Using power to force marriage

"I didn't wake up until almost 4 PM. Will my friends laugh at me?"

Ruan Fu snuggled in his arms, whining, "You're so mean, it's all your fault!"

We're all adults; everyone knows about these things between men and women, especially since they're husband and wife.

He replied with a smile, "Nobody's laughing at you."

"Really?" Ruan Fu pouted and mumbled, "Then hurry up and carry me to wash up, I'm starving."

After washing up, I changed my clothes.

It was already five o'clock when she came downstairs.

Everyone busied themselves with preparing a barbecue in the courtyard, with the grill and ingredients all ready.

Ruan Qian casually mentioned at noon that she wanted to eat raw marinated seafood, and Jiang Qiyu had fresh ingredients urgently airlifted from Nan'ao Island.

The top-notch raw marinating chefs from that area were also airlifted over.

The men were busy grilling skewers, cutting fruit, and preparing drinks.

I reckon we'll be able to eat in about half an hour.

Ruan Qian, Chen Yinmo, Meng Shutan, and others waited until Ruan Fu got up, and the flowers had all withered. The three of them wanted to play mahjong, but they were one player short, so they played Dou Dizhu (a card game) for half a day instead.

Seeing Ruan Fu come downstairs, the three waved to her, "Fu Fu, come quick!"

Ruan Fu sat down a little embarrassedly. "I stayed up all night watching dramas yesterday, so I slept for a long time today."

She didn't need to explain further; everyone knew the reason, and no one asked her why she got up so late.

Ruan Fu's words amused them.

Originally, no one planned to bring it up, but since she brought it up herself, they were instantly seized by a playful mood.

Meng Shutan reached out and ruffled her hair. "Fufu, you're so silly."

Ruan Qian asked with great interest, "What drama is so good?"

Chen Yinmo couldn't resist teasing her, "Little Ruan, why are you blushing while watching your drama?"

Ruan Fu covered her face and exclaimed "Ouch!"

"Let's hurry up and play mahjong, I don't want to answer your questions~"

She spoke to them in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Meng Shutan pinched her cheek again, clearly smitten with Ruan Fu. "Alright, alright, we won't ask anymore. We're just waiting to win."

The barbecue would take a while, and Zhao Jingnian, worried that she would get hungry, prepared some fruit, snacks, and treats for her to eat first.

After settling her in, he went to help Jiang Qiyu and the others prepare dinner.

Qi Xiao, with his sharp eyes, spotted the teeth marks on Zhao Jingnian's forearm.

"Hey Lao Zhao, what happened to your arm?"

He nudged Gu Qingyue with his shoulder, "Look, Lao Zhao hurt his arm, call 120 for him."

This guy was asking for a beating, which earned him a glare from Zhao Jingnian, who wanted to shove a barbecue skewer through his mouth.

Qi Xiao is a chatterbox and can't stay still for a moment.

Having just provoked Zhao Jingnian, he then went to join in the fun with Jiang Qiyu.

"Brother Qi Yu, you're such a doting brother! Your sister just said she wanted some raw marinated food, and you immediately had all the local raw marinade chefs airlifted over."

After saying that, he glanced at Qi Xiao, feeling a tightness in his chest.

He can't stand hearing the words "brother" and "sister" now.

Ruan Qian has been using their "sibling relationship" to give him the cold shoulder and avoid him lately, which is giving him a headache.

Qi Xiao gave Jiang Qiyu a thumbs up, "You two siblings have such a good relationship, unlike me and my sister, who are always arguing and bickering."

Qi Xiao was unaware of this relationship between him and Ruan Qian; these remarks were purely out of genuine desire to praise him.

"Brother Qi Yu, you are the best brother in the world."

He kept making things difficult for Jiang Qiyu.

Jiang Qiyu, his face grim, reminded them, "Everyone's hungry, so keep quiet and get ready."

The implication was that he should shut up.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiao asked, "Brother Qi Yu, are you hungry?"

Jiang Qiyu: "I'm full."

-

The group had barbecue that night, and afterwards, some played cards and others played billiards.

We played until very late.

The next morning, everyone went back to work.

We had a small get-together at the resort these past two days and witnessed Zhao Jingnian and Ruan Fu's marriage proposal ceremony. We had a great time.

The resort is great in every way, except that it's located in a rather remote area, far from the city center.

Ruan Fu's commute to work is inconvenient; otherwise, she would really like to move here and live here permanently.

But that's okay. You can come and stay on weekends when you're off, and you can also invite friends over to play during your free time.

She hadn't been to the rescue station for over a month and missed the animals very much.

Zhao Jingnian took her to "Fuai" and then went to the company.

The two of them had been doing nothing for over a month, and now they had a lot of work piled up to handle.

Everyone was busy until 11 p.m., when they finally finished work. After getting off work, Zhao Jingnian picked up Ruan Fu and they went home together.

As soon as she got on the bus, she started to feel sleepy and didn't have much energy.

I had a blast the other day, and traveling is quite tiring. I also worked all day today, and even with my high energy, I couldn't keep up.

She rested her head on Zhao Jingnian's shoulder, adjusted herself into a comfortable position, and then closed her eyes to sleep.

Ruan Fu had just fallen asleep when her phone vibrated twice.

Zhao Jingnian glanced at it casually and saw the name "He Yiheng" displayed in the message bar.

This guy is still causing trouble while he's abroad; he even dared to harass his daughter, Xiao Fu.

A few seconds later, the phone vibrated again.

It was still He Yiheng.

Ruan Fu was sleeping and didn't know someone had sent her a message.

Zhao Jingnian put one arm around her and picked up her phone with the other.

They both knew each other's phone passwords.

I opened WeChat and saw that He Yiheng had sent me four messages.

【Fufu, I'm back from abroad and I want to see you.】

[Fufu, don't you love pink diamonds the most? I bought a pair of really pretty pink diamond earrings.]

【Fou, are you home? Shall I bring you the earrings?】

[Fufu, how have you been lately? My leg injury has healed, so don't worry about me.]

Zhao Jingnian finished reading the four messages with a gloomy expression.

Then I scrolled up again.

Ruan Fu and he would chat occasionally, but not very frequently, about twice a month.

Most of the messages were initiated by He Yiheng, who shared his life with her.

He knew that Ruan Fu liked small animals, so he knew how to cater to her interests. He would donate money to her rescue station every month and chat with her under the guise of caring for Bubble and CopyPaste.

Ruan Fu and he had been friends for over ten years, and it's normal for friends to keep in touch occasionally.

Zhao Jingnian was not angry.

But He Yiheng, like a fly, came to harass her again as soon as he returned to the country, and even wanted to give her earrings.

This made him very angry.

He had instructed He Yiheng's uncle not to let the guy return to the country unless it was something urgent.

He's only been gone a few months, why is he back already?

Zhao Jingnian dialed He Jinbai's number to ask him the reason.

The person on the other end of the phone explained that the old man of the He family was critically ill and his coffin had been prepared; it was probably only a matter of days.

He Yiheng is, after all, a descendant of the He family, and should return to fulfill his filial duties.

He Jinbai assured Zhao Jingnian that once the matter was settled, he would immediately send him back home.

After hanging up the phone, the man sighed deeply.

If that's the case, then we can only let him stay in Beicheng for a few days.

Hopefully, he'll calm down and stop doing anything out of line.

-

The car drove all the way to "Xi Yue Manor", where a car was parked at the entrance.

He Yiheng stood by the car, waiting for Ruan Fu.

She was sleeping soundly, unaware that someone was looking for her.

Zhao Jingnian had no intention of waking her up.

Upon seeing the car arrive, He Yiheng went to greet it.

The car didn't stop; it just passed him by.

He Yiheng followed the car into the manor, holding a velvet jewelry box in his hand, containing pink diamond earrings he had bought for Ruan Fu.

The Rolls-Royce came to a smooth stop, and the driver went around to the back seat and opened the door.

The man carried the sleeping Ruan Fu out of the car.

He Yiheng caught up and was about to call her name.

He had just uttered the word "Fu" when Zhao Jingnian stopped him with a look.

Ruan Fu was very tired, her face showing signs of exhaustion. When she was carried out of the car, she only frowned slightly in a daze and did not wake up.

He Yiheng had come specifically to deliver something to Ruan Fu, but he was somewhat disappointed to find her asleep.

"I have something to say to Fufu."

Zhao Jingnian glanced at him with disdain, ignored him, and steadily carried Ruan Fu into the villa.

After settling her on the bed, I went to the window and glanced out; He Yiheng was still there.

He closed the master bedroom door and then went downstairs to deal with the plaster.

Standing in front of the villa, He Yiheng looked at Zhao Jingnian with obvious hostility in his eyes.

"You used your immense power to pressure my uncle, forcing him to send me abroad. Are you that afraid of me meeting Fufu?"

After several months of training abroad, he still hadn't made much progress.

"Fufu and I grew up together. Are you afraid I'll take your place?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jingnian's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. He had overestimated himself.

"Zhao Jingnian, all you know how to do is resort to these despicable tactics."

"You think you can rest easy after kicking me out of the country? Let me tell you, you're dreaming!"

Zhao Jingnian had seen far too many of the incompetent rants of losers.

He spoke calmly and slowly, "Xiao Fu is already asleep. If you have anything to say, I can pass it on to you."

If he continues to shout, then we'll have to ask the security personnel to throw him out.

"What right do you have to relay my message? I want to see her; I have something important to give her personally."

Ruan Fu's favorite color is pink diamonds, and He Yiheng has always known her preference.

But pink diamonds are too expensive for him to afford.

Although He Jinbai exiled him abroad, he didn't mistreat him and gave him a sum of money. In addition, he had saved up money for several years and finally managed to scrape together enough.

These pink diamond earrings are worth 50 million, which is all his savings.

"Xiao Fu is already asleep; you won't see her tonight."

Zhao Jingnian's gaze slowly fell. "Take your things and get out. She doesn't lack jewelry."

Ruan Fu's jewelry is all antique and collectible; any set of it is worth a fortune.

She liked pink diamonds, so Zhao Jingnian bought them for her in droves. Why would she need others to fawn over her?

To put it bluntly, such a cheap thing is not good enough for his Xiao Fu.

He Yiheng had returned for a funeral, and considering the funeral in the He family, Zhao Jingnian did not hold his rude visit tonight against him.

"A relationship can't be sustained by money alone. Besides money, what else can you give her?"

He Yiheng gripped the jewelry box tightly in his hand, trying his best to control his emotions and calmly explain to him.

"You can't give her the love she wants; you don't understand her at all."

He Yiheng had a difficult life in the He family since childhood; no one treated him like a human being.

Ruan Fu was the only person who had ever given him warmth, the only person who had ever cared about him.

"Fou is my light, she illuminates my world, what right do you have to take her away?"

Zhao Jingnian originally didn't want to waste his breath arguing with him, but He Yiheng was too persistent.

Ruan Fu had previously explained the origin of He Yiheng's illegitimate status, saying that he was pitiful and that Zhao Jingnian should not touch upon his sore spot.

But Zhao Jingnian was never a kind person and had no obligation to protect He Yiheng's fragile self-esteem.

"You'll never be able to shake off the identity of being an illegitimate child. Do you want Xiao Fu to suffer the same scorn as you?"

After saying that, He Yiheng lost his arrogance and lowered his head in silence.

Although Zhao Jingnian's words were unpleasant to hear, they were an undeniable fact.

He left those words behind and then turned and went into the villa.

He Yiheng remained in the courtyard for a long while, lost in thought, before finally leaving.

Back in the master bedroom, Ruan Fu was still fast asleep.

Zhao Jingnian stood by the bed, staring intently at her sleeping face, the words He Yiheng had just spoken echoing in his mind.

Damn it! He actually said that Nguyen Phuc was his light, illuminating his world.

These words seemed to possess some kind of magic spell, stirring Zhao Jingnian's heartstrings, and a dense, bitter resentment welled up in his eyes.

Why? Why does she want to bring light to so many people?

It felt as if a fire was burning inside Zhao Jingnian, slowly consuming his reason.

His Xiao Fu is a compassionate young knight who holds a kind and sincere heart towards everyone.

She not only brings warmth to those around her, but even homeless stray cats and dogs on the street are illuminated by her light.

Her love was so vast, like the warm sun high in the sky.

Zhao Jingnian suddenly felt very afraid; his Xiao Fu could illuminate him, and she could also illuminate others.

Perhaps in Ruan Fu's heart, he was no different from others; he was someone who needed to be pitied.

Zhao Jingnian's gaze traced her gentle features inch by inch, a bitter feeling welling up in his heart.