Chapter 13: When the Lunatic Met the Silly Girl

At the moment her first kiss was taken, Chu Lingxi went limp, her mind a blank. She forgot who she was, forgot where she was, only her little heart pounding wildly.

After Lin Dongfan let go of her, she lowered her head, her face flushed.

She didn't dare look at Lin Dongfan.

Before she could recover, Lin Dongfan grabbed her hand again: "Come on, let's go see a movie." She followed him to the cinema in a daze.

While taking a walk in the small courtyard, Shen Junlan saw the two leaving hand in hand and broke into a relieved smile.

This was the outcome Shen Junlan had hoped for.

Since Lao Chu was taken away by the provincial disciplinary commission, there has been no news at all. The brutal officialdom struggle made Shen Junlan pessimistically feel that Lao Chu was likely to meet his end here.

No matter whether he is sentenced to ten or twenty years in the future, the Chu family will never have a chance to turn things around.

The family's main pillar has fallen; who will now hold up this home?

Her daughter is naturally pure, as clean and innocent as a lotus rising from water, with not a trace of scheming. Unaware of the deceit and scheming of the world, her heaven‑given beauty is not a blessing but a disaster.

Rather than let others covet her, it would be better to help her choose a husband early and prop up the family.

In Shen Junlan's eyes, Lin Dongfan is the ideal choice.

Although Lin Dongfan has no house or car, his financial situation is a bit poor, even his career prospects look bleak, and he is constantly suppressed, his character is beyond reproach.

What's even more rare and valuable is:

When the Chu family was in its greatest difficulty, Lin Dongfan was willing to risk being suppressed to run around for them; this alone, his sense of righteousness, cannot be measured in money.

Furthermore, Lin Dongfan has no parents, and there is not a single relative in his household.

Choosing such a background‑less, rootless young man to marry into the Chu family also puts Shen Junlan at ease; she need not worry that Lin Dongfan will be bodily in Cao's camp while his heart remains with Han.

Shen Junlan went back inside and tidied up her daughter's room.

She replaced the single pillow with a double one.

Then she neatly folded a set of men's pajamas she had bought earlier and placed them on the bed, put away Chu Lingxi's old slippers, and replaced them with two pairs of couples' slippers.

When it was past eleven at night and Lin Dongfan escorted Chu Lingxi home,

Shen Junlan spoke frankly: "Dongfan, it's so late, just stay here tonight. I checked the old Huang calendar earlier, and tomorrow happens to be an auspicious day—go get your marriage license."

This…… so fast……?

This sudden surprise left Lin Dongfan momentarily unable to believe it.

Having just watched a movie with Lin Dongfan, Chu Lingxi had been kissed, held hands, and even shared a cold drink with him; she was no longer as shy as she had been at first.

She gently shook Lin Dongfan: "Listen to my mother, no complaining about the speed."

"I'm not complaining about the speed……"

Lin Dongfan gave an awkward smile, looking at Shen Junlan: "Mom, don't laugh at me—I mainly lack the money for a wedding. Could we wait a few months? At most by year‑end, I'm confident I can earn the money."

Hearing him call her "Mom" filled Shen Junlan with satisfaction.

Shen Junlan gently advised: "The wedding can be held at year‑end; first go get your license tomorrow. After getting the license, move straight into our house, give up your low‑rent apartment, and we'll save some expense."

"All right, I'll follow your lead."

The speed of these developments far exceeded Lin Dongfan's expectations.

The time he had spent with Chu Lingxi added up to less than forty‑eight hours, yet this nation‑beauty became his wife.

This was destined to be a sleepless night.

The belt gradually loosens, yet I have no regrets; for her I grow thin and weary.

The next morning.

When they went out to get the license, Shen Junlan handed Lin Dongfan a car key: "The Passat in the garage is a birthday gift Old Chu gave Lingxi. This clueless girl hardly drives it; it's been sitting in the garage gathering dust. Take it for now to get around, and when you hold your wedding later, I'll buy you a new car."

"Thanks, Mom. We'll go get the license first."

"Don't forget to bring the household register."

"Okay, I know. It's windy outside; you go back inside and rest."

The Passat in the garage is white, better than Lin Dongfan imagined; it could almost be called new, with less than five hundred kilometers on the odometer, showing that Chu Lingxi really hasn't driven it much.

The mother‑in‑law is truly generous.

Lin Dongfan took Chu Lingxi back to the rented apartment first to fetch the household register.

Chu Lingxi entered and saw the cramped living conditions; she frowned, feeling distressed: "Honey, did you used to live in a place like this?"

"It was a bit tough before, but don't worry—I'll be able to buy a big house within half a year." The eight thousand yuan Lin Dongfan had invested in the stock market was steadily appreciating.

Chu Lingxi didn't know where Lin Dongfan got his confidence, and she replied with a smile: "It's fine if we don't buy a house; my mother likes living with us."

"We can't rely on our parents' handouts for everything; if we need a house, we still have to buy one."

The Chu family's apartment, allocated by their work unit, isn't large either; once they have children, it definitely won't hold that many people—perhaps Chu Lingxi hasn't thought that far ahead.

Lin Dongfan couldn't be bothered to explain all this; he thought he'd wait until he had money to give her a surprise.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

The two went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and got their license.

As they walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau hand in hand, Su Yuhong, sitting in the car, lowered the window glass with its film and, glancing over, wore a face full of worry.

The bride is so beautiful!

Although Su Yuhong had always considered herself a great beauty, compared to the woman beside Lin Dongfan she still felt a hidden surge of sorrow, a sense of shame and inadequacy.

"What happened to the promised peach‑blossom luck? The fortune‑teller really isn't reliable."

Su Yuhong pressed her hand to her faintly aching heart, leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes, and took two deep breaths; her heart still hurt a little, and she felt a sense of having nothing to live for.

Su Yuhong took another series of deep breaths.

She murmured to herself: "Su Yuhong, stay calm—you must never do something embarrassing! Even if you're not as pretty as others, that's fine, but you can't be narrower‑minded than them……"

"Thump‑thump!"

Suddenly she heard someone knocking on the car roof.

Su Yuhong opened her eyes and looked; her face instantly filled with despair. The person knocking on the car was Lin Dongfan, his arm linked with a beautiful woman.

"I… what did I just say? You didn't hear it, right? Actually… um, I… you get what I mean? I just had a dream, I really didn't say anything…"

Su Yuhong forced herself to explain, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

Lin Dongfan furrowed his sword-brows slightly: "Did you just say something? I didn't hear. Let me introduce you—this is my wife, Chu Lingxi. This is my colleague, Su Yuhong."

"Hello."

Chu Lingxi greeted with a smile.

At that moment, Su Yuhong finally understood—Lin Dongfan had brought Chu Lingxi over to say hello just to tell her he was taken, and to stop her from flirting around.

Feeling glum, Su Yuhong forced herself to get out of the car and shake Chu Lingxi's hand.

At the instant she took Chu Lingxi's hand.

Su Yuhong didn't know which wire was crossed in her nerves, and she blurted: "This guy has no future and no money, poor enough to need low‑rent housing—don't you think about cutting your losses?"

As soon as she said it, she felt a regret as if her brain had been kicked by a donkey.

It's really fucking obvious how sour it is!

Realizing she had lost face, Su Yuhong hurriedly explained: "Don't misunderstand, I'm not advising you to divorce. I'm saying this guy really isn't a promising stock. What does he have? Besides being good‑looking, he's utterly useless. Really, he has no prospects at all—he was just dumped by Fang Xiaoqian not long ago."

"Husband, do you two have a grudge?"

Chu Lingxi glanced at Lin Dongfan in surprise.

Lin Dongfan frowned tightly, thinking, "What a crazy woman and a silly girl—truly fated to meet."

The silly girl doesn't understand what the crazy woman is saying; the crazy woman probably doesn't know what she's saying either—it's a total mess, the more she describes, the darker it gets.

Lin Dongfan gave them an out: "There's no deep hatred. She thinks I'm not good enough for you and bet you wouldn't marry me. I won, and she won't accept losing."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Chu Lingxi snuggled close to Lin Dongfan's arm, smiling and revealing two small dimples.

She then asked Su Yuhong: "Since we're all friends, let's have a meal together—I'll treat."

"Next time, I'm not hungry."

Su Yuhong is full of resentment right now; she really isn't hungry, thinking, "You two go get your marriage license—what am I supposed to do, tag along behind your butt for the fun? Go watch you two flaunt your love and spread dog food?"

"This grandma's fate is weak—she can't withstand a dog‑food crit!"

Su Yuhong turned back to the car, slammed the door shut with a bang, and forced out a blessing: "May you enjoy a hundred years of harmony and have precious sons soon!"

Then she stomped on the accelerator; the car roared in place, its rear belching black smoke.

Lin Dongfan looked speechless: "Did you forget to release the handbrake?"

"No, I didn't forget—I did it on purpose!"

Su Yuhong belatedly released the handbrake, and before leaving she added another piece of info: "Last night Li Hengbo treated Director Wang to a meal—you'd better watch out, you might get disciplined."