Jiang Shutang licked her dry lips, her emotions complicated.
At this time, many people married through blind dates, often settling after just two or three meetings, and it was generally expected that the couple would consummate the marriage on their wedding night.
This was almost the unspoken rule of the era.
If Gu Zhengnan thought the same way, then was he going to… do something to her later?
Thinking about this, Jiang Shutang regretted it again. If she had known, she would have preferred those people stay longer.
But Gu Zhengnan had drunk quite a bit today. He should be drunk. Maybe he would fall asleep early.
Just as Jiang Shutang was about to speak to Gu Zhengnan, she suddenly saw him—who had appeared completely drunk—stand up abruptly. His eyes were clear and sharp, with no trace of intoxication whatsoever.
Jiang Shutang was stunned.
“You’re not drunk?”
Gu Zhengnan straightened his collar. “No. If I hadn’t pretended, they would have kept drinking until midnight.”
Jiang Shutang had nothing to say. This man was truly calculating—he had faked being drunk just to avoid drinking more.
But she quickly realized: if Gu Zhengnan wasn’t drunk, did that mean he might have intentions toward her later?
Gu Zhengnan had no idea what Jiang Shutang was thinking. He took a change of clothes from the wardrobe.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Jiang Shutang nodded stiffly, and Gu Zhengnan walked out the door.
A shower? Was that a hint? What would happen after the shower?
Jiang Shutang shook her head. No, absolutely not!
Gu Zhengnan looked down on her, and she looked down on him too.
She had married him because she had no choice—for the sake of raising the children. But deep down, she still harbored dreams.
She was still young. Once she built a career for herself, maybe she would meet a like-minded man. By then, she would have enough capability to keep the children and leave the father behind, marrying again with her three sons in tow.
With that thought, Jiang Shutang made up her mind. She would find an opportunity to make things clear with Gu Zhengnan.
When Gu Zhengnan came out of the shower, he ran straight into Li Wenxiu.
Seeing her son, Li Wenxiu pulled him into a corner like a thief.
“Zhengnan, your grandfather said that since you two are now husband and wife, you need to put in the effort. Whether the Gu family flourishes depends on your wife—hurry up and have a few more children.”
Gu Zhengnan’s expression turned strange, and he was somewhat speechless.
She was an elder, after all—how could she say something like that so openly?
But it was late at night, and Gu Zhengnan didn’t want to argue, so he just brushed it off with a few vague words.
When Gu Zhengnan entered the room, Jiang Shutang was rummaging through the cabinets.
Gu Zhengnan was startled and couldn’t help asking, “What are you looking for?”
Jiang Shutang jumped in surprise and quickly explained, “I didn’t bring any pajamas. I was seeing if there was something I could wear.”
Gu Zhengnan didn’t say anything. He walked over and took out a white shirt from the wardrobe.
He was much taller than Jiang Shutang. Although the white shirt was just a top, it would probably reach her thighs when she wore it.
“Wear this for now. Tomorrow I’ll have my mother buy you some pajamas.”
Jiang Shutang took the shirt and murmured, “Then I’ll go take a shower. If you’re sleepy, go ahead and sleep first.”
With that, she walked out without looking back.
Say what you will, but money was nice. The Gu family had hot water at any time, unlike the factory where you had to go to the public bathhouse.
Jiang Shutang enjoyed a comfortable hot shower and lingered in the bathroom afterward, dawdling and not wanting to go back.
Sleeping in the same bed with a strange man she had no feelings for—no matter how she thought about it, it was weird.
She hoped that by the time she went back, Gu Zhengnan would already be asleep.
She dawdled for another ten minutes before tiptoeing back.
When she opened the door, her heart sank halfway.
Although the main light was off, the desk lamp was still on. Gu Zhengnan was reading a book by its glow.
Jiang Shutang’s face fell. She walked to the bed with the resolve of someone facing death, then climbed in and lay down beside Gu Zhengnan.
For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere was unbearably awkward.
After a few minutes, Gu Zhengnan finally moved. He placed his book on the nightstand.
Then he turned over and leaned over Jiang Shutang.
Jiang Shutang’s heart raced. Seeing the dark shadow pressing down above her, she instinctively cried out, “Don’t!”
Gu Zhengnan was startled—his body visibly flinched. A few seconds later, the desk lamp went out.
Only then did Jiang Shutang realize that he had just been reaching for the lamp switch. He had never intended to do anything to her. Realizing she had been flattering herself, her face flushed red as a monkey’s bottom.
Fortunately, the lamp was already off and the room was dark, so Gu Zhengnan couldn’t see.
After lying back down, Gu Zhengnan also realized that Jiang Shutang must have thought he was going to do that kind of thing to her.
Gu Zhengnan: “I…”
Jiang Shutang: “I…”
They both spoke at almost the same time.
“You go first.”
Jiang Shutang said quickly.
Gu Zhengnan cleared his throat and slowly began.
“I have something very important to discuss with you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shutang became serious and quickly sat up.
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Gu Zhengnan organized his thoughts before speaking.
“Although the two of us are already husband and wife, we don’t have a foundation of feelings between us. If it weren’t for that accident that night, we might never have crossed paths in this lifetime. While it’s true that many arranged marriages lack an emotional foundation, I’ve always believed that marriage should come naturally—that two people must have feelings for each other and truly love one another. So I’ve decided that until feelings develop between us, I won’t touch you. This is out of respect for you.”
Jiang Shutang was stunned. She never expected Gu Zhengnan to say something like this.
By all logic, men were generally lustful, and she knew exactly how devastatingly beautiful her face was. So many men at Jixie Chang had tried every trick in the book to take advantage of her.
But here was Gu Zhengnan—the two of them were legally married, yet he wouldn’t lay a hand on her casually. This made her look at him in a new light.
Jiang Shutang nodded in full agreement.
“I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t do anything intimate with you either. I know you married me out of necessity, and you don’t really like me. Likewise, I feel the same way. From now on, we’ll share a bed, but neither of us will touch the other. Our only common goal is to raise the three children well. Do you agree?”
In the darkness, Gu Zhengnan couldn’t make out Jiang Shutang’s face, but through the moonlight streaming in from the window, he could vaguely see her beautiful eyes.
Her words caught him by surprise.
In his heart, he’d assumed that Jiang Shutang had latched onto him partly because of the three children, but most likely also because she’d taken a liking to his family background.
He hadn’t expected that he’d been the one thinking small.
With the matter settled between them, both felt their moods lighten. They lay down and began to drift toward sleep.
Even so, Jiang Shutang still felt extremely uncomfortable, because the bed wasn’t very big—only about one and a half meters wide.
Gu Zhengnan was tall and broad-shouldered to begin with, and lying together on the bed felt somewhat cramped.
On top of that, she wasn’t a very still sleeper, and she was terrified of accidentally brushing against him.
The most awkward part was that she was only wearing a white shirt, with nothing but underwear below.