02.

After the family heads of both sides met in Xi’an, they quickly set the wedding date—June of the following year.

Before setting the wedding date, there had actually been a small complication.

Old Master Ji was eager for Ji Qinghe to start a family soon and suggested the two should hold their wedding before the end of this year. The location wasn’t restricted; these two young people could choose for themselves.

Afraid they might find it too rushed, he even went so far as to declare that regardless of whether Shen Qianzhan preferred a castle wedding, beach wedding, or prairie wedding, as long as she had a target and ideas, he and Mrs. Meng would handle everything personally. They guaranteed to provide the wedding venue with quality, quantity, and on time—Shen Qianzhan would only need to take a vacation before the wedding.

After speaking, Mrs. Meng, wearing a smile, pretended to accidentally bump Old Master Ji and came to his rescue: “Of course, if Dengdeng wants to organize the wedding herself, we’ll still prioritize Dengdeng’s opinion and won’t interfere. The old master is just too enthusiastic. He thinks you two are usually busy with work and wants to help share the burden.”

Shen Qianzhan smiled and glanced at Ji Qinghe.

The two had discussed the wedding matter but hadn’t reached any conclusions. First, Shen Qianzhan felt it was still too early and hadn’t considered it. Second, she had no concept of weddings—she had neither special sentiments nor romantic pursuits about them.

Where to get married and what form of wedding to have were, to her, just ceremonies that could be arranged.

Since the young couple remained silent, the family heads could only continue their discussion.

Thus, the timeline kept getting pushed back and was set for June of the following year.

Old Master Ji was rather anxious. He said: “Isn’t getting married in June a bit late? How about we hold an engagement banquet in Xi’an in December?”

Shen Qianzhan had a film crew scheduled for December and had no time for marriage. She inconspicuously pinched Ji Qinghe’s waist, hinting at him.

The latter glanced at her, grasped her hand and held it in his palm, secretly writing: “What’s in it for me?”

Shen Qianzhan replied: “Thirty-six positions.”

Ji Qinghe curved his lips and, living up to expectations, dispelled Old Master Ji’s enthusiastic plans. He made the final decision: “Let’s set the wedding date for June. Give us some time to think about how to organize the wedding.”

That would work too.

At least the wedding now had a definite date to look forward to.

After setting the wedding date, Shen Qianzhan stayed in Xi’an for a few days, accompanying the old Shen couple to visit scenic spots.

Ji Qinghe also temporarily postponed his work to accompany them throughout.

When the old Shen couple were departing, as Shen Qianzhan was seeing them off in the rest area, Mother Shen pulled Shen Qianzhan aside and quietly advised: “Don’t just focus on work and neglect Xiao Ji. Relationships need cultivation. If you spend neither time nor effort, conflicts will easily arise over time.”

Shen Qianzhan had wanted to say she’d always been freeloading like this. But realizing that “freeloading” wasn’t quite elegant enough, she thought for a moment and said: “If adult relationships required so much effort, Ji Qinghe and I wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Mother Shen could see President Ji’s wholehearted devotion clearly. She poked Shen Qianzhan’s forehead and laughed while scolding: “You’re just typical of getting a good deal and still acting coy. During this visit, I could see clearly that Xiao Ji has completely tied his heart to you.”

“Do you think I don’t know that next June’s wedding was your idea? You give him a look and he complies, you give him a signal and he understands—everything goes according to your wishes. Even Old Shen never spoiled you this much.”

Shen Qianzhan, who had grievances she couldn’t voice: “…”

She could hardly say that behind the scenes, she’d been ceding territory and paying reparations, selling herself out to several hundred years in the future.

Not to mention things like thirty-six positions and seventy-two transformations—she was practically ready to sign a “no getting out of bed” agreement with Ji Qinghe.

Who was spoiling whom exactly?

Because of this, Shen Qianzhan sulked for several days.

She believed she’d fallen into Ji Qinghe’s trap again. This scheming man was secretly exploiting her while acting obedient in front of the old Shen couple, displaying an attitude of deep affection, unwavering devotion, and no complaints.

But what was the reality?

Everything came with a price! She was being taken advantage of enormously but couldn’t speak about it, with nowhere to file her grievances.

After being the target of displaced anger for several days, when Ji Qinghe finally understood what she was sulking about, he held Shen Qianzhan and chuckled softly.

His laughter was low and pleasant, sinking deep into her ears. Like indulging an unreasonably troublesome child, he asked: “Nowhere to file grievances? What grievances do you want to file?”

Shen Qianzhan nearly rolled her eyes. Before she could think of what to say, Ji Qinghe lifted her up by the waist, walking while asking: “Am I not deep enough or haven’t I satisfied your desires, hmm?”

His words were suggestive, yet Shen Qianzhan felt her ears burn upon hearing them. “You’re changing the subject.”

Ji Qinghe denied it.

He carried Shen Qianzhan to the rattan chair on the balcony.

He then leaned forward, circling the chair back, and said in a low voice: “I only steal hearts, and will marry no one but you.”