A strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake.
She stifled her sobs, “Husband, no… no more…”
Cen Wangyue sank into the soft quilt, her jet-black hair spread out across the pillow.
On this familiar bed she had slept in for so long, she relived old dreams with her plastic husband over and over again.
“Don’t hold back.”
Sheng Tangzhou lowered his head and kissed her lips.
When she woke up in the afternoon, her body felt as if it had been run over by a car. In the end, Sheng Tangzhou had to carry her into the bathroom for a bath, then carry her back to bed.
He brought her lunch, and Cen Wangyue lay in bed conserving her strength while enjoying the bastard’s attentive service.
There were less than three hours until the party tonight.
The few shreds of goodwill she had toward Sheng Tangzhou vanished in an instant.
She cursed him as a dog of a man over a hundred times in her heart.
After the intensified exercise, Sheng Tangzhou looked as refreshed as a spring breeze, his movements even more careful as he applied medicine to her.
He asked in a low voice, “Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”
His gentle demeanor caused Cen Wangyue to feel a moment of daze.
Cen Wangyue leaned against the headboard, weakly pressing her hand to her forehead, “Everywhere feels uncomfortable. My body is falling apart.”
They were a married couple through an arranged union. Sleeping in the same bed every day wasn’t ideal—what if they accidentally developed feelings for each other?
Besides, with her frail frame, she couldn’t handle Sheng Tangzhou dragging her into daily exercise.
It seemed she should move up her plan to sleep in separate beds.
Sheng Tangzhou’s expression remained calm as he precisely seized on her weak spot, “Then should we cancel the party tonight? I’ll stay home and keep you company while you rest.”
Hearing this, Cen Wangyue couldn’t accept that at all.
Now that Sheng Tangzhou was back in the country, she only wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
She quickly refused, “No, no, no, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine after resting for a bit.”
If she cancelled her party, she’d have to spend time alone with Sheng Tangzhou. She could tell with her toes what would happen.
A sturdy rose fears no hardship!
With that, she threw off the covers and carefully got out of bed. Sheng Tangzhou instinctively moved to support her, but was once again rejected by Cen Wangyue.
She slowly walked to the dressing room.
Tonight’s party was specially hosted by her close friends in their circle, but Sheng Tangzhou’s inclusion had disrupted their original plans.
Many activities that couldn’t be seen by him had to be reluctantly cancelled.
Sheng Tangzhou noticed his wife’s distance from him and furrowed his brows slightly.
Cen Wangyue dawdled in the dressing room for hours. To cover up the love marks on her body, she had to pick out a new dress.
While choosing, she cursed Sheng Tangzhou inwardly—why did he have to leave marks like that, ruining her chance to wear a sexy little dress!
Another day of hating Sheng Tangzhou.
After agonizing over it for a long time, she finally chose an ink-wash Chinese-style dress embroidered with large patches of bamboo. She applied light makeup and paired it with a set of minimalist jewelry.
That was what Sheng Tangzhou had sent back last month. Since he was back in the country, she’d wear it casually for his sake.
Cen Wangyue examined herself carefully in the mirror, indulging in the appreciation of her own beauty. The last time she dressed like this was when she met Sheng Tangzhou’s parents.
Occasionally switching to a fresh, elegant look wasn’t so bad.
Just as Cen Wangyue stepped out of the dressing room, Sheng Tangzhou had already changed his clothes and stared at her for a long while.
Sheng Tangzhou took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm.
As the Maybach drove along, Cen Wangyue gazed at the scenery outside the window when a crucial thought suddenly struck her.
She cleared her throat and hesitated before speaking, “There’s something I want to ask you.”
Hearing this, Sheng Tangzhou turned sideways and cast a glance at her, “What’s wrong?”
“Now that you’re back in the country, do we still need to go back to the Sheng family?”
They had been married for a year, and aside from the first three days of their marriage spent at Jinhu Mansion, she had lived at Qinyuan the rest of the time. Sheng Tangzhou wasn’t there, and there was no need for them to interact regularly anyway.
Sheng Tangzhou said in a calm voice, “No need. You should spend more time at home with your parents. That household—you don’t need to have much contact with it.”
Hearing this, Cen Wangyue finally felt at ease. Not having to deal with the Sheng family was a good thing.
She had heard rumors before their marriage, more or less. Old Chairman Sheng favored the eldest son, and Mrs. Sheng favored the youngest daughter. Only Sheng Tangzhou was neglected by both parents.
Among the three children in the family, the second one was always the least loved.
The Sheng family already had an outstanding eldest brother, and the harder he tried, the more his parents overlooked him.
Sheng Tangzhou never brought these things up on his own, and she wasn’t foolish enough to poke at his wounds.
The star of tonight’s party was Liang Zhi, and the scene was lively and grand.
When they arrived at the Liang family villa, the party hadn’t officially started yet. Cen Wangyue entered on Sheng Tangzhou’s arm, drawing a crowd of attention.
“Whoa! Sheng Tangzhou actually came back to the country?”
“Didn’t they say this couple doesn’t get along and they each do their own thing?”
“Who would air their marital problems in public? Maybe they act loving in front of others but both have side flings behind closed doors.”
“Pfft, which eye of yours saw them not getting along? Didn’t you see the trending topic this morning?”
“Exactly, exactly. Look at the state of our Yuebao—those two must have had a wild night. Clearly they’re head over heels for each other! Stop being so negative!”
…
The whispers around them didn’t escape Cen Wangyue’s ears. Liang Zhi came looking for her, holding up her little dress.
The last time Liang Zhi had seen Sheng Tangzhou was at her best friend’s wedding. She never expected he would show up here too.
She smiled brightly at Sheng Tangzhou and asked curiously, “Second Brother, how long are you staying in the country this time?”
Hearing this, Sheng Tangzhou wrapped an arm around Cen Wangyue’s waist, a hint of tenderness softening his indifferent expression. “I’m not planning to leave again this time. I intend to stay and properly keep Yuebao company.”
The two hadn’t coordinated their story before leaving the house. Faced with Sheng Tangzhou’s sudden display of affection, Cen Wangyue could only grit her teeth and play along.
“What can I say? My husband loves me too much—can’t bear to be apart from me for even a moment.”
Inside, she was rolling her eyes. Even she didn’t believe her own words.
With that, she leaned against his shoulder in a show of affection, playing the part of a devoted couple to the fullest.
Their public display of affection successfully fooled Liang Zhi.
While mingling with the other guests, Liang Zhi casually let slip the story of their lovey-dovey behavior.
The party guests were sharp as tacks. Who was it that had been spreading rumors about the couple not getting along?
They were clearly doing just fine.
With the couple’s performance complete, Cen Wangyue ditched him and went off to chat with her girlfriends.
Fang Yinian had already heard about it from various people. She suddenly leaned in close to Cen Wangyue’s ear and whispered, “Since when did you and your husband get along so well? One night together and you’ve fallen in love? Mr. Sheng’s firepower must be pretty intense.”
“This isn’t a no-man’s-land—shut your mouth!”
The words barely left her mouth before Cen Wangyue was dying of embarrassment from her friend’s dangerous remark. She stabbed a piece of strawberry and shoved it into Fang Yinian’s mouth.
She then explained, “What feelings could there be between an arranged marriage couple? It’s all for show.”
Fang Yinian smirked. She’d never seen an arranged marriage couple this harmonious before.
Cen Wangyue then remembered that Fang Yinian hadn’t replied to her message last night, so she pressed, “Why didn’t you reply to my message last night?”
Unfortunately, last night she and Sheng Tangzhou were busy having a deep exchange, otherwise, given her personality, if Fang Yinian hadn’t replied to her message within three minutes, she would have worried that she had run into trouble.
Fang Yinian’s mind flashed with images of last night’s intimate moments with Shang Heyu, and she explained, “My phone died, and I fell asleep.”
Just as she finished speaking, her attention was drawn to the pianist performing Bach’s G Minor, and she gestured toward the stage.
“Isn’t that girl playing the piano your archrival from high school?”