Better Than Summer: A Marriage Before Love Romance - Chapter 17

What Did You Dream About Me Last Night?

The spring night in Puxi was caressed by a breeze from the river, rustling the leaves on the roadside trees.

Outside the window, neon lights blazed brilliantly, and the world was alive with noise.

Shen Tingxia sensed something. Her brows furrowed slightly, her voice trembling as she asked, “You switched?”

At first, Xi Chengnan didn’t understand what she meant. He paused mid-motion, hesitating for half a second before it clicked. Suddenly, a low chuckle escaped him. He leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her ear: “Compared to before?”

The answer came not in words but in Shen Tingxia’s tightening fingertips and fragmented whimpers. He didn’t need her to speak; her reaction gave him the answer he sought.

Spring was windy. Branches were newly adorned with fresh green.

Outside the window, the wind howled fiercely, yet it couldn’t drown out the muffled groans and moans from within the room.

The heat radiating from their entangled bodies made the endless night even more intoxicating.

“What did you dream about me last night?” he asked.

Shen Tingxia was caught off guard by the question. She suddenly remembered sending him that exact WeChat message earlier that morning. Though their conversations throughout the day hadn’t touched on it, he’d remembered.

Shen Tingxia instinctively compared their first time, the times after, and their most recent encounters.

She realized that in this act, they’d long since achieved a qualitative leap—a higher plane of experience.

Abruptly, a sense of pride surged within her.

Because this man had been taught by her own hands.

She wrapped her arms around his solid back, pulling him down slightly. With a soft laugh, she answered honestly by his ear: “I dreamed about our first time.”

Hearing this, Xi Chengnan’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Just when Shen Tingxia felt she could bear no more, a different sensation washed over her.

It didn’t hurt. That weightless, floating feeling was pure bliss.

Blissful enough to forgive this wretched world for a few minutes.

Finally, at a certain moment, Shen Tingxia’s body trembled uncontrollably, her softness clenching involuntarily.

Time lost meaning. Eventually, the wind outside the window stilled.

Everything returned to calm.

Dawn Broke.

Shen Tingxia stretched her arms out from under the quilt, yawned, opened her eyes, and checked her phone: 10:27 AM.

They’d stayed up late last night. Waking near noon meant she’d only slept a few hours.

Yet Shen Tingxia felt utterly content—body and mind.

Opening WeChat, she saw a message from Lin Muning:

Leo: Tingxia-jie, free tonight? Let me treat you to dinner.

St: Why treat me?

Lin Muning had seemed eager to take her out for a while, but their schedules never aligned. She wasn’t sure why he was so insistent.

He replied instantly:

Leo: You’ve been in our department a while now. Besides that meal with Kevin last time, we haven’t had dinner just us. Consider it my thanks… and hoping for your guidance going forward.

Shen Tingxia found his reasoning flimsy, but that was just her opinion. Tonight, however, she genuinely had plans…

St: Can’t tonight. Next week? I’ll clear my schedule then.

She’d turned him down multiple times already. It wouldn’t do to keep refusing.

Leo: Deal, Tingxia-jie! Next Saturday lunch—my treat!
St: OK.

Lin Muning sent back an adorable “Mmhmm!” sticker. Shen Tingxia didn’t reply further.

Exiting his chat, she saw another message—this one from Blind Date #5:

Blind Date #5: Ms. Shen, free sometime? When’s good for another meetup?

Shen Tingxia took a deep breath. None of her past blind dates had wanted follow-ups, likely because she’d been borderline rude. This #5 was the only one she’d actually finished a meal with… and the only one asking to meet again.

But she had zero interest in him!

If not for his contact name “Cheng Qingyuan,” she wouldn’t even remember who he was.

St: Sorry, Mr. Cheng. I should clarify—there’s no future for us. Meeting you was entirely my mother’s idea. You shouldn’t waste your time on me.

Shen Tingxia deliberately ended with a period. It felt more serious that way.

She sent it, locked her screen, and threw off the covers.

While brushing her teeth in the bathroom, Shen Tingxia caught her reflection. A reddish mark bloomed on her right collarbone. Leaning closer, she realized it was Xi Chengnan’s handiwork from last night—he’d been rougher than usual, and not just down there; his mouth had left evidence too.

How did I miss this when I showered?

Stepping out of the guest room, she found no sign of Xi Chengnan. It was already late. She ordered delivery.

After paying, Cheng Qingyuan’s reply popped up:

Blind Date #5 (Cheng Qingyuan): (facepalm)(facepalm) Rejected, huh? I thought we chatted pretty well though…
St: Apologies, Mr. Cheng.
Cheng Qingyuan: What about me didn’t suit you, Ms. Shen? I actually liked you quite a bit (facepalm)(facepalm)

Shen Tingxia grimaced. Everything felt unsuitable.

Even if they seemed compatible on paper—without attraction, it was still wrong.

Unsure how to respond to his awkward persistence, she decided her last “apologies” would be her final word.

Soon, the delivery arrived. Shen Tingxia kept her old habit from living alone: letting the courier leave the food at the door, waiting half a minute for him to leave before retrieving it.

After eating, she took the trash downstairs, drove back to her own apartment, and resumed yesterday’s unfinished overtime work.

Dinner at her parents’ with Xi Chengnan tonight—knowing her mom and dad, who knew when they’d get home? If she didn’t finish now, it’d never get done.

Money’s hard to earn these days… truly.

Once focused, Shen Tingxia lost track of time. It wasn’t until Shen Tingchao called asking when she’d bring “brother-in-law” home that she noticed it was already 5 PM.

“You adapt fast. Did he pay you a ‘new title’ fee?” Shen Tingxia teased her younger brother, then added, “Soon. On my way.”

Hanging up, she dialed Xi Chengnan. It rang several times—no answer. She tried WeChat:

St: Dr. Xi, don’t forget dinner at my parents’ tonight. Text me when you’re off work!

Noticing he still hadn’t accepted the 7,000 yuan she’d transferred last night, she added:

St: Accept the money please. Asking you to act this role is trouble enough—can’t have you spending too.

A few minutes later, a reply came:

FreeDuck: Just off surgery. Where are you? Pick you up or…?

Shen Luying’s top three hobbies were smoking, drinking, and tea. For them, this meeting was significant. Meaning: her dad would inevitably push drinks on them.

But remembering Xi Chengnan’s claim he didn’t drink, Shen Tingxia resigned herself to taking one for the team.

St: Home. Pick me up? Dad will make us drink—I won’t be driving.
St: Can I ask why you don’t drink? Doctors aren’t forbidden, right?

Xi Chengnan quoted her first line:

FreeDuck: Your place or mine?

He quoted the second:

FreeDuck: Tell you in the car. On my way to get you.

And the money reminder:

FreeDuck: Don’t be polite. You’re my wife, after all.

Shen Tingxia smiled at “my wife.”

She didn’t know how Xi Chengnan acted with colleagues at work, but outside the hospital, he carried a hint of roguish charm.

She simply replied:

St: Mine.

Pocketing her phone, Shen Tingxia changed while waiting. Standing before the mirror, she checked her collarbone—the mark had faded, barely visible now.

Timing it roughly, she grabbed her bag, headed downstairs, and waited at the complex gate. Soon, Xi Chengnan’s car appeared.

She opened the passenger door, buckled in, and entered her parents’ address into his GPS.

On the road, chatting idly, Shen Tingxia circled back: “So why don’t you drink? And why were you at the bar that night if you don’t?”

The car glided smoothly. Xi Chengnan steered with one hand, eyes on the road. He clearly knew which “that night” she meant and smiled. “Who says you need to drink to go to a bar? You seem quite the enthusiast yourself?”

Shen Tingxia nodded earnestly. “True. That slightly tipsy feeling? Pure happiness.”

Xi Chengnan glanced at her, deadpan: “Compared to that thing… which brings you more joy?”

Shen Tingxia blanked. “What thing?”

He’d rolled down the window at some point. A spring breeze carried his words into her ear: “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean.”

Instantly, she understood. Heat flooded her cheeks.

At home, in bed—they’d said far raunchier things during intimacy. But here? On the way to her parents’? Why did this feel… forbidden?

Doing something illicit right under their noses.

She hesitated, then snapped back to reality, annoyed: “I was asking you! How did this become me answering your question?!”

“So, Dr. Xi—straight answer: why don’t you drink?”

Seeing her flustered blush, Xi Chengnan’s lips quirked. Lazily, he explained: “No grand reason. Alcohol affects the nervous system. Could compromise precision for surgery later. Plus…” his tone turned meaningful, “…drinking leads to mistakes, doesn’t it?”

Such a clinical answer disappointed her. “Boring. Thought maybe an ex-girlfriend story…”

At “ex-girlfriend,” Xi Chengnan recalled her ex-boyfriend.

He stiffened briefly, then recovered, clarifying coolly: “I don’t have exes. Not everyone’s like you—carrying past baggage.”

Shen Tingxia shot him a sidelong glare and fell silent.

Parental Debut

Not working today meant Shen Tingxia wore flats. Now, standing at her parents’ doorstep, her 1.7-meter frame felt dwarfed beside Xi Chengnan.

Hand on the doorknob, she took a deep breath, looked up at him: “Dr. Xi… ready to meet the parents?”

Amused by her nerves—after all, she’d orchestrated this—Xi Chengnan remained utterly calm. He smiled faintly. “Open it.”