A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

The next morning, Qin Yan woke up after a good night's sleep.

She opened her eyes and smelled a faint floral fragrance; turning her head, she saw roses.

Having drunk its fill of water, the petals bloomed even more beautifully than last night.

Cheng Tianxun came out of the restroom and changed his clothes in front of Qin Yan.

Qin Yan turned her face away.

"Get up quickly, let's have breakfast together. I have a few words to say to you." Cheng Tianxun casually buttoned up his shirt.

Qin Yan said, "Okay."

During the meal, Qin Yan didn't like to talk, and Cheng Tianxun respected her habit, so they sat facing each other and ate in silence, with only the soft sound of their bowls clinking together.

After rinsing his mouth after the meal, Cheng Tianxun called Qin Yan to the small reception room on the first floor for a chat.

"You've been very perfunctory about this marriage, Qin Yan," he said first.

Qin Yan was about to refute.

Cheng Tianxun said, "On our wedding night, you said you didn't want to get pregnant and that you would take medication. Every time I had any scandals and I brought the newspaper back to explain to you, you didn't listen to a word. Instead, you looked at the editor's name and only wanted to poach people."

Qin Yan was speechless for a moment.

When she left the port city, Luo's third aunt gave her five pills.

It is said to be made by a family of imperial physicians from the previous dynasty, and is exclusively for princesses and royal consorts: taking one pill will prevent them from getting pregnant for a year.

Of course, there's always the possibility of unexpected pregnancy, depending on individual constitution and luck.

Qin Yan didn't go into details about her medicine.

She simply asked Cheng Tianxun if he could accept her infertility within three years of their marriage.

Cheng Tianxun asked her why.

She said, "I could make up many reasons, each one convincing and appealing. Do you want to hear them? The real reason is 'I don't want to.'"

Cheng Tianxun said yes, he accepted the reason "I am unwilling".

He asked Qin Yan how to remain infertile for three years, and whether he should become a monk.

Qin Yan said she had a secret medicine formula and that he didn't need to abstain from sex.

He agreed.

He didn't ask what kind of medicine it was.

As for his romantic affairs...

He brought back newspapers, which happened to be Qin Yan's job. Some of the chief writers had a very interesting writing style, and Qin Yan couldn't help but pay attention.

Cheng Tianxun said she was "perfunctory," and Qin Yan found it difficult to defend herself.

"...Do I need to apologize or do something better?" She looked up at him quietly.

She had snow-white skin, like a snow sculpture, with a cold expression and eyes.

She sat there serenely, untouched by the world's troubles.

Cheng Tianxun always thought of "pure and immaculate": it turns out that this word can describe not only character, but also a person's appearance.

"I don't need your apology, nor do I need you to improve anything. I'm very satisfied with you as my wife," Cheng Tianxun said. "It's just that I don't want something like what happened before to happen again."

"About my refusal to share a room with you?"

"You got angry just because of my slight oversight. I don't think that's right." Cheng Tianxun slowly took out a cigarette.

"I've reflected on it," Qin Yan said. "I thought you would at least remember my name. I admit I acted somewhat impulsively at the time."

Cheng Tianxun struck a match, and as he looked down at the orange flame, a faint fragrance of cigarettes filled the room.

Qin Yan sat quietly and asked him, "This isn't what you wanted to talk about today, is it?"

This is just the beginning.

He wanted to use this incident as a starting point to bring up the topic he wanted to discuss.

Cheng Tianxun smiled: "I knew you were smart."

Qin Yan is not a wealthy housewife who sits in her private residence and only plays mahjong; she runs her own newspaper.

According to the adjutant's report, Qin Yan's newspaper was doing exceptionally well—before her marriage, the "Vernacular Times" had already achieved high sales, blocking her competitors' path to wealth, and she was almost killed because she had no connections.

She didn't build her business by taking advantage of the military government's influence.

She single-handedly built a very successful newspaper from scratch.

She is perceptive and shrewd.

Her indifference and icy purity are merely a facade; deep down, she is a leopard lurking in the snowy wilderness, disguising herself with the colors of heaven and earth, invincible in all directions.

"Qin Yan, I want to ask you, should our marriage continue like this, with you just going through the motions and me doing the same, or should we both take things to the next level?" Cheng Tianxun exhaled a puff of smoke.

A thin mist hung in the air, his eyes were dark and unfathomable as he looked at Qin Yan without revealing any emotion.

"How do we take it a step further?" Qin Yan asked.

Cheng Tianxun: "I'm asking for your opinion. If I want to sleep with someone, I'll have to ask my adjutant how to please his wife, and then I'll have to go out and buy roses in the middle of the afternoon."

If things aren't going to change, then stop being dramatic. From now on, the relationship between the two of you will remain the same: once you step out of the bedroom, it will just be a politically-backed marriage, and neither of you will bother the other.

In the bedroom, personal emotions are disregarded, and only physical pleasure is emphasized.

Refusing to share a room because he doesn't remember her name is not a reasonable excuse. Even if she said she was in a bad mood or unwilling that day.

Cheng Tianxun wanted to keep things as they were.

This wasn't the first time Qin Yan had rejected him.

On several occasions, she simply said "I don't want to" or "I'm tired," and Cheng Tianxun accepted it.

He wanted a passionate encounter in bed, a physical union, not just one-sided effort from him. He wasn't a bull.

She didn't want to, he wasn't annoyed, and he didn't think about it every day.

But the reason given the night before last seemed to have drifted towards personal feelings. He wanted to ask Qin Yan if she had any thoughts about it.

She'd better not have it.

If it's true, we can now dismiss it; everyone should stay where you are and not move.

"...Are you satisfied with the current situation?" Qin Yan looked at him after a long while.

Cheng Tianxun nodded: "Satisfied."

"Then I'll change my reason from the night before. I was being followed, which scared me, and I was in a bad mood at the time," Qin Yan said.

Cheng Tianxun: "..."

"That's true, I'm a little angry with you," Qin Yan said.

She paused for a moment, then said, "It's also because I talked to Miss Ling about holiday matters, which reminded me of my helpless childhood, and I felt very bad."

Cheng Tianxun exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Among many reasons, I chose 'the fault is yours' to shirk responsibility. I didn't want to feel guilty when I refused you," Qin Yan said.

"Very skillful."

"Thank you for the flowers. I'll give you a gift later," Qin Yan said.

Cheng Tianxun stubbed out his cigarette: "So, this matter is over?"

"Yes."

Cheng Tianxun breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up, and Qin Yan also stood up.

Cheng Tianxun stepped forward and gently hugged her, patting her back with a smile: "I didn't marry the wrong person, Mrs. Cheng."

He has a very relaxed and satisfying marriage.

Talking to Qin Yan went smoothly.

Qin Yan was like frost on a treetop in the dead of winter, hanging far away on the branch, a stunning sight. But once inside the warm and cozy house, she could be instantly forgotten, and there was no need to think about her anymore.

Cheng Tianxun is too busy.

He's twenty-five this year, his career isn't firmly established, and he has too many things to worry about outside. There are countless things to take care of, so he really doesn't have time to deal with his family.

He knew Qin Yan didn't love him.

Therefore, he didn't need to respond.

"What kind of gift do you want?" Qin Yan asked him.

Cheng Tianxun: "Whatever."

"How about a lighter?" Qin Yan asked. "Or a new Browning?"

Cheng Tianxun: "You can even get your hands on new Brownings?"

"I'll figure something out."

"The path you're taking is just draining my connections," he said. "A lighter is fine; I don't need a gun."

Qin Yan seemed somewhat disappointed.

Cheng Tianxun understood.

She wanted a new Browning herself. She wanted to use the gift to buy one for him as well.

Cheng Tianxun had a mischievous thought: next time something happens, he'll give her a good gun and see what she can come up with in response.