Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 163

He's not as impulsive and selfish in relationships as he used to be. He's trying his best to make up for the pain I suffered back then, showing me through his actions his determination to give me a home and an equal marriage. In fact, I've already acknowledged his efforts and am moved by his love, haven't I?

After all, no one can claim to be without responsibility for the mistakes made and the pain suffered when they were young and ignorant.

Besides, I still have feelings for him. In this world, only for him do I still have those inexplicable emotions. So, what's wrong with accepting him and starting over? Stubbornly believing that what's lost can't be regained, isn't that, in a sense, a lack of courage to take a step forward?

So, let's accept him. Let's start over, build our own family, and stop worrying Mom and Dad, stop disappointing Mr. and Mrs. Xu. We'll have more children, boy or girl, it doesn't matter...

"Galan, don't cry." Xu Lie suddenly wiped away my tears frantically, his pale face revealing obvious heartache. "I won't force you anymore, and I won't scheme against you anymore. I just want to keep you by my side. Galan..."

I stared blankly down at the tears falling on the back of my hand, one drop after another, their scorching heat making a sizzling sound as if they would burn my skin.

But my chest felt so cold, as if layers of hard ice were piled up inside. A little warmth only melted the edges before freezing them back together, leaving no gaps. So my heart ached and trembled from the cold, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Why do tears flow? Why does my chest feel cold? What am I lacking in my body that makes me so sad, so lost, so... desperate?

Chapter 30 The Wedding (Part 1)

My head is throbbing. I don't know if it's from being so busy these past few days, or if the wedding dress I'm wearing just doesn't suit me at all. Anyway, I feel really uncomfortable. My head is buzzing with the voices of many people, like tens of thousands of flies swarming around. Uh… that sounds really unfair, because some of those voices are my parents', my brother's, my friends', and even my future husband's.

What ideas did they instill in me in less than a month? I held my head and tried hard to think.

Mom said, "Divorce?! Lanlan, are you kidding me? You're getting a divorce and you're still sleeping with Xu Lie?... Did he force you?... No answer! Then it's not him! Be a good girl and prepare for the wedding. Can't you see Mom is busy writing invitations?"

Dad said, "Lanlan, a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold. Since Xu Lie knows he was wrong, give him another chance. We can't just think about our own pleasure; you don't want your in-laws to be heartbroken again, do you?"

The older brother said, "Unless you tell Mom and Dad everything that happened back then, they will definitely side with Xu Lie. I'm telling you, Lanlan, just give up. Now look at him, that Xu Lie kid isn't that bad. He'll be a decent brother-in-law for me."

Xu's mother said, "Lanlan, if Xu Lie ever dares to bully you in the future, just come and tell me. I'll stand up for you if you suffer any injustice."

Xu Lie chimed in from the side, "Who knows who will bully whom in the future!"

Mr. Xu said, "Lanlan, the school has already arranged your leave of absence. Go and say hello to Professor Liu tomorrow. By the way... do you still want to continue studying the post-marital psychology course?"

Xiao Jie said, "I never thought that after all these years, you would still end up with Xu Lie. But then again, you're just that stubborn. I believe that after going through so much, you two will definitely be happy in the future."

I smiled, a bitter and helpless smile. Every single one of them smiled but resolutely told me that I wanted to marry Xu Lie, that I should marry Xu Lie, that I had to marry Xu Lie. Because only then could I be happy.

My explanations and refusals were all stuck in my throat, and after a while, I even forgot they existed. In a daze, I was forced into this belief: today is the day Xu Lie and I will remarry.

Xu Lie said, "Galan, you look beautiful today."

I looked up and forced a smile at him, my expression a little stiff, I wasn't sure if it was from nervousness or something else. Looking at my blank expression in the mirror, where was my beauty?

Xu Lie walked up to me, gently hugged me, and kissed my forehead. His eyes were filled with deep affection, overflowing with doting tenderness, yet also tinged with a hint of unease: "Galan, why does this feel so unreal?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, pressed my head against his chest, and his booming voice immediately seemed to come from his chest: "You really agreed to marry me, didn't you?"

I couldn't utter a word, only trembled slightly. As if sensing my fear, Xu Lie hugged me tightly.

"Where's Yufei?" I asked. "Hasn't Yufei arrived yet?"

Xu Lie's body stiffened for a moment, then he released me and said with a faint smile, "I've already sent someone to pick him up. Don't worry, he'll come."

I clasped my hands together, twisting them as if I wanted to crush them: "Xu Lie, is Yufei angry with me?"

"How could that be?" Xu Lie gently pulled my hand away, stopping my self-harming actions, and said softly, "You and him are best friends... aren't you?"

Xu Lie emphasized the word "friend." I shook my head and said, "Just because he's my best friend, I haven't even discussed something as big as getting married with him." Actually, it wasn't that I didn't want to discuss it with him, but he had been nowhere to be found for the past two weeks.

A barely perceptible glint of coldness flashed in Xu Lie's eyes, but he simply stroked my face and smiled without saying a word.

The door was pushed open, and I heard my mother's laughing voice: "Lanlan, your friend came to see you? Oh dear... Xu Lie, what are you doing here? The bride and groom can't meet before the wedding... Hurry up and go!"

Xu Lie's face immediately fell, and he put on a pitiful expression: "Mom, this is superstition. I just wanted to come and see the temple."

"What superstition? Even if it is superstition, you have to believe it!" His mother glared at him and pushed him out. "Alright, you've seen it all, now go on. You'll have plenty of time to see it for the rest of your life."

Xu Lie paused for a moment, a mixture of pain and joy in his eyes, gave me a deep look, and quickly left the room.

I let out a soft sigh and glanced at the wall clock. There was less than half an hour left until the wedding. A voice inside me had been clamoring for the past two weeks, growing louder and more urgent. In the dead of night, the voice was like a pounding drum, but I could never quite make out what it was saying.

"Galan." The gentle voice carried a natural comfort, like a spring breeze.

My whole body trembled slightly. I used all my strength to turn my head, and the back of my head throbbed, but I didn't care. I rushed over and hugged her, exclaiming with surprise, "Wei Ye, oh my god, it really is you, Wei Ye! Didn't your mother say you went abroad?"

The person who came was Xu Weiye, a friend I had only known for a few months in college but who had left a deep impression on me.

Wei Ye still had her signature short, neat hair, and her eyes were bright and piercing, but her complexion wasn't as good as I had imagined; it was somewhat sickly pale. However, the smile on her lips was natural and carefree, like the brightest sunshine in spring, making people feel no trace of despondency. Therefore, those who were charmed by her smile often overlooked her complexion.

“Galan, you should congratulate me,” Wei Ye said in a serious tone.

I was taken aback and looked at her, completely puzzled. Even my mother seemed a little confused.

Wei Ye winked at me and smiled, "Congratulations on being able to drink at your wedding after missing your first one!"

My mom and I couldn't help but laugh. My mom clearly liked Wei Ye and chatted with her about this and that, mostly talking bad about me. The room was filled with laughter, and the tense atmosphere from before vanished instantly. So, when Wei Ye asked to speak to me alone for a few minutes, my mom agreed without hesitation.

I watched my mother close the door and leave, and couldn't help but laugh, "What can't you say in front of my mother? Is there anything you can't stand..."

“Galan.” Wei Ye interrupted me, the joyful smile from before gone, replaced by a serious expression that made my heart pound. She glanced at the time and spoke rapidly, “Galan, we don’t have much time. Listen to me quietly. The reason you haven’t been able to find Nie Yufei lately isn’t because he’s hiding from you, but… but…”

Wei Ye frowned, seemingly hesitating for a moment, but finally spoke: "Xu Lie has placed him under house arrest."

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock. As soon as the words left my mouth, Wei Ye immediately covered my mouth and whispered in my ear, "Don't shout. I saw him clash with Xu Lie with my own eyes. He was shot in the arm by Xu Lie's bodyguard. Of course, Xu Lie called a doctor to treat him, but afterwards he injected him with a muscle relaxant and put him under house arrest in a villa. He came today, but he is still not free to move around, and I have no way to get close to him."

I was trembling all over, and it took me a long time to finally have the strength to ask, "Why...why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Wei Ye sighed, took a transparent silk thread from her pocket, and placed it in my palm: "I promised him to do something more important, and you may not know this, but for the past half month, Xu Lie has arranged many bodyguards around you. If it weren't for today's situation, I wouldn't have been able to get close to you to say these things."