayberries she had eaten that afternoon. One bite filled her mouth with sweetness, with a hint of sourness that lingered on her tongue.
She cleared her throat and looked out the window.
The car quickly arrived at the entrance of Baiyu Bay.
Qu He unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to get out of the car when she suddenly remembered something.
She turned around. "Could you wait for me for a moment?"
Zhuang Bieyan turned around, "Hmm?"
"I have something to give you."
Zhuang Bieyan paused for a moment, a smile appearing in his eyes. "Okay."
"I'll be right back."
Qu He quickly got off the car, grabbed the bayberries, ran home, went straight to her bedroom, and took out a brooch from the drawer.
But when she returned to the doorway, it was empty; the Maybach was nowhere to be seen.
Qu He paused for a moment, holding the brooch.
The evening breeze, carrying warmth, brushed against my cheeks, tinged with a touch of melancholy.
The phone vibrated at that moment; it was a message from Zhuang Bieyan.
Sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll contact you another day.
Qu He replied with an "Okay."
The sun slowly sank in the west.
The setting sun cast a long shadow over her back.
At the roadside not far away, under the trees, Zhuang Bieyan's gaze followed that slender figure, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"Second Young Master, it's time to go. The Old Master's car has arrived."
The bodyguard in black stepped forward.
Zhuang Bieyan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, the tenderness in his eyes replaced by melancholy.
As the evening breeze blew by, only fine dust remained on the roadside, which quickly disappeared without a trace.
In the following days, Si Yue returned to her hometown, and Qu He stayed alone in He Yue Fang to run the shop, living a peaceful and uneventful life.
She would always wear that brooch before going out, but the Maybach never appeared again, and Zhuang Bieyan never sent any more messages.
She would sometimes open the box to look at the brooch, but she would quickly put it back.
That evening, as soon as she finished showering and picked up her phone, she saw a voice message from Zhuang Xi.
The moment she clicked on it, a little girl's tearful voice came through, "Sister Qu, Uncle... Uncle seems to be dying..."
Zhuang Xi sobbed uncontrollably, her words slurred and broken.
"Sister Qu... Uncle is dying... Great-Grandpa won't let him eat... He's bleeding so much..."
Qu He tightened her grip on her phone.
She brought the phone closer, pressed it against the receiver, and gently comforted the girl, managing to glean the gist of her words from the girl's fragmented speech.
For some unknown reason, Zhuang Bieyan was locked up at home by his grandfather as punishment, and according to Zhuang Xi, he seemed to have been injured.
Qu He thought of how he left in such a hurry that day. Could it be for this reason as well?
For some reason, Qu He had a strange premonition that this matter was vaguely related to her.
Zhuang Xi's emotions stabilized somewhat.
"Xiao Xi...you..."
Qu He had just called her name when she heard a rustling sound from the other end, and the next second, Zhuang Liuyue's voice came through.
"Qu He, I am Liu Yue."
Zhuang Liuyue's voice was light and calm, "I didn't notice just now, Zhuang Xi took my watch to call you, sorry to bother you."
Qu He was stunned for a moment.
"Sister Liuyue," she instinctively gripped her phone, her voice trembling slightly, "Xiaoxi just said Zhuang... Zhuang Bieyan..."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Qu He thought the call had been disconnected.
After a long silence, a sigh came from the other end of the line, "It's nothing, I just made a mistake."
"What wrong did you do to prevent people from eating, and even cause them to bleed?"
Qu He couldn't help but ask.
"Huh?" Zhuang Liuyue was taken aback for a moment. "Oh, oh."
Her voice suddenly became a little deep, "This... has indeed become quite serious. I don't know who sent Grandpa photos, saying that the second son's private life is chaotic and that he spent the whole night in a hotel with a strange woman."
A thunderclap exploded.
Hotel...one night...
Could it be about what happened that night?
Zhuang Liuyue continued, "The second son is also stubborn. Grandpa asked him who that person was, but he refused to say. In fact, if the two of them were really in love, there would be no problem. But the fact that the second son wouldn't say anything really confirms that he has a 'chaotic private life'."
Qu He felt the sun's rays throb.
Sure enough, it's related to her.
Unexpectedly, that incident also involved Zhuang Bieyan.
He is being punished now because of her.
Who took the photos? And who would send them to Grandpa Zhuang?
Qu He's mind was in a complete mess, but she felt mostly guilty.
"Is he... alright now?" Qu He's voice was a little hoarse.
"Xiao Xi said he seems to be...bleeding...is he injured?"
Qu He felt a little flustered when she asked the question. The Zhuang family had more than 300 strict family rules. What should she do if Zhuang Bieyan was really punished because of her?
As she was thinking, she didn't notice the faint footsteps coming from the other end of the call.
Zhuang Liuyue's voice suddenly became a little soft, "He...he probably isn't doing too well right now..."
The sounds behind her were almost inaudible. Qu He thought it was a bad signal and was about to ask when she heard Zhuang Bieyan's voice, "Qu He."
His voice sounded hoarse.
"I'm sorry, I left in too much of a hurry last time."
Qu He felt her eyes getting hot for no reason. Right now, she couldn't remember what happened last time, nor did she think about why the person on the other end of the phone had suddenly changed.
"I'm the one who should apologize. If it weren't for me..."
"I'm fine," Zhuang Bieyan interrupted her. "Don't worry."
Just as she was about to say something, she heard a sudden noise from the other end, followed by an old, angry voice: "Have you thought it through? Who is that person?"
Qu He's heart skipped a beat.
Zhuang Bieyan remained silent.
"Hmph, you've got quite the temper! Just because you're now President Zhuang, does that mean no one dares to control you? Your private life is a mess! Listen to what you're saying! Where am I supposed to put my old face now!"
Qu He realized that the man must be the old man.
"You're not going to talk, huh? Then continue your punishment!"
The heavy sound of the cane striking the ground reached Qu Hexin's ears, and she trembled.
be punished?
"It's me!" Qu He exclaimed without thinking, her voice trembling slightly. "I was the one with him that night!"
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
A long silence followed.
Qu He's breathing quickened. She took a deep breath and said, "Zhuang Bieyan, give the watch to Grandpa Zhuang."
He sighed helplessly from the other end of the line, "Qu He, you don't have to do this."
"Stop talking," Qu He interrupted him.
She took her phone, got out of bed, and went to the closet to find clothes. "Hello, Grandpa Zhuang, this is Qu He. I'm coming to the Zhuang residence now to explain things to you in person. Please don't let Zhuang Bieyan be punished before I arrive."
"Qu He, you..."
"We'll talk about it when I get there."
She quickly changed her clothes, not even having time to dry her hair, grabbed her keys and headed out. But as she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something. "Zhuang Bieyan, don't hang up the phone. I need to know you're safe."
On the other end of the phone, Zhuang Bieyan chuckled softly, his tone reassuring: "Okay. Should I send someone to pick you up?"
"No need. Just don't hang up."
"good."
Qu He hurriedly went downstairs with her phone in hand, got into the car, and stepped on the gas.
The car drove smoothly through the night, and the phone screen in the passenger seat remained lit.
Her wet hair draped over her neck, feeling icy cold.
Qu He didn't know what to say, so she could only call his name every few minutes, as if to confirm something.
"Farewell Banquet for the Zhuang Family".
"Yes, I'm here."
"Farewell Banquet for the Zhuang Family".
"I am here."
There were no extra words, only this simple question and answer, which echoed repeatedly in the carriage.
After about half an hour, the car finally arrived at Beishan Villa, and her car had no obstacles.
As night fell, the outline of the manor gradually became clear.
After the car came to a stop, Qu He got out, took her phone, and walked inside.
"Zhuang Bieyan, I've arrived." She spoke with a slight breathlessness.
No sooner had she finished speaking than her voice came from nearby, so close it seemed to be right next to her ear: "I saw it."
Qu He's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up.
Zhuang Bieyan was standing right opposite her.
Unlike his usual suits, he wore a simple dark-colored lounge shirt with the cuffs casually rolled up to his elbows.
The night was as dark as ink, and the warm yellow light shone on him, casting a soft glow.
The evening breeze blew by, ruffling the hem of his shirt, lifting the strands of hair around her neck, and dispelling the worries she had carried all the way.
Qu He jogged forward, her breath catching in her throat as she reached him. "Are you alright?"
At this moment, she no longer had any reservations and grabbed his wrist, checking it over from head to toe.
Apart from her fingers being slightly red, there were no obvious injuries on the surface, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhuang Bieyan followed her, his gaze fixed on her wet hair. The night breeze carried the scent of jasmine shampoo into her nostrils.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he chuckled softly, "Do you need me to take off my clothes so you can examine me?"
Qu He's hand froze, and she abruptly withdrew it.
Just then, footsteps sounded at the door, and a stern voice came from inside, "You're the girl from the phone call?"
Grandpa Zhuang walked over with a cane. Although he was over eighty years old, he looked very energetic, walked steadily, and had a piercing gaze. He exuded an air of authority without being angry.
Qu He almost subconsciously pulled Zhuang Bieyan to the back.
"yes."
She looked straight ahead and met Zhuang Laozi's gaze, unaware that the tenderness in the eyes of the person behind her was almost overflowing.
They followed them to the old man's study, where Qu He recounted the events of that day in detail.
Finally, he looked up and said, "That's how it all started. Zhuang Bieyan isn't the kind of person they're talking about."
Grandpa Zhuang didn't say anything, but his eyes swept over the two of them. He said in a deep voice, "Young lady, do you know that among the 320 family rules of the Zhuang family, there are two rules: 'maintain your integrity' and 'do not take advantage of others' misfortunes'?"
Qu He was taken aback, puzzled.
"No matter what the reason is, if the second son does this before marriage, he is irresponsible to his future partner and is not chaste."
He slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "He took advantage of you while you were unconscious, which is taking advantage of someone in distress. According to the family rules, he must be punished!"
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