My Queen, My Rules - Extra Chapter 3

Extra Chapter - Jiang Chun (End)

Jiang Chun was, in reality, a very straightforward girl. She had set her sights on Tang Zhizhou from the start, but because he was so far out of her league, she felt there was no possibility between them. That was precisely why she had taken such a carefree attitude during their meal, laying her cards on the table in front of him.

But Tang Zhizhou, perhaps bewitched or for some unknown reason, didn't follow the path of least resistance. Instead, he claimed he felt they were quite compatible and that they could give it a try.

Jiang Chun froze for two seconds. Operating on the logic that even if he were under a spell, she might as well take advantage of the situation and have a story to brag about to her ex-boyfriend later, she agreed without hesitation.

Just like that, Jiang Chun underwent another transformation: she became Tang Zhizhou’s girlfriend.

Perhaps because she had endured a previous relationship where she gave her all only to fail miserably, Jiang Chun was surprisingly open-minded as Tang Zhizhou’s girlfriend. She felt that since one never knew what tomorrow would bring, she should make the most of being his legitimate girlfriend while she still was.

For the first two weeks, she played the part of the modest lady. She agreed whenever Tang Zhizhou invited her to art exhibitions or arthouse films, all while enduring the demonic torment of Ji Mingchu, who was attempting to transform her into a "dust-covered pearl" that would finally shine.

Two weeks later, the pearl itself declared its surrender.

The basic etiquette of a socialite, which Ji Mingchu had spent twenty years refining, could not be mastered in a quick-fix session.

Jiang Chun thought about it and decided she couldn't be bothered to keep up the charade of being a demure heiress in front of Tang Zhizhou.

This persona didn't suit her at all. She would likely never possess groundbreaking aesthetic tastes or weigh under one hundred pounds in her life.

Besides, she wasn't short; a weight of just over one hundred pounds was considered quite slim according to standard charts. Why bother torturing herself with Ji Mingchu’s demonic standards?

On top of that, Tang Zhizhou had been saying he was very busy lately. The two hadn't seen each other for a week, and Jiang Chun had a premonition that he had already sampled the novelty and was preparing to discard her. Thus, she completely let go of all inhibitions. When Tang Zhizhou invited her to see another high-brow stage play, she refused point-blank.

"I'm sorry, I’m really not interested. If I go, I’ll just end up sleeping there for two or three hours—what a waste of a ticket. Also, I don’t actually like eating Western food." She thought about it carefully and added, "Though the desserts at the Western restaurants you pick are actually quite good."

After speaking, she clutched her cushion tighter, waiting for Tang Zhizhou’s response.

Given Tang Zhizhou’s personality, it was unlikely he would initiate a breakup directly.

She figured the most likely scenario was that he would apologize, find an excuse about being busy with work, and reschedule. After a few days, he would send a WeChat message saying they weren't a good match. That way, he could successfully break up with grace.

As she expected, Tang Zhizhou remained silent for a few seconds before apologizing, but the plot that followed veered slightly off her predicted track.

After apologizing, Tang Zhizhou suddenly chuckled. "Actually, I don't like watching plays or eating Western food either. I thought that you girls liked those kinds of dates."

Soon after, he returned to his rigorous academic style and asked, "Then what do you like? Ice skating, skiing, trampolining, archery?"

Jiang Chun could even hear the sound of him uncapping his fountain pen on the other end of the line, preparing to take notes.

She paused. "You know how to do all of those?"

Tang Zhizhou replied, "I know a little bit about them."

No, based on her shallow understanding of Tang Zhizhou, the things he said he knew "a little bit" about were usually at a level that excelled among amateurs.

Seeing that Jiang Chun didn't make a sound for a long time, he continued, "What about haunted houses or escape rooms? Do you like those? My graduate students used to take their girlfriends to those. As for food, I'm easy; we can eat whatever you like."

It took a long while before Jiang Chun muttered, "I do think those sound quite interesting... but isn't this a 'breakup meal'?"

Tang Zhizhou seemed stunned for a moment, then laughed again. "What wild thoughts are you having?"

"I’m just reasonably suspicious!"

Tang Zhizhou pondered for a moment and confessed, "Although we have been together for less than a month, I like you very much, and I have no plans to break up with you."

When Jiang Chun heard this, she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, hugging a Peppa Pig doll while watching a variety show.

Whether it was because the air conditioner was set to the wrong mode or something else, her face instantly turned the same shade as the pink pig.

She stammered an "Oh," her voice stumbling as if she had a bad signal.

Tang Zhizhou was calm, even taking the initiative to discuss their date for the next day.

She responded vaguely and then said, "Anyway... it's getting late. I’m going to sleep; you should sleep early too."

"Going to sleep now?" Tang Zhizhou said with interest. "I seem to hear that you are still watching a variety show. This episode premiered the night before last at eight. It just so happens that I watched it at double speed while waiting for data with my graduate students last night. Based on the dialogue, you should only be a third of the way through. Are you really going to sleep?"

"…?"

Jiang Chun slammed her tablet shut. "I’m really going to sleep. Unless you want me to keep the line open so you can listen to me breathe?"

Tang Zhizhou: "That’s a good idea."

Jiang Chun: "..."

She was just saying that; why did he have to be such a demon?

Tang Zhizhou: "Lie down now."

Jiang Chun silently pulled a steam eye mask out of her bedside drawer, put it on, turned off the lights, placed her phone by her pillow, and crossed her hands over her belly, dutifully closing her eyes.

"I’m lying down. I’m asleep."

"Hmm."

Jiang Chun had planned to lie there for ten minutes before "accidentally" knocking her phone to hang up while turning over. But unexpectedly, once the steam eye mask was on, she drifted off to sleep before she knew it.

At 5:30 in the morning, Jiang Chun got up to use the bathroom.

When she got back into bed, she was surprised to find the call hadn't disconnected. Groggy and without thinking, she called out, "Professor Tang? Tang Zhizhou?"

"Hmm, you're awake?"

"..."

"I wasn't awake, but you scared me into it."

Tang Zhizhou laughed.

Jiang Chun clutched her pounding heart with one hand and picked up the phone with the other. "It’s 5:30. You haven't slept yet?"

Tang Zhizhou: "I’ve already gotten up; I’m preparing for my morning run."

Jiang Chun: "Getting up at 5:30 for a morning run... you are simply terrifying."

Tang Zhizhou: "I have great stamina."

"…?"

She suspected he was implying something, but she had no evidence.

Tang Zhizhou headed downstairs and reminded her, "By the way, you talk in your sleep. It’s a sign of poor sleep quality. You should exercise more, stay up late less, have a cup of hot milk before bed, and keep a regular schedule."

"What did I say in my sleep?" Jiang Chun’s focus went completely off-track.

Tang Zhizhou recalled, "Nothing much. You just expressed your admiration for me."

"…?"

"Quit your nonsense."

Jiang Chun hung up the phone without ceremony and buried herself under the covers.

After half a minute, she poked her head out to breathe, beginning to wonder if she truly had the old habit of acting like a fangirl in her dreams.

When Tang Zhizhou finished his morning run, he checked his phone while drinking water. He saw that his little girlfriend had sent a long paragraph ten minutes ago, defending herself against the accusation of talking in her sleep. Finally, perhaps feeling that her defense lacked persuasion and seemed more like a cover-up, she sent a "corpse" emoji, completely abandoning the struggle.

Tang Zhizhou swallowed his water, suppressing a laugh. The thought of his little girlfriend tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep and feeling secretly regretful, made him feel she was especially cute.


Actually, that family dinner with the blind date wasn't the first time Tang Zhizhou had seen Jiang Chun.

He had first seen her at a cross-disciplinary art salon before that blind date.

After returning to the country, Tang Zhizhou had been staying at C University’s AI laboratory, developing medical AI projects. Although the research environment at domestic universities wasn't exactly great, and he was required to supervise graduate students and teach a few trivial theoretical courses, for the most part, his circle was relatively pure.

But as a member of the Tang family, having returned to the country, it was inevitable that he would interact with the elite circle of the Imperial Capital.

That salon event was packed with the Imperial Capital’s elite. Most of the heiresses and socialites were in attendance, the scene filled with pleasantries and the scent of expensive perfume. He was familiar with it, but he wasn't interested.

At that time, Jiang Chun was being ridiculed for being cheated on by Yan Yu. She had been moping at home for quite a while and had only just stepped out to attend her first event. Accompanying her were the same "plastic sisters" who had previously stirred up trouble and egged her on to challenge Ji Mingchu.

Jiang Chun was as her name suggested—it was hard to say if she was pure or just plain simple-minded.

Although she felt that Ji Mingchu wasn't like what these sisters described, she didn't realize these people didn't see her as a friend at all. She didn't know that these plastic sisters were just hovering on the edges of the socialite circle and lacked any real family wealth. They hung out with her partly to take advantage of her, and partly because they were both jealous of her and looked down on her, intentionally egging her on to make a fool of herself in public.

Having just stepped out after her bout of depression, the plastic sisters first offered a round of comfort, but when they saw Ji Mingchu appear not far away, they started whispering poison in her ear.

"G, Ji Mingchu is here too."

"Can she not come? Wherever there’s a spotlight, you’ll find her."

"What’s she acting so high and mighty for? I bet she goes home and has to grovel at her husband’s feet."

Jiang Chun interrupted: "I don't think Ji Mingchu is like that."

"Then what is she like?"

"Honey, don't forget how she belittled you before."

"Exactly, when has she ever looked up to you?"

Jiang Chun interrupted again: "She didn't look down on me. She actually helped me."

"Helped you? How did she help you?"

Before Jiang Chun could answer, the other two began chiming in:

"Oh, by the way, it was her who spread the news about Yan Yu cheating, right?"

"Yeah, she was on the scene, wasn't she? Who else could it be besides her?"

Jiang Chun showed a rare flash of agility: "How do you know she was on the scene?"

In the version circulating outside, there was absolutely no mention of Ji Mingchu.

The woman let the cat out of the bag; she couldn't keep her composure. Her expression faltered as she tucked her hair, looking awkward and stammering for a long time without managing a complete explanation.

It was as if Jiang Chun’s cognitive channels had suddenly opened, her deductive powers soaring to the pinnacle of her life.

She realized in a flash: "Do you know that mistress? Last time I saw a photo of you at a party with her and asked you about it, you said you didn't know her and that it was just friends of friends bumping into each other. You knew each other the whole time, didn't you?"

The girl who had let it slip glanced at the other two, seeking help. But they were also feeling too guilty to meet her eyes.

Jiang Chun pressed forward: "The whole thing in Paris was spread by that mistress, wasn't it? And you played a big part in it too, right?"

The girl had never expected Jiang Chun’s brain to suddenly spark to life. She wasn't a professional actor, and the look of guilt on her face became increasingly obvious.

Jiang Chun’s rage-o-meter was now fully charged, and she couldn't stop:

"You’re so filthy yourself, yet you splash mud on Ji Mingchu. Are you just incredibly jealous of her? Jealous that she’s the center of attention and high above everyone else?"

"Now that I think about it, I feel so stupid. Every time I was pushed to go and cause trouble for Ji Mingchu, you were always behind it. And you, and you!"

She pointed at the other two girls, hugging her arms across her chest with an angry laugh, a look on her face that said, "I’ve seen right through you all."

"I finally figured it out. No wonder Ji Mingchu acted completely differently from what you told me. So you’ve been spending my money while using me as a tool to watch me make a fool of myself? Do you think I’m that stupid and easy to bully?"

"I’m telling you, if you ever dare to badmouth Ji Mingchu again, I’ll kill you! Also! Return the bags, the dresses, and the shoes I bought you! Have you no shame?!"

Tang Zhizhou, hearing this, had half a mouthful of red wine stuck in his throat. He choked, coughing twice, and nearly caused a scene.

He truly hadn't expected to hear a girl utter such a hilarious threat as "I'll kill you" in order to defend another girl at an event like this.

He subconsciously looked back and happened to see the exposed girl, exasperated and mindful of the occasion, warning her in a low voice: "Jiang Chun! Look where you are before you make a scene!"

"Look where I am? Like I’m afraid of losing face now!"

"I’m telling you all, if you don't return those things, just wait! Do you know what my dad used to do?!"

Tang Zhizhou looked at her delicate features—fearless, fierce, and inexplicably cute—and the corners of his lips curled up involuntarily.

Jiang Chun.

The name was quite cute, too.

The aftermath of that incident ended with Ji Mingchu stepping out to stand on the same side as Jiang Chun.

Tang Zhizhou knew of Ji Mingchu—a girl who was arrogant and domineering as a child—but he hadn't heard any rumors about her acting too wild or out of line. It seemed she had good judgment. Hanging out with her wasn't a bad thing at all.

He had a seminar to attend and couldn't stay, but in those ten short minutes, Jiang Chun had already left an extremely deep impression on him.

In the days that followed, he was busy with work. When a weekend break finally came, his family mentioned setting up a blind date.

Since returning, his family had set up over a dozen blind dates for him. Aside from the first two he was tricked into attending, he generally skipped them, and if he did go, he had the ability to end the meeting quickly.

This time, he heard it was for his grandfather’s savior from years ago in Shen City. He had originally intended to find an excuse to skip it at the last minute to avoid the awkwardness of a rejection. But when he inadvertently learned the other party was surnamed Jiang, he changed his mind and went to the appointment.


When they found out about this incident, Jiang Chun and Tang Zhizhou were eating hotpot.

Last night’s call had been playing on a loop in Jiang Chun’s mind. She was so curious that she diligently blanched half a bowl of lettuce for Tang Zhizhou before asking eagerly: "Do you really like me? Why do you like me?"

Tang Zhizhou pondered for a moment and told her about their first meeting, which she hadn't known about.

After hearing it, Jiang Chun thought that men were truly strange. He actually found that cute and genuine, rather than thinking she was stupid and shrewish.

She lowered her eyes to eat, sipping her Coke from time to time, sweat glistening on her forehead.

Seeing her mouth red from the spice as she continued to linger in the spicy red broth, even coating her food in dry chili powder after dipping it, Tang Zhizhou subconsciously called the waiter for a room-temperature Wangzai milk.

He popped the tab of the can, pushed it in front of Jiang Chun, and confiscated her Coke. "Don't eat like that; you'll get a stomachache."

Jiang Chun, her mouth stuffed with a crab-roe bun, made an "Mmm" sound, her brows slightly furrowed, though she didn't resist much.

After swallowing the bun, she reciprocated by blanching some beef slices in the mild broth, putting them into a non-spicy dipping sauce, and pushing it toward Tang Zhizhou.

Tang Zhizhou went to take it, but she wouldn't let go. "One more question."

"Hmm?"

"With your conditions, have you dated many girlfriends before?"

Tang Zhizhou nodded, not denying it. "I have dated, but not many."

"How many?"

"Two."

Jiang Chun didn't continue asking, but Tang Zhizhou took the initiative to confess: "One was in my sophomore year; we were in the same department and dated for a semester. The other was in my first year of grad school; we were in the same research group and dated for about two and a half months. Both times, I was the one who got dumped."

"…?"

Such a long single period, such a short relationship, and he got dumped? With his conditions, that was unscientific.

Tang Zhizhou continued his review: "I actually don't really know how to date. When we first start out, you might feel that I’m very thorough and considerate, but after being together for a while, you’ll find that I might be a bit boring, and I’m not particularly good at caring for a girl's feelings, among many other flaws. But I will try my best to change in the future."

"Are you saying you’re a bit of a 'straight-man-cancer'?" Jiang Chun dismissed it casually.

Tang Zhizhou felt the term was apt, but he didn't really want to admit it.

Jiang Chun picked up a piece of potato and gestured for him to open his mouth.

He obediently complied, and Jiang Chun took the chance to pop the potato into his mouth, resting her chin on her hand and looking at him with a satisfied smile.

"Straight-man-cancer," eh? Easy, that’s curable.

As they were finishing the hotpot, they started chatting about going to an amusement park next time. Tang Zhizhou checked his schedule and said he was free on Thursday. Jiang Chun happily agreed, beginning to sweep up the remaining plate of crispy pork.

Seeing his schedule reminded Tang Zhizhou of the open lecture from before, so he asked casually: "By the way, when you came to my open lecture before, you were clearly downstairs, so why did you say it would take another fifteen minutes?"

Jiang Chun nearly choked to death. She took the Wangzai milk he handed her, drinking half the bottle before she could catch her breath.

Tang Zhizhou realized what he’d said and coughed in apology. "Did I ask the wrong thing?"

Jiang Chun wiped her lips and said expressionlessly: "I wanted to act demure and didn't want you to think I cared so much that I left first thing in the morning."

She then added: "I think I know why you got dumped."

Tang Zhizhou was slightly stunned, then laughed: "You really are very cute."

Jiang Chun expressionlessly shoved a piece of crispy pork at him. "Don't praise me for being cute! Praise me for being pretty!"

"Hmm, pretty."

Although the two established a relationship very quickly, they initially performed the "we aren't that familiar" polite dance from time to time due to a lack of deep understanding.

After opening up to each other, their relationship grew much closer, and they became more like lovers.

Jiang Chun affectionately renamed Tang Zhizhou "Professor Zhou-Zhou" in her contacts and watched him change her name to "Chun-Bao." She would often pop over to C University and hide in his office to watch variety shows.

Tang Zhizhou’s graduate students were initially very surprised that their Professor Tang, who usually ignored beauty, had quietly found a girlfriend. But within a week, they had become accustomed to it, affectionately calling Jiang Chun "Master’s Wife."

Jiang Chun didn't mind that they were calling her old; she often brought them fun things to eat and helped them shift Tang Zhizhou’s attention whenever he was about to find fault with them.

This group of graduate students, who weren't much younger than her, were all convinced and knelt down at her feet, willing to serve as eyes and ears for the Master’s Wife. They spared no effort in spreading the news on campus that Tang Zhizhou was already taken, never forgetting to report Tang Zhizhou’s every move to her.

Tang Zhizhou wasn't angry at all, because Jiang Chun did everything openly. Before doing anything, she would clearly tell him what she was going to do, how she planned to do it, and why she wanted to do it—so straightforward and crisp that it was impossible for anyone to be angry with her.

Being with Jiang Chun, he felt much happier than before.


On the weekend, the two agreed to go to an escape room. Jiang Chun was quite brave—she could watch The Grudge or The Ring without changing her expression while eating instant noodles, and after eating her fill, she could sleep soundly and peacefully—so she chose the "Midnight Morgue" with the highest difficulty and highest horror factor.

—But Tang Zhizhou didn't know that.

She had originally thought that since Tang Zhizhou didn't know, she could take the opportunity to show her weak side. But as soon as they entered the room, Tang Zhizhou began his rigorous nitpicking.

"The blood stains are far too fake; they aren't even animal blood. I think it said online that this place opened three months ago; it’s probably just renovated, and there’s still the smell of paint. Let’s pass through quickly; the decoration materials aren't up to standard and are bad for your health."

Jiang Chun: "..."

Fine. She was just about to change her strategy: don't pretend to be weak; pretend to be an admirer.

But she never even saw how Tang Zhizhou solved the first room! She didn't know how she ended up dizzy and following Tang Zhizhou into the third room!

She saw Tang Zhizhou dial a few numbers on the digital keypad at the end of the room; swish, swish, swish, the door opened—it was another room.

She finally managed to get a word in: "What was that? How are you so fast?"

"Rail fence cipher. Very simple."

"Rail" what now?

Jiang Chun held Tang Zhizhou’s arm, genuinely admiring him. "Professor Zhou-Zhou, you’re so amazing!"

Tang Zhizhou ruffled her hair, a smile in his eyes, but he didn't speak.

By the final room, the puzzle-solving method was self-evident: find the numbers that the correct channels on the maze map passed through, then find the pattern to correctly permute those numbers, open the treasure chest, and get the key to exit.

But Tang Zhizhou stood in front of the maze map without moving for a long time.

Jiang Chun silently found a path and asked curiously: "Do you think this is too simple and don't want to do it?"

Tang Zhizhou said "Hmm," then added: "I want to stay with you a bit longer. Don't you have to go on a trip with your bestie tomorrow?"

Jiang Chun blushed, stole a glance at Tang Zhizhou, and quickly leaned in to kiss him.

Tang Zhizhou paused for a moment, touched his lower lip with the pad of his ring finger, then tightened his grip on Jiang Chun’s waist and lowered his head for a deep kiss.

The staff sitting in front of the monitor had originally been laughing at other players trembling in fear in the rooms. When their gaze shifted to the underground morgue camera, they felt this bite of "dog food" came a bit suddenly and was a bit... well, sour.

The staff member playing the corpse in the morgue felt even more aggrieved. The people were too good, clearing the level all the way without triggering the prompts in his morgue, solving the previous puzzle.

Right now, he sat up in the morgue in the corner from afar, fanning himself while looking at the young couple with their backs to him. He had originally been thinking of waiting for them to turn around to scare them, but not only did they have no intention of turning around, they started kissing right in front of him! The corpse-body itself felt a faint sense of humiliation!!!


Jiang Chun and Tang Zhizhou’s relationship progressed very smoothly. The two went on dates every few days; Tang Zhizhou was responsible for finding fun places, and Jiang Chun was responsible for finding good food. During a long holiday, Tang Zhizhou even drove her to the neighboring city for hiking.

During the New Year, Tang Zhizhou took her to the Tang family home to meet his parents and grandparents. At first, she was very nervous, fearing his parents wouldn't be satisfied with her. Leaders of the Education Bureau and Vice-Chairs of the Writers Association sounded very serious, and she had been most afraid of writing essays when she was a child.

But she didn't expect Tang Zhizhou’s parents to be different from what she had imagined. They were very easygoing in private and had no intention of looking down on her for her low educational level.

His mother would even ask her for advice on how to use popular short-video apps or if there were any good food-bloggers she could recommend. In short, the overall atmosphere of the Tang family was very comforting.

Tang Zhizhou followed her to visit the Jiang family. Jiang Hongtao didn't need to be mentioned—he was extremely satisfied with Tang Zhizhou. After drinking a couple of glasses and feeling the buzz, he even changed his address to "son-in-law" directly.

Both sets of parents had been visited, which counted as the approval of both families.

After the New Year, the Tang family took the initiative to discuss the wedding arrangements, and the parents even secretly took the chance to discuss the wedding date.

Their wedding was scheduled for May of the following year, as the wedding dress and ring needed time to be customized, and other trivial and complicated matters like venue arrangements also needed time to be planned.

At the end of that year, a medium-sized event occurred in the city: the Yan family’s largest source of income, Yan Heavy Industries, declared bankruptcy.

A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse, so the Yan family transferred some assets and handled their immigration paperwork early, with the whole family moving to Canada.

It was just that Yan Yu owed a lot of debt he didn't want to pay, landing him on the list of dishonest judgment debtors. Although he moved far away, the Yan family was considered wiped from the records of the Imperial Capital’s socialite circle.

Jiang Chun had long lost interest in Yan Yu. When she heard the news, she didn't even feel a sense of triumph. She didn't care anymore, so she wouldn't have any emotional fluctuations regarding whether he was in trouble or not.

A long time later, she heard from Ji Mingchu that the last straw that broke Yan Heavy Industries was put there by the Tang family and her father, Jiang Hongtao, together.

Her father was truly ruthless; before crushing them, he didn't forget to reap every last bit of profit while giving them a beating they couldn't even find someone to complain about.

She finally understood how her father had kept his cool back when Yan Yu arrogantly broke off the engagement and gave the Jiang family such a massive loss of face. Revenge is a dish best served by a cunning merchant—ten years is not too long to wait.

Yan Yu walked away gracefully, wiping his hands clean.

But the "little white lotus" he left behind had it rough.

The little white lotus’s stage name was Song Zirou, which suited her pure, innocent persona. After latching onto Yan Yu, she had released plenty of press releases in the dark, claiming she had a strong backing and that her boyfriend’s background was formidable.

Actually, for a celebrity in the entertainment circle, finding someone like Yan Yu could indeed be considered a strong backing.

Yan Yu was bewitched by her. Later, at Zhang Er’s birthday party, when Ji Mingchu stepped out to slap her for Jiang Chun, the video circulated. Yan Yu, in a fit of rage for a beauty, released a statement saying they were in a legitimate relationship, which confirmed her position as his girlfriend.

But Yan Yu was Yan Yu, and the Yan family was the Yan family.

The Yan family needed to find a powerful in-law to lend strength; even if she used all eighteen tricks to tie Yan Yu down, the Yan family never gave her a second glance.

When the house of cards fell, everyone flew away. Song Zirou was the first to release a breakup statement to clarify her relationship with Yan Yu, taking the opportunity to ride the wave of popularity.

But even so, her first television series still fell flat on its face, leaving a massive crater in the ratings for the satellite station.

Competitors naturally spared no effort in buying trending searches and press releases, wanting to step on her—a woman who usually acted arrogant and snatched resources—until she was buried in the ground.


Jiang Chun last saw Song Zirou at an autumn/winter launch event for a brand. By then, she had latched onto a new financier, but the quality of the new financier couldn't be compared to Yan Yu’s; he was already quite old and had a wife at home. Both sides knew it—they were just exchanging resources for fun.

Song Zirou happened to be sitting at the same table, gently and softly congratulating her on getting married. But then, the tone of her voice shifted, subtly and overtly criticizing her and Tang Zhizhou for not being well-matched and warning her to be careful.

Jiang Chun rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay her any mind.

But her friends couldn't help but build a stage for this conversation, talking about how they had seen Tang Zhizhou’s ex-girlfriend in the United States a while ago. Her ex-girlfriend was exquisite, elegant in temperament, fluent in many languages, and was now thriving at a well-known tech company in Silicon Valley.

Jiang Chun laughed and couldn't be bothered to be polite. "What work does Miss Song do in the United States that you could actually meet the elite of Silicon Valley? Are you a legendary escort? I thought only low-class internet celebrities did that. I didn't expect a popular star like Miss Song, who almost became a daughter-in-law of the Yan family, to be so condescending. G, Miss Song, since you care so much about other people's fiancés' ex-girlfriends, didn't you stop by Canada to see your ex-boyfriend?"

Jiang Chun spoke the words "daughter-in-law of the Yan family," "popular star," "condescending," and "ex-boyfriend" with deep, meaningful, and winding intent.

Song Zirou’s complexion turned a spectrum of colorful and spectacular shades instantly.

Jiang Chun got up and smiled as she shook the large diamond ring on her hand. "I hope the next time I see Miss Song, it won't be in a trending search about being beaten up by a primary wife. Goodbye."


Although Jiang Chun didn't show any fear when confronting Song Zirou, after thinking about what she said about Tang Zhizhou’s ex-girlfriend, she couldn't help but search for her online.

Looking at her Facebook posts, Tang Zhizhou’s ex-girlfriend had already settled in the United States and was engaged to her boyfriend, living a happy life. However, Song Zirou was right—she really was excellent.

The next day, when she went to try on her wedding dress, Jiang Chun felt a bit unhappy.

Coming out of the changing room, she still couldn't hold it in. She grabbed the hem of Tang Zhizhou’s clothes, nagged him for a long time, and finally asked: "Why would you give up someone as excellent as your ex-girlfriend to like me? I feel like I don't have any merits."

Tang Zhizhou grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You have many merits; it’s just that you don't think they are merits yourself. Besides, liking someone is liking someone—there is no 'why.'"

Jiang Chun looked up at him, finally smiling after a long moment. "Professor Zhou-Zhou, I will be your good wife in the future."

She lifted the hem of her wedding dress and spun a circle in front of him. "Am I pretty?"

Tang Zhizhou looked at her with a smile in his eyes and praised her sincerely: "Pretty.”