Better Than Summer: A Marriage Before Love Romance - Chapter 11

The night was filled with slanting wind and fine rain, causing the temperature in Puxi (west of the Huangpu River) to drop again and again.

Raindrops struck the glass, blurring the window panes and blurring the spring itself.

On the sofa, Xi Chengnan propped himself up on one arm, half lying over Shen Tingxia. As their lips met, he caught the faint scent of alcohol on her, and he seemed to unconsciously become intoxicated as well.

Slowly, he grew unsatisfied. Turning his head, his breathing became scorching hot against her pale neck and shoulder. The buttons on her shirt had somehow been undone by his restless hands once more. He pushed the collar aside, revealing a pale shoulder and a black bra strap.

Shen Tingxia looked down at the tousled head resting on her chest. Her chest trembled slightly as she allowed Xi Chengnan’s hand to slide under her shirt hem. Sensing his intention to explore further down, she lifted her chin slightly, blew a soft breath near his ear, and whispered, “Still on my period.”

These five words seemed to hit Xi Chengnan like a blow to the head. He froze, petrified for a few seconds before letting out a muffled “Hmph” through his nose. Then, as retribution, he bit down on the soft flesh just to the left of her br3ast line – not too hard, but not gently either.

Shen Tingxia felt a stab of pain and drew in a sharp breath. Yet, her eyes held a trace of amusement as she said, “Why did you bite me?”

Xi Chengnan pushed himself up from the sofa, away from her. He gave a cold, derisive snort, his voice low, restrained, and holding back. “You deliberately light a fire and then refuse to put it out? That’s exactly why I bit you!”

With that, he reached out, grabbed the half glass of cold water Shen Tingxia had left on the table, and downed it in one gulp. He used the candle snuffer to extinguish the scented candle still burning on the table. Then, without a backward glance, he strode purposefully towards the bedroom.

Shen Tingxia sat up on the sofa. She glanced sideways at his retreating figure just before he entered the bedroom. Lowering her gaze, she saw the faint tooth marks he had left on her chest. She gave a soft laugh, raised her hand, and fastened the button he had undone.

Her stomach still felt a bit uncomfortable, but her body had eased considerably. Shen Tingxia stood up, picked up the glass, poured herself a cup of hot water, and plugged in her phone to charge.

About twenty minutes later, Xi Chengnan came out of the room.

He had changed into more casual black loungewear. His hair, freshly blown dry, looked exceptionally fluffy. He pulled out a chair from behind the sofa at the table, sat down, and relaxed his posture. His previously broad, straight back slumped slightly.

Looking at Shen Tingxia lounging idly on the sofa, killing time, Xi Chengnan asked, “Are you free tomorrow evening?”

Shen Tingxia, hearing this, exited the WeChat mini-game she was playing. She turned her head to look at him but didn’t answer immediately. She stood up and walked over to sit at the other side of the square table, forming a right angle with him. “Why? Celebrating friends with benefits turning official?” she quipped.

Xi Chengnan ignored her teasing and stated the reason: “My sister found out we got our marriage license. She wants to have dinner with you, to get to know you properly.”

Shen Tingxia was taken aback. “What? How does your sister know?”

She hadn’t planned on telling her own parents so soon, assuming Xi Chengnan felt the same.

But now, if his sister knew, it meant his parents would find out soon too. This chain reaction would accelerate the speed at which her own parents discovered…

Xi Chengnan explained the reason. Finally, he asked again, “Are you free?”

Faced with this unexpected development, Shen Tingxia couldn’t really blame anyone. She covered her forehead with her hand and sighed. “Time-wise, yes, I have it. But lying brings retribution. I have a bad feeling… my bigger punishment is still to come…”

Xi Chengnan, however, chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude. “What other lies have you told?”

Shen Tingxia’s mouth turned down at the corners as she recalled yesterday’s conversation with her mother, delivered with a straight face. “I told my mom I needed the household register to apply for a passport…”

“So you stole that household register?” Xi Chengnan interjected.

Shen Tingxia shot him a glance. “You think everyone is like you? Only two pages in your register, both with the same name.”

Xi Chengnan didn’t want to elaborate on that. He moved the conversation along. “For dinner tomorrow, do you want to eat at home or go out?”

“Where does your sister want to go?”

“She’s fine with either. Up to you.”
“Feels like you guys don’t eat out much. Even hotpot you cook at home. Plus, your sister probably really likes your cooking. So let’s eat at home,” Shen Tingxia analyzed and concluded. Then she added, “Well, Dr. Xi? Is your wife considerate?”

Xi Chengnan wasn’t the least bit touched by her choice. Instead, he frowned slightly. He had been asking for her preference, yet she had been analyzing them.

He just gave an “Mmm” in response, not saying anything more.

Their understanding of each other was truly minimal. To avoid slipping up, Shen Tingxia asked Xi Chengnan to introduce his family.

Xi Chengnan only briefly outlined the family members and their occupations. He said nothing about his or Xi Sibei’s childhood or upbringing.

“Medical family dynasty?” Shen Tingxia asked.

“Pretty much. My dad, mom, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents… all doctors. Xi Sibei is still a medical student.”

“And you marrying a woman who isn’t a doctor… won’t your family have anything to say about that?”

“Remember that girl I was on a blind date with the other day?”

Shen Tingxia certainly remembered her. She asked knowingly, “The one who asked if you were a virgin?”

Xi Chengnan was momentarily speechless. “Yeah. My mom had someone introduce her. She wasn’t a doctor.”

Shen Tingxia caught the implication. If his parents were introducing him to non-doctor blind dates, then they probably didn’t mind their son’s partner not being a doctor either.

That was his parents’ stance. Shen Tingxia was a bit curious about his thoughts. So she asked, “What about you? Do you mind your wife not being a doctor?”

Hearing this, Xi Chengnan stared at her, a faint, wry smile tugging at his lips. “If I said yes, would you retake the college entrance exam and apply to a medical university?”

He’d never imagined he would get married one day, nor had he fantasized about what his partner might be like. Though his answer to her that day about liking ‘wild’ types wasn’t a lie – he did appreciate women with spirit.

But now, he’d absurdly gotten married, and his partner had become a concrete reality.

Shen Tingxia waved her hands dismissively without a second thought. “Absolutely not.”

She truly disliked studying intensely.

Although he hadn’t answered directly, she understood the meaning behind his words.

To reciprocate, Shen Tingxia also briefly outlined her family, telling Xi Chengnan she not only had a sister but also a brother.

After she finished, Xi Chengnan remarked, “Wouldn’t have guessed you’re the eldest.”

“You think I wanted to be the eldest?” she retorted.

As the firstborn daughter, Shen Tingxia had endured a lot and borne many pressures: setting an example for her younger siblings, yielding to them… When younger, she’d even been subjected to some emotional manipulation. Only as she grew older and developed independent thoughts did she realize – why should I?

Nevertheless, she still unconsciously pressured herself, anticipating things for them and handling matters on their behalf.

Xi Chengnan was silent for a few seconds. He glanced at the time; it was almost midnight.

Shen Tingxia also saw the screen: 23:48. Realizing how late it was, she asked, “Which room do I sleep in?”

Xi Chengnan stood up, phone in hand. The chair scraped against the floor with a “squeak.”

Shen Tingxia also stood up and was about to step forward when she heard him say “Oh, right.” He turned to face her. “The story I told Xi Sibei is the made-up, ridiculous one you concocted. Don’t slip up later. In her eyes, you are my wife. We got together because we fell in love.”

Shen Tingxia met his gaze, joking, “But I am your wife now.”

Xi Chengnan looked at her seriously and continued, “If possible, I hope she never learns the real reason. Shen Tingxia, you don’t have to like Xi Sibei, but don’t bully her.”

Hearing this, Shen Tingxia’s face stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment. What grudge did she have with his sister that he thought she’d bully her…?

A moment later, Shen Tingxia responded playfully, “Do I look like a wicked witch? Or a kid-eating monster?”

Xi Chengnan gave a humorless, tight-lipped “Hmph,” leaving her with a “Hard to say” before heading towards the guest room.

Shen Tingxia, exasperated, followed him.

This was Shen Tingxia’s first time staying overnight at his place. Xi Chengnan changed the sheets and duvet cover in the guest room for fresh ones. He brought her the makeup remover she kept in the master bathroom and tossed her one of his oversized T-shirts. Then they each went to rest.

The next morning, Shen Tingxia’s alarm rang promptly at 8:30. She finally managed to drag herself out of bed at 9.

After washing up, she knocked on the master bedroom door. There was no answer, so she pushed it open. She retrieved some clothes she had left behind from his wardrobe.

There were a few of her clothes at Xi Chengnan’s place – some she’d occasionally forgotten, others she’d deliberately left because she didn’t want to take them back. Shen Tingxia had noticed that whenever she went to wear them next time, they were always clean, carrying the same laundry detergent scent as his bedding. Over time, she got used to it, and those clothes just stayed, forgotten.

Similarly, her own place had underwear and spare clothes prepared for Xi Chengnan.

After changing, Shen Tingxia used the minimal makeup she carried in her bag to apply a very light layer before heading out.

Xi Chengnan’s home was closer to her company than her own place. She also discovered this route wasn’t congested; she arrived smoothly at the company parking lot, nearly ten minutes earlier than usual.

Sitting at her desk, Shen Tingxia took a deep breath and prepared to be the workhorse for the day.

Friday at last, what a relief.

As the setting sun cast long shadows, Qu Xianglan returned from grocery shopping. Passing the neighborhood gossip hub, a neighbor called out to her: “Hey there, Xianglan! Such a big event, your daughter getting married, and you didn’t even tell us so we could share the joy! Just looking at your son-in-law’s appearance, he’s clearly no ordinary man.”

Getting married? Son-in-law?

Qu Xianglan was utterly bewildered.

Seeing her reaction, another neighbor chimed in: “Don’t try to hide it! My son got his marriage license on the same day as your daughter. He saw them and even sent me a photo to confirm! I took one look – it was definitely your Tingxia!”

As she spoke, she showed Qu Xianglan the photo on her phone.

Qu Xianglan glanced at the screen. She was certain the woman was Shen Tingxia, and the man beside her was Dr. Xi.

She remembered that night when Shen Tingxia came home asking for the household registration booklet, saying she needed it to apply for a passport. She hadn’t thought much of it and handed it over directly. So all along, Shen Tingxia had used the household registration booklet to get a marriage certificate!?

Almost instantly, Qu Xianglan felt her bl00d pressure spike.

She forced an extremely stiff smile and said to them, “Our Tingxia wanted to keep things low-key. We’ll invite you to the wedding banquet when it’s time.”

Once home, Qu Xianglan immediately called Shen Luying, her tone sharp: “Are you off work yet?”

Shen Luying, already on his way home and unsure what he’d done wrong this time, answered cautiously: “Almost there.”

Qu Xianglan poured out a bl00d pressure pill, swallowed it, then snarled viciously into the phone: “Hurry up and get back here. Your daughter is going to be the death of me!”