Chapter 556 - Enemies On A Narrow Road (2)
They went quiet and no one said a thing. There was not a single sound inside the bedroom except for the sound of the flipping pages.
After some time, she touched his messy hair and noticed that it was almost dried. He closed the book and put it back onto the bedside table before grabbing her hand. “Autumn has just arrived and you’re this cold already?”
“Doctor said it’s normal. Don’t worry. The baby is healthy.”
She tossed the towel in her hand aside and then put her arm over his shoulders. She closed in to his ears and said, “Su Nan said she wants to arrange a betrothal. What do you think?”
“An arranged betrothal [1]?”
He frowned. When he turned over and saw her glittering eyes looking at him, he gave a straightforward reply, “Our children will make their own decisions. It’s up to them who they like in the future. Why should we be involved? No way!”
He disliked the idea of an arranged betrothal. Marriage should just be left to the children to decide themselves. Why should the parents decide for them? What if his little princess preferred Su Chen or Zhou Zimo’s son in the future?
Master Mu assumed his child would be a little princess. He already decided that he would dedicate himself to his little princess just like her mother. In a way, it was to compensate for Xi Xiaye’s unfortunate childhood.
He was not worried about spoiling his child.
“Ask Dr. Zhong to give you some tonic prescription. You’re already weakened before you even give birth. It’ll only get worse afterward,” he said as he grabbed her slender hands.
“No, the doctor said the baby is healthy right now. I’m practically vomiting from all the tonic soups I’ve been drinking lately. Also, I’m eating more and more rice. I’ve gone from half a bowl to two bowls. Didn’t you say you’ll let me do whatever I want as long as I’m comfortable with it?” She gave him a glance.
“You’re becoming really cheeky right now. Who made you like this? You always need me to convince you to eat that second bowl. Sure, it’s great that the little thing is healthy, but your health is the most important.”
He lay down on the bed while she lazed across him. He was like a human pillow for her now.
“It’s you… Then, I’ll tell Su Nan you disagree. It’s none of my business.”
She gave him a cunning look as she reached up to his large hand and spread it open to look at the veins on his palm.
“So, you’re using me as a shield because you’re scared to tell her, huh? What a way to use me. I’m always the bad guy.” He sounded like he was scolding her, but he had a helpless smile on his face.
As she suddenly remembered something, she sat up and called out to him, “Well, you’re always a good person to me. Hey, Mu Yuchen…”
“Hmm?”
He seemed to be enjoying their conversation because she rarely called his name. The narcissistic Mr. Mu was thinking that the way she called his name was pleasant to his ears.
“You didn’t date any girls before because you don’t think they are good enough. And then suddenly I caught your eye?” She squinted at him while giving him a seductive glance.
“You’ve been taking a lot of tonics lately, but you aren’t putting on any weight at all. I see that’s because they’ve all gathered in one place.” He sighed and then pinched her little face. “It’s all on your face.”
“Are you saying that I’m thick-skinned?” She instantly looked at him with a scowl.
He smiled and just glanced at her without replying, but his eyes told her all she needed to know.
She glared at him and got off him, dragging the blanket and covering herself as she faced him with her back. Her shoulders were shaking slightly from her anger as well.
He suddenly laughed. “You’re being grumpy.”
Before he could finish his sentence, she kicked him several times angrily.
His laughter got louder as it echoed in the room.
He liked her this way. She would get angry at him, and his desire to protect her would just rise to the maximum. Quickly, he rolled over and hugged her tightly. “Alright, alright. It’s my fault. Don’t be angry. No matter what, you’ll always be my beloved Mrs. Mu. I didn’t like other women because they can’t keep my attention.”
“I did meet many women over the years… Beautiful ones, capable ones, but I didn’t take the effort to date them. When I was in the army, there were hardly any females. I was only around twenty years old and I didn’t want to think about it too early. After I retired from the army, I put all my time into the company and didn’t think about marriage or relationships. I’m a person who’s afraid of making mistakes. In order not to make mistakes, I disciplined and restricted myself. Everything has to follow an order. Do you understand?”
He rolled her around and made her face him before leaving a kiss on her forehead.
“After I returned, my grandparents wanted me to get married earlier and have a new life. I gave it some thought. After 30 years, it might be good to try a new lifestyle. Grandmother then started finding girls for me, and my first ever blind date was with you. I heard a little about you from my grandparents, then I just decided to go for it.”
“Didn’t you have a fiancèe before? It even caused a big fuss which everyone knew about.”
“Do you think she’s comparable to you? Do you know why I’m against arranged betrothals? I’m worried something similar to my experience might happen. Who knows what would happen in the future? You just love to think about this sort of nonsense. Did Su Nan give you some lecture about managing your husband again?”
He saw through her instantly, his sharp eyes catching her right in the act. Guiltily, she averted her gaze away and mumbled, “Of course not…”
“Don’t think you can fool me. Only a man with low self-awareness needs to be trained. Are you doubting your charm, or are you doubting me?”
“I…” She did not know what to reply and just looked into his eyes.
[1] The ‘arranged betrothal’ here is a practice whereby children are promised to be married to each other at a young age.