The Huiteng sedan drove smoothly toward the hospital.
Looking out the window at the deep, mottled night sky, then down at the household register of the An family in her hands, An Ning felt as if she were in a dream.
This was a dream she had experienced far too many times over the past decade.
The closest she had ever come to making it a reality was when she had almost gotten her hands on the household register.
But her adoptive mother, who had gone out to buy groceries, seemed to have sensed something and returned home halfway, catching her red-handed.
Though it was merely a small matter of secretly taking the household register, in the eyes of the An family, it was as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.
Her adoptive mother immediately made a phone call, and her adoptive father, who had already arrived at work, rushed back home in a hurry.
That time, An Ning was beaten until she saw stars and couldn’t get out of bed for two days.
After that, the household register was locked away in a cabinet by her adoptive mother.
Even when they needed to use it themselves, they would deliberately avoid her to retrieve it, ensuring she never knew its exact location.
Even two years ago, when Zhao Chengyuan came with 200,000 yuan as a betrothal gift to negotiate a deal with them, claiming the money was compensation for her lost youth, they still refused to give her the household register.
But today, when Lu Qingze offered 150,000 yuan, with no dowry and no wedding ceremony, they handed it over to him without hesitation.
It was as if they were only satisfied when she was suffering.
How utterly… ridiculous!
“An Ning…”
When her hand was taken, An Ning instinctively flinched.
She tried to pull it back but couldn’t break free, as Lu Qingze held it firmly in his palm.
The man’s expression was gentle, his gaze earnest. “I’m not sure if I can give you the happiness you want, but I will do my utmost to ensure that, in the future, you are the master of your own life.”
Master of her own life.
That sounded… quite wonderful.
“Lu Qingze, thank you!”
An Ning expressed her gratitude sincerely, meeting his gaze openly. “Since I’ve agreed to give this a try, I will also do my best to be a good wife to you.”
“Good.”
Lu Qingze nodded. “It’s a promise!”
As she withdrew her gaze, An Ning’s heart raced wildly.
There was a seat between them, but Lu Qingze held her hand and naturally placed it on the empty seat between them, showing no intention of letting go.
Since she hadn’t pulled away earlier, it felt as if she had missed the best opportunity to do so. Trying to withdraw it now would only seem like she was trying to cover something up.
This was the first time in her life she had held hands with a man, and she never imagined it would happen under such circumstances.
An Ning forgot everything she had been thinking about just moments ago. Her eyes fixed on the street scenes outside the window and the pedestrians and children on the streets, she didn’t dare look back at him.
Lu Qingze smiled faintly.
When her hand was released, An Ning suddenly snapped back to reality.
The car had already stopped in the hospital parking lot.
The warmth of his palm still lingered in hers. An Ning curled her fingers slightly, feeling an unexpected sense of loss.
The next moment, the car door opened, and Lu Qingze stood before it. “Let’s get out…”
“Okay.”
An Ning nodded, took a light breath, and stepped out of the car.
When Lu Qingze naturally took her hand again, the faint sense of loss vanished into thin air.
An Ning felt that her heart, which had just calmed down, seemed to start racing once more.
Just as they entered the entrance of the inpatient building, An Ning suddenly withdrew her hand. “I’ll go change.”
Lu Qingze looked up to see the girl already running away, her slightly flushed cheeks still faintly visible.
Turning back, he saw Ji Cheng silently following behind. Lu Qingze asked in a low voice, “Has the household registration booklet been mailed over?”
“It’s already been sent out.”
Ji Cheng quickened his pace to catch up. “It should arrive first thing tomorrow morning.”
He wanted to ask, “Boss, are you really planning to register your marriage with Miss An?” But the words reached his lips, and he swallowed them back.
…
When An Ning entered the hospital room, Lu Madam was patting Lu Qingze’s hand, beaming with joy, looking absolutely delighted.
Seeing An Ning, Lu Madam eagerly waved her over. “An’an, come here quickly…”
An Ning instinctively glanced at Lu Qingze, her gaze slightly dazed.
The first time she saw him in the café, he was handsome and reserved, like a top-tier male celebrity from a poster.
When he went with her to the An family, he deliberately hid his sharpness, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, appearing dull and introverted.
But now, he lacked the aloofness of their first meeting and the awkwardness from the An family visit. Instead, he seemed gentle and profound.
For a moment, An Ning couldn’t even tell which version was the real him.
Just as she reached the bedside, her hand was grabbed by Lu Madam.
Then, Lu Madam placed it in Lu Qingze’s hand and patted it gently. “An’an, Aze has told me everything. Since both of you are willing, from now on, live well together.”
After saying this, Lu Madam turned to look at Lu Qingze. “Since I’m hospitalized anyway, why not ask the doctor if I can go home to stay?”
???
Lu Qingze couldn’t help but turn to look at his grandmother.
Upon learning that Dean Yu wouldn’t return to the hospital until next month, he had tried every possible way to persuade her, but she refused to go home with him.
She said that during the day when he went to work, she would be left alone at home, which was worse than staying in the hospital.
But just because he mentioned he was going to marry An Ning, she was willing to go home?
Although he didn’t understand why his grandmother’s mind had changed so quickly, this was clearly good news. Lu Qingze nodded. “Alright, I’ll go take care of it right away.”
Half an hour later, the Huiteng sped out of the hospital and drove straight back to Jiayu Haoyuan.
In a good mood, even her vision seemed less blurry.
Watching as Lu Qingze and An Ning went upstairs and headed toward two separate bedrooms on opposite sides, Lu Madam narrowed her eyes. “Aze, is there… something you’re hiding from your grandmother?”
Lu Qingze froze at the top of the stairs. “Grandmother, what’s wrong?”
“Which married couple lives separately? You didn’t just find An’an because you knew I liked her, to trick me, did you?”
With Lu Madam’s words, An Ning, who had just grabbed the doorknob, froze in the doorway.
Turning to look, the man standing by the railing sighed. “Grandmother, I really didn’t trick you!”
“An’an…”
Lu Qingze turned to look at An Ning. “Will you move in here, or should I move over there?”
An’an.
An Ning had always felt her name was as ordinary as Zhang San, Li Si, or Wang Mazi.
When her best friend called her that, she heard affection.
When Lu Madam called her that, she felt love.
Whether it was the former or the latter, her heart was filled with a gentle warmth.
But when those two words came from Lu Qingze’s mouth, An Ning felt as if a feather had brushed against her heart.
Soft and tingling.
Seeing An Ning in a daze and his grandmother determined not to rest until she saw them living together.
Lu Qingze sighed. “Then I’ll move over.”
!!!
She could hear Lu Madam muttering downstairs in the living room, “That’s more like it.”
When An Ning came back to her senses, she saw Lu Qingze already emerging from the bedroom with a quilt and pillow in his arms.
“Grandmother, good night!”
“Alright, good night!”
After the grandmother and grandson exchanged greetings, Lu Qingze strode toward An Ning with his long legs.
So tonight, she and he would be sleeping in the same bed?
!!!
Her heart skipped a beat. As she watched Lu Qingze approach her, An Ning’s heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might leap right out of her mouth.