Shi Yuanxing listened patiently as she finished speaking, then nodded. “Alright, I understand everything now.”
“I’ll take care of the gift arrangements.”
As the two walked toward the car, Shi Yuanxing suddenly asked, “You’re teaching at Yunying High School, right?”
“Yes.”
“I have an apartment in Yushui Bay. How about we set our wedding home there?”
Shi Yuanxing said to her, “Yushui Bay is in a different direction from your place, but it’s about the same distance to the school. The key thing is that the route from Yushui Bay to the school has fewer traffic lights and smoother traffic—about a ten-minute drive each way.”
Qin Shuzhi was somewhat surprised. Yushui Bay was a prime location with a hefty price tag—she hadn’t expected him to own a place there.
She had originally thought the suburbs were too far and inconvenient for his job search, and had been planning to invite him to stay at her place. Now, with his proposal, she readily agreed.
“Alright, I’ll follow Mr. Shi’s arrangements.” She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
Shi Yuanxing met her smiling gaze, and the corners of his lips curved up involuntarily as well.
The two walked forward, and he raised his hand to press the car key fob. The vehicle ahead responded with a beep.
It was a domestic-brand SUV. Shi Yuanxing stepped forward and opened the passenger door for her. “Let’s grab lunch first, then I’ll take you to see our wedding home.”
“Alright.”
Qin Shuzhi got into his car.
After lunch, the two headed to Yushui Bay.
Qin Shuzhi hadn’t expected Shi Yuanxing’s apartment to be in the prime position of the complex.
Fifteenth floor, great views, a three-bedroom unit.
Completely brand new—even the furniture hadn’t been brought in yet.
“Give me one day. Before noon tomorrow, I’ll have all the furniture and furnishings in place,” Shi Yuanxing said.
Qin Shuzhi had no objections. “Then… how about we each go back to our own places tonight, pack up our things in the meantime, and move over tomorrow afternoon?”
Consider it… giving each other one last night of single life.
“Alright.” Shi Yuanxing asked her, “Do you have any requirements for the home’s decor?”
Decorating within a day would be no small feat, and Qin Shuzhi didn’t want to add to his burden. “You decide.”
“Then—”
Shi Yuanxing was about to say something more when the phone in Qin Shuzhi’s hand rang.
Seeing that it was Qi Yishan calling, she said to Shi Yuanxing, “Sorry, mind if I take this?”
“Go ahead.”
Qin Shuzhi didn’t step aside to take the call, answering directly. On the other end came Qi Yishan’s booming voice.
“Zhibao, are you still sleeping? Why isn’t anyone answering when I keep knocking on your door?”
Qin Shuzhi was taken aback. “You went to my place?”
“Yeah, I’ve been ringing the doorbell for ages.”
“I went out.”
“Huh? Your hand isn’t even healed yet, and you were drinking last night—where did you go?”
Qin Shuzhi said, “I went and got married.”
After a one-second pause, Qi Yishan’s ear-splitting voice came through. “What? Married?”
Qin Shuzhi replied calmly, “Yes, just got the certificate.”
She hadn’t expected that she’d gone out intending to treat someone to tea, only to end up picking up a husband instead.
Qi Yishan was stunned. “You… did you make up with my brother?”
“Not a chance.”
At the mention of Shen Yichen, Qin Shuzhi frowned with distaste. But when her gaze landed on Shi Yuanxing, her brows unconsciously relaxed again.
Qi Yishan said, “But you just said—”
Qin Shuzhi said, “It’s not him.”
“What?” Qi Yishan was even more confused. “If it’s not him, then who is it? Zhizhi, marriage isn’t something to mess around with. You can’t just throw your life away on a marriage out of spite…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Qin Shuzhi said, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later…”
“No way, Qin Shuzhi. This isn’t a small matter. You need to explain yourself right now.”
Qin Shuzhi knew Qi Yishan’s temperament well—if she didn’t get a clear explanation today, the woman would never let it go.
“Fine. I’ll head home in a bit. Wait for me.”
After hanging up, Qin Shuzhi looked at Shi Yuanxing with some helplessness. “My best friend. I need to go home for a while.”
The two were standing close, and Qi Yishan’s voice had been loud, so Shi Yuanxing, standing right beside her, had naturally overheard their conversation.
“Alright, I’ll drive you back first,” he said. “I need to prepare the gifts and set up the house this afternoon anyway. You go home and hang out with your friend for a bit, and I’ll pick you up later to head over to my parents’ place.”
“Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up downstairs at Qin Shuzhi’s apartment.
Shi Yuanxing said, “We’re here.”
“Okay.” Qin Shuzhi unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to say “I’ll head up first” when she turned her head and saw the man with one hand resting on the steering wheel, his body turned toward her, eyes fixed intently on her.
As if hinting at something.
Qin Shuzhi’s mind raced, and she ventured a tentative question. “Do you want to… come up and say hello to my friend before you go?”
“Sure, whatever you say.”
With that, Shi Yuanxing deftly unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out.
Qin Shuzhi: “…”
As they went upstairs, Shi Yuanxing suddenly asked, “I think I heard your friend call your ex… ‘brother’?”
“Yes, she’s his cousin.”
After a pause, Qin Shuzhi said, “But now she’s just my good friend.”
Shi Yuanxing looked at her resolute gaze and nodded.
The elevator doors opened.
The moment Qi Yishan saw Qin Shuzhi step out of the elevator, she moved toward her, already complaining from a distance. “What’s going on with you…”
Before she could finish, she saw a tall, handsome man step out from behind Qin Shuzhi.
Qi Yishan froze mid-step, staring at Shi Yuanxing in astonishment.
When the two approached, she shot Qin Shuzhi a questioning look.
“Hello, I’m Shi Yuanxing,” he introduced himself proactively. “Shuzhi’s husband.”
“Shuzhi’s husband,” huh.
Was he showing off to her?
Unwilling to back down, Qi Yishan squared her neck and announced herself: “Qi Yishan, Shuzhi’s best friend.”
Wait—his surname was Shi?
Could he be Zhizhi’s lifesaver?
After the introductions, Qin Shuzhi opened the door and invited them both inside.
On the living room sofa.
Shi Yuanxing sat down beside Qin Shuzhi and gave Qi Yishan, seated on the other side, a gentle smile. “My apologies. Shuzhi and I married in a hurry and didn’t have time to notify friends and family. That was a lapse in etiquette on my part. I hope you’ll forgive me, Miss Qi.”
Looking at the handsome, polite, and gentlemanly man before her, the hostility in Qi Yishan’s heart—that sense of “my best friend got tricked by some random dog of a man”—instantly softened considerably.
“My parents don’t even know yet. You’re the first person to find out.”
Qin Shuzhi said quietly to Qi Yishan, “He came up specifically to say hello to you.”
Feeling valued, the last shred of “hostility” in Qi Yishan’s heart dissipated like smoke, and the look she gave Shi Yuanxing became noticeably friendlier.
Shi Yuanxing smiled again and said, “I still have matters to attend to this afternoon, so I’m afraid I can’t host you properly. How about another day—Shuzhi and I will treat you to a meal?”
As the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a smiling face, and since he had been nothing but polite and courteous throughout, how could Qi Yishan keep up her aloof demeanor?
“Alright, then… let’s schedule that meal another time.”
“Then it’s settled.”
After saying this, Shi Yuanxing turned to look at Qin Shuzhi, his gaze carrying an added tenderness. He said softly, “I’ll head off now. I’ll come pick you up later.”
“Mm-hmm.” Qin Shuzhi gently reminded him, “Be safe on the road.”
“Okay.” Shi Yuanxing acknowledged, then rose and looked back at Qi Yishan. “Goodbye, Miss Qi.”
Qi Yishan replied, “Goodbye.”
Once he had left and only the two of them remained in the room, Qi Yishan grabbed Qin Shuzhi and pulled her over. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me your lifesaver was such a handsome man?”
With Shi Yuanxing’s superior looks, bearing, and manner of speech…
Even if her brother hadn’t treated Zhizhi like trash, he would have been a formidable rival.
Of course, that comparison was unnecessary now—the man had already successfully taken his place as Zhizhi’s legitimate husband.
And her scumbag brother? Completely out of the game.
“Come on, tell me—what exactly happened?”
Qin Shuzhi recounted everything to her.
After listening, Qi Yishan said, “So, you married him for the sake of your family?”
“That was the original intention, yes.”
Qin Shuzhi’s eyes curved with a smile. “But now I increasingly feel that choosing to marry him was the right decision.”
Although the two had known each other for only a short time, every aspect of Shi Yuanxing’s conduct and demeanor revealed his excellent upbringing and character.
Qi Yishan slapped her thigh and stood up, speaking with righteous indignation. “I’m going to go right now and tell Shen Yichen the good news of your marriage, so that blind man can see exactly what he lost over some green-tea bitch.”
“Don’t, babe.”
“Why? After how he treated you, don’t you want to hold your head high in front of him just once?”
Qin Shuzhi’s face was full of disgust. “From the moment we broke up, he might as well have been dead to me. I’ve just gotten married—I don’t want to touch any bad luck.”
She had no remaining connection to Shen Yichen whatsoever, and he didn’t deserve to know anything about her life.
“If I could have it my way, I’d want that person to disappear from my world forever.”
Qin Shuzhi pulled Qi Yishan back down to sit. “Yishan, from now on, don’t mention me in front of him, and don’t bring him up to me either, okay?”
She just wanted to sever all ties with Shen Yichen, cleanly and completely.
Qi Yishan looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”