Lu Jinshi was innocent, and she didn’t want to drag him into her messy affairs.
Lu Jinshi raised an eyebrow slightly, unbothered. “You won’t drag me into anything. Even if something happens, I’ll take care of it for you. Don’t worry.”
“But…”
“No buts.” Lu Jinshi stared at her seriously, feeling that pulling her to get the marriage certificate right now was a very wise decision.
In another two days, he might have to search for her nationwide.
He moved his hand, taking the household register from hers. “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything handled.”
Tang Wei was stunned. It was clearly their first meeting, yet his words “I’ve got everything handled” inexplicably made her trust him. In that instant, she truly felt at ease.
She fell silent and, as if possessed, nodded.
The car slowly drove into a villa district and finally stopped in front of a villa.
Tang Wei looked at the scene before her, too shocked to speak.
This villa district was the most expensive area in all of Jiangcheng—every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Even the Tang family, with Tang Xingrong’s vanity and his insistence on having the best of everything, hadn’t been willing to buy a villa here.
“You…” Tang Wei’s gaze was complicated. She finally realized that the man before her was no ordinary person. “Who exactly are you?”
Lu Jinshi looked at her. “I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lu Jinshi.”
Lu Jinshi!
It was actually Lu Jinshi.
She’d been foolish. That man had called him President Lu earlier. In all of Jiangcheng, there weren’t even a few people with the surname Lu. How had she not thought of it?
The Lu family was the undisputed number one prestigious clan in Jiangcheng—the object of everyone’s admiration.
And as the head of the Lu family, Lu Jinshi was undoubtedly someone everyone wanted to latch onto.
She never would have imagined that by some accident, she’d slept with the most distinguished man in all of Jiangcheng—and gotten pregnant with his child.
For a moment, Tang Wei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
No wonder he’d been so confident earlier.
Of course. Who would dare to mess with him?
But then she looked up. “Mr. Lu, about what you said earlier—about the divorce and the child being mine—could we draw up a written agreement?”
If Lu Jinshi wanted to fight her for the child, she definitely wouldn’t stand a chance.
She had to secure some protection for herself.
“I don’t go back on my word.” Lu Jinshi gazed at her intently, a serious glimmer in his clear, dark eyes.
Tang Wei was caught off guard by his stare. “Okay.”
He wouldn’t stoop to deceiving her. She’d trust him this once.
…
They took the household register into the Civil Affairs Bureau, and when they came out again, each of them held a red booklet in hand.
The warm sunlight fell on her, and Tang Wei still felt a sense of unreality.
In just a few short hours, she’d not only learned she had a child, but now she also had a husband.
Her fair, slender fingers traced over the marriage certificate in her hand. The texture of the paper finally made it feel real.
“Come on, let’s go to your place and pack up your things.” Lu Jinshi’s cool voice came from above her head.
Now that the certificate was obtained, it was only natural that she’d move in with him.
Since Tang Wei had chosen to get married, she wouldn’t be coy about it. She tucked the marriage certificate into her bag and nodded. “Okay.”
Tang Wei didn’t have much to pack—mostly just some clothes and daily necessities. All together, it fit into a single suitcase.
Lu Jinshi put her suitcase into the trunk, then drove her back to the villa.
“The villa is just me living here. A few housekeepers come by occasionally to clean. Tomorrow I’ll have one move in to take care of you.” Lu Jinshi explained the situation at the villa.
He wasn’t usually home often, so the housekeeper didn’t need to be there at all times.
Sometimes, if he mentioned it in advance, the housekeeper would come early to prepare meals, but that was rare.
Usually, he either ate out or made something simple himself.
Tang Wei listened carefully, then immediately shook her head at what he said. “No need. I’m used to living alone too. I’m not that delicate—I don’t need someone specially arranged to take care of me. Just let the housekeeper do things the same as before.”
Lu Jinshi glanced down at her, hummed in acknowledgment, and didn’t say anything more. He led her up to the master bedroom.
A completely unfamiliar room—even with her mental preparation, Tang Wei’s heart still tightened a little.
Lu Jinshi set down her suitcase. “This is the master bedroom. You’ll be staying here from now on. Take some time to get familiar with it.”
Tang Wei pressed her lips together, which had gone a bit dry. Before she could say anything, Lu Jinshi’s voice sounded again. “Hungry?”
Tang Wei nodded honestly.
She’d barely eaten all day and had run around so many places. She really was hungry.
Lu Jinshi nodded. “Rest for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”
Tang Wei nodded instinctively again, only snapping back to reality as she watched his retreating figure.
Did that mean… he was going to cook?
Tang Wei was genuinely astonished. She never would have thought that someone as privileged as Lu Jinshi would know how to cook for himself.
People like him should be the type who never lift a finger in the kitchen.
She had to admit—she’d gained a whole new level of understanding of him.
After the initial shock, Tang Wei took a look around the room. One sweep was enough to see that it was clean and tidy, everything placed in perfect order—clearly the space of someone highly disciplined.
Once she felt a bit more familiar with her surroundings, Tang Wei opened her suitcase and took everything out. Toiletries went into the bathroom, clothes into the walk-in closet.
She hadn’t brought much with her anyway, so it didn’t take long before everything was put away.
She sat down on the sofa nearby, rubbed her belly, and let out a long sigh.
Her studio was gone too. She’d thought that was just how the rest of her days would be.
But now, because of the baby in her belly, her life had something new to look forward to.
That anticipation had already overshadowed the anger Qi Yanzhi had brought her.
When Tang Wei came downstairs, Lu Jinshi had just finished setting all the dishes on the dining table. Seeing her arrive, he gestured for her to sit. “Given the time constraints, I only made something simple.”
Two dishes and a soup—they looked quite good.
Tang Wei smiled softly and praised him sincerely. “This is plenty.”
The fact that someone like him would even step into the kitchen was impressive enough, let alone making it look this well-presented.
Lu Jinshi served her rice and ladled out a bowl of soup.
“Thank you.” Tang Wei picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of meat. Just as she brought it to her lips, a faint greasy smell crept up through her nose, and her stomach suddenly churned.
“Ugh—” Her eyes caught the trash can nearby. She pushed back her chair, rushed over, and bent over, retching.
Lu Jinshi frowned deeply, grabbing a glass of water and some tissues for her.
He patted her back gently, his tone heavy. “Has it been this bad the whole time?”
Tang Wei took a moment to recover. When she felt a little better, she rinsed her mouth with water. “It only started today.”
“I’m sorry.”
Other than that, he didn’t know what else he could say.
This was the first time he’d truly felt how difficult pregnancy was, and yet there was nothing he could do to help her.
Tang Wei froze for a moment, then a smile spread across her face, which had lost its color from the discomfort. “This is a normal reaction. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’s fine—it’s the baby telling us it’s here. It’ll pass after this period.”
Seeing her radiant smile, Lu Jinshi’s mind wandered almost imperceptibly.
His gaze fell on her belly, and he said seriously, “You mustn’t make Mommy uncomfortable. Let Mommy eat her meal properly.”
Tang Wei was stunned for a moment, staring at him blankly, then let out a helpless laugh. “He can’t hear you yet.”
Just over a month along—the baby might not even be the size of a soybean.
Lu Jinshi: “What if he can hear?”
“…”
Fine.
Fair point.
Tang Wei touched her belly, completely pulled along by Lu Jinshi’s logic, and silently recited in her mind.
Baby, be good. Let Mommy eat properly so you can grow up fast…
Back at the dining table, Tang Wei skipped the meat dish entirely and started with a light bowl of soup.
Fortunately, there were no issues this time. It was as if the baby had actually listened to their words—no more discomfort. Tang Wei managed to finish a small bowl of rice without any trouble.
After the meal, Lu Jinshi went to wash the dishes and told Tang Wei to go rest.
Tang Wei sat down on the living room sofa, her gaze drifting lightly around the space.
She was alert at first, but before long, her eyelids began to droop and fight each other.
When Lu Jinshi came out, what he saw was Tang Wei curled up on the sofa, both hands pressed against her belly, already quietly asleep.
It was the time of year when summer was turning to autumn, and the weather had already grown a bit chilly—yet Tang Wei had nothing covering her.
The sofa wasn’t a bed, after all. Curled up like that couldn’t be comfortable, and with just one turn in her sleep, she could easily roll off.
Lu Jinshi walked over, bent down, and gently lifted her into his arms.