Chapter 120
Li Chu knew that after accepting Ning Manqing's proposal, Ning Manqing would definitely be incredibly excited. For example, another round of passionate lovemaking leading directly to a complete marking. But Ning Manqing's actions made her realize she might not understand Ning Manqing as well as she thought.
Because Ning Manqing stood up and walked to the closet.
Initially walking, then breaking into a run, Li Chu sat on the bed, stunned, her legs covered by clothes falling from the sky, and then her lover's hands were all over her… helping her get dressed.
“Teacher Ning?”
Li Chu passively let herself be dressed, feeling like a giant Barbie doll, her voice full of confusion.
“Get dressed, wash up, and let's go.”
“Go where?”
“Get married.”
Ning Manqing said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Wasn't this the logical progression? The proposal was successful, so naturally, they should go get their marriage license.
Li Chu was being dressed in a skirt, which saved her the time of putting on an extra layer. She said with a mixture of exasperation and amusement, “Are we really in such a hurry? I'm not going to run away!”
Ning Manqing replied seriously, “Not a moment to lose.”
So, on the morning of the second day of early autumn, Li Chu sat in the car, driven by Ning Manqing to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Marriage certificate in hand, Li Chu still felt a little dazed. Beside her, Ning Manqing was already making plans.
“When do you want to have the wedding? Where? Any preferred themes?”
“Wait, wait, wait, babe, let me process this first.”
“Okay, wife.”
Ning Manqing responded obediently, the corners of her eyes curving upwards in a happy arc as she changed the form of address.
Li Chu looked at the little red book in her hand, her fingers tracing over the photo of her and Ning Manqing, her lips slowly curving into a smile.
She had known this day would come, and she had prepared herself mentally. But when it became reality, the feeling was like being swept up high by a wave of joy and then gently set back down on solid ground.
Looking at Ning Manqing, Li Chu suddenly sighed, causing Ning Manqing to tense up instantly.
“Tao Tao?”
Could it be that her newly minted wife felt constrained and unfree right after getting married?
Ning Manqing's subconscious reaction reflected her true thoughts. She wasn't worried about Li Chu not loving her or deceiving her; she was only worried about whether Li Chu felt restricted by her love and their relationship.
Because this feeling was almost the beginning of resentment in any relationship, something Ning Manqing feared the most, something uncontrollable.
“Now, when I get nagged about having kids during the New Year holidays, I can't righteously retort that I'm not even married.”
Li Chu touched her stomach and sighed dramatically, but then she couldn't help but laugh.
She winked at Ning Manqing, like a mischievous little fox.
Ning Manqing was both exasperated and amused. Sitting in the driver's seat, she leaned over and lightly bit Li Chu's cheek as revenge for the scare.
“I'll deal with you when we get home.”
On the way home, Li Chu sent messages to Ming Zhi and Zhao Zhichun.
No words were needed, just a picture of the marriage certificate cover was enough.
【Ming Zhi】: Wow, you guys moved pretty fast! Decided so quickly?
【Xiao Chu】: We've been thinking about it for a long time. Although taking this step was quite sudden, I'm officially a married woman now.
【Ming Zhi】: I hope you can happily embrace a grand celebration. Marriage isn't the tomb of love, but the home of love. It's quite amazing; I actually witnessed the process of a domineering CEO and a famous actress, my good friend, cultivating a positive outcome. I hope your wife has forgotten that I called her a scumbag at the bar.
Remembering that misunderstanding, Li Chu couldn't help but laugh.
【Xiao Chu】: It's best not to bring it up. She has a good memory.
【Ming Zhi】: When are you planning the wedding? The wedding of Yuanhe's CEO is bound to be extravagantly over-the-top.
【Xiao Chu】: Wuwuwu, I don't even dare to say I'm reluctant to be extravagant. It would make me seem stingy.
Li Chu knew that no matter what plan Ning Manqing decided on, it would definitely be grand. But thinking about the money that would be spent, Li Chu's inner miser started to emerge.
Maybe this was the reason she transmigrated into a cannon fodder character and not the protagonist. After all, she wasn't a rich woman before, wuwuwu.
【Ming Zhi】: This is about appearances. Money can be earned again, but a wedding is only once.
Similar sentiments came from Zhao Zhichun.
【Zhao Zhichun】: Li Zi, you know how to play games, right? Flash is available every 120 seconds, but being cool is a lifelong thing. You have to go all out with a world-class wedding!
【Zhao Zhichun】: But can you guys slow down on having kids? I'm afraid the pressure on me will be even greater. My mom will be poking me in the back, urging me to find an omega to date.
【Zhao Zhichun】: But sometimes I do feel like I'm not young anymore. The other day, a buddy I grew up with suddenly told me he wanted a kid. I was completely thunderstruck. Because I'm still caught up in my career and games, I suddenly felt that difference in lifestyle. Li Zi, you and Sister Ning must hold on!
Li Chu thought for a moment and typed her reply.
【Xiao Chu】: How about this, Chun-sang, you can be our child. That way, you'll stay young forever.
Li Chu added a dog emoji to save herself, and Zhao Zhichun angrily sent ten emojis in response.
They drove back to the mountainside villa. Yuanzi and A Yao, knowing why they had gone out, were beaming. Even A Yao, who usually maintained an expressionless face, had a rare smile.
Ning Manqing led Li Chu upstairs. Li Chu was prepared to be thrown onto the bed for their wedding night, but Ning Manqing turned and went to the study.
Li Chu: ?
What a heartless person.
Li Chu wondered if she should limit Ning Manqing's contact with Mu Xiao. Had she been infected by Mu Xiao? To still go to work at this time, was she kidding?!
“I need to handle some necessary matters, because I might not be free for the next week.”
Ning Manqing's expression held a rare impatience. She squeezed Li Chu's hand and took a deep breath before heading into the study.
Not free for a week?
Li Chu was puzzled for two seconds, then her face flushed red.
A complete marking was different from a temporary one. It was a very long and exhausting process, especially testing the alpha's physical stamina. Even the most capable alpha would feel drained after seven days and nights of non-stop entanglement.
Li Chu lay on the bed, biting her fingertip as she searched for precautions.
Ning Manqing compressed and processed a week's worth of work. Even though she tried her best to be efficient, she was still busy until nightfall.
Seeing her slightly tired appearance, Li Chu couldn't help but say, “How about tomorrow? You look a bit tired.”
Ning Manqing's hand paused on her buttons. Her hair, which reached her neck, swayed gently with her movements. The coldness in her upturned eyes melted away. She continued to unbutton her shirt slowly, revealing her delicate collarbone and beautiful body lines, then pushed Li Chu down.
“I'll show you with my actions whether I'm tired or not.”
Li Chu was wearing a light purple dress today, with a small, delicate zipper below her neck.
Ning Manqing bit it and slowly pulled it down, as if unwrapping a gift.
Influenced by the pheromones, Li Chu's estrus, which wasn't due yet, seemed to be showing signs of arriving.
A complete marking was different from a temporary one. Although both would bring certain estrus symptoms to an omega's body, a temporary marking was like a superficial taste, while a complete marking went deep into the core, as if both the skin and the flesh were sucked out, and then the pit was played with delicately.
Li Chu initially thought she could control it, but when Ning Manqing led her into the whirlpool, she realized what it meant to lose all reason.
In fact, estrus wasn't a beautiful or even an ancestral word. Because during this period, animals would forget reason and follow their body's instinctive call for frantic copulation. Alphas and omegas were difficult to separate from this influence.
Li Chu was bitten on the back of her neck, like prey caught in a trap. Her whole body felt like it had just been fished out of water. She was rarely conscious, her body surrounded by flames, and only by touching Ning Manqing could she be saved.
Day and night reversed. The closed room filled with a strong scent. Li Chu didn't even know how many days had passed. Only in her occasional moments of clarity did she feel almost numb, but the next moment, she would uncontrollably sob and cling to Ning Manqing.
Ning Manqing's consciousness was within a controllable range. After all, this was a marking she was leading. To prevent anyone from seeing what they shouldn't, Ning Manqing gave everyone a week off and turned off the villa's surveillance cameras.
She would go downstairs while Li Chu was asleep, wearing clothes, to cook something simple for herself to recover her strength. During a complete marking, an omega's need for food would be suppressed to a very low level, but not an alpha's.
Ning Manqing had just finished a piece of bread when the omega, unable to find her alpha in the bedroom, stumbled out of the room, following her pheromone instincts. Her arms, draped over the mahogany banister, were covered in small red marks. Ning Manqing immediately went upstairs, wanting to bring Li Chu back into the room, but was entangled by her wife in the corridor.
At the final moment of the complete marking of the glands, Li Chu uncontrollably wanted to escape, but was pulled back bit by bit.
She whimpered and shed tears for that moment of soul collision.
After waking up, Li Chu didn't want to describe the previous scene in detail. She felt like a useless dog lying in bed, living a life of high paraplegia.
As if to make up for the sleep she'd missed in the past few days, Li Chu became lethargic. This situation improved after more than half a month, but she still occasionally felt listless. Even being nominated for Best Actress in this year's film and television awards, she didn't really want to go to the ceremony.
“I've gained weight after staying home for so long.”
Li Chu pinched her cheeks and her slightly protruding belly, sighing as she put on her dress, thinking she needed to put weight loss on her agenda.
Her appetite had skyrocketed this week. Probably because she had eaten too many sour and sweet appetizing things, her appetite was particularly strong. Without considering calories, she just ate.
It was all the fault of indulgence. Ning Manqing spoiled her too much, always bringing her delicious food, and she couldn't resist at all.
“Good thing you know. You've gained at least ten pounds compared to when you were filming. Babe, although we don't rely on our looks, we still need to manage our figures.”
Tang Congnan adjusted Li Chu's dress with a pained expression, his heart aching like a worried mother. Li Chu hadn't worked for more than half a month. If it weren't for Ning Manqing, whom he couldn't afford to offend, he would definitely have dug Li Chu out of the villa and made her go to work.
Li Chu mumbled, “It's not ten pounds, that's an exaggeration. Five pounds at most.”
Tang Congnan didn't bother arguing and said directly, “You need to control your diet. I just bought some fish oil. Take one to supplement your vitamins?”
Li Chu nodded and popped one into her mouth, but as soon as she bit into it, she immediately spat it out.
Nausea made her bend over and vomit. She immediately took the water Qian Duoduo offered and rinsed her mouth, but the vomiting didn't stop, as if she was going to throw up her internal organs.
Everyone around her panicked. Tang Congnan immediately decided to go to the hospital.
When Ning Manqing received the news from A Yao that Li Chu had suddenly started vomiting and was taken to the hospital, she hurriedly left the company and rushed to the hospital, her anxiety growing heavier along the way.
Li Chu was on an IV drip. Seeing Ning Manqing rush in, she patted her hand reassuringly.
“Don't worry, Teacher Ning. The doctor said I'm fine. I probably just ate too much hot and cold food these past few days with the changing weather.”
Ning Manqing breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from her palms, and lightly knocked Li Chu's head. “Next time, don't eat ice when the temperature drops.”
“Okay, okay. By the way, I have good news for you.”
Li Chu's expression was sly, and she said to Ning Manqing with delight, “We won't be pressured to have kids this New Year.”
Ning Manqing froze, then her eyes widened as she understood.
“That's right, there's a little Qing Li here.”
Li Chu pointed to her belly, her eyes gentle.
Ning Manqing carefully touched Li Chu's belly, her eyes filled with pure joy.
Li Chu's hand covered the back of hers, and Ning Manqing clasped it in return.
“Tao Tao, you are fate's gift to me.”
Ning Manqing's voice was hoarse with overwhelming joy. She kissed Li Chu's lips as if kissing a revered deity.
Li Chu returned the kiss, telling her it was a mutual gift.
At the live broadcast of the awards ceremony, fans and netizens from all sides were watching. When the camera panned to Ning Manqing, a wave of question marks flooded the comments section.
@DuntonChirurou: Seriously, is this the new trend for showing off your relationship? This couple attending each other's award ceremonies is such a strange way to flaunt their love!
@QingQingZhiWoYi: Thanks, I'm feeling the sweetness overload. But why didn't they appear together? Does Li Chu have other commitments?
@TianLiShijieDiYi: Huh? Why is it sister-in-law who came? Where's my sister???
@QingLiYuzhouDiYi: I have a feeling there's some major sweetness coming!
@QingLiJinTianGuanXuanLeMa: I feel like it's happening today! Teacher Ning, don't disappoint us!
Li Chu had originally intended to come, but Ning Manqing insisted she stay in bed and rest, attending the awards ceremony in her place.
Li Chu was nominated for Best Actress this time, and Ning Manqing, after analyzing The Exiled 's data, felt that the award should fall into Li Chu's hands.
As the ceremony progressed, when it came time to announce the Best Actress, Ning Manqing sat up straighter.
The host joked, “I suggest that next time, none of you should come to accept the award in person. Maybe your chances of winning will be higher.”
“The winner of this year's Best Actress is… Li Chu for The Exiled !”
The audience erupted in cheers. Ning Manqing walked onto the stage with a smile. As the focus of attention, her opening words were a bombshell.
“Thank you all for your love and support for my wife. I believe she truly deserves this award.”
That night, public opinion exploded, and the hashtag #NingManqingLiChuOfficialAnnouncement soared to the top of the trending topics.
This was a long-planned declaration, a passionate and brilliant romance, a self-evident love that was as intertwined and inseparable as branches on the same tree.
This wasn't the end, but another beginning.
【End of Main Story】
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