Qi Xiaoyan pursed her lips and didn't answer, silently starting to clear the dishes.
As Yang Wei nestled in Qi Xiaoyan's arms to sleep that night, in a room so quiet that only their breathing could be heard, Yang Wei's soft voice suddenly came: "Juanjuan, you only love Juanbao now and don't love me anymore."
Qi Xiaoyan's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Hmm?"
"You only care about Juanbao's health, you don't care whether I have enough to eat."
Qi Xiaoyan paused for a moment, tightened his arms around Yang Wei's waist slightly, and whispered in her ear, "What an idiot, pregnancy really does make you stupid for three years."
Author's Note: Special thanks to: lestat, Little Angel threw a landmine, Ying_like Little Angel threw a landmine, Jerair, Little Angel threw a landmine, Su Ai, Little Angel threw a landmine, Su Tan, Little Angel threw a grenade. Happy May Day everyone!
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On Wednesday afternoon, Yang Wei took half a day off from school and went with Qi Xiaoyan to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the remarriage procedures.
The staff member who greeted them was the same one from last time. He seemed to recognize Yang Wei and her group, and after a moment of surprise, he said, "Ah, you're the Goldbach from last time?"
Yang Wei: "..."
She smiled at the staff and said, "Goldbach and Euler eloped. Please help us with the remarriage procedures."
Staff: "..."
After collecting their documents, he began the procedures. As he watched them sign their names on the application form, he couldn't help but sigh as someone who had been through it all: "Building a relationship requires a long period of mutual torment. The longer the torment lasts, the deeper the feelings become. Congratulations on your remarriage."
Yang Wei and Qi Xiaoyan paused for a moment while signing their names.
After the two walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, their divorce certificates had turned back into marriage certificates. Yang Wei flipped through the red booklet and looked at it; apart from the date being different from before, there was nothing different.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Qi." Qi Xiaoyan stood beside her, a slight smile on his lips. Yang Wei scoffed at him and put the marriage certificate into her bag: "You're the one who deserves congratulations, aren't you, Mr. Qi who's been so persistent?"
Even though he was accused of being persistent, Qi Xiaoyan wasn't angry. Yang Wei, however, stopped after walking a few steps beside him, as if suddenly remembering something. Qi Xiaoyan turned to look at her, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Yang Wei curled her lips and said, "Juanjuan, in the end you still didn't propose to me."
She got her marriage certificate with him so easily both times. What happened to the promise of kneeling on one knee?
Qi Xiaoyan's eyebrows twitched slightly as he pulled Yang Wei into the car.
The peach blossoms along the roadside had long since faded, leaving only lush green leaves. A black Audi drove past on the concrete road, stirring up a few leaves from the roadside.
An older woman in the Civil Affairs Bureau winked at her colleague next to her and said with a smile, "Don't forget my spicy snack."
...
Qi Xiaoyan drove home and said to Yang Wei, who was lying on the sofa, "I made an appointment at the photo studio. We're going to take our wedding photos again this Saturday."
Yang Wei was stunned for a moment, then sat up cross-legged on the sofa: "Why do we need to take wedding photos again?" She would much rather he kneel down and propose! And with a huge bouquet of roses!
Qi laughed and said, "You painted me like that, are you planning to hang it up like this forever?"
Yang Wei thought about the wedding photo in the bedroom and smiled: "I think it looks great, much better than you in person."
Qi Xiaoyan looked at her and suddenly curled her lip line: "Then I'll draw one for you tonight too. Anyway, I've been in your class for a semester, so I'm quite confident."
Yang Wei: "..."
She pouted and said, "There should still be copies of the previous photos, right? Just make a new copy, okay?"
"I want to take the photos again." Qi Xiaoyan's tone was as willful as a child in her class. "Although we won't have another wedding, I want a fresh start."
Yang Wei thought about it and realized she wasn't unhappy about it. After all, what girl doesn't love wearing a wedding dress? She could wear it twice in her life, with the same person standing next to her.
The matter was settled. Qi Xiaoyan went to the kitchen, cut an apple for her, and said, "By the way, my parents are coming over on Friday, so let's eat at home. I'll cook."
Yang Wei picked up a small slice of apple and nodded: "Okay."
Before going to bed that night, while Qi Xiaoyan was taking a shower in the bathroom, Yang Wei secretly took out her phone from under her pillow and started playing with it. She hadn't read any novels in a long time; it wasn't until she saw Fang Chengran the day before yesterday that she remembered she didn't know how far her favorite novels had progressed.
After logging into the app, she first went to the article by "Wait Three Minutes". Despite the scandal of his identity being exposed, the author of "Wait Three Minutes" still insisted on finishing his book before retiring from the literary world, which Yang Wei greatly admired.
But when she opened the article, she found that the author hadn't updated all week, even after waiting three more minutes.
It seems his prenatal depression is quite severe.
A long announcement was attached to the article's text, which Yang Wei read carefully—
With the increasing number of people abusing relationships with single people, and the ever-evolving methods, vulnerable singles are facing a severe survival crisis. As one of the most prominent singles, I deeply feel the difficulty of navigating this world. Even simply listening to music to relax can leave me defenseless against such abuse. Therefore, I have decided to dedicate myself to the great cause of protecting singles, and will devote all my passion and love to this cause—so, I won't have time to update anymore :)
Yang Wei: "..."
She had seen many authors who stopped updating their works, but this was the first time she had seen one who stopped so dramatically.
She glanced at the latest comments under the post, which were also quite lively.
"Does that mean I won't come back to update until I'm in a relationship? [Bye]"
"Don't be silly, if you were really in a relationship, you wouldn't be updating anymore, okay?"
"The last time I saw such a unique discontinuation announcement was on the Weibo account of 'Boiled Lemon'. [Bye]"
"So, what you said on Weibo last time about breaking up wasn't a crisis management tactic, but it was actually true (⊙o⊙)?"
"Hey, isn't your boyfriend Takoyaki? Someone as outstanding as you should definitely stay in the family :)"
Another young reader, Brother Fox Picking Flowers, wrote a very long review for him, using a warm, spring-like tone to care for his heartbreak and express that his embrace was big enough to comfort him at any time.
"What are you doing sneakily?" Qi Xiaoyan had finished showering and came out from behind Yang Wei, drying her wet hair with a towel while looking down at her.
Yang Wei suddenly felt that the phone in her hand had become a hot potato. She quickly flipped the screen face down on the bed, smiled at Qi Xiaoyan, and said, "Sheng Lei wanted to ask me out for dinner on Friday, but I told her I didn't have time."
Qi Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly disbelieving, but he didn't press further. Yang Wei breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Qi Xiaoyan, who was drying his wet hair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his beautifully shaped muscles were fully exposed to Yang Wei's eyes.
The perfectly curved chin connects to the elongated neck, and the bent elbows and shoulders form a triangle, creating a smooth and dynamic line.
After admiring the picture of the handsome man emerging from the bath for a while, Yang Wei smiled mischievously: "Juanjuan, let me paint another picture, okay?"
Qi Xiaoyan paused slightly as she dried her hair, looking down at her: "What do you want to draw this time?"
"Of course, it's a handsome man emerging from a bath."
Qi Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly: "Do you need me to strip naked?"
"No need, it's fine as it is. Showing half and leaving half is what sparks the imagination." Yang Wei quickly pulled out a pencil and a piece of white paper, thinking that it was time to give Juanbao an aesthetic education again.
Qi Xiaoyan was very cooperative. He did whatever pose Yang Wei asked him to pose. He even readily agreed when Yang Wei suggested that she touch his muscles to feel their firmness so that she could understand.
Yang Wei's fair and tender hands roamed all over Qi Xiaoyan's upper body, poking his chest muscles and then his abs, getting a lot of freebies, but not drawing many strokes on the paper.
Qi Xiaoyan let her touch him freely. Anyway, he had a good memory, and he could just touch the same places she touched later.
After Yang Wei had finally had her fill of touching the canvas, she started drawing seriously. Just as Qi Xiaoyan had said before, she was very skilled at drawing him; she could even capture his likeness with her eyes closed. After finishing the drawing, she showed the finished product to Qi Xiaoyan and said with some pride, "Juanjuan, if I were to publish your drawing in a picture book, it would definitely be a hit."
Qi Xiaoyan responded lightly, and then Yang Wei said, "But I won't take them out; these are all my exclusive collections."
A sweet smile played on her lips, and Qi Xiaoyan could almost smell the sweet aroma of cream. Thinking about it made his mouth dry, so he bent down and eagerly took a bite.
Caught off guard by the kiss, Yang Wei opened her mouth slightly in surprise, which made it easier for Qi Xiaoyan's tongue to enter her mouth and extract more sweetness.
When Yang Wei came to her senses, she was already pinned to the bed. Because of the baby in her belly, Qi Xiaoyan didn't put all his weight on her, but the look in his eyes was so intense that Yang Wei felt her cheeks burning just from touching it.
"Baby, did you hear what that staff member said today?"
Qi Xiaoyan's voice was like sake; though its flavor was mild, it sent shivers down one's spine. Yang Wei gave a muffled "Hmm?" and Qi Xiaoyan bent down, speaking almost directly to her lips.
“Building a relationship requires a long period of mutual torment. You tormented me for so long, now it’s my turn to torment you.”
Yang Wei: "..."
Because of the magical scroll, which seemed nonexistent yet was omnipresent, this torment could never be completed. In the end, Yang Wei ended the torment with her own hands.
Qi Xiaoyan leaned on her shoulder, breathing heavily. Yang Wei herself was also a little tired, her heart rising and falling gently. Qi Xiaoyan rolled over and lay down beside her: "Baby..."
"I'm not coming, I'm so tired," Yang Wei said, refusing before he could make any requests. Qi Xiaoyan looked at her for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "You've sweated so much, let's go take a shower."
He was referring to us, him, and Yang Wei.
While Yang Wei was in a dazed state, he stripped her naked and carried her to the bathroom. Naturally, they tortured each other again before finally taking a bath.
After Qi Xiaoyan came out, she changed the sheets, and Yang Wei, exhausted, climbed onto the bed to sleep. Qi Xiaoyan threw the sheets into the washing machine, then climbed onto the bed after her, and fell asleep holding her.
On Friday, Qi Xiaoyan's parents arrived at their home as promised, bringing a large pile of supplements specifically for pregnant women. The bottles and jars with their high-end packaging were all labeled in English, and even some in French, which Yang Wei couldn't understand very well, but she accepted them all anyway.
In the early stages of her marriage to Qi Xiaoyan, Yang Wei was actually worried about the relationship between her and her mother-in-law. After being bombarded with countless TV dramas about mother-in-law relationships, she subconsciously assumed that all mothers-in-law were fierce and unapproachable. However, after meeting Qi Xiaoyan's mother, she completely lost this worry—not because Qi's mother was particularly kind, but because when your mother-in-law is so highly educated, to the point that she's constantly worrying about human genes, you realize that mother-in-law/daughter-in-law issues are less important to her than the cabbages on the table.
Qi Xiaoyan's parents both research genetic engineering, a field that sounds incredibly impressive, but Yang Wei doesn't know much about it. So most of the time, she can't understand what her mother-in-law is saying. For example, right now—Qi Xiaoyan is sitting with his parents and chatting, and Yang Wei thinks it sounds a lot like Martian language.
While inwardly marveling at how terrifying this family was, she also deeply reflected on her own lack of education.
"Weiwei." Qi's mother suddenly called her name, and Yang Wei snapped out of her reverie. She only remembered the double helix structure and bases when it came to genes; if her mother-in-law tested her on how bases pair, she probably wouldn't be able to answer.
Yang Wei felt a little apprehensive. Looking at Qi's mother, she felt more like she was looking at her former homeroom teacher than her mother-in-law.
"Pregnancy can be tough, but you'll get through it. I suffered a lot when I was pregnant with Xiaoyan, but he was quite well-behaved and didn't kick me all the time." Qi's mother was just sharing some parenting tips with her, and her gentle words reassured Yang Wei a lot.
The two chatted in the living room, and then Qi Xiaoyan got up to cook in the kitchen. Qi's father went over to help, which made Yang Wei a little embarrassed. In the kitchen, Qi's father couldn't help but give Qi Xiaoyan some advice on how to be more considerate of his wife, and Qi Xiaoyan agreed to everything.
After dinner, Qi Xiaoyan's parents left, and Qi Xiaoyan went to see them off. Yang Wei sat alone in the living room, studying the bottles and jars.
When Qi Xiaoyan returned, he sat down beside her and naturally pulled her into a tight embrace. Yang Wei was engrossed in reading an all-English instruction manual. Qi Xiaoyan looked at her and chuckled softly above her head, "Baby, can you really understand it?"
"Of course I can understand it!" Yang Wei frowned and looked up at him. "After all, I was preparing to study abroad, and my English grades were always in the top three in the whole grade."
Qi Xiaoyan seemed to have thought of something and hugged her tighter: "If you hadn't married me back then, would you have gone abroad?"
"Probably." After all, her father has always been very proactive about this.
Qi Xiaoyan pursed her lips, her voice low and deep: "Are you blaming me?"
"Of course not. Actually, I don't really want to go abroad. I spent too much time abroad when I was in elementary school, so I'm not that enthusiastic about going abroad."
Qi Xiaoyan's gaze darkened, and he kissed her ear: "I feel very lucky to have met you at the best time of my life."
"Of course you're lucky to have married such a smart and beautiful wife like me." Yang Wei said, turning her head, a sly smile playing on her clear black and white eyes. "Speaking of which, why didn't you tell your parents about our divorce? Were you planning to keep it from them forever?"
Qi Xiaoyan looked into her eyes and suddenly smiled, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun: "Of course not, I just believe that we will still be together."
Author's Note: Special thanks to: Jerair (a little angel who threw a grenade), lestat (a little angel who threw a landmine), C language (a little angel who threw a landmine), and Jerair (a little angel who threw a grenade). Thank you to all the little angels who donated, mwah!
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