"The instant noodles smell bad, I know. I won't eat them in the room again."
"..."
His true intention was to say that if she hadn't eaten, he would have asked the kitchen to make her another meal.
Had she gotten too used to being scolded? She was too sensitive.
Not knowing what else to say, and seeing that he had put her under pressure, Zhan Bei Jue could only walk away first.
"It's okay, you eat. If you're still craving something, I'll ask the kitchen to make you something else."
"I'm going out for a bit. It's hot in here, you can take this off first."
After he took several minutes to return from the bathroom outside, the instant noodles and the cartoon outfit were nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Nan Fang, wearing his familiar, oversized men's t-shirt, with her medium-length black hair covering half her face, was waiting for him.
Seeing him enter, she first nodded reservedly, then introduced herself as if in an interview.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Nan Fang. I am nineteen years old and a freshman at Nanda University."
"..."
Nineteen years old.
At nineteen, she was married off to him to be his wife.
Zhan Bei Jue suddenly felt like a "corrupt" old man from ancient times looking for a concubine.
"Hello, I am Zhan Bei Jue. Don't be so reserved, from now on..."
"Excuse me, my stomach hurts. Can I use the restroom?"
"...Of course, use it freely."
Jiang Nan Fang's trip to the restroom took over an hour.
If not for the sound of water occasionally coming from the bathroom and a silhouette moving inside, Zhan Bei Jue would have almost thought she had fainted.
Waiting for her to come out for so long, Zhan Bei Jue thought it might be because she was nervous.
A nineteen-year-old girl truly didn't know how to face the "husband" she had only met once and was about to sleep with.
She was deliberately stalling for time.
Indeed, she was only a freshman, and her academic performance was good.
What if marrying him and needing to have children would delay her studies...
Zhan Bei Jue shook his head with a slight smile and walked to the bathroom door.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
The sound of water inside stopped: "...What is it?"
"I'm going to sleep first. You can sleep in the guest room later. I've put my business card on the coffee table. Save my phone number when you have time."
"Grandpa is still in the hospital. He wants to see you. When you have free time at school, call me, and I'll take you to see him."
"Oh—"
Unexpectedly, he saw her again when he woke up the next morning.
Her hair was washed clean, but still partially swept to her left cheek, and she was wearing men's clothing from head to toe.
Seeing Zhan Bei Jue emerge from the room, she looked over: "Morning."
"Morning... Are you free today?"
"I don't have class in the morning."
Oh, then they could go to the hospital together.
But wearing these clothes to see Grandpa might not be appropriate.
Zhan Bei Jue wanted her to change, but considering her sensitivity yesterday, he was afraid of hurting her pride and didn't say it out loud.
"I'll wash up and come down. You go down and eat breakfast and wait for me."
Jiang Nan Fang fidgeted with the hem of her t-shirt with her fingers, feeling as if she had been granted amnesty: "Okay."
When he came down after washing up and changing, she had already finished eating.
Fearing she would wait too long, Zhan Bei Jue quickly ate a few bites: "Let's go."
The butler and the housekeeper looked at them together, their eyes filled with unspoken words.
Zhan Bei Jue knew what they meant.
It was one thing for the wife of the Zhan family to look like this, but to go out dressed like this...
Zhan Bei Jue felt it was necessary to set some rules for them.
"You wait for me in the car. I'll get something and then I'll go out."
Jiang Nan Fang left first with empty hands. Zhan Bei Jue told the butler and the housekeeper.
"Grandpa personally chose Madam, so he knows what she's like. You should also know your place."
"From now on, no staring at her face, and no discussing her clothing. What she looks like and what she wears is her freedom."
"Whoever dares to have an opinion or spread rumors outside, if I don't hear it, fine. But if even a single word reaches my ears, you will never set foot in the Zhan family again."
Grandpa was very fond of Jiang Nan Fang.
Although she didn't bring gifts, wear makeup, or say sweet words.
But sitting there and answering questions when asked made him beam with joy.
Thus, Jiang Nan Fang gradually relaxed at the Zhan family's home and began to smile more.
However, she always avoided talking to Zhan Bei Jue proactively, even avoiding his gaze.
Zhan Bei Jue was very busy, working on eight projects simultaneously at one point.
He had to deal with unexpected incidents, raise funds, and review various daily documents.
He flew all over the world every day, his head almost spinning. Sometimes he felt very frustrated and wished he could receive a caring or checking-in call from his wife like others did, to sweeten things up.
But that was impossible.
He didn't know if Jiang Nan Fang had saved his number. It had been almost half a year since they got married, and she hadn't called him once.
At the end of the year, after the company's year-end party, on the twenty-eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhan Bei Jue finally welcomed his holiday.
This was his first holiday with Jiang Nan Fang after their marriage, and he valued it greatly.
He had even made plans.
If Jiang Nan Fang was really bothered by the scar on her face and felt self-conscious, he could take her to Korea now that he had free time.
Returning home with his mind full of plans, he expected Jiang Nan Fang to stay home obediently and wait for him every day during the holiday.
However, when he returned home after ten in the evening, she was not there.
"Where is Madam? Isn't it a holiday? Why didn't you urge her to come back so late?"
The butler said, "It is a holiday, but Madam still goes out early and returns late every day. I don't know what she's busy with."
"She'll be back around eleven. It's always this time, so we didn't urge her..."
Recalling the cartoon outfit she wore when they first met and hearing the butler's words, Zhan Bei Jue suddenly seemed to realize something.
Was she working part-time?
The Jiang family didn't give her living expenses. She had been married for a long time, and she was busy with work every day. He also didn't give her pocket money, and Zhan Bei Jue had never given her any money.
He had overlooked that she also needed to live!
No wonder she never called him. A husband who didn't know how to care for his wife wouldn't be liked!
Realizing his own shortcomings, Zhan Bei Jue cursed himself a few times in his heart and returned to his room to call her.
"Where are you? When will you be back? I'll pick you up."
Jiang Nan Fang was panting on the other end: "No need, I'll be back soon, you don't need to come."
"You're already back? Why so early today?"
This question made Zhan Bei Jue realize the huge problems between them.
They were busy with their own affairs every day. She didn't ask about his schedule, and he didn't ask about hers.
Although they shared a room, they were more like neighbors. Apart from their names, neither knew anything about the other.
He decided to have a serious talk with her when he returned home that night.
Even if they didn't sleep in the same bed, the necessary constraints of a couple should still be observed.
Jiang Nan Fang was very easy to talk to. When he proposed this upon her return, she agreed readily without any hesitation.
On the contrary, Zhan Bei Jue himself was repeatedly proven wrong.
His foreign clients didn't celebrate the Spring Festival, and projects had to continue.
There were countless tasks for him to handle every day. Although he was in the same room as Jiang Nan Fang, he couldn't say five words to her in a day.