"What?!"
A roar erupted from the other end of the phone.
"You're getting married?!"
Xia Yuan held the phone away from his ear, easily imagining the thunderstruck expression on his aunt's face.
"Not getting married, already married," Xia Yuan replied. "We've already registered."
"What?!" His aunt's shock intensified. "You got married without even telling me?"
"Isn't this me telling you now?" Xia Yuan answered.
"You… you're only 22, and you're already married? Don't you think that's too hasty?" His aunt's tone was rather bitter. "I'm 27 and haven't even considered it…"
Although Zhang Shiting was Xia Yuan's biological aunt, she was only five years older than him—a typical workaholic who had been striving in the south for so long that she simply had no time for romance.
She had always adhered to her single lifestyle.
Never did she expect her own nephew to leap ahead of her.
"I've given it careful thought. I decided I wanted to spend my life with her from the moment I first saw her."
Xia Yuan wasn't exactly lying with that response.
If possible, he wouldn't want to spend his entire life with Ying Sitong either.
And, in all likelihood, he would be the one to die first—who knew how long the Blood Clan could live?
"Twenty-two is a perfectly suitable age for marriage," Xia Yuan replied expressionlessly. "You, at 27, are already in the late stage of late marriage. But just because you prefer being single doesn't mean I have to follow suit."
"Pfft…" Zhang Shiting felt as if she'd been stabbed.
Lacking the nourishment of love and on the verge of entering the ranks of "leftover women" was the deepest wound in Zhang Shiting's heart.
And that wound was only growing with each passing day.
Before, she could console herself with the thought—
"Worst case, I'll just spend my life with my nephew."
But now, her nephew was flying solo.
As his aunt, how could she not be heartbroken?
How could she not shed tears?
How could she not be moved?
"How can you register without even meeting the family first? I worked so hard to raise you… and now this pig just runs off with the cabbage?"
"Hey."
Was that something an elder should say?
Xia Yuan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll bring her over to your place for dinner tomorrow night. You can meet your niece-in-law."
"Absolutely."
His aunt said seriously, "I need to prepare properly."
"Oh," Xia Yuan remembered something and quickly added, "You don't need to give a big red envelope. A small one, just as a token, will do."
"Huh? I have to give a red envelope?"
"…"
Xia Yuan's face darkened.
"Then what did you mean by 'prepare properly' just now?"
"I meant I need to dress up nicely, wear something formal… ahahaha," Zhang Shiting laughed awkwardly. "So, how much should I give?"
…
The next evening, Xia Yuan brought the Blood Clan girl—no, the Blood Clan young woman, Ying Sitong—to his aunt Zhang Shiting's home.
The two brought some fruit and wine as gifts.
Of course, Xia Yuan paid for it all.
Currently, Ying Sitong was an unemployed drifter with no income, living under someone else's roof.
Since it concerned their shared interests, Xia Yuan covered the expenses for now, with Ying Sitong to repay him once she started earning money.
For being so meticulous about money, Xia Yuan had been called a "vampire" by Ying Sitong.
"Welcome, welcome."
As soon as the door opened, Ying Sitong and Zhang Shiting exchanged a deep, meaningful look.
Zhang Shiting sported a head of beautiful wavy curls, her hair dyed a light golden blonde—clearly done specially for today.
She wore a blue silk dress, padded in all the right places and cinched where it needed to be.
Her makeup was smoky, with bright red lipstick that made her radiant and exuded a high-society aura.
Ying Sitong, on the other hand, wore a little white off-shoulder dress paired with skinny jeans, looking both pure and playful.
Her makeup was the "first love" style—peach blossom eyes, rosy cheeks, thin lips, and translucent skin—the kind of girl who made people smile involuntarily just by looking at her.
Zhang Shiting’s gaze froze for two seconds, and she silently thought to herself—
I lost.
Truly, time is a woman’s greatest enemy. If only she were five years younger…
This Ying Sitong was too adorable; even as a woman, she couldn’t help but feel her heart melt.
Ying Sitong’s eyes drifted downward, and she lowered her head with a hint of insecurity.
She sighed quietly in her heart.
So this is what a mature woman is like?
I wonder if I’ll ever develop such a great figure in a few more years.
Xia Yuan glanced at Zhang Shiting, then at Ying Sitong, completely clueless about what they were thinking.
Zhang Shiting’s makeup was thick, meant to cover the dark circles from staying up late working overtime.
But what on earth was with the smoky eye makeup?
Xia Yuan had no idea how women’s minds worked—
Why would a girl cover up dark circles with foundation only to draw new ones on top?
And then there was the vampire. He also couldn’t understand why a Blood Clan member, already pale-skinned, would deliberately darken her face only to apply white makeup over it.
A brief silence lingered for two seconds.
“Ying Sitong,” Xia Yuan introduced the two. “My aunt.”
Ying Sitong nodded with her mouth slightly agape. “Hello, Auntie.”
“Please come in, please come in.” Zhang Shiting finally remembered the role she was playing today.
…
Auntie prepared a few home-cooked dishes.
She stood up and served Ying Sitong a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup.
Xia Yuan helped himself to a bowl.
The three of them sat down at the dining table.
After a brief silence, they got down to business.
“Since you’ve already registered your marriage, I won’t say much. Seeing how lovely Sitong is puts my mind at ease.”
Auntie stood up, took out a red envelope, and handed it to Ying Sitong.
Ying Sitong’s eyes lit up, the lotus root in her mouth not yet swallowed, and she sprang to her feet.
Suddenly remembering something, she turned and gave Xia Yuan a deep look.
Xia Yuan lowered his eyebrows and nodded helplessly.
With his permission, Ying Sitong happily took the red envelope from Zhang Shiting’s hand.
She didn’t open it right away, but by her estimation, the thickness suggested around 6,888 yuan.
…
After sitting down and chatting for a while, Ying Sitong excused herself to the restroom during the meal.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Shiting quickly pulled Xia Yuan aside.
“Not to be nosy, but when I handed her the red envelope, I touched Sitong’s hand,” she said with deep concern. “But your wife is strange—both her hands were ice-cold, like a corpse.”
Xia Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no.
Could Auntie have discovered something?
A Blood Clan member’s body temperature was indeed lower than that of ordinary people.
With a temperature around 30 degrees Celsius, wouldn’t it feel ice-cold to the touch?
“Auntie, let me explain,” Xia Yuan said anxiously, looking at Zhang Shiting, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
"This wife of yours is a bit frail. Can she really carry on the family line for us?"
"Huh?!"
…
New book period, seeking collections, subscriptions, recommendation votes, and investments.
Thank you, everyone.