Chapter 3: Absurd
She nodded casually. “Alright then. I’ve got a friend’s birthday party later, so don’t wait up for dinner.”
Sheng Kuang: “This afternoon you…”
“I’m meeting friends to go shopping this afternoon. Do you have plans? I can push mine back.”
He raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that her schedule was even fuller than his.
“Are you always this busy?”
They’d added each other on WeChat the day they got their marriage certificate. He’d been on a business trip for nearly half a month. Pu Rou had only asked when he’d roughly be back, and hadn’t sent a single message after that.
He’d specifically taken the early flight back in the dead of night. One in the morning, and the house was empty.
If he hadn’t seen her clothes in the master bedroom, he would’ve thought she hadn’t moved in yet.
Pu Rou felt like the question was teasing her. “Not really. I just wake up late and sleep late.”
Sheng Kuang ate very elegantly. After a while, he said, “It’s best to come home earlier from now on.”
That was already putting it gently.
Pu Rou nodded. She knew her reputation in their circle wasn’t great.
Even though she and Sheng Kuang were keeping the marriage under wraps for now, the news would come out eventually. When people pieced together the timeline and saw that Pu Rou was staying out all night even after getting married, the Sheng family wouldn’t look good.
“Okay, then I’ll come back right after dropping off the birthday gift tonight. Before ten work?”
Her tone and expression made him unconsciously think of some kind of fluffy little animal.
He cleared his throat. “Sure.”
After lunch, Pu Rou dutifully put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the mess.
Her hands were pale, soft, and slender, her nails painted a faint color. They looked completely out of place next to the leftover food.
Sheng Kuang stared for a moment, then stood up.
“I’ll do it.”
Pu Rou didn’t stand on ceremony with him. “Thanks, hubby! I’m going to go change!”
When she came back downstairs, she looked like a completely different person.
A peach-pink gauze dress with layered, flowing skirts. Her hair was somehow curly again.
Looking closely, her ears, neck, and wrists were covered in sparkling jewelry, but at first glance, you could only notice her face.
Smooth bone structure, a high nose bridge—it should have been a striking, sharp look. But because of a pair of round, soft apricot eyes, she looked youthful instead.
She had a pretty Cupid’s bow on her lips, adding distinctiveness to her whole face.
He couldn’t quite describe it. Sheng Kuang just felt she ought to be delicate and spoiled.
But the reality wasn’t entirely like that.
Sheng Kuang sat on the living room sofa reading financial reports. Pu Rou brought over a wave of jasmine scent, leaned in, and naturally kissed his cheek.
“Hubby, I’m heading out.”
With that, she grabbed her bag and fluttered away like a butterfly, leaving behind a trail of fragrance.
Sheng Kuang sat on the sofa, slightly dazed.
WeChat chimed with a notification at the perfect time. He unlocked his phone. It was a four-person group chat they used often.
Jiang Zheng: @sk You’re back, right? Gathering at Rosewood tonight?
Jiang Ling: Sure. My cousin’s birthday is tonight, also at Rosewood.
Sheng Kuang glanced around his big, empty house and replied in the group: Okay.
Cheng Muqing: This married man needs to be home before eight to keep his wife company.
Jiang Ling: Holy shit!
……
After a shopping spree at the mall, Pu Rou and Lin Zhouzhou went to the rooftop garden for afternoon tea.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, what happened to your neck?”
Lin Zhouzhou was touching up her makeup with a compact, stealing another glance at her.
Pu Rou: “Sheng Kuang came home last night.”
She pulled a small mirror out of her bag to check. A small red mark on her neck that the concealer hadn’t fully covered.
Lin Zhouzhou snapped the compact shut. “Holy shit! Last night was your wedding night?”
“How did it feel?”
Pu Rou played dumb. “Pretty good.”
Pu Rou’s parents had a good relationship. Her mother had taught her since childhood that husband and wife were one unit, and no friend, no matter how close, could take a partner’s place. So she wasn’t willing to share private matters between her and Sheng Kuang with anyone.
Pu Rou changed the subject. “How was that guy you met last night?”
Lin Zhouzhou waved her hand. “Still a college student. Looks good, useless in bed.”
Pu Rou: “So trash.”
Lin Zhouzhou couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “When are you guys having the wedding?”
Pu Rou was completely sincere: “I really don’t know. This marriage landing on my head was enough to leave me dizzy for a while. Whatever Third Young Master wants, he can have. I’ll cooperate with anything.”
Lin Zhouzhou gave her a thumbs-up. “I truly admire your mindset. Nothing in the world could ever weigh on your mind.”
Pu Rou: “I just know my own worth.”
Her head was empty. She’d studied film abroad in college. Aside from watching movies like a normal person, she hadn’t learned any useful skills.
After returning to China, she worked as a curator at a gallery under the family name. The gallery director was her aunt-in-law, who could never actually catch sight of her.
If dressing herself up meticulously counted as a skill, then she probably had a bit of artistic appreciation too. Her artist aunt-in-law often genuinely praised her for being quite good at dolling herself up.
“Want to shop a bit more?” Lin Zhouzhou asked.
Pu Rou felt the soreness on her inner thighs from last night’s intense battle and shook her head.
“Let’s go eat. I’ll drop off the gift tonight and head back early. I’ve got a curfew now.”
Lin Zhouzhou was shocked. “What time?”
“Home before ten.”
Lin Zhouzhou: “Fuck, Sheng family’s third son, give me back my late-night buddy!”
Pu Rou pressed her lips together.
Starting tonight, she and Sheng Kuang would probably enter a normal state of living. She’d previously proposed fulfilling their marital duties on weekdays, and last night that was done.
So tonight… would they do it again?
She still remembered the sound of his breathing against her body when they finished last night. Both of them had enjoyed it, and neither was satisfied yet.
She picked up the iced water on the table and chugged a mouthful, suppressing the heat rising in her chest.
“Let’s go, then. Time to eat.”
Lin Zhouzhou grabbed her bag and muttered, “Sigh! If Jiang Ling wasn’t part of the Jiang family, I really wouldn’t bother dealing with her.”
“But who told me to be a useless waste who contributes nothing to the family business? And the Jiangs are our biggest client.”
“Thank you, Pu Rou. I know you find her annoying too, but you always come with me.”
Pu Rou rolled her eyes at her. “Where’s all this nonsense coming from today?”
Lin Zhouzhou grinned. “You’re the Third Young Madam of the Sheng family now. I need to actively embrace the changes. Once you get a solid footing later, this lady won’t have to play lackey to Jiang Ling anymore.”
Pu Rou frowned hard. “Third Young Madam? Could you watch less *The Story of Minglan*?”
Lin Zhouzhou: “No way. I can’t ignore Sheng family business.”
*
Rosewood Club.
The top-floor private room was quiet. No one smoking, no one opening bottles. Four men huddled around a square table playing cards.
Cheng Muqing had brought his wife, Fu Xu, along to the gathering. Fu Xu sat a bit further away looking at stocks, and suddenly let out an “Oh?”
“Sheng Kuang, Muqing said you and the Pu family’s youngest daughter got your certificate. Why didn’t you bring her today?”
The other three at the table cast curious glances over. Sheng Kuang’s expression didn’t change. “She said she’s attending a friend’s birthday party.”
A lightbulb went off in Jiang Ling’s head. “Is it Jiang Ling’s birthday party?”
Sheng Kuang lifted his gaze from his cards. “Here?”
Jiang Ling nodded. “Downstairs. That girl even begged me to book a top-floor room for her.”
“Their parties are full of guys and girls making a racket, so I didn’t agree. She booked one downstairs herself.”