Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Nanzhi turned around in confusion.
Not far away, Lu Xiangyang was sitting in a wheelchair. His gaze was icy and cold, his entire presence sharp and intimidating, making people afraid to meet his eyes.
Their eyes met, and Shen Nanzhi clearly felt his anger.
It was furious rage.
The kind of anger as if she had cheated on him.
That shouldn’t be possible!
This marriage was forced by her—Lu Xiangyang didn’t even like her. Why would he be angry?
It must be because of his condition. Some psychological distortion.
Forget it. She wouldn’t argue with him. Besides, they were eating here using his money anyway—she’d endure it.
Shen Nanzhi suppressed her discomfort and forced a smile. “Xiangyang, thank you for helping us out just now.”
Her tone carried gratitude and a hint of appeasement, hoping to ease the atmosphere.
Lu Xiangyang acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all. Not even a glance was given. He continued focusing on the documents in his hand.
Shen Nanzhi was met with cold indifference, and she felt a little uncomfortable.
That feeling reminded her of Jiang Feng in her previous life—every time she tried to approach him, she was met with emotional coldness.
That sense of being ignored, being shut out, felt like a bucket of ice water poured from head to toe.
Completely chilling.
Lu Xiangyang looked calm on the surface, but inside he was already in turmoil.
His mind kept replaying scenes of Shen Nanzhi being close with Zhou Wenxuan. Every detail felt like sharp needles stabbing into his heart.
He felt restless and irritated, his heart sour and aching like it had been pierced by lemon slices.
He was waiting—waiting for Shen Nanzhi to comfort him like she did at noon, to gently reassure him, maybe even kiss him, to soothe his inner unrest.
But from the moment they got into the car, she hadn’t smiled once.
Her silence built a wall between them, separating him from her world.
Lu Xiangyang’s expectations fell from the clouds straight into a bottomless abyss.
His fingers unconsciously tightened, veins bulging as he almost crushed the document in his hand.
A flash of frustration and disappointment crossed his eyes, but he quickly forced it down.
No.
He couldn’t lose his temper.
Today was Shen Nanzhi’s birthday.
She was the birthday girl—she came first.
He couldn’t be angry with her.
Lu Xiangyang forced himself to calm down and found an excuse for his emotions.
He put down the documents, took out a small, beautifully wrapped box from his pocket, and handed it to her.
“Shen Nanzhi, happy birthday.”
Shen Nanzhi froze.
Only then did she remember—it really was her birthday today.
It had been a very long time since she last heard those words.
In her previous life, apart from the day she registered her marriage when Grandpa Jiang said “happy birthday,” she never heard it again in all the years that followed.
Even when she reminded Jiang Feng in advance, he never took it to heart.
All those years of grievance and disappointment surged up at once, and her eyes instantly turned red.
Lu Xiangyang panicked and hurriedly wiped her tears—but the more he wiped, the more they fell.
He pulled her into his arms in a rush, his voice trembling slightly. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have argued with you. It’s all my fault!”
Shen Nanzhi buried her face in his chest and burst into tears, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances of her past life.
Lu Xiangyang’s heart clenched tightly.
He held her, wishing he could merge her and her sorrow into himself.
He gently patted her back, soothing her. “It’s okay… it’s okay now. I won’t argue with you anymore.”
No one knew how long passed before her crying slowly stopped, leaving only soft sniffles.
Lu Xiangyang gently lifted her tear-streaked face and wiped her tears with his fingertips.
His gaze was deep and tender as he looked into her eyes.
“Be good, don’t cry. Today is your birthday—you should be happy.”
His voice was soft and full of indulgence.
Shen Nanzhi looked at him.
Those deep eyes seemed like a vast galaxy that could absorb all her sadness.
The gloom in her heart faded significantly. She nodded and forced a small smile. “Mm, I won’t cry anymore. Thank you, Xiangyang.”
She pulled back from his embrace.
Seeing his white shirt soaked with her tears, she said awkwardly, “Sorry.”
“Not sincere enough.”
Lu Xiangyang smiled faintly, his eyes warm as he looked at her.
He pointed at his cheek. “Here. A kiss—that’s sincerity.”
Shen Nanzhi looked at him like a child asking for candy and couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.
She leaned closer to his face.
But just as she was about to touch him, she suddenly turned away.
She whispered into his ear, “Xiangyang, Grandpa Jiang said the marriage application will be approved today. We’ll register tomorrow. Where’s the application form?”
Her voice was full of anticipation and urgency.
She didn’t kiss him.
Lu Xiangyang felt an inexplicable loss.
His burning gaze locked onto her, his voice hoarse. “Are you really that eager to marry me?”
His hand unconsciously tightened, palms slightly sweaty.
He was afraid.
Afraid she would say she didn’t actually want to marry him—that everything was just impulsive anger toward Jiang Feng.
“Of course I want to marry you.”
Shen Nanzhi blurted out, her cheeks flushing.
“When we get back, I’ll go find Grandpa Jiang for the application. We’ll register first thing tomorrow morning.”
As she spoke, she noticed he only nodded slightly and didn’t continue the topic.
The warm, intimate atmosphere suddenly cooled.
A vague unease rose in her heart. “Lu Xiangyang… do you think I’m an orphan and don’t deserve you?”
“No.” He answered immediately, almost instinctively. “I don’t dislike you.”
He had searched for her for ten years and loved her for three. Hearing her say she wanted to marry him—he was overjoyed. How could he dislike her?
He just… couldn’t give her a complete life with his disabled legs. He felt unworthy of her happiness.
Shen Nanzhi’s unease faded, replaced by joy and relief.
She smiled brightly. “Then we’ll register tomorrow morning.”
Lu Xiangyang gently stroked her hair. “We still have to wait for the approval.”
“Grandpa Jiang said it’ll be approved today. I’ll go get it when we get home.”
She spoke with excitement, already planning ahead.
Lu Xiangyang looked at her expectant expression, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
But he knew clearly—today, she wouldn’t get that approval.
He had already called last night asking for it to be temporarily delayed.
He didn’t want her to marry him on impulse.
He didn’t want to ruin her life.
The sunset glow fell across the entrance of the residential compound.
Shen Nanzhi got out of the car and walked inside alone.
Lu Xiangyang had matters to attend to. But thinking of what happened yesterday and that it was her birthday, he had taken time to personally send her back.
He watched her back through the car window.
Wang Dashan urged him again. “Captain, we’ll be late if we don’t leave.”
Only then did Lu Xiangyang withdraw his gaze. “Let’s go.”
The car slowly drove away.
As Shen Nanzhi entered the compound, she heard Wang Auntie’s loud voice.
“It’s just a birthday. A bowl of longevity noodles is enough—why bother with a cake? So foreign!”
Shen Nanzhi guessed it was arranged by Lu Xiangyang.
But Wang Auntie would definitely not treat her kindly.
She kept walking.
Then she heard another voice:
“She’s clinging to Captain Lu now, so of course she’s different. She used to celebrate quite grandly in the Jiang family anyway.”
“Hmph! She made me busy all afternoon for her birthday. Who does she think she is?”
Wang Auntie slammed the rag onto the table, her face full of dissatisfaction.