Once it was all over, I was left with a jumble of emotions, happiness and sadness all mixed together. I couldn’t tell whether I felt more relieved or more sad. Tống Dịch quietly stayed by my side, awkwardly trying to comfort me.
Day by day, I gradually got over it. It was in the past. What was the point of bringing it up and making myself miserable?
Today, Đại Hoàng and I were rolling around on the rug, having a grand time. As soon as Tống Dịch walked over, Đại Hoàng jumped up and darted behind me, treating him like he wasn’t even there. He was still mad about Tống Dịch trying to give him away. For the past few days, he hadn’t given Tống Dịch the time of day.
Taking advantage of the moment, I laughed triumphantly. “You used to be Đại Hoàng’s favorite. Now I’ve stolen the top spot.”
Tống Dịch laughed and sat down beside me, playfully whining, “But what if I’m jealous?”
I put on a serious face. “Jealousy helps keep your blood vessels flexible. It’s good for your health.”
Tống Dịch laughed helplessly. “What a ridiculous argument.”
Before I could argue back, my phone rang. It was Tống Tinh Trì.
I frowned. “What’s he calling me for?”
Muttering under my breath, I answered. It was noisy on the other end, and Tống Tinh Trì sounded irritated. “Hello? I’m drunk. Come pick me up.”
I was stunned. “Did you call the wrong number?”
“I sent you my location. You have to come…” He swore. “Sở Duyệt! Why did you block me?”
Block him? I’d nearly forgotten he existed. I hadn’t even remembered blocking him on WeChat.
Thinking that, I turned to look at Tống Dịch. He awkwardly touched his nose, then looked away.
Oh. So that was it.
“Tell me, why did you block me?” Tống Tinh Trì snapped from the other end. He’d probably been waiting too long.
“I blocked you because I wanted to. Do I need a reason?”
“Sở Duyệt! What gave you the right to string me along for so long, then just drop me like that?”
I was livid. “When did I ever string you along? Have you forgotten how you humiliated me before?”
I couldn’t remember all of those three months, but even the two hazy details I did recall were enough to make my blood boil.
His voice softened. “I’m sorry. I was petty, clinging to the past and not thinking about your feelings. A while ago, you suddenly changed and kept chasing after me. I thought you were playing with me. Then I saw you marry Tống Dịch, and I got so angry that I said those things. I never thought you’d almost… I’m sorry.”
What a tangled mess of fate! My head was starting to pound.
“You know I’d changed, too. Just assume I was possessed at the time. Let’s stop bothering each other from now on.”
“No. Get a divorce. I’ll marry you. We were betrothed as children. That little villain Tống Dịch barged in and turned things upside down. Now we’re just putting things back where they belong.”
I was so annoyed I shouted, “If you’re crazy, go get treatment!”
With that, I hung up and blocked his number, too.
“I’m so mad! Let me hug you to calm down.” I turned and threw myself into Tống Dịch’s arms.
After everything that had just happened, I realized Tống Dịch didn’t feel secure in our relationship. Afraid he’d get the wrong idea, I quickly promised, “Don’t overthink it. I’m sticking with you for the rest of my life. Even if you try to kick me out, I won’t leave.”
He gave me a sad smile. “From beginning to end, I’ve only been afraid you’d leave me. How could I ever drive you away?”
He looked so pitiful that my heart ached. I hugged him tightly, kissed his forehead, and comforted him every way I could until he finally smiled. But before his smile could fully bloom, my phone rang again. Tống Tinh Trì was calling, this time from a different number. Irritated, I turned off the phone.
Tống Dịch blinked, his long lashes lowering. “Ever since we were kids, whatever he wants, he finds a way to get.” As if afraid Tống Tinh Trì might steal me away, he hooked his little finger around mine. “Duyệt Duyệt, don’t leave me alone.”
Then he lifted his head, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He looked at me with a mix of grievance and stubbornness.
Me: “!”
Oh my gosh! He was crying! I felt absolutely awful!
In a panic, I shut my phone off completely, raised both hands to the sky, and swore, “I swear! I’ll never leave you! If I’m lying, the moment I walk out that door, I’ll…”
Before I could finish my curse, he sealed my lips with his. The kiss was fierce and passionate. I closed my eyes and lost myself in it. I had no idea that a shadow briefly crossed his eyes.
After spending some time at home glued to Tống Dịch, I started getting restless and wanted to work. When I told him, his face lit up. “Do you want to start a company with me?”
“But you still work at Tống Industries, don’t you?”
“Grandma already made me willingly give up everything I had with the Tống family. Why would I keep working for them?”
I knew about this, too. The Tống family had planned to arrange an engagement between me and Tống Tinh Trì. But Tống Dịch had gone to Grandma Tống himself and asked her to switch the groom.
In truth, Grandma hadn’t been keen on this marriage either. The marriage alliance was for the sake of mutual benefit, and my family had become a burden to the Tống family. Having her beloved grandson marry me would be a waste.
Maybe in the end, Grandma would have put Tống Dịch forward as a substitute anyway, keeping things vague with the others so no one would think to ask too many questions. But Tống Dịch had acted first, giving Grandma a chance to control him and letting her impose that unreasonable condition.
Trading a good-for-nothing like me for cheap labor was a great deal for the Tống family. But Tống Dịch had brought me home and taken a huge loss.
Thinking of that, I teased him. “Do you regret it?”
“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
True to his word, Tống Dịch quickly took care of everything. All I had to do was sit back and wait to start work.
Not long afterward, Tống Tinh Trì showed up. Đại Hoàng sat squarely in the doorway, growling at him in warning. He looked ready to lunge and take a bite the moment Tống Tinh Trì stepped inside.
Shielding himself with one hand, Tống Tinh Trì shouted, “Tống Dịch, you bastard! Get out here!”
“Đại Hoàng, come inside.” Tống Dịch beckoned Đại Hoàng back into the house.
“You fucking bastard! You shameless piece of trash!” Tống Tinh Trì ran around dodging Đại Hoàng, his face red and his breath coming in gasps, still pointing at Tống Dịch and cursing him out.
I sprang to my feet and yelled angrily, “Are you crazy?” As I spoke, I was about to signal Đại Hoàng to charge.
Tống Tinh Trì grew even angrier. “Sở Duyệt, ask him what he’s been up to!”
I was stunned and turned to Tống Dịch, my face full of doubt.
Tống Dịch blinked innocently. “I don’t know. He came in and started yelling. I haven’t even had a chance to react.”
“Bastard!” Tống Tinh Trì gritted his teeth. “Sở Duyệt, don’t let him fool you! He’s a great actor. On the surface, he seems mild and harmless, but underneath, he’s full of schemes and tricks.”
Tống Dịch just smiled, his expression unruffled. “Getting worked up is bad for your health, especially when you’re about to get married. You should try to stay in a good mood.”
“Get married?” I’d heard Tống Tinh Trì was about to marry the Hứa family’s beloved daughter. So it was true. I sat down to enjoy the show.
“This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to marry that shrew!” Tống Tinh Trì ground his teeth, looking ready to charge in and tear Tống Dịch apart.
I glanced at Đại Hoàng. Understanding, he let out one loud bark. At the sound, Tống Tinh Trì immediately backed down and stopped acting so tough.
“Tống Dịch, if the Tống family hadn’t taken you in, you’d have starved to death on the street. And now you repay their kindness by taking all the company’s people with you? Have you no shame?”
“I can’t stop people from choosing to follow me.”
“You obviously used underhanded tactics!”
Tống Dịch laughed at that. “Tống Tinh Trì, you’re the one who failed to give them any reason to believe the company had a future. You’d be better off going home to focus on your wedding. Without the Hứa family backing you, you won’t be able to hold on to those old shareholders.”
Tống Tinh Trì’s expression darkened.
“You say the Tống family did me a favor. Let’s not bring that up again. It was all a matter of mutual interest—you understand that better than anyone. And I’ve already earned back many times over what they spent raising me.”
“Let me remind you: You enjoyed your crown-prince status for years. Now it’s time to pay the price.”
Tống Tinh Trì looked at me for a long moment, then turned and left. He’d always been arrogant, walking around like a whirlwind. But today, he seemed a little lost and lonely.
“Do you feel sorry for him?” a voice asked sourly behind me.
I jumped, then shot back, “You had a pretty big hand in getting him married to the Hứa family’s daughter, didn’t you?”
I’d met the Hứa family’s daughter a few times. She was exactly the sort of shrewish, spoiled princess you’d expect. Apparently, when she was little, she liked Tống Tinh Trì so much that she knocked him unconscious and hauled him home. It left him badly traumatized, and he had to hide out with his maternal relatives in another city for a long time before he dared to come back. A pampered rich kid like Tống Tinh Trì could only tuck his tail and play the wallflower around her.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?”
I’d perfected the art of soothing him. I pounced on him, pushed him down onto the chair, and bit him. “Enough with the empty talk. Right now, I just want to taste my black sesame tangyuan!”
…
Tống Dịch proposed to me. I hadn’t gotten to take part in the wedding before, so he wanted to make it up to me with a small ceremony, just for the two of us. But the way he proposed… It was so cheesy!
He dressed Đại Hoàng up to the nines with bows and ribbons, then had him run over to me with the ring box in his mouth. That was it. That was the whole proposal!
I looked at the ring sitting snugly on my left ring finger and sighed. Oh well. He was the man I loved; even if I found it embarrassing, I’d just have to put up with it.
Seeing my expression, Tống Dịch asked, “Don’t you like it?”
“Of course I do. I can’t bring myself to turn either you or Đại Hoàng down…”
He frowned and shot Đại Hoàng a sidelong glance. Scared, Đại Hoàng darted behind me. Good grief, he was jealous even about this!
I hurried to placate him. “But you’re still number one!”
Only then did he smile and lean close to my ear. “I’m holding back during the day. Tonight, I’ll give you something you’ll like even more.”
Me: “…”
Suddenly, I couldn’t wait!
That evening, he wore a black suit and red tie, lying on his side on the bed and looking at me with pitiful eyes. The corners of his eyes were slightly red, as if someone had bullied him. Oh no—he knew exactly how to exploit my weakness!
I tried to keep my voice calm. “This trick works every time, doesn’t it?”
“All you have to do is answer me: Do you like it?”
I threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around him. Who needed words? Actions were the clearest answer. I liked it—I liked it so much I was crazy about it!
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