Marriage First, True Love Later

“Su Yicheng, what are you doing here?!”

She glared at him. Her wakefulness was slowly returning to her, and all the memories of last night’s events were as fresh as new. Her face was slightly flushed, and she pulled the covers tightly to her chest. She clearly remembered that he said he would be sleeping in the study last night, so why would he appear here now?!

“This is my room. Why would I not be here?” Su Yicheng inquired with an innocent expression on his face.

“You… you said you were going to sleep in the study!” Anran exclaimed. If he hadn’t declared that he would spend the night in the study, she wouldn’t have slept so peacefully here.

Su Yicheng nodded without refuting her and merely said, “Well, I did say I was going to the study.”

“Then, how come you came back in the middle of the night?” Anran glared at him resentfully and thought about how she had trusted that he was a gentleman, only for him to turn out to be a villain!

“I went to the study because there was still some work to be done, but I never said that I would actually be sleeping in the study,” Su Yicheng confessed, and truthfully, he didn’t consider himself to be lying either.

“You…” Anran was so enraged that she merely glared at him but was unable to spit out another word in her own defense.

Su Yicheng shook his head with a smile, lifted the covers, and got out of bed from the other side. Then, he said, “You change clothes first, and then I’ll open the door.” He opened the door to the room and then walked out.

Anran glared at the door for a while, then quickly took her clothes from yesterday and put them on.

Su Yicheng opened the door to see Qin Yun with a huge smile on her face. She looked her son up and down and then stretched her neck to peek in the direction of the room as if searching for something.

“Mom, what are you looking for and why did you come this early in the morning?” Su Yicheng looked at his mother with his arms crossed around his chest. He knew she was anxious to meet Anran, but he never expected her to be so anxious that she actually came barging through his door so early in the morning. It was only 7 o’clock at that time, and it takes at least an hour to drive from the military area compound to this place. How early did she get up?!

Qin Yun smiled, turned around, and whispered to her son’s ears, “Ah-Cheng, did Mom come too early?”

“What do you think? Did you do morning exercises with Dad today since you got up so early?” Su Yicheng asked.

“Heck no. I got up even earlier than your dad today,” Qin Yun said proudly, then turned to look at the closed door again and asked, “That girl is still not up yet?”

Su Yicheng glanced at her mother, shook his head with a helpless smile, then walked toward the kitchen. Without answering her question, he asked directly, “Do you want juice or water?”

“Why would I want to drink juice when I just bought breakfast at the entrance of your neighborhood? I bought freshly ground soy milk and freshly baked buns. Hurry up and ask her to come out for breakfast or else the food will get cold.” After she finished, Qin Yun headed straight toward the kitchen and started placing the food in bowls.

“Mom, you will scare her if you act like this.” He thought, “This is too sudden. That girl is not prepared to meet you yet.”

Qin Yun gave her son a nasty look and said, “Why would she be scared? Your mother is not like those so-called evil mothers-in-law, no way.”

As they were speaking, the door of the room suddenly flew open. Anran had finished changing her clothes and came out of the room. When she saw Qin Yun standing in the kitchen, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she nodded at her to acknowledge her.

Seeing her finally come out, Qin Yun was so elated that she shoved the breakfast in her hands directly into Su Yicheng’s hands, got out of the kitchen, and looked at Anran with a kind smile on her face. She stepped forward, and, holding Anran’s hand, Qin Yun sized Anran up and down carefully. She couldn’t help exclaiming, “Gorgeous! You are certainly a stunning girl!”

Anran was still a little confused and blushed as she glanced over at Su Yicheng.

Su Yicheng seemed to have understood that Anran was signaling her distress to him. He came toward them, pulled Anran’s hands away from his mother’s, and said, “Mom, let me sit in the living room.”

Qin Yun seemed even more ecstatic at the sight of them holding hands, and by now she was grinning from ear to ear. She nodded her head and said, “Yes.”

“Ah-Cheng, will you introduce your mother to this girl?” Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Qin Yun stared at Anran as she asked Su Yicheng.

“Anran, this is my mom; Mom, this is Anran.” Su Yicheng gave a brief introduction.

Anran blushed, smiled at Qin Yun, and whispered, “Mom.” To be honest, she was still caught off guard by having to meet her mother-in-law for the first time in such a manner, and she certainly was not ready yet.

Now it was Qin Yun’s turn to be caught off guard at being called “Mom” during their first meeting, and, frankly, it startled her a little. She turned to look at her son for guidance. “Ah-Cheng?”

Su Yicheng touched his nose, coughed, and said, “Mom, Anran and I have already gotten married last week.”

Qin Yun was astonished yet again and found herself unable to react at the moment. She looked at Anran, then turned back to look at her son. Then, she asked incredulously, “Really?”

“Really.” Su Yicheng nodded solemnly and contemplated whether or not he should show his mother the marriage certificate in order to convince her that he wasn’t lying to her.

After a moment of silence, Qin Yun started to complain. “How can you do such a thing, keeping such an important thing like marriage a secret from your family? Now, what should I tell our relatives and friends?!”

Su Yicheng smiled and said nonchalantly, “You can notify them now, one by one.”

“Goodness, there are so many things we need to do to prepare for this marriage, and you didn’t even feel the need to tell me beforehand.” Qin Yun shot daggers at her son, then stood up and said, “Now, I have to hurry back and tell your dad about this, and he will probably be shocked as well. “Then, she turned to look at Anran again but with a cheerful smile on her face and said in a much softer tone, ” Anran, why don’t you come home with Yicheng and dine with us tonight? ”

“Uh.” Anran merely looked at Su Yicheng and smiled awkwardly without saying a word.

“I actually promised my father-in-law and mother-in-law that Anran and I would go over to dine with them tonight,” Su Yicheng confessed.

“Oh, I see how it is.” Qin Yun nodded and said, “Then, tomorrow. You two can come tomorrow. I will call Yijiao as well so we can all dine together.” Then, as if she suddenly thought of something, she asked Su Yicheng, “You arrange a time for us all to have dinner with your in-laws. Then, we will discuss the wedding together.”

“Okay, will do.” Su Yicheng nodded.

The two of them saw Qin Yun out and waited for her to enter the elevator before they returned to the room.

Anran looked at him, and her face was still flushed. She pulled her hands away from his hands, and there was a slight awkwardness in the air.

Su Yicheng looked at her calmly with a faint smile and said, “Let’s have breakfast. My mother just brought it here. I will bring you back home to change clothes after we finish eating.”

Anran nodded without expressing disagreement, but then she suddenly thought of something and looked at him while trying to say something with difficulty, “That…”

“Huh?” Su Yicheng turned his head and looked at her inquiringly.

“That wedding… can we not hold the wedding?” Anran looked at him and asked.

She had dreamed of a fairy-tale wedding ever since she had been a child. She had dreamed that one day, her very own prince charming would greet her with flowers in hand. Six years ago, her prince had been Mo Fei. When she had fallen in love with him, she anxiously awaited the day he would propose to her with flowers in hand. Yet that day never came, and they parted ways after a three-year romantic relationship. In fact, her marriage with Su Yicheng can only be considered a compromise to reality. She has reached the age of marriage, and he has also reached the age at which he should be having a nuclear family as well. This marriage, in fact, was basically a mutually beneficial compromise between the two of them. She would benefit, and so would he. Weddings should be sacred and holy, but a wedding without love? She felt that she might not be able to utter those three blessed words against what her heart truly felt.

Su Yicheng looked at her and asked solemnly, “Why don’t you want a wedding?”

“I-I’m afraid of trouble.” Anran turned her head to avoid making eye contact with him.

After a moment of silence, Su Yicheng nodded and said, “Okay,” then said nothing further.