Chaрtеr 4: This Guy Wаnts to Trу thе “Маrriаgе First, Lovе Lаtеr” Routinе
It wasn’t until thе wedding daу thаt Jiang Еr met Fu Тinghаn fоr the first timе.
Нe wаsn’t quitе whаt shе hаd imаginеd.
Fu Tinghаn was а hаndsome young mаn, standing аs straight аnd tаll аs а young рoplаr trее.
Аlthough hе worе a prоsthеtiс limb оn his lеft leg, hе walked no diffеrеntlу frоm аn ordinary реrsоn. If yоu didn’t loоk closеlу, уоu could hаrdlу tell he hаd any disаbilitу.
Моreоvеr, his spirits were surprisingly good—nоt at аll likе thе “nоt lоng for this wоrld” image othеrs had dеscribеd.
Jiang Еr couldn’t help feeling she’d been scammed.
Fu Tinghan’s mood didn’t seem great either, evident from the fact that he didn’t smile even once throughout the ceremony.
He didn’t even wait for the wedding to end before leaving, leaving her alone to face a hall full of guests.
Right then, she realized she wasn’t the only one dissatisfied with this marriage.
From then on, Jiang Er consciously maintained her boundaries. Not long after, she moved out of their marital home and rarely contacted him privately unless absolutely necessary.
In two years of marriage, the two of them hadn’t exchanged more than five sentences.
Almost everything about Fu Tinghan was a blank slate to her.
She didn’t know how he had lost his leg.
She didn’t know he had once been hearing-impaired.
She didn’t know they had even been classmates.
—Though only for half a semester.
In her previous life, after transferring to No. 3 High School in her second year, she had been in a terrible state—dazed and lethargic, either spacing out or sleeping all day. She went abroad as soon as winter break began.
By the time she left, she hadn’t even gotten to know everyone in her class.
So it was no surprise she hadn’t known Fu Tinghan.
But why had Fu Tinghan never mentioned this?
Did he not remember, or was he, like her, completely unaware?
The sound of running water stopped.
Jiang Er dried herself, changed into her pajamas, and sat cross-legged on a stool, blow-drying her hair.
Fu Tinghan seemed to have many secrets.
But the past was gone, and she could no longer uncover them.
The only thing she knew for sure was that Fu Tinghan had led her out of that snowy mountain and had given her a proper burial.
Judging by the scene at the time, he didn’t seem to dislike her as much as he had let on.
Could it be…
Jiang Er paused, realization dawning.
This guy wants to try the “marriage first, love later” routine.
How dangerous. Luckily, she died early—otherwise, he might have actually succeeded.
—She had always had little resistance to good-looking men.
Her shoulder-length hair dried quickly. Jiang Er put down the hairdryer, washed up briefly, and then lay down on the soft bed with her cat.
She had to get up early for school tomorrow, but she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Now, Fu Tinghan’s leg was fine, but his hearing was impaired again.
Seriously, why was there always something wrong with him? Was he really that fragile?
Wait, it seemed he didn’t even have a hearing aid. How was he supposed to follow classes—by lip reading?
The Fu family was wealthy and influential. Surely they wouldn’t skimp on something like that.
Jiang Er pondered for a long time, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
First of all, he shouldn’t even be here.
Fu Tinghan had always been something of a mystery. Even before they married, no one knew the Fu family had a child like him.
The Fu family’s official explanation was:
Fu Tinghan had been frail and disabled since childhood, so his identity had never been made public. He had been raised secretly abroad.
Most people believed this, especially since his resemblance to Mr. and Mrs. Fu was uncanny—it couldn’t be faked.
Jiang Er had believed it too, assuming the distance and coldness between him and the Fu family were due to their long-term separation.Occasionally, there were a few dissenting voices online claiming that Fu Tinghan’s background was unusual, but without exception, these comments would quickly vanish without a trace.
Now that I think about it, perhaps those words that disappeared back then… were actually the truth?
“The fact that he’s not abroad, not with the Fu family in the capital, but in Fengcheng—that alone speaks volumes.”
Jiang Er stroked her chin, her mind suddenly flooded with countless novel plots.
Lost as a child?
True and false heirs?
Or perhaps the classic wealthy-family trope of tragic love with a secret pregnancy?
Jiang Er shook her head vigorously.
First, rule out the last one.
She had seen Fu Tinghan’s mother at the wedding—born into a prestigious family, elegant and refined in her manners, childhood sweethearts with Fu Tinghan’s father, completely unrelated to that kind of melodramatic plot.
Definitely a pure love story.
With that ruled out, the remaining two guesses were equally cliché.
They were the kind of plots that, if written into a novel, would earn three thousand words of negative reviews and make readers wish they could transmigrate into the book.
“Who can really understand the grudges and grievances within wealthy families?” Jiang Er’s head ached from overthinking. “I’d better not meddle in other people’s business. I don’t want to make things worse.”
But what if he really was lost?
She wrestled with her thoughts, finally letting out a long sigh.
“Forget it, forget it. I’ll go ask around tomorrow.”
After all, Fu Tinghan had once collected her body, so she owed him a favor. If he really was lost, returning home earlier could change his life drastically.
Maybe his leg wouldn’t have been broken.
“Let this be my way of repaying him.”
Staring at the pale pink gauze canopy above her head, she made up her mind. “After this, we’ll go our separate ways. He can walk his sunny path, and I’ll find my 188cm fair-skinned athlete.”
Marriage first, love later? Absolutely not.
With that thought, Jiang Er sprang up from the bed like a carp leaping out of water, hopping barefoot to her desk in two steps.
She picked out a relatively plain new notebook and solemnly wrote on the first page:
【Things I Must Do After Rebirth】
Prevent Jiang Jue from being framed, change the outcome of Mom’s death from the root, and save the Jiang family together with Dad.
Note: If it really can’t be saved, then forget it. Buy a couple more buildings while we still have money and let him retire early to collect rent.
If Fu Tinghan is willing, help him return to the Fu family to repay his kindness, then we’ll be even.
Stay away from… that person.
Don’t go abroad. Study hard, get into a domestic university, and spend more time with family.
Pet Laifu more often and never lose him again.
For now, Jiang Er could only think of this much. After writing, she put down the pen, blew on the ink, stood up, and placed the notebook on the bookshelf.
Jiang Jue was framed when she was twenty-two. Now she was only seventeen, so there was still plenty of time.
At the moment, only Fu Tinghan’s matter needed her attention, so she wasn’t too busy.
Finally untangling her messy thoughts, she yawned, set eight alarms, dragged her tired body back to bed, and closed her eyes with peace of mind.
“Wait, I need to add one more!”
Just as she was about to fall asleep, Jiang Er remembered something, struggled to sit up, and wrote with a serious expression in the notebook:
“Hit Jiang Jue less.”
“Unless I can’t help it.”