Chapter 230: The Secrets of a Married Couple 1

Since even Zhu Yiwen said so, Jian Yining felt relieved.

Being relieved was enough; he had no interest in that woman.

He had someone bring the gifts in, to be given to the three people separately!

The gift for Shi Youxuan was a variety of adorable dolls; she was as happy as if she had found a Treasure, and she had someone take them all to her room.

Zhu Yiwen was a bit surprised.

"Aren't dolls things for children to play with? So, you like them too."

She didn't "like them too"—she liked them super-duper much!

Jian Yining's doubts grew even stronger, and he thought to himself, what kind of husband is he? This is too unqualified; does a husband not even know what his wife likes?

But looking at the two of them, it didn't seem like their relationship was particularly bad.

Right, he finally knew what word to use to describe it—respectful as guests!

Using this term for a marital relationship is indeed inappropriate.

A husband (and wife) should be each other's most intimate people; intimacy shouldn't be as polite as treating a guest, yet that is exactly how these two behaved.

"What are you spacing out for? What about the gifts for me and Xiaozhu? You aren't planning to just send a few dolls to dismiss us both, are you?" Zhu Yiwen was rarely joking; he was in a very good mood today.

"There are, there are some for everyone; not a single one is missing."

The gift Jian Yining gave to Zhu Yiwen was a fine-quality Hui inkstone; although the Zhu Family was wealthy enough to rival a nation and had all sorts of good things, he had a unique love for these items, so he immediately treasured it and couldn't put it down, having someone carefully send it to the Study.

The gift Shi Ran received was a set of Lego bricks worth several thousand, as well as a software system newly developed in the United States—a high-end computer processor.

All three of them were a bit bewildered.

The building blocks were understandable, and Shi Ran liked them, but wasn't this software too high-end?

She was still a child not even five years old, hadn't even touched a computer, and he gave her this?

Even if it were for future use, it didn't make sense; this stuff updated too quickly, and it wasn't an antique that became more valuable the longer it was kept.

Even if Jian Yining was very rich, bringing something worth millions to give to a child was incomprehensible.

He smiled mysteriously: "You will know the benefits of this thing later."

……

Jian Yining had arrived, and Shi Youxuan had the kitchen prepare a sumptuous feast in advance.

As they were about to start the meal, Shi Ran quietly pulled Mommy to the side: "Mommy, why isn't Auntie eating with us?"

Shi Youxuan said: "Auntie is sick; she is eating in her room. I will have a servant send food to her room in a moment."

She had originally recovered well, but for some reason, she had suddenly become too ill to get out of bed again.

Shi Youxuan was also worried about him, planning to have a doctor come to check on him after the meal.

"I'll go deliver it," Shi Ran said.

Although she was very happy that her godfather had come, she was still more worried about Auntie; the little one couldn't bear to be away from him for even half a moment now, and she missed him when she couldn't see him.

Shi Youxuan refused: "You can't; you are still small and can't carry the tray."

The trays in the house were made of golden nanmu wood, and they were very heavy even without anything on them; Xiaozhu was just a thin, small girl and couldn't carry them at all.

Spilling the food was a small matter, but it would be terrible if she got burned.

However, seeing Xiaozhu pout and look very unhappy, Shi Youxuan couldn't bear it, so she said: "How about this, let a servant send it in, and you follow along, okay?"

"Okay." The little one smiled happily.

After making the arrangements, Shi Youxuan went to the dining room to accompany the guest.

The chef was someone Zhu Yiwen had specially invited from Jiangzhou for Shi Youxuan, and they made authentic Jiangzhou cuisine.

With this table of dishes, rich in color, aroma, and taste, set before him, it immediately stirred up Jian Yining's deep homesickness.

Actually, it wasn't just him; Shi Youxuan also missed home!

The few of them chatted while eating; Zhu Yiwen didn't drink, finished a bowl of rice quickly, took a few bites of food, and then put down his chopsticks to announce he was finished.

He told the two of them to eat slowly, saying he had work to handle, and went to the Study.

Zhu Yiwen was not someone who didn't understand etiquette; it was very inappropriate for him as the host to leave the guest unattended when they were visiting for the first time.

However, both of them could feel that he was doing it on purpose, deliberately hiding away to leave space for the two of them to chat more easily!

And that was indeed the case.

When Zhu Yiwen left, he had the servants disperse as well, leaving only Shi Youxuan and Jian Yining in the dining room.

Jian Yining praised: "Yingzi, you really have a good eye; finding this husband is quite good."

Shi Youxuan didn't think much of it and said offhandedly: "It was my good luck to meet Sir; it wasn't about having a good eye."

"If I really had a good eye, I wouldn't have fallen for Sheng Hanyu back then..."

She didn't know why she had taken the initiative to mention that name.

If she hadn't mentioned it, Jian Yining really wouldn't have known how to start; since she brought it up, it was the perfect time to speak.

Jian Yining said: "I heard Sheng Hanyu found his way here? It really wasn't me who told him."

Shi Youxuan nodded: "I know; Sir said he caused you to almost go bankrupt... A Ning, I'm sorry..." She actually wanted to say "I will compensate for your losses," but fortunately, she stopped herself in time and didn't say it.

Saying it out loud would be too distant; she could compensate him in secret, rather than telling him she was going to compensate him.

Even though she didn't say it, it still made Jian Yining displeased: "What are you saying sorry for? Has our relationship grown distant because we haven't been in touch for five years!"

"Of course not; you will always be my best friend, and that will never change," Shi Youxuan vowed.

Just friends?

They were in the past, and they are now, but Jian Yining really didn't want it to be forever!

"Yingzi, there is something I don't know if I should ask?"

"Go ahead and ask."

The question Jian Yining had wanted to ask ever since he saw the married couple had been held back until now; now that Shi Youxuan had agreed to let him ask, he felt a bit afraid to say it.

It is not that he is afraid of offending people, but that he is afraid of disappointment.

How many five-year periods does a person have in their life?

He liked Yingzi for five years, and then he loved her for another five years.

A total of ten years have passed.

In these ten years, he has grown from a high-spirited, sunny, and optimistic boy into a mature man.

Maturity means considering things more comprehensively, thinking about the consequences of what one wants to say, and taking responsibility not only for the other person but also for oneself.

He worried that if the answer was disappointing, he might not be able to bear it... After all, ten years of time had been spent on just one person.

"Are you going to ask or not? If you miss the chance, it won't wait."

She smiled brightly, not knowing what he was struggling with.

Of course he had to ask.

Disappointment is still better than the infinite waiting and torment of hope.

Jian Yining said: "What is going on between you and Zhu Yiwen? You don't look like a married couple to me, but more like business partners living under the same roof."

Shi Youxuan asked: "What did he say to you?"

"It really is!" He widened his eyes in shock, and then was overcome with wild joy!

A huge sense of joy enveloped Jian Yining; if it were five years ago, he would definitely have jumped up happily.

But now he was mature, so he didn't do that, though he wasn't much better off.

His smile was bright and came from the heart, and the corners of his mouth were almost stretched to his ears: "What kind of talk is that? What could he possibly say to me? He didn't say anything; I was just guessing. So it really is like that?"

"Mm."

Shi Youxuan nodded affirmatively.

"Clang!"

Jian Yining couldn't keep his seat and slid off the chair.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you drunk? I'll have someone go cook some Sobering Soup for you..."

Shi Youxuan was just about to call for someone, but Jian Yining had already climbed up from the floor and grabbed her arm: "Don't call anyone, it's not that much trouble, I'm not drunk."

Clearly his face was flushed, yet he still claimed he wasn't drunk?