The Bentley swiftly sped away from the school gate.
Before leaving, it left behind a cloud of exhaust fumes, all of which blew directly into Zhang Congyang’s face.
Inside the car, which was filled with a pleasant sandalwood scent, Lu Peishen turned slightly to look at the little girl who was clutching her backpack, visibly unsettled. She had walked a bit too quickly to avoid Zhang Congyang.
Her porcelain-like face was dotted with a light sheen of sweat, and even the tip of her delicate nose bore a glistening bead of sweat, as tiny as a grain of millet.
Noticing this, Lu Peishen reached forward, took a tissue from the armrest of the front seat, and handed it to Ye Xixi. “Xixi, are you feeling hot? Your face is covered in sweat,” he said softly, gently brushing aside a stray strand of hair stuck to her ear.
“Huh? I’m not hot.” The tender, intimate gesture snapped Ye Xixi out of her daze, her face flushing bright red instantly. She quickly shook her head.
“I saw sweat on your face,” Lu Peishen withdrew his hand, his voice gentle.
“I was walking a bit too fast just now…” Ye Xixi continued shaking her head, unwilling to tell Lu Peishen that she had been pestered by Zhang Congyang, not wanting to burden him with her troubles. “Uncle Lu, thank you.”
After saying this, Ye Xixi obediently took the tissue from Lu Peishen’s hand.
However, as she reached for the tissue, her soft fingers accidentally brushed against his broad, warm palm. The cottony-soft tips of her fingers glided over the lines of his palm.
It felt incredibly tender.
Like a little snake suddenly skimming across.
It sent a sudden warmth spreading through Lu Peishen’s palm, as if a warm current were igniting.
Lu Peishen immediately clenched his hand lightly, his dark, profound eyes fixed intently on the little girl who had taken the tissue and was now lowering her head to wipe her sweat.
Something stirred faintly in his chest, quietly pulsating.
Lu Peishen knew it was his response to Ye Xixi.
A symptom of his affection for her.
He really wanted to hold such a soft, delicate girl in his arms and cherish her dearly.
“Uncle Lu, I’m done wiping,” Ye Xixi said, crumpling the sweat-dampened tissue into a small ball, preparing to toss it into the small wastebasket in front.
Lu Peishen withdrew his gaze and said, “Give it to me.”
Huh? Give it to him? But she had already used it to wipe her sweat—the tissue was dirty.
“Uncle Lu, this is dirty. I can throw it away myself,” Ye Xixi blinked her large eyes, feeling too embarrassed to hand Lu Peishen the soiled tissue ball.
She clutched the paper ball tightly, ready to lean over and toss it into the small wastebasket in the car.
She had heard that Uncle Lu was a cleanliness fanatic.
Extremely particular about hygiene.
She didn’t want to dirty Uncle Lu.
But Lu Peishen didn’t mind at all. Love me, love my dog—now, anything related to Ye Xixi, he adored.
And his cleanliness obsession only applied to others.
Not to her.
“It’s fine,” Lu Peishen smiled gently. “Xixi, don’t forget, my current identity is your husband.”
“There are some things I should do to take care of you.”
Ye Xixi froze for a moment, her pretty face turning as red as a boiled shrimp. Her dark eyes fixed intently on Lu Peishen’s charming, handsome face. Was Uncle Lu just too good at sweet-talking?
Hadn’t he said they married because his grandmother was pressuring him?
Yet he could still treat her so well.
She was truly deeply moved.
“Give it to me,” Lu Peishen said, already reaching out to take the damp, sweat-stained paper ball from the girl’s palm and tossing it into the car’s small wastebasket.
After tossing the wastebasket, Lu Peishen didn’t get overly intimate with her. Instead, he leaned aside like a perfect gentleman, flipping through company documents.
Ye Xixi didn’t disturb him. Blushing, she obediently sat beside him, keeping him company.
Soon, about half an hour later, the Bentley finally arrived at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Shao Bai parked the car and got out to open the door.
Lu Peishen stepped out first, then stood by the car waiting for Ye Xixi to get out.
When she did, he asked, “Did you bring your household register?”
Ye Xixi immediately took out her household register and ID card from her bag. “I have them. I grabbed them when I ran away.”
Fortunately, she had been clever back then.
When she fled, she hadn’t forgotten to take her household register.
Otherwise, given her aunt’s temperament, she would definitely have pawned her household register and ID card to secure a high-interest loan, leaving Ye Xixi saddled with a massive debt.
“That’s good, Xixi. Let’s go get our marriage certificate.” Lu Peishen’s eyes deepened, and a soft smile unconsciously touched his lips.
Once they had the certificate, this young lady would be his lawful wife.
From then on, wherever she went, she would bear the name of Lu Peishen.
The certification process was quick.
From taking the photo to receiving the certificate, it only took about ten minutes.
During that time, Ye Xixi was worried that the scar on her face would affect the appearance of the ID photo.
She wanted to cover it up with foundation.
But Lu Peishen didn’t mind and encouraged her to take the photo with him completely bare-faced.
While taking the photo, he gently held her hand, filling Ye Xixi with warmth.
In her entire life, aside from her parents, no one had ever treated her with as much respect and kindness as Lu Peishen.
In the future, she would repay him well.
No matter what Uncle Lu wanted, she would agree.
*
Now the photos were taken, and the documents were signed.
All that was left was to wait for the Red booklet.
While waiting, Lu Peishen went to the front desk to queue and collect it for her.
Ye Xixi sat in the waiting area, waiting for him. After a while, she noticed a young couple nearby who were also there to get married.
The girl caught sight of the hypertrophic scar on Ye Xixi’s face and couldn’t help laughing to her boyfriend, “Honey, look at that ugly freak. So hideous.”
“Yeah, she’s really ugly. Not even one-tenth as pretty as you, babe.” The girl’s boyfriend joined in, mocking Ye Xixi.
Ye Xixi heard them. The scar on her face was a pain she found hard to talk about.
But in such a public place, she didn’t want to cause trouble.
So she clenched her little fists, fuming but holding back.
However, the girl seemed to be riding a wave of superiority and continued her tasteless ridicule. “Who would even marry someone so ugly?”
“Probably a disabled person, right? No normal, handsome guy would marry such an ugly girl.”
After the girl finished mocking, her boyfriend chimed in playfully, “Of course. Someone as ugly as her would be lucky to match with a disabled person.”
“But you know, with the birth rate so low these days, there are fewer high-quality couples like us getting married. They have to rely on these disabled, disfigured strays to boost the birth rate.”
“Let me tell you, babe, don’t underestimate ugly people like her. They’re actually super fertile—they can pop out eight babies in one go.” After saying this, the boyfriend found his own joke hilarious and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Their laughter drew curious looks from others around them who were also there for certifications.
Ye Xixi’s face flushed red with anger and embarrassment, but she held back her temper, afraid of causing unnecessary trouble for a powerful tycoon like Lu Peishen in public.
She could only continue clenching her little fists, enduring it.
It wasn’t that she was a pushover.
She just knew how to read the situation.
Whenever something was unfavorable to Lu Peishen, she would rather endure the grievance herself.
Just as Ye Xixi was suppressing her anger, the man who had already obtained the red booklet finally approached. Of course, he had long heard this man’s unrestrained mockery directed at his Xixi and himself.
He was truly tired of living.
Lu Peishen couldn’t bear to say a single harsh word about Xixi.
Yet this man had the audacity to spew nothing but vulgarities.
No real man would allow his woman to suffer such insults and humiliation.
Let alone a man like Lu Peishen.
Lu Peishen strode over with long steps, standing tall and imposing before the man who was still laughing heartily. His gaze was cold and resolute, his voice icy as if it could freeze a person to death, carrying a murderous intensity: “Are you mocking my wife?”
Wife???
The man and woman who had been laughing gleefully stared in stunned disbelief at the handsome, mature, tall, and noble man before them.
Both were dumbfounded.
Holy crap? For real?
This man looked to be 190 cm tall? His face and physique were top-tier.
A man so handsome he could be a celebrity.
And he was actually that ugly girl’s husband???
How absurd is that?
Is this the ninth wonder of the world?