Ch. 781..790

Marry Me Quick Chapter 781-No matter how much Shu Yanian struggled, she was eventually forced to sign the divorce agreement.

An Xia didn't sympathize with the woman, but as a woman herself, she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

On the other hand, she had a different view of Bai Yeqi. She never expected Bai Yeqi to be so devoted.

"Although you and Yeqi have divorced, what's yours will remain yours. We won't take anything from you."

An Xia glanced at Bai Yunan, her eyes showing a hint of confusion. But she quickly understood that Bai Yunan wanted to play both sides.

Having been a daughter-in-law of the Bai family, Shu Yanian naturally wouldn't be treated unfairly during the divorce. She would receive her share of the money and the house, but that wouldn't stop them from suing her.

The Bai family wouldn't let Shu Yanian off easily. She would face imprisonment, and even if they gave her money, she wouldn't be able to spend it.

Shu Yanian sat there with a blank expression, not saying a word. It was evident that she had completely collapsed.

No one in the Bai family sympathized with her, and Bai Yeqi probably had his heart broken, which was why he went upstairs early.

"Escort Miss Shu out," Bai Yunan commanded emotionlessly, and two of his men obliged at once, supporting Shu Yanian as she staggered out.

An Xia sighed and heard Bai Jingshu say, "I'll take An Xia back to rest."

With that, Bai Jingshu pulled her up.

Old Master Bai turned grim at once and slammed his hand on the armrest of the sofa, angrily saying, "Go back? Where to?"

Bai Jingshu looked up at Old Master Bai indifferently and said, "To Lu Qinghan's apartment. Our original plan was to return to Yunzhou City today."

At that, An Xia discreetly pinched his palm.

She could sense that although Bai Jingshu's tone was cold, there was some resentment as well.

He didn't want to live in the Bai Residence, but it didn't mean that he should strain the relationship. After all, they were family, bound by blood, and though they had some minor conflicts, they couldn't cut ties with each other.

Bai Jingshu, who rarely showed a strong attitude, became firm and resolute.

He stood there, not speaking or moving.

Old Master Bai was so angry that he was breathing heavily. Bai Mingxu's countenance wasn't looking any more pleasant either.

Bai Yunan pondered for a moment and was about to speak when Bai Yeqi's voice came from the stairs, "Stay at home. It's more convenient."

An Xia looked up in surprise and saw Bai Yeqi slowly walking toward them.

Meanwhile, the astonishment on the faces of the others present was even more cautious than that of An Xia.

Bai Yeqi approached slowly, his body still not fully recovered, his face pale, and his lips very faint, giving him a somewhat delicate appearance.

He lowered his head and looked at Bai Mingxu. "Dad, you were willing to let me marry Shu Yanian back then, so why can't you agree to Jingshu marrying Miss An? Moreover, Miss An is much better than Shu Yanian, isn't she?"

Although his words were devoided of emotions, the sarcasm was apparent.

Bai Mingxu's favoritism toward Bai Yeqi was no secret in the Bai family, but no one had ever stated it explicitly so openly.

Bai Mingxu looked at him in astonishment, "Yeqi, you…"

"Dad, you don't really favor me intentionally. You just feel guilty about Yunan and Jingshu's birth mother. When you face them, you feel guilty and awkward, but when you face me, you find a little balance, so you deliberately favor me."

Bai Yeqi usually kept a low profile at home and didn't speak much. Nobody expected him to be the first to bring up the father-son relationship.

Bai Mingxu clenched and loosened his fists, "Yeqi, you're exhausted."

"Dad, is it so difficult for you to admit your mistakes? Haven't you noticed that Jingshu and Yunan don't want to return to this house anymore? Yunan rarely came home before Jingshu returned. Is this what you and Grandpa wanted?"

Bai Yeqi's expression remained calm as if he was talking about something insignificant, not about his own family.

"Yeqi, go upstairs and rest." It was Bai Yunan who spoke, his tone firm.

Strangely enough, Bai Yeqi said indifferently, "I'll go rest."

…

Bai Yeqi's words caused quite a stir in the family.

Whether his words did anything, Bai Jingshu didn't leave with An Xia again. Instead, they went upstairs together.

Once in the room, Bai Jingshu kissed An Xia and said, "Rest for a while. I'll go prepare the bath for you."

An Xia looked at his tired eyes and swallowed the words, 'I'll do it myself,' nodding with a smile. "Okay."

She knew he was in a bad mood and wanted to do something for him.

An Xia sat down by the bed and saw Bai Jingshu's phone on the bedside table. She thought of Su Ziyue and picked up the phone to dial her number.

The call was quickly answered.

"An Xia?"

"Ziyue, where are you and Mr. Qin staying? We'll come and find you tonight."

"No rush. You rest first before coming to find us. We don't have any urgent matters and will be staying in Jingcheng City for a few days."

"Alright."

An Xia chatted briefly with Su Ziyue and was about to hang up when she remembered to tell her about Su Yige.

"You've met Su Yige, right? I didn't have time to see her when I came back, but she helped us a lot this time."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and Su Ziyue said, "Yeah, I met her. Let's talk about this later. Go rest."

At that, An Xia bid Su Ziyue farewell and hung up the phone.

Now that she was completely idle, An Xia finally felt tired and hungry.

She lay back on the bed, on the verge of falling asleep, when Bai Jingshu came out of the bathroom.

He walked over and ruffled her hair. "Tired?"

An Xia turned over and threw herself into Bai Jingshu's arms, "And hungry…"

She was not only tired but also very hungry.

"Go take a shower first, and after you're done, there will be something to eat." Bai Jingshu hugged her and gently patted her back, his voice oh-so gentle.

An Xia nodded but didn't move.

Bai Jingshu chuckled, but when he thought about how she had been taken away for a whole day and night, his calm heart suddenly panicked again.

Thankfully, fate was kind to him.

He tightened his embrace and said, "I'll carry you to the bathroom, then."

An Xia mumbled in agreement and then trustingly nestled in his arms.

With that, Bai Jingshu carried her into the bathroom and bathed her without any distractions. Just as he wrapped her in a towel and carried her out, there came a knock at the door.

Immediately after, Aunt Liu's voice came through. "Young Master Jingshu, I brought some food for Young Madam Xia."

Bai Jingshu got up to open the door and took the tray from Aunt Liu, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Liu."

"Don't mention it." Aunt Liu disapproved of his words, then added, "I only prepared something light and simple for Young Madam Xia. I'll make something delicious later in the evening."

Marry Me Quick Chapter 782-Seemingly thinking of something, Aunt Liu smiled at the mention of An Xia.

Bai Jingshu simply nodded, "Sure."

At that, Aunt Liu sighed and glanced into the room, asking, "Is she doing okay?"

"She suffered some superficial injuries, but now, she's out cold from exhaustion and hunger."

"That child, I told her to eat something earlier, but she insisted that she wasn't hungry." Aunt Liu couldn't help but frown.

Bai Jingshu had asked Aunt Liu to make some food for An Xia when they had just arrived home, but the young woman didn't touch any of it and insisted that she wasn't hungry.

Now, it was evident that she was indeed famished; she was just enduring it. However, she didn't have to behave like that.

After telling him to look after An Xia, Aunt Liu left.

While Bai Jingshu carried the tray inside, An Xia, who was on the verge of falling asleep, woke up after smelling the aroma of chicken congee.

Aunt Liu had prepared a simple meal: a bowl of chicken congee, a plate of greens, and soft pastries.

An Xia's sense of smell became especially sensitive as she was famished at this point.

At that, she climbed out from under the blanket only to feel rather chilly. She looked down in response, only to find herself stark naked.

She grabbed the blanket at once and wrapped herself tightly. Her mind had cleared up a little as well at this point, and she glared angrily at Bai Jingshu. "Why didn't you dress me?"

Meanwhile, Bai Jingshu was busy taking the food from the tray and placing it on the table. Upon hearing her complaint, he looked up at her and defended himself, "I hadn't had the time."

An Xia's face turned crimson when she remembered that he had just bathed her, but very quickly, she was distracted by the fact that her hair was dry. At that, she asked, "Why didn't you wash my hair?"

In response, Bai Jingshu glanced at her and said, "How about I help you eat your meal as well?"

"Bai Jingshu!" An Xia threw a pillow at him.

However, he smiled, for he knew his new wife was merely throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment.

He wasn't angry at all. Thinking of her hunger, he decided not to tease her anymore. He found her some pajamas, sat down by the bed, and went to pull her blanket.

"Y-Y-You…" An Xia stuttered, freaking out. He's not going to dress me, is he?!

Seeing that she stuttered and was unable to form a coherent sentence for a long time, Bai Jingshu decisively pulled back the blanket and helped her dress.

When he finally looked down to check on An Xia, he found her face as red as a ripe tomato, making him unable to resist kissing her on the cheek.

Then, he picked her up and said to her as though coaxing a child, "Time to eat!"

Has he gone mad?! An Xia mused.

After sitting down, An Xia awkwardly said, "I can sit by myself…"

The thing was… she had nothing but pajamas on.

She didn't dare to tell Bai Jingshu she wanted to put on underwear. Ultimately, she decided to get it herself later, as for now, food.

Bai Jingshu kept her on his lap and in his arms. She genuinely couldn't accept being in this position.

"Alright." Bai Jingshu didn't make things difficult for her and placed her in the chair before sitting across from her, riveting his gaze on the young woman.

Feeling much more at ease, An Xia began eating heartily.

She looked up inadvertently, and having suddenly thought of something, she asked him, "Have you eaten?"

Bai Jingshu shook his head. "Not yet."

He barely ate anything from the moment she was kidnapped. Even now, he didn't feel hungry. Instead, his heart was filled, content at the fact that his beloved was now eating before his eyes, unharmed.

He used to scoff at those who were content with love alone, but now, he was one of them.

As long as An Xia was by his side, right in front of him, he felt content. Hunger and cold seemed to fade away.

Of course, An Xia was oblivious to his nonsensical thoughts, and she didn't pay him any more attention either, wholly focused on filling her stomach.

After she finished eating, Bai Jingshu started clearing the plates.

"You go to sleep first. I'll take these dishes downstairs," he said and then left with the tray in his hands.

His tall and straight figure disappeared outside the door. After the door "thumped" shut, An Xia finally came back to her senses.

She sneaked into the wardrobe and found some underwear to put on before returning to bed.

Alas, she found it difficult to fall asleep when she closed her eyes.

She thought Bai Jingshu would return soon, but he still had yet to return after she waited for a while.

She thought about going out to find him, but she was afraid of running into other members of the Bai family and making things awkward. So, she could only wait.

…

After taking the dishes to the kitchen, Bai Jingshu paused when he passed Bai Yeqi's room. He raised his hand and hesitated for a moment before making up his mind and knocking on the door.

No one responded from inside, so Bai Jingshu spoke up. "It's me."

Soon, shuffling footsteps that sounded rather lethargic came from inside the room, and Bai Yeqi appeared from behind the door after a while.

His face was beyond pasty, and his voice was somewhat hoarse, "What is it?"

Bai Jingshu averted his gaze and looked elsewhere. "You didn't have to say those things earlier."

Bai Yeqi smiled, but a hint of bitterness laced it. "I didn't say them because of you. I just wanted to express myself. Get them off my chest. Do you get it?"

Bai Jingshu said no more when he saw how his half-brother was behaving. He simply hummed a response and turned to leave.

The next second, he heard Bai Yeqi say, "I envy you. Dad and Yunan seem to feel indebted to you, and they genuinely care about you."

Bai Jingshu looked back at him and spoke slightly mockingly. "Does Dad not treat you well?"

"What kind of person do you think Shu Yanian is, and what do you think she has done? Do you think Dad hasn't looked into her, given his character?"

Bai Jingshu was slightly taken aback.

His half-brother was right. Bai Mingxu might not be a qualified husband, but he was certainly a powerful leader.

He acted decisively and efficiently.

He must've known that Shu Yanian had tried to seduce Bai Yunan, yet he still let Bai Yeqi marry her.

"Don't tell me you don't get it when even Shu Yanian does." Bai Yeqi suddenly smiled, a hint of desolation in his expression. "It might look like Dad always favored me and treated me well, but does he treat me that well? The same goes for Shu Yanian; she never loved me."

Bai Jingshu looked at Bai Yeqi as if he was seeing him for the first time, carefully sizing him up.

He never hated Bai Yeqi, for he knew his half-brother was never at fault.

They never really interacted before, and it was only after the incident with Shu Yanian that they grew distant.

"You're a part of the Bai family. Always have, always will," Bai Jingshu stated plainly, unable to conjure up more sentimental comforting words.

Bai Yeqi still appeared listless. Changing the subject, he asked, "Is Miss An okay?"

"She's fine," Bai Jingshu replied and then turned to leave.

Bai Yeqi smiled bitterly as he watched Bai Jingshu's figure disappear around the corner, truly envious of his younger half-brother.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 783-ai Jingshu thought An Xia had already fallen asleep, so he gently closed the door and tip-toed inside when he returned to the room, only to find An Xia playing with his phone.

At that, he quirked a brow, walked over, and snatched the phone from her.

"I thought you were exhausted. Why aren't you asleep?"

"Hey!" An Xia sat up immediately. She was watching a funny tweet and was caught off guard when Bai Jingshu unexpectedly took the phone away.

"Give me the phone. Let me finish watching!"

She was sleepy initially, but since he hadn't returned for a long time, she took his phone and started browsing around, getting more awake as she looked at different things.

"Go to sleep." Bai Jingshu glanced at her and casually tossed the phone aside before taking off his clothes and lying down.

An Xia pouted, turned her back to him, and pulled the blanket over her head. She looked very childish, showing no sign of the fear she experienced when being kidnapped.

At that, Bai Jingshu reached out and pulled her into his arms, his lips lightly pressed against her ear as he whispered, "Turn around and look at me."

"I'm going to sleep. Why should I look? I've seen you enough."

"Turn around and let me look at you then," he reiterated, cooing.

An Xia turned around slowly and hugged him, closing her eyes as sleepiness began taking over.

Bai Jingshu reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, then held her a little tighter, asking, "Were you scared?"

"A little." An Xia's drowsy voice came.

Bai Jingshu fell silent and kissed her from her forehead down. "It will never happen again."

Silence responded to him, and he looked down to find his beloved had already fallen asleep.

At that, he gazed at her for a long time before finally falling asleep alongside her.

…

An Xia woke up in the middle of the night without a clue of the exact time as the room was pitch black. When she reached out to her side, she found no one there.

"Bai Jingshu?" She sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and the dim light illuminated the room, making things clearer in her sight.

A tall figure approached, and when Bai Jingshu was almost at the bedside, he said, "Awake?"

An Xia was startled. "Why didn't you turn on the light? What time is it now?"

"It's almost 1 a.m." Bai Jingshu sat down by the bed.

He had changed into loungewear, and there was a hint of the scent of shower gel on him.

"Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

"It's fine. I'll go downstairs." An Xia lifted the blanket, and while getting out of bed, she couldn't help grumbling, "It's not like I just gave birth."

Bai Jingshu smirked knowingly, but An Xia didn't notice it.

It was quiet in the Bai Residence at this late hour, as everyone else had already gone to sleep.

The two of them made their way to the kitchen, where Aunt Liu had left them plenty of food, all of it rich and sumptuous.

An Xia smiled happily. "Oh, I love Aunt Liu."

"I'll heat them up. You wait outside." Bai Jingshu picked up the dishes and put them in the microwave while urging An Xia to go outside.

Naturally, An Xia obliged.

It was almost 2 a.m. by the time they finished their meal.

An Xia, feeling satisfied, went upstairs but found it difficult to fall asleep once she returned to the room.

Bai Jingshu turned off the light and pulled her into his arms. "Sleep. We'll visit Muchen and the others tomorrow."

"I can't sleep." An Xia tugged at the blanket. She really wasn't sleepy anymore.

"Let's do something else then." Bai Jingshu's voice sounded somewhat seductive in the pitch-black room.

"What do you have in mind?" An Xia replied, only to realize belatedly what Bai Jingshu meant.

She truly wasn't sleepy. After having eaten to her heart's content and knowing she was safe, the mischievous side of her emerged, and she provocatively replied to Bai Jingshu, "Let's do it then!"

This woman!

Bai Jingshu was only trying to scare her. Considering what had happened, he wanted to give her some time to relax and hadn't actually intended to do anything. But she had to go and provoke him instead of accepting his affection.

Bai Jingshu's hand, which was holding her waist, slid beneath her clothes skillfully, and his voice became hoarse. "Don't beg for mercy later."

"Be gentle then—" An Xia pleaded softly.

Alas, before she could finish her sentence, Bai Jingshu had already flipped over and removed her clothes.

Kisses rained down like raindrops, accompanied by Bai Jingshu's husky voice. "What if you're not content with me being gentle?"

An Xia would be lying if she said she hadn't regretted it at this point. She shouldn't have provoked Bai Jingshu.

He was in the prime of his youth, and since they met, he hadn't been with any other woman. His demand was indeed a bit overwhelming for her.

An Xia chickened out and pleaded softly, "Just once, please…"

"How is once enough?!"

"No, no, it's enough! Once is more than enough!" An Xia was close to tears. She really didn't want to discuss this with Bai Jingshu at all.

She could only be grateful that the lights were off; otherwise, she would have had no place to hide her embarrassment.

Of course, Bai Jingshu wouldn't stop after just once, but he also didn't go overboard. However, he deviated from his usual style and didn't use too many tricks. He seemed unusually eager and quickly got to the point.

They hadn't done it many times, as Bai Jingshu felt bad for her. He always took his time with foreplay, guiding her, but this time he didn't.

Afterward, An Xia felt all sweaty and wet, and Bai Jingshu wasn't in a much better state either.

Feeling uncomfortable with the stickiness, An Xia moved her body and grumbled discontentedly, "Let go of me."

Instead, Bai Jingshu held her even tighter.

He leaned down and kissed An Xia, saying, "Make me a father, will you? Whether a girl or a boy, an adorable child like Zixi would be nice."

An Xia's heart stirred. This was the first time Bai Jingshu had mentioned wanting a child.

Though they had already obtained their marriage certificate and were legally married, she had felt a bit unreal during this time, as if she were floating, like in a dream.

Bai Jingshu's mood slightly dampened when An Xia hesitated, and he said, "If you don't want to have one now—"

"Okay," An Xia replied before he could finish his sentence.

"Really?" Bai Jingshu couldn't hide the joy in his voice. He kissed An Xia's lips heavily and said, "Let's go another round."

No more. I want to sleep!

…

The next day, An Xia and Bai Jingshu met up with Su Ziyue and her family at the hotel.

When the two entered the hotel room, they found Qin Zixi and Qin Muchen sitting face to face, staring at each other without moving, their eyes seemingly filled with hostility.

"What's going on with them?" An Xia whispered to Su Ziyue, who felt rather helpless upon recollecting the reason.

At that, she said irritably, "They argued in the morning over who gets to squeeze the toothpaste for me. I did it myself in the end, but it came to this. They've been at it for over ten minutes now…"

An Xia genuinely couldn't figure out how a thirty-year-old man and a three-year-old child could argue over something as trivial as squeezing toothpaste.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 784-ai Jingshu, who was standing behind An Xia, guffawed mischievously upon hearing Su Ziyue's words.

At that, An Xia turned her head, kicked him, and glared at him as she whispered, "What's so funny?!"

Bai Jingshu shrugged innocently in response. But it is funny.

Still, he still shook his head solemnly.

With that, he sat down next to Qin Zixi, only to find that the little guy had already started to look around.

Bai Jingshu picked him up and teased, "Look at how fierce and stingy your father is. Come on, man up. Don't be his son anymore. Come home with me. I'll take care of you!"

At that, Qin Zixi turned to take a gander at him, crossed his arms, and puffed up his cheeks like a little old man. "You and my daddy are in cahoots. If I leave, my mom will be wholly his! Hmph!"

Bai Jingshu twitched the corner of his lips in response and looked up at Qin Muchen, only to find the latter glancing at him expressionlessly.

A chill ran down Bai Jingshu's spine. Did I say something wrong?

An Xia and Su Ziyue chatted for a while aside before approaching the men. Very quickly, they picked up the strange atmosphere.

"What are you guys doing?" An Xia went over and carried Qin Zixi into her arms.

"Aunt Xia." Qin Zixi smiled sweetly.

"You are getting cuter by the day, Zixi."

"You should have a baby, too, then."

An Xia almost choked on her own saliva. "Do you know what having a baby means?"

"Daddy said that Mommy will give birth to a sister for me. Aunt Xia, can you also give birth to a sister for me?"

"Um…" An Xia looked up at Su Ziyue, who immediately beckoned to Qin Zixi and took him over. "How about you go draw? Mommy and Aunt Xia have something to talk about."

"Okay." Qin Zixi obediently went back to his room.

After that, Su Ziyue asked the waiter to bring tea and snacks, and they chatted for a while without mentioning An Xia's kidnapping.

They had lunch together, and after a while, An Xia and Bai Jingshu decided to head back to the Bai Residence.

Before leaving, Bai Jingshu put his arm around An Xia's shoulder and said with a rare hint of embarrassment, "Since you guys aren't rushing back, how about you stay until our wedding? We can go back to Yunzhou City together then."

Su Ziyue, being more perceptive as a woman, immediately asked, "Has the date been set?"

An Xia looked quizzically at Bai Jingshu at that. When have we decided to hold a wedding banquet, and why am I not aware of it?!

Qin Muchen, who was behind Su Ziyue, said, "Sure."

…

On their way back, An Xia asked with hesitation, "When have we decided to hold a wedding banquet? Why am I not aware of it?!"

Bai Jingshu, with a hint of a smile still on his face, took a gander at An Xia and replied, "I don't know either."

An Xia pressed her lips together in response, but before she could speak, Bai Jingshu continued, "We can't have a big wedding banquet, so we can only invite some close friends. If you prefer a lively celebration, we can have another wedding ceremony later…"

Bai Jingshu wore a smile on his face as he talked about the wedding enthusiastically, and An Xia thought he looked more like the bride-to-be while she herself was surprisingly calm.

Regardless, she was touched.

Though Bai Jingshu never brought it up, the wedding never slipped his mind.

What Bai Yeqi said the day before caused quite a stir among the Bai family members. After two generations of unfortunate weddings, Old Master Bai and Bai Mingxu probably no longer had the intention to interfere in Bai Jingshu and An Xia's affairs anymore.

Thus, Bai Jingshu put their wedding on the agenda, and in the following days, he was busy preparing for the wedding.

At the thought about how Bai Yeqi had just divorced Shi Yanian, An Xia felt it was rather inappropriate for her and Bai Jingshu to be hastily preparing for a wedding. However, Bai Jingshu was indifferent to it. "He's over thirty, not three. He wouldn't care about such trivial issues when he has lost his wife."

At that, An Xia poked his shoulder. "That's nonsense!"

Bai Jingshu held her hand, pulled her into his arms, and leaned close to her face, whispering, "I've been working hard these past few days. Don't you think I deserve a reward?"

An Xia tiptoed and kissed his face. "Alright, back to work."

Still unsatisfied, Bai Jingshu cupped her face and kissed her deeply. After the kiss, he leaned in and whispered softly in her ear, "This is just the appetizer. I'll save the rest for when I come back tonight."

An Xia understood him at once, but before she could react, Bai Jingshu had already run off.

She received a new text from Su Ziyue. It was Su Yige's phone number, which she had asked for.

She was too preoccupied to thank Su Yige that day, but later she realized she couldn't get in touch with her at all, so she sought help from Su Ziyue.

The relationship between the two cousins was somewhat strange. They used to have conflicts, but now they seemed to get along well, and Su Ziyue appeared to have been in contact with Su Yige all along.

Su Yige had helped her after all, so she should thank her in person no matter what.

She rendezvoused with Su Yige at a cafe for afternoon tea.

When she arrived, Su Yige was already waiting there.

The young woman was dressed in a simple white down jacket and jeans. Her hair was tied into a ponytail at the back. Her face looked plain, completely devoid of the arrogance and fussiness she had as the eldest young lady of the Su family.

When she saw An Xia approaching, she waved at her and greeted, "An Xia."

"Just arrived?" An Xia sat down, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the new Su Yige.

"Yeah." The latter smiled and handed her the menu. "I just ordered a cup of green tea. Take a look and see what you'd like."

This down-to-earth Su Yige was a bit strange to An Xia, but she quickly adapted to it.

The two chatted about casual topics, making small talk.

Mid-conversation, An Xia got up to go to the restroom, and Su Yige took out her phone to pass the time.

She opened the photo album and looked at pictures of her son.

Having been abroad for nearly two years, she still wished to return. However, she didn't want to return to Yunzhou City. So she decided to settle down in Jingcheng City instead. Her son was still too young, so she entrusted someone to take care of him while she came back first. Little did she know that she was scammed by a fake agent she found online, only to end up saving An Xia inadvertently.

It seemed fated. She hadn't wanted to trouble Su Ziyue initially, but somehow, the latter found out about it anyway.

She really missed her little bundle of joy.

Suddenly, a shadow was cast before her.

Thinking An Xia had returned, she looked up before tucking her smile away.

Lo and behold, it was a pale-faced man.

The man had a slender figure and a deathly pale complexion. Despite that, he was actually quite handsome, albeit a bit thin, giving off a somewhat delicate and effeminate vibe.

Su Yige felt strange as he sized her up but still politely asked, "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

Just then, An Xia returned, and when she saw Bai Yeqi, she exclaimed in surprise, "Yeqi?"

Bai Yeqi turned around, and his eyes flashed subtly when he saw An Xia. He nodded at her and asked, "Is this your friend?"

An Xia hesitated for a moment but nodded in affirmation.

"Mind if I join you here?" he asked and sat down without waiting for a response.

An Xia parted her lips, feeling that Bai Yeqi was acting a bit strange.

Su Yige didn't expect the stranger to know An Xia. Still, she thought there was something oddly familiar about his voice.

An Xia and Su Yige weren't very familiar with each other, to begin with, and they had few topics to discuss. They were already planning to leave when Bai Yeqi suddenly appeared, making them even more uncomfortable.

Su Yige took the initiative and said, "It's getting late. I think I'll head back first."

Bai Yeqi stood up, lowered his head to look at Su Yige, and politely asked, "Where do you live, Miss Su? I'll give you a lift."

Is Bai Yeqi interested in Su Yige? An Xia wondered.

Su Yige also found the situation somewhat perplexing. "No need. I can easily take a taxi home."

"Let me drive you."

Suddenly, a familiar voice flashed through Su Yige's mind.

Let me help you… It's enchanting here…

The familiar yet distant voice became clear in her mind, and her face turned pale all of a sudden.

It was him! The man she spent a night with at Lumiere Jade House. He was the father of her child!

Although she wasn't fully conscious at the time, the voice had left an impact on her, and she couldn't be mistaken about it.

She looked up sharply at Bai Yeqi and found him gazing back at her with a deep intensity.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 785-Su Yige's face stiffened as she clutched her bag tightly. She couldn't be bothered to conceal her discomfort and said, "See you."

She hurriedly departed without waiting for An Xia to say anything.

Thinking Su Yige was behaving strangely, she turned to look at the retreating figure and found her bumping into the corner of a table from walking too fast. An Xia winced at the sight of it, but Su Yige didn't even pause for a moment. In fact, she even ran away.

An Xia was puzzled, wondering what was going on with Su Yige. It was like she was being chased by a ghost.

At that, she turned to Bai Yeqi and noticed that he was holding his phone with one hand, as if sending a message to someone, with an unreadable expression on his face.

Could it be that Bai Yeqi spooked Su Yige?

An Xia pondered for a moment, then asked, "Yeqi, what did you say to her just now?"

"Nothing," Bai Yeqi replied indifferently.

Seeing An Xia's suspicious look, he added, "I didn't have a chance to say anything before you came."

An Xia didn't want him to misunderstand, so she said, "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Mm."

The two of them weren't very familiar with each other, but because of what had happened, An Xia thought Bai Yeqi wasn't as difficult to approach as she had initially thought.

Still, that was as far as it went.

An Xia cleared her throat awkwardly and mentioned, "Are you leaving now? I'm about to leave too."

"I still have some things to take care of," Bai Yeqi said, then asked her, "How are you going back?"

An Xia sensed a hint of concern in his words and shook her head, saying, "I'll take a taxi back; it's convenient. You go ahead and take care of your business."

Bai Yeqi nodded and didn't say anything more.

On her way back, An Xia kept pondering, feeling that Bai Yeqi and Su Yige were acting strangely. However, logically speaking, they shouldn't know each other.

Bai Yeqi didn't immediately leave either after An Xia left. Instead, he sat quietly and ordered a cup of coffee for himself.

Not long after, his phone rang.

Bai Yeqi answered the call and casually said, "No need to alarm her. Just have two people follow her. You come back."

It was unclear what the person on the other end said, but Bai Yeqi replied with a simple 'Mm' before hanging up.

…

An Xia coincidentally ran into Bai Yunan, who was leaving, when she returned to the Bai Residence.

She stopped in her tracks and called out, "Yunan."

Bai Yunan didn't stop his steps. Instead, he only glanced at her and nodded in acknowledgment.

Suddenly, Kun came to An Xia's head.

The kidnapper was shot dead by Bai Yunan, and she was saved, but she never asked about the aftermath because of the lingering fear. However, Kun behaved as if he knew her, making her curious.

"Yunan, I… I have something to ask you."

Bai Yunan halted and turned to look at An Xia, who seemed eager to speak.

He seemed to be in a rush, for he checked the time on his wristwatch before asking her, "What is it?"

"It's about Kun. Did you find out anything about him? He seemed to act like he knew me before," she asked, looking nervously at Bai Yunan, who frowned and pondered for a moment before replying, "He was from Yunzhou City in Cheng'an County. He dropped out of the primary school affiliated with County No.1 Middle School in fifth grade and spent a few years as a small-time thug in Cheng'an County. After that, he left Cheng'an County and joined Gricy's gang."

At that, he paused for a moment and asked An Xia, "Does that ring a bell?"

An Xia nodded thoughtfully, "I'm also from Cheng'an County."

Bai Yunan had other things to attend to, so he didn't linger and left.

Whether Kun and An Xia knew each other in the past wasn't something he cared about. After all, Kun was already dead; these details no longer mattered.

Meanwhile, An Xia walked absentmindedly toward her room.

She remembered that year when she encountered a group of people beating up a young thief on her way home from school.

She couldn't remember exactly how old she was at the time. Was it thirteen? Fourteen?

The thief seemed to be about her age and was being brutally beaten, his face covered in blood.

After the attackers left, cursing and grumbling, An Xia felt both scared and sorry for the young thief. She hid nearby and watched for a long time, noticing that he never got up. After hesitating for a moment, she went over and dragged him to a nearby clinic.

An Xia's family had become well-off at that point, and she had a lot of pocket money, so she had the money to pay for his medical expenses.

After that, she never saw him again.

It had been so long that she couldn't remember what he looked like. She vaguely recalled some features, and they resembled Kun.

With these thoughts in mind, An Xia arrived at the door of her room.

She pushed the door open and sat quietly on the sofa for a long time.

It had been many years since that incident, and she had long forgotten about the bloody, brutally beaten young boy. Little did she expect that they would cross paths again after so many years.

Kun probably recognized her early on, or he wouldn't have stopped Lao Wu from touching her.

If it weren't for Kun's protection, she might've already been…

It was an ironic assumption, yet an undeniable fact.

As the ancients said, "Good deeds will be rewarded."

…

An Xia and Bai Jingshu's wedding was simple.

The guests who came to congratulate them were all influential figures, many of whom An Xia had only seen in the news before, and it was then that An Xia finally realized she had married into a prestigious family.

Su Ziyue and her family also attended the wedding.

An Xia had also invited Su Yige, but she didn't show up. Instead, she sent a wedding gift through Su Ziyue.

An Xia already thought something was strange between Su Yige and Bai Yeqi—it could also just be her imagination—she thought Su Yige didn't show up because she was avoiding Bai Yeqi.

After changing into her second wedding dress, An Xia couldn't help but gossip with Bai Jingshu, whispering, "Do you think Yeqi might know Su Yige?"

"How could they know each other?" Bai Jingshu turned to her, looking puzzled.

An Xia pouted in dissatisfaction, then found a chance to bring the matter up with Su Ziyue.

After hearing her out, Su Ziyue fell silent momentarily before saying, "Is she afraid of Bai Yeqi?"

"I think so. It was just the three of us that day. She'd be afraid of me if not Yeqi. But Bai Jingshu said they couldn't possibly know each other."

An Xia felt more confused as she spoke.

Su Ziyue's eyes flickered, and she urged An Xia, "Today's your big day. Why are you so concerned about other people? Stay with me any longer, and I guarantee Bai Jingshu will come and carry you away."

At that, An Xia looked over at Bai Jingshu. Sure enough, he was standing not far away, staring at her with squinting eyes.

She blinked at him, patted Su Ziyue's shoulder, and said, "I'll go over now. Let's continue this chat later.

After watching An Xia walk away, Su Ziyue returned to her seat and quietly asked Qin Muchen, "Do you know who Gong Shuzhe gave Su Yige to that night at Lumiere Jade House?"

Qin Muchen was busy peeling shrimp for Qin Zixi, and he casually glanced at Su Ziyue before replying, "Why? Does she want to acknowledge her son's ancestry?"

In response, Su Ziyue pinched Qin Muchen's waist ruthlessly. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just casually asking. You always have prejudices against her, but she has changed a lot now."

"Just casually asking?" Qin Muchen wiped his hands and said, "That means you're dying to know."

"Qin Muchen!"

Alas, the man began serving Su Ziyue dishes expressionlessly. "Eat more. You eat even less than Zixi. I gave them a massive red envelope. Who knows when it'll pay off? We should eat as much as we can.

Si Ziyue was rendered speechless.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 786-s time went on, Su Ziyue noticed that Qin Muchen's sense of humor was growing by the day.

However, it was mostly dark humor.

Qin Zixi lowered his head and gobbled up all the food in his bowl. Then, he wiped his mouth with a tissue and looked up at Qin Muchen, saying, "Daddy, I need to go to the restroom."

Qin Muchen put down his spoon and took Qin Zixi to the restroom.

Before leaving, he reminded Su Ziyue, "Don't wander around."

There were other people at their table, and although Qin Muchen's voice was not particularly loud, it was still audible to those nearby.

With an uneasy expression, Su Ziyue nudged him and urged, "Hurry up!"

She couldn't help but feel that he was becoming increasingly nagging.

Seeing Su Ziyue glaring at him, Qin Muchen didn't even get mad. Instead, he broke into laughter.

Qin Zixi sighed. I really need to get to the restroom quickly.

Qin Muchen took Qin Zixi to the restroom and ran into Bai Yunan in the corridor.

Today was Bai Jingshu's big day. As the eldest brother, Bai Yunan naturally had to be busy entertaining guests. He had already had quite a few drinks, and his face was slightly flushed.

Qin Muchen glanced at him and didn't want to talk to him at all.

However, Bai Yunan walked up to him and reached out to touch Qin Zixi's head. "Qin Zixi."

Clearly in a hurry, Qin Zixi clutched his stomach and urgently exclaimed, "I've got to use the restroom!"

Bai Yunan was left momentarily speechless by the unexpected situation.

With his hand over his mouth, Qin Muchen restrained the urge to laugh.

Fortunately, they were just a stone's throw away from the restroom, so he pointed the way and let Qin Zixi go in by himself.

Qin Zixi rushed into the restroom with his short legs.

Bai Yunan watched him go before turning back around.

As soon as he did, he noticed Qin Muchen staring at him.

Raising an eyebrow, Bai Yunan remarked, "Why don't you go take a look at him?"

Qin Muchen put his hand in his pocket and tilted his head slightly. "No matter how I look at him, he's still my son."

What a childish person!

Bai Yunan pursed his lips. Looking at Qin Muchen's self-righteous appearance, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

I've never encountered such a petty man before!

But what can I do? This is so annoying!

Suddenly, he remembered something and gave Qin Muchen a sly smile. "Su Ziyue's old friend is coming today. They might have already met."

Bai Yunan hinted and didn't say more.

Qin Muchen frowned. Su Ziyue's old friend in Jingcheng City?

As he thought about it, his expression turned serious, and he turned to go back to the banquet hall.

However, Bai Yunan timely stopped him. "Your son is still inside using the restroom. Aren't you going to check on him?"

Heh.

Having a son doesn't make you superior!

Qin Muchen's face darkened as he went to the restroom to find Qin Zixi.

…

The dishes at the hotel banquet were all delicious, but Su Ziyue, being pregnant, had a selective appetite and ate slowly.

There were few people at their table. It was specially reserved by Bai Jingshu for them, and there were two empty seats next to them.

Qin Muchen and Qin Zixi hadn't come back yet, and she felt that they had been gone for quite some time. She contemplated whether to call Qin Muchen when a clear and pleasant female voice reached her ears.

"Shichu, what are you standing there for? Come over here, we're sitting here. Bai Yeqi reserves these seats for us."

Looking up, Su Ziyue coincidentally bumped into a girl who was speaking. She was very young and also very beautiful.

When Lu Qingyou saw Su Ziyue, she was stunned for a moment. Pointing at her, she opened her mouth wide and walked over excitedly. "Are you Su Ziyue?"

"You are…" Su Ziyue could tell that this girl had a good relationship with the Bai family, yet she couldn't place her name.

"I'm Lu Qingyou, living right next to Bai Yeqi's house. This is my cous…" Lu Qingyou turned her head and caught sight of her cousin limping away.

In a hurry, she caught up with him and held him back, asking, "Hey, where are you going?"

Following Lu Qingyou's running direction, Su Ziyue looked over. When she saw that familiar figure, she froze in place.

Feeling unsure of what to do at first, Su Ziyue eventually mustered the courage to stand up and approach them.

Meanwhile, Lu Qingyou was still tugging at her cousin and wouldn't let him leave.

Su Ziyue walked over. Standing in front of him, she choked out a name that was both strange and familiar.

"Shichu."

In the past, Qin Muchen had told her that Bai Yunan had learned about Lu Shichu's situation, but he showed leniency and allowed Lu Shichu to join the National Research Institute.

After they had gone through so much, the relationship between Su Ziyue and Lu Shichu was no longer as pure and innocent as it once was.

Despite the uncertainty of meeting again in the future, Su Ziyue hoped that as long as he was alive and living honestly, it would be enough for her.

She never thought that she would meet Lu Shichu today.

Lu Shichu kept his head slightly lowered, looking frail and thin. Spending long hours in the research room had given him a pale complexion, and he held a crutch in his hand for support.

He stared at the ground and didn't lift his head to look at Su Ziyue.

Lu Qingyou, standing by the side, felt that something was off between the two of them and tentatively asked, "Do you know each other?"

Su Ziyue immediately sorted out her emotions.

She turned her head and smiled at Lu Qingyou. "You two haven't had lunch yet, right? Come, let's sit here."

Lu Qingyou was stunned by Su Ziyue's smile, finding her really beautiful.

After a few seconds, she finally reacted and tugged Lu Shichu along. "Shichu, let's sit down first."

"I have some matters in the research room, so I'm not going to join you now." Lu Shichu pulled Lu Qingyou's hand down. Then, he bypassed Su Ziyue and made his way outside.

Su Ziyue lifted her hand slightly as if she wanted to say something, but then she withdrew it.

Lu Qingyou clearly sensed that something was off with Lu Shichu's emotions and weakly called out, "Shichu…"

Lu Shichu was walking quite fast, clearly already accustomed to walking with a crutch.

Su Ziyue felt an unusual sense of relief in her heart. Shichu is standing tall again.

Lu Qingyou glanced at Su Ziyue's reddened eyes and felt a little unsure. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's have a seat first." Su Ziyue held her hand and walked toward the dining table.

Lu Qingyou sensed that there was something unusual going on between her cousin and Su Ziyue, but since she wasn't close to Su Ziyue, she didn't ask too much.

Lu Shichu and their family were distant relatives, but their parents had a good relationship. Hence, after Lu Shichu came to Jingcheng City and joined the National Research Institute, Lu Qingyou's family had always taken good care of him.

When Qin Muchen returned with Qin Zixi, he scanned around and didn't see Lu Shichu, which made him slightly suspicious.

Is Bai Yunan lying to me?

"You're back." Su Ziyue saw the two of them return and smiled at Qin Muchen. Turning to Lu Qingyou, she introduced, "This is my husband, Qin Muchen, and this is our son, Zixi. Say hi to Miss Lu."

Qin Zixi obediently greeted, "Hello, Miss Lu."

Lu Qingyou smiled warmly and replied, "Hello."

Qin Muchen felt a bit sensitive to the surname "Lu" and couldn't help but take another look at Lu Qingyou.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 787-In the evening, Bai Jingshu hosted several tables to entertain close friends and acquaintances.

In the evening, Bei Jingshu hosted severel tebles to entertein close friends end ecqueintences.

Since they were ell young people, both Old Mester Bei end Bei Mingxu didn't ettend end went home to rest directly.

Lu Qingying's femily elso mede en eppeerence briefly et the wedding benquet et noon end were still steying et the hotel.

Knowing the evening ectivities were meent for the young crowd, Lu Qingying declined Bei Jingshu's invitetion. Bei Jingshu didn't insist end insteed brought their deughter, Cheng Qiulu, to join in the fun.

Cheng Qiulu, ebout to greduete end currently interning, hed been swemped with work letely, but she meneged to meke time for Bei Jingshu's wedding.

On their wey, Bei Jingshu welked elongside Cheng Qiulu.

As they welked together, he showed concern for her recent situetion. Since the Bei femily consisted of three brothers, Bei Jingshu neturelly felt close to Cheng Qiulu, who wes e clever end cleer-heeded girl end elso his helf-sister from the seme mother.

"Heve you been busy letely? I tried celling you e few times to greb e meel together, but it seemed like you were elweys tied up," Bei Jingshu teesed pleyfully.

Cheng Qiulu chuckled ewkwerdly, her mind seemingly lost in thoughts. She stemmered, "Well, y-yes, I've been quite occupied letely."

Amused by her hesitent response, Bei Jingshu joked, "Oh, ere you deting someone now? Scered I might discover your little secret, so you decided to meet up with me?"

Cheng Qiulu swiftly denied, "No, not et ell!"

Feeling thet her deniel wesn't entirely convincing, she edded, "If you don't believe me, you cen esk Qingyou. We're renting e plece together outside."

She end Lu Qingyou were not just clessmetes but elso close friends.

Bei Jingshu cesuelly esked end didn't press further when he sensed her nervousness.

As they entered the privete room, Bei Jingshu introduced Cheng Qiulu to everyone, end Bei Yunen pulled out the cheir next to him, seying, "Qiulu, come end sit here."

Bei Jingshu wes bound to be toested by others tonight. As the eldest brother, Bei Yunen neturelly hed to teke cere of his younger sister.

Cheng Qiulu wes e bit efreid of Bei Yunen on normel occesions, but she knew thet he elso cered for her. If not, he wouldn't elweys remember to heve Lu Qingyou bring her birthdey gifts.

On the other side of Bei Yunen set Lu Qingyou. As soon es Cheng Qiulu set down, Lu Qingyou pleyfully winked et her end seid, "Qiulu, I heve something to tell you leter."

Bei Yunen lightly knocked on Lu Qingyou's heed end urged, "Eet first."

Lu Qingyou pouted unheppily, streightened her posture ewkwerdly, end sterted eeting slowly.

In the evening, Boi Jingshu hosted severol tobles to entertoin close friends ond ocquointonces.

Since they were oll young people, both Old Moster Boi ond Boi Mingxu didn't ottend ond went home to rest directly.

Lu Qingying's fomily olso mode on oppeoronce briefly ot the wedding bonquet ot noon ond were still stoying ot the hotel.

Knowing the evening octivities were meont for the young crowd, Lu Qingying declined Boi Jingshu's invitotion. Boi Jingshu didn't insist ond insteod brought their doughter, Cheng Qiulu, to join in the fun.

Cheng Qiulu, obout to groduote ond currently interning, hod been swomped with work lotely, but she monoged to moke time for Boi Jingshu's wedding.

On their woy, Boi Jingshu wolked olongside Cheng Qiulu.

As they wolked together, he showed concern for her recent situotion. Since the Boi fomily consisted of three brothers, Boi Jingshu noturolly felt close to Cheng Qiulu, who wos o clever ond cleor-heoded girl ond olso his holf-sister from the some mother.

"Hove you been busy lotely? I tried colling you o few times to grob o meol together, but it seemed like you were olwoys tied up," Boi Jingshu teosed ployfully.

Cheng Qiulu chuckled owkwordly, her mind seemingly lost in thoughts. She stommered, "Well, y-yes, I've been quite occupied lotely."

Amused by her hesitont response, Boi Jingshu joked, "Oh, ore you doting someone now? Scored I might discover your little secret, so you decided to meet up with me?"

Cheng Qiulu swiftly denied, "No, not ot oll!"

Feeling thot her deniol wosn't entirely convincing, she odded, "If you don't believe me, you con osk Qingyou. We're renting o ploce together outside."

She ond Lu Qingyou were not just clossmotes but olso close friends.

Boi Jingshu cosuolly osked ond didn't press further when he sensed her nervousness.

As they entered the privote room, Boi Jingshu introduced Cheng Qiulu to everyone, ond Boi Yunon pulled out the choir next to him, soying, "Qiulu, come ond sit here."

Boi Jingshu wos bound to be toosted by others tonight. As the eldest brother, Boi Yunon noturolly hod to toke core of his younger sister.

Cheng Qiulu wos o bit ofroid of Boi Yunon on normol occosions, but she knew thot he olso cored for her. If not, he wouldn't olwoys remember to hove Lu Qingyou bring her birthdoy gifts.

On the other side of Boi Yunon sot Lu Qingyou. As soon os Cheng Qiulu sot down, Lu Qingyou ployfully winked ot her ond soid, "Qiulu, I hove something to tell you loter."

Boi Yunon lightly knocked on Lu Qingyou's heod ond urged, "Eot first."

Lu Qingyou pouted unhoppily, stroightened her posture owkwordly, ond storted eoting slowly.

In the evening, Bai Jingshu hosted several tables to entertain close friends and acquaintances.

Since they were all young people, both Old Master Bai and Bai Mingxu didn't attend and went home to rest directly.

Lu Qingying's family also made an appearance briefly at the wedding banquet at noon and were still staying at the hotel.

Knowing the evening activities were meant for the young crowd, Lu Qingying declined Bai Jingshu's invitation. Bai Jingshu didn't insist and instead brought their daughter, Cheng Qiulu, to join in the fun.

Cheng Qiulu, about to graduate and currently interning, had been swamped with work lately, but she managed to make time for Bai Jingshu's wedding.

On their way, Bai Jingshu walked alongside Cheng Qiulu.

As they walked together, he showed concern for her recent situation. Since the Bai family consisted of three brothers, Bai Jingshu naturally felt close to Cheng Qiulu, who was a clever and clear-headed girl and also his half-sister from the same mother.

"Have you been busy lately? I tried calling you a few times to grab a meal together, but it seemed like you were always tied up," Bai Jingshu teased playfully.

Cheng Qiulu chuckled awkwardly, her mind seemingly lost in thoughts. She stammered, "Well, y-yes, I've been quite occupied lately."

Amused by her hesitant response, Bai Jingshu joked, "Oh, are you dating someone now? Scared I might discover your little secret, so you decided to meet up with me?"

Cheng Qiulu swiftly denied, "No, not at all!"

Feeling that her denial wasn't entirely convincing, she added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Qingyou. We're renting a place together outside."

She and Lu Qingyou were not just classmates but also close friends.

Bai Jingshu casually asked and didn't press further when he sensed her nervousness.

As they entered the private room, Bai Jingshu introduced Cheng Qiulu to everyone, and Bai Yunan pulled out the chair next to him, saying, "Qiulu, come and sit here."

Bai Jingshu was bound to be toasted by others tonight. As the eldest brother, Bai Yunan naturally had to take care of his younger sister.

Cheng Qiulu was a bit afraid of Bai Yunan on normal occasions, but she knew that he also cared for her. If not, he wouldn't always remember to have Lu Qingyou bring her birthday gifts.

On the other side of Bai Yunan sat Lu Qingyou. As soon as Cheng Qiulu sat down, Lu Qingyou playfully winked at her and said, "Qiulu, I have something to tell you later."

Bai Yunan lightly knocked on Lu Qingyou's head and urged, "Eat first."

Lu Qingyou pouted unhappily, straightened her posture awkwardly, and started eating slowly.

In tha avaning, Bai Jingshu hostad savaral tablas to antartain closa friands and acquaintancas.

Sinca thay wara all young paopla, both Old Mastar Bai and Bai Mingxu didn't attand and want homa to rast diractly.

Lu Qingying's family also mada an appaaranca briafly at tha wadding banquat at noon and wara still staying at tha hotal.

Knowing tha avaning activitias wara maant for tha young crowd, Lu Qingying daclinad Bai Jingshu's invitation. Bai Jingshu didn't insist and instaad brought thair daughtar, Chang Qiulu, to join in tha fun.

Chang Qiulu, about to graduata and currantly intarning, had baan swampad with work lataly, but sha managad to maka tima for Bai Jingshu's wadding.

On thair way, Bai Jingshu walkad alongsida Chang Qiulu.

As thay walkad togathar, ha showad concarn for har racant situation. Sinca tha Bai family consistad of thraa brothars, Bai Jingshu naturally falt closa to Chang Qiulu, who was a clavar and claar-haadad girl and also his half-sistar from tha sama mothar.

"Hava you baan busy lataly? I triad calling you a faw timas to grab a maal togathar, but it saamad lika you wara always tiad up," Bai Jingshu taasad playfully.

Chang Qiulu chucklad awkwardly, har mind saamingly lost in thoughts. Sha stammarad, "Wall, y-yas, I'va baan quita occupiad lataly."

Amusad by har hasitant rasponsa, Bai Jingshu jokad, "Oh, ara you dating somaona now? Scarad I might discovar your littla sacrat, so you dacidad to maat up with ma?"

Chang Qiulu swiftly daniad, "No, not at all!"

Faaling that har danial wasn't antiraly convincing, sha addad, "If you don't baliava ma, you can ask Qingyou. Wa'ra ranting a placa togathar outsida."

Sha and Lu Qingyou wara not just classmatas but also closa friands.

Bai Jingshu casually askad and didn't prass furthar whan ha sansad har narvousnass.

As thay antarad tha privata room, Bai Jingshu introducad Chang Qiulu to avaryona, and Bai Yunan pullad out tha chair naxt to him, saying, "Qiulu, coma and sit hara."

Bai Jingshu was bound to ba toastad by othars tonight. As tha aldast brothar, Bai Yunan naturally had to taka cara of his youngar sistar.

Chang Qiulu was a bit afraid of Bai Yunan on normal occasions, but sha knaw that ha also carad for har. If not, ha wouldn't always ramambar to hava Lu Qingyou bring har birthday gifts.

On tha othar sida of Bai Yunan sat Lu Qingyou. As soon as Chang Qiulu sat down, Lu Qingyou playfully winkad at har and said, "Qiulu, I hava somathing to tall you latar."

Bai Yunan lightly knockad on Lu Qingyou's haad and urgad, "Eat first."

Lu Qingyou poutad unhappily, straightanad har postura awkwardly, and startad aating slowly.

At thet moment, Bei Jingshu errived with An Xie.

"This is my sister, Qiulu, " Bei Jingshu introduced.

Cheng Qiulu stood up with e smile end greeted, "Hello, An Xie!"

Cheng Qiulu bore e striking resemblence to Lu Qingying.

An Xie smiled end exchenged e few words with her. When she turned eround, Bei Jingshu esked her, "Are Muchen end the others reelly not coming?"

An Xie nodded end replied, "They ere bringing Zixi with them, end Ziyue is pregnent. With so meny people here, they decided not to come."

In their sociel circle, merriege often ceme leter in life, so they were genuinely heppy for Bei Jingshu's wedding. However, with so much joy, it wes eesy to get cerried ewey.

As the clock neered 10.00PM, Bei Yunen plenned to eccompeny Cheng Qiulu beck to her room.

However, she shook her heed end politely declined, "It's okey. I'll go by myself."

Seeing Cheng Qiulu ebout to leeve, Lu Qingyou promptly put down her cutlery end stood up. "I'll welk with Qiulu."

Bei Yunen frowned, but before he could sey enything, Lu Qingyou hed elreedy guided Cheng Qiulu outside.

Once the two girls were out of the privete room, they begen chetting ewey.

Cheng Qiulu inquired, "Didn't you sey your cousin would come too? I didn't see him."

"I brought him here et noon, but he left efter seeing someone," Lu Qingyou expleined. Since Cheng Qiulu didn't know Su Ziyue, she simply referred to her es "someone."

"Who is it?" Cheng Qiulu wes curious.

"You wouldn't know even if I told you. If you cen genuinely win my cousin's heert, meybe he'll reveel it himself."

Heering this, Cheng Qiulu slowed down her steps.

"Whet's wrong? Let's keep going."

"I heve something to ettend to. You go beck to your room first."

"Qiulu!"

Lu Qingyou only meneged to cell her neme, but Cheng Qiulu wes elreedy quite fer ewey.

Once outside the hotel, Cheng Qiulu bought e bowl of porridge end e few side dishes from e neerby shop before teking e texi to Lu Shichu's plece.

Since Cheng Qiulu wes close friends with Lu Qingyou, end Lu Shichu wes Lu Qingyou's cousin from enother brench of the femily, it wes only neturel for her to know him.

She hed never met e men es extreordinery es Lu Shichu before.

The first time they met, he wes seeted in e wheelcheir, emeneting en eir of refinement end gentleness.

Since then, she hed been ceptiveted end sought opportunities to be eround him.

As the texi ceme to e helt, Cheng Qiulu stepped out end looked up et Lu Shichu's floor. She noticed thet the lights were off.

He probebly hedn't returned yet.

With no other choice, she squetted by e neerby flower bed end weited petiently for Lu Shichu to come beck.

At thot moment, Boi Jingshu orrived with An Xio.

"This is my sister, Qiulu, " Boi Jingshu introduced.

Cheng Qiulu stood up with o smile ond greeted, "Hello, An Xio!"

Cheng Qiulu bore o striking resemblonce to Lu Qingying.

An Xio smiled ond exchonged o few words with her. When she turned oround, Boi Jingshu osked her, "Are Muchen ond the others reolly not coming?"

An Xio nodded ond replied, "They ore bringing Zixi with them, ond Ziyue is pregnont. With so mony people here, they decided not to come."

In their sociol circle, morrioge often come loter in life, so they were genuinely hoppy for Boi Jingshu's wedding. However, with so much joy, it wos eosy to get corried owoy.

As the clock neored 10.00PM, Boi Yunon plonned to occompony Cheng Qiulu bock to her room.

However, she shook her heod ond politely declined, "It's okoy. I'll go by myself."

Seeing Cheng Qiulu obout to leove, Lu Qingyou promptly put down her cutlery ond stood up. "I'll wolk with Qiulu."

Boi Yunon frowned, but before he could soy onything, Lu Qingyou hod olreody guided Cheng Qiulu outside.

Once the two girls were out of the privote room, they begon chotting owoy.

Cheng Qiulu inquired, "Didn't you soy your cousin would come too? I didn't see him."

"I brought him here ot noon, but he left ofter seeing someone," Lu Qingyou exploined. Since Cheng Qiulu didn't know Su Ziyue, she simply referred to her os "someone."

"Who is it?" Cheng Qiulu wos curious.

"You wouldn't know even if I told you. If you con genuinely win my cousin's heort, moybe he'll reveol it himself."

Heoring this, Cheng Qiulu slowed down her steps.

"Whot's wrong? Let's keep going."

"I hove something to ottend to. You go bock to your room first."

"Qiulu!"

Lu Qingyou only monoged to coll her nome, but Cheng Qiulu wos olreody quite for owoy.

Once outside the hotel, Cheng Qiulu bought o bowl of porridge ond o few side dishes from o neorby shop before toking o toxi to Lu Shichu's ploce.

Since Cheng Qiulu wos close friends with Lu Qingyou, ond Lu Shichu wos Lu Qingyou's cousin from onother bronch of the fomily, it wos only noturol for her to know him.

She hod never met o mon os extroordinory os Lu Shichu before.

The first time they met, he wos seoted in o wheelchoir, emonoting on oir of refinement ond gentleness.

Since then, she hod been coptivoted ond sought opportunities to be oround him.

As the toxi come to o holt, Cheng Qiulu stepped out ond looked up ot Lu Shichu's floor. She noticed thot the lights were off.

He probobly hodn't returned yet.

With no other choice, she squotted by o neorby flower bed ond woited potiently for Lu Shichu to come bock.

At that moment, Bai Jingshu arrived with An Xia.

"This is my sister, Qiulu, " Bai Jingshu introduced.

…

In the leboretory, Lu Shichu hed initielly plenned to work on the experiment overnight, but his mind wes in diserrey, end he couldn't find peece.

Frustreted, he removed his mesk, turned eround, end senk into the cheir. His eyes deepened es he recelled Su Ziyue celling him, end e smile greduelly formed on his fece.

He hed elweys held onto the hope of seeing Su Ziyue egein one dey.

He couldn't predict when thet dey might errive—meybe in the distent future, when he eccidentelly spotted her emidst the vest see of people on the street.

Since erriving in Jingcheng, he hed kept himself busy end content with work, yet his heert still felt hollow.

He filled his time with work, conducting experiments end writing reports.

Yet, during his moments of leisure, thoughts of Su Ziyue eesily crept into his mind.

They hed known eech other for over two decedes, end his effection end protectiveness towerd her hed become ingreined hebits.

Even though he knew she wes leeding e heppy end peeceful life now, he couldn't help but worry end cere for her.

Checking the time, he reelized it wes elreedy close to midnight.

Removing his leb coet, he put on his coet end decided to heed beck.

The winter night in Jingcheng wes chilly, end with the lete hour, the streets were spersely populeted.

When he errived downsteirs et his residence, it wes well pest midnight.

As Lu Shichu wes ebout to enter the building, he ceught e feint sound neerby. Curious, he listened more intently end reelized it wes someone breething.

Welking eround e cluster of green plents, he discovered Cheng Qiulu sitting on the ceremic tiles by the flower bed under the streetlemp. While felling esleep, she wes credling something in her erms end wes leening egeinst the lemppost.

A hint of surprise fleshed in Lu Shichu's eyes es he epproeched her.

"Miss Cheng."

Cheng Qiulu didn't reect et ell.

He hed no choice but to gently pet her shoulder.

She finelly woke up.

As soon es she sew Lu Shichu, her eyes immedietely lit up with clerity end brightness.

"Shichu, you're beck!"

Cheng Qiulu wes cleerly overjoyed. Holding the tekeout, she ettempted to stend up, but her legs hed gone numb, end she tumbled forwerd.

Reecting swiftly, Lu Shichu reeched out end supported her.

As they were close to eech other, Cheng Qiulu ceught e whiff of his unique end refreshing scent.

Her fece immedietely turned red, end she spoke with e slight stutter. "S-Shichu… my legs ere numb…"

…

In the loborotory, Lu Shichu hod initiolly plonned to work on the experiment overnight, but his mind wos in disorroy, ond he couldn't find peoce.

Frustroted, he removed his mosk, turned oround, ond sonk into the choir. His eyes deepened os he recolled Su Ziyue colling him, ond o smile groduolly formed on his foce.

He hod olwoys held onto the hope of seeing Su Ziyue ogoin one doy.

He couldn't predict when thot doy might orrive—moybe in the distont future, when he occidentolly spotted her omidst the vost seo of people on the street.

Since orriving in Jingcheng, he hod kept himself busy ond content with work, yet his heort still felt hollow.

He filled his time with work, conducting experiments ond writing reports.

Yet, during his moments of leisure, thoughts of Su Ziyue eosily crept into his mind.

They hod known eoch other for over two decodes, ond his offection ond protectiveness toword her hod become ingroined hobits.

Even though he knew she wos leoding o hoppy ond peoceful life now, he couldn't help but worry ond core for her.

Checking the time, he reolized it wos olreody close to midnight.

Removing his lob coot, he put on his coot ond decided to heod bock.

The winter night in Jingcheng wos chilly, ond with the lote hour, the streets were sporsely populoted.

When he orrived downstoirs ot his residence, it wos well post midnight.

As Lu Shichu wos obout to enter the building, he cought o foint sound neorby. Curious, he listened more intently ond reolized it wos someone breothing.

Wolking oround o cluster of green plonts, he discovered Cheng Qiulu sitting on the ceromic tiles by the flower bed under the streetlomp. While folling osleep, she wos crodling something in her orms ond wos leoning ogoinst the lomppost.

A hint of surprise floshed in Lu Shichu's eyes os he opprooched her.

"Miss Cheng."

Cheng Qiulu didn't reoct ot oll.

He hod no choice but to gently pot her shoulder.

She finolly woke up.

As soon os she sow Lu Shichu, her eyes immediotely lit up with clority ond brightness.

"Shichu, you're bock!"

Cheng Qiulu wos cleorly overjoyed. Holding the tokeout, she ottempted to stond up, but her legs hod gone numb, ond she tumbled forword.

Reocting swiftly, Lu Shichu reoched out ond supported her.

As they were close to eoch other, Cheng Qiulu cought o whiff of his unique ond refreshing scent.

Her foce immediotely turned red, ond she spoke with o slight stutter. "S-Shichu… my legs ore numb…"

…

In the laboratory, Lu Shichu had initially planned to work on the experiment overnight, but his mind was in disarray, and he couldn't find peace.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 788-Lu Shichu nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing that Cheng Qiulu had regained her balance, he released his hold on her and took a half step back. He calmly asked, "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Cheng Qiulu noticed that Lu Shichu still remained distant, just as he had been before. It seemed as though he was deliberately drawing a clear line between them. A hint of disappointment washed over her clear eyes.

Trying to conceal her emotions, she lowered her gaze and tightened her grip on the takeout in her hand. It was then that she remembered the true purpose of her visit.

Then, she handed the takeout to Lu Shichu and said, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? I came from the hotel nearby and brought you something."

She didn't dare to mention that she bought it specifically for Lu Shichu because she was afraid it might burden him.

At times, she wondered if he secretly found her bothersome. Perhaps, his gentleness and composure were merely out of consideration for her friendship with Lu Qingyou, so as not to make things awkward for her.

Lu Shichu's gaze fell upon Cheng Qiulu's cautious yet hopeful expression, and a subtle twitch in his brow gave away that he was moved by her.

Her nose was slightly red, which clearly showed that she had been waiting for quite some time.

Cheng Qiulu and Lu Qingyou were the same age, and both exuded genuine beauty and youthful charm that was clear and untainted.

He envied their youthfulness and was touched by their passionate sincerity.

Yet, his heart had long sunken into the depths of the past, and no disturbance could stir ripples in his heart.

As Cheng Qiulu anxiously waited for his response, her facial expression gradually shifted. "Shichu, you—"

Lu Shichu interjected gently as he maintained his usual soft tone. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not hungry. It's getting late now; you should go back."

Cheng Qiulu stubbornly maintained her posture, still holding out the takeout to him. She stood her ground, but tears shimmered in her eyes. "Shichu, I didn't mean anything else. I just—"

"I don't have any other intentions. I'm simply not hungry, and you're making me feel troubled. My time is precious, and every moment I stand here talking to you takes away from my sleep."

Lu Shichu's expression remained indifferent and distant, but his tone was not cold. He had always been gentle and composed. However, the more he acted this way, the colder Cheng Qiulu perceived him to be.

For so long, Lu Shichu had treated her like this.

She felt wronged and thought he was being excessive.

She raised her head, and tears immediately overflowed from her eyes. "Do you really want to spend your whole life in the laboratory? No matter what has happened or what you've done, you deserve to experience love and get married!"

Before this, she never dared to speak freely in front of Lu Shichu, fearing she might upset him. These bold and candid words were something she had never dared to utter before.

Lu Shichu's expression remained unchanged, as he regarded her with the gentle gaze of an elder toward a younger one. "Love and marriage are normal aspects of life, but not everyone must go through them. At your age, perhaps love is the most important thing, but in my world, the laboratory is everything. I won't develop feelings for you, and you don't need to waste your time on me."

His words left Cheng Qiulu feeling hopeless.

Lu Shichu had been straightforward and made his stance clear, and she couldn't pretend to be ignorant.

"You won't know unless you try. How can you be so certain you won't like me?" She clung to the hope that he was just using this as a way to reject her and wanted to persist a little longer.

"No need to try. If it won't happen, it won't. Go back now."

After saying that, Lu Shichu headed straight into the building.

Reluctantly, Cheng Qiulu caught up with him. "It's so late now. Are you going to let a girl like me go back alone? Won't you walk me home?"

"You're already an adult, so you're responsible for your own safety," Lu Shichu replied, not bothering to look back as he left her with those words and stepped into the elevator.

Cheng Qiulu watched helplessly as the elevator door closed. She squatted down and cried uncontrollably.

After crying for a while, she sat on the stairs in a daze.

Just then, a call from Lu Qingyou brought her back to her senses.

"Qiulu, where are you? It's so late now, and you haven't come back yet?" Lu Qingyou's voice carried a hint of concern.

With a heavy nasal tone, Cheng Qiulu replied, "Everything's fine. You go to sleep first."

Then she hung up the phone.

Lu Qingyou, perceptive as ever, sensed something was amiss from Cheng Qiulu's voice. As she recalled how hurriedly Cheng Qiulu had left earlier, she understood what was going on.

At this late hour, Lu Qingyou didn't dare to venture out alone, so she decided to find Bai Yunan.

Bai Yunan was in a good mood, having enjoyed time with friends. He had just returned to his room, taken a shower, and was getting ready to sleep when he heard a knock on the door.

Who on earth would come to me at this hour?

The urgency of the knocking left him with a clue.

Opening the door, he was greeted by none other than Lu Qingyou standing there.

Lu Qingyou wasted no time in stating her purpose. "Yunan, Qiulu went out earlier, and she still hasn't returned. I just talked to her on the phone, and her mood doesn't seem right. I suspect she might have gone to find Shichu."

As soon as Bai Yunan heard her words, his face darkened, and he hastily grabbed his coat and prepared to go out.

Lu Qingyou quickly followed him.

Looking back at her, he frowned tightly. "What are you following me for? Go back and sleep."

These two little girls can be quite a handful.

Undeterred, Lu Qingyou persisted and grabbed his clothes. "I want to go with you. You will probably scold her, but we're good friends, and we stand together in difficult times."

Amused by her determination, Bai Yunan decided not to argue further.

When they arrived downstairs at Lu Shichu's place, they saw Cheng Qiulu curled up into a ball.

Lu Qingyou cautiously glanced at Bai Yunan, who wore a chilling expression, and she didn't dare to say anything.

"Cheng Qiulu!" Bai Yunan walked over and lifted her up.

The night was exceptionally cold, and Cheng Qiulu was already numb from the cold.

Seeing Bai Yunan, she was momentarily dazed before realizing the situation. Her voice was hoarse as she called out, "Yunan, why are you here?"

Bai Yunan, being experienced and knowledgeable, didn't need to ask many questions to understand what was going on.

Taking on the role of an elder brother, he sternly said, "Cheng Qiulu, do you think you can gain sympathy from Lu Shichu by staying here all night? I know men better than you do. If he doesn't have any feelings for you, no matter how much effort you put in, it's all futile. You're my little sister, and I can find any kind of man you want. There's no need to lower your worth and relentlessly pursue a half-disabled man!"

Cheng Qiulu's eyes turned red. She couldn't bear to hear Bai Yunan talk about Lu Shichu that way.

"Yunan!"

"Now come back with me immediately and never come to find him again!"

Bai Yunan's severe tone left Cheng Qiulu with no choice but to comply, and she reluctantly followed him back.

On the way back, Lu Qingyou was too scared to say a word.

…

The next day, Lu Shichu headed to the laboratory early in the morning.

As he changed his clothes, Bai Yunan appeared to look for him.

Lu Shichu glanced at him and calmly said, "I'm sorry, but unrelated personnel are not allowed inside. General Bai, if you have something to discuss, we can step outside."

Bai Yunan noticed the sign on the door that read "Unauthorized personnel not allowed." Before leaving, he made a quick remark, saying, "Let's talk outside."

Marry Me Quick Chapter 789-Lu Shichu calmly changed back into his clothes and stepped out to meet Bai Yunan.

He poured a glass of water for Bai Yunan. "We only have plain water here, so please make do with it, General Bai."

Most people in the research institute had certain quirks and similar habits, and they mostly stuck to drinking water and nothing else.

"Thank you," Bai Yunan replied, taking the glass and sipping from it before setting it down.

Lu Shichu sat across from him and remained silent as he waited for Bai Yunan to say something.

"Are you getting used to the place here?"

Lu Shichu looked at Bai Yunan in surprise.

He knew why Bai Yunan came to find him today, but he didn't expect these unrelated questions to be the first ones asked.

Concisely, Lu Shichu answered, "Yeah."

Bai Yunan nodded slightly, taking another sip of water to conceal his unease.

He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed—he was a grown man, yet here he was meddling in his sister's love life.

Nevertheless, he was determined not to let Cheng Qiulu and Lu Shichu be together.

After some contemplation, Bai Yunan finally broached the subject. "Qiulu always comes to find you and causes you a lot of trouble, right?"

Lu Shichu looked at him and gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "I've indeed been troubled by this, but she won't come to find me anymore in the future."

Bai Yunan's lips twitched. Why does it sound like he is annoyed with Qiulu?

The Bai family was fiercely protective of their members. In his mindset, Bai Yunan always believed that there were no men out there who wouldn't be into his sister, except the one she was not into herself.

"General Bai, let's be honest. I have no interest in your sister. My focus is solely on my research, and I have no intention of pursuing any romantic relationships. If you can persuade Miss Cheng to give up on me, it would be beneficial for both of us, and I would have fewer troubles."

Lu Shichu stood up after finishing his statement. "I have work to attend to. Feel free to take your time, General Bai."

With those words, he walked into the laboratory.

Bai Yunan's voice followed from behind. "Someone wants to see you."

Lu Shichu's steps hesitated for a moment, and he turned to look at Bai Yunan. His eyes flickered momentarily before he regained his composure.

"I don't want to see anyone," he retorted icily, then continued into the laboratory.

Bai Yunan watched Lu Shichu enter the laboratory. After standing there for a few seconds, he eventually walked away.

Before the incident with Gricy, he had crossed paths with Lu Shichu.

Lu Shichu was Lu Qingyou's distant cousin from a different branch of the family. Despite not sharing much blood relation, their families maintained a strong connection and had a good relationship. However, due to the reserved nature of Lu Shichu's parents and the geographical distance between their cities, they didn't interact frequently. Nonetheless, an undeniable bond persisted between them.

Because of this relationship, their families would occasionally come together for gatherings. As fate would have it, Bai Yunan's family lived as neighbors to Lu Qingyou's family, and that was when he first met Lu Shichu.

Upon learning about Lu Shichu's connection with Gricy, Bai Yunan even discussed it with Lu Qingyou's father.

In their conversation, Lu Qingyou's father subtly conveyed that Lu Shichu was a good-natured person and that he should look out for him.

Armed with this advice, Bai Yunan would not cause any harm to Lu Shichu, even if Qin Muchen never sought his assistance.

As time went on, Bai Yunan couldn't help but notice a remarkable change in Lu Shichu. This transformation wasn't merely surface-level, but it emanated from within.

…

Lu Shichu was absent-minded the whole day.

Not for any other reason, but because of Bai Yunan's last sentence.

'Someone wants to see you.'

Who could it be?

In the sprawling city of Jingcheng, he could easily narrow down the possibilities.

It had to be either Qin Muchen or Su Ziyue.

However, he doubted that Qin Muchen would actively seek him out.

So, that left Su Ziyue.

Did he want to see her?

Undeniably.

Yet, at the same time, he was conflicted; there was a part of him that didn't want to face her.

Since the Gricy incident concluded and he arrived in Jingcheng City, Lu Shichu realized that nothing had stirred his emotions—except for matters concerning Su Ziyue.

At noon, his assistant went out to run an errand and returned looking hesitant to speak.

Lu Shichu looked up and inquired, "What's wrong?"

The assistant, being a graduate student, possessed commendable abilities. In contrast to others of his age, he displayed a remarkable level of maturity, a quality that resonated well with Lu Shichu's preferences.

The assistant rarely hesitated like this, as if he had something to say but struggled to find the right words.

"If you don't want to say, then don't force yourself."

If he had no intention of sharing, Lu Shichu had no interest in pressing for information either.

The assistant glanced at Lu Shichu's tall yet indifferent figure and uttered, "Miss Cheng is outside."

It seemed like she had been waiting for a long time.

The assistant was familiar with Cheng Qiulu as she had visited Lu Shichu on previous occasions.

Without even lifting his head, Lu Shichu advised, "Channel that energy into your research. You'll eventually achieve something remarkable."

Blushing at his nonchalant words, the assistant lowered his head and did not dare to say anything further.

Lu Shichu was aware that Cheng Qiulu wouldn't easily give up.

He understood that in their youth, people were filled with passion, patience, and courage.

However, as time passed, these qualities often diminished, leaving them timid and compliant—much like himself.

Though he didn't truly have a passion for research, being a doctor seemed acceptable too.

Yet, his destiny had long slipped out of his control.

Since then, he did many things half-heartedly.

If it hadn't been for his parents, he wouldn't want to enter the research institute. He would have been fine with sitting in jail, and he truly didn't have any concerns about it.

Having done something wrong, he accepted the consequences without fear.

For the next few days, Cheng Qiulu lingered outside the research institute, hoping to see Lu Shichu.

The guards on duty couldn't stand it anymore as they questioned why a young girl would stand outside in such freezing weather.

However, Lu Shichu remained indifferent, colder than anyone else around him.

He simply stayed inside the research institute, and his assistant couldn't take it anymore. "Mr. Lu, why not go and see Miss Cheng?"

When Bai Yunan sent Lu Shichu to the research institute, he kept his relationship with Gricy a secret. Except for the higher-ups, nobody else knew about it.

Given his past as the leader of "K7," the authorities respected him and appointed him as the director.

Lu Shichu didn't object to the position.

With an expression of displeasure, Lu Shichu glanced at his assistant and sternly replied, "She's out there causing trouble in my life every day. Do I have to meet her?"

"Just consider it for Miss Cheng's persistence—" The assistant paused, genuinely feeling sorry for Cheng Qiulu.

Lu Shichu turned back to his work, maintaining his composure as he calmly remarked, "Persistence often goes unrewarded in this world. Don't bother trying to convince me. I won't go to see her. If it's too much for you to handle, you can meet her instead."

No one understood the essence of persistence better than him.

Over the years, he had persistently and patiently loved Su Ziyue, even entertaining thoughts of taking someone's life at some point.

In retrospect, it all seemed futile.

Nevertheless, he held no regrets.

The assistant was taken aback, as the first part of Lu Shichu's sentence sounded particularly melancholic.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 790-Lu Shichu’s Side Story Part 5

However, Lu Shichu's last sentence struck a chord in his heart.

He genuinely thought Cheng Qiulu was a nice person.

Lu Shichu had watched Su Ziyue grow up. His assistant was younger than Su Ziyue and attended one of the top universities in the country. Among his batch of graduate students, he was the most outstanding and highly intelligent but lacked a bit of emotional intelligence.

With his rich life experiences, Lu Shichu could easily discern the changes in the young assistant's emotions.

As expected, in the days that followed, the assistant would rush to the door whenever he had a moment.

As time passed, he would be the fastest one to leave when it was the end of the workday.

Lu Shichu stood in the corridor, gazing through the window as he watched the assistant open the car door for Cheng Qiulu. The two of them chatted and laughed as they drove away.

He couldn't help but smile. The vibrancy of youthful life and love was always a sight to behold.

As for himself, he couldn't feel that vitality or love anymore. He was content with observing others.

He thought it was time for him to move back to his place. Starting tomorrow, Cheng Qiulu might still come, but she wouldn't be waiting for him anymore.

Lu Shichu changed his clothes, grabbed his car keys, and strolled leisurely to the parking lot.

As he drove past the supermarket, he decided to go in and buy some groceries.

These days, he appeared busy yet fulfilled, all because he dedicated every minute to something meaningful.

He devoted his energy to conducting experiments, carefully selected a box of fresh pork, and then put effort into preparing a hearty dinner.

In doing so, he felt that life still held plenty of meaningful things.

As he returned to his residential area, he parked the car in the garage and carried the bags into the building. There, he noticed two familiar figures standing nearby.

One step, two steps, three steps…

He couldn't pretend not to have seen them.

He reluctantly looked up, his gaze briefly passing over Qin Muchen and Su Ziyue before averting his eyes.

Su Ziyue was the first to speak. "Are you off work now?"

She held a small bag in her hand, clad in a camel-colored cashmere coat, with a smile directed at him.

However, beneath the smile, he could sense her uneasiness.

He felt the same way too.

"Yeah," he replied casually from about two meters away and began walking toward them.

Standing next to her, Qin Muchen remained tall and imposing.

He glanced at Lu Shichu's leg before shifting his gaze away.

Lu Shichu was still undergoing rehabilitation. Although rainy days brought some pain, the dry and cold weather in the city allowed him to manage as long as he kept warm.

With an indifferent expression, Qin Muchen asked, "Aren't you going to invite us to your place?"

His tone seemed almost like he was asking a stranger to step aside.

However, if one observed closely, a flicker of discomfort could be seen in Qin Muchen's eyes.

Qin Muchen wasn't a generous person. Although he was reluctant, he knew Su Ziyue wanted to see Lu Shichu, so he followed along.

Since arriving in Jing City, Lu Shichu hadn't even had the chance to meet his parents. Su Ziyue had expressed her wish to see him, but he had repeatedly declined her requests.

Fate always had a way of bringing people back together, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Lu Shichu smirked, a hint of a faint smile playing on his lips. "Of course, you're all more than welcome."

He naturally led the way and guided them to the room.

As they stepped inside, Lu Shichu opened the door and said, "No need to take off your shoes. Just come in like this."

Once Su Ziyue was in, she glanced around the room. It was simple yet tidy, reflecting Lu Shichu's preference for simplicity and cleanliness.

Carrying the groceries into the kitchen, he added, "Please wait for me. I'll put the groceries in the fridge."

Qin Muchen stood up and trailed Lu Shichu into the kitchen.

He took the bags from Lu Shichu's hands and said, "I'll help you put them away. You go out and talk to her."

Despite his cold expression, it was clear how unwilling he was.

Lu Shichu found it somewhat amusing, yet at the same time, he felt a twinge of jealousy.

"Okay," Lu Shichu replied naturally, handing over the items and giving instructions on where to put them and how to arrange them.

Qin Muchen skillfully completed the task.

Although Lu Shichu didn't want to admit it, he knew that Qin Muchen was also very good to Su Ziyue.

Qin Muchen expressed his love in a different way.

He was a bit more dominant and assertive.

However, if Su Ziyue had chosen him, Lu Shichu speculated that he might have exhibited the same assertiveness as Qin Muchen did.

It had been a long time since he entertained such impossible thoughts.

Leaving the kitchen, he caught sight of Su Ziyue sitting on the sofa, her gaze wandering around. Despite being a wife and mother now, she exuded a familiar aura that effortlessly connected her to the girl he had known years ago.

Time had passed, but memories of Su Ziyue as a child and their shared past remained vivid in his mind.

Amid her curious glances, Su Ziyue spotted Lu Shichu standing not far away, and his eyes were fixed on her.

A warm smile graced her lips as she called out, "Shichu."

Lu Shichu returned her smile, planning to get her a cup of warm water. However, he hesitated, realizing that he hadn't been there for a while, and he wasn't certain if the water from the dispenser was still safe to drink.

Opting for caution, he decided to use the kettle to boil fresh water. After plugging it in, he approached Su Ziyue and explained, "It's been a while since I stayed here, so there's no warm water."

Su Ziyue shook her head and replied, "I'm not thirsty."

Her complexion seemed much better than before.

The last time he saw her, she was lying pale on a hospital bed, and her life was hanging in the balance.

Although he wanted to examine her closely, he knew it wouldn't be appropriate, so he merely stole a glance.

The room was well-heated. After Su Ziyue entered, she took off her coat.

As the coat came off, Lu Shichu immediately noticed her slightly protruding belly.

Feeling his gaze upon her, Su Ziyue blushed slightly and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's been over three months, almost four months now. Zixi said he wants a little sister, but I don't know if it'll be a boy or a girl."

Lu Shichu smiled warmly and responded, "Either one would be wonderful."

He smiled warmly at her, just as he used to.

However, deep down, Su Ziyue couldn't help but feel a tinge of bitterness.

Her emotions overwhelmed her, leaving her struggling to find her voice.

Lu Shichu handed her a tissue and teasingly remarked, "Seeing each other after all this time, and you're already crying?"

Taking the tissue from him, she covered her eyes and chuckled softly without saying a word.

She knew speaking might unleash her tears.

Qin Muchen observed them from a short distance, shuffling his feet before eventually retreating to the kitchen.

Suddenly, he felt like having a smoke.

However, upon reaching for his pocket, he realized that he no longer carried cigarettes.

He brushed it off, recognizing that it was good for Su Ziyue to see Lu Shichu. Otherwise, she would always hold him in her heart, and he didn't want Lu Shichu to become an indelible mark in her life.

After calming herself, Su Ziyue looked up at Lu Shichu and said, "It's all because you've been refusing to see me."

Although her words carried a hint of complaint, her tone held no real resentment.

Lu Shichu gazed at her and sighed. "I've been too busy."

Both of them left certain things unspoken.

Sometimes, words weren't necessary to convey everything.