Chapter 101

Chapter 101

The process of getting the certificate went smoothly.

Qi Wei still worked half a day extra. Zhi Tuo and An Ye’s current household registration, because they had bought a house earlier, was in Bai Gang, so the procedure was easy. It wasn’t a special day or a holiday, and Qi Wei had given a heads-up in advance, picking a time when there were almost no people, quickly obtaining the certificate.

Neither of them had much sense of ceremony. Qi Wei felt that their purpose in getting married was just to collect all the proof of intimacy they could, to get a stamp.

That evening, Zhi Tuo cooked, inviting Qi Wei, Lan Yifang, Lin Hao, and Old Yuan for a meal.

An Ye chose a white dress that day and forced Zhi Tuo to wear a white shirt, opening a few bottles of wine.

The table was filled with bosses, business partners, and two assistants from the bottom of the food chain, so the atmosphere wasn’t exactly harmonious. An Ye and Zhi Tuo weren’t the type to make the hosts and guests feel at ease, so Qi Wei, with a bitter face, drank the champagne and started chatting with Old Yuan about work.

Then, the atmosphere became more harmonious, at least they had a topic to talk about.

After tasting the dishes, Old Yuan, who was a little tipsy, stood up and poured a glass of wine for An Ye, telling her that no matter what, she had to drink it with him as a token of gratitude.

An Ye was confused, and Zhi Tuo wanted to help her drink it, but Old Yuan stopped him.

So An Ye drank the glass of wine herself.

Afterward, Old Yuan didn’t bring it up again, and Zhi Tuo just smiled. But after An Ye finished, he took the initiative to pour a glass and clinked glasses with Old Yuan.

Old Yuan looked at this young man, who could hide his emotions so well, and couldn’t help but feel a sigh of admiration for the new generation.

Last year, he lost the Canadian merger and acquisition deal to Zhi Tuo. At first, he thought Zhi Tuo was of Chinese descent. This young man seemed so calm and composed, not at all like an outsider, but rather someone who had deep roots in the country, a young man who had never faced much hardship and was unaware of the world’s vastness.

So he underestimated him.

And then he lost.

The merger and acquisition deal was large, and when it was settled, there were numerous casualties. Some people squeezed through the crowd and threw things at the defeated lawyer, while others tried to attack him. At that time, it was Zhi Tuo who helped stop it.

Through this, they got to know each other.

Once they got to know each other, Old Yuan realized that from the moment Zhi Tuo took on this merger and acquisition deal, everything that followed was part of the young man’s plan. He had investigated him thoroughly, made him underestimate him, covered up the perspective of his underestimation, and said that the Golden Ding Group was planning to focus on the entertainment industry, with some investment projects.

Old Yuan thought this young man was quite interesting, the type who could trick someone into selling themselves and still give them money.

But then, the conditions Zhi Tuo offered made Old Yuan think that this young man’s mind must have some issues.

Zhi Tuo signed Golden Ding to return to the country, not because he spent a large sum to recruit them, but because Zhi Tuo promised six months without salary and took on an entire year’s worth of entertainment law KPIs for Golden Ding.

And he succeeded.

All for this seemingly cold, talented actress who was skilled at playing murderous roles.

Even last month, when he wanted to increase her salary to a reasonable level, she refused. She said that due to family health reasons, she might need some remote working time every year and couldn’t accept the salary of that position because her attendance wouldn’t meet the requirements.

Later, it was heard that An Ye had recurrent hypersomnia.

Old Yuan smiled and poured himself another glass of wine.

Youth is always good; the passion of love, hate, and revenge is intense enough to make people envious.

They continued eating and talking until after 10 p.m., when they sent everyone off in their cars.

“I’ve sent the news about getting the certificate to the media we often collaborate with. It will be officially announced in a week,” Qi Wei carefully instructed An Ye before getting into the car. “You two need to free up a day this week. Even if you’re not having a wedding, you still have to take wedding photos. With your good looks, we’ll post eighteen pictures when it’s time, and get you on the trending topics again.”An Ye was amused by Qi Wei's words, narrowing her eyes and nodding.

Qi Wei also narrowed her eyes, smelling of alcohol as she hugged An Ye and patted her slender shoulder.

Before Zhi Tuo could pull them apart, she cleverly slipped into the car.

An Ye leaned on Zhi Tuo's shoulder and yawned.

She hadn’t slept all night, and just as the sky was starting to brighten, she finally managed to doze off, only to be woken up by the alarm reminding her to go to the notary.

After sending everyone off, An Ye kept her eyes mostly closed.

"Why are you so tired?" When entering the elevator, An Ye almost got caught in the door seam with her eyes closed. Zhi Tuo reacted quickly and pulled her up, noticing her eyes were red from exhaustion.

"I don’t know," An Ye yawned again, casually saying, "I'm so tired, I think my hypersomnia might be acting up."

Zhi Tuo: "…"

An Ye: "…"

After a brief silence, An Ye reluctantly mumbled, "I was supposed to take wedding photos today..."

Zhi Tuo: "The point is, we're newlyweds today..."

An Ye yawned again and reached out her hand.

Zhi Tuo lowered his head, placing her hand on his neck and horizontally lifting her up.

The elevator ride from the first floor to their home only took a minute or two, and An Ye was already comfortably dozing off with soft snores.

This was the first time Zhi Tuo had seen An Ye’s condition in full.

She really just fell asleep. It was irrational—she closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

At home, there was still a pile of things to clean up from their dinner gathering. In the living room, there were gifts they had promised to open together, yet she fell asleep in his arms.

Zhi Tuo almost tripped over Old Bai while carrying her through the messy living room due to the awkward angle.

"Your mom really isn't responsible," Zhi Tuo whispered toward Old Bai, grumbling as he continued cleaning up.

He immaturely placed An Ye on the living room sofa. When doing chores, it felt like the two of them were still together, though he had to be gentle since she was in a very bad mood after waking up.

The person sleeping deeply on the sofa turned over, falling into an even deeper sleep.

Zhi Tuo rolled up his sleeves and stared at her for a while while holding an empty wine bottle. He leaned down and kissed her earlobe, then continued cleaning up.

The wedding gifts they received were temporarily put aside. An Ye was curious about what Qi Wei would give them, so Zhi Tuo didn’t open any of them, leaving the surprise for her.

After finishing everything, he checked the time— it was already past midnight.

He hesitated for a moment, recalling the way Qi Wei had shown off to An Ye earlier. He got up and went to the balcony, calling Qi Wei.

He successfully disturbed Qi Wei, who was already in bed, about to enjoy her precious vacation, causing her insomnia.

After completing everything, Zhi Tuo returned to the living room, squatted down, and watched An Ye for a while.

He originally planned to wait until everyone had left and then celebrate alone with her, since it was their wedding day. The whole day had felt like a battle, and he hadn’t even had a chance to wish her a happy wedding yet.

But now, there was no need to say anything. She was sleeping soundly, and her lips were even curved into a smile.Of course, he didn’t even need to look in the mirror to know that he had been smiling all day.

Zhi Tuo pinched her slightly flushed cheek from the alcohol, carried her to the bedroom, quickly cleaned her up, and then helped her into the old sleepwear she always wore at night, tucking her under the blanket.

Even though this episode was unexpected by everyone, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Qi Wei and the others weren’t overly alarmed. They were just rubbing their heads, thinking they would announce it a couple of days later. The auditions next week would have to be postponed, after all, An Ye’s condition had been made public, so they didn’t need to lie—they could just tell the truth.

As for him, aside from the surprise and the lack of words, he didn’t feel any other unease.

Before this, An Ye had given him the phone number of Dr. Zuo, the doctor who treated her hypersomnia. As An Ye’s guardian, Zhi Tuo had talked to the doctor several times.

The episodes wouldn’t affect her health, and many cases of this condition naturally improved after adulthood. Since An Ye was still experiencing episodes at twenty-eight, Dr. Zuo believed it was likely related to psychological stress.

An Ye usually suppressed a lot of things, and when it reached a certain threshold, she would choose to release it through sleep.

Zhi Tuo thought that her sudden episode this time was probably because of the trip to Singapore, and the pressure from the filming of Illusion of Daylight and variety shows—it was quite a lot of stress.

Just because she didn’t talk about it didn’t mean it wasn’t accumulating inside her.

Both he and An Ye were very clear on this point.

Once she fell asleep, it was fine. After all, no one was alone this time.

In the middle of the night, An Ye suddenly sat up in bed.

Zhi Tuo, still working beside her with his laptop, was startled by her sudden movement.

An Ye didn’t even look at him. She sat up for a moment, seemingly in a daze, then smoothly got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and came out half a minute later, glaring at Zhi Tuo.

Zhi Tuo, who looked very innocent: "?"

“You didn’t take off my makeup,” An Ye stated the fact without much emotion.

Zhi Tuo: "…Huh?"

“If I don’t remove my makeup before sleeping, I’ll get pimples.” She was really accusing him. Normally, when she spoke in a sleepy state, her tone was flat, but now she sounded a little aggrieved. “Yan Wan will scold me to death.”

Her sense of time seemed to be confused again. After mentioning Yan Wan, she seemed to realize something was off and stared at him, mouth slightly open in confusion.

Zhi Tuo’s heart was a mixture of emotions, but he finally smiled and said, "Happy wedding."

An Ye paused, biting her lip and tilting her head to look at him for a moment. Then she tilted her head the other way and went back into the bathroom.

He wasn’t sure if she could process what he’d said in her current state.

Zhi Tuo rubbed his nose, worried she might fall asleep in the bathroom, so he put down his laptop and followed her in.

An Ye, eyes closed, was removing her makeup, then applying skincare, and during the final step, she pulled up her straps to get ready for a shower.

"Hey, hey, hey, you can’t shower right now." Zhi Tuo was amused by her clueless expression for a moment, then quickly pulled her straps back down, fearing she might end up in trouble.

An Ye looked at him expressionlessly.

“You’ll fall asleep.” Zhi Tuo patted her face. “I’ve already wiped you down a little. Just wait a couple of days. Once you wake up, you can shower.”

This was something Lan Yifang had specifically told him—once, An Ye had fallen asleep in the shower and nearly choked on the water.An Ye continued to look at him expressionlessly.

Zhi Tuo felt that something was off. This wasn’t the first time An Ye had an episode of hypersomnia. Why was she suddenly taking such an interest in something that was already a given?

“How long have we been married?” An Ye suddenly asked.

Zhi Tuo: "…One day."

Not even a full day.

An Ye nodded.

After a brief pause, she whispered, “Only one day…”

Zhi Tuo: "…"

“And you still won’t help me take a shower…” She finished her sentence.

Zhi Tuo: "…Damn."

An Ye glared at him sideways and added, “Coward.”

Zhi Tuo: "…It’s been two times now. Don’t think just because you’re asleep, you can do whatever you want."

An Ye provocatively took off her clothes.

Zhi Tuo: "…"

Wash, wash, wash, wash, wash! He kept a straight face, knowing he couldn’t argue with someone who was having a hypersomnia episode. But he also worried that if she woke up, she’d probably tease him about it later...

“Don’t forget my hair,” An Ye, now comfortably asleep in the bathtub, patted Zhi Tuo’s hand. “Remember to dry it.”

Zhi Tuo: "…Oh."

Next time, he’d have to learn how to remove makeup...

She probably used eighteen different skincare products earlier; he’d have to make sure to remember each one next time.

A female celebrity can’t have acne on her face.

Otherwise, she’d feel like he was abusing her.

Zhi Tuo dried An Ye’s wet body, wrapped her in a towel, and then, like carrying a child, lifted her up. He let her lay completely on him so that he could free up his hands to dry her hair with a blow dryer.

An Ye’s head bobbed up and down, and halfway through her shower, she had already fallen asleep completely.

Zhi Tuo lowered the blow dryer’s speed and set it to the quietest mode to continue drying her hair.

When her hair was almost dry, An Ye opened her eyes and looked at him.

“It’ll be done soon.” Zhi Tuo patted her head gently, his voice soft. “Go back to sleep.”

“Happy wedding,” An Ye said with a smile before closing her eyes again.

Almost an hour later, her disoriented sense of time finally aligned with reality.

Zhi Tuo chuckled softly and kissed her forehead.

The blow dryer was still going, the quiet wind gentle. It would take a long time to dry her long hair completely.His arm was already starting to feel sore, and the posture of half-sitting and supporting her body was also very tiring. He had already worked up a sweat.

But, deep inside, there was a sense of tranquility.

After going through so much, exerting all his strength, it finally felt like reaching the finish line.

He had promised to protect her.

He had promised to help her establish herself in the entertainment industry.

He had promised to pay off the loans together with her.

He had promised to never divorce, to never be apart for a lifetime.

Step by step, he had finally reached a place where he could settle down—a home.

[The End]