◎ “My wife, of course, deserves only the best.” ◎

“……”

Strange as it sounded — what was, on the face of it, a perfectly ordinary thing to say somehow took on an entirely different, rather charged quality when spoken by Lu Rangchen.

Yunque’s heartbeat stumbled and missed a step.

Her first instinct was to swat Lu Rangchen’s large hand away from her waist — but the man was far too good at pushing his luck. Seeing her reaction, he simply tightened his arm around her waist and leaned over to kiss her again.

Even though he’d shaved cleanly, the faint stubble was still unmistakably a man’s. The texture of it was rough and ticklish — and his skill with lips and tongue was far too practiced, entangling both body and spirit in a restless itch, casting a spell that was no small thing.

And so they kissed, back and forth, breathless.

Yunque couldn’t breathe properly.

She could only push against him and beg off, saying, “I can’t, I really can’t anymore… you’re going to break me.”

Lu Rangchen found her expression utterly, adorably irresistible. He rested his chin on her slender shoulder and laughed in a low, muffled rumble, his whole frame shaking with it — every bit of him radiating a devilish energy.

Still laughing, he said: how could you possibly be broken? I’m too busy cherishing you for that.

He had this particular magic about him.

A few words were all it took to send Yunque’s heart rate skipping out of rhythm. But there was no use in saying anything more. Yunque forbade any further kissing and reminded him that tomorrow he still needed to go to the club to oversee an event — if they kept this up, he truly wouldn’t be getting out of bed tomorrow.

That, at least, gave him some sense of “the gravity of the situation.”

Lu Rangchen gave a lazy laugh, and finally settled down. He obediently wrapped his arms around her to sleep, coaxing her along the way: “What nonsense about a baby — you’re still so young. I was just teasing you.”

“……”

What do you mean, still so young.

In another couple of years she’d be nearly thirty.

As Old Liu used to say, nowadays everyone marries and has children later. But even by that standard, Lu Rangchen always treated her like the young girl she used to be.

An unnoticed warmth quietly filled Yunque’s heart, and her lips curved in a soft, unconscious smile.

She had to admit.

Expensive hotels really do have their reasons for costing so much.

Whether it was the air quality inside, the noise levels, the bedding — all of it was far superior to an ordinary hotel.

The only strange thing was that, despite everything, Yunque found herself unable to sleep.

After a long, quiet while, she realized Lu Rangchen didn’t seem to have fallen asleep either — so she simply broke the silence and asked softly, “So all these years — did no one ever take the initiative to celebrate your birthday for you?”

Lu Rangchen gave a lazy curl of his lips, keeping his eyes closed as he responded in a low murmur, “There were some.”

Yunque said, “Girls who wanted to pursue you?”

Perhaps her jealousy was a little too obvious in that moment, because Lu Rangchen immediately let out a muffled laugh, opened his eyes, and looked at her with fond amusement. “If I tell you the truth, will you hit me?”

“……”

She probably wouldn’t actually hit him. She’d just be unhappy for a little while.

But even if it made her unhappy, Yunque still wanted to know. It came from a deep-rooted possessiveness she couldn’t shake. She simply wanted to know — besides her, had there ever been another girl who had left a real impression on Lu Rangchen? Had he ever experienced a birthday quite like this one?

So she shook her head and said, “I won’t hit you. Go ahead.”

For some reason, on this particular night, he found her absolutely, incomparably adorable.

So adorable he wanted to swallow her whole.

And yet those eyes of hers were still so clear and unclouded — he hadn’t the heart to tease her.

After weighing his words for a moment, Lu Rangchen finally told the truth. “Just some girls who once wanted to pursue me.”

Their eyes met and held.

The love in Lu Rangchen’s gaze as he looked at her was so full it nearly overflowed.

Yunque’s lashes trembled softly. She said, “And then — you didn’t pay them any attention?”

Lu Rangchen smiled. “If I didn’t like someone, why would I?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m the type to just take whatever comes along?”

The words, coming from him, sounded insufferably arrogant — and yet they were completely, factually true.

From adolescence onward, the girls around him had grown increasingly bold. Each one found her own creative way to get close to him — birthdays especially. Many of them had gone to great lengths to prepare gifts for Lu Rangchen, had them delivered through intermediaries, only for Lu Rangchen to look at them with a cold expression and tell them plainly: I don’t celebrate birthdays.

After hearing all this, Yunque parted her lips, seemed about to say something, then held back.

Lu Rangchen’s tone carried the trace of a smile as he spoke. “But now is different. With you here, I like celebrating birthdays.”

Yunque looked at him. “So I can celebrate with you next year as well?”

“Why not?” Lu Rangchen smiled. “Nothing would make me happier.”

But Yunque looked at him unflinchingly and said, “That’s not what I mean. What I mean is — have you truly let go?”

Her voice was very soft, yet it went straight to the most tender place in Lu Rangchen’s heart.

She said, “Lu Rangchen, I hope you can let go. You should let go. So many years have passed. Her leaving was not your fault.”

Lu Zhitao’s passing had never, not for a single moment, been Lu Rangchen’s fault.

And yet in all these years, not one person had ever said such a thing to him. Everyone had only allowed him to carry that invisible weight in silence.

No one had ever held his pain with such care.

How could Lu Rangchen remain unmoved?

The person he loved most, saying the most heartfelt words he had ever heard — it was enough to silence him for a long, long time.

And in every one of those silent seconds.

Yunque held his gaze steadily, her eyes as clear as spring water without a trace of anything clouding them. She wasn’t offering comfort — she was speaking, calmly and with certainty, a fact that had always been true:

He did not have to carry guilt as a way of life.

That shackle was never his to bear.

After a long, wordless exchange, the turbulent feelings in him finally grew still. Lu Rangchen’s mouth curved gently at the corner, his voice deep and warm. “I know, my dear wife.”

Then he leaned down and pressed the softest of kisses to her lips.

No trace of desire in it.

Only the most tender, most lingering of responses — a response to her worry and her care, to the very finest of her love.

Lu Rangchen nuzzled his nose against hers, and in a voice that sounded like a vow, he said, “From now on, I won’t make you worry anymore.”

……

All in all.

Lu Rangchen’s birthday that year was a genuinely wonderful one.

The next day, he also received the pair of shoes Yunque had picked out for him — a limited-edition release from the brand he regularly wore.

He already owned more shoes than most, and his daily outfits rarely repeated themselves. But because that pair was a gift from Yunque, he wore them constantly.

It was only after Yunque couldn’t take it anymore and complained about it that Lu Rangchen finally sent the shoes to be properly cleaned and conditioned, then put them away carefully in his wardrobe.

With that, October arrived.

Another National Day holiday.

Lu Rangchen had originally planned to take Yunque on a trip, but Yunque was teaching a third-year senior cohort and had very little time off — she simply couldn’t get away. So Lu Rangchen stayed with her, going nowhere.

It must have been a particularly auspicious season for weddings.

Not only were people around Yunque getting married, but Zhou Jin and Li Tie also held their wedding during the National Day holiday.

Li Tie’s life had finally turned a corner. He chose the best venue he could manage, determined to give Zhou Jin a proper, memorable wedding.

After so many years of friendship, Lu Rangchen wasn’t going to let them down — he gave them a generous red envelope, and on top of that, sent them an expensive set of home goods as a gift.

Besides himself and Yunque, Lin Zhi was also there, and so was Xie Han.

Lin Zhi and Zhou Jin were good friends, so her presence made perfect sense.

What surprised Yunque was Xie Han.

It had been a while since she’d last seen him, and he still looked every bit the impeccably dressed, carefree aristocrat — though his expression carried more weariness than usual. She couldn’t quite tell why.

Lin Zhi was much the same way.

She was dressed just as elegantly as always, but it was clear she was not in a happy mood. And since she didn’t really know many of the other guests, she had no one to talk to.

As it happened, Yunque needed to stay and help Zhou Jin with preparations at this point.

Worried that Lin Zhi was sitting outside alone, feeling lonely, Yunque nudged Lu Rangchen to go keep her company.

Lu Rangchen, being pushed along like that, actually laughed. “Zhu Yunque, once you’ve won someone over, you stop cherishing them — you’re actually pushing your own husband toward another woman?”

Yunque gave him an exasperated look. “You’ve known each other for years. What could I possibly have to worry about?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow and looked at her sideways, deliberately teasing her. “And wasn’t it someone in this very car who kept asking me whether I’d ever marry her in the future?”

“……”

Yunque’s cheeks grew warm at being teased so directly.

Just as she was about to lose her temper, Lu Rangchen burst out laughing instead, and without caring one bit that people were coming and going all around them, he reached up and pinched her cheek with shameless familiarity. “Alright, I’m not teasing you. I know you love me most.”

If they hadn’t been surrounded by so many people.

He would absolutely have leaned down and kissed her right then.

Yunque’s heart had skipped two extra beats from being riled up like this — she could only pretend to be dismissive and shove him toward the door. “Just go. I need to help Zhou Jin change.”

“Alright.”

Lu Rangchen agreed readily and at last, still smiling, went off to find Lin Zhi.

Yunque stayed behind in the private room helping Zhou Jin with this and that.

It was then that Zhou Jin finally told her the full story of Lin Zhi and Xie Han — and why Xie Han had come today.

Zhou Jin lowered her voice and said, “Remember how Lin Zhi kept saying that her family had arranged a blind date for her with some unknown person? Well, just a few days ago, she finally found out who it was.”

Yunque’s breath caught very slightly, and an outlandish thought flashed through her mind. “……Don’t tell me it’s Xie Han.”

Zhou Jin said excitedly, “If it were Xie Han, that would actually be fine! It’s his older brother!!! Lin Zhi is going to be his sister-in-law!!!”

“……”

Yunque was completely at a loss for words.

She had imagined that those two people’s situation would be dramatic — but she had never imagined it would be quite this dramatic.

She hardly knew whether to laugh or cry.

Zhou Jin had been holding this in for so long that now, with finally someone to confide in, she poured out the whole story in one breath.

To sum it up: Lin Zhi and Xie Han had been together enough times that real feelings had developed. Lin Zhi wanted things to progress properly between them, but Xie Han kept hesitating — he couldn’t find his courage. Just as the two of them were on the verge of falling out completely, Lin Zhi discovered that her future arranged match was Xie Han’s older brother.

If the person Lin Zhi had to enter into an arranged marriage with were anyone else, they could at least resolve to never cross paths again for the rest of their lives.

But it had to be Xie Han’s older brother.

From then on, the two of them would be forced to face each other as part of the same family, whether they wanted to or not. Who could possibly bear that?

Zhou Jin shook her head and sighed. “I genuinely feel for Lin Zhi. It’s rare to see her care so much about a man.”

“And this Xie Han — honestly. Such a lack of backbone. His own woman is about to become someone else’s wife!!!”

When it came to things like this, Yunque truly had very little experience.

After some thought, all she could offer was: “So what’s the situation right now? I noticed Xie Han came today.”

“Yes, I didn’t expect him to show up either.”

Zhou Jin blinked, puzzled. “He’s not close with me or Li Tie. Given how strained things are between him and Lin Zhi, the fact that he still came — don’t you think he came with something to say to her?”

“……”

Yunque shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”

Zhou Jin’s curiosity clearly wasn’t satisfied. She pressed further: “Based on your understanding of Xie Han — what do you think?”

Yunque said with helpless amusement, “I don’t know him that well.”

Zhou Jin took her arm and said, “It’s alright, I won’t tell Lu Rangchen. Just talk to me — consider it helping us analyze things for Lin Zhi’s sake.”

That sounded rather like a knife pressed to the throat.

Yunque was thoroughly cornered.

And besides, today was Zhou Jin’s wedding day — she didn’t have the heart to refuse.

After thinking it over briefly, she said, “Based on what I know of Xie Han, he rarely takes the initiative with women. Generally, it’s always other women throwing themselves at him.”

Zhou Jin asked again, “And then? Has he had many of those kinds of arrangements? Has anyone ever moved into something more serious?”

Yunque’s gaze flickered for just a moment.

Only now did she realize why Zhou Jin had specifically called her in to help.

It had all been to gather intelligence on Lin Zhi’s behalf.

Still — when she thought about it honestly.

If she were in Lin Zhi’s position, she’d probably want someone to analyze things for her too.

So Yunque considered it carefully once more and said, “I remember him once telling me he’s a scoundrel, but not a reckless one. That type of arrangement — I don’t think he ever had one before. It was more that he’d dated quite a few girlfriends, cycling through them fairly quickly.”

“Something like this, with Lin Zhi — lasting this long — is genuinely unusual for him. In fact, this might be the first time.”

“As for why he’s here today, I don’t know. Maybe he just wants to offer his congratulations.”

Zhou Jin said, “Is there any chance he’d fall out with his brother over Lin Zhi and just take her back himself???”

“……”

Yunque’s brow twitched. “That question is beyond what I can speak to.”

At that, Zhou Jin’s shoulders finally relaxed. She said, “Fair enough. You two were never involved, so how could you possibly know that much.”

Perhaps she realized the question had been a bit of a stretch.

After that, Zhou Jin stopped badgering her with question after question.

Soon the wedding ceremony began, and since there was nothing more for her to do, Yunque made her way back to the main hall to find Lu Rangchen.

By this point, Lu Rangchen had already been deep in conversation with Lin Zhi for quite some time.

On such a wonderful occasion, he had somehow managed not to cheer anyone up.

He had made Lin Zhi cry.

This scene caused Yunque a moment of mild awkwardness when she arrived.

“What’s there to be awkward about?” Lu Rangchen said with a soft laugh, taking her hand and pulling her over to sit at his right side. “We’re all family here.”

Even though he said that.

Lin Zhi didn’t quite see it that way. She truly felt mortified — having her heartache so visibly on display, and even more terrified that she’d cry her makeup off and Xie Han would see her. She grabbed her bag and made a quick exit to the restroom.

The moment she left, Xie Han, sitting at another table, couldn’t help but follow her with his gaze.

The look on his face — caught between indecision and what was clearly genuine feeling — was something Yunque had never seen from him before.

Yunque watched quietly for a moment, then heard Lu Rangchen’s voice drift over beside her, light and amused. “Want to make a bet?”

“……”

Yunque blinked and looked at him. “Bet on what?”

Lu Rangchen tilted his head at her. “Whether or not those two end up together.”

“You think they can?”

“Of course they can. Why wouldn’t they?”

Lu Rangchen smiled, something knowing and layered in it. “Male possessiveness — you’re not exactly unfamiliar with it, are you?”

Yunque: “……”

That was true. She was quite familiar with it. More than once, in fact.

Back when Lu Rangchen had first begun to notice his own feelings for her, it had started precisely because Zhao Qijia had been getting too close to her.

Whatever the outcome, Yunque genuinely hoped Lin Zhi would get what she wished for.

Otherwise those two would both be in a dreadful state.

But in any case — it was someone else’s business. Neither Lu Rangchen nor she needed to worry themselves over it.

What did come next, after the wedding ended, was Zhou Jin and Li Tie turning around and pressing Lu Rangchen about when he and Yunque were planning to hold their own wedding ceremony.

Perhaps because things had been so busy lately — genuinely, relentlessly busy — Yunque hadn’t given the subject much thought. She had figured they’d already registered officially, so there was no rush on the ceremony.

But just because she wasn’t rushing didn’t mean the people around her weren’t.

It came up one evening when Lu Rangchen was in the study keeping her company while she worked late — he mentioned, almost offhandedly, that several of the senior members of the Cheng family had been asking when the two of them might hold a wedding ceremony.

Yunque had been in the middle of marking exam papers.

At those words, her pen stilled completely.

Beneath the warm amber light of the lamp, she looked at Lu Rangchen in disbelief — that usually composed face of hers actually stumbling, her voice incredulous. “The Cheng family?”

Lu Rangchen was lying on the tatami mat in her study, leafing through a book he’d pulled at random from her shelf.

He had to say — Yunque was a fascinating person.

Compared to her appearance, her inner world was noticeably more youthful and endearing. Take her bookshelves, for instance: rather than literary classics, a good half of them were passionate, action-driven manga — both domestic and foreign titles.

On quite a few occasions, Lu Rangchen had assumed she was studying diligently in the study, only to come in and find her reading manga every single time.

So gradually, Lu Rangchen had started reading along with her, and sometimes the two of them would discuss certain plot points together.

That sense of a kindred spirit — deeper than physical or emotional bonds — a feeling of true soulmates — Lu Rangchen found it particularly delightful.

But even more delightful, without question, was Yunque’s reaction right now.

Lu Rangchen lay sprawled on the tatami, propping his head on one hand, smiling lazily. “What’s so strange about it?”

“……”

Strange didn’t even begin to cover it.

This was completely unbelievable.

Yunque still remembered the scene of Cheng Fusen arriving in grand fashion with his assistant and bodyguards to confront her.

She furrowed her brow and said, “You mean your grandfather?”

Lu Rangchen was perfectly composed. “The old man’s health isn’t good — he can’t manage much. It’s my aunts and uncles.”

Though it was the aunts and uncles — they effectively represented the whole of the Cheng family.

After all, with both elderly grandparents now — one already gone, the other bedridden — the next generation was the one running things.

They had certainly disapproved, at first, of Lu Rangchen being with Yunque. But so many years had passed. The two of them had already registered their marriage. There was nothing left to intervene in even if they’d wanted to.

And since things had turned out this way, they had no desire to make Lu Rangchen unhappy.

Especially at family gatherings.

Lu Rangchen was always distracted, always eager to leave early.

Cheng Liru was naturally displeased by this — but what was there to say? He was a married man now.

As for the others, they had been doing their share of persuading.

Saying that the way things were going couldn’t continue. A son didn’t marry a wife so that his mother could refuse to acknowledge her.

Lu Rangchen was actually well aware that they were privately working to bring Cheng Liru around. He had his own clear-eyed view of it and spoke plainly: “Don’t push my mother into accepting it. After everything that happened back then, if she holds onto it for the rest of her life, that’s her right. I understand her.”

“As for Yunque—” Lu Rangchen smiled, quite calmly, “—she doesn’t mind.”

“……”

“She and I, both of us, just want to live quietly.”

That set of words left everyone exchanging glances.

It made Cheng Liru look as though she were the one being self-important and sentimental.

The refined, gracious woman was so infuriated she lost her appetite entirely, set down her chopsticks, and swept upstairs without another word.

Later, it was Cheng Qinfang who came to scold Lu Rangchen, saying: you little brat, do you really have to say things that give your mother no dignity at all?

Lu Rangchen was genuinely at a loss, and with a tone that managed to sound faintly aggrieved and amused at once, he said, “She doesn’t want to accept Yunque — I’m not asking her to accept her. Doesn’t that work out perfectly?”

“Perfectly what?” Cheng Qinfang was nearly ready to box his ears. “Can’t you ask your wife to come and say a few soft words, put your mother’s heart at ease, and then happily all become one family and give her a few grandchildren? Wouldn’t that solve everything?”

Said to anyone else, that would be completely reasonable advice.

But Lu Rangchen had always gone his own way and had always, fiercely and without exception, protected those he cared about.

His first reaction upon hearing it was a derisive scoff and a pointed question: “My wife hasn’t done anything wrong. Why should she have to come and humble herself?”

That left Cheng Qinfang blinking, struck dumb.

The woman opened her mouth and found nothing to say, as though she’d been completely blindsided.

“And giving her grandchildren.”

Lu Rangchen let out another dry laugh. “What era do you think we’re living in? Still preferring sons over daughters? You’re a well-educated woman — aren’t you embarrassed?”

Two light, offhand remarks, and in an instant the atmosphere at the table had visibly, painfully curdled.

Several of the elders wore expressions ranging from frowns to helplessness, some already quietly pressing down their tempers.

But Lu Rangchen.

They had never truly been able to handle him.

From the time he was small to the time he was grown, he had been like an eagle soaring freely across an open sky — even a wealthy and prominent household like the Cheng family could never really cage him.

He wanted for nothing.

What he wanted, he could obtain on his own.

And so within the Cheng family, no one could truly hold authority over him. He listened to no one.

In the end, it was his cousin Cheng Tang who quickly stepped in with a laugh: “Alright, alright, let’s not argue — I’ll be the one having grandchildren! I’m the one who can do it!”

With him intervening, the atmosphere finally thawed.

But even so, Lu Rangchen didn’t linger long. Once dinner was finished, he left.

It was another uncle who caught him at the door and pulled him aside for a few extra words.

That uncle was the one he was closest to among those elders, and his essential message was simply: don’t take what the others said to heart — everyone meant well. Whatever happens, they will all be family in the end.

He also brought up the wedding.

But from Yunque’s perspective.

His point was: since you’ve already married her, you should give her the respect that’s her due. It can’t go on forever with no ceremony.

It was precisely those words that had led Lu Rangchen, on his return, to want to sit down with Yunque and properly discuss the matter of a wedding.

And sure enough, as he’d anticipated.

Beyond her surprise, Yunque was also worried about Cheng Liru.

Lu Rangchen, as ever, took the clear-headed view. He said, “We hold our wedding. She’s welcome to come if she likes, and if she doesn’t want to come, she doesn’t have to. No pressure on either side.”

As he spoke, he set down the book, came to stand behind Yunque, and bent down to draw her gently into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “What matters most is what you think.”

“……”

“You saw how Zhou Jin looked in her wedding dress,” Lu Rangchen said, the curve of his lips light and quiet. “Don’t you want that?”

Those words went straight to the mark.

Any girl who had any feeling for beauty — seeing a wedding gown was enough to make her heart flutter. All the more so for Yunque, who was already Lu Rangchen’s wife.

Though, if Yunque were being honest — more than imagining herself in a wedding gown, she wanted to see Lu Rangchen in a fitted suit, standing there as a groom.

She could barely imagine it. That usually languid, untameable man, in that kind of attire. How would he look?

Perhaps even more handsome, if anything?

Her thoughts drifted off on their own.

Yunque couldn’t help but look at Lu Rangchen and say, “What about you? What do you think?”

“Me?”

Lu Rangchen drew out the words, unhurried. “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve wanted to hold a wedding for a long time?”

Yunque was momentarily caught off-guard. She genuinely hadn’t expected Lu Rangchen to feel that way.

She had assumed he’d find a wedding as much trouble as she did.

Lu Rangchen gave her chin a gentle pinch and said, “We’ve already registered. But a real wedding ceremony feels different, doesn’t it?”

As he spoke, the corner of that fine mouth curved upward — a smile warm as the first breath of spring. “Yunque.”

“I want to see you dressed in a wedding gown, for me.”

……

One had to admit: moving a person’s heart, so often, takes nothing more than a single sentence.

Just like that night — the moment Lu Rangchen said he wanted to see her in a wedding gown, Yunque truly wavered.

It was almost impulsive.

The two of them decided on the spot to hold a wedding.

Of course, a wedding isn’t something that simply happens on a whim — there are many steps involved.

For instance: settling on a date, finding a wedding planning company, designing the event.

Then choosing a gown, choosing jewelry.

Sending invitations, preparing favors.

All of this tangled business was, for Yunque, a considerable challenge.

Lu Rangchen felt the same.

So without hesitation, he turned to Zhou Jin, who had recently gotten married, for advice.

As luck would have it, Zhou Jin had a friend who specialized in wedding planning. She immediately organized a dinner with Yunque, Lu Rangchen, and her friend.

In the end, Yunque and Lu Rangchen both settled on an outdoor garden wedding.

Yunque’s reasoning was that she didn’t have that many friends around her, and if they chose a hotel banquet hall, she worried it would feel awkward.

Lu Rangchen’s reasoning, by contrast, was rather more straightforward.

He raised an eyebrow and gave Zhou Jin a perfectly simple, direct answer: “The garden wedding is the most expensive option, all costs considered.”

“……”

Then Lu Rangchen turned to look at Yunque, that corner of his mouth lifting with easy nonchalance. “My wife, of course, deserves only the best.”