Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In this world, hugging and cuddling can be seen everywhere, and even kissing in public.

Rong Yu'an found it utterly unbelievable. Yet, everyone else seemed to think he was the strange one.

On the way back to the city, Xiao Ke drove, Liang Zheng sat in the passenger seat, and Gu Shenhan and Rong Yu'an sat in the back.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Rong Yu'an knew he had probably said something inappropriate again, that's why everyone gave him strange looks, just like before. This made him involuntarily dig his nails into his fingertips.

Gu Shenhan turned his head, resting his hand on the car door, and openly watched this little habit of his.

He suspected the other was faking—maybe he already liked someone and didn’t want to marry him, and was being forced by his family? Or maybe there was some other reason he was playing dumb?

After all, there was a seven-year gap between them, a clear generation gap. Not wanting to marry was normal.

Liang Zheng asked from the front seat, "Young Master Rong, what do you like to eat? It’s almost noon; if you have preferences, we can order ahead."

Rong Yu'an replied, "I’m not picky. Anything is fine. Thank you, Mr. Liang."

Gu Shenhan added, "Chinese, French, Japanese, or any particular cuisine you fancy?"

Rong Yu'an only partially understood and had to admit honestly, "Second Young Master Gu, could you decide for me?"

Gu Shenhan found this acceptable; he liked people who knew their place. However, he corrected the address, "From now on, don’t call me 'Young Master.' Better not use that term."

"Then how should I address you?"

"Call me 'Brother Han.'"

Rong Yu'an nodded. "Brother Han."

Gu Shenhan instructed Xiao Ke to drive to a private-kitchen restaurant.

This place specialized in Huaiyang and Cantonese cuisine, with a light, fresh, and slightly sweet flavor. Rong Yu'an's skin was so fair it seemed to glow. At first, Gu Shenhan thought he wore makeup, but up close, he saw it was natural. This didn’t seem like someone who would enjoy food with heavy flavors.

Liang Zheng gave a knowing smile and glanced at his friend before pulling Xiao Ke aside. "Lao Xiao, come eat with me; let them talk alone."

Rong Yu'an said anxiously, "But, eating alone with Brother Han, we haven’t—"

"Haven’t what?" Gu Shenhan said impatiently. "Don’t tell me you’re going to say we’re not married yet. What do you mean 'little antique'?"

"What little antique? It’s simply not proper to be alone together if we’re not married!" That was the truth!

"Pfft," Liang Zheng laughed. "Alright, don’t get so worked up, Young Master Rong. I heard your memory got a bit scrambled after falling into the sea, but nowadays, it’s perfectly normal for unmarried people to eat together. You two chat slowly. Lao Xiao, let’s go."

He wanted to ask Xiao Ke if anything interesting happened on the way. He found his future brother-in-law hilarious!

Rong Yu'an had no choice but to get out of the car with Gu Shenhan. Looking at the restaurant, he asked, "Can we eat in the main hall?"

He saw there was a dining area inside, so if there were other people around, being with Gu Shenhan wouldn’t be too improper.

The owner, however, thought this was totally out of the question. He recognized Gu Shenhan and had come out to greet them early. He said, "This young master must be joking. When Mr. Gu comes here, I can't have him eating in the main hall. We have private rooms."

But Gu Shenhan seemed to catch on and told the owner, "We’ll eat in the hall. Just serve eight dishes that fit, nothing too complicated. I have business this afternoon."

The owner replied, "Yes, Mr. Gu. Mr. Liang called ahead and we’ve already started preparations. Here’s the menu—would you like to take a look? We can make adjustments. Since your arrival was a bit sudden, some dishes might take too long to make."

Gu Shenhan glanced over it briefly. "Fine, throw in a dessert too."

The owner acknowledged and hurried off. Rong Yu'an looked around the hall and spotted a seat by the window. That area was relatively empty; most customers were gathered around the open kitchen area in the center, watching the chefs work. He asked, "Can we eat by the window?"

It was quieter there, yet not completely isolated, and seemed good for talking.

Gu Shenhan walked straight over.

Rong Yu'an sat down and took in his surroundings.

Everything looked new to him now. In his previous life, though he could go out, there were many rules and it was troublesome. Not like here—cars went super fast, getting you places quickly without a horse. And the roads were so smooth—no bumps at all.

The people here seemed decent too. Take Gu Shenhan, for example: he looked cold and a little dismissive, but he still asked about his preferences before eating. That showed some respect, much better than he had imagined.

As long as the other person was easy to get along with, he thought things would be manageable.

Most importantly, marrying into the Gu family would give him money to live on. It really wasn’t right to think this way, but he simply couldn’t see how to support himself here on his own.

The house he lived in with the Rong family wasn’t his. The original Rong Yu'an's parents were no longer alive. He couldn’t understand half the things they said, couldn’t use a phone or computer, and couldn’t find his way around. He felt like a total idiot.

But if he got married, Gu Shenhan would probably take care of him, wouldn’t he? He was already twenty-one—any older and he'd be past marrying age.

Gu Shenhan noticed that Rong Yu'an’s mood seemed to worsen as he looked around, and thought it was odd. "What’s wrong? Don’t you like it here?"

Rong Yu'an gently shook his head. "No. Brother Han, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do you want to marry me?"

"Because Grandma said I can only fully take over the shipping business if I marry you."

"I see."

"What did you think, then?"

"I didn’t think anything. I just didn’t know, so I asked."

But it seemed the other didn’t like him either. What would happen then?

Gu Shenhan said, "If you have any thoughts, speak your mind. Since this is a mutually beneficial exchange, it’s best not to hide anything. I hate playing guessing games."

Rong Yu'an hesitated, his words got stuck in his throat.

Gu Shenhan continued, "Don’t worry. This marriage with me is Grandma’s agreement with the Rong family, not with me. From now on, as long as you cooperate and do as I say, you'll get your fair share. Whether you want a divorce later to continue pursuing art or do something else, I'll help you out. I can even give you a villa so you’ll be set for life."

Rong Yu'an caught the word 'divorce' and felt a stab of disappointment. He didn’t want to marry, but even less did he want to get married and then divorced. However, if he could gain some benefits from this to help him get by on his own, it might be a blessing in disguise.

He asked, "A villa—does that mean a house?"

Gu Shenhan: "..."

Rong Yu'an bit his lip in embarrassment. "Sorry, did I say something wrong again?"

It wasn't just that he said something wrong—it was the sheer absurdity of what he said.

He sounded like someone from feudal times, lacking basic common sense. Could memory loss from oxygen deprivation after drowning really cause this?

Gu Shenhan said, "Do you even remember how to write your own name?"

Rong Yuan said, "Of course I remember. Han Ge, asking me that is an insult."

Gu Shenhan chuckled: "Sorry, no. I heard from your family that you have a fondness for wearing Hanfu?"

Rong Yuan had indeed heard his second uncle and second aunt mention this, and nodded: "Yes."

Speaking of that Hanfu, he had seen it, and among them were styles he used to wear. But people here didn't normally dress like that; they called them Hanfu.

On the day he first arrived, he found those styles more comfortable and pleasing to the eye, so he changed into one. But then his second aunt told him not to wear them anymore. She said he had been wearing Hanfu when he went to the beach in Hanfu for photos, got into danger, nearly lost his life, and came back babbling nonsense.

He clearly hadn't been talking nonsense.

Gu Shenhan noticed that the guy across from him couldn't hide his feelings at all—it was all written on his face.

At that moment, the waiter brought the first two dishes: blanched choy sum and sliced roast goose. The portions were small, and the plating was exquisite. But Rong Yuan didn't reach for his chopsticks first; he waited for Gu Shenhan to start eating.

He was observing. He saw Gu Shenhan flick open the napkin and lay it over his lap, and did the same. He saw Gu Shenhan tear open the paper wrapper and take out his chopsticks, and he followed suit.

Gu Shenhan quickly caught on and couldn't help being surprised. Although he wasn't a brain surgeon, he had read widely and knew some medical knowledge.

Human memory can be roughly divided into "declarative memory" and "procedural memory." "Declarative memory," such as memorized historical dates, English vocabulary, or textbook poetry, is more easily lost in amnesia, especially the most recent ones.

"Procedural memory," like opening a door, typing, using chopsticks, riding a bike, or playing an instrument, was tenacious and not easily forgotten.

Tearing open a wrapper is a common action, isn't it? Does he need to learn that from scratch?

And the car door—when they got out of the car today, he noticed Rong Yuan watching how he opened it. Car doors and handles vary by model, but is that really something to watch for?

Gu Shenhan started rethinking the value of this marriage contract. He could put up with a denser contract spouse, but not one who'd embarrass him in public.

Gu Shenhan took out his phone: "You're right, a villa is a house. Let's exchange WeChat first."

Rong Yuan: "..."

His face instantly turned bright red, and he lowered his head without speaking.

Gu Shenhan's expression turned slightly cold: "Don't tell me you've forgotten how to use a phone now."

Rong Yuan lowered his head even further, his neck and ears turning red.

"You really don't know? Come on, that's hard to believe."

"No, no," Rong Yuan hurriedly waved his hand, "It's just that I... I don't need to add WeChat right now."

"What do you mean 'don't need to'? Tell me straight—did you come to marry me or do you have another agenda?"

"No other ideas. I genuinely came to get married. But can we... not add WeChat yet? At least not now, okay?"

Gu Shenhan let out a scoff: "Then when? After the wedding, like last time?"

He just asked casually, not expecting Rong Yuan to actually nod.

Gu Shenhan was done.

This wasn't just memory loss—it was a massive disconnect from this era.

"Can you tell me the reason?" Gu Shenhan barely scraped together some patience. "Adding WeChat doesn't require physical contact."

"No, that's not the reason."

"Then what is it?"

Rong Yuan couldn't bring himself to say.

Gu Shenhan saw his face about to burn and narrowed his eyes slightly. The Rong family couldn't have denied Rong Yuan a phone or a WeChat account. The embarrassment must come from something that made him feel deeply ashamed. And this guy had probably forgotten how to use a phone, on top of having a load of old‑fashioned ideas...

"Don't tell me you accidentally opened a porn site?"

"Huh?" Rong Yuan asked blankly, "What's a 'porn site'?"

Gu Shenhan: "..."

After a moment, Second Young Master Gu gave a half‑smile: "Did you see two people getting intimate on your phone?"

Rong Yuan's head shot down, feeling like his ears were about to burn off.