The next morning, the two of them packed up early and made two trips by car, hauling over all their daily necessities to Lu Yao’s house. Shen Zhirou retrieved the keys there once more.
Lu Yao regularly had housekeeping come in to tidy up, so the place was spotless. Still, with no one living there for a while, it felt a touch devoid of warmth.
By the time they finished unpacking everything, it was already noon. Shen Zhirou whipped up a simple shrimp noodle soup for herself and Lu Yao. While she was washing the pot, Little Kitten grew restless again, wriggling into Shen Zhirou’s arms and looping her arms around Shen Zhirou’s neck. Her lips brushed teasingly against the corner of Shen Zhirou’s mouth as she coquettishly nuzzled closer.
Shen Zhirou let out a soft chuckle and sighed, coaxing her gently. “Be good, alright? Let me finish washing up, then I’ll hold you properly.”
“No way, Jie Jie. I miss you so much.” Lu Yao rubbed her nose lightly against Shen Zhirou’s neck, her warm breath fanning over the sensitive skin and making Shen Zhirou laugh as she shrank back.
“It tickles!” Shen Zhirou giggled, dodging the playful puffs of air from the Little Kitten nestled in her arms. But Little Kitten clung to her like a second skin, impossible to shake off. In the end, Shen Zhirou had no choice but to wash the pot with Lu Yao draped over her.
Once the pot was clean, Shen Zhirou scooped up the naughty Little Kitten and carried her to the bed, intent on delivering some on-the-spot discipline.
Lu Yao kept her arms hooked around Shen Zhirou’s neck and planted a soft kiss on the corner of her lips. “Jie Jie, I have a gift for you. It’s in the nightstand drawer—take it out and have a look?”
Shen Zhirou leaned down to kiss Lu Yao’s lips before rising to fetch it. The drawer held two small boxes arranged neatly side by side. She picked them up, returned to the bedside, bent to kiss Lu Yao again, and asked softly, “When did you prepare this?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for ages. Jie Jie, will you marry me?” Lu Yao wound her arms around Shen Zhirou’s neck once more, her voice tender.
Shen Zhirou kissed Lu Yao’s lips, her gaze warm and affectionate. “Proposing in bed? My Yaoyao really knows how to make it special. Want me to put it on you?”
“Jie Jie, hold off a bit. I’m afraid it might scratch something.” Before Shen Zhirou could puzzle out what she meant, Lu Yao drew her into a deep kiss.
After their bath, Shen Zhirou cradled Lu Yao in her arms and slid the diamond ring onto her ring finger. “Now that this is on, no take-backs.”
“I’ll put yours on too.” Lu Yao huffed playfully and slipped the matching ring onto Shen Zhirou’s right ring finger.
Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao laced their fingers together, the two diamond rings gleaming brightly.
Lu Yao kissed the corner of Shen Zhirou’s lips and murmured softly, “Jie Jie, how about we travel to get married? For the wedding, I can probably extend my vacation by another half month. We could spend half a month playing around domestically, then another half abroad—what do you say?”
Shen Zhirou nodded gently and kissed the corner of Lu Yao’s lips in return. Their circumstances weren’t exactly wedding-material anyway—both families were a mess, and Shen Zhirou had already cut off contact with Ning Jianfang. “Sounds perfect. So, we head to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow? Mrs. Shen?”
“Mm, whatever Mrs. Lu says.” Lu Yao kissed the corner of Shen Zhirou’s lips right back.
On Monday morning, Shen Zhirou asked Wang Qi for leave from work. She and Lu Yao planned to register their marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau, then swing by the company to request wedding leave.
Wang Qi hadn’t expected them to tie the knot so quickly. She spent ages congratulating Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao over the phone.
The Civil Affairs Bureau was quiet that Monday morning, with few people around. Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao were the first couple in line. They breezed through the procedures, snapped their photos, and by ten o’clock, when they stepped out, each clutched a red marriage book.
Lu Yao posted to Moments for the first time in forever, and Shen Zhirou followed suit. Before long, likes and comments flooded in.
Huang Qingqing: “Married already? Congrats, congrats!”
Zhao Tongtong: “Whoa, you two got certified? Time to bleed Lu Yao dry with a feast!”
Shen Yumian: “Wow! Jie Jie, why didn’t you tell me!!!”
Dozens more comments rolled in, but Shen Zhirou hadn’t blocked a soul. She proudly broadcast her marriage news to one and all.
Ning Jianfang fidgeted upon seeing Shen Zhirou’s Moments post. She itched for that bride price, but the memory of Shen Zhirou calling the cops last time—landing her in the station—held her back. Plus, Shen Zhirou had blocked her and insisted on lawyer contact going forward. Ning Jianfang shrank from the thought of court and didn’t dare approach Shen Zhirou.
Still, she dialed Zhang Huichun. After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Huichun picked up and heard Ning Jianfang’s voice blare through: “Lu Yao’s mother, our Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao got married. What about the agreed-upon 300,000 bride price? You’re not backing out now, are you?”
Zhang Huichun paused, then replied, “Yaoyao and your daughter’s business is their own—her dad and I are staying out of it. Take it up with Yaoyao and your girl directly.”
Zhang Huichun hung up the phone after speaking, her heart filled with utter disappointment. Her daughter had gotten married, and she’d only found out by seeing it on her Moments.
Ning Jianfang wasn’t ready to give up yet. She called Lu Yao. “Yaoyao, this is Zhirou’s Mommy. You’ve gotten married now. You must have heard from your mom about the three hundred thousand yuan betrothal gift before. Now that you’re married, when are you going to transfer that three hundred thousand to me?”
Lu Yao let out a cold laugh. “I’ve recorded everything you just said. I’ll take it to Zhirou’s lawyer for notarization. If there’s a next time, we’ll sue you for defamation and extortion.”
Without waiting for Ning Jianfang to respond, she hung up. They had just come out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, buzzing with excitement, but Lu Yao worried the call might sour Shen Zhirou’s mood. She hurried to comfort her. “Jie Jie, don’t give her another thought. She doesn’t deserve to be you or Mianmian’s mother. Come on, Jie Jie—even without a wedding, we should still get some wedding candies for your colleagues and mine. Later you’ll take your wedding leave and hand them out.”
“All right, I’ll listen to you. No point wasting thoughts on unimportant people.” Shen Zhirou smiled in reply.
The two headed to the mall and picked out some delicious wedding candies. Then they drove toward Shen Zhirou’s company, with Lu Yao pulling straight into the underground garage.
Shen Zhirou carried a big bag of candies in one hand and held Lu Yao’s hand with the other as they walked toward the elevators. They ran into quite a few colleagues along the way.
“Zhirou, what’s with all the candy?” one passing colleague called out in greeting.
“We just got our marriage certificate today. Wedding candies—grab some!” Shen Zhirou let several colleagues take handfuls and left some for the receptionist before riding the elevator up to the office.
Lu Yao gave Shen Zhirou’s fingertip a gentle pinch. “Jie Jie, does that make me family now?”
“Of course it does.” Shen Zhirou smiled softly, lowering her gaze to meet Lu Yao’s.
Shen Zhirou led Lu Yao into the office. Huang Qingqing spotted them both and grinned teasingly. “Zhirou, bringing your girlfriend around? And with all that candy?”
“To be precise, she’s my wife now. We got certified this morning. Wedding candies for everyone—help yourselves later.” Shen Zhirou gave a light laugh.
“You two even got the certificate already? Talk about fast progress.” Huang Qingqing chuckled.
“She’s on vacation right now, so we’re planning a wedding trip.” Shen Zhirou glanced at Lu Yao beside her, her eyes full of tenderness.
“Now I’m jealous. I want to fall in love too.” Huang Qingqing joked.
Shen Zhirou chatted with her office colleagues for a while, then went to request wedding leave from Wang Qi. After that, the two stopped by Lu Yao’s company to do the same and passed out candies there too.
They grabbed lunch out, already planning to invite a few friends over for dinner that evening. She and Shen Zhirou would spend the next couple of days getting ready before setting off on their trip.
Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao hit the supermarket for ingredients, settling on a mandarin duck hotpot for dinner—everyone could just cook whatever they liked.
They stocked up on lamb, beef, fresh Arctic shrimp, and a bunch of vegetables. By mid-afternoon, they were back home and getting everything prepped.
Lu Yao was in the kitchen deveining the shrimp while Shen Zhirou washed vegetables nearby.
After a bit, Lu Yao’s hand started to ache. She turned to Shen Zhirou with a whine. “Jie Jie, wifey.”
“What’s up?” Shen Zhirou asked, amusement sparkling in her eyes, her voice soft.
“My hand hurts.” Lu Yao let out a couple of pitiful hums.
Shen Zhirou found her Yaoyao so adorable. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Lu Yao’s lips. “Better now?”
Lu Yao tilted her head up with a smile. “Way better. Jie Jie, give me a few more. Don’t be stingy.”
Shen Zhirou laughed softly and shook her head. She leaned in for a few more kisses before going back to the vegetables.
At five that afternoon, Shen Yumian was the first to arrive. She’d let Sheng Yang know early that she needed to leave a bit early, and now she was at Shen Zhirou’s place.
“Sis, anything left to finish? I can help.” Shen Yumian washed her hands and stepped out, ready to pitch in.
Shen Zhirou smiled. “No need—we’re all set. See? Everything’s laid out. We just wanted to get everyone together tonight. We’ve decided to skip the big wedding and head out in a day or two for a wedding trip instead.”
“That’s perfect, Sis. How long will you two be gone?” Shen Yumian asked at once.
“A month. A few days playing around domestically, then off abroad. What’s with you? You’re a mommy now, but you still look like you can’t bear to leave me?” Shen Zhirou teased her little sister—and sure enough, Shen Yumian took the bait.
“I’ve told you a million times, it’s not like that at all. President Sheng and I are totally innocent, okay?” Shen Yumian hovered around her sister Jie Jie, explaining insistently, as if she would keep chattering forever unless Shen Zhirou believed her.
Around six o’clock, Zhao Tongtong, Chu Su, and Zhao Ke arrived as well.
Shen Zhirou quickly waved them in. “Everyone, have a seat. We’re all family here today—let’s celebrate my new marriage with Yaoyao.”
“Congratulations on your marriage.”
Chu Su curiously took in Lu Yao’s home, then smiled at Shen Zhirou. “I never imagined I’d live to eat hotpot at Lu Yao’s place. She used to hate this stuff the most.”
Lu Yao shot her a glance and laughed. “Even food won’t shut your mouth. Eat more, quick.”
“True enough,” Zhao Ke chimed in with a grin. “I always thought no one could ever tame Lu Yao. But you pulled it off. Impressive.”
“Is that so?” Shen Zhirou smiled at Lu Yao. “Our Yaoyao has such a sweet temper, doesn’t she, wifey?”
“Yes,” Lu Yao agreed with a smile.
“You two are just luring single dogs here to slaughter,” Chu Su said fiercely, shoving a big mouthful of meat into her mouth.
“To be precise, only you and Zhao Ke are the single dogs,” Lu Yao replied with a laugh. “Those two across from us both have girlfriends.”
“No, President Sheng and I are innocent…” Shen Yumian kept explaining at the dinner table nonstop, but even her own sister wouldn’t buy it.
