◎ “Obviously it’s Yunque’s husband” ◎

The moment the words landed, Yunque’s eyes instinctively widened as she looked at Lu Rangchen.

…What was he even talking about?

When had Zhao Qijia called her? And when had he become Lu Rangchen’s arch-nemesis?

Yunque looked at Lu Rangchen in bewilderment. “What are you on about? Are you close to him? Or did something happen between you two?”

“Not close.”

Lu Rangchen spoke evenly: “Nothing happened either, not exactly.”

Yunque opened her mouth to ask more, but before she could, Lu Rangchen raised his chin toward her phone on the vanity table. “Haven’t you checked your call history?”

“…”

Yunque shook her head, puzzled.

She reached over and grabbed the phone from the desk — and only then noticed that in her recent calls, there was a missed call. From Zhao Qijia, of all people.

She blinked, mildly startled.

As if something was beginning to make sense, she looked at Lu Rangchen with a flash of surprise.

Lu Rangchen curled his lip with a humorless sound. “That wasn’t the only time he called.”

Those words carried a pointed, vinegary edge — enough to make your teeth ache. Only then did Yunque understand why this man had been so furious earlier.

But when she thought about it — what did any of this have to do with her?

So Yunque pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “I didn’t even know he was trying to reach me.”

Then she asked: “And why didn’t you say something to me just now?”

“I was too busy being angry,” Lu Rangchen gave a dry laugh. “No room left to bother explaining it to you.”

Yunque stared at him with an expression that was speechlessly at a loss.

The very next second, the utterly shameless man reached over and pinched her chin and pressed: “Now that the anger’s cooled, why don’t you tell me properly what’s going on between you two?”

Yunque was nearly laughing from frustration.

She swatted his hand away without mercy and said: “Are you serious? What could possibly be going on between us? At most we’re just ordinary classmates — it’s not like you don’t already know that.”

Lu Rangchen gave a low, skeptical hum. “Ordinary classmates, and you’ve kept in contact all these years.”

“Since when can ordinary classmates not keep in contact?”

Yunque pushed back: “When I first got back to Nancheng, we all went to a class reunion together.”

He hadn’t expected that detail.

Lu Rangchen’s eyebrow flicked up, and the expression on his face became noticeably less agreeable.

Yunque was secretly rather pleased to watch that reaction.

The corner of her mouth couldn’t help tilting up.

But she was also a little afraid of him actually getting angry.

So she leaned toward him with an air that was vaguely teasing and said: “It was a group thing — over a dozen of us. It wasn’t just the two of us.”

Noticing that this young woman was actually trying to coax him.

Lu Rangchen gave her a sideways glance, muffled a laugh. “So that means he has no feelings for you?”

He narrowed his eyes, something almost dangerous in his expression. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually forgotten how close you two were in high school.”

His expression was clearly a threat.

Yet Yunque’s eyes couldn’t suppress their amusement. She deliberately provoked him: “Then why don’t you tell me — how close were the two of us in high school?”

A bold thing to say.

She had expected him to have no answer.

Who knew — the man just gave a light laugh and delivered the facts with perfect accuracy.

His tone was breezy, unhurried. “Weren’t you deskmates in your final year? You seemed to enjoy that arrangement.”

Then he drew out a pointed sound. “He even sat in my old seat. What — were you looking for a substitute?”

“…”

Yunque’s face flooded with warmth and she immediately moved to cover his mouth.

But the harder she tried to cover it, the deeper the smirk Lu Rangchen wore. “Hit a nerve, did I?”

“Stop flattering yourself.”

Yunque said.

“Fine, I won’t.”

Lu Rangchen’s lips curved, his eyes on her with a look that said he was studying something he held precious. “Then tell me honestly — has he tried to pursue you again over the years?”

“No.”

Yunque had nothing to hide. “He’s not the type to keep chasing someone.”

Lu Rangchen looked at her with arch skepticism. “Even knowing that you and I had broken up, he was completely unmoved?”

That question seemed to land closer to home.

Yunque’s expression shifted with a flicker of discomfort.

Lu Rangchen saw the look on her face and knew he’d guessed right. He was instantly pleased with himself.

Yunque quickly explained: “He only asked once — and that was when I was still in the capital. I made myself very clear.”

She looked exactly like a primary school student caught making a mistake.

Lu Rangchen found it unaccountably interesting. He studied her at his leisure and asked: “And what exactly did ‘very clear’ mean?”

“…Being direct.”

Yunque looked at him with no small exasperation. “What else was I supposed to do — talk in circles?”

That answer was satisfactory enough for Lu Rangchen. He pulled back the faintest curve of his lip. “You said you didn’t have feelings for him?”

“Partly that.”

Yunque was straightforward: “Mostly, though — I told him plainly that I had decided to come back to Nancheng because of you.”

As she said it, her gaze was clear and unguarded.

Not a trace of coaxing or calculated flattery.

As for Lu Rangchen — meeting her eyes, something deep shifted behind his own. The darkness of his pupils deepened, saturating with something possessive.

A desire to claim settled slowly over his entire gaze.

His throat moved. Then, quite suddenly, he smiled. “And what was Zhao Qijia’s reaction?”

Yunque smiled too. “What reaction could he have had?”

She said: “He’s a grown man — a senior executive at a company by now. Even if he had some reaction, he wouldn’t let it show in front of me.”

That was plausible enough.

Lu Rangchen gave a measured nod. “Are you two still in contact?”

“No.”

Yunque said: “We saw each other once at that reunion, left contact information with each other, and haven’t spoken since.”

She tilted her head with a slightly odd look. “Why do I feel like you’re interrogating a suspect?”

And with that, she pushed at Lu Rangchen, wanting to get off his lap.

But men were inherently contrary creatures.

When she had been going along with him earlier, he’d kept a cold face and questioned everything. Now that she showed the slightest reluctance, he knew to smile and keep her there.

He circled his arms around her slender waist and pulled her back into his lap, then lifted his hand to graze her chin, voice coaxing. “I was just teasing you a little. You’re not actually angry, are you?”

“That was a little?”

Yunque looked at him faintly. “Do you have any idea how many questions that was?”

“Because I care about you.”

Lu Rangchen said with a smile: “Can’t you just let me be reassured?”

“Am I not giving you enough reassurance already?”

Yunque seized his collar, voice not particularly gracious. “I’ve practically been orbiting around you every day.”

Hearing that, Lu Rangchen broke into a rare, delighted smile.

But he still couldn’t help pressing his luck. “Anyway — stay away from Zhao Qijia.”

Yunque: “…Why do you dislike him this much?”

She was about to add that actually, Zhao Qijia was quite a decent person — back when they hadn’t yet run into each other again, it had been Zhao Qijia who’d helped her track down the address of Lu Rangchen’s club.

But before those words could leave her mouth —

Lu Rangchen let out an amused sound. “You’re not bothered that someone has his eye on your husband?”

“…”

Fair enough.

Yunque had nothing to say to that, but couldn’t resist deflating his self-satisfaction: “The thing is, he already has someone.”

“Sounds like they might even be getting married.”

At that —

A strange silence fell over the air.

Yunque lowered her gaze, biting back a smile as she watched Lu Rangchen’s expression travel from exasperation to amusement to mischievous scheming.

“Is that right, Yunque.”

Lu Rangchen pressed and kneaded the soft flesh at her waist, his voice dropping into something dangerously playful. “So you’ve learned how to tease people now, have you?”

And then he leaned in toward her neck.

He called it a kiss — but it was nothing like a real kiss, more like a tormenting not-quite-touch, until Yunque felt the sensation crawling all over her skin, helplessly undone.

And just as that teasing went on, the phone rang.

She glanced down — and it was Zhao Qijia again.

Yunque pushed Lu Rangchen away, warmth still flooding her skin, and held up the phone with a half-amused expression. “See? He really does have something he needs help with. That’s why he’s called so many times.”

Lu Rangchen’s reaction was neither here nor there — he just lifted the corner of his mouth without particular feeling.

But Yunque gave him a couple of considering looks, and decided to answer the call in front of him — on speakerphone.

The moment the call connected, Zhao Qijia’s voice — exasperated and impatient — filled the bedroom: “Seriously, old classmate, what were you even doing? I’ve called so many times and you’re only just picking up.”

If Lu Rangchen had had lingering doubts about Zhao Qijia’s intentions earlier —

He certainly didn’t now. Hearing Zhao Qijia address Yunque as “old classmate,” the residue of suspicion dissolved instantly. Even the tension in his expression eased and settled.

He even seemed to find himself faintly ridiculous.

A thin, self-deprecating pull at the corner of his mouth.

Yunque shot him a look that practically said: “Convinced now?”

Then she turned to Zhao Qijia: “Sorry about that — I was doing a tutoring session for a student and wasn’t looking at my phone.”

“Oh, right, I see,” Zhao Qijia said politely. “You’re free now though, right?”

“Yes, I’m free now,” Yunque said. “What is it? Go ahead.”

“Well — well, it’s actually not that important,” Zhao Qijia said with some awkwardness. “Just a small favor I wanted to ask. Totally up to you whether you can help, and if not, maybe you could point me to someone else.”

Yunque said: “What is it?”

Zhao Qijia got to the point: “It’s about my wedding. I’m getting married next week — I sent out a digital invitation on my social media, not sure if you noticed.”

“…”

That hit what Yunque called her “news blind spot.”

After all, she was the sort of person who was so busy she rarely posted on social media — let alone looked at it.

She exchanged a look with Lu Rangchen, then said apologetically: “I’m sorry — I didn’t notice. I didn’t know you were getting married so soon.”

Perhaps due to how rarely they had been in contact, Zhao Qijia’s tone remained a touch formal as he said: “That’s alright. I was going to contact you regardless. The reason I’m calling is to ask — do you have any free time next Sunday? Here’s the situation: my fiancée had a disagreement with one of the bridesmaids she’d originally arranged, so now she’s only got two. She feels that’s a bit thin, so she asked me to find some old classmates to fill in.”

“As you know, I’m not close to many girls. When I thought it over, you were really the only one in Nancheng I could think of to ask.”

The man’s voice fell, and once again the air fell still.

Yunque parted her lips slightly, somewhat at a loss, and looked at Lu Rangchen — genuinely unsure whether she should agree.

After all, Lu Rangchen didn’t really know Zhao Qijia — there was no personal connection there. He had none of Yunque’s hesitation.

Seeing his own wife stuck and saying nothing, Lu Rangchen glanced at her, with all the enthusiasm of someone who’d love to see what happened next, and stepped in directly: “That won’t work.”

“…”

“She’s already married.”

Out of nowhere, a cool male voice — the kind that sounded like it didn’t take nonsense from anyone — cut off whatever Zhao Qijia had been about to say.

He instinctively went “Huh?” and asked who was speaking.

Yunque’s lips parted as she was about to say something.

But Lu Rangchen, arm around her, snatched the opening right from her.

He gave a short, careless laugh. “Who else would it be? Obviously it’s Yunque’s husband.”

Zhao Qijia: “…”

That evening, Zhao Qijia truly came to understand what it meant to be on the wrong end of an awkward situation.

He had genuinely exhausted every other option before calling Yunque. He’d been pushed to it.

He had figured that knowing Yunque’s personality, she’d probably find the bridesmaid thing troublesome and say no. But who could have expected — Yunque was already married.

She was actually… married…

Zhao Qijia’s jaw nearly dropped.

Probably because talking freely wasn’t convenient with Lu Rangchen right there, Yunque ended that call and slipped away to the study to call Zhao Qijia back on her own.

Even though he no longer had any romantic interest in her, Zhao Qijia was still thoroughly stunned. “What — Yunque, when did you get married? How did I not hear anything about it?”

“And you only just got back to Nancheng a few months ago — you came back for Lu Rangchen — and now you’re telling me you’ve already had a whirlwind marriage??”

“Weren’t you trying to get back together with him??”

“This is — this is way too fast!”

Listening to him trip over his words in shock, Yunque genuinely couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Can you stop and let me get a word in before you keep marveling?”

Zhao Qijia took a deep breath. “Okay. You go ahead.”

Yunque pressed back the smile at her lips and said: “Did you not recognize whose voice that was just now?”

At that, Zhao Qijia’s wits slowly began to reassemble.

He paused first, then considered for a few seconds, then ventured cautiously: “…Please don’t tell me that was Lu Rangchen just now.”

Yunque couldn’t help curving her lips. “Who else would it be?”

“…”

Zhao Qijia was genuinely shaken.

He sputtered for several seconds before managing: “Yunque, you really are something.”

“Last time I saw you, you didn’t even have his contact information — and now I call you and the two of you are already married?”

“You two work fast — I’m not even ahead of you.”

Yunque laughed: “You’re not exactly slow either — last time I saw you at the reunion, you’d just started seeing someone.”

At that, Zhao Qijia was a little awkward. He let out a vague sound and said never mind that.

Then asked: “So when did you two get back together?”

Yunque thought for a moment: “About a month after we ran into each other again.”

Hearing that, Zhao Qijia gave an admiring sound, clearly happy for her. “What did I tell you — there was no way he’d forgotten you. Back then you didn’t even have confidence in yourself. Look at you — a gorgeous, radiant woman, beloved by everyone your whole life. More than enough for Lu Rangchen.”

From anyone else, those words might have produced quite a pleased smile.

But Yunque wasn’t the type to take flattery at face value. She said with a laugh: “Old classmate — we know each other too well for this. Just say whatever it is you need. If I can help, I will.”

And that was exactly the direct answer Zhao Qijia had been waiting for.

So he just came right out and asked — whether Yunque had any single female classmates around who might be willing to come serve as a bridesmaid, just for appearances.

Yunque thought for a moment. “There is someone — I’m just not sure if she’d be up for it.”

Zhao Qijia asked: “Who?”

Yunque said: “Xu Linda. Do you remember her? We traveled together after high school graduation.”

At the mention of Xu Linda, Zhao Qijia lit up with recognition. “Oh — her! Yes, I remember now.”

He laughed a little sheepishly. “I remember she went abroad. I don’t have her contact information — we haven’t been in touch much over the years. But I do remember she was always warm and enthusiastic, very lively.”

Yunque agreed: “Well, she does know you — you’re all alumni. If she has time, she’d definitely help.”

That was at least a lead.

Zhao Qijia finally exhaled in relief. He said with a smile: “Alright, then please reach out to her for me and ask if she’s willing. Don’t worry, she won’t need to contribute a gift.”

Yunque said she would.

But something still felt like it was missing from the conversation.

She thought, then asked: “Though — would your fiancée mind having a bridesmaid who doesn’t know her?”

It occurred to her: even now, she had no idea who Zhao Qijia’s fiancée was, or what she looked like.

She was about to tap into his social media to find that digital invitation when Zhao Qijia said, matter-of-factly: “Why would she? They know each other — weren’t they classmates in the same class in their second year?”

Now it was Yunque’s turn to go still.

If Xu Linda and his fiancée had been in the same class in second year, then she would know her too.

Yunque blinked, disoriented for a moment. She was about to ask who his fiancée was, when Zhao Qijia spoke first: “She’s Gaoge — you know, the Gaoge who sat right in front of you in second year.”

The moment those words fell —

The air around her went utterly, awkwardly silent.

The face that came to mind — proud, self-important — made Yunque draw a quiet breath. A surprised laugh escaped her. “Gaoge? How did you two…?”

Zhao Qijia let out a sigh. “Arranged by our families. The pressure to get married had been intense. We met a few times, felt a bit of a spark, so we tried dating — and then…”

He laughed ruefully. “And then after a few times, she got pregnant.”

“…”

Yunque found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

But couldn’t hold back her sharp observation: “So you didn’t actually want to marry her, did you?”

That question made Zhao Qijia thoroughly uncomfortable.

After a pause, he gave a hollow laugh. “I wouldn’t say that — I suppose it’s that I’ve reached a certain age, things got to this point, and a lot of it is out of your hands.”

After all, not everyone could be like Yunque and Lu Rangchen — devoted enough to wait for each other for years, even willingly spending a lifetime alone.

He wasn’t capable of fighting the world, fighting his family.

He said: “My mother had a serious illness not long ago. She’s always worried she won’t live to see me married. I couldn’t bear to hurt her, so when the matchmaker introduced us, I said yes.”

Yunque was quiet for a couple of seconds, then said: “You could have at least made sure she didn’t get pregnant.”

Perhaps because Lu Rangchen gave her so much security.

Even without warmth toward Gaoge, Yunque felt that a woman getting pregnant was a man’s failure of responsibility.

And beyond that, this had been a close friend of hers, and she understood what Zhao Qijia was like as a person — which was why she spoke this plainly.

But Zhao Qijia, it turned out, felt deeply wronged.

He was genuinely exasperated beyond words. “This was genuinely not my fault. I was careful every single time. It was her — she insisted on—”

He choked on the words, seeming unable to say them out loud.

So he could only say: “Anyway, I wasn’t irresponsible. I’m not that kind of person. You know me. I just didn’t expect her to… interfere.”

“…”

Yunque found the whole thing surreal.

She paused in disbelief and said: “So it sounds like she really did want to marry you?”

“More or less.”

Zhao Qijia gave a helpless laugh. “It’s not me being arrogant or anything — she… she genuinely does like me quite a lot.”

Then after a beat he continued: “Honestly, I hesitated at first. Her personality — everyone in our class knew what it was like. Self-centered, domineering. She hasn’t changed much over the years. That’s why no one was willing to be her bridesmaid — she’d been through the whole list and couldn’t find anyone.”

“But whatever you say about her — her feelings for me are genuine. And she’s very good to my mother.”

“Maybe it’s just that I’ve gotten older.”

“I want to be with someone who loves me more.”

As he said that, Zhao Qijia’s voice settled into something steadier, more reflective. Then he asked Yunque: “And you two — what happened? How did it all suddenly…?”

Yunque answered honestly: “We made a spur-of-the-moment decision and registered.”

Then she added: “We haven’t decided to hold a wedding yet, so it wasn’t made public.”

Zhao Qijia asked: “Was it his idea to get married?”

Yunque nodded and said yes.

Zhao Qijia laughed, unsurprised. “I figured. You two got back together and he’d want to lock you in as fast as possible.”

For some reason, hearing that warmed something in Yunque’s chest. She gently curved the corner of her mouth.

She said: “It wasn’t only him.”

She thought to herself — she had wanted to marry him early too. Wanted to settle things, to never be apart again.

But before those words could come out, the study door was pushed open.

Yunque looked up and saw Lu Rangchen standing in the doorway, arms folded, leaning lazily against the frame.

Same effortlessly careless, unhurried manner as always — exuding the refined ease of someone born into privilege, languid and captivating.

He had apparently grown impatient with how long she and Zhao Qijia had been talking, and had simply come to stand there and supervise. Not only that, but he made a pointed show of glancing at his wrist as if checking the time.

His expression said everything: How much longer is this going to go on?

The jealousy was rather unmistakable, for all its understated delivery.

Yunque couldn’t hold back the twitch at her lips, and could only say to Zhao Qijia: “Let’s leave it there then. I’ll talk to Xu Linda and get back to you.”

Zhao Qijia teased her: “What’s the rush? Can’t we talk a bit more? I’m quite curious about how you managed to win him back.”

The man’s voice wasn’t quiet.

Knowing Lu Rangchen’s hearing, he had almost certainly caught every word of that.

Yunque didn’t dare antagonize Lu Rangchen. She spoke quickly and directly: “I can’t — not anymore. Any longer and he’s going to get upset.”

She’d spoken too fast for Zhao Qijia to catch it clearly.

He was just about to say something when Lu Rangchen suddenly strode over, his patience visibly depleted, took the phone from Yunque’s hand, switched off the speaker, and said to Zhao Qijia with zero diplomatic grace: “Zhao Qijia — don’t you have a wife?”

He gave a short, dismissive sound. “Or is your wife mute? Can’t she talk to you?”

At those words —

There was a peculiar silence on the other end. Then came the cold, flat tone of a disconnected line.

Yunque: “…”

Hopeless.