Chapter 100

Chapter 100

An Ye: "..."

Shí Tuò: "..."

When An Ye said that, Shí Tuò was busy fastening his seatbelt, shifting the gears, and starting the car.

Her voice wasn’t very loud, and she had planned to repeat herself if Shí Tuò didn’t hear her clearly.

There were a lot of words that followed. She felt that their attitudes toward marriage were different from most people’s, and she wanted to explain why she wanted to marry him.

It wasn’t entirely a spur-of-the-moment thought just to make him happy. In fact, ever since she saw that family portrait at Zhang Rou’s house, she had been thinking about it.

It was a bit complicated, and she hadn’t fully figured it out yet.

So, she wanted to take her time explaining.

But after An Ye quieted down, Shí Tuò stared at her for a full minute, gripping the steering wheel. His tone became very calm and composed as he said, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the notary office to notarize our premarital assets, then in the afternoon, we’ll go get the marriage certificate."

An Ye: "…Huh?"

"Your household registration booklet is with you, right?" he asked.

An Ye: "…Yes."

"Why don’t you tell Qi Wei first?" Shí Tuò thought of something else. "Forget it, I’ll tell her."

An Ye: "…"

He was afraid she would change her mind, so his brain was running at full speed, blocking all possible routes.

So, An Ye decided to keep quiet.

The sound of the car hitting the wall was loud, and from a distance, a security guard was already pressing his walkie-talkie while running toward them. Shí Tuò paused for another half-minute, gripping the steering wheel. He looked at An Ye and said, "Wait for me in the car."

The license plate was knocked off, so the car definitely couldn’t be driven. An Ye sat in the car, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Shí Tuò talk to the security guard while making phone calls.

He made two calls, and after the second call, An Ye’s phone rang.

It was Qi Wei.

"You're getting your marriage certificate tomorrow?" Qi Wei was lying in the bathtub, doing a face mask, completely stunned.

She had just given her three days off!!

An Ye: "…I think so."

"After you get it, are you going to announce it?" Qi Wei rubbed her forehead.

An Ye: "…Wait until you all finish your holiday."

"Alright then…" Qi Wei continued rubbing her forehead but couldn’t help but ask, "Let me double-check, you’re not pregnant, right?"

"No!" An Ye raised her voice for the first time, her ears turning red.

"Good, then I’m fine," Qi Wei said, hanging up the phone. "Just remember to notify me when you announce it."

An Ye stared at Shí Tuò outside the car.He was truly calm, but even now, he didn’t dare to make eye contact with her. The hand that wasn’t holding the phone still hadn’t dared to come out of his suit pocket; it was definitely shaking.

Yet, he still remembered to make the first call after getting out of the car to her manager.

“We’ll switch cars.” After the security guard left, Shí Tuò opened An Ye’s car door. “I... can’t drive right now. I called a driver from the company to help take us.”

“It’s Lao Yuan’s driver. He’s tight-lipped and won’t say anything unnecessary.”

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to grab his notebook bag from the car, looking frantic as if he was busy with something.

An Ye got out of the car, stretched out her hand, and tugged at his suit sleeve.

Shí Tuò stopped but didn’t look at her.

“I won’t go back on my word,” she said. “But if you keep acting so busy, I’m going to start filming videos.”

How embarrassing.

Shí Tuò turned around, bent down, and rested his forehead against An Ye’s shoulder with a sigh.

After sighing, he straightened up, took apart the car's dashcam, and crushed the card inside with his foot.

An Ye: "..."

“The car will be sent for repairs,” Shí Tuò reattached the dashcam. “Still, be careful.”

He paused for a second, then gave her a chance to back out.

No traces left, no burden on her—just like how she had handed him that signed, sealed blank sheet of paper back then. Without thinking, he had shoved it straight into the shredder.

He had an album in his phone with only close-ups of her, no group photos, and he never uploaded them to the cloud. The album was password-protected with the highest security, and if the phone was lost, a press of a button on his watch would instantly destroy it.

Meanwhile, in her phone, there were photos of the two of them together, pictures of Shí Tuò sleeping, and the ridiculous guarantee letter he had signed for Lán Yīfāng when he first arrived. He never took it back.

Tomorrow, they would get their marriage certificate, but he still wanted to notarize their premarital assets first.

He was a terrifying person, leaving her eight hundred ways out, while he didn’t leave himself any.

A stubborn fool.

This fool didn’t speak at all on the way, just held her hand and looked out the window.

Lao Yuan’s driver was a man in his fifties, indeed a man of few words. He greeted them with a smile when they first met, and then didn’t make his presence felt the rest of the time.

An Ye didn’t say anything either.

She had felt dizzy after the nap in the afternoon, and after talking about marriage, she felt even dizzier.

The dizziness dulled the discomfort she had been suppressing for the past few days.

When they got home, seeing Lao Bai made everything feel lighter.

Lao Bai had gained more weight. Before An Ye could even take off her shoes, the little guy was already rolling around on the floor, belly up.

After they got home, Shí Tuò went straight to his room. After An Ye finished playing with Lao Bai, he came over with something in his hand and silently slid it onto her left ring finger.

He had one on his own ring finger as well, probably just put it on casually earlier.There was no sense of ceremony at all. His current thought process was simply to get everything settled quickly before An Ye had a chance to back out.

An Ye looked down at the ring.

It was a Cartier Trinity three-band ring. Shí Tuò had bought the black ceramic version, while hers had small diamonds. His was smooth, not too expensive, but with a nice design that could be worn every day.

The key was that this ring was different from the typical designs that symbolize eternal love or a hundred years of harmony. The three bands represented love, friendship, and loyalty.

It seemed tailor-made for them.

He must have spent a long time picking it out, not knowing much about such things.

His taste was surprisingly good.

"When did you buy this?" An Ye asked, feeling amazed.

"Last month. I originally planned to get it as a couple's ring." Shí Tuò slid the rings onto their fingers, then went back to the study to start working on the notarization documents, typing without looking up. "For now, it'll do. We’ll buy wedding rings when we actually have the wedding."

"...Are we still having a wedding?" An Ye followed him into the study. She had jewelry endorsements and had worn all sorts of rings, but there wasn't a single one that made her want to keep staring at it after putting it on.

Shí Tuò buying these rings and her sudden mention of marriage were actually connected in meaning.

This realization made her feel quite happy.

Shí Tuò paused his typing and looked up at her. "…We’re not having a wedding?"

"…Do you have any friends?" An Ye looked at him.

Shí Tuò: "…"

"And there could be a lot of sponsorships." An Ye continued, "To be honest, I’ve worn wedding dresses more than ten times."

Although she hadn’t filmed any romantic movies, she had been married four times in the films, done photo shoots as a May bride, June bride, and so on, not to mention once for a jewelry showcase.

Shí Tuò: "…"

An Ye: "Do you want to have one?"

Shí Tuò: "…Invite your studio people and Lin Hao, and have a meal at home?"

An Ye enthusiastically snapped her fingers in agreement.

Neither of them mentioned their families. After tomorrow, they would be each other's family.

"Check if you missed anything in your assets." Shí Tuò printed out a form and handed it to her. "When we buy the big penthouse and deal with the property certificate, I'll need to do a waiver notarization. We'll do that separately later."

There was nothing missing. Shí Tuò knew An Ye’s assets very well.

The waivers were crystal clear.

An Ye didn’t argue with him. After all, she now had a studio to support. If her studio failed, the debts wouldn't be related to Shí Tuò. At least, they could live off his salary without any problem.

The same applied if Shí Tuò lost his job.

She felt this was good.

But after organizing these sober thoughts, she needed to talk to him about something a bit more cloudy.

"I’m marrying to not divorce," An Ye said, looking at Shí Tuò.Shí Tuò put down his hands from the keyboard.

"Not divorce, not betrayal, and never parting," An Ye said. "If we can do these three things, I'll go with you to get the marriage certificate tomorrow."

Shí Tuò stared at her blankly.

"We actually have a lot of ties already. You're responsible for the legal affairs of my studio, and we're mutual guardians of each other. Even without marriage, you and I are already inseparable."

"But I still want to get married."

"Just for these three conditions, just to be able to more justifiably become family."

"These three conditions, no matter what paperwork you write, can never really be achieved, because these three conditions rely on the human heart."

"I trust you."

"So, Shí Tuò, can you do it?"

"In this lifetime, no divorce, no betrayal, even if it’s death, I will come back to find you in the next life," Shí Tuò elaborated on An Ye's request. He said each word carefully and then closed his eyes.

An Ye gently rubbed his hair.

He pulled An Ye towards him and buried his face into her embrace.

The two of them, the thing they wanted most couldn’t be truly obtained with any terms or money. What they wanted was a home.

A place where they could find solace after being hurt outside, a place to rest, recharge, and lick their wounds.

The three-band ring represented love, friendship, and loyalty.

For them, marriage represented never betraying each other and staying together forever.

It’s hard to find anyone else in this world who could have such an extreme, life-and-death bond like theirs. Even if one wanted such a bond, it’s difficult to find someone they could truly trust.

So, after all the twists and turns, they still ended up finding each other.

The only person in this world who could bear the weight behind these words, the only person who could make them believe in the human heart.

Their fated person.

Shí Tuò fully came to his senses in the bathroom.

This place had always been his safe haven. He tended to linger when taking a shower, but today, due to his emotions running high, he lingered even longer.

At first, he noticed the red mark on his skin from the steam of the instant noodles he had eaten, but after applying ice immediately, the color had already faded a lot.

He instinctively pressed the red spot. He’d always liked the sensation of pain, even though he knew it wasn’t right.

But humans are holistic creatures. You might forget the pain you went through as a child, but the scars always remain.

So, whenever he saw a wound on his body, he couldn’t help but want to press it, to experience the pain. It was the mark of his life, one that couldn’t be erased, just like the ear bone piercing from his coming-of-age ritual.

When the small burn spread a mild pain across his skin, he paused.

He thought of An Ye's gaze when she saw the wound. At that moment, the look in her eyes was one of realization.

Shí Tuò’s entire body stiffened.An Ye’s faint yet obvious smell of smoke lacked any restraint. The soft expression on her face when she snuggled into his arms for their nap was different from before. Today, she remained quietly indifferent, not particularly able to stir up emotions.

And then, there was her mention of marriage.

She had gone to Singapore.

He, of course, knew that going to Southeast Asia for a shoot was just an excuse she had used, but back then, he thought she was sorting out matters with Wang Shanshan.

So when he asked if everything went smoothly, and she said it did, he even let out a sigh of relief.

But in the end, she had gone to Singapore.

She must have known everything by now. The most common thing Zhang Rou said on the phone was, “You’ve been through so much hardship. You have to let An Jiu know. She’s always got to know everything so that I can feel at ease.”

So, he never liked taking Zhang Rou’s calls in front of An Ye.

If An Ye went up to her, Zhang Rou would definitely tell her everything—especially the most unflattering things.

Shí Tuò pushed open the bathroom door.

An Ye was wearing a tank top and shorts, which clung to her body as she lay on the bed playing games.

Recently, she had stopped playing ranked games and started playing a more health-conscious game of “Match-Three.” The sound effects of the game were loud when she matched the tiles, and even Shí Tuò, listening from the side, found it quite relaxing.

"You took so long," An Ye glanced at him, moving a little to the side to make space for him.

Shí Tuò suddenly felt a bit hesitant to step forward.

An Ye looked up at him again, furrowing her brows, "Why didn’t you dry your hair?"

Shí Tuò didn’t move.

An Ye looked up at him for the third time, paused the game, sat up slightly, and stared at him.

They locked eyes for three seconds, and An Ye sighed.

Shí Tuò remained still.

"I… I didn’t hide anything from you the whole day," she muttered, barefoot walking off the bed and stepping onto his still-damp foot.

Shí Tuò moved back a little, pulling An Ye's waist toward him to steady her.

Even though she was light, the weight of her standing on his foot was enough to bring him back to his senses.

"I..." Shí Tuò lowered his gaze, "I’m fine now."

He had checked on it for two years, made sure it was all good, and confirmed that he wouldn’t hold An Ye back before returning.

An Ye gripped his neck with both hands, pushing him down slightly, her lips brushing against his, her voice low and husky.

"It hurts my heart," she said.

Her words carried weight. This simple sentence almost made Shí Tuò choke up, and the hand that was around her waist tightened.

An Ye continued to nuzzle his lips.

She was patient, moving closer and then pulling away just a little, their breaths entangling. Each time their lips barely touched, it felt slightly tingling.

Shí Tuò, initially tense, slowly began to relax, starting to follow An Ye’s lips.

He didn’t lift her, just held her waist, supporting her weight with his feet, guiding her step by step back to the bed.

When he pressed a kiss to her neck, An Ye bit his lip, not too hard, not too soft.

Shi Tuo let out a muffled sound, his hands instinctively tightening.

“Like this…” An Ye bit again, feeling his muscles tense noticeably. “Doesn’t it feel good?”

Shi Tuo’s breathing grew heavier.

This was different from their previous kisses, even from that time in the bathroom. This time, it was like An Ye had pinpointed his weakness.

Everything has two sides.

Relishing pain didn’t always mean wounds—it could be desire too.

An Ye wasn’t naive. She’d noticed after her first test.

For ordinary couples, such probing would be too intimate. Some spouses never learn their partner’s preferences in this regard, even after a lifetime.

But they weren’t an ordinary couple.

Beyond lovers or spouses, they shared a deeper trust.

Shi Tuo realized those two bites left him struggling for control.

For the first time, he discovered the painful marks from his youth could also bring pleasure.

A night early for their wedding, An Ye’s emotions weren’t entirely steady either. After their sparks ignited, she kept probing.

Shi Tuo’s breathing quickened further.

“If…” An Ye whispered in his ear, her voice raspy, her eyes glinting like they had in the bathroom, lost in the moment. “If you want but can’t have, wouldn’t it feel even better?”

Shi Tuo lay back, his neck arching enticingly, his breaths trembling.

An Ye’s voice grew hoarser. She teased, then retreated, mimicking their initial kiss at the bathroom door.

Pushing to the edge, then pulling back.

Light, fleeting touches, sparking flames before withdrawing.

Shi Tuo couldn’t hold back a sound, yet never called a stop.

That night, An Ye tried four times.

On the last, Shi Tuo’s body was taut, a single touch triggering a visible shudder.

Finally, he couldn’t take it and flipped over.

“Good thing I bought…” The rest of his words vanished into the night’s tide.

That night, Old White didn’t dare enter the room.

It found humans a bit frightening. Even deaf to their sounds, it could sense the intense, gasping currents in the air.

So scary.

Old White gazed forlornly out the window, yawning as dawn broke.