Chapter 5: Is He Really a Eunuch?

"You don't think I'm going to hug you, do you?"

Zhan Zeyue looked at Tang Qiyue with a sneer. His large hand reached out to shut the door behind her, effectively blocking the view of the group of people in the courtyard who were craning their necks to peek inside.

Although Tang Qiyue’s mental age was not young, she still felt a sense of shame and indignation in this situation.

"I’m not that narcissistic. But you—do you really not want to acknowledge our marriage?"

Tang Qiyue quickly adjusted her state of mind, calmly stepped out of Zhan Zeyue’s encirclement, and stood to the side to look at him.

Zhan Zeyue watched her series of movements without any change in expression. Only after hearing her question did he raise an eyebrow and look back at her.

"Are you saying you want to marry me?"

Under Zhan Zeyue’s shocked gaze, Tang Qiyue nodded firmly. "Yes, I want to marry you!"

He had assumed that Tang Qiyue had been shoved over by the Tang family and must be a hundred percent unwilling, and he had been planning to take the opportunity to send her back. He never expected such a reaction from her.

"I’m not lying. I know you look down on me, and I know you don't want to marry a daughter of the Tang family, but I am genuinely sincere about wanting to marry you!"

Seeing that Zhan Zeyue remained silent and his expression didn't even shift much, Tang Qiyue couldn't guess what he was thinking.

"I won't ask you to protect the Tang family, nor will I hold you back. If you despise me, you can even just leave me here to take care of your mother. Just give me four years. If after four years you still don't want me as your wife, then we can divorce. How about that?"

Although it was explicitly stated that Zhan Zeyue couldn't have children, she didn't necessarily need children to secure her future, and being married for a few years didn't seem to have any negative impact.

"Four years?"

Zhan Zeyue caught the keyword.

He was very tall; he leaned in close to Tang Qiyue, bowing his head to get right in front of her.

"You can protect yourself after four years?"

Tang Qiyue looked at him in shock, not expecting Zhan Zeyue to guess the gist of it so quickly.

"In four years, my younger brother will graduate from university. Even if we divorce then, I will have the confidence to stand up to the Tang family!"

She chose to be honest; after all, these were things Zhan Zeyue could investigate easily.

Zhan Zeyue was surprised. He truly didn't know the internal situation of the Tang family, so he hadn't known about Tang Qiyue’s relationship with them. Now, he was intrigued.

Driven by professional vigilance, he didn't continue the topic of calling off the marriage. Instead, he asked Tang Qiyue to talk about her situation and even consider the benefits of keeping her.

Tang Qiyue had taken the time to think about this question last night, so she wasn't flustered.

She told him everything about the Tang family’s situation, including the deal she made with Father Tang yesterday, without holding anything back.

As for the benefits of marrying her, she laid them out. Besides the previously mentioned freedom she would grant him, there was one more point: "I don't necessarily need children, so the fact that you can't have them is not a problem for me!"

Zhan Zeyue’s expression stiffened.

He had only injured his kidneys; he wasn't "useless."

But he didn't want to explain.

"You’re quite unique!"

Squeezing these words through his teeth, Zhan Zeyue finally took a careful look at Tang Qiyue.

She wasn't a conventionally recognized beauty—her face wasn't round enough, her body wasn't plump enough; at a glance, she looked like someone who wouldn't be "easy to breed." Yet, she happened to fit Zhan Zeyue’s aesthetic.

He had always liked girls with a scholarly air. Unfortunately, he was a rough man who spent his days rolling around with other men, accustomed to being coarse.

He wasn't the type to "chew a peony like a cow."

Even though Tang Qiyue met his criteria for a spouse, he still felt uncomfortable in his heart. After all, she wasn't someone he had chosen himself; she had been forced upon him by others.

Just as he was thinking about how to send her away, there was a commotion in the courtyard.

"Sister! Sister!!"

It was Tang Xiuyuan’s voice. Tang Qiyue ignored Zhan Zeyue’s repellent gaze and gripped his arm. "No matter what you decide, can you please not let my brother see? He’s still young and easily impulsive!"

Looking down at the fair fingers on his arm, Zhan Zeyue slightly raised his chin to stare at the pleading look in Tang Qiyue’s eyes—it was the love of a sister for her brother.

Perhaps because he had never experienced such a feeling growing up, Zhan Zeyue didn't shake her hand off. Instead, he raised his other hand to grip her wrist, then stated his requirement: "I can help you, but don't overstep your boundaries!"

Tang Qiyue couldn't care about anything else and immediately nodded in agreement.

Tang Xiuyuan had already reached the door. Tang Qiyue smiled at Zhan Zeyue, struggling to adjust her expression into one of happiness, before linking her arm with his as the door was pushed open.

"Sister, look! That old thing really put it in the newspaper!"

Tang Xiuyuan waved the newspaper in his hand excitedly. But he hadn't waved it twice before he saw Zhan Zeyue. His eyes widened, and he slammed the door shut.

He pulled Tang Qiyue’s hand off Zhan Zeyue’s arm and dragged her to the side to whisper, "Sister, who is he? He isn't some random man, is he? Even if that cheap brother-in-law of mine is a loser, is it really okay for you to give him a green hat the moment you walk through the door?"

Tang Qiyue:...

Zhan Zeyue:...

Tang Xiuyuan was so anxious he was stomping his feet.

"No, we can't let the Zhan family see him. Is there a back door? Hurry and make him leave! Do you really want to be beaten to death by the Zhan family?"

Tang Xiuyuan looked around for a way to leave. Tang Qiyue covered her face and pressed her palms together, begging Zhan Zeyue for mercy.

She was defeated.

She knew her brother had a high IQ but a very low EQ, but she didn't expect his eyesight to be this bad too.

Zhan Zeyue calmly pulled over a chair and sat down, watching his brother-in-law hop around like an ant on a hot pan.

"Xiaoyuan, he is your brother-in-law!"

Seeing that Tang Xiuyuan was about to cry and was trying to drag Zhan Zeyue away to escape, Tang Qiyue had to speak up to remind him.

Tang Xiuyuan gasped, thinking his sister’s brain had broken. "Sister, even if you’re making up an excuse, find a better one! Who doesn't know that my cheap brother-in-law was seriously injured and is a cripple, not to mention that he damaged his 'descendant root'? He doesn't even have the face to come back to get married. Otherwise, that arrogant eldest miss Tang Chunlan wouldn't have run away from the wedding!"

Tang Qiyue covered Tang Xiuyuan’s mouth.

What a good brother she had. How could he say such things?

"He is Zhan Zeyue!"

Tang Xiuyuan and Tang Qiyue had some tacit understanding; at least he could tell Tang Qiyue wasn't lying to him. He pulled down the small hand covering his mouth and pointed at Zhan Zeyue, asking, "Is he really a eunuch?"

Tang Qiyue stomped her foot. She really wanted to seal her brother’s mouth shut.

He really had a knack for hitting the sore spot.

Just as Tang Qiyue was racking her brains trying to figure out how to keep Zhan Zeyue from holding a grudge against her brother, an abrupt laugh broke out.

Both Tang Qiyue and Tang Xiuyuan looked at Zhan Zeyue.

Suddenly, Tang Xiuyuan gasped and pulled Tang Qiyue back two steps. "Sister, listen! Did that sound feminine? He’s definitely a eunuch!"

Started a new book again. Are there any familiar little cuties out there?

Asking for your support!

The style is on the cheerful side!

I hope to bring some laughter to everyone in the cold winter!

(End of chapter)