"The instant noodles smell bad. I know, I won't eat them in the room again."
"..."
His true intention was to say, if you haven't eaten, I'll ask the kitchen to make you another portion.
Is she so used to being scolded that she's become too sensitive?
Unsure of what else to say, seeing that he was pressuring her, Zhan Bei Jue could only step away first.
"It's okay, you eat. If you're still craving something, I'll ask the kitchen to make you something else."
"I'm going outside for a bit. It's hot in here, you can take this off first."
After several minutes of dawdling, he returned from the bathroom outside, and the instant noodles and cartoon outfit were nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Nan Fang was wearing his familiar, loose men's T-shirt, her medium-length black hair covering half her face, waiting for him.
Seeing him enter, she first nodded somewhat shyly, then introduced herself as if for a job interview.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Nan Fang. I'm nineteen years old and a freshman at Southern University."
"..."
Nineteen years old.
At nineteen, she was married off to him to be his wife.
Zhan Bei Jue suddenly felt like a "corrupt" old master in ancient times looking for a concubine.
"Hello, I'm Zhan Bei Jue. There's no need to be so formal, from now on..."
"I'm sorry, my stomach hurts. Can I use the restroom?"
"...Of course, use it freely."
Jiang Nan Fang's trip to the restroom took over an hour.
If not for the sound of water occasionally coming from the bathroom and a silhouette moving, Zhan Bei Jue would have almost thought she had fainted inside.
As she didn't come out for so long, Zhan Bei Jue thought it might be because she was nervous.
A nineteen-year-old girl truly didn't know how to face the "husband" she had only met once and was supposed to sleep with.
She was deliberately stalling for time.
Indeed, she was only a freshman and had good academic performance.
What if getting married to him and potentially having children would delay her studies...
Zhan Bei Jue shook his head, finding it somewhat amusing, and walked towards the bathroom door.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
The sound of water inside stopped: "...What is it?"
"I'm going to sleep first. You can sleep in the guest room later. I've put my business card on the coffee table. Save my number when you have time."
"Grandpa is still in the hospital. He wants to see you. When you have free time from school, call me and I'll take you to see him."
"Oh—"
Unexpectedly, when he woke up the next morning, he saw her again.
Her hair was washed clean, but still half-pulled to the left side of her face, and she was wearing a full set of men's clothes.
Seeing Zhan Bei Jue emerge from the room, she looked over: "Morning."
"Morning... Are you free today?"
"I don't have classes in the morning."
Oh, then they could go to the hospital together.
But wearing these clothes to see Grandpa might not be appropriate.
Zhan Bei Jue wanted her to change, but fearing he might hurt her self-esteem due to her sensitivity yesterday, he ultimately didn't say it.
"I'll wash up and come down. You go down and eat breakfast and wait for me."
Jiang Nan Fang twisted the hem of her T-shirt with her fingers uncomfortably, feeling as if she had been granted amnesty: "Okay."
By the time he finished washing up and changing, she had already finished eating.
Fearing she would have to wait long, Zhan Bei Jue hastily ate a few bites: "Let's go."
The butler and the maid looked at them, their eyes filled with unspoken words.
Zhan Bei Jue knew what they meant.
Setting aside the fact that the wife of the Zhan family looked like this, going out dressed like this...
Zhan Bei Jue felt it was necessary to establish some rules with them.
"You wait for me in the car. I'll grab something and be right out."
Jiang Nan Fang left empty-handed first, and Zhan Bei Jue told the butler and maid.
"Grandpa personally chose the太太 (Madam), he knows what she's like, and you should know it too."
"From now on, you are not allowed to stare at her face directly, nor are you allowed to discuss her attire. It is her freedom to look however she pleases and dress however she likes."
"Anyone who dares to have an opinion or speak ill of her outside, if I don't hear it, fine. But if even one word reaches my ears, they will never enter the Zhan family again in this lifetime."
Grandpa was very fond of Jiang Nan Fang.
Although she brought no gifts, wore no makeup, and spoke no sweet words.
Sitting there and answering questions, she made him beam with joy.
Thus, Jiang Nan Fang gradually relaxed a little in the Zhan family, slowly starting to smile.
But she always disliked speaking to Zhan Bei Jue proactively, even avoiding his gaze.
Zhan Bei Jue was very busy, at one point working on eight projects simultaneously.
He had to handle unexpected emergencies, secure financing, and review various daily documents.
He flew around the world every day, his head almost spinning, and sometimes he felt very annoyed, wishing he could receive a caring or checking-in call from his wife like others did, for a sweet moment.
But that was impossible.
He didn't know if Jiang Nan Fang had saved his number. They had been married for almost half a year, and she hadn't called him once.
At the end of the year, after the company's year-end party, on the twenty-eighth of the lunar calendar, Zhan Bei Jue finally welcomed his holiday.
This was his first holiday spent with Jiang Nan Fang since their marriage, and he attached great importance to it.
He had even planned.
If Jiang Nan Fang was really bothered by the scar on her face, if she felt too inferior, he could take her to Korea now that he had free time.
With his mind full of plans, he returned home, expecting Jiang Nan Fang to stay home dutifully and wait for him every day during the holiday.
However, when he returned after ten o'clock at night, she was still not there.
"Where is Madam? Isn't it the holiday? Why aren't you urging her to come back so late?"
The butler said, "It is the holiday, but Madam still leaves early and returns late every day. I don't know what she's busy with."
"She'll be back around eleven o'clock. It's always this time every day, so we didn't urge her..."
Recalling the cartoon outfit she wore when they first met, and hearing the butler's words, Zhan Bei Jue suddenly seemed to realize something.
She was working?
The Jiang family didn't provide her with living expenses. For so long after their marriage, she was busy with work, and he wasn't accustomed to giving pocket money, nor had Zhan Bei Jue ever given her any money.
He had overlooked that she was also a person who needed to live!
No wonder she never called him. A husband who didn't know how to care for his wife wouldn't be liked by anyone!
Realizing his own shortcomings, Zhan Bei Jue cursed himself a few times in his heart and called her from the room.
"Where are you? When will you be back? I'll pick you up."
Jiang Nan Fang, out of breath on the other end, said, "No need, I'll be back soon, you don't have to come."
"You're already back? Why so early today?"
This question made Zhan Bei Jue realize the huge problem between them.
They were busy with their own affairs every day; she didn't ask about his schedule, and he didn't ask about hers.
Although they shared a room, they were more like neighbors. Besides their names, neither knew anything about the other.
He decided to have a good talk with her when he got back that evening.
Even if they didn't share the same bed, the necessary boundaries between husband and wife still needed to be maintained.
Jiang Nan Fang was very agreeable. When he brought this up upon her return, she didn't hesitate and readily agreed.
It was Zhan Bei Jue himself, however, who found himself repeatedly proven wrong.
Foreign clients didn't observe the Spring Festival, and projects continued as usual.
There were countless tasks he had to handle every day. Although he sat in the same room as Jiang Nan Fang, he didn't exchange more than five sentences with her all day.