Lu Jinshi only realized his tone was somewhat inappropriate after he finished speaking. Afraid she might overthink things, he slowly explained, “She’s not seriously ill. You’ve just gotten pregnant. I’ll take you to meet them in a while.”
“My family… can be a bit rowdy. You haven’t been feeling well lately, and I’m worried it might affect you.”
His mother and grandmother had been urging him to get married every single day. If they found out Tang Wei was pregnant, they would absolutely not let it go easily.
At the thought, Lu Jinshi felt a headache coming on.
Tang Wei actually had no objection to this—she even secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But she never expected the reason to be something like this.
Still, not meeting them was fine too.
The two events today had already exceeded her expectations.
If she had to meet his family as well, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The two of them strolled for a while. As the sky gradually darkened, the temperature began to drop.
A gentle evening breeze brushed past, and Tang Wei rubbed her hands together.
Lu Jinshi glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Tang Wei looked up at him in surprise. Before she could speak, Lu Jinshi’s voice rang out.
“Keep it on. Don’t catch a cold—it’s not good for the baby.”
Tang Wei swallowed back the words of refusal. She pulled the jacket tighter around herself, feeling a wave of warmth envelop her.
“Thank you,” she said.
Lu Jinshi nodded casually. “Mm.”
In a place where Tang Wei couldn’t see, his expression softened, as if he had quietly let out a sigh of relief.
When they got home, Lu Jinshi handed Tang Wei a bank card and a little red booklet. “Use the money in this card however you like.”
Tang Wei paused slightly at the six characters reading “Certificate of Real Estate Ownership” on the red booklet, confusion filling her eyes.
She could understand the bank card. But what did he mean by giving her the property certificate?
Giving away property rights right after getting married?
Wasn’t that something that should happen in a divorce?
“I’ll take the bank card, but you should take this certificate back.” Tang Wei accepted the bank card without standing on ceremony.
She was carrying his child in her belly—there would be plenty of places where money was needed.
Tang Wei didn’t see the point in making things difficult for herself.
But the property certificate really was useless to her.
She also didn’t want to take too much from him. She hadn’t married him for his money.
Lu Jinshi, without allowing any argument, directly pressed it into her hand, his tone brooking no refusal. “Keep it. Consider it an early installment of the bride price.”
“…”
With that said, Tang Wei really did forget to refuse.
And Lu Jinshi gave her no chance to refuse again anyway. He strode into the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Tang Wei sat down on the sofa and opened the red booklet. Her pupils suddenly dilated, utter disbelief filling her eyes.
She took a deep breath, closed the booklet, opened it again, and blinked.
That’s right. This address—it was the location of her studio.
And written on it, in bold characters, was her name.
Of course. Lu Jinshi was this capable—he must have already looked into her past.
She just hadn’t expected that in such a short amount of time, he’d already gotten the certificate processed.
Tang Wei’s hand holding the property certificate tightened slightly. She lowered her gaze, staring at the characters “Tang Wei” written on it, her chest flooded with an inexplicable emotion—heavy and stifling.
At the same time, the sound of water running in the bathroom began, like a stone dropped into still water, stirring her thoughts into even greater chaos.
Before long, the bathroom door opened, and Tang Wei instinctively looked over at the sound.
Lu Jinshi was wearing a white bathrobe, loosely tied with only a sash at the waist. A large expanse of skin was exposed at the collar, his abdominal muscles faintly visible. The ends of his hair were still damp, with the occasional droplet of water falling and disappearing into the robe.
Tang Wei admitted she was a mundane person, so she was a little stunned by the sight.
Her gaze slowly traveled upward, and she unexpectedly met his dark eyes. Startled, Tang Wei snapped back to her senses and quickly looked away, her ears burning slightly.
“Going to shower?” Lu Jinshi asked casually, as if he hadn’t noticed.
Tang Wei quickly stood up. “Yes.”
With that, without a moment’s pause, she grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom.
Closing the door, she let out a long breath.
Although the two of them had already slept together once before, and had done things even more intimate than that, it had all happened while she was unconscious.
Now, fully awake, even with a marriage certificate, Lu Jinshi was still just a stranger she’d met today.
A man and a woman alone in the same room, and soon they’d even be sharing the same bed. If she said she wasn’t nervous, that would be a complete lie.
After showering, holding onto the philosophy that whether you die early or late, you still have to die, Tang Wei steadied her breathing and walked out of the bathroom.
Lu Jinshi had already changed into his pajamas and was leaning against the headboard, phone in hand, scrolling through it.
His long lashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes. In his focused, attentive state, he lacked the cold aloofness of the daytime, carrying instead a gentle, refined air. Her heart wasn’t so anxious anymore.
Tang Wei stared at him for two seconds before walking over to the bed. Seeing that he still showed no reaction to her, she quietly lifted the covers and slipped in.
She lay with her back to Lu Jinshi. As time quietly passed, the nervousness in her heart gradually faded, though sleep still wouldn’t come.
After who knew how long, she gently tugged at the blanket and suddenly whispered, “Mr. Lu.”
“Mm?”
“I want to tell you something.”
“Mm.”
“In a couple of days, I’m going to reopen my studio.”
The answer to her was still the same faint “Mm.” Tone didn’t even change.
“I’ll go out to work.” Tang Wei emphasized with heavier tone. Not only opened studio as behind-the-scenes? Actually she’ll also personally go to studio work. Lu Jinshi very approving, “You do what you want.” So agreeable?
Tang Wei surprised turned over, a pair of black-and-white clear eyes widened looking at him, “Mr. Lu agrees?”
Lu Jinshi turned off his phone, interestedly countered, “If I disagree, you won’t go?”
Tang Wei shook her head, very serious, “I will go.”
Photography is the thing she loves most; she can’t put it down.
If not for Qi Yanzhi’s coercion, she wouldn’t have closed the studio at all, let alone have the concept of “reopening the studio, working again.”
It’s just that she was afraid Lu Jinshi might disagree because of the child, so she wanted to make it clear with him first; otherwise, if problems arise later, it’s easy to create differences.
Lu Jinshi lifted his lips looking at her, “Why do you think I’d disagree?”
He’d already given her the property deed; wasn’t the meaning obvious?
Lu Jinshi suddenly became a bit curious—what kind of person did she think he was?
So unreasonable?
Tang Wei truthfully voiced her concern, “I was afraid you’d want me to stay home and rest for the pregnancy.”
Families like theirs, with money and power, lack nothing; they should place special importance on children, and might all hope their wives stay home to properly give birth.
Lu Jinshi gazed at her, not knowing what he was thinking; after a moment, his low voice sounded in the empty bedroom.
“You are first yourself, and only second a mother. You can do anything you like; I have no reason to restrain you like that, and—”
He looked at her, “As the child’s mother, you love it the most; you certainly wouldn’t take it into dangerous situations, would you?”