“Xiaxia, do you think I’m only treating you well right now because I want something from you, just putting on an act?”
Lu Yanjing wasn’t the least bit surprised that Shen Ruxia would think that, nor did he harbor a single shred of blame toward her.
Thinking that way was only natural.
From his own perspective, he had lived through a past life, experienced the crushing agony of loss, finally opened his eyes to his own heart, and understood the tangled web of love and resentment between him and Shen Ruxia. To him, they weren’t newlyweds of just two months; they were a seasoned couple who had already shared ten years of life together.
But from Shen Ruxia’s point of view, she had used less-than-noble means to trap a man into marriage, only for that same man to scream abuse at her barely an hour ago. Now, a mere ten minutes later, he had suddenly returned, showering her with endless care and tenderness. Unless he had an ulterior motive, such a bizarre and drastic overnight transformation made zero sense.
“I don’t mean it like that.”
Even though that was precisely what she had meant, Shen Ruxia still shook her head and rushed to deny it.
“I just feel that since we’re married now, it’s completely normal for you to spend my money. Besides, if you’re running into any trouble, you can just tell me straight. Whatever I can do to help, I will.”
Shen Ruxia loved this man; she wanted his heart just as much as she wanted him by her side.
People were greedy by nature, though she wasn’t all that greedy—she would be perfectly content if this new version of Lu Yanjing would simply stop loathing her so much. That was why she was so desperately eager to make herself useful to him.
Lu Yanjing let out a soft sigh and reached out to take her hand again.
They needed a proper talk.
“Xiaxia, like you said just now, we’re already married—we’re a legally wedded couple. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and since we’re married, we should make a real go of this life together. I was a bit hot-headed earlier, letting my emotions get the better of me without stopping to think about how it would affect you. Let’s make a real home together from now on, okay?”
There was no way Lu Yanjing could spill his heart out all at once right now. If he suddenly launched into a romantic confession or started throwing around words like “like” or “love,” it would come across as far too abrupt and backfire entirely, making Shen Ruxia suspect he was just a two-faced hypocrite playing games.
Nor could he tell her about his past life. He couldn’t very well walk up to her and say they had been married for ten years before divorcing, right before she died in a car crash.
Bizarre, impossible things like reincarnation—if he hadn’t experienced it firsthand, he would never have believed a single word of it if someone else told him.
So his task right now was simply to cultivate their relationship slowly, step by step. He knew full well that she already loved him to pieces, but considering they had never actually dated before getting married—hardly even exchanging a handful of civil words—they needed to build a real rapport. They needed to get to know each other and gradually step into one another’s worlds.
A slow-burning love didn’t need to be rushed. They had plenty of time—an entire lifetime ahead of them.
“Are you really being honest? Do you genuinely, from the bottom of your heart, want to make a life with me?”
Happiness had arrived so abruptly that Shen Ruxia couldn’t wrap her head around it.
In her wildest dreams, she never would have imagined that Lu Yanjing could be so broad-minded, deciding to drop his hatred and choose a genuine life with her in the span of a single afternoon.
She had honestly thought he would never forgive her for as long as he lived.
“Every word I’m saying is the truth, Xiaxia. You’re brilliant, you come from a wonderful family, and marrying you is my good fortune. From now on, stop walking around feeling so guilty all the time. I don’t blame you.”
Honestly, once he truly wrapped his head around it, marrying Shen Ruxia wasn’t a bad deal for him at all.
In their past life, once they settled into marriage, Shen Ruxia had been the picture of a perfect wife. During the grueling years he spent building his business from the ground up, she stood quietly by his side. Even though his stubborn pride had made him refuse her financial backing, she took immaculate care of him in every domestic aspect.
Whenever he got too caught up in work to eat, she would personally cook and deliver meals to his office. If he stayed out late and didn’t come home, she never complained; instead, she would show up first thing the next morning with a fresh change of clothes.
Whenever social functions required a wife’s presence, no matter where she was or what she was doing, she would drop everything and rush over to smooth things over, charming business associates with clever, tactful words designed purely to pull clients and investments his way.
She never whined, and she never once broke down in tears in front of him. Even on the day they signed their divorce papers, her eyes had merely grown a little red as she apologized for wasting so many years of his life.
Listening to his words, Shen Ruxia lowered her gaze slightly, though she couldn’t completely hide the radiant smile blooming across her face.
“I believe you. Then… can you grant me one wish?” she suddenly looked up to ask.
“Go ahead,” Lu Yanjing nodded.
“Can I call you Brother Yanjing from now on?”
Her ears turned bright red as she asked the question. She knew Lu Yanjing hadn’t been fond of her using overly affectionate endearments in the past, but who could truly decode a girl’s mind? Everyone loved calling the person they adored most by an intimate pet name!
Lu Yanjing couldn’t help a chuckle.
“You silly goose, is that your big wish?”
He smiled so gently. He had half-expected her to ask for the moon and stars, only for it to be something so simple. But a second thought made it completely understandable—when you truly care for someone, you naturally crave sweet, intimate words.
It was just like how he used to roll his eyes at the cheesy pet names like “silly goose” or “dummy” that male leads threw around in romantic dramas, only to find himself tossing those exact childish words right at Shen Ruxia without missing a beat!
“Of course you can. Not just brother, you can call me husband, too.”
As he spoke, Lu Yanjing reached out to stroke the top of her head. Her hair was wonderfully soft and silky to the touch. He knew that intimately from last time; during their single night as husband and wife, he had grown quite fond of running his fingers through her hair while holding her close.
The smile on Shen Ruxia’s face grew even brighter, leaving Lu Yanjing momentarily dazed. He hadn’t seen such a dazzling, uninhibited smile on her face once in their entire past life.
“Are you hungry? Let me peel an apple for you, shall nwe?”
He picked up an apple, peeled it neatly with a fruit knife, and sliced off a small piece to feed right to her lips.
Shen Ruxia parted her lips and nibbled delicately on the apple. As Lu Yanjing stared fixedly at her soft, pink, moving lips, he suddenly couldn’t resist leaning over to steal a quick kiss.
Her lips tasted faintly of apple.
Sweet, crisp, and fresh.
Soft and fragrant.
The unexpected kiss left Shen Ruxia frozen stiff as a board.
They always said that being kissed by someone you loved gave you a tingling, electric sensation across your skin, and the old saying turned out to be completely true. For that brief, fleeting second, a wave of current genuinely rippled deep through her core.
“Why’d you suddenly kiss me?” Shen Ruxia murmured shyly, ducking her head. “You’re a menace.” The moment the words slipped out, even she thought she sounded a bit like a sly tease.
“I wanted to, so I did,” Lu Yanjing just laughed, continuing to feed her small slices of apple one by one.
Before the apple was even finished, Shen Ruxia realized she urgently needed to use the restroom.
Yet because that fall had been so severe, not only had she lost the baby, but her leg had suffered a nasty sprain, leaving her entirely unable to walk.
At first, she tried her best to tough it out, but the pressure was building up fast.
“What’s wrong?”
Lu Yanjing instantly caught the subtle shift in her expression.
“I need to go to the restroom,” Shen Ruxia whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Alright,” Lu Yanjing stood up. “I’ll carry you.”