The next day, Shanshan continued her weight loss journey at Huanyu, and the chubby boy continued to go back to learn boxing.
Yan Shao looked at Yu Shanshan, scrutinizing her from head to toe, and his words were as cold as the winter snow.
“Have you been slacking off these days?”
Yu Shanshan shook her head.
“Have you been eating anything else these days?”
Yu Shanshan swore, “Absolutely not!”
Yan Shao clearly didn’t trust her much. He took the scale and said, ‘step on the scale and let me see.”
Yu Shanshan wasn’t afraid. She hadn’t eaten anything else these past few days, and she had been practicing her moves in her spare time, not slacking off at all. Although she didn’t know if she had lost weight, she definitely hadn’t gained any.
Confidently, she stepped on the scale. When she looked down, the number displayed was 118 pounds.
She sighed deeply in relief. Thankfully, she had lost two pounds these past few days, finally breaking through the barrier of 120 pounds.
Yan Shao didn’t say anything when he saw the number. He brought over a mat and continued to torture her.
Perhaps hearing that Yu Shanshan had returned, Jiang Er strolled in just before quitting time. He casually sat in a chair and watched Yu Shanshan grimacing in pain from the training, feeling very happy. After she finished, he said, ‘shanshan, let’s go out tonight.”
Yu Shanshan hadn’t been tormented by Yan Shao for a few days, but today was particularly miserable and painful. At this moment, exhausted, she wished she could just lie down and sleep. She had no mood to go out. She waved her hand and said, “No, I have to go home and take care of the baby.”
“Can you stop lying?” Jiang Er glanced at Yan Shao and continued, “Come on, bring your little chubby along. I haven’t seen your little chubby for days, and I miss him so much.”
Yu Shanshan still refused, “No, I’m a decent housewife. What would it look like if I hang out with you guys?”
Jiang Er glared at her, “Hey, Yu Shanshan, what do you mean? We are all law-abiding citizens. What’s wrong with hanging out with us?”
Yu Shanshan smirked at him, “First, tidy up your little admirers, then talk to me about being law-abiding citizens. Maybe I’ll believe you’re one then.”
Jiang Er was speechless for a moment, and could only watch her walk away coolly.
Seeing her carefree figure disappearing, Jiang Er seemed to vaguely see her high school self, and couldn’t help but sigh, ‘the current Yu Shanshan seems to overlap with her past self, both in appearance and temperament.”
Yan Shao said lightly, ‘she hasn’t changed at all.” She had always been that proud, punchable face.
Jiang Er sighed and patted his shoulder, “Come on, let me treat you to a drink, don’t be unhappy.”
Yan Shao shook off his arm, frowned, and looked at him, “Where am I unhappy? Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
Jiang Er pointed at him, ‘stop pretending in front of me. Haven’t you noticed how gloomy your face has been these days when she’s been absent? I haven’t seen you smile once.”
“I’ve always been like this. When have you ever seen me differently? Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t admit it.” Jiang Er continued, “But you should take a look at yourself in the mirror and see the expression on your face when she said she wasn’t going. Hmm… Clearly, you wanted her to go.”
Yan Shao’s expression suddenly darkened, “Jiang Er, stop talking nonsense, or don’t blame me for not being brotherly.”
Seeing him truly angry, Jiang Er quickly backed off, “Alright, alright, I was just talking nonsense. I won’t say anything anymore.” He could be stubborn, but he knew when to stop, especially when his friend was genuinely upset.
Yan Shao picked up his coat and walked straight out. Jiang Er hurriedly followed, not daring to mention the previous topic again. But for the next few days, he would show up at Huanyu every day, watching Yu Shanshan’s weight loss process as if it were a performance, not understanding what was so interesting about it.
Yu Shanshan felt that Jiang Er was acting like a lunatic. She tolerated it the first day, and the second day as well, but by the third day, she couldn’t take it anymore. The reason was that every time Jiang Er saw her grimacing in pain, he looked so happy, as if he had seen something funny. He even took out his phone and took pictures, capturing all her grimaces.
His teasing was unbearable.
Yu Shanshan rolled her eyes at him, “Is your company going bankrupt or something?”
Jiang Er, confused, said, “No, even if I’m incompetent, our family business can still hold on with me. Why would you think our Jiang family’s business is going bankrupt?”
Yu Shanshan retorted, “If your family business isn’t going bankrupt, why do you come here every day when you’re free? What’s so interesting about my weight loss? Are you up to something? If you’re so bored, go hang out with your admirers. You make me suspect that something is wrong with you, causing you to lose interest in your admirers and turn to your good friends.”
Yan Shao: … What’s it got to do with me?
Jiang Er exclaimed, pointing at her tremblingly, “Yu Shanshan, don’t slander my reputation. I’m straightforward and honest, more straightforward than a ruler, and I’m capable too!”
Yu Shanshan gave him a look that said, “If you say you’re capable, then you are. I don’t know, only you do.”
Jiang Er felt so wronged. As a man, he couldn’t let others doubt him. Yet, the woman in front of him was the one he couldn’t prove himself to, the woman who doubted him the most!
Seeing Jiang Er’s frustration, Yan Shao couldn’t help but smile faintly.
After being scolded by Yu Shanshan, Jiang Er didn’t dare to offend her again. He behaved very honestly afterward, not teasing her, not taking photos, not saying anything until lunch break. It seemed like he had forgotten being scolded earlier and, without holding grudges, approached her again, saying, “Yu Shanshan, let’s go eat steak tonight. A new western restaurant opened recently, and the food is excellent.” He had had enough of Huanyu’s meals for the past few days.
Yu Shanshan politely declined, “I’m on a diet, I won’t eat.”
Jiang Er’s eyes flickered, and he said, ‘then don’t eat, but take your chubby with you. Your chubby must love to eat.”
Yu Shanshan continued to ignore him, “My chubby has started dieting recently too.” Jiang Er was dissatisfied, “Hey, why are you such a heartless mother? Your child is so young, and you’re sending him to boxing practice. Now you won’t even let him eat delicious food. What kind of mother are you?”
Yu Shanshan wanted to laugh at him. He had never been a mother; he didn’t understand a thing. If he were a mother, he would definitely be worse than her.
Just as Yu Shanshan was about to retort again, her phone, which had been placed aside, suddenly rang. She looked at it and saw it was Yuan Long. Without hesitation, she quickly answered, excitement in her voice, “Why are you calling me at this time? Don’t we usually video chat in the evening?”
Yuan Long chuckled on the other end of the phone, “I want to tell you to go downstairs to meet someone. I’ve sent you something.”
“What did you send?” Yu Shanshan couldn’t help but be curious.
Yuan Long teased her, “It’s a secret, just go downstairs and see.”
Yu Shanshan hung up with a smile, thinking that he must have bought something for her and had it delivered. Could it be flowers?
But he had never done anything like sending flowers before. Could he have suddenly become romantic?
Yu Shanshan speculated as she couldn’t wait to run downstairs.
Seeing her running so fast, Jiang Er followed behind, calling out to her, “Yu Shanshan, why are you running? You haven’t said whether you’ll go out to eat with me yet. Today is Friday, it’s the perfect time to go out and have fun~ Hey—”
Yu Shanshan didn’t bother to listen to what he had to say. When she saw the elevator arriving, she rushed in without waiting for Jiang Er, closing the elevator before he could get in, much to his annoyance. He had no choice but to wait for another elevator.
Yu Shanshan eagerly walked out of Huanyu’s building, only to be shocked by the tall figure leaning against the car in front of the building. She was so shocked that she forgot to walk.
She began to wonder if she was hallucinating and quickly rubbed her eyes, but no matter how much she rubbed, the person in front of her remained the same.
He had really come back!
“Ah! Yuan Long!” Yu Shanshan went crazy, threw her bag away, and rushed over, wrapping her arms around his neck and jumping onto him, her legs firmly wrapped around his waist. Excitedly, she kissed his face several times.
“Why are you back? Didn’t you say you didn’t have time to come back this week?”
Yuan Long held her small butt, his eyes filled with smiles. “I lied to you on purpose to give you a surprise. How about it, surprised?”
Yu Shanshan nodded like a little chick, extremely surprised. It was too surprising. She didn’t know he could do such a romantic thing, even more romantic than sending flowers.
‘there’s an even bigger surprise.” Yuan Long opened the car door with one hand and put her in the passenger seat, ruffling her long hair. ‘take the afternoon off. I’ll take you somewhere.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a secret!”
Yu Shanshan punched him lightly, “Why are you being so secretive today!”
Yuan Long closed the car door and walked back to the entrance of Huanyu. He happened to meet Jiang Er and Yan Shao, who were standing there for some reason. He nodded at the two of them, bent down to pick up the bag that Yu Shanshan had just thrown away, and said to Yan Shao, “Coach Yan, I’m taking Shanshan out for something this afternoon. I’m asking for half a day off.”
Yan Shao pursed his lips indifferently and simply responded, “Hmm.”
Yuan Long nodded again as a sign of acknowledgment, then turned back to the car, started it, and drove away with Yu Shanshan.
Watching the car drive away, Jiang Er was dumbfounded for a while before speaking, ‘that’s Yuan Long, the young master of the Yuan family, right?” So Yu Shanshan did marry him. It was clear that she was different from them. She brought glory to her family, making her elders proud, while they made their elders sigh.
There was a gap between people.
Yan Shao remained silent.
Jiang Er sighed and comforted him by patting his shoulder, feeling a bit sympathetic for his old friend. What was the use of liking someone if you couldn’t understand when it mattered? When he finally understood, the person had already become famous, and even if he could match her, he couldn’t catch up. What was the point of digging corners if the grass was better than him? Without the courage to swing the hoe.
Facing such a rival, the only way was to silently put it in one’s heart, treat the other person as an ordinary friend, and let time take care of everything.
Well, now he finally understood his old friend.
It seemed that he couldn’t mention this matter in the future. Pretending not to know was better. In the future, he should introduce more beautiful girls to his old friend.
“Come on, tonight, I’ll treat you to a drink, and we won’t come back until we’re drunk.”
Yan Shao raised his chin arrogantly, as proud as ever. “Drunk or not, we won’t return.”
In the car, Yu Shanshan asked eagerly, “Where are you taking me? Is there another surprise?”
Yuan Long took something from the back seat and handed it to her.
Yu Shanshan looked at it and was instantly astonished. “How did you get my makeup bag? I left it at home.”
“I brought it from home for you. Put on some makeup; you’ll definitely need it later.”
Hearing him say that, Yu Shanshan became even more curious and speculated, “Are you taking me out to dinner? Or to meet your good friends?”
Yuan Long rubbed her head from behind, “Be patient; if I tell you now, there won’t be any surprises later.”
Yu Shanshan thought it made sense. After all, what’s the point of a surprise if you know about it in advance? So she resisted the urge to ask again and opened her makeup bag to start applying makeup to herself.
By the time Yu Shanshan finished her makeup, the car had just stopped. Yuan Long gently reminded her, “Alright, we’re here.”
Yu Shanshan looked out the window and saw that the car was parked on a very ordinary street, with various storefronts on both sides, but no restaurants or big hotels.
She looked at him suspiciously, “Aren’t we going out to eat?”
Yuan Long shook his head, got out of the car, and pulled her down, walking fifty meters along the road before stopping. He then pointed to the right, “We’re here.”
Upon looking to the right, Yu Shanshan’s eyes widened in disbelief. She froze for a moment before blurting out, “Yuan Long, you’re not telling me we’re here!”
Yuan Long nodded and took out their household register from his pocket, shaking it lightly. ‘that’s right, we’re here. Surprised?”
Yu Shanshan: …Are you trying to scare me?
Seeing her speechless with widened eyes, Yuan Long leaned closer, cupping her face and asking softly, “What’s wrong, do you not want to take responsibility?”
Yu Shanshan: …Who’s not taking responsibility!
‘then let’s go in; we should have come here long ago. You promised me three months ago; it’s about time.”
“But, isn’t this too sudden? I’m not prepared at all. Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
“What preparation do you need? Everything’s ready. You just have to go in with me to get a certificate.”
Yu Shanshan was speechless. It seemed like there was nothing for her to do; he even brought their household register for her.
She couldn’t help but shake her head and accuse him, “No wonder you brought my makeup bag and asked me to put on makeup. You’ve planned everything. You’re such a scheming boy.”
Yuan Long chuckled mischievously, “You wanted to look beautiful, right? If I didn’t let you bring your makeup bag, you probably wouldn’t want to go in, would you?”
Yu Shanshan touched her nose, realizing that he really understood her. If he didn’t let her bring makeup, she definitely wouldn’t want to go in and take photos. It was impressive that he even thought of this.
Yuan Long pinched her cheek. “You promised me, three months, and then we’ll get married once you lose weight. You’ve already lost enough weight; I don’t want to continue driving without a license.”
“Here we go again!” Yu Shanshan laughed and lightly punched his chest. But she thought he was right. She didn’t want to get married looking like a big fat person, and now that she had lost weight and looked good in photos, there was nothing to hesitate about. They were just going in to get a certificate.
With no more doubts, Yu Shanshan took a deep breath and mustered all her courage, shouting loudly, “Let’s go in!”
The people outside the Civil Affairs Bureau were startled by her loud shout and looked at her in surprise, thinking she must be here to get a divorce.
Yu Shanshan hurriedly covered her face, pulled Yuan Long, and rushed inside.
Yuan Long stopped her and pointed to a photo studio next to the Civil Affairs Bureau. “Let’s take a photo first; we’ll need it later.”
Yu Shanshan didn’t understand the process of getting married, but following Yuan Long was always the right choice. She followed him, clouded in confusion, from taking photos to copying documents, submitting documents, filling out forms, and finally getting the certificate. Throughout the process, Yu Shanshan struggled to keep up. When she came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau again, she was holding their freshly printed marriage certificate in her hands.
“I’m married?” she asked Yuan Long.
Yuan Long nodded. “Yes, you’re now Mrs. Yuan.”
Yu Shanshan blinked her eyes and looked at the marriage certificate in her hands, finally realizing a definite fact: she was now a married woman, irrevocably so!
The Civil Affairs Bureau was indeed a magical place. Before going in, she was a single girl, and after coming out, she became a married woman. Amazing.
Yuan Long took the certificate from her hands and put it in his pocket. “I’ll keep it for you. You’re careless; I’m afraid you’ll lose the marriage certificate.”
Yu Shanshan pouted, thinking she wouldn’t lose such an important thing. But then she remembered the precious things she had lost before, and felt a little guilty, so she waved her hand. ‘then you keep it.”
Yuan Long put his arm around her and drove away. Yu Shanshan thought they were going back to the old house to inform her grandfather, but the scenery along the way became increasingly unfamiliar. She couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going? Aren’t we going home?”
Yuan Long chuckled, “I’ll give you another surprise.”
Yu Shanshan no longer believed him and felt he might be planning another scare.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, the scare came: Yuan Long drove the car directly into a famous lover’s hotel in the capital.
Yu Shanshan: …I knew it was a scare!
“…Yuan Long, what are you doing?”
Yuan Long parked the car in the parking lot without hesitation, pulled her inside, and in her increasingly panicked state, took her straight to a room. He entered the password, and the door opened with a “click.”
Yu Shanshan was now sure of what he wanted to do. She trembled and clung to the doorframe, making a final struggle, “Yuan Long, calm down! Remember, you’re an outstanding soldier of the People’s Republic of China. Do you remember your mission to defend the country?”
Yuan Long ignored her rambling and pointed to the room number on the door. “Do you remember this room?”
Yu Shanshan instinctively looked up and saw the number “816.” Her mind buzzed, and she instantly remembered some blush-inducing memories associated with that number, making her face flush.
Yuan Long smirked, ‘remember, our first time was here because this number is your birthday, August 16th.”
Yu Shanshan wanted to cover her face and escape; it was too embarrassing.
At that time, she had finally managed to pursue him, thinking that something wasn’t hers until it was in her mouth. So she had arranged the room in advance and lured Yuan Long here, then insisted on bringing him into the room, and finally, she had taken him for herself. She even shamelessly made him take responsibility for her for a lifetime.
Sure enough, karma came around. Now it was his turn to devour her here? But she had already deeply realized the terrifying nature of a man who had abstained for four years, making her legs tremble.
However, Yuan Long didn’t give her a chance to resist. He picked her up and carried her into the room, closing the door behind him with a kick. “Darling, let’s celebrate our first time with a certificate.”
Yu Shanshan: …Yuan Long, you’ve become really bold now.
Later, lying on the bed like a dead fish, Yu Shanshan finally understood why Yuan Long had asked her to take half a day off.
He he….
GhostCloudd On WBICDPH Chapter 93