That evening, the two families gathered together, chatting and laughing. The couple put on their masks again and performed the role of 'loving husband and wife,' as if the argument in the car had never happened.
Halfway through the dinner, both sets of parents had flushed faces, their eyes repeatedly sweeping over the quietly eating young couple, their faces filled with undisguised satisfaction and a certain tacit expectation.
Yu Wanwan was focusing on the crab meat lion's head meatball that Zhang Jingxu had just put in her bowl, trying to lower her presence.
Xu Xiangsi put down her soup spoon and smiled at her counterpart across the table: "Ruosu, look at these two kids. They look so good sitting together. We used to say they were fated, and now, more than ten years later, they really have become a family."
Yu Ruosu's eyes sparkled, and she also smiled as she picked up the conversation: "Exactly! I've always considered Wanwan as my own daughter. Now it's even better—she's my official daughter-in-law." She turned to Yu Wanwan, her tone full of affection: "Wanwan, our A Xu grew up with brains but no emotional intelligence. If he makes you angry in the future, just tell me directly, and Mom will teach him a lesson!"
Zhang Jingxu was slowly and meticulously peeling a shrimp. On hearing this, his hand paused for a moment. He looked at his own mother, then glanced at Yu Wanwan, whose ears were starting to turn red. He naturally placed the peeled shrimp into her bowl.
Yu Pingsheng took a small sip of wine, his eyes on Zhang Changgeng, his tone practical and man-to-man: "Old Zhang, since the kids have already gotten their marriage certificate, shouldn't we also start planning the wedding? There needs to be a ceremony so that relatives and friends all know, and so we parents can finally rest easy."
Zhang Changgeng nodded gracefully: "Old Yu is right. Ruosu and I have already discussed it. The wedding ceremony can't be sloppy. Both our families are local, and we have many friends. How about a grand and warm one? As for the season... I think autumn is beautiful—neither too hot nor too cold. For the hotel, planning, etc., feel free to make any suggestions, and we'll arrange it." He said, his gaze gently sweeping over the young couple: "Of course, it mainly depends on the kids' wishes."
These words instantly put pressure on the two 'parties involved' at the table.
Hearing the word 'wedding,' Yu Wanwan suddenly felt the lion's head meatball in her mouth get stuck. The four glaring words 'contract marriage' flashed through her mind, and her toes curled nervously under the table.
Back then, all she had wanted was to get married quickly and enjoy a carefree life without anyone controlling her. She had never imagined that one day both families would sit together discussing wedding arrangements for them—a 'contract couple' with no real feelings.
She secretly glanced at Zhang Jingxu. Compared to her own anxiety, the man's expression remained unchanged. He even calmly picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, as if the table was discussing someone else's affairs.
Seeing the couple silent, Yu Ruosu leaned forward slightly and continued excitedly: "Yes, yes, yes! The wedding must be held! And the honeymoon trip needs careful planning too! Wanwan, do you have any ideas on this? For example, would you like to see ancient castles in Europe? Or Hawaii? Or what about seeing the Northern Lights in Scandinavia? That could be nice too."
Yu Wanwan grew more and more flustered as she listened. She wanted very much to tell the elders that they were a 'contract couple' with no feelings, and might even divorce in the future. But looking at all those eager, hopeful eyes, she eventually swallowed the words back down and answered vaguely: "Uh... either is fine. We'll see how the timing works out."
Her voice grew softer and softer, sounding particularly unsure.
The elders at the table seemed not to notice. Xu Xiangsi continued the topic of 'honeymoon travel': "Right, the honeymoon really needs to be well planned. I've heard that children conceived during the honeymoon, when the couple's feelings are at their best and most relaxed, turn out smart and cute. Wanwan..."
"Cough, cough..." Hearing her mother already starting to apply pressure to have children, Yu Wanwan was so frightened she choked on her champagne. She coughed uncontrollably, and her face turned an unnatural red.
Zhang Jingxu immediately reached out, gently and naturally patting her back. A faint smile appeared on his face.
But to Yu Wanwan, that smile carried a hint of provocation, as if to say: See, this is the consequence of deceiving the elders.
Ji Xu'an, who had been silently attending to his wife on the side, stepped in to smooth things over for Yu Wanwan: "Mom, Xiao Yu and A Xu have only been married a short while. They haven't even had enough time for themselves as a couple. Don't put pressure on them right now."
Hearing these life-saving words, Yu Wanwan couldn't help but shoot Ji Xu'an a grateful glance.
Indeed, her brother-in-law was the one who cared most about her 'survival.'
Xu Xiangsi twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Oh, I was just thinking it's better to have children early so you recover faster."
Have children early to recover faster; don't have children to keep safe.
Yu Wanwan muttered under her breath, pouting slightly: "Mom, I have a cold constitution. I can't get pregnant."
Seeing her daughter talk back, Xu Xiangsi's face immediately fell: "When I urged you to get married, you said you were afraid of men. Now that I urge you to have children, you say you have a cold constitution. Why do you have so many problems? If you really have a cold constitution, I'll find you a Chinese medicine doctor tomorrow to regulate your body. I guarantee I'll get you nice and warm."
On hearing this, Yu Wanwan could no longer control her facial expression. She nearly rolled her eyes to the sky.
Her mom was definitely a spy sent by some pro-birth brigade! Her elder sister was going to 'deliver goods' and give her a grandson by the end of the year, so why was she nagging her for no reason? Didn't she know she was the most rebellious one in the whole family?
Seeing Yu Wanwan's expression gradually twist under the pressure of being 'urged to have children,' Yu Suisui couldn't help but laugh: "Mom, I think you should stop pushing her. Young people nowadays don't like having kids anyway. If you keep pressuring her, I'm afraid she'll never dare to have them."
Yu Ruosu also spoke up at this moment, looking quite open-minded: "Yeah, kids are mainly up to them. What's meant to come will come. Pressuring them is useless."
She had originally wanted to bring up decorating a baby room, but seeing Yu Wanwan's strong resistance, and considering that the couple had seemed to be in conflict a few days ago, Yu Ruosu eventually swallowed the topic.
Compared to kids, the most important thing now was to let the young couple make some progress in their relationship; otherwise, a child probably wouldn't come no matter what.
So the topic of children was dropped. The elders moved on to discuss business matters...
Seeing that everyone had finally 'let her off,' Yu Wanwan felt a bit better. Amid the cheerful atmosphere, she gradually began to chat and laugh with the elders, speaking freely.
At the end of the birthday banquet came the most important part—the cake.
Today's birthday cake was a pandan cake made by Yu Ruosu herself, decorated with large pieces of mango. It looked both beautiful and delicious.
Zhang Jingxu put the birthday crown on her and lit the candles. Yu Ruosu walked to the end of the table to take photos for her. The whole family surrounded her, creating a warm and happy scene.
Yu Wanwan had drunk quite a bit of alcohol, and the tipsiness was starting to hit her. She swayed slightly as she sat in her chair, crossed her fingers, and silently made three wishes: "First, I wish for family and friends to be safe and healthy. Second, I wish to get rich and rich, and live a carefree life. Third..."
As she reached the third wish, Yu Wanwan suddenly stalled. Her eyes closed tighter and tighter as she thought, and then, in some corner of her mind, the image of that day in the resort's hot spring surfaced... Zhang Jingxu's wet figure.
As if she had found a clue, she silently murmured in her heart: "Third wish... I wish I could legally and reasonably sleep with Zhang Jingxu!"
Having said that, she took a deep breath, blew out the candles, and then stood up to cut the cake.
Yu Suisui picked up the somewhat uneven piece of cake that Yu Wanwan had cut for her and said teasingly: "You closed your eyes for so long. Were you asking the God of Wealth for money again?"
On hearing this, Yu Wanwan's alcohol-hazed eyes suddenly cleared for a moment. She bit her fork, her big, watery eyes wide open, looking incredibly cute and dazed: "How did you know?"
Yu Suisui gave a dismissive snort: "Your wishes every year are either to get rich or to get prettier. No creativity at all."
"Not this time." She forked a piece of cake into her mouth, her voice carrying a hint of girlish shyness: "This wish is very creative."
Yu Suisui squinted at her. A hint of suspicion crept onto her face: "How creative?"
"I'm not telling you." Having said that, Yu Wanwan turned her head away with a proud look and fixed her gaze on Zhang Jingxu, who was chatting enthusiastically with her brother-in-law.
At the moment he looked back, their eyes met. A flicker of panic crossed Yu Wanwan's heart, as if she was afraid he might see her true thoughts. Embarrassed, she quickly looked away.
They had been arguing in the car just this afternoon, but thinking of his strong, fit body in the hot spring that day, she couldn't help drooling.
She couldn't help sighing—she was indeed hopelessly lustful.