-021- Come stay at my place tonight.
-021-
The private kitchen restaurant was near a food street, separated only by a bridge. After Zhou Dang took Xuan Yang away, he found a Chinese restaurant by the water on the food street and ordered some of her favorite dishes. The window of the private dining room faced the shimmering river, and looking out, you could see the night view of the opposite embankment. There were bustling figures taking a stroll, orderly streetlights, and a row of willow trees swaying in the wind. Compared to the lively atmosphere on the other side, the style of Xuan Yang's private room was very elegant, with a kind of understated luxury, making it feel cold and impersonal. Zhou Dang filled her cup with hot tea and broke the silence first: "This restaurant has a wide variety of cuisines. The most famous are Sichuan and Cantonese dishes. I heard they hired top local chefs at high salaries."
Xuan Yang withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at him, finally finding a trace of warmth in the current environment: "Actually, I could have just gone home and eaten something."
Zhou Dang: "My dad went too far. It's only right that I treat you to a meal, isn't it?"
Xuan Yang had nothing to say, even though she didn't think Zhou's father had done anything too extreme. After all, he was just acting out of love and concern for Zhou Dang when he came to negotiate with her. Which parent wouldn't want the best for their child? Xuan Yang lowered her eyes and looked at the steaming clear tea in front of her, feeling a rare sense of calm. Across from her, Zhou Dang could vaguely sense that she seemed troubled and worried she might waver: "Don't worry, none of the threats my old man made will come true."
Xuan Yang looked up, stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then understood something and smiled: "Don't worry either. Since I promised I wouldn't abandon you, I'll keep my word."
Zhou Dang felt a bit more at ease and hummed in acknowledgment: "I know. Mrs. Zhou always keeps her promises."
They exchanged a silent look for a moment, and before Xuan Yang looked away, Zhou Dang spoke again: "Come stay at my place tonight."
Xuan Yang's smile froze, and she was incredulous: "What?"
His suggestion was too sudden, catching her off guard and confusing her. So she was stunned. But he seemed to think she hadn't heard clearly, so he patiently repeated: "Tonight, stay over at my place."
Xuan Yang: "..."
Zhou Dang's slender, well-defined fingers toyed with the teacup, his face calm: "My old man came to see you today for two reasons. First, he wanted to start with you and persuade you to divorce me. Second, he was here to probe the real situation between us."
Xuan Yang nodded, understanding vaguely. Zhou Dang continued: "I told him that marrying you was my heartfelt desire, that I wouldn't have anyone else."
"Even if you don't have feelings for me now, given time, we can grow to love each other."
Xuan Yang blinked. Although she had roughly guessed that Zhou Dang would say something like this, hearing him express it directly still made her a bit embarrassed. Especially the phrases "heartfelt desire" and "grow to love each other." Her ears burned. Zhou Dang, on the other hand, looked very composed, speaking logically and persuasively: "Words spoken are like spilled water—impossible to take back. So naturally, we need some concrete actions and progress."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
He finished speaking and looked at Xuan Yang without changing his expression, as if waiting for a final verdict. Xuan Yang was still a bit dazed; it took her a few moments to process Zhou Dang's train of thought, then she slowly nodded: "I understand."
In other words, they had to put on a show for Zhou's father. Xuan Yang had no objection to that. After all, it was just staying one night at Zhou Dang's place for appearances. It wasn't like anything was going to happen immediately, so it didn't matter.
"Then I'll go back to my rental and grab some toiletries," Xuan Yang said seriously.
This time, it was Zhou Dang's turn to be stunned, surprised by her readiness. Zhou Dang: "You... agreed just like that?"
Xuan Yang looked confused: "Should I... not agree?"
Regardless, they were already married, legally recognized as husband and wife. And they had agreed earlier to make a go of it after marriage. Although taking the first step was hard, Xuan Yang wasn't one to shrink from difficulties. So she steeled herself and agreed to stay overnight. However—
"But although I have no problem staying at your place, Zhou Dang, I want to make something clear first." Xuan Yang changed the subject, folding her hands on the table, looking serious.
Zhou Dang nodded, thinking to himself that of course it couldn't go exactly as planned. Xuan Yang continued: "Even though we're legally married now, our emotional foundation is still very weak. I think we should take things step by step, not rush to eat it all in one bite."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Saying their emotional foundation was weak was a polite way of putting it. In reality, they had only recently cleared up the misunderstanding of "not getting along" and just transitioned into being ordinary friends who knew each other. There was no emotional foundation at all. In this situation, jumping straight to everything was really hard. But Xuan Yang needed to move forward steadily.
Zhou Dang propped up his chin, suddenly reminded of her blushing mention of "that" last time, and couldn't help but curl his lips slightly: "I understand."
Xuan Yang breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Zhou Dang understood, that was fine.
"I'll take the initiative to try harder," Zhou Dang added.
Xuan Yang: "?"
Take the initiative? Who asked him to try harder? Xuan Yang's heart pounded. When she looked into Zhou Dang's smiling, light-colored eyes, she quickly looked away as if shocked. That's really not what I meant!!! Why did he have such a meaningful expression...
Just then, the door to the private room was knocked, and the restaurant manager came in with the waitstaff to serve the dishes. Xuan Yang quickly used the meal time to calm her inner turmoil, shoving several pan-fried buns the size of fingernails into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks like a hamster.
Zhou Dang served her some soup, seemingly seeing through her internal screaming, and couldn't help but laugh: "Honey, try this soup. You'll love it."
Xuan Yang gave him a look but couldn't really complain, so she looked at the soup bowl he handed over. It was her favorite matsutake chicken soup, a Yunnan dish. Mainly made with wild matsutake mushrooms from Yunnan, simmered with silkie chicken and pork ribs. In the white porcelain bowl, the chicken soup was clear and bright, the matsutake tender and fresh-looking, tempting and mouthwatering. For the sake of this soup that had been simmered for hours, Xuan Yang decided not to argue with Zhou Dang. She took the soup bowl and glanced at the man across from her: "I have to work tomorrow. Is your place far from Junda Law Firm?"
Speaking of which, Zhou Dang picked up his phone and sent her a document: "This is a detailed report of all my assets, including real estate, stocks, and deposits. I had a specialist compile it, so there shouldn't be any omissions. Take a look."
Xuan Yang was confused. That wasn't what she had asked, was it? After a few seconds, she heard her phone ping with a message notification but ignored it: "You don't need to tell me all this. I just asked where you plan to take me tonight."
She frowned slightly: "Just answer my question."
Zhou Dang smirked: "For Junda, both the apartments at Shangtian Mansion and Liujin Garden are close. Whichever you prefer."
"But both properties are apartments, even though they're large flats. The environment and layout are just average, so you'll have to make do."
Xuan Yang listened quietly, then couldn't help but glance up at him. She wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Both Shangtian Mansion and Liujin Garden were famously expensive throughout Jingbei. Only Zhou Dang could say something like "make do" without sounding like he was showing off. Xuan Yang lowered her head and continued drinking her soup. Only after a long while did she recover enough to ask Zhou Dang: "Where do you usually live?"
Zhou Dang: "I usually stay at these two places. On days off, I generally go back to the Old Mansion."
He paused, then asked her with a smile: "Where would you like to stay? If you don't like either, we can look at other nearby properties. If something catches your eye, we'll buy it."
Xuan Yang: "..."
Although she came from a wealthy family, she always felt she wasn't in the same league as Zhou Dang. It made her realize how big the gap was between the true prince of the Jingbei circle and an adopted daughter of a wealthy family.
Zhou Dang: "If you don't mind the commute distance, we can expand the options. A villa would work too."
Xuan Yang forced a smile and made a gesture with her fingers: "Alright, zip it."
Zhou Dang: "?"
Xuan Yang: "Let's stay at Shangtian Mansion."
She decided, not wanting to hear Zhou Dang flaunt his wealth any longer.
By the time they finished dinner, the night was deep. Considering that going from the restaurant back to Xuan Yang's rental to get things would take time, and since Zhou Dang's place would need to stock some of her daily necessities anyway, Xuan Yang gave up the idea of making the trip. She accepted Zhou Dang's suggestion to buy what she needed at a nearby mall and take it to his place. That way, if she stayed over next time, it would be convenient.
While shopping, Zhou Dang pushed the cart beside Xuan Yang. Anything she gave more than a glance, he tossed into the cart. After a few times, Xuan Yang felt restrained. Once she bought the essentials, she headed straight for the checkout, not daring to look at any other products. After all, when Zhou Dang was generous, he acted like a spendthrift; he might even buy the whole mall.
The mall was just a few steps from Shangtian Mansion, and Xuan Yang soon arrived at Zhou Dang's residence. As Zhou Dang had said, most units at Shangtian Mansion were large flats with one elevator per household. His apartment was on the top floor, over 300 square meters, with good orientation and a huge terrace offering an amazing view. Compared to the cramped, shabby rental she lived in, it was like heaven and earth. So while changing shoes at the entrance, Xuan Yang remembered a topic they had discussed on the way back and couldn't help saying to the man: "The environment in my rental is nothing like this place. You definitely wouldn't be used to it."
Earlier, Xuan Yang had said she could make time to stay over at Zhou Dang's, but if work got busy and she really didn't have time, she hoped he would understand. Zhou Dang's reply was: "You can just move in with me."
Xuan Yang was stunned. Although Zhou Dang's suggestion was nice, she had just signed a one-year lease and paid for her rental. If she moved out now, the deposit would be forfeited. And jumping straight to cohabitation seemed too fast; Xuan Yang had difficulty accepting it. So she tactfully told Zhou Dang that she was used to living in small spaces abroad and wasn't comfortable in big flats. Zhou Dang was silent for a long time after hearing that. Just as Xuan Yang thought he would back off, the man compromised: "In that case, I'll just have to move in and squeeze in with you."
Xuan Yang: "..."