Ye Chuqing almost choked when Chen Shao called her “babe.”

She stood frozen for quite a while with no reaction until Old Mr. Chen said from the side: “Alright, you two should head back now. Chuqing is pregnant and should rest early. There’s still a busy wedding tomorrow.”

Ye Chuqing responded with an “Oh” and finally walked past Qiu Yao toward Chen Shao.

To complete the performance, Chen Shao even reached out his hand to her. Ye Chuqing felt inexplicably nervous, staring at his hand for a long time. Just as she was about to take it, Qiu Yao rushed in between them.

“Brother Chen Shao, I haven’t seen you for so long. Why are you leaving so early?”

Ye Chuqing watched as the hand that had been extended to her lifted, then pressed down on Qiu Yao’s shoulder, pushing her aside as he said: “Because I’m getting married tomorrow.”

Ye Chuqing: “…”

In the end, she couldn’t hold it back and burst out laughing, showing absolutely no face-saving courtesy to this cousin.

Chen Shao didn’t mind either. After pushing Qiu Yao away, he took Ye Chuqing’s hand and continued the act: “Are you tired, babe?”

“…Not tired.”

The two said goodbye to everyone. As soon as the door closed, Ye Chuqing quickly released Chen Shao’s hand, drawing a clear boundary between them.

Chen Shao snorted softly, turned his head to look down at her, and teased: “Just now inside, weren’t you saying how clingy I am, always pestering you? Now you’re quick to let go.”

“I was saying you were clingy to me, not that I was clingy to you,” Ye Chuqing immediately replied.

“Fine.” Chen Shao nodded and recaptured her hand. “Then I’ll be clingy.”

“?” Ye Chuqing was shocked. This shameless man! “We’re already outside, why are you still acting?”

By now they had reached the car. Chen Shao laughed and released Ye Chuqing’s hand. They both got in.

At this hour, the streets were noisy—the start of nightlife. Ye Chuqing had been a veritable nightclub princess during her student days abroad, but now the tables had turned, and she was heading home early.

Ye Chuqing stared out the car window for a while, then picked up her phone to check it. Chen Die had sent her another message.

[Chen Die: What did Qiu Yao do?]

“…”

Ye Chuqing didn’t reply. She put her phone away, paused for a moment, then remembered Qiu Yao’s expression earlier and couldn’t help laughing again.

At a red light, Chen Shao stopped the car and asked: “What are you laughing at?”

“Someone like you—why does Qiu Yao like you so much?” Ye Chuqing asked. “Calling you ‘Brother Chen Shao’ all the time. What kind of thoughts does she have about you?”

“Why bother with her? She’s just an idiot.”

Ye Chuqing rolled her eyes: “She even asked if we’re having a shotgun wedding. That girl seems crazy—she won’t go tell your grandfather weird things, will she?”

Chen Shao was quite calm and reassured her: “It’s fine. Truth be told, you’re much crazier than she is. She’s no match for you.”

“…”

They drove home. Tomorrow was the wedding. Early in the morning, they would need to go to the hotel to prepare for makeup and change into wedding attire. Fortunately, after the Master’s guidance, they could choose their own auspicious time, so they pushed it back by two hours and wouldn’t need to wake up too early.

The wedding dress had already been delivered. Although her pregnancy wasn’t showing yet, to be safe, they had chosen a high-waisted style.

She had tried it on once before. Now the wedding dress sat in a corner of the living room. Ye Chuqing stared at it for a while, then her gaze slowly fell to the potted plant in the center of the coffee table.

The “supreme” divination stick was still firmly planted there.

“Come here,” Ye Chuqing grabbed his hand.

Chen Shao was about to change his shoes when she pulled him to the sofa. Ye Chuqing pointed at the supreme stick and said: “Come on, give it a bow.”

Chen Shao: “…What?”

“The wedding’s tomorrow. Let this stick bless us.”

“I told you before, rather than asking it, you should ask me,” Chen Shao raised an eyebrow, leaning against the sofa. “You’re getting married to me tomorrow. Are you nervous?”

Ye Chuqing would never admit it and didn’t want to fall behind Chen Shao: “What’s there to be nervous about? I’m just being cautious.”

Chen Shao looked at her without speaking.

Ye Chuqing paused for a few seconds, then nodded and suddenly said: “Alright, let’s establish some rules then. Since after tomorrow’s wedding everyone will know we’re married, we need to give each other a face. Qiu Yao doesn’t count since she’s your cousin, but there can’t be other idiotic women like her. If you make me lose face like that—”

After a brief pause, she said the last sentence with great sincerity: “I will kill you.”

Chen Shao was silent for two seconds, and Ye Chuqing erupted: “You don’t think this requirement is too difficult to meet, do you?”

“No,” Chen Shao said. “I just thought these words should be coming from me to you.”

“…”

Well, thinking about it carefully, Chen Shao had always seemed quite clean and proper, while she was the one who had indulged in flirting with young handsome men several times.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Ye Chuqing simply said, “Anyway, it applies to both of us,” and turned to go upstairs.

Since the next day was the wedding, Ye Chuqing didn’t sleep well that night. Her dreams were chaotic, though that “supreme” stick appeared several times, like a stabilizing pillar.

Her parents had a good relationship. Huang Sheng had been the youngest Best Actress winner and retired from the screen early to marry her father. After giving birth to her, Huang Sheng shifted to working behind the scenes as a director.

Directing is a very demanding job that many male directors can’t handle. At that time, Huang Sheng was considered the prime example of a wealthy family’s daughter-in-law who never had to lift a finger, yet when she worked, she was like a workaholic.

Ye Chuqing grew up well in such a family, her personality leaning more toward Huang Sheng’s.

She had a wide social circle and had dated a few times, but whether because she attracted jerks or for some other reason, her relationships always ended without incident.

From childhood to adulthood, she had always stood out when compared to girls her age in every aspect—looks, family background, academic achievements, career—she was used to others’ envious or even jealous gazes. Strong-willed and extremely concerned about saving face, she couldn’t imagine how harsh the mockery would be if her marriage ran into any embarrassing problems.

And with her relationship with Chen Shao…

One was the CEO of Yiming Entertainment, the other the chairman of the film industry association—even if they separated in the future, they would inevitably meet at various work occasions.

On the eve of her wedding, Ye Chuqing was already imagining post-divorce scenarios.

She woke up and immediately called Chen Die.

Chen Die’s situation when she broke up with Wen Liang was similar to hers—they couldn’t avoid seeing each other at work events. She wanted to get some advice in advance.

It wasn’t until she heard Chen Die’s half-asleep voice that she suddenly realized—what time was it?

She looked at the alarm clock: 1 AM.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Die asked.

Before Ye Chuqing could speak, there were some sounds from the other end, probably Wen Liang asking who it was. Then Chen Die responded, “It’s Chuqing,” followed by some indistinct noises.

Chen Die went out to the balcony: “Why are you calling me so late? Don’t you have to get up early tomorrow? Oh, wait, it’s already today.”

“I’m a bit nervous,” Ye Chuqing said, leaning against the headboard.

“Why?” Chen Die paused. “Because of the wedding?”

“Yes, the wedding is tomorrow, and I just dreamed about divorcing Chen Shao. Isn’t that too unlucky?”

Chen Die had already heard from Chen Shao about them being taken by Huang Sheng to seek blessings, and she laughed: “Don’t overthink it.”

“You see how unhappy those rich young ladies are with me. If Chen Shao cheats someday, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face. And we’d still have to see each other frequently for work.”

“…I think my brother isn’t that kind of person,” Chen Die saw things clearly as an observer. “You’re such a smart person—if you thought he was like that, you wouldn’t have agreed to marry him.”

Ye Chuqing also felt that her thinking had been muddled by the dream.

She stopped torturing Chen Die late at night and quickly let her go back to rest.

However, she still couldn’t sleep. After sitting in bed for a while, she simply went downstairs.

She took a bottle of peach-flavored drink she had bought earlier from the cabinet and leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping it.

After drinking half a glass, she felt hungry.

She and Chen Shao had never eaten in this matrimonial home, but the kitchen was fully equipped, even with an oven. The housekeeper came twice a week and would stock the refrigerator with ingredients.

Fortunately, when Ye Chuqing opened the refrigerator door, the ingredients inside were still fresh.

She had learned a bit of cooking during her studies abroad. She took out a packet of noodles and an egg from the refrigerator, poured water into a pot, and turned on the heat.

Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted out. She felt even hungrier. Looking at the egg flower and noodles floating in the pot, she silently swallowed. At the same time, a voice suddenly came from beside her—

“So late, what are you doing?”

She hadn’t even turned on the lights, and the sudden voice almost made her knock over the pot. She turned to see Chen Shao leaning against the doorframe, wearing pajamas. He might have been woken up by the noise, as his brows were furrowed.

She blinked: “Felt a bit hungry.”

Chen Shao stood there for a while, his brows still furrowed, whether from annoyance or morning grumpiness was unclear.

Ye Chuqing turned her head back, looking down at the noodles in the pot: “You go back to sleep. I’ll come up after I finish eating.”

Chen Shao ignored what she said and walked straight up, taking the long chopsticks from her hand. His eyelids drooped, and his voice was husky from being woken up: “I’ll do it.”

He used the chopsticks to stir the egg flower and lazily yawned.

Ye Chuqing’s restlessness strangely diminished. Standing beside him, with slippers on, she was a head shorter than Chen Shao. She could smell the scent of shower gel on him.

It smelled good, a clean and crisp fragrance.

Ye Chuqing couldn’t help but sniff, and then sniff again.

Chen Shao noticed and looked down at her. His eyes were finally a bit more open as he teased: “That hungry?”

“…”

Ye Chuqing immediately stopped sniffing.

If this guy knew she was smelling his scent, he’d probably tease her for days.

The noodles cooked quickly. Chen Shao moved her aside slightly, took out a bowl from the cabinet, used the chopsticks to put the noodles in the bowl, and then poured the soup in.

Only then did Ye Chuqing think to ask: “Do you want some?”

“No.”

Chen Shao took out a clean pair of chopsticks, picked up the noodle bowl, and as he was leaving, gave her a particular look.

Ye Chuqing understood what his eyes were saying: Who’s as troublesome as you?

“…”

But since she was accepting his help, she didn’t retort. She hadn’t had a good sense of portion size when cooking the noodles and had ended up with a very large bowl. She didn’t forget to grab another bowl and a pair of chopsticks before following him to the living room.

“Are you sure you don’t want any? I definitely can’t finish all this. Have some,” Ye Chuqing said.

Chen Shao: “Who eats noodles at this hour instead of sleeping?”

“…Then you go to sleep first.”

Chen Shao seemed to be the kind of person whose actions contradicted his words. Despite what he said, he had already pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. Then he divided the noodles in half, one bowl for each.

A moment later, he went back to the kitchen and took a can of beer from the refrigerator, genuinely starting to enjoy a late-night snack.

Ye Chuqing turned over an upside-down cup beside her: “Pour me some too.”

Chen Shao paused and looked at her.

Ye Chuqing quickly realized and continued to drink her peach juice: “Oh, I forgot I’m pregnant.”

He laughed: “What does being pregnant feel like?”

“When I’m not throwing up, I don’t feel anything. I often forget I’m pregnant. Maybe in two more months when my belly gets bigger, I won’t forget,” Ye Chuqing said magnanimously.

They never turned on the lights. The dining table was near the window, and the moonlight streamed in, making it not too dark.

Chen Shao ate quickly and soon finished his bowl of noodles, while Ye Chuqing was still eating hers in small bites.

Chen Shao leaned back in his chair, drinking beer and watching her eat. After a while, he asked: “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I did sleep, but had a nightmare and woke up.”

“What nightmare?”

Ye Chuqing calmly said: “Something like me killing you after you cheated.”

“…What are you thinking about?” Chen Shao frowned slightly, then joked, “That ‘supreme’ stick is still enshrined in our house. If I dared to cheat, I think that Master would take care of me too.”

Ye Chuqing was amused: “I thought you didn’t believe in that.”

“Who told you to not believe me but believe what some monk said?”

“Can I believe you?” Ye Chuqing asked.

Chen Shao paused, leaned back in his chair, looked at her for a moment, and then self-recommendingly smiled: “I think you can.”

Perhaps because of these words, or perhaps because of this bowl of noodles, Ye Chuqing’s heart gradually calmed down. She locked eyes with Chen Shao for a moment, then withdrew her gaze and continued eating her noodles.

The large room fell silent, and the atmosphere gradually turned strange.

Only the very slight sounds of eating noodles and swallowing beer remained. After a long time, Ye Chuqing finished her noodles, pushed the bowl forward, and looked up to see Chen Shao’s Adam’s apple move as he swallowed another mouthful of beer.

“You should drink less,” she couldn’t help saying.

“Hmm?”

“Now whenever I see alcohol, I have a bit of a conditioned reflex. Too much trouble.”

Chen Shao: “You just asked me for beer earlier.”

“I was still half-asleep, wasn’t I? I haven’t had alcohol in a long time. I’m turning over a new leaf. When I get drunk, I tend to do terrible things.”

“Mmm.” Chen Shao nodded. “Pretty terrible indeed.”

“…”

This was some strange kind of newlywed intimacy—brewing egg flower noodles in clear broth in the early hours before their wedding, and for once, sitting down for a proper conversation.

Ye Chuqing finally felt the long-absent urge to sleep.

She stretched: “Let’s wash the dishes and get some sleep.”

“I’ll do it,” Chen Shao took both bowls. “You go to bed first.”

Ye Chuqing, privileged by her pregnancy, felt no guilt. She thanked him and shuffled upstairs in her slippers.

Chen Shao carried the bowls and chopsticks back to the kitchen. It was his first time doing this, but washing dishes wasn’t difficult, and he quickly finished.

He washed his hands again.

Chen Shao stood at the kitchen counter with lowered eyes for a while, then suddenly recalled what Ye Chuqing had said earlier—”When I get drunk, I tend to do terrible things.”

He suddenly let out a soft laugh.

After this late-night disturbance, both nearly overslept and missed their wedding the next day.

The wedding was held at a hotel. Both families had invited many guests, filling the entire top floor banquet hall.

It was simple for Chen Shao—he just needed to change into a suit. But Ye Chuqing had to go through makeup, changing into her wedding dress, and various other steps. Fortunately, she could escape greeting the guests.

Chen Die came straight to the makeup room to keep her company.

“Are you still nervous?” Chen Die asked specifically because of the late-night phone call.

Ye Chuqing also found herself strange: “Ah, I don’t feel nervous at all now.”

The makeup artist worked quickly, and they were ready half an hour before the auspicious time.

With makeup done and wedding dress on—it had a long train, so she didn’t need to wear high heels to hide her pregnancy, just a pair of almost flat shoes.

With nothing to do, Chen Die walked out with her.

Outside was a corridor, with the banquet hall further in. Ye Chuqing took a break, not intending to enter the hall yet, just stepping out for some air.

But as soon as she came out, she saw Chen Shao standing at a distant doorway, with someone holding his hand and speaking excitedly.

Ye Chuqing: “…”

It was that auntie who had tried to match them up last time, now excitedly acting like a matchmaker and chatting with Chen Shao.

After just two minutes of getting some air outside, Ye Chuqing could already sense how much Chen Shao wanted to die.

After the “matchmaker” left, punk girl Qiu Yao also arrived.

It was Chen Die’s first time seeing her, and she paid a bit of attention, lowering her voice to tell Ye Chuqing: “Chen Shao can tolerate a sister like this?”

“He can’t. He says she’s an idiot.”

“…Understandable.”

Qiu Yao and Chen Shao hadn’t noticed the two observers in the corner.

Chen Shao looked completely impatient. The punk girl tugged at Chen Shao’s arm: “Where’s my sister-in-law?”

“Why are you looking for her?”

“She said you’re clingy to her. I want to test if you know her.”

Chen Shao’s acting skills had improved considerably. Without even blinking, he pulled his arm away: “Do I need your approval to like her?”

Chen Die: “…”

Ye Chuqing: “…”

In the corner, Chen Die turned to look at her with a teasing expression: “What’s going on with you two?”

Ye Chuqing: “Our film committee owes your brother an Oscar statuette.”