560. Daily Life
Even though the wedding dress photoshoot was just indoors, after a whole day of shooting, Ning Chu felt like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
She was practically being carried out of the studio on Wen Yang’s arm.
The physical fatigue was bearable, but mentally, she was drained from posing like a monkey on command, and her feet hurt from wearing high heels.
If only she had brought a proper pair of comfortable heels… She was completely clueless on her first wedding dress sh**t and probably got ripped off!
By the time they were leaving, the sky had darkened. Ning Chu stretched and looked back at Lily, who had accompanied them all day. “Let me buy you dinner? You’ve spent the whole day with us.”
Lily shook her head. She’d consumed a day’s worth of dog food and was already stuffed.
“I’ve got an 8 o’clock train,” she said.
“Why not let my brother take you?”
“Not convenient.”
Considering her brother already had a girlfriend, it really wouldn’t be appropriate for him to drive a succubus, even if nothing happened. His ears would get boxed by his sister-in-law for sure.
“Okay then~ Who knows when I’ll see you next?”
“It’ll be soon, right?”
Ning Chu rolled her eyes at Lily’s misplaced confidence. “Aren’t you busy with your master’s program? Are you planning to just jet off to Shanghai to find me?”
“I’ll get pregnant soon, and then we’ll have a wedding, so we’ll meet again!”
Lily’s serious tone made Ning Chu both embarrassed and frustrated, shaking her head vigorously. “No way! Absolutely not!”
Sure, she sometimes chose to ditch the protection during safe days for some extra pleasure, and it had been fine for years. It’s not that easy to get knocked up!
A ride-hailing car pulled up at the curb, and Lily looked at the license plate and waved goodbye to Ning Chu.
“Stay safe, bye~”
“Mm.”
The car whisked Lily away towards the train station, and Ning Chu sighed, glancing up at Wen Yang beside her. “Back to work the day after tomorrow.”
“Ah~ When can I achieve financial freedom and not have to work anymore~”
Wen Yang teased, hearing her whiny complaint. “Then you can be a full-time housewife, and I’ll steal an electric bike to support you?”
“Yeah, pass on that! I can’t handle housework!”
“And sitting at home all day would drive you nuts.”
Ning Chu grabbed Wen Yang’s hand and started walking home, feeling cheerful as she swung her arms and tiptoed a bit.
“Honey, when we’re old, let’s open a little shop to retire in, okay?”
“Sounds nice, huh?”
“Yeah~ As long as we make enough money to get by, we can play games at the convenience store when there are no customers, chat with the neighbors, and maybe get a cat and a parrot to have in the store… Or how about a cat café! Too bad you don’t like cats.”
As she dreamed about the future, her eyes sparkled like stars, with Wen Yang’s figure reflected in her pupils.
“We could open it, but what if it goes bust?”
Ning Chu frowned and shot back, “Can’t you think of something positive?”
Wen Yang quickly lowered his head, surrendering. “It won’t go bust, it won’t!”
“Ch!”
It was barely May, and Ning Chu was in a thin sundress, feeling a bit chilly come night.
“It’s a bit cold.” She scooted a little closer to Wen Yang.
In the past, she would just stomp her feet to shake off the chill, but now it seemed she was getting a bit dramatic.
Or maybe she just wanted to seem vulnerable in front of Wen Yang. She had even learned to dramatically hide in his embrace while watching horror movies, even though he was probably more terrified than she was.
“Really? I’ll get your coat.”
Wen Yang had Ning Chu’s bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a thin jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
“Is Aunt Flo coming soon? Better take care of yourself, don’t catch a cold and suffer.”
“Mm~ Wen Yang, when we get married, can I wear something similar to that form-fitted wedding dress?”
“Just don’t gain weight by then, it might highlight your little belly.”
Mentioning that made Ning Chu’s face sour. “When I was in that wedding dress earlier, I was sucking in my stomach the entire time… Why can’t I slim down? I studied yoga for three years in college!”
But all that yoga seemed only to make her softer, so she wouldn’t get hurt when Wen Yang tried to ease her into compromise.
“A little belly’s nice; it feels good to touch.” Before Ning Chu could protest, Wen Yang pointed at a nearby barbecue place and suggested, “How about we grab a bite? It’s getting late.”
“My mom cooked dinner.”
Just as those words left his mouth, Ning Chu’s stomach growled audibly, and he looked down with a smile, seeing Little Black Bean curiously diverting her gaze.
“Let’s go eat barbecue, it’s on me.”
“Isn’t it expensive?”
Ning Chu swallowed hard, trying not to look at the tantalizing barbecue place across the street, quickening her pace to evade the aroma intrusion.
Wen Yang had long since figured out his wife’s behavior pattern and dramatically sighed. “Haven’t had it in ages; I’m kinda craving it.”
But his usual tactics met immediate resistance this time. Ning Chu pulled him along faster. “No way! My mom texted; the whole family’s waiting for us. Black Bean is about to turn the ceiling upside down.”
“Waiting for us? It’s already past seven! Why not eat first? Don’t you usually have dinner around 6:30?”
“Right.” Ning Chu turned back, looking a bit confused. “Is there a problem with that?”
“……”
“Unless it’s pre-agreed, we only eat when the whole family is gathered… except for Black Bean, that cat is just too greedy.” She beamed at Wen Yang’s face. “It wouldn’t matter if you’re missing!”
Wen Yang blinked in surprise, a bit taken aback.
“Don’t mind my mom hard on you for not having a house or car, she just talks big. Remember that time during New Year? You said you’d come back for lunch and ended up making us wait for over an hour? Black Bean had snacks first.”
“That time, I got stuck in traffic picking up herbal wine from Grandpa’s place; I thought you guys had just finished cooking.”
“We waited ages; I was starving!”
Ning Chu’s previous surprise morphed into a gentle smile as Wen Yang instinctively quickened his pace, grabbing her hand. “Let’s hurry home; if I’d known, I would’ve taken a cab.”
“I thought you knew… Slow down! My legs aren’t as long as yours!”
Ning Chu had to sprint to catch up with his long strides.
“Why do we have such strange family rules?”
“Not strange, it’s always been like this.”
The studio wasn’t far from home; after speeding up, they reached the elevator in just over ten minutes.
The elevator’s motion startled Little Black Bean inside, who swiftly pushed the door open, glaring fiercely. “Why are you so late?!”
“Had a photoshoot and it took a while…”
Wen Yang rubbed Black Bean’s little head apologetically.
As he stepped inside, he immediately heard his mother-in-law’s sarcastic inquiry aimed at Ning Chu.
“Did it really take all day for a photoshoot? Where else did you sneak off to?”
“Mom, it seriously took all day! Haven’t you and Uncle done photoshoots before?”
“Well, not really…”
Ning Chu’s mom sized up her daughter, realizing her mistake, and awkwardly turned to head into the kitchen.
“I’ll just heat up the food; hurry and wash your hands, we’re about to eat.”
