Chapter 36 – I’m Married

Everything Xu Ruyan had said just now was really for one purpose: to keep Xu Baofeng under control. Her father had already promised her a generous dowry—she couldn’t let him mess it up.

That nonsense about the factory director retaliating? He actually believed it. But with someone like him, a nobody, the director of the food factory probably forgot his name the second he turned around.

But stupidity has its own uses—say a few things and he just eats it up.

Sure, Shen Nanqing might not have power or influence—but Song Huaiwen did.

Xu Ruyan felt more and more that things were slipping beyond her control, and she absolutely couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

It was the height of summer. Even at 4 p.m., the sun was still blazing, and the air was thick with dry, oppressive heat.

One truck after another slowly drove into the compound, kicking up clouds of dust.

The troupe members got off the trucks in an orderly fashion. Once everyone had assembled, Commissar Zheng cleared his throat and began his closing remarks.

Fortunately, Commissar Zheng wasn’t the kind of leader who loved to ramble. Knowing the team had worked hard during their performance tour, he kept it short and to the point, then let everyone go back and rest.

The roads in the 1970s were nothing like the smooth highways of later years. The trip had been rough and jostling, and Shen Nanqing felt like her body was about to fall apart. All she wanted was a hot shower and to collapse into bed.

At that moment, Li Haoxuan suddenly called out to her, saying he had something to say.

Shen Nanqing felt there was nothing left between them worth discussing. But with people coming and going, and everyone part of the same troupe, it wasn’t the time to make a scene. So she decided to humor him.

“What is it?” Shen Nanqing asked impatiently.

Li Haoxuan tilted his chin slightly and deliberately raised his voice: “I’m married.”

Shen Nanqing gave him a quick glance, her tone flat as water: “Oh. Congratulations.”

She had thought it might be something important. This? He needed to specially inform her of this? He clearly had too much time on his hands.

Let the scumbag and his mistress stay locked together, who cared.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” With that, Shen Nanqing turned to leave.

Li Haoxuan stood frozen on the spot. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Shen Nanqing was supposed to break down, yell, cry—anything but this calm indifference.

Until now, he’d always thought that when Shen Nanqing had told him things were over, or that she was seeing someone else, it was just to provoke him. He’d believed she still cared deep down.

But here she was, light and breezy, as if nothing had happened.

A wave of nameless fury surged in Li Haoxuan’s chest. He took a step forward, blocking her path, his face twisted with a mix of anger and frustration. “Don’t you have anything else to say?”

Say what?!

“You’re not seriously expecting me to give you a wedding gift, are you?” Shen Nanqing raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, we’re not that close.”

“You—” Li Haoxuan’s face turned bright red. He was so choked up by her words he couldn’t even get a sentence out.

Just then, Shen Nanqing’s previously frosty face suddenly lit up with a brilliant smile.

Li Haoxuan’s mood shot up in an instant. He thought she had been messing with him earlier and had finally come around.

But the next second, she ran right past him.

“How did you know I’d be back today?” Shen Nanqing asked joyfully.

They were originally scheduled to perform for a week, but due to unexpected circumstances, the tour had been extended by a few days.

They couldn’t get in touch with Song Huaizhi, and Political Commissar Zheng wasn’t sure of the exact date either, so Song Huaiwen simply returned to his sister’s house at the originally agreed time and made a point to stop by the performing arts troupe every day.

With his vacation drawing to a close, he didn’t want to waste a single moment—he wanted to see her as many times as possible. Soon, they’d only have letters and phone calls to rely on.

Song Huaiwen said, completely calm and composed, “Maybe I just got lucky and showed up at the right time.”

Of course, Shen Nanqing didn’t buy that for a second. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled. “I think it’s more like we’re connected by a thread of fate.”

Technically, at twenty-eight years old, Song Huaiwen shouldn’t still be this bashful. But he really was easy to fluster, and the stark contrast between his usual cold, stern appearance and his current shyness was incredibly endearing to her.

And the fact that she was the only one who got to see this side of him made it even better—Shen Nanqing couldn’t resist teasing him.

Sure enough, Song Huaiwen didn’t dare look her in the eye, and the tips of his ears gradually turned red, the blush spreading all the way down to his neck.

Shen Nanqing chuckled lightly. “Come on, I’m going to drop my things off in the dorm first.”

Song Huaiwen gave a slight nod and followed behind her. But before he left, he cast a glance at Li Haoxuan—one that was anything but gentle. It carried a sharp, cold edge.

Li Haoxuan’s emotions were a complete rollercoaster. The resentment in his eyes hadn’t even had time to fade before Song Huaiwen caught him dead in the act.

That cold face, that authoritative presence—it made Li Haoxuan shudder involuntarily. He stood frozen in place, watching the two of them walk away. As their backs disappeared into the distance, he clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

Ruyan had been right. Shen Nanqing was just a vain, fickle woman. She claimed to like him, but the moment someone better came along, she ran faster than a rabbit.

Luckily, he had married Ruyan.

Speaking of that marriage—it was probably the most rebellious thing he’d ever done in his life.

That day, a little kid knocked on his door. The moment he opened it, the child shoved a note into his hand and ran off.

It was a note from Xu Ruyan, saying she was waiting for him outside the family housing compound and would stay there until he came.

These past few days, his parents and older brother had been taking turns brainwashing him. He had started to waver a bit, thinking maybe marrying Shen Nanqing wouldn’t be so bad after all. If he married her, he wouldn’t have to worry about money and could focus on his art full-time.

But Xu Ruyan said she’d wait for him. That reminded him of her gentleness, her patience, her understanding—things he had never experienced from Shen Nanqing or his own family.

Although his mother Li Yanhong had ordered him to stay home and not go out, she hadn’t physically locked him up. So he managed to slip out quickly and meet Xu Ruyan.

Her eyes were full of grievance and helplessness, tears brimming in her lashes. “My family found out your parents don’t approve of our marriage. They want me to marry the factory director’s son.”

Her voice was choked with emotion, the words coming out in broken sobs, as if she’d burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing her like that, Li Haoxuan’s heart swelled with pity. “Then what are you going to do?”

Xu Ruyan clutched the sleeve of his shirt tightly, her eyes filled with determination. “I don’t want to marry anyone else. You’re the only one in my heart. If they try to force me, I’ll just end it all right in front of them.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she finished.

At those words, all of Li Haoxuan’s internal defenses crumbled. His parents’ warnings evaporated from his mind. All he could see was Xu Ruyan, tearful and fragile like a pear blossom in the rain.

He gently reached up to wipe away her tears, as if steeling himself for what came next. “Wait here. I’m going back to get my documents. We’ll head to the troupe for the marriage certificate ceremony, and we’ll register our marriage right after.”

“Really?” Xu Ruyan looked at him with hope in her eyes. Then she shook her head, pretending to hesitate. “Maybe we shouldn’t. Your parents are going to be furious if they find out…”

“Once the rice is cooked, there’s nothing they can do about it,” Li Haoxuan said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Whether it was because he was marrying the woman he wanted or because he was finally breaking free of his parents’ control, even he wasn’t sure.

Watching Li Haoxuan hurry off into the distance, Xu Ruyan’s eyes glinted with a flicker of smugness. Maybe things hadn’t spun completely out of control after all. At the very least, Li Haoxuan was still in the palm of her hand.