She gave him a suspicious look. “Why are you so good to me?”
He took a cigarette from the crumpled pack, straightened it carefully, and lit it. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled a slow stream of grayish-white smoke and said lightly, “Because I love you. I love you down to my bones. I can’t live a single day without you. After all the trouble I went through to marry you, how could I not take care of you?”
It was the same smooth-talking nonsense as always, but for some reason, hearing it made her feel a strange ache in her chest. She couldn’t tell if it was because his words were too cheesy or if something else was stirring within her—she just felt uncomfortable all over.
That weekend, it was their turn to visit his parents.
As usual, the table was laden with food, and his mother had gone out of her way to prepare a steamed bass just for her.
“Zhe Zhe, have some,” his mother said warmly. “I asked the housekeeper to buy this bass especially for you. I remember you loved it as a child. Jiang Hao was such a troublemaker back then, always calling you ‘Little Kitty’ because you loved fish so much.”
The fishy smell hit her hard, rising straight to her throat. She dropped her chopsticks and rushed to the bathroom, retching violently.
He immediately put down his chopsticks and followed her. Seeing her vomiting so hard that tears streamed down her face, he silently handed her a glass of warm water to rinse her mouth.
His mother followed them into the bathroom. “What’s wrong? Zhe Zhe, are you okay?”
“Nothing,” he replied without turning his head. “She ate something bad. She’s always snacking. Yesterday, she had too much cold noodles and has been throwing up ever since.”
“Oh no! Did she see a doctor?”
“Yes, the doctor said it’s just a stomach issue.”
“Well, she should drink some Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid. I’ll go upstairs and get some.”
As his mother’s footsteps faded, the spacious downstairs bathroom fell silent. The cool marble sink pressed against her skin. Neither of them spoke or moved. She saw his face in the large glass mirror on the wall, but he quickly turned away.
“Yu Jiang Hao!” She suddenly grabbed his sleeve. “Were you being serious?”
“Serious about what?” He forced a smile. “What are you talking about?”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was too cheesy, too cringy. And besides, the way he acted so nonchalantly made her worry that if she guessed wrong, it would be too embarrassing. So, the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” he said, ruffling her hair. “Daydreaming again!”
Whenever he was nervous, he had the habit of messing up her hair. She suddenly remembered the first time he kissed her. He was so nervous that his fingers were trembling slightly. In the end, it was just a fleeting touch on her lips, like a dragonfly skimming the water, before he pulled back abruptly. Then, he had reached out and ruffled her hair, as if the kiss had been nothing but an accident.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t kissed other people before. He’d had a girlfriend he almost married. Shortly after she broke up with Sun Shaoguo, he had broken up with that girlfriend.
After that, they started bumping into each other everywhere. Whenever they met, he’d invite her to eat. Knowing she was a foodie, he took her to every noteworthy restaurant in the city, almost covering them all.
One day, after having a bit too much to drink at a bar, he kissed her in the car.
It was just a fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly touching the water, but it shocked her to her core.
He and she had grown up together, like childhood sweethearts, as close as siblings. Over the years, they’d been comrades, teammates, and friends who had been through thick and thin together.
Falling in love had never even crossed her mind.
In truth, they had never really dated. Aside from that period when she frequently ran into him and he often treated her to meals, it wasn’t long before he proposed to her.
She didn’t take long to think about it before nodding her head in agreement.
Where in this world could one still find true love? To marry someone she didn’t dislike was already a blessing, a rare stroke of good fortune.
When they went to pick up their marriage certificate, it felt like playing house. Carrying bags of candy and fruit, they handed them out from the first floor to the fourth floor of the civil affairs building. Everyone there, from the director to the clerks, was cheerfully munching on candy and fruit. In the end, they were so caught up in the jovial atmosphere that they forgot to collect the state-mandated nine-yuan fee and handed over the two bright red marriage certificates without a second thought.
In the car, he let out a long breath. “Well, it’s finally done.”
She, however, was entirely preoccupied. “Have you looked at the banquet menu? I think we should host separate dinners for our families. Otherwise, there’ll be too many people, and no hotel will have enough space.”
What had she missed?
That answer was so shocking, so overwhelming, that she didn’t even dare to think about it.
When she returned to the dining table, he had already scooped a bowl of lily bulb and mung bean soup for her and left it to cool. “I used rock sugar, not white sugar. Try it.”
She took a spoonful. It was sweet—sweet in a way that reached deep into her heart.
Feeling a sudden burst of joy, she smiled at him.
Her smile left him utterly baffled, and in response, he straightened his back and put on a serious expression, sitting stiffly like a proper gentleman.
Look at him, pretending!
Feeling triumphant, she thought to herself, Just wait until we get home—I’m going to interrogate you thoroughly. Let’s see if I can’t get the truth out of you.
[The End]
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