Chapter 72 Marriage of Convenience... or Love After Arrangement?
Leave Yanjitang.
Inside the car, neither of them spoke, as if they were both preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Qu He absentmindedly scrolled through her phone, but she couldn't concentrate on any of the words on it. Her mind was filled with what Grandma Yan had said: "Your health isn't good, so it's not easy for you to conceive."
She glanced at Zhuang Bieyan through the rearview mirror. His jawline was taut, and his expression was serious; he looked angry.
Qu He felt like something was poking at her heart, making her uncomfortable.
She was upset because she didn't want to drink Chinese medicine, but what about him?
What is the reason for Zhuang Bieyan's current silence?
Was it because of what Grandma Yan said?
Because she has difficulty conceiving?
Qu He felt a tightness in her chest and unconsciously tightened her seatbelt, her mood sinking slightly.
However, they had clearly agreed before marriage that they would not have children for the time being, and he had agreed to that.
She felt relieved at the time, but now that she thinks about it...
"Don't do it for now" and "It's not easy for my body to have it" are two completely different things.
Whether you want to have a child or not is completely different from whether you are able to have one.
Especially for a wealthy and established family like the Zhuang family, can they really accept their heir marrying a wife who may be unable to have children?
She felt as if an invisible wall had been erected between her and Zhuang Bieyan.
Unreachable, unfathomable.
She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, ultimately suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, and turned to look out the window.
Forget it, maybe not asking will allow me to maintain a semblance of calm.
......
Since returning from Yanjitang that day, Qu He has been completely "hijacked" by traditional Chinese medicine.
Zhuang, the Capitalist, demonstrated astonishing execution capabilities at his farewell banquet.
He adjusted his get off work hours and, without fail, personally delivered a bowl of steaming hot Chinese medicine to his wife after breakfast and before dinner every day.
"Drink it."
Those two simple, emotionless words sounded to Qu He no different from "Big Brother, it's time to take your medicine!"
As if afraid she would spill it, Zhuang Bieyan would always stand by her side and watch her finish drinking before leaving, handing her a piece of milk candy as a gesture of respect.
Moreover, milk tea and coffee have been replaced by nourishing soups.
Normally, after dinner each day, she would curl up on the sofa and watch TV series, while Zhuang Bieyan would occasionally go to the study to handle work, so they would not disturb each other.
But now, he would take her downstairs for a walk after dinner, claiming it was to "invigorate her blood and energy."
"I don't want to move. My sofa can't be without me. I have a phobia of leaving my bed," Qu He said, dawdling and acting spoiled.
"Just half an hour." He half-coaxed and half-tricked her into going downstairs.
After several days, Qu He felt that she was being driven crazy by this extremely healthy lifestyle.
This world is not worth it!
She could only sneak a cup of milk tea when she came to Heyuefang.
After finishing a sip of the Crispy Crème Brûlée Milk Tea, Qu He leaned back comfortably on the sofa, looking completely satisfied.
Seeing her like this, Si Yue couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Senior, aren't you afraid that President Zhuang will find out if you drink like this secretly?"
Qu He scrolled through her phone, unconcerned. "Only heaven and earth know, you know and I know. As long as you don't tell and I don't tell, how would he know?"
After she finished a course of traditional Chinese medicine, Zhuang Bieyan took her back to Yanjitang for a follow-up visit.
Seeing the furrowed brows of Grandma Yan as she took her pulse, Qu He felt guilty and dared not look up.
Grandma Yan withdrew her hand, adjusted her reading glasses, and said calmly, "The treatment is effective; your pulse is stronger than before."
Qu He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhuang Bieyan's tightly pursed lips seemed to soften a bit.
"but...."
Grandma Yan changed the subject, "You haven't completely given up the habit of eating cold drinks."
There is nowhere to hide from Traditional Chinese Medicine!
Qu He caught half a breath in her throat and almost choked.
She didn't look up, but she could clearly feel the air pressure around her suddenly drop a few degrees.
She tried to argue, but her voice lacked conviction: "Grandma, you...you might want to take another look? I take my medicine on time every day, and I also take a walk after meals..."
She downplayed the issue and never mentioned that she secretly drank milk tea.
Grandma Yan was amused by her and waved her hand: "Grandma didn't say you couldn't drink. Young people can have a drink once in a while to satisfy their cravings, but they still need to know how to be moderate. Everything in excess is bad."
As she spoke the last few words, she looked at Zhuang Bieyan with a meaningful gaze.
After rewriting the prescription, Zhuang Bieyan walked ahead without saying a word when leaving Yanjitang, and he walked faster than usual.
Qu He looked at his cold, hard back and clicked her tongue in annoyance. She was pondering how to apologize when she didn't notice that the person in front of her suddenly stopped.
She nearly bumped into his back and quickly braked.
"What's wrong... is there something else?"
Zhuang Bieyan turned around, his gaze falling on her face, his eyes deep and dark, making Qu He feel uneasy.
"Ahe," he called her softly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Qu He froze. "Um... I've only had it a few times! Really! Just a few times! If you don't believe me, you can check the security footage at the store. It really wasn't much!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to bite off her tongue.
He hadn't even asked her anything yet, and she'd already confessed? How pathetic!
She was feeling annoyed when she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist.
Zhuang Bieyan stretched out his long arm and gently pulled her into his embrace.
He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed helplessly, "Next time you don't have to hide from me and drink it secretly. Tell me when you want to drink it, and I'll go with you to buy it."
"Um?"
Qu He was stunned.
Why the sudden change of heart? Is he no longer angry? Could it be because she confessed honestly?
Zhuang Bieyan released her, lowered his head and looked down with a serious expression of reflection: "I've been too nervous these past few days, pushing you too hard. I won't do that again."
Is there really such a good thing?
Qu He blinked, trying to push her luck: "Then... since you know you're wrong, can I stop drinking the Chinese medicine?"
Zhuang Bieyan: "..."
He looked at her silently for two seconds. "That won't do. You have to take your medicine."
Qu He: "..."
She knew it!
What a waste of your time.
After some haggling and "friendly" negotiation, the two finally agreed that they could drink milk tea once a week.
The price to pay is that Qu He's hands are incredibly sore when she wakes up in the mornings these past few days.
However, because Grandma Yan's new prescription only requires her to drink it once a day, Qu He felt that there was hope for the future again.
Seeing that she looked radiant after her follow-up appointment, Si Yue couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that President Zhuang is still very good to you, senior. You've even learned to reflect on yourself."
Qu He bit her lower lip, not denying it.
"I never imagined that the 'arranged marriage followed by love' plot from novels would actually happen to me!" Si Yue said, cupping her face in her hands, her expression full of longing.
Qu He was stunned for a moment.
Marriage of convenience that blossoms into love...?
She initially married Zhuang Bieyan only out of necessity, or more accurately, because she didn't want Zhuang Bieyan to be punished because of her.
She never imagined that life would turn out like this after marriage, but upon reflection, she realized that Zhuang Bieyan had unknowingly permeated every aspect of her life.
Habit is a terrible thing; she seems to have gotten used to having him by her side.
But the more she got used to it, the more frightened she became.
She always felt that there were many unresolved issues between her and Zhuang Bieyan, such as the matter of the child...
“Siyue,” she asked, “what do you think would happen if Zhuang Bieyan and I got divorced one day?”
"ah?"
Si Yue was startled. "Senior, you want a divorce? But wasn't President Zhuang very good to you?"
Qu He shook her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes: "He is very good to me, but he can be very good to others too. The reason he takes care of me now and gets jealous is because I am his wife. It is his responsibility and dignity as a husband. But this... is not because of love."
Si Yue seemed to understand but not quite, "So, senior, what about you? Do you love President Zhuang?"
Qu He was stunned for a moment.
Do you love me?
After experiencing that betrayal, how could she dare to trust again? Especially not someone like Zhuang Bieyan.
Qu He: "I think... I don't."
Si Yue hit the nail on the head: "Then why don't you just let him fall in love with you? Once President Zhuang falls in love with you, you can slowly open your heart. That way, you won't lose anything!"
How to make Zhuang Bieyan fall in love with her?
This is absolutely ridiculous!
Qu He laughed.
That was a farewell banquet for the Zhuang family! The Zhuang family's son, Yu Shu, was already someone they could only dream of...
"You know, right now we're just in a relationship where we're lying in the same bed, nothing more."
She said in a low voice, with a hint of self-mockery.
He thought that after his period ended, they would continue what they hadn't finished that night. But after returning from Yan Jitang, nothing more was done between them.
Perhaps he didn't really want to either.
After all... things involving children...
Si Yue sighed, "Feelings are cultivated gradually. But what you just said is indeed a problem, but..."
She snapped her fingers, a sly glint in her eyes. "There is a way, but I need to prepare!"
Qu He looked bewildered and was about to ask more questions when her phone rang.
Seeing the three large characters "Zhuang Bieyan" flashing on the screen, she subconsciously thought he had come to catch her stealing milk tea again.
As soon as the call connected, she blurted out, "I really didn't drink this time! Heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon can prove it!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by his deep laughter.
"I still have that much trust in my wife. I'll wait for you at the entrance of Heyuefang. We'll go back to the old house for dinner tonight."
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