Chapter 208 Extra: Daily Skits

Chapter 208: Extra - Everyday Sketches

*A few short sketches*

"The Proposal"

Ling Jue proposed to Qin Shuyi one winter.

The moment she was blindfolded and led inside the villa, countless ribbons and flower petals rained down.

In a room full of flowers, friends and family gathered in a circle around them.

Ling Jue, in a suit, knelt on one knee.

"Miss Qin Shuyi, I love you—it was love at first sight, and it's only grown deeper. I'm sure that if happiness has just one answer in this life, it is you. If you've also passed my test, will you let me spend the rest of my life with you?"

Qin Shuyi looked at the man gazing up at her, solemn and nervous, and smiled softly and held out her hand.

"Mr. Ling Jue, I think I have the same answer as you, so the result is: I do."

Ling Jue smiled and slid the ring he'd secretly custom-made after their reunion onto her finger.

"Baby."

He stood up and hugged her, their noses touching. His eyes welled up, and he suddenly lifted her, spinning her around happily a few times.

"Qin Shuyi said yes!"

"Marriage! Marriage! Marriage!"

Xie Muchen, Ji Xiuhang, Zhao Jinyu, Fan Chaochao, along with Jiang Yuzhou and Zhou Youyou, cheered and hollered playfully, crowding around them and making a racket.

Zhou Yunhe and Qin Yuan, Zhou Tinglan and Jiang Shiheng, as well as Qi Manjun, who had flown back specially to witness this moment, all wore happy smiles.

On that winter day, brimming with joy, a big screen in the corner suddenly started playing.

"Baby, why didn't you call me?"

"Baby, you're so cold."

"You're mine. Those bitches who seduce you deserve to die! Baby, I am your boyfriend."

"Ling Jue is your boyfriend, don't look for anyone else."

"Slap—"

"Does it hurt?"

"..."

"Ten thousand, go buy Qin Shuyi's skewers."

"Do you regret breaking up? Did you sneak off to see her?"

Heartbeat game, three yeses, angrily chopping wood, boiling soup in the mountains, variety show chasing the ex, dog training with backflips...

All kinds of embarrassing moments were suddenly exposed to everyone.

Ling Jue was totally mortified.

Qin Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

A lot of people who hadn't seen those famous scenes grinned and laughed goofily.

Even the older folks couldn't help but chuckle.

Ling Jue shot a murderous look at the culprits, Xie Muchen and Ji Xiuhang.

Xie Muchen shrugged, "It was tough to collect all this."

Ji Xiuhang added, "This was to give you extra backup in case the proposal failed. Good buddy, no need to thank me."

"Baby~"

Though he really wanted to go after them, Ling Jue, already used to losing face, leaned his head into Qin Shuyi's neck, acting cute and playing the victim.

"They're messing with your husband."

Qin Shuyi touched his ear. "It's okay. When it's your turn, you can mess with them back."

Revenge could wait; Ling Jue's voice dropped low and husky.

"Your fiancé really needs a comforting kiss right about now."

"Mwah~"

Ling Jue broke into a grin.

"I want a kiss back."

"Mwah mwah~"

"Eww~"

The group jeered and teased the guy who tricked his way into kisses.

The young couple rested their foreheads together, smiling at each other.

*

"The Wedding"

Qin Shuyi and Ling Jue's wedding was in spring.

Ling Jue was impatient about the proposal, and even more so about the wedding.

The man who once scorned marriage the most was now the most eager to enter this legally recognized, stable relationship.

The proposal was only witnessed by close friends and family, but the wedding was grandly organized by Ling Jue.

Caesar and the princess served as flower children, led up to the stage by Zhou Youyou and Jiang Yuzhou to bring the rings.

When he saw Qin Shuyi in her wedding dress, the cold-faced Master Jue quietly teared up while kissing the bride.

"Baby, we're married now."

Qin Shuyi wrapped her arms around her now-official husband's neck, kissed him, and smiled brightly.

"Husband."

Ling Jue's lips curved upward.

The wedding bouquet didn't get snatched by Ji Xiuhang, who had been fed dog food by his brothers every day and swore he'd ditch his single status.

It ended up with Shi Qilan, the head of the Shi family, who once showed up to a blind date with a contract and is still a successful single.

Shi Qilan blinked.

"This time, no shares to take, but can I get a big red envelope?"

True to her money-loving persona, Miss Shi was so thrilled she couldn't stop congratulating them, and she was floating on air as she left.

Zhao Jinyu snapped.

"This cheapskate is best off marrying money in this life."

Xie Muchen glanced at her, smiled, and took her hand, coaxing her.

"Marrying me is like marrying my money."

"Jealousy"

*

After Qin Yuan and Zhou Yunhe came back home, Qin Shuyi's career took a new turn.

Besides working with Jiang Mulan to advance and share domestic body restoration techniques, she also started researching life and death, like Caitlin Doughty, whose lecture she'd once attended, exploring funeral customs around the world and compiling research and books on the topic.

Because of this work, she often had to travel all over the world for long stretches.

She usually tried to sync her trips with Ling Jue's overseas business trips.

Ideally, they'd go to the same place.

But sometimes, she had to travel solo.

The smart, beautiful Eastern woman researching death easily drew a lot of attention.

The craziest time was when a handsome foreigner with blond hair and green eyes chased her all the way to China.

Ling Jue was so jealous he couldn't see straight.

He gritted his teeth and played host to the rival, even taking him to the boxing ring for a little chat.

Big jealousy hurts, and he now trusted and felt secure with his baby, but that didn't stop him from getting petty jealous.

After sending the bruised-up rival out of the country, Ling Jiaojiao tattled to his in-laws, left the cat and dog with them, and took his wife out for a whole week of fun.

In the mountain villa, losing track of day and night, the crazy guy ended up with countless slap marks on his face.

Qin Shuyi was exhausted by the bad man's endless tricks.

She kicked the man lying on top of her off.

"Ling Jue, did you secretly pop some pills?"

Ling Jue chuckled, "Baby, you're my drug."

"Pregnancy"

After Qin Shuyi got pregnant, she had no physical issues.

*

The one with severe morning sickness was Ling Jue.

Qin Yuan watched Ling Jue follow him around like a shadow every day and was totally speechless.

"Shouldn't you be sticking by Darling? Why are you always tailing me?"

Ling Jue said, "Baby thinks I'm annoying."

Qin Yuan said, "Well, you are pretty annoying."

He'd text every hour at work, asking about this and that, living in constant worry.

If Darling weren't so easygoing, she'd have blocked him ages ago.

"Anyway, why are you following me?"

Ling Jue said seriously, "I'm learning from you, Dad, how to be a good dad."

Ling Mufeng, the implied useless dad whose only job was to send money, was left speechless.

Qin Yuan was speechless too.

"Then watch carefully."

He tossed him two books.

"365 Home-Cooked Meals."

"Child Psychology."

"Bachelor Party"

Bachelor Ji Xiuhang was finally getting married.

*

He was entering an arranged marriage with a girl eight years younger, innocent and cute-looking.

Ling Jue, Xie Muchen, Qin Shuyi, Zhao Jinyu, and even his cousin Fan Chaochao all looked at him like he was a monster.

Even a passing dog would spit on him.

Ji Xiuhang felt unfairly treated.

Being stuck with this girl for no reason was pretty unfair to him too.

Besides, that girl would hop away like a little bunny whenever she saw him, looking at him with respect and fear, which made him feel awkward too.

Thinking about his future married life with such a fragile little thing gave him a headache.

Thankfully, the Ji family was now under his control; otherwise, that rabbit would've fallen into a wolf's den and been eaten alive.

Xie Muchen looked at him with a smirk.

"In this short time, how many times have you brought up that girl? Did I ask you anything?"

Ji Xiuhang choked.

Recalling the advice Qin Shuyi once gave Ji Xiuhang, Xie Muchen gloated.

“You’re screwed.”

Ji Xiuhang’s face fell. “Shut it, you.”

“Where’s Ling Jue?” he changed the subject. “He’s late for my last bachelor party before the wedding too.”

Thinking of the guy who barely leaves his cave unless he has to, and then of Zhao Jinyu at home—someone he fought with in bed but was a stranger to outside of it—Xie Muchen adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with envy.

“He has to drop his wife off at your fiancée’s and Jinyu’s place first before joining us.”

Ji Xiuhang: “…”

“He might as well be glued to Qin Shuyi.”

Like he can’t last a day without his wife.

Previously, a racing team invited him to be a guest driver, and he shot it down without a second thought.

Ever since coming back from the war, the guy’s been super careful with his life.

He’d mumble every day about how Qin Shuyi was in good health, and he wanted to live longer so he could be with her.

Ji Xiuhang used to wonder if they’d get bored stuck together 24/7.

But the couple would spend one day building Legos and playing tennis, the next studying vegetable gardening at the estate, then camping in the Egyptian desert to stargaze, then mountain climbing and surfing, and then going to lectures and plays, or making dumplings at her parents’ house…

They just always wished the days were longer.

Ling Jue got more spirited day by day, and even outsiders said Master Jue’s temper had mellowed since he got married.

Jealousy made their faces twist.

The two buddies clinked glasses, waiting for the late Ling Jue, feeling pretty bitter.

Some people just have all the luck.

When’s their turn gonna come?

*

“Mom and Uncle”

In the end, I never wrote the story of Mom and Uncle.

Because when I thought about it, a bad ending seemed like their unavoidable fate.

The reason they met was exactly why they couldn’t be together.

If Uncle hadn’t gotten sick, he wouldn’t have been abandoned; if he hadn’t been abandoned, he wouldn’t have been adopted by the Qi family; if not adopted, he wouldn’t have developed that close, dependent bond through days of shared company…

A butterfly flaps its wings, and the whole world changes.

If we never met, we’d be parallel lines that never intersect.

To love, you were destined to be the lover I could never reach.

Qi Manjun might have chosen the former, but Qi Wanting might still have been willing to endure the latter.

How could it have been better? I don’t know either.

Let them find fulfillment in another imagined world free of pain.

*

This is really the end now. See you in the next story~

- The End -

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