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Chapter 123: Chapter 123: You like me, don’t you?
Tong Yao was shocked, her face showing her astonishment as she looked at Si Chen. It was only when Tong Yaohui called her name from the other end of the phone that she came back to her senses, "Dad, what’s up?"
"Is Xiaochen next to you?"
"Yes."
"Give the phone to Xiaochen, I want to talk to him."
"Dad wants to talk to you." Tong Yao handed the phone to Si Chen.
"Dad." Si Chen took the phone, and no matter what Tong Yaohui said on the other end, he responded calmly, "Alright... don’t worry... good bye."
"What did my dad say?" Curious, Tong Yao asked Si Chen after he had hung up.
Si Chen pursed his good-looking thin lips, his eyes flashing with an intimidating light. "Dad had our family registry mailed over and asked us to hurry in preparing for the marriage certificate."
"You knew all along that we haven’t gotten our marriage certificate?" Tong Yao, gobsmacked, responded, "I thought my parents had already arranged our marriage certificate."
Si Chen always treated her well, mostly out of responsibility and not wanting to divorce for the sake of protecting his career. However, she had never imagined that they weren’t officially a married couple. She realized they had been living together uncertainly for over a month.
No wonder he was always very proper when he went to bed and never made a move. He must have been afraid to, because they didn’t have the certificate.
But that doesn’t make sense either! n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
By having a wedding ceremony, they were recognized as husband and wife. Moreover, both sets of parents agreed to the marriage, so Si Chen had no reason to avoid touching her, right?
Tong Yao thought of numerous reasons why Si Chen was unresponsive, all of which she refuted one by one. She realized she’d been pondering why Si Chen hadn’t made a move on her and her face turned beet red.
All day, her mind had been filled with crazy notions!
One might think she was lusting after Si Chen’s body.
Fine!
She admitted. At times, she was indeed...curious.
"No, your parents just forgot to bring the family registry when they boarded the train." Si Chen paused, then hinted, "Dad really cares about you."
Even though Si Chen hadn’t said much, Tong Yao instantly understood what he meant and incredulously asked, "Did my dad intentionally forget the family registry?"
Si Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded, affirming Tong Yao’s assumption.
"..." Tong Yao was speechless. She had not expected this to be the case.
Although Tong Yaohui was eager for his daughter to marry Si Chen, he was unsure whether his pampered daughter could adapt to her new life or even get along with Si Chen. So, he had a backup plan.
In plain terms, if his daughter and Si Chen got along, great! If not, he would bring Yao back to Kyoto. Not many people in Kyoto knew that she had been married. She could return and marry as if she were still single.
Tong Yaohui must have banked on Si Chen’s character in doing all of this, knowing that Si Chen would respect Tong Yao’s wishes and not cross any lines. When he received her call and knew that she had developed feelings for Si Chen, he decided to send over the family registry.
Upon realizing the truth, Tong Yao cursed her father in her heart a few times. Tong Yaohui was truly a cunning fox. He had calculated all the possibilities for his daughter’s sake.
Understanding the ins and outs, Tong Yao was somewhat puzzled... If Si Chen knew the truth, why did he agree?
This didn’t affect her much. If she didn’t develop feelings for him, she could simply return to Kyoto. However, the impact on Si Chen was direct and substantial. The whole village knew he was married. Divorcing would surely damage his reputation and potentially harm his career.
They had not met before, hence Si Chen couldn’t have had any feelings for her. So why did he agree to this unfair marriage?
Was it simply to repay a debt of gratitude?
If it was a matter of debt, Tong’s family owed the Si family a lot more. After all, Si Chen’s father was injured saving Tong Yaohui, which caused him to give up his job in Kyoto and return to the village, where he died not long after.
Tong Yao suddenly found it difficult to understand Si Chen’s thoughts; he was too mysterious, always concealing a part of himself.
Seeing that Tong Yao was deep in thought, Si Chen raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"You guessed my dad’s intentions early on, didn’t you?" With her train of thought interrupted, Tong Yao asked her burning question outright. Still perplexed, she asked, "My dad’s actions were really selfish and unfair to you. You had already graduated, you didn’t need my family’s help anymore. You could’ve directly refused, so why did you agree? Did my dad blackmail you with something?"
Si Chen avoided Tong Yao’s bright eyes and licked his lips, "Nobody blackmailed me, I agreed of my own accord."
Why didn’t he refuse?
In fact, Si Chen had asked himself that same question.
The first time Tong Yaohui proposed marriage between him and Tong Yao, Si Chen spent a sleepless night mulling over it. He understood Tong Yaohui’s intention and what would happen if he and Yao did not get along.
However, he could not deny that upon hearing Tong Yaohui’s proposition, he was overjoyed.
While studying in Kyoto, every time Tong Yaohui visited him, he would always talk about Tong Yao’s antics, her charm, whimsy, cuteness, and moments of hilarity. Sometimes these stories created vivid pictures in his mind.
Tong Yaohui even gave him a photograph of Tong Yao. Even though he had never interacted with Tong Yao, he learned about her through Tong Yaohui’s stories. It was a strange feeling.
Having never dated or interacted with girls before, Si Chen did not understand his feelings then. All he knew was that, amidst the stress of studying, thinking about her filled his heart with warmth and made him feel content.
It wasn’t until Tong Yaohui proposed the marriage that he had a eureka moment; he realized he liked Tong Yao.
If this proposal had come a few years later when his career was more stable, he would’ve accepted without hesitation. Everything would’ve fallen seamlessly into place. However, he had only been working for a year and couldn’t provide Tong Yao the same lifestyle as in Kyoto. He was at risk of losing her completely if he missed this opportunity.
After a sleepless night, Si Chen agreed to the marriage first thing in the morning.
One reason he didn’t see Tong Yao for half a month later was because he was busy with work. The other was that he was afraid he might not be able to control his selfish side when faced with her endless tears and tantrums. He might use his male privilege and go against her wishes and force her to stay.
"Do you like me?" Out of the blue, Tong Yao speculated as she looked Si Chen up and down. She didn’t hold it in, but asked bluntly, "You like me, don’t you?"
With all the facts in mind, considering Si Chen’s care and concern for the past month, Tong Yao was convinced that Si Chen liked her. With this supposition, everything suddenly made sense.
For reasons unknown, the moment Tong Yao realized Si Chen might like her, she felt extremely happy. Her heart felt as sweet as if she had been drinking honey, she had no room for shyness, and was desperate to know the answer.
