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Chapter 16 - Chapter 15: Falling in Love After Marriage

Walking up to the car, he could see Mingzhu on the passenger seat talking on the phone through the half-open window.

Shang Chi leaned in slightly to glance at her, not wanting to disturb her. He was about to lean against the car and wait for a moment.

"...A blind date?" The soft, feminine voice rose slightly.

Shang Chi's steps halted. With a smooth turn, his long fingers hooked the door handle, pulling it open as he slid inside.

A faint floral scent clung to him from the flower shop.

Mingzhu's nostrils twitched. One ear listened to Qi Lan's voice on the phone, while the other quietly picked up Shang Chi's movements.

There was a soft rustle of plastic.

Click. Like the sound of a storage box opening and closing.

"...From the Capital Conservatory of Music, currently working at the Huancheng Folk Orchestra. He's a handsome young man with a gentle disposition. Would you like me to introduce you?"

"...Xiaozhu?"

Mingzhu instinctively hummed in acknowledgment, then realized the implication in Qi Lan's words and quickly refused: "Teacher, there's no need for an introduction."

Qi Lan fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly sniffing, her tone filled with sorrow.

"Am I being too hasty? I'm sorry, Xiao Zhu. I know you can manage well on your own, but I can't help feeling terribly worried. I fear that if I fall ill and pass away, Xiao Zhu will be left all alone."

Qi Lan had witnessed Mingzhu's most vulnerable moments.

She sat utterly alone on the snow-white hospital bed, the puffy quilt like heavy snow burying her, leaving only her pale, pointed chin exposed.

Hearing Qi Lan rush in frantically, she turned her face blankly and awkwardly. Facing complete darkness, she instinctively waved her hand, as if trying to dispel the terrifying blackness.

After a moment of dazed stillness, her hand fell limply to her side, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

"Teacher," she whispered, "I can't see anymore."

Even as Mingzhu slowly regained her strength later, practicing through countless falls and collisions until she could finally tap her white cane and walk out the door, seemingly returning to normal life.

But Qi Lan always carried that image of her pale, frail figure in her heart.

She couldn't help but worry constantly.

The memory brought another wave of heartache.

Qi Lan took the tissue her husband handed her, pressing it to her eyes, forcing her voice to sound light.

"Whatever you say, Xiao Zhu. If she wants to see you, let her. If not, don't force it."

"Besides, Ke Jing keeps saying she'll never marry or have children. If she really sticks to that, you two sisters can look out for each other. That would put my mind at ease."

"..."

Mingzhu blinked slowly, her raised hand brushing the wedding ring hanging on her chest.

"Teacher, when I said no introduction was needed, it's actually because..."

She licked her lips, her heart pounding wildly. The overwhelming presence of the person beside her made her senses tingle. The thought of saying what came next in front of them made even the skin beneath her dark hair grow warm.

Ming Zhu took a shallow breath, her tone soft and steady.

"Because... I've been in touch with Aunt He's son since we last met."

"I think he's quite nice."

Her words flowed clear and melodious.

The unspoken meaning hung heavy in the air.

Qi Lan froze, casually slapping a tissue into her husband's hand before pressing, "Really? But Ke Jing said your blind date didn't lead anywhere."

Mingzhu bit her lip slightly.

She sensed that after her words fell, all the subtle sounds in the car had vanished. A gaze had turned toward her, fixed on her.

Never mind.

She'd explain after hanging up.

With a hint of resignation, Mingzhu pretended Shang Chi didn't exist, lowering her head as she replied.

"Actually, we did keep in touch. We even had dinner together, and he drove me home."

Ming Zhe deliberately kept her words vague.

"He was busy with work recently and couldn't meet up, but we kept chatting. He said he'd come see me once he finished his projects..."

Qi Lan smiled upon hearing this, yet worried that the young Ming Zhe might be deceived. She pressed for details about their meetings.

"How about you come back for a visit, Teacher? Meet this young Shang fellow yourself."

Mingzhu's eyelid twitched. "Teacher, please stay at the convalescent home. Come back once you're feeling better."

Her face tightened as she exaggerated every detail, determined to prove her "harmonious relationship" with Shang Chi.

After Qi Lan was persuaded by her father-in-law to take her medicine and rest, reluctantly promising to return soon, the call finally ended.

Ming Zhe lifted the phone from her ear.

Though the phone hadn't grown hot after nearly half an hour of talking, Ming Zhe herself felt nearly cooked through.

A vivid blush spread from her cheeks to her ears.

Following the curve of her neckline, a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her back beneath her clothing.

Shang Chi had listened quietly for a long time, finishing two pieces of fruit candy. Seeing Mingzhu hang up, he cleared his throat. "You..."

But Mingzhuo's nerves were stretched taut. Hearing Shang Chi's voice made her heart flutter like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Clutching her phone tightly, she blurted out hastily,

"Sorry, my teacher isn't feeling well and keeps worrying about me."

"Just like how your family is pressuring you to get married, I need to reassure her too."

Mingzhu's lips twitched dryly. Recalling the details she'd described about their "sweet relationship," her voice trembled.

"You... you don't mind, do you?"

"..."

After listening to half an hour of romantic details, Shang Chi looked at Mingzhu's cheeks, flushed with a faint blush. He almost believed the heart-fluttering moments she'd described were real.

He even optimistically thought that even if he confessed his earlier lies now, it probably wouldn't matter.

But hearing Mingzhu's flustered explanations now was like being doused with cold water in the dead of winter, instantly sobering him up.

They'd only met three times.

His feelings for Mingzhu were growing, and he even dared to hope she liked him back.

What was he thinking?

Mingzhuo couldn't even see him—any possibility of her being attracted to him was instantly extinguished.

His reason for marrying was family pressure.

As for Mingzhuo... it was obvious—it was because of the teacher on the other end of the phone, filled with earnest concern.

"...Why would I mind?" Shang Chi leaned back in his seat, his long legs stretched out lazily, his tone languid. "I married for the same reason. I understand completely."

A brief silence fell.

Suddenly, Shang Chi murmured softly, "Xiao Zhu."

Ming Zhu hummed in confusion.

A bouquet, still warm from the man's embrace, was suddenly pressed into her arms.

Her fingers, stiff and curled, quickly unfurled. Her fingertips brushed against the smooth wrapping paper before Shang Chi gently took her hand, lifting it to caress the soft petals.

"These are white roses, these are jasmine..."

Shang Chi guided her hand, letting her touch each flower.

Mingzhu's eyes widened in surprise. "You went to buy flowers just now?"

Shang Chi: "A wedding gift. Do you like them?"

Mingzhu nodded vigorously.

The wrapping paper rustled softly between their arms. Her fingertips gently traced the delicate petals. When she lowered her head, the air was filled with a faint, pure fragrance.

It wasn't her first bouquet.

In the past, when she accompanied Qi Lan to performances, organizers often sent flowers after the show.

Rich, delicate, or subtle—she'd hold full arms of blooms, eventually bringing them home to arrange in vases.

But this bouquet was different.

This one was from Shang Chi.

The initial flushed panic slowly faded. Breathing in the delicate floral scent, her heartbeat settled into a gentle rhythm.

Shang Chi raised his hand, tapped the car's touchscreen, and selected a playlist. Soon, soft instrumental music flowed from the speakers.

The tension dissolved completely.

Shang Chi didn't start the car immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on Mingzhu.

She caressed the soft petals, her fingertips catching a droplet of water that soaked into her skin.

A faint smile had curved her delicate lips, revealing the faint dimples in her cheeks.

"Xiao Zhu."

Shang Chi spoke softly, his slowed tone deep and crisp, like the plucking of bass strings.

Ming Zhu's ears twitched, and she instinctively straightened her back.

He said.

"Regardless of why we married—be it family pressure or your teacher's concern—since we've obtained the marriage certificate, we should commit to each other."

"—What I mean is—"

His fingers gently hooked hers, still resting on the rose petals. His warm touch brushed away the lingering moisture from her fingertips.

Long fingers pressed against her slender white fingers, inch by inch, boldly slipping into the gaps between her knuckles.

An unexpected interlocking of all ten fingers.

The moment their palms met, Mingzhu heard the man's low, hoarse voice rise.

"How about it? Want to fall in love with me after we're married?"

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