Zhou Xuan helped Fu Ying lie down on the bed, took off her high heels, and then covered her with a brand new brocade quilt.
Fu Ying was indeed tired. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Zhou Xuan touched her forehead. It wasn't hot or feverish, but it was ice-cold, which was also a sign of discomfort.
Given Fu Ying's physical condition and stamina, this situation should never have occurred. Zhou Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. After a long while, he remembered and quickly used his special ability to improve Fu Ying's condition. However, from her fluctuating aura, Zhou Xuan could sense that Fu Ying was not actually asleep.
"Yingying," Zhou Xuan called softly, but Fu Ying did not answer.
Zhou Xuan thought for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Yingying, I know you're not asleep. Don't you want to get married? If... if you don't want to, please tell me clearly. I don't want to make you sad, I don't want to hurt you."
After a long pause, Zhou Xuan continued, "Yingying, do you know, you are my everything, more precious than my life. So, I won't do anything that makes you unhappy or that you don't like. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do."
Fu Ying still didn't answer, but gradually, her shoulders began to tremble slightly, clearly she was sobbing softly.
Zhou Xuan's heart turned cold instantly, feeling as if it were being torn apart. Suddenly, a thought of self-abandonment arose, as if he wanted to destroy everything and cut himself off from the world. He sat blankly on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
After a long, long time, Fu Ying didn't turn around, but said softly, "Your family is very good to me, and my family is happy, so I won't let them down. I will live with you, please don't worry. But please give me some time to adjust, okay?"
Zhou Xuan stood there, stunned, her eyes reddening. Fu Ying softly whispered again, "Is it okay?" She paused, then sighed, and said, "If you don't agree, then forget it. Life goes on anyway. I know you're a good person, someone who's truly good to me. I understand, but... but..."
Fu Ying ultimately didn't say anything, but Zhou Xuan understood that the more gentle and non-opposing Fu Ying was, and the more she went along with Zhou Xuan, the more heartbroken Zhou Xuan became.
After a while, Zhou Xuan calmed down, composed himself, and then comforted Fu Ying: "Yingying, you're tired. Don't think about anything. Just get some rest. You'll feel better after a good night's sleep. Don't worry about anything."
As Zhou Xuan spoke, he gently patted Fu Ying's shoulder, then placed his right hand on Fu Ying's forehead, using his special ability to drive away the chill in Fu Ying's body.
Fu Ying reached out and grabbed Zhou Xuan's hand, murmuring, "Your hand is so warm and feels so good, don't take it away... don't go away... please don't go away..."
Amidst soft murmurs, Fu Ying finally fell into a deep sleep. She was indeed exhausted and haggard. Under Zhou Xuan's soothing power, she felt relaxed both physically and mentally. Although she didn't have any deep-seated romantic feelings for Zhou Xuan, she was incredibly dependent on him. It seemed that with Zhou Xuan by her side, she had nothing to worry about and nothing to be afraid of.
This is precisely why Fu Ying agreed to marry Zhou Xuan. She knew that Zhou Xuan truly loved, cherished, and protected her, and would give everything for her. What she lacked was a deep emotional experience. However, despite this, Fu Ying already believed that she and Zhou Xuan had indeed shared a genuine emotional bond, but it was irretrievable, leaving only regret.
After Zhou Xuan waited until Fu Ying fell asleep, he looked at her with affection. Seeing Fu Ying's beautiful yet haggard face, his heart ached, and he could no longer hold back his tears.
Heartbroken and conflicted, Zhou Xuan pondered for a long time before quietly leaving the room and going to the next room.
The wedding banquet was so lively that after Li Wei and Zhou Ying sent their brother and sister-in-law back, they rushed over to celebrate with family and friends, not returning until late at night.
The family returned to the villa, but Fu Jue and his wife and Fu Tianlai went to a hotel to rest. Li Wei sent Zhou Ying back to her own home. Only Zhou Ying, Jin Xiumei, and Zhou Cangsong were at the villa. Zhou Tao took Li Li and her parents home.
Aunt Liu brewed a pot of hot tea and said with a smile, "You've all drunk a bit too much, have some green tea to soothe your palate."
Zhou Cangsong took a sip of tea, casually crossed his legs, and laughed, "Old woman, tell me, when will we be able to hold our grandson?"
Jin Xiumei laughed and scolded, "Look at you, calling me an old woman. Do I look that old?"
“Yeah, my mom looks only thirty years old, but my dad always calls her that, it’s so old-fashioned and sounds awful,” Zhou Ying said, feeling indignant on behalf of her mother and annoyed by her father.
Aunt Liu chuckled and said, "No matter how fast it goes, it'll still be at least ten months before we can hold our grandson. Sigh, I'm just thinking, someone as beautiful as Miss Yingying, how beautiful her child must be!"
“That’s right, our Yingying is like a fairy, so it goes without saying that her children are beautiful,” Jin Xiumei immediately chimed in, completely agreeing with this point.
The family chatted and laughed happily until it was almost nine o'clock. Jin Xiumei suddenly remembered her son and daughter-in-law and quickly said to Zhou Ying, "Xiaoying, it's been such a long day since we came back from the restaurant, and your brother and sister-in-law haven't come downstairs. Go check on them and ask if they want something to eat. They can't go hungry. Ask Aunt Liu to make them something nice to eat."
Zhou Ying blushed and said hesitantly, "Mom... I'm not going..."
Jin Xiumei cursed, "Those are your brother and sister-in-law, what are you afraid of..." But then she thought that her daughter was a young woman, and it was fine if she was too embarrassed to go, but she herself was even more embarrassed to go. The only people present were her husband Zhou Cangsong and Aunt Liu. Her son Zhou Tao would also be coming back later. It would be inconvenient for any of them to go and call Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying now.
After thinking for a moment, Jin Xiumei said, "Never mind, your brother and sister-in-law will get up when they're hungry. There's no point in waking them if they're not hungry. Let them sleep."
After chatting for a while, Aunt Liu brought out a plate of peeled fruit. After Zhou Tao saw Li Li and her parents off, he walked back with Li Li. Li Li's parents had asked her to come over, to join in the fun, and to help out if needed. Anyway, there were plenty of empty rooms in the Zhou family villa, so they wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to stay. Besides, Zhou Tao and Li Li's engagement was basically settled now, and it was perfectly normal for an engaged couple to stay at each other's homes for a day or two, especially on such a joyous occasion.
The family chatted and laughed until past midnight before going to sleep. During this time, Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying did not go downstairs. Jin Xiumei finally refrained from calling her son and daughter upstairs to wake them up. She was also happy, thinking that with her son's attitude, she would probably be able to hold her grandson by the end of the year.
The next morning, almost before dawn, Jin Xiumei and Aunt Liu got up in soft voices. Jin Xiumei was worried about her children, since these young people couldn't do much housework anyway, so she would help Aunt Liu with it.
Actually, it was just making breakfast. Aunt Liu was in charge, and Jin Xiumei assisted. It took them two whole hours to make a large table of food. It was only 8:30 a.m., and Zhou Ying was the third person to get up.
Next was Li Li, and finally Zhou Tao. However, Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying still hadn't gotten up. Zhou Ying and Li Li helped set the breakfast on the table and then set out the bowls and chopsticks.
Zhou Ying then asked, "Mom, why aren't my brother and sister-in-law up yet?"
Jin Xiumei casually said, "Sigh, you must be too tired." She realized her words were grammatically incorrect and quickly shut her mouth. Zhou Ying also bit her lip and smiled.
Li Wei arrived at this moment, his voice preceding his arrival: "Xiao Ying, it smells so good, I'm starving!" Because he had been drinking all day, he felt very hungry today after sobering up.
Li Wei walked straight to the dining table, picked up a piece of meat, and threw it into his mouth. Zhou Ying angrily said, "No manners, no politeness!"
Li Wei laughed heartily, but Jin Xiumei sided with him, saying, "Why are you scolding him? People need to eat when they're hungry. We don't have so many rules in our family. Besides, we're all family, there are no outsiders, what's there to be afraid of?"
Li Wei chuckled and said, "That's right, that's right. You're already so controlling of me before we're even married. What will it be like after we get married? Mom, you'd better help me out, or I'll have no standing at all."
“You…” Jin Xiumei glared at Li Weiyi. This rascal! But his anger was feigned. Given Li Weiyi’s family background, his personality could be described as genuine and straightforward. Such a person is reliable.
"Xiaoying, go wake your brother up," Jin Xiumei said to Li Wei after she had annoyed him. Then she instructed her daughter to wake her brother and sister-in-law up for breakfast.
"I'm not going," Zhou Ying said, blushing. Jin Xiumei snorted and then looked at Zhou Tao, who quickly shook his head. Jin Xiumei then looked at Li Li, who also blushed and shook her head.
Looking over there, I saw my husband, Zhou Cangsong, and his wife, Liu. I couldn't very well ask Zhou Cangsong, the father-in-law, to wake his son and daughter-in-law up for breakfast.
The main reason was that she thought her daughter-in-law, Fu Ying, was too tired. It was her first time experiencing this, so it was normal for her to be different from usual. Normally, Fu Ying was very sensible. Although she was a rich girl, she was never pretentious. She also got up early in the morning. Although she didn't do anything, she chatted with Jin Xiumei, watched TV, and talked. Jin Xiumei had always been extremely satisfied with this daughter-in-law, so she didn't blame her at all for going to bed a little later today. She was just too embarrassed to wake her and her son up.
Volume 1, Chapter 437: The Feeling of Heartache
Chapter 437 The Feeling of Heartache
Jin Xiumei was about to insist that Zhou Ying go up and call, because she was the most suitable one. One was her own brother, and the other was her sister-in-law. They were both girls, so it would be easier for them to save face.
But then Li Wei jumped up, grinning, and said, "I'll go wake up my brother and sister-in-law!"