Upstairs, as soon as Su Xi entered the master bedroom, she lay down on the bed.
Her gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the ceiling.
Li Xuemei had never believed her. Even if she talked herself hoarse explaining, she wouldn't earn a shred of pity.
If it hadn't been for Su Rou stepping in today out of fear of Zhou Jingming, Li Xuemei would never have let things go so easily. She would have been willing to burn bridges with the Zhou family and make a scene that never ended.
She had long been accustomed to her mother's favoritism, but when she heard Li Xuemei's final words, her heart still stirred.
After all these years, who was it that kept hurting her?
A six-year-old girl should have been nestled in her mother's arms, acting spoiled, but instead she bore the blame for losing Su Rou and suffered abuse because of it.
Over the years, Li Xuemei would yell at her, scold her, and hit her at the slightest provocation, completely failing in her duty as a mother.
And Su Rou?
She kept snatching things from her, slandering her, and framing her, leaving her reputation in tatters.
The door was opened from outside.
Su Xi turned over, blinked her heavy eyelids, and calmed herself down to relax.
When Zhou Jingming came in, this was what he saw. Noticing her red-rimmed eyes, he frowned slightly. "Did you cry?"
"Of course not." Su Xi sat up from the bed and smiled radiantly.
Zhou Jingming sat down beside her, took her hand, and curled his lips playfully. "People who aren't worth mentioning really aren't worth my wife getting upset over."
Su Xi proactively leaned into his embrace. "Did they leave?"
"They were chased out by my mom." Zhou Jingming played with her hair.
Her hair was of excellent quality, like fine silk. Zhou Jingming ran his fingers through it, feeling the silky texture, and his eyes darkened a few shades.
Su Xi grabbed his restless hand and blinked. "It's still early. What wind blew you back here?"
"My mom told me to come back early to consummate the marriage." The man leaned close to her ear, grinning lewdly.
Su Xi glanced outside. The sunlight was still bright. Consummate the marriage before the sun had even set?
This dog of a man sure had good stamina.
He hadn't slept all night, and they'd been at it for hours in the morning. She was uncomfortable all over, but he was full of vigor and looking unsatisfied.
Su Xi pushed him away and got off the bed. She stopped in front of the bathroom door. "Aunt Shen isn't thinking about having a grandchild already, is she?"
The man followed her, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and nuzzled against her. "She should be. All her girlfriends are already grandmothers."
Su Xi's body stiffened slightly.
Why was he so eager?
Since he brought it up, she deliberately tested him. "Then should we have one?"
"Sure!"
Her slender waist was pinched, and Su Xi found herself pressed against the glass wall. "A boy or a girl?"
Su Xi just took it as a joke. He was the famously notorious playboy of the capital's elite circle—how could he give up the whole garden for one flower?
And as for her?
Now wasn't the time to have children anyway.
She figured Zhou Jingming was counting on her not daring to, which was why he played along with her words.
Su Xi raised her head to look into his eyes. The dog of a man was grinning lewdly—sure enough, he was teasing her.
Joke or not, she took the bait gracefully. "Either is fine."
Zhou Jingming lowered his handsome face, passionately seizing her lips. His scorching breath seared every inch of her, and his big hands grew bold, roaming wantonly.
"Execute immediately."
He let out a low chuckle from his throat.
Su Xi didn't believe he'd actually dare, and she responded passionately.
Soon, everything spiraled to the edge of losing control.
The moment their clothes hit the floor, Shen Xian's knocking sounded. "Xi'er, Ming'er, are you in there?"
Shen Xian told Zhou Jingming to go upstairs and comfort Su Xi, but after waiting ten or twenty minutes without seeing him come down, she grew anxious and went upstairs to check on the situation.
The knocking came one round after another, but Zhou Jingming had no intention of stopping, continuing to linger on Su Xi.
Su Xi leaned softly against the door and said with a coquettish pout, "Is the door locked?"
The panting man suddenly released her, turned, and headed toward the door while straightening his clothes. "I'll wait for you downstairs. We'll continue tonight."
Su Xi slid down the glass wall to the floor and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She hadn't expected Zhou Jingming to have moments of fear too.
But it also showed he didn't have the guts to get her pregnant.
Su Xi took a moment to recover. Once she had regained some strength, she stood up and went into the bathroom to freshen up.
When she came downstairs, she saw Zhou Jingming and Shen Xian sitting on the sofa, chatting about something or other, the atmosphere relaxed.
The moment Shen Xian saw her, she smiled and came over. "Let's eat early today. After we're full, Jingming can go over the script with you. Our Xi'er is really something—she actually landed the female lead role."
"Once the movie comes out, I'll drag all my sisters along to support it."
Su Xi winked at Zhou Jingming. So that's what they had just been talking about.
"Thank you, Auntie Shen. I'll work hard on filming and won't let you down."
"Good, good, good. Once you win an award, I'll definitely throw you two a grand wedding, invite all of Jinggang's high society to attend and send you their blessings."
Su Xi clung to Shen Xian's arm, acting spoiled. "Auntie Shen, you're so good to me."
Shen Xian smiled kindly. "You're the Zhou family's daughter-in-law. Of course you're to be doted on."
Shen Xian had given birth to two children. Zhou Jingming was the eldest, and there was also a daughter, Zhou Jingshu, who was studying abroad far away.
When they were little, the three of them played well together. Later, she dressed Zhou Jingming up as a little princess, and this petty man dragged Zhou Jingshu away and stopped playing with her too.
After Zhou Jingshu went abroad, Su Xi never saw her again.
During the meal, Shen Xian kept putting food in Su Xi's bowl, saying she was too thin and needed to eat more.
Zhou Jingming reminded her, "Mom, Xi'er has to film. With this much food, is she preparing to play Yang Guifei?"
Shen Xian didn't care—she thought health was what mattered most. "So what if she's filming? Who says you can't eat your fill while filming? Even if Xi'er gets fat, she'd still be the prettiest."
Su Xi had a constitution that didn't easily gain weight—no matter how much she ate, she wouldn't put on flesh—but the bowl piled into a little mountain in front of her gave her a headache.
In desperation, she gave half of it to Zhou Jingming. "Aming works hard. He should eat more."
Hearing the name "Aming," Zhou Jingming raised an eyebrow and smiled. His long leg under the table also grew restless, hooking against Su Xi and running wild.
The two's little flirting moves under the table couldn't escape Shen Xian's notice.
After the meal, Su Xi took a phone call and walked off, while Zhou Jingming sat on the sofa scrolling through his phone.
Shen Xian moved closer and sat down beside him. "When are you going to let your mother hold a grandchild?"
Zhou Jingming's eyes didn't leave the phone screen, his tone lazy. "You want your son to board the train first and buy the ticket later?"
"Our family's values are open-minded. If you've got the ability, that's fine too, but let's be clear on one thing: it can only be Xi'er. Those shady women outside—cut them off early."
Just as she finished speaking, a sweet, delicate female voice flowed from the receiver.
Shen Xian snatched his phone. All the messages sent on WeChat had been cleared, and every woman was blocked.
Only then did she give it back to him.
Zhou Jingming said helplessly, "Mom, these are all business matters."
"Don't try to fool your mother. Would official business have you calling him 'Brother Jingming'?" Shen Xian was usually busy and didn't have much time to manage Zhou Jingming, turning a blind eye to his antics outside.
But now it was different. Xi'er had entered the household—how could she allow him to keep fooling around?
"I don't care what your intentions are toward Xi'er. Once the marriage certificate is signed, you take on a man's responsibility. And when you're out and about, protect her. If I hear word of her being bullied, I won't let you off the hook."
Just then, Su Xi came over, and Shen Xian ended the conversation.
She was about to pull Su Xi aside to chat when Zhou Jingming stood up and beat her to it, wrapping his arm around Su Xi. "The night is short, Mother. Didn't you want to become a grandmother soon? Just wait."
Su Xi wasn't one to be easily embarrassed.
Usually, she could joke and tussle with Zhou Jingming without a care, but being so bold in front of an elder made her blush.
Seeing that he had finally come around, Shen Xian laughed and called out, "Son, more than a grandson, I'd prefer a granddaughter."
Su Xi: "…"