Before the arrival of the Chinese New Year, another surprising event occurred.
Gu You was getting married.
Ruan Jiujiu was surprised when she heard the news. As someone who had missed out on half a year of time, she hadn’t even heard that Gu You had a girlfriend, let alone that he was preparing to get married. He invited Ruan Jiujiu and her husband to the wedding and jokingly said he would understand if Cheng Jun couldn’t make it.
Ruan Jiujiu replied with a laughing emoji.
Her phone made a notification sound, and Gu You sent a wedding photo.
The girl in the photo was beautiful and cute, slightly petite, nestled in Gu You’s arms, with a sweet and enchanting smile. Gu You, as the groom-to-be, was gazing down at her with a tender smile, and the love between them was so strong that it seemed unbreakable.
Ruan Jiujiu sincerely felt happy for him and was about to send a long congratulatory message when a hand reached over her shoulder and snatched her phone to inspect it.
Cheng Jun, with one hand in his pocket, asked slowly, “Why write so much?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Isn’t this a wedding blessing?”
Cheng Jun: “No.”
He pressed the delete key, erasing the entire paragraph until the editing page only had the dry words “congratulations,” and then he clicked send.
Ruan Jiujiu: “……”
On the other end of the phone, Gu You replied quickly.
Gu You: Cheng Jun?
Cheng Jun: “……”
Before Ruan Jiujiu had a chance to mock Cheng Jun, she saw him quickly navigate to the contacts page. She hurriedly stopped him, saying, “Hey, don’t delete my contacts!”
…
Gu You’s wedding was much livelier. He had booked a luxurious hotel and, being very sociable, he invited many friends and family to celebrate the wedding joyfully, with a touch of romance. Ruan Jiujiu sat at a table with Cheng Jun, Tu Nan, and others. They sat together, and except for Cheng Jun, who had a forced expression and was focused on peeling peanuts, the rest of the people applauded and offered their blessings.
The bride and groom stood in the center of a raised platform, exchanged smiles, and the groom embraced the bride. They leaned in for a gentle kiss. The spotlight shone on them, and soft music filled the hall. The couple looked like a pair of celestial beings, leaving everyone in awe.
“Wow, so romantic,” Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but join her hands in prayer. Her secretary, Wen Xi, sitting beside her, also had hearts in her eyes.
The two equally clueless men sitting next to them exchanged glances with expressions of incomprehension.
Wen Xi said, “I want to have my wedding by the seaside in the future.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Well… I’ve already had my wedding.”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds went table by table to greet the guests. When they reached Cheng Jun’s table, the other guests couldn’t help but take a few more glances, thinking they had invited a celebrity with divine looks. Only after hearing from others did they realize that they were actually high-ranking members of Jia Cheng.
In this day and age, it’s embarrassing to be a boss without some good looks!
Gu You nodded and smiled at them, introducing each of them to the bride.
Ruan Jiujiu was very happy, but Cheng Jun picked up some peanuts and stuffed them into her mouth, saying, “No laughing.”
Ruan Jiujiu found his unfounded and peculiar jealousy very strange. She had been unhappy since she received the invitation, and even after the wedding ended, he kept pulling her away, as if they had really had something between them.
The two walked along the street, and the weather was quite nice today. Despite the low temperature, there was no biting cold wind.
Ruan Jiujiu said, “Next time, don’t do that. Don’t let Tu Nan and the others misunderstand.”
“Oh.”
Cheng Jun held her hand, tucked it into his pocket, and answered slowly, as if he didn’t take Ruan Jiujiu’s words seriously, earning him a sidelong glance from Ruan Jiujiu.
Some people start talking nonsense once they let their guard down.
But for Cheng Jun, gradually returning to normal was the best thing that could happen to her.
When they returned home, Ruan Jiujiu suddenly remembered, “By the way, what about the video from our wedding?”
Sitting on the sofa, Cheng Jun, who was focused on shelling pine nuts, turned his head and said, “There’s a black USB drive on the desk in the study.”
“Alright, I’ll go look for it.”
Having spent so much time together, Ruan Jiujiu had rarely visited Cheng Jun’s study, not because she wasn’t allowed in, but because Cheng Jun’s room was simple and clean, with no secrets whatsoever. If it weren’t for something important, she wouldn’t bother going in.
The study door was wide open, and Cheng Jun hardly ever closed it now. Most of his attention was focused on successfully sneaking into Ruan Jiujiu’s bed at night.
Ruan Jiujiu rummaged around on the desk for a while, but only found a small black box neatly placed in an inconspicuous spot. She thought it was the USB drive, but when she opened it, she found something very familiar…
A dung beetle.
The box was lined with velvet, and there was a smooth and beautiful black stone tied with a red string inside. It was obviously something that had been touched frequently. Ruan Jiujiu subconsciously glanced at Cheng Jun sitting on the sofa, still shelling pine nuts. She couldn’t help but find it amusing and touching.
So, Cheng Jun had lied about throwing it away, and the item had been on his desk all along.
She decided to act as if she hadn’t seen it and carefully placed it back in its original position.
The USB drive was actually behind the monitor, showing signs of frequent use with a slightly worn casing. Ruan Jiujiu eagerly pulled Cheng Jun over to watch the wedding footage, but Cheng Jun suddenly stood up, his tone vague, “I think I have something to do.”
Ruan Jiujiu: ???
For some reason, she had a bad feeling. Ruan Jiujiu frowned and forcibly pulled Cheng Jun to watch the wedding footage together.
The footage began beautifully, capturing Ruan Jiujiu’s stunning appearance as she walked out in her wedding dress, as well as her tearful, blurry-eyed moments as she wiped away her tears.
Cheng Jun had seen it countless times when Ruan Jiujiu wasn’t around, so he knew what would come next.
Cheng Jun tried to change the subject, saying, “I’m hungry.”
Ruan Jiujiu grabbed his arm and said, “Hold on!”
The next moment, the camera suddenly zoomed in, focusing entirely on Ruan Jiujiu’s face, clearly capturing her changing expressions, even the slight smudging of her eyeshadow when she cried. Most people wouldn’t film like this, especially not an experienced photographer.
It was Cheng Jun who had requested to capture Ruan Jiujiu’s expressions so clearly, and as the instigator, he felt a bit guilty.
“It looks really good.”
Ruan Jiujiu: …
…
…
“Cheng! Jun!”
Cheng Jun took a blow and then reluctantly apologized to Ruan Jiujiu.
At the same time, in a women’s prison, it was time for their limited weekly entertainment. After completing their production tasks, they returned to their cells to rest, waiting for the movie to be shown later.
A slender woman sat against the wall, her face expressionless, her eyes distant. She stared at the wall, lost in thought, and no one paid much attention to her unusual demeanor. They were used to her otherworldly behavior.
Despite her haggard appearance, you could still glimpse traces of her former beauty in her features.
Surprisingly, it was Xu Biying.
The television was turned on, and loud music played. Someone was using the remote to change channels. There were still a few minutes before the movie started, so occasionally looking at something else was allowed.
Suddenly, a deep, gentle voice came from the TV, saying, “I’d like to introduce my wife to everyone. She’s the happiest gift I’ve received this year…”
Xu Biying, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly stood up, startling the others.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Without saying a word, she walked up to the television. The man on the screen was handsome and gentle, and anyone could see the deep affection he had for his wife in his eyes. He had his arm around his wife’s waist, and the two of them stood in front of the camera, smiling at each other openly, causing the entertainment reporters to burst into laughter.
Xu Biying couldn’t forget this scene.
In her previous life, when she was destitute and had no one to rely on, she had seen this very scene on TV. It was also in front of the camera, with Gu You embracing his wife. The two of them had shared a sweet look, and she, thinking of her childhood friend Gu You as ordinary, had seen him publicly proclaim his marital status to the world.
The glaring image on the screen merged with her memories from her previous life, as if mocking her for wanting too much and ending up with nothing in the end.
How unwilling Xu Biying had been back then! She had thought that if she were given a chance, she would hold onto Gu You tightly and live a happy life.
But now, in her second chance at life, it was the same sweet couple on the screen, and she was the one who stood there in shock, utterly distraught. However, this time, she was on the other side of the wall, and she still had several years left to spend in prison before she could be released.
Amid the bewildered cries of the others, she collapsed to the ground, covering her face with a thud, her throat choked up. After a long while, she let out a mournful sob.
In her mind, Ruan Jiujiu’s question echoed once again.
“Do you regret it?”
If regret could give her a second chance at life, she would cry out to heaven and beg for another opportunity.
But the goddess of fate would never favor her again.
At this moment, Xu Biying finally realized the immense price she had paid for her foolishness and indifference.
She knew that she would likely spend the rest of her life under the shadow of regret, reflecting on her mistakes and trying to atone for them.
The sounds of grief in the cell continued for a long time.
The Spring Festival was approaching.
Fortunately, the city had banned firecrackers and fireworks. Ruan Jiujiu recalled a group of mischievous kids covering their ears and grimacing, and she still felt a bit nervous. As an innocent bystander who had been affected by them before, she disliked firecrackers and even felt indifferent towards fireworks.
It was difficult for the two of them to create a festive atmosphere. In order to make the holiday more enjoyable, Ruan Jiujiu specially bought a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and poultry for them to enjoy.
Apart from the boring Spring Festival Gala, indulging in a grand feast was one of the few pleasures of celebrating the New Year.
What used to be a chat group of four people now had Ruan Jiujiu and Wen Xi as new members. On New Year’s Eve, early in the morning, Tu Nan started shouting and sending out red envelopes one by one, with everyone contributing casually. The red envelopes kept getting larger, and even though they were not short of money, the combined amount from the red envelopes was still not enough to buy a new outfit. However, Ruan Jiujiu enjoyed snatching them.
Her luck was average, and she didn’t get much money from several consecutive red envelopes. Others got large sums in their envelopes, but Tu Nan’s luck was off the charts, with several red envelopes in a row having the “best luck.”
At this point, Tu Nan was feeling quite smug and sent several voice messages in the group, bragging about how much money he had won.
The group fell silent.
Until the screen displayed that Tu Nan had been removed from the group chat, and the atmosphere in the group returned to a cheerful one.
Everyone happily sent a few more rounds of red envelopes, and this time Ruan Jiujiu also got the “best luck.” Without Tu Nan’s presence, everything felt so joyful and peaceful.
Tu Nan privately messaged everyone with sad emoticons (QAQ) and asked to be added back to the group, but everyone was too busy snatching red envelopes and paid no attention to him.
Even Wen Qian sent a series of hammer emojis and said he deserved it.
Tu Nan posted a dynamic update on his social media: “No one loves me, I feel so bad.”
A few minutes later:
Tu Nan’s father: [Are you guys fighting? Don’t tell me you mistreated Wen Xi, such a good girl.]
Tu Nan’s mother: [Don’t talk nonsense. Are we all dead?]
Eldest aunt: [What are you talking about on New Year’s? This child.]
Young uncle: [Young people shouldn’t be too impulsive.]
His extended family members started privately sending him advice like “The Art of Living with a Spouse,” “Men Must Take Care of Their Wives,” “Filial Piety Comes First,” making Tu Nan regret not categorizing his update.
He complained to Wen Xi, which made her burst into laughter.
…
Despite being just the two of them, Ruan Jiujiu still prepared a carefully crafted New Year’s Eve dinner with a variety of dishes. There were so many dishes that Ruan Jiujiu slapped her forehead in frustration, realizing they would have leftovers for tomorrow. But Cheng Jun was still by her side, suggesting that they add a few more pieces of meat.
Ruan Jiujiu: “Do you want to eat until you burst?”
Cheng Jun pondered for a moment and said, “This way of dying doesn’t sound too bad.”
Ruan Jiujiu: …
In the late afternoon, Ruan Jiujiu was preparing to make dumplings with bread dough. They had already prepared some vegetables, snacks, and drinks, but with so much food, they wouldn’t be able to eat many dumplings.
Cheng Jun offered to help (or rather, make a mess). Once the dough was kneaded and rolled into thin wrappers, he began to make his own moon-shaped dumplings. Before long, the dumplings in various shapes and sizes were lining the cutting board.
Ruan Jiujiu declared that all these ugly dumplings would be reserved for Cheng Jun to eat later.
As they worked, they exchanged a few words from time to time. After Cheng Jun had made enough dumplings, he wiped his hands and fed Ruan Jiujiu a strawberry. A plate of fresh, bright red strawberries placed on the cutting board had already been mostly devoured in no time.
Cheng Jun looked up and saw Ruan Jiujiu focusing intently on rolling out the dough, her concentration adorable. His fingertips were lightly dusted with flour, and when she wasn’t paying attention, he gently smeared some on her face. Ruan Jiujiu let out a surprised cry and quickly retaliated.
Ruan Jiujiu’s hands were covered in flour, and she seemed ready to pat Cheng Jun with them, but he caught her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
With lowered eyelids, he held her hand and leaned in to kiss her lips.
Her lips were soft, carrying the sweet fragrance of strawberries, making him involuntarily want to deepen the kiss. Cheng Jun tirelessly explored her lips and tongue, his fingers unintentionally slipping to her waist, both of them unaware of the flour sticking to their bodies.
Cheng Jun, his voice husky, said, “Let’s make more dumplings later.”
Ruan Jiujiu’s cheeks turned crimson. “What are you saying in broad daylight?”
He lifted her and placed her on the table, continuing to kiss her. Whenever Ruan Jiujiu wanted to refuse Cheng Jun’s advances, his enlarged cheeks exuded desire, so enticing that she not only couldn’t say no, but also felt a desire to ravish Cheng Jun.
Just then…
*Knock knock knock!*
Their actions froze. Ruan Jiujiu whispered, “I didn’t order takeout; maybe they knocked on the wrong door.”
Cheng Jun said, “Let’s ignore it.”
He tilted Ruan Jiujiu’s chin, about to continue, when the knocking sound came again. Even through the thick door, they could hear Tu Nan’s loud voice, “Boss! Sister-in-law! It’s us, open the door!”
Ruan Jiujiu: …
Cheng Jun said: …
Tu Nan shouted, “Don’t pretend you can’t hear me. I know you guys are home!”
Ruan Jiujiu quickly wiped her lips and blushed as she adjusted her clothing. “Quick, open the door!”
When the door was opened, Tu Nan boldly squeezed in, completely ignoring Cheng Jun’s expression, which looked like he could kill. To their surprise, not only was Wen Xi behind him, but also Fu Zicheng. Jiao Fan had gone to the United States to accompany An Rou, leaving Fu Zicheng as the only remaining single guy after a year.
“Wow, sister-in-law made so much delicious food!”
“It’s amazing, just as Tu Nan said, coming here for a meal is a great idea.”
“Hahaha, no kidding!”
Here, there was no rule that women cooked while men chatted. Instead, it turned into Ruan Jiujiu and Wen Xi taking charge while instructing their respective men, with Fu Zicheng assisting. Tu Nan insisted that he used to be quite the chef, but even a simple dish like tomato scrambled eggs turned out so poorly, which was quite a feat.
When the food was served, they raised their glasses cheerfully. Ruan Jiujiu also raised her wine glass happily and clinked glasses with others, but she was intercepted by Cheng Jun halfway.
“No drinking.”
“Just a sip.”
“We’ll drink after everyone leaves.” He held her hand firmly.
Cheng Jun’s implication was clear, and Ruan Jiujiu’s face blushed instantly. Fortunately, everyone was laughing and having a good time, and no one heard their whispered conversation.
Suddenly, Fu Zicheng chuckled and said, “Jiao Fan wants to video call with us.”
On the other end of the video call, Jiao Fan had just woken up, dressed in pajamas, and greeted them with sleepy eyes. He looked at the table full of food with envy and jealousy. They exchanged a few jokes, and suddenly, another head appeared next to him, which turned out to be An Rou.
After a moment of silence, they didn’t know what to say. An Rou happened to glance in Ruan Jiujiu’s direction, waved her hand toward her, and sneered while pointing at the ring on her finger.
“I’m already taken, don’t misunderstand. I don’t go back to my old flames.”
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Fu Zicheng was surprised, and he felt a pang of bitterness. “You guys got engaged, and you didn’t even tell me!”
Jiao Fan scratched his head. “Why should we tell you?”
The group continued their lively conversation.
After the video call ended, Ruan Jiujiu checked her phone during a break in their meal and noticed someone had sent her a friend request. The person’s nickname read, “Don’t change my name to ‘sisters.'”
She didn’t need to guess who it was.
Ruan Jiujiu found it amusing and accepted the friend request. It had been a while since they last met, but An Rou still had that proud demeanor. She mentioned that she was also getting married and didn’t mind Ruan Jiujiu experiencing a foreign wedding.
Ruan Jiujiu sent an emoji nodding in agreement.
Then, An Rou sent another message.
[I’m sorry.]
Ruan Jiujiu was puzzled.
[?]
An Rou retracted the message and said:
[I sent that by mistake. You didn’t see anything. Just forget it. I’m off to my date now. I wish you both a delay in getting tired of each other in married life.]
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but smile.
[Thanks, sis.]
[Shut up!]
They ate until their stomachs were round during the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Throughout the whole time, there was only Cheng Jun’s deathly gaze until he finally realized that this group of people intended to stay until the New Year, so he gave up. He wanted Ruan Jiujiu to pay more attention to him, but Ruan Jiujiu was busy chatting with everyone and ignored Cheng Jun.
He quietly walked to the study alone. After a while, Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t find Cheng Jun, so she looked around and discovered that he was standing by the window in the study, blowing cold wind alone, with a desolate figure.
Ruan Jiujiu walked slowly over and hugged Cheng Jun from behind.
Cheng Jun’s body stiffened.
“Why are you coming over here?” He said this, but he pulled Ruan Jiujiu into his arms and held her tightly to prevent her from getting cold.
Ruan Jiujiu buried her face in his chest. After a while, she let out a satisfied sigh and said in a muffled voice, “Jun.”
Cheng Jun was already immune to her peculiar address, “Hmm.”
“I love you.”
—End of the text—
The author has a message to share: The main story has ended! Throws confetti~~~
I’m crying, I can’t bear to part with the two of them!
Starting tomorrow, I will begin updating the extra chapters and will resume with two updates per day. If you want to continue reading, please do!
The new work is already in the column for previews. If you’re interested, you can bookmark the transmigration story’s pit. It will have a different twist, but it’s definitely that pit. The next book probably won’t be about transmigration; I want to explore a different theme, but I haven’t figured out the specific storyline yet. If you’re interested, you can bookmark the pit in advance.
I’ll also be writing the remaining two previews, so please consider bookmarking those as well!
You can find me on Weibo: 不才如仆_例当沙汰
Feel free to come and chat!
I truly feel reluctant to say goodbye here; this pair of adorable dogs, Xipi, is my favorite (Junzai & Jiujiu: Explanation for Xipi???)
Well, I’ll save the rest of my words for when the story is truly finished.
The upcoming daily life of Huai Zai will continue to be sweet and funny, as always~
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