He had originally planned to find an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with her about her scar.
However, on the morning of New Year's Eve, Zhan Beijue had to fly abroad personally due to a significant funding gap.
Before leaving, he handed Jiang Nanfang a black-gold affiliated card.
"I can't spend the New Year at home, so take some time to buy yourself some clothes and food to relax."
"Stop working as a clown from now on; it's a waste of time, and the effort doesn't match the reward."
"If you need money, just use the card. Save your time for reading. I believe you understand such simple logic without me needing to elaborate."
After the Chinese New Year, on the eighth day, the company reopened, and Jiang Nanfang also started school.
Zhan Beijue timed his return to coincide with hers.
Although she hadn't touched the card he gave her, she had finally started to open up, discarding her old clothes and beginning to wear women's attire.
Mostly black, the styles were common, and the fabric was very ordinary.
But Zhan Beijue knew that this money was earned by her through her own labor, bit by bit. She was slowly changing, and he was very happy for her.
On the day she started school, Zhan Beijue personally took her there.
On the way, Jiang Nanfang was on the phone with a classmate, arranging to register together. He was surprised to realize that she was already in her second year of university.
Another year had passed, and she was twenty.
She had reached the legal age to get married.
Did this also mean they could share the same bed?
Because he was so happy thinking about this on that day, Zhan Beijue, uncharacteristically, zoned out during a work meeting.
Midway through the meeting, the conference room suddenly fell silent. Ah Zhong quickly went behind Zhan Beijue to remind him.
Snapping back to reality, he realized everyone was looking at him, and only then did he understand that he had been smiling foolishly.
"In the new year, I foresee the company doing better and better, so I'm in a good mood."
"Alright, that's all for today's meeting. Everyone go encourage your subordinates. We'll finish an hour early. Happy New Year!"
Little did Zhan Beijue know that this was the most amiable day he had experienced in his nine years at the company.
On the first day of school, Jiang Nanfang was also free.
At noon, Zhan Beijue, unable to suppress his longing, called her. She said she could get away in the afternoon, and he made plans to register their marriage.
"Grandpa is urging me. We've been married for so long and haven't registered yet."
"Since I'm free today too, bring your household registration book, and let's go get the certificate."
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, couples were flocking to register their marriages.
Ah Zhong went ahead to help queue up, and it wasn't until four in the afternoon that it was their turn.
After getting their certificate, Zhan Beijue planned to take her out for a celebratory meal. Unexpectedly, his mother, who had been living abroad for many years, returned that very day.
She had gone abroad after his father's death. Zhan Beijue's relationship with her was not particularly close, and he wasn't overjoyed by her return, but he couldn't avoid seeing her, so he had to go home.
Upon meeting her daughter-in-law, who looked vastly different from her son in terms of dress, style, and appearance, his mother exploded on the spot.
First, she claimed his grandfather had poor eyesight, then she called Zhan Beijue foolishly filial.
"How could such a monumental matter be settled for so easily, agreed to so casually? Even if not for yourself, you should think about your descendants!"
"Zhan Beijue, do you want to have a child who is even worse than you in the future? What are you thinking?"
"No! I absolutely do not agree to this marriage! Divorce, you two haven't registered yet, right? While she's still young, send her back home. You can't make one mistake after another!"
Zhan Beijue threw the freshly obtained marriage certificate at her. His mother nearly fainted from anger.
Seeing that she couldn't reason with Zhan Beijue, she turned her attention to Jiang Nanfang.
"I heard you were given a sky-high bride price of five million yuan. You must be marrying my son for money, right?"
"Your family saved his life back then, so consider this five million yuan as repayment. I'll give you another million yuan. Leave him!"
Jiang Nanfang was clearly insulted at that moment, looking at Zhan Beijue in astonishment, unsure how to react.
Zhan Beijue pulled his furious mother out.
However, even so, this incident became another obstacle between them.
Their already distant relationship, exacerbated by his mother's words and their individual busyness, gradually reverted to how it was before.
This year was a year of Zhan's Corporation reaching new heights.
On the tenth day of the year, the company's sales department secured a fifty-billion-yuan project in Dubai.
Zhan's Corporation couldn't handle this tough task alone, especially with it being an international project requiring extensive management. Zhan Beijue embarked on a new round of busyness.
From the initial project acquisition, through financing and securing partners, to the later commencement of work, it took over seven months.
During these seven months, he only returned home three times and saw Jiang Nanfang once.
When he was not home, Jiang Nanfang slept in the master bedroom.
Returning late one night, he found Jiang Nanfang fast asleep, a small, quiet lump curled up in the bed.
Zhan Beijue turned on only a floor lamp, intending to quietly observe her sleeping form.
However, before he could get close, Jiang Nanfang startled awake and then covered her head with the quilt, frantically telling him to leave.
Zhan Beijue thought he had scared her by returning suddenly and had no choice but to retreat.
A moment later, Jiang Nanfang, still groggy, emerged from the room clutching a pillow. "You're back?"
"The room is yours. Go to sleep. I'll go back to the guest room."
"..."
After nearly three months apart, this was her greeting?
Zhan Beijue, unable to hide his disappointment, reached out to pull her closer, wanting to be intimate.
However, Jiang Nanfang covered her left cheek and jumped back as if she had seen a ghost. "Don't come near me!"
"..."
"I slept, and my mouth tastes bad. It's not convenient to talk to you. We'll talk tomorrow! Go to sleep quickly, goodbye!"
The next day, Zhan Beijue finally decided to take a day off to spend time with her at home.
But she was already leaving early in the morning.
"Where are you going? So early, not even eating breakfast?"
"Exam! I almost overslept, I'm late! The coach scheduled my first subject test for today!"
"..."
Was it already summer vacation? She was starting to learn to drive?
"I'll drive you."
"No, no, no, you still need to change. There's no time. The driver has been waiting at the door. Can you ask him to give me a ride?"
And so, on a rare day off, the two missed each other again.
When Jiang Nanfang returned in the evening, Zhan Beijue had already left again.
She, uncharacteristically, sent him a message, accompanied by an emoji: "I passed!"
Zhan Beijue turned on his phone after landing and saw the message, as if seeing her excited face.
For this rare moment of happiness, this memorable occasion, he wasn't there.
Feeling a sense of loss, he replied, "Congratulations."
Clearly, Jiang Nanfang was not someone who knew how to flirt or enjoyed doing so, and the conversation ended there.
The first two years of their marriage, though they didn't see each other often, were generally marked by mutual respect and harmony.
Until the third year, when the cracks between them grew wider and more numerous, leading Zhan Beijue to initiate divorce proceedings.