Ignore
The pitch-black air fueled Zhou Ji'an's courage. She gently touched Deng Yi's face with her fingertips and joked, "Since that's what you think, you should have told me when I broke up with you."
She figured Deng Yi couldn't see her expression, so he probably wouldn't be able to figure out her purpose in agreeing to a fake marriage based on her tone of voice.
"Is it too late now?" Deng Yi asked, grabbing her hand and gently sucking on her soft fingertips.
That's how the night is. Whether you can see the light or not, as long as you're in a familiar place and next to familiar people, you'll feel relaxed and safe. You'll want to express yourself, to confide in others, and to extend your emotions until someone is willing to listen.
Zhou Ji'an snuggled closer to the person next to her, wanting to actively enter his world. She hugged him tightly, afraid that if she spoke next, she would be pushed away.
“You were the one who wanted to have a fake marriage with me,” Zhou Ji’an said sullenly, his limbs clinging tightly to Deng Yi like vines.
If he really intends to push her away, she will make sure he can't.
Deng Yi was excited by the significant changes in the person in his arms these past few days; their body temperatures were gradually aligning, and their thoughts were about to resonate as well.
Deng Yi hugged her back and chuckled softly, "I was afraid that if I asked you to really marry me, you wouldn't agree. That day, you wouldn't even bother to look at me."
Zhou Ji'an felt wronged. Was she just too lazy to look at him? She was clearly afraid to look at him; she was afraid he didn't want to see her.
“You can’t just ask me to have a fake marriage right off the bat, can you? I’ve always suspected you have ulterior motives.” Zhou Ji’an became increasingly unreserved as he spoke. “Everyone tells me that you’re marrying me to use me.”
Deng Yi said, "Yes, it is indeed to take advantage of you."
"What?" Zhou Ji'an's chest tightened.
Did he actually admit it?
Deng Yi replied, "I'll use you to ease my lovesickness."
Ugh, what a joke!
Zhou Ji'an shrank down beneath him, becoming more and more at ease, and boldly asked, "Who are you longing for?"
Deng Yi made a few light, deep movements, pinching and kissing her calf, then leaning close to her ear and saying, "You, you are still you."
What do you mean by "it's always her, no matter who she is"?
Zhou Ji'an wanted to ask, but his mouth was completely covered.
This time seemed different from every previous one. Zhou Ji'an couldn't quite put her finger on what was different, but she felt that the place occupied by Deng Yi was going to go weak and sore very quickly. Without even hearing the intimate words Deng Yi was whispering in her ear, she knew that she had already melted into a puddle of water.
The weather has been clear and sunny for the past two days, and the temperature has risen.
Zhou Ji'an, feeling that his relationship with Deng Yi had progressed further, was immersed in the results he had achieved, but he would occasionally think of Deng Wencheng, whom he had met on Saturday night.
Zhou Ji'an scrolled to the group chat she and Zhao Xingran belonged to, opened Zhao Xingran's profile page, and after thinking for a long time, still couldn't make up his mind to add Zhao Xingran as a friend.
From her perspective, Zhao Xingran was completely deceived by Deng Wencheng and was a complete victim. But what if Zhao Xingran doesn't see it that way, or even thinks she's meddling or feels ashamed after she exposes Deng Wencheng's true colors?
There's always the possibility of something going wrong.
What if this matter affects Deng Yi?
"What are you thinking about?" Deng Yi asked as he approached her after finishing the call.
Zhou Ji'an swallowed hard and lied: "It's about work."
Deng Yi glanced at her computer screen, tapped his fingertips lightly on the desktop, and asked, "Would you like to come back over there with me for dinner tomorrow?"
"Was that your dad on the phone just now?" Zhou Ji'an asked reflexively.
It must have been Deng Wencheng who hit her; perhaps he was trying to use the opportunity to threaten her.
Deng Yi looked at her with some surprise. "Why do you ask that?"
Zhou Ji'an's mouth muscles twitched as he gave an unnatural laugh: "I was just guessing."
"Don't always make wild guesses." Deng Yi ruffled her hair and kissed her on the cheek. "My mom hit me."
Shen Ruoheng had never been to their place before. She should have come often, since the house belonged to Deng Yi's maternal grandparents.
Although Zhou Ji'an had witnessed the complexities of wealthy families these days, she wasn't actually shocked, because poor families were just as complicated; it was just that the lack of money masked other problems.
When Zhou Ji'an and Deng Yi entered the house and saw Deng Wencheng, Qin Xirang, Wei Jinglin, his wife, and his parents, they were stunned for a few seconds before turning to look at Shen Ruoheng, hoping for her explanation.
Shen Ruoheng took off her apron, smiled, and said, "Perfect timing, let's eat together."
Her overall energy and spirit were very different from before.
While Zhou Ji'an was puzzled, he glanced at the group of people who were talking loudly in the restaurant.
She felt like this was a trap, but she didn't know who it was aimed at.
Deng Yi asked, "Do you want to go back or stay?"
After their conversation that night, Zhou Ji'an learned more about Deng Wencheng and Shen Ruoheng from Deng Yi.
In summary, Deng Yi was also someone who wasn't loved by his parents, not much different from her. However, due to the vast difference in the wealth of their parents, their lives became fundamentally different.
Zhou Ji'an thought to herself that since she was already here, she might as well take this opportunity to observe Qin Xirang.
Before she could answer Deng Yi, Wei Jinglin jumped in and said, "This time, it was Aunt Shen who took the initiative to invite us."
Zhou Ji'an looked at Deng Yi and nodded slightly.
The table was already laden with a variety of delicious dishes.
If Deng Yi hadn't said that Shen Ruoheng had already given up on struggling and changing things, Zhou Ji'an would have almost suspected that Shen Ruoheng had poisoned the dishes.
After they sat down, Deng Yi put some dishes on Zhou Ji'an's plate that were a little far away from her. She lowered her head and slowly chewed and swallowed, but she could feel two pairs of eyes staring at her.
When she looked up and met the man's gaze, he casually clinked glasses with the others.
"Old Deng, are you about to be promoted to dean?" Wei's father raised his glass in congratulations.
"It's basically confirmed." Deng Wencheng raised his glass and clinked it with Wei's father's.
This person really has no guilty conscience at all.
Was he putting it on for her? Was he trying to teach her about moral issues, something that wouldn't affect him at all?
Or perhaps he didn't recognize her that day, and Zhao Xingran didn't tell him who she was?
“Brother Xiaoyu, you’re always the center of attention wherever you go, but when you get home, do you feel like nobody cares about you?” Qin Xirang suddenly asked. “You must really like that feeling, right? After all, when you celebrities become famous, you always say you don’t like being overly noticed.”
Wei Jinglin stared at Deng Yi, who was carefully peeling shrimp for Zhou Ji'an, and sneered coldly, "If he didn't like being the center of attention, he could be showing off his love every few days after getting married and making it to the trending topics."
After mocking Deng Yi, Wei Jinglin still found Deng Yi's pretentiousness appalling. He turned to the silent Shen Ruoheng and said, "Aunt Shen, don't you think you've raised Deng Yi to be a wicked little devil? He's actually using a little fool to market a loving husband persona to keep making money."
Deng Yi taught Zhou Ji'an that the best way to deal with people like Qin Xirang and Wei Jinglin is to ignore them.
They get furious when they are ignored.
Zhou Ji'an certainly believed in Deng Yi's experience gained from countless battles, but she couldn't remain completely calm like the battle-hardened Deng Yi.
"I want to eat that stir-fried green vegetable dish over there," Zhou Ji'an said, adding unnecessary details.
Deng Yi understood what she meant, and couldn't help but chuckle as he served her some vegetables.
“I didn’t realize he was a little fool,” Shen Ruoheng replied nonchalantly. “I think he’s quite smart.”
Wei's mother said in a high-pitched voice, "If someone can climb up to Deng Yi's family, how could they not be smart?"
These people performed back and forth, singing in unison, while Zhou Ji'an remained silent at Deng Yi's prompting.
Zhou Ji'an found it quite interesting, as if she and Deng Yi were a team playing a survival game against other people.
Qin Xirang suddenly launched an unexpected attack, "Ji'an, I've seen your photos before."
She frowned as she spoke, recalling, "I think I've seen your videos before."
so what?
Zhou Ji'an couldn't understand her moves, so he turned to Deng Yi and gave him a wink.
Qin Xirang said softly, "I felt you were so happy back then, you looked like a carefree child."
Wei Jinglin received some kind of signal, leaned back in his chair, and swirled his wine glass around. The movements were so exaggerated that a few drops of wine spilled onto his wife's arm.
His wife, however, showed no reaction whatsoever, focusing solely on her meal and offering no interaction whatsoever with him.
“She was looking at the photos and videos I sent her.” Wei Jinglin swallowed a trace of melancholy and regret, spitting out one hidden weapon after another, “These are photos and videos of you before you knew me, but before you knew Deng Yi.”
He lowered his glass, clinked it against Deng Yi's glass on the table, and asked, "Xiao Yu, haven't you noticed that the little fool hasn't posted anything on WeChat Moments since she married you?"
Deng Yi's profile visibly tightened.
Zhou Ji'an was so anxious that he secretly pinched his thigh.
It's true that Zhou Ji'an stopped posting on WeChat Moments after marrying Deng Yi, but it certainly wasn't because she was unhappy, as Qin Xirang implied.
She was because...
Wei Jinglin said confidently, "After she married you, she lost her freedom of expression and a lot of freedom."
Zhou Ji'an glanced at Wei Jinglin in surprise.
She doesn't post on WeChat Moments or share her life on any platform because she's afraid that her posts, pictures, or videos might be screenshotted by malicious individuals and over-interpreted, causing a negative impact on Deng Yi.
Although she didn't feel she had lost her freedom of expression, Wei Jinglin's statement didn't seem wrong.
“I don’t necessarily need the freedom to express myself. Stop judging others by your own standards.” Zhou Ji’an was the first to lose her composure. She was terrified that after finally clearing up the misunderstanding with Deng Yi, a new misunderstanding would arise, and one that was impossible to explain.
If Deng Yi truly believes that his sham marriage with her was a mistake, he will definitely take the initiative to ask her for a divorce for her sake.
Zhou Ji'an made a move: "Besides, I knew Deng Yi before I knew you."
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