Li Yaru glanced sidelong at the man elegantly eating in front of her, holding back from making a sarcastic remark.
She remembered just ten minutes ago, this man could hardly eat a bite, utterly uninterested, and now he had a great appetite, slowly cutting into a juicy roast lamb chop, pairing it with a crisp white wine, eating at his leisure.
Not only did he finish his main course and drain a bowl of rich seafood soup, he even ate the leftover half duck leg from Li Yaru’s plate.
Li Yaru really shouldn’t have believed that he couldn’t eat.
This man was always energetic, brimming with vigor like a dragon or tiger. In all her years with him, Li Yaru had rarely seen him ill—he barely even caught colds.
His physical stamina and appetite both exceeded ordinary men, not to mention his drive in other aspects.
To be honest, any woman not equally as energetic simply couldn’t handle him—he’d wear her out completely.
“A Zhou’s restaurant isn’t bad. I’ll come again next time.” Zhuang Qiting’s voice was warm and deep, as if all his earlier irritation had vanished.
Li Yaru couldn’t help but prod him in the calf with the tip of her high heel. “Even if it’s your son’s restaurant, you still have to pay.”
Zhuang Qiting snorted coldly. “I never expected him to be that filial. As long as he doesn’t make trouble for me, that’s enough.”
Such a perfect secret spot for a date, and yet that good-for-nothing didn’t utter a word or bother to arrange a candlelit dinner for his parents.
Zhuang Qiting had only learned about this place from a friend, and after instructing Shen Mishuzhang to book it, finally got to enjoy a meal here.
Li Yaru was speechless. “You’re so prejudiced against your sons.”
“It’s only natural for me to be prejudiced—who asked all three of them to be so disappointing? They’ve made me the butt of jokes for years.” Zhuang Qiting was still brooding over it.
His biggest regret in life was not having a daughter. He dreamed of having a daughter born from Li Yaru.
Li Yaru huffed, “That’s because you, as their father, are disappointing! The Zhuang Family’s genes just aren’t up to snuff!”
Zhuang Qiting: “……………”
“But I have a feeling that Weiwei and A Zhou will definitely have a daughter in this lifetime!” Just the thought of it made Li Yaru smile sweetly, her eyes full of hope.
“If he and Xiao Chen really manage to accomplish this great feat, I’ll give them any reward they want,” Zhuang Qiting said.
Because the Zhuang Family couldn’t produce a daughter, it had been the subject of endless gossip in their circle.
Zhuang Qiting had always had everything he wanted, but in this one thing, he just couldn’t get his wish.
Li Yaru rolled her eyes lazily. “Be nicer to A Zhou, or he won’t let you see your granddaughter in the future.”
Zhuang Qiting laughed. “Then I’d really break that brat’s legs.”
After dinner, the two retreated to the back seat of the car for a bit of intimacy.
Hidden behind the divider, no one could see them. Their affair was passionate and bold, like a pair of lovers deeply in love.
Li Yaru was left breathless in his embrace, her high heels long tossed into the corner, both hands clasped in his, resting atop the firm, heated contours of his body.
“Don’t you have work this afternoon?” Li Yaru asked, gasping for air, her palms rubbed red.
“I’ll go wherever you want to go. I’ll accompany you.” Zhuang Qiting pressed her hand down and kissed her cheek.
“I’m going for a spa.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
“Be good, I’m your boyfriend after all. I should keep you company.”
Before Li Yaru could retort, he took her lips in a deep kiss, his sexy voice hoarse, “Baby, let’s have another round…”
Zhuang Qiting was especially satisfied with his new role, dutifully accompanying Li Yaru.
He waited while she finished her spa, changed clothes, and redid her makeup.
The whole process took four hours, but he showed no sign of impatience.
That night, they dined together again, spending the entire day inseparably.
On the way back to the Li Mansion, Li Yaru propped her legs up on Zhuang Qiting, sighing, “You’re not going to be this clingy from now on, are you, Big Boss Zhuang? You weren’t this sticky even when you were young.”
Zhuang Qiting was both angry and amused. Even when accompanying her, she complained, and he wondered where she got all her spoiled airs. In front of others, she was always so poised and graceful.
“What was I like back then?”
“Not like a boyfriend—more like… my dad.”
Zhuang Qiting pinched her cheek. “That’s because you were too naughty. If I didn’t watch over you, you’d have run wild.”
“Shut up!”
Li Yaru stomped on his pants, and the next second, she heard the man’s low, suppressed breath.
The car drove steadily toward the Li Mansion, the moonlight spreading over the bay, shimmering like scattered flames.
Zhuang Qiting was now thoroughly attached to Li Yaru, living and eating in her territory, only returning to the Zhuang Residence twice a month.
The vast Zhuang Residence was left with only Li Shengming, a lonely child.
Li Yaru had wanted to bring Ming to stay at the Li Mansion too, but Zhuang Qiting strongly objected.
The moment Ming heard his father was at the Li Mansion, he stubbornly refused to come. Helpless, Li Yaru could only give up and drop the subject.
Now that Liang Sijie had left, the only one left accompanying her in the Li Mansion was Zhuang Qiting—still this same man, as it had been for decades.
No one in this world could stay with someone forever, but Li Yaru always felt Zhuang Qiting could accompany her for a lifetime.
With that thought, a gentle smile curved her lips. She softly covered his hand, feeling the rough warmth of his skin, so different from hers.
Zhuang Qiting quickly closed his fingers around hers, kneading her hand into his palm.
The car stopped in the courtyard.
Zhuang Qiting got out first, then bent to help her down. The instant her high heels touched the ground, a loud crackling erupted—bang, bang, bang.
Li Yaru looked up in surprise. In the deep blue night sky, countless golden fireworks bloomed, exploding in a continuous display. The dazzling lights bathed the entire white Li Mansion in gold.
“Heavens… fireworks…” Li Yaru murmured, completely at a loss for why there were fireworks, let alone such a grand display.
Zhuang Qiting didn’t look at the fireworks—he only gazed at Li Yaru. Standing beneath the lights, she glowed with layers of brilliance, as radiant as a ruby.
“Who set off the fireworks? Zhuang Qiting, don’t tell me—” She was baffled, unable to guess what was being celebrated that called for such extravagance.
“Do you like them?”
“Of course I like them! Nonsense!” Li Yaru couldn’t look away.
Zhuang Qiting laughed, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
Truthfully, he’d rather have set off firecrackers, but if he’d done that, Old Dong would probably ignore her for three days and nights, so he chose a more romantic way to celebrate.
Set off a grand display of fireworks for her.
Today was a day worth celebrating—no amount of indulgence would be too much.
“To celebrate this good day,” Zhuang Qiting said softly, his finger tracing gently along her cheek.
“What’s there to celebrate…” Li Yaru muttered, her face growing warm. Even at her age, after seeing so many ups and downs, she still couldn’t help but be moved by these romantic gestures.
“The Li Mansion finally has a proper man of the house. Isn’t that worth celebrating?”
Li Yaru glared at him. “You’re just my boyfriend, how are you the man of the house?”
Zhuang Qiting raised his brows, standing tall under the golden night, just as he had in his youth—imposing and full of spirit.
Li Yaru squirmed under his gaze.
“Then let’s celebrate that there’s one less annoying, troublesome dog at the Li Mansion—the air’s even fresher now.”
“Zhuang Qiting!”
Li Yaru tried to kick him, but he caught her.
“Most importantly, to celebrate that we’re officially together, baby.” He whispered into her ear.
That, at least, sounded nice. Li Yaru gave a soft, airy hum and leaned into his embrace, gazing up at the sky full of fireworks.
*
Li Yaru was so busy preparing for the upcoming grand wedding that she couldn’t find a spare moment to call Liang Sijie, far away in Tokyo.
Three years ago, with Liang Sijie’s help arranging her eldest son’s wedding, Li Yaru didn’t feel overwhelmed at all.
Only now, after he’d left, did she realize just how important it was to have someone attentive by her side.
Zhuang Qiting was completely useless—a shameless man.
Ask him who to invite, and he says “invite them all”; ask him how to get to the island, and he says “private jet.”
He didn’t care at all how complicated the arrangements were, how guests would be received and transported, or how many details there were to handle for the wedding banquet.
“Other than paying, what else can you do? You’re useless!” Li Yaru was so angry she punched Zhuang Qiting in the chest.
“I don’t get it—why do you have to work yourself up over this?” Zhuang Qiting frowned, putting down his laptop.
“There are forty people on the wedding team—are they all good-for-nothings? And there’s Uncle Li, Ada, Xiao Shen, people sent by Shaozhou. With all this manpower, it’s not like we’re organizing a state banquet.”
Zhuang Qiting was a bit annoyed that Li Yaru’s attention was so focused on the bride and groom. After all, she was his wife, his girlfriend.
“It’s A Zhou getting married, not you. Which mother-in-law acts like this? You should have some dignity, or your daughter-in-law will take advantage.”
Li Yaru couldn’t help but laugh, not understanding why he always found fault with her daughter-in-law. She jabbed his firm chest with a finger.
“Old Dong, don’t you try to sow discord between me and my daughter-in-law. If you bully Weiwei behind my back, you’ll be sorry.”
Zhuang Qiting pressed his lips together, about to say something, but his eyes flashed darkly and he ultimately held back.
He didn’t really have a problem with the second daughter-in-law, but after Reberi had sent some playboy to curry favor with Li Yaru, he couldn’t help but feel wary.
If he ever learned his daughter-in-law used any more of those tricks, he wouldn’t stand for it.
“If you like her, fine. I won’t interfere.” Zhuang Qiting replied coolly.
“When Weiwei serves you tea at the wedding, don’t be too stern. Remember to smile. Don’t let the media catch you with a cold face.”
“If you treat me nicely in front of everyone, I’ll feel better and naturally be friendly to my daughter-in-law.”
Li Yaru squinted at him, easily picking up on his implication.
She curled her lips lazily. “Just behave yourself at the wedding—don’t get handsy. I’m supposed to be a senior member of the family and keep some decorum. Besides, our relationship isn’t convenient to reveal publicly, so let’s just act normal at the time.”
Zhuang Qiting’s tone turned cold. “And what exactly is this ‘inconvenient’ relationship?”
“Well… just, at the wedding, it’s better for us to keep some distance. It’s A Zhou’s big day—if we’re all over each other, it’ll look bad. The media will only gossip more if they catch us together. It’s the children’s celebration. I’m too old to be stealing the spotlight; the main characters are A Zhou and Weiwei.”
Zhuang Qiting snorted.
In the following days, dozens of Zhuang Family members flew to Tahiti’s Bora Bora Island to attend the upcoming wedding.
Li Yaru didn’t take Zhuang Qiting’s luxurious Bombardier jet but instead chartered a plane with a few close friends, eating, drinking, and throwing a party in the sky, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The weather in Tahiti had been pleasant lately, with clouds shading the harsh sun and everything bathed in gentle, bright light.
Li Yaru stretched lazily, the pale blue chiffon of her dress fluttering in the sea breeze. As soon as she got off the plane, she was greeted by the fresh, salty scent of the ocean.
Guests arrived on the island in waves, with staff busy receiving them. The usually tranquil private island was uncommonly lively.
Li Yaru and her friends took a sightseeing cart to the hotel, only to bump into Zhuang Qiting and his group, who had also just arrived.
The Zhuang Family genes were strong—even though these were all men of a certain age, they were impeccably groomed, stylish, and impressive.
Standing together, each exuded a different aura, drawing the eyes of all the female guests.
Zhuang Qikai caught sight of Li Yaru and brightened, waving enthusiastically. “Sister-in-law! Over here!”
Zhuang Qiting, however, didn’t greet Li Yaru. He simply stood there quietly, looking down at her from above with a subtly complicated gaze.
Li Yaru felt awkward. It was likely no one knew they were now dating.
She walked over quickly, deliberately avoiding Zhuang Qiting’s gaze and greeting the other Zhuang Family men graciously—they were all Zhuang Qiting’s brothers.
“What a coincidence, you’re all staying here too. I thought you’d be at a different hotel.”
Zhuang Qikai beamed, pressing his room card into Li Yaru’s hand as if afraid she’d refuse. “Sister-in-law! My room has the best view—take it!”
Li Yaru’s smile froze, sensing a trick. She joked, “A Kai, has it been too long since I let Lanlan beat you up?”
“Don’t worry, sister-in-law. Even if my big brother wants to stay with you, I’ll stop him! I guarantee he won’t dare sneak over to bother you at night!”
Li Yaru shot Zhuang Qikai a fierce glare, then gave a sidelong look at the pretending-not-to-care Zhuang Qiting.
Zhuang Qiting shifted his gaze nonchalantly, keeping his distance and saying politely, “Miss Li, there’s no need to worry. I’m not the type to take advantage of others.”
“……………”