"Falling in love with someone else?" His gaze darted back and forth between the two women whispering to each other, his eyes narrowing slightly, sensing that Lin Li had dug another pit for him.
Lin Li drove away, then said affectionately to Xiang Lan, "If there's anything you don't understand or anything you need to talk about, feel free to call me. I don't have many friends here, so I'm counting on you."
Xiang Lan waved to her with a warm smile, but the smile faded once the car disappeared from sight.
"How did you end up chatting with her?"
"Yeah, if we hadn't started talking, I wouldn't have known you liked him. Liar, when you were going to marry me, you clearly said you had nothing to do with her."
Fang Du tilted his head, "Do you believe her or not me?"
"I believe in the facts."
What are the facts?
"You confessed your feelings to her." She gritted her teeth. This was the key point. He had never confessed his feelings to her, nor had he ever said he liked or loved her. Jealousy was mainly manifested in such trivial matters.
"She's here to sow discord."
"I know."
"Then why did you fall for it?"
"I'd rather!" Xiang Lan was so anxious she was about to jump up and down. "Just tell me honestly, is it true or not?"
"No, right?" Fang Zidu himself was a little doubtful.
Her face immediately fell, and she looked at him with a wronged expression as he remained unmoved.
"You like her."
“No,” Fang Zidu said helplessly. “That happened many years ago. I only mentioned it once, and she was very upset at the time. I thought she needed to find someone else, like someone like me—”
Xiang Lan's eyes widened. "You're actually willing to be a mistress for her?"
“How could your thoughts wander so far? My point is that this happened many years ago, it wasn’t real affection, and I don’t have any feelings for her beyond colleagues and friends now. Xiang Lan, I’m your husband, and I think you should trust me more.”
"Of course, that's how it should be in theory, but I can't accept it emotionally right now."
"So what do you want to do?"
Xiang Lan was speechless. She glared at the man resentfully. Didn't he know there were two words in the world: "acting cute" and "coaxing"? She had to make all the demands. Was his clever brain just for show? Humph, she would absolutely not approve his leave request—
I didn't want to talk to him, so I picked up my backpack and ran away.
Author's Note: Come on, the young couple is having a tiff!
Chapter 47
Xiang Lan didn't care about Lin Li; she had already ruled herself out of the game, and now she was just openly venting her resentment, posing no threat whatsoever. She cared about Fang Zidu; the facts didn't matter, attitude did, and his performance was subpar.
She walked quickly, her little brain working furiously. Competing with Fang Zidu in intelligence was suicidal; her mother-in-law's complete disregard for his arguments had given her a great deal of inspiration. In a contest of talent, she would clearly lose. As for being willful, well, Fang Zidu had already thoroughly frightened her once; he was obviously more ruthless than her, so that wouldn't work either. If she couldn't win with intelligence, talent, and determination, was she supposed to rely on gender advantage?
Thinking is such a painful thing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him following her at a distance, looking relaxed and carefree. She became even angrier, took quick steps, and ran out of the school's back gate to the subway station.
Fangzi followed slowly behind her, smiling as he went.
The couple's first argument was illogical, but quite interesting.
He watched her fuming and charging ahead, occasionally glancing around as if she didn't care, and if her eyes met his, she'd give him a sharp look before continuing to charge forward.
At the subway security checkpoint, Xiang Lan was stopped. Her bag contained a large bottle of water, and the security officer asked her to open it and take a sip. As the bag was getting closer and closer, she panicked, opened the zipper, and all sorts of things spilled out.
The long, smooth security check line got stuck at her, causing a minor inconvenience. She quickly bent down to pick up various wallets, keychains, access cards, and meal cards. Fang Zi, who hadn't brought a bag, used her empty hands to help her pick up a few items, stood by the security checkpoint, and handed them to her.
Xiang Lan blushed, buried her head, snatched the things from his hand, and stuffed them haphazardly into her bag. It was too embarrassing.
"Let me help you carry it!" Fang Zidu grabbed her backpack strap.
She immediately let go, showing great magnanimity by not arguing with him in public.
They swiped their cards to enter the station. There were too many people waiting for the train, and the queue was crowded. Xiang Lan was not short for a girl, but she would be immediately lost in the crowd. Fang Zidu, with his backpack slung over one shoulder, pulled her into his arms with his left hand and said, "Stand over here, there are too many people."
Xiang Lan nestled in her arms, inhaling his scent to counteract the mixed human smells. She saw him take out his phone with his right hand and quickly send a text message with one hand. Curious, she tiptoed to look. He considerately lowered the phone, and she glanced at it. It was probably about arranging various materials in the lab and explaining the afternoon's work.
Fang Zidu chuckled lightly, "What did you see?"
Her face flushed even more, and she looked away, saying, "Who cares to look?"
He pulled her forward, saying, "Anyone who sees this will find it fascinating."
"Put it in front of my eyes yourself. I'm not blind. I'll just take a look, what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing's wrong?" Fang Zi put his arm around her and pinched her cheek. "That's why I asked you what you saw?"
"A bunch of boring stuff."
He continued texting, "It's pretty boring. The project funding hasn't come through yet, and the application for the new office hasn't been approved either. They've just found a temporary place for our group. I need to get them to quickly tidy up the lab and get started as soon as possible—"
"I'm sorry to have taken up your time."
Fang Zi glanced down at her and saw that she was still very angry, and her words were sarcastic. He thought for a moment and said, "It's not a delay. I can arrange it."
"I'll make up for the time I took from you today by finding something else, don't worry." (Stinky)
He pinched her cheek again; she was so adorable—
"Stop pinching me, don't provoke me, I'm still very angry."
"You'll feel better after a while."
"I'll be angry for a long time."
"How long?" I asked politely.
Xiang Lan glared at her, "I'll stay as long as I want."
"Okay, I'll stay with you."
What exactly is this feeling of being both angry and comforted?
Even at noon, the subway was packed with people. Xiang Lan was jostled around, so Fang Zi helped her to the junction between the carriages, let her lean against the wall, and placed his hands on either side of her body to create a small space for her.
She couldn't help but put her arms around his waist, feeling his strong, slender waist while inwardly cursing herself for being unable to resist temptation. Yet, she still didn't speak to him. She had already decided that if he didn't apologize or coax her, she would never take the initiative to speak.
Fang Zi wasn't in a hurry. He looked down at her ever-changing face and kissed her on the top of her head.
Xiang Lan covered her head with her hands and glared at him.
The more he looked at her, the cuter she seemed. He bent down and kissed her cheek, which had puffed up again.
She turned her head to avoid his kiss, but he followed her face and gently bit her earlobe.
Xiang Lan panicked. She was always the one who acted like a hooligan towards him, but now he was touching her inappropriately, and she was completely powerless to resist.
Fang Zidu watched as her face flushed, then lowered his arms to hug her waist and whispered in her ear, "Don't be angry, okay?"
His voice was low, with a youthful sweetness, "Is it okay?"
She was at a loss, her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. What should she do? Just this little bit was enough to make her blood vessels burst. If they were naked on the bed and doing this and that, she would just collapse.
"Xiang Lan? Lanlan?" He tilted his head to look at her, a hint of coquettishness in his voice, "Are you still angry?"
She opened her mouth slightly, about to utter the words "I'm not angry," when the car swayed slightly. She immediately snapped back to reality, pushed him away, and stopped his advances.
When the train arrived at the station, Xiang Lan hurriedly pushed him away, squeezed off the train with the crowd, and dashed out in a flash. Fang Zi was helpless; the way she acted when she was shy was truly—
Xiang Lan and Liu Zewen arranged to meet at a private tailor shop located in a winding alley. It took them about a kilometer to walk there after getting off the car.
Hidden in a bustling alley, the shop's signboard and storefront design exude exceptional taste in every inch. As soon as the two entered, a familiar shop assistant led them inside. Liu Zewen and Hu Li gazed at a long-tailed white wedding dress hanging in the center of the hall.
"Lanlan, come and see, do you like it?" Liu Zewen asked excitedly.
Xiang Lan walked over silently, stood next to Hu Li, and called out softly twice, showing no interest in the wedding dress. Fang Zidu came in and greeted them respectfully.
Hu Li noticed that her expression was off, and then looked at Fang Zidu, who seemed completely relaxed. He guessed that they had a disagreement and said, "Zidu, this is your set. Go in and try it on."
"OK."
After Fangzi walked away, Liu Zewen asked, "Why are you looking so dejected? Did you have a fight?"
"No," Xiang Lan sighed. "I'll go change my clothes too—"
The wedding dresses were elaborate, and a shop assistant led her to a spacious and private dressing room, followed by a cart with clothes hanging on it. Inside the dressing room, with its huge mirror and bright lights, she tossed her backpack and coat onto the soft leather sofa, and paused just as she was about to take off her undergarments.
Before she was pregnant, she had a good figure and wasn't afraid of people looking at her. Now that she's almost three months pregnant, she's starting to lose confidence.
"You all go out, I'll change myself."
Two shop assistants advised that the wedding dress was very heavy and the zipper on the back was too long, making it difficult for one person to put on, and that it would be best to have someone help her, but Xiang Lan firmly refused.
Once she was alone, she slowly took off her clothes, dragged the wedding dress on the floor, and laboriously put it on, straightening it. The various lace and crystal embellishments were cumbersome; she kept tugging at her hair, then worrying about scratching the silk fabric with her fingernails. After about ten minutes of fussing, she finally managed to hang it properly. The zipper at the back wasn't even zipped up, and the waist and abdomen area was tightly bound, indicating that the dress was made to her previous size, and that she had gained weight.
Having reluctantly accepted this reality, she lifted the hem of her long skirt and walked to the door, intending to open it and ask the shop assistant to help her zip up the skirt and straighten it. As soon as the door opened, Fang Zi was leaning against the door frame, talking to a shop assistant. Hearing the voice, she looked up at her.
Xiang Lan felt short of breath. Fang Zidu, who was dressed up meticulously, was radiant and exuded nobility in every gesture.
He hadn't asked his family about Fang Zi's body measurements, and the conversation was mostly verbal. But they were surprised that the suit he wore fit him so perfectly. The white shirt, vest, and white suit jacket, all tailored to his figure, accentuated his long, slender frame, shapely hips, and long legs.
He slowly stood up straight and walked over. "Do you need any help?"
It's a dilemma! Should I stay angry, or forgive him and enjoy his attentiveness? That is the question—
Fang Zi didn't give her a chance to think; he simply pushed her inside and slammed the door shut.
In the full-length dressing mirror, two well-dressed young people, the boy smiling and the girl with her head down, their hands clasped in front of her.
"I'll help you put it on." He walked behind her, looking at the section of her snow-white back that was exposed. His fingers slid up her back, from her neck all the way to her tailbone. The feather-like touch made his hair stand on end.
Xiang Lan couldn't help but shiver, turned around and pushed him away, but he just smiled and hugged her, whispering, "Are you still angry?"
She couldn't hold back any longer and shamelessly whined, "I'm angry—"
He chuckled, his hand sliding down to pull the zipper, slowly lifting it upwards. With his other hand, he brushed aside her hair, revealing her graceful neck, and gently kissed her shoulder and neck.
Okay, okay, I forgive him.
"It's too tight around the waist." She touched her waist and abdomen, and gasped. "In another month, I definitely won't be able to wear it."
Fang Zidu helped her adjust the lace and rhinestones on her chest, then bent down to spread out the hem of her skirt. The skirt was so long that he almost knelt down. She looked down at his serious expression, her lips involuntarily curving into a smile. She struck a pose as if accepting a proposal, extending her hand in front of him and tilting her chin up, saying, "Fang Zidu, look up."
He looked up and saw her outstretched hand, feeling both surprised and touched.
"Fang Zidu, quickly say please marry me."