Chapter 36: An Xiu Xiu Gets Married

Late at night,

The man in the bed was extremely thirsty. Dizzy, he sat up, instinctively reaching for the glass on the bedside table. The bed was too high, and as his body tilted, he fell directly onto An Xiuxiu.

An Xiuxiu, too tired to open her eyes, dreamt that a mountain had fallen on top of her. She struggled desperately, unable to break free. In her anger, she clung to the “mountain,” biting and gnawing on it with all her strength. Exhausted, she sweated and carelessly tore at her clothes, falling back into a deep sleep.

Morning came, and the sunlight streamed through the window, casting its glow on the floor. A man and a woman lay embraced in sleep.

Song Shiyan opened his eyes, squinting as he raised his hand to shield himself from the incoming light. He could hear a soft sound of the girl humming. Stiffly, he dared not move. An Xiuxiu sneezed, pulled the blanket over her, and rolled over to continue sleeping, exposing the man’s toned, muscular body, which was covered in numerous bite marks.

Song Shiyan was dazed, confused, not understanding what had happened. He remembered that yesterday was the anniversary of his mother’s death. He had been feeling down, driving around aimlessly, and eventually sat down at a random restaurant to quietly drink. After that, he couldn’t remember anything.

He managed to get his clothes out from under the blanket and put them on. Then he started observing the room. It seemed like an attic, with only a bed and a table, and a woman lying on the floor in a messy heap.

Finally, after sleeping enough, An Xiuxiu lifted the blanket and sat up. When she saw the man sitting on the bed, staring at her, she realized she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She quickly grabbed the blanket and, in anger, threw a pillow at him.

“Pervert!”

Song Shiyan caught the pillow and slowly, leisurely, began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Am I a pervert? Why don’t you take a look at yourself and see who the real pervert is?”

Song Shiyan’s body was covered in red marks, each a clear indication of bites. An Xiuxiu refused to admit anything.

“Those were your own bites! Don’t blame me for them!”

The man laughed in anger. “You try biting yourself and see what happens!”

“You…”

An Xiuxiu’s round face turned a shade of pink, both embarrassed and angry. She was about to argue back but suddenly felt a warm sensation flowing inside her body.

Oh no, she was no longer a pure girl, and now the one to blame was pointing at her. She had played the role of the pervert! An Xiuxiu cried, feeling deeply wronged.

As soon as An Xiuxiu started crying, Song Shiyan panicked. He rushed to her side, unsure of what to do, and clumsily tried to comfort her.

“Don’t cry, I was wrong.”

An Xiuxiu stopped crying and asked through her sobs,

“What did you do wrong?”

Song Shiyan was confused. How was he supposed to answer that? How would he know what he did wrong?

“Everything. Everything is wrong.”

An Xiuxiu wasn’t satisfied with his answer. She turned away from him, refusing to speak, and silently started putting on her clothes.

The bright red mark on the blanket caught Song Shiyan’s attention. An Xiuxiu noticed that he was staring directly at the mark, and in embarrassment, she quickly grabbed the blanket and threw it over his head.

“Don’t look!”

Inside the blanket, Song Shiyan’s lips curled up, and his eyes softened. He pulled the blanket away and gently looked at the shy woman.

“Let’s get married.”

An Xiuxiu froze in place. “What are you talking about? We just met.”

“So what? Some people may know each other for ten years and never end up together. But some people fall in love at first sight.”

An Xiuxiu looked at the man in front of her, whose gentle expression made her heart flutter. A bold idea suddenly arose in her mind—she wanted to marry him.

“Alright, but I have to tell you something first.”

“You…”

“I was married once before, but I got a divorce.”

The man froze for a moment, then quickly reacted, stammering,

“But… but you… that… that…”

An Xiuxiu understood exactly what he was asking, but she was too embarrassed to speak.

“The man didn’t like me. He never touched me. Today… today is my first time.”

Song Shiyan looked at her with a tender expression, slowly walking towards her and pulling her into his embrace.

“I like you. I want you. Let’s get married.”

An Xiuxiu looked up, her eyes full of conflict as she stared at him.

“Don’t you mind that I was married before?”

Song Shiyan shook his head. “I don’t mind. You’re a pure and innocent girl marrying me. I’m happy about it, how could I mind?”

An Xiuxiu smiled happily, her eyes curving like crescent moons. Seeing her so happy, Song Shiyan also smiled.

“Quick, go get the household registration book. Let’s go to the civil affairs bureau and register our marriage!”

“Okay!”

An Xiuxiu rummaged through a wooden box and handed him the household registration book. Song Shiyan took it and opened it.

“An Xiuxiu, what a beautiful name. From now on, I’ll call you A Xiu, okay?”

“Okay, what’s your name?” An Xiuxiu looked up at him.

“Song Shiyan, your husband’s name.”

An Xiuxiu tilted her head. “Is it the character for ‘swallow’?”

Song Shiyan took her hand, carefully writing the character for “Yan” (宴).

“It’s this Yan, not the swallow’s ‘Yan’.”

An Xiuxiu lowered her head, feeling a bit self-conscious. “I don’t know it. I only went to school for a bit, and I don’t know many characters.”

“It’s fine. After we’re married, I’ll slowly teach you. Who knows, I might even teach you to be a university graduate!”

Seeing that he didn’t look down on her, An Xiuxiu sighed with relief. Luo Yecheng used to often belittle her, complaining that she had no education, that her behavior was rough, and calling her a shrew. It made her lose all her self-confidence, leaving her feeling extremely inferior. Thankfully, her optimistic and carefree personality kept her from spiraling into despair.

Song Shiyan held An Xiuxiu’s hand and led her downstairs. The stairs were narrow and steep.

“Be careful.”

“I’m fine, I’ve gone up and down these stairs many times.”

“After we’re married, you’ll move in with me. You don’t need to stay here anymore.”

“Okay.” Of course, they would live together after marriage. After they reached the bottom of the stairs, the boss greeted them with a smile.

“Oh, you’re awake! Your friend asked me to take care of you, so I moved you upstairs to rest.”

“Thank you, boss.”

The boss looked at their interlaced hands, not quite understanding what was happening. Song Shiyan raised their hands and said,

“We’re together now. We’re going to the civil affairs bureau to register for our marriage!”

The boss gasped and then laughed heartily, cupping his hands in congratulations.

“Great, congratulations!”

“Thank you, boss. Thank you for taking care of A Xiu. After we get married, A Xiu will move in with me.”

“Good, good, good!”

Song Shiyan led An Xiuxiu out, and the boss suddenly realized,

“They’re together now. That makes me the matchmaker! They must give me a big red envelope!”

At the civil affairs bureau, Song Shiyan and An Xiuxiu signed their names, and the staff stamped their marriage certificate with a loud “thud.” Song Shiyan held the freshly issued marriage certificate and looked at it repeatedly, while An Xiuxiu teased him.

“Why are you staring at a marriage certificate? Can you see flowers growing on it?”

Song Shiyan looked at the certificate, his eyes full of emotion, almost moved to tears. From now on, he also had a home. His mother would be at peace in the afterlife, knowing he had found happiness.

“A Xiu, I’m so happy. From now on, I have a home. There will be a wife waiting for me, and one day, we’ll have children. I’ll be a good husband and a good father, and I’ll make sure you live a happy life!”