The return banquet ended quickly.
At two-thirty in the afternoon, after saying goodbye to Grandmother, A Wen drove the two of them back to the Zhou Family.
Along the way, Qiao Shuran kept debating whether she should explain things to him.
But how was she supposed to explain it?
If she directly said that the man was her aunt’s lover from outside, that he had come looking for her aunt and had nothing to do with her—
then her aunt would probably die an even worse death.
Running away from the wedding at the last minute—he might already be holding a grudge over that.
And now, if he found out that his supposed fiancée had still been fooling around outside, that would be even more serious.
But if she didn’t explain, would he misunderstand?
After all, men were like that—whether they had feelings for you or not, whether they loved you or not, they would never tolerate being cuckolded.
Qiao Shuran felt troubled.
She secretly lifted her eyes and glanced at the man beside her.
He had drunk at lunch and was now leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed, resting. There was not the slightest sign that he intended to question her.
Then… she would not explain for now.
The car drove steadily and soon arrived at the Zhou Family residence. The man opened his eyes and instructed A Wen to enter through the back gate.
The front hall would definitely be noisy at this time, and he disliked that.
The back gate was very close to his courtyard—only a three- to five-minute walk.
So whenever he wanted to avoid the crowd, he would take that route.
Naturally, Qiao Shuran followed him toward his courtyard.
After all, husband and wife should act in unison. In such an unfamiliar place, it was safer to stick with him.
She had already seen how vast the Zhou Family residence was the day before.
She had also done her homework on the family’s network.
Honestly, there were a lot of people in their family.
Within Zhou Yannan’s branch, he was considered the eldest son—an only son.
But among all the cousins, he ranked fourth.
Below him were many nieces and nephews.
In a family with so many male heirs, it had not been easy for him to surpass his uncles and older cousins to take control of the household.
The bloodshed and power struggles behind it—those who had not experienced them would never understand.
Qiao Shuran did not want to understand.
She only felt that there were too many people, and she could not keep track of them all…
The man had long legs and walked quickly, with no intention of waiting for her.
Only after turning past a corridor did he suddenly remember that she was wearing high heels.
“Do you need to hold my arm?”
He turned back, his tone indifferent and without warmth.
Qiao Shuran stood three or four meters away from him, momentarily stunned.
Then she glanced around. The courtyard was quiet in the afternoon, with no one in sight.
“No, no,” she waved her hands quickly. “There’s no audience here. No need to act for now.”
“Act?”
The man curved his lips slightly. “Suit yourself.”
The two of them walked one after the other into Zhou Yannan’s courtyard.
The layout was simple—one bedroom, one study, and one tea room for receiving guests.
He did not stay here often.
Before the marriage, he had lived in a residence near the company.
Even so, servants still came daily to clean and maintain the place.
Qiao Shuran followed him inside, kicked off her high heels, and changed into soft slippers. Her feet immediately felt much better.
Seeing the man heading toward the study, she called out, “Hey, do you have any clothes for me in your bedroom?”
After wearing a qipao all day, she felt too restrained. Now that she did not have to meet anyone, she just wanted to relax.
“What did you call me?”
Zhou Yannan stopped in his tracks and turned back, looking at her with a faint smile.
Qiao Shuran reacted quickly. “Husband, do you have clothes for me here?”
“You can call me by my name too.”
He had never liked forcing people, even though she seemed to call him quite naturally.
But it sounded awkward to him.
“There are clothes for you in the wardrobe. Grandmother had someone prepare them in advance.”
“Please thank Grandmother for me,” she said immediately, putting on a grateful expression.
Zhou Yannan disliked her pretentiousness. “You can thank her in person later.”
“Oh, okay.”
Qiao Shuran turned lightly and walked toward the bedroom.
“Wait.” His pleasant voice sounded again behind her.
“After you change, come to the study to find me.”
“Got it, Husband.” She pouted slightly but did not turn back.
The man stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the doorframe, and let out a soft scoff.
Qiao Shuran found the wardrobe and opened it to see a full row of clothes—all new for the season.
However, the older generation’s taste was… questionable.
After some picking and choosing, she reluctantly selected a black dress.
It was a fitted long dress with a straight neckline, decorated with white floral details.
It did not look impressive at first glance, but once worn, it suited her quite well.
After changing, she let her hair down and styled it half-up, giving her a gentle and elegant look.
Now that she felt more relaxed, she remembered the man’s instruction.
Go to the study and find him.
What did he want?
Was he going to question her about that pretty boy from the Qiao residence?
Whatever. If he really asked, she would just expose her aunt.
After all, better a dead comrade than a dead self.
Her aunt was nowhere to be found, but if she got strangled, it would happen in an instant.
Inside the study—
The man stood by the window, tall and straight.
Hearing her footsteps, he turned around.
“Sit.”
“Do—”
Oh, not “do,” “sit.”
Qiao Shuran awkwardly smoothed her hair and sat down on the rosewood chair across from the desk.
Zhou Yannan also pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.
Compared to her stiffness, the man appeared relaxed and composed, holding a ceramic teacup between his fingers.
But inside, Qiao Shuran felt as though a drum was pounding loudly.
It was true—one should not do guilty things, even if the guilt was not really hers.
“What did you want me to come here for?”
When she was not acting coy, her voice was crisp and pleasant, not overly sweet—very nice to listen to.
Zhou Yannan could not help but look at her again.
Good. She did not look like a clingy type either.
“Let’s talk,” he said, setting down his teacup, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes.
The marriage had been too rushed.
So rushed that they had not even exchanged a single proper conversation before the wedding.
After Qiao Chu ran away, he had gone to the Qiao Family to hold them accountable, originally intending to call off the engagement.
But unexpectedly, the young woman standing in the corner had suddenly stepped forward timidly and asked if she could marry in her aunt’s place.
At that moment, something must have gone wrong with his mind—he had actually replied, “Alright.”
Only after agreeing did he realize he knew nothing about her—not even her name.
“What do you want to talk about?”
The girl sat properly across from him, her eyes clear. As she spoke, her red lips moved slightly, like a ripe berry, making one want to lean in and taste it.
He had already tasted it last night.
It had indeed been sweet—and soft.
“Mr. Zhou?”
Seeing that he did not speak, only staring at her with dark, unfathomable eyes, Qiao Shuran felt even more uneasy.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“About our life after marriage.”
Zhou Yannan came back to his senses and instinctively reached for the cigarettes and lighter at hand.
He tapped one out, half-lidded his eyes, and slowly bit it between his lips.