Married to the Protagonist

The one who said they should slowly nurture their feelings was her, and now the one who wanted to shrink back into her turtle shell was also her. Normally, she would be willing to bet everything in a single throw even if the outcome was uncertain, but if this really was a world inside a novel, then that meant the plot and ending had already been predetermined by the author.

How could she continue to rush forward without hesitation, knowing that she was helpless to how things would develop?

Chen Jinyao felt very pessimistic.

For a split second, knowing that she was fighting against the fate of this world, she considered giving up. She should find an opportunity to end her relationship with Yan Cheng.

But then again, she was really surprised by the scene she had witnessed; the original female lead’s personality was completely unexpected. Thinking about this, her gaze toward Yan Cheng became complicated.

Before she could recollect herself, he turned his head and looked at her, and in that instance, the feelings in her heart became even more complicated.

After all, despite her speculations, Yan Cheng’s situation was still relatively stable. Moreover, he was trying his best to be a good husband to her.

***

April came quietly.

Winter had departed, and all that was left was to wait for a spring breeze to sweep through the city.

Spring in the capital was always a great spectacle.

The most characteristic of its coming was the light, continuous rain that would drive the dirt on the surface of the city into the sewers, washing the world anew.

It was the weekend. Chen Jinyao left her desk and hugged Duni to her chest as she leaned against the balcony. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and admired the vibrant scenery below the apartment. Immediately, she felt as though the fatigue in her eyes had been relieved.

Behind her, inside of the apartment, Yan Cheng was leaning against the dining table while drinking from a teacup. His eyebrows were furrowed. After taking a sip of tea, he lifted his head and stared at Chen Jinyao.

Recently, he had noticed that there was something off about her.

… Something very off.

He was an observant person, and he could tell that something about Chen Jinyao had changed, He couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was that had changed, but he sensed an inexplicable sense of distance between them that wasn’t there before.

The rain stopped, and the sun parted the clouds.

Sunlight refracted through the glass, casting a golden afterglow.

Yan Cheng quietly rested his right cheek against his hand, trying and failing to remember if he had offended her somehow. There was no other reason she would suddenly turn cold, right?

A few seconds later, the man put down his tea cup, took a deep breath, and walked over in his slippers. They’d agreed to be open and honest with each other. He’d already reflected on himself and still couldn’t find an answer, so he decided to just ask her directly.

As he approached, Duni meowed and tried to jump down from Chen Jinyao’s arms.

She stroked its head a few times, but it continued to act restless, so she had no choice but to put it down. As soon as its limbs touched the ground, it swung its tail and scurried onto the sofa in the living room.

… Chen Jinyao didn’t think much of it, but just when she was about to turn around and see what Duni was doing, Yan Cheng embraced her from behind. Before she could react, he buried his face in her neck and said, “You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“…”

After a momentary pause, he stretched out his hand and gently pinched her chin, turning her face so she was forced to look at him. “Did I offend you somehow?”

“…”

Chen Jinyao felt trapped in his deep, sincere gaze.

How was she supposed to answer?

Should she come up with a false charge?

… But he hadn’t done anything wrong. It would make her feel ridiculous and guilty if she charged him with something he’d never done.

At the same time, she couldn’t just ignore his question.

“No,” she shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Then, she added, “The problem lies with me.”

It was her who kept letting her thoughts run wild and affect how she interacted with him.

Yan Cheng frowned in confusion: “???”

It was quiet for a while.

Chen Jinyao patted Yan Cheng’s hand, turned her head, and looked into the distance, “Hey, I have a hypothetical question. If you go out tomorrow and suddenly fall in love with a girl outside, what would you do?”

Admittedly, this question was a little tricky.

Instead of an answer, she heard Yan Cheng say, “That question is meaningless.”

Chen Jinyao pursed her lips and didn’t respond.

After all, he was right. Most hypothetical questions were meaningless.

“Plus, that question makes me seem like a dog,” he added blankly.

At that, she couldn’t help but smile and ask teasingly, “What?”

He made a “tsk” sound. “… A poodle.”

“…” Hahaha.

It was amazing. Just a few words of conversation had wiped out the gloominess that was suffocating her.

Just then, her phone beeped with a WeChat message notification from “Student Ji Xiao.”

Student Ji Xiao: Sister Chen, I have a question. For the teeth correction procedure, can I pay in installments?

Student Ji Xiao: I forgot to ask you last time. My classmate reminded me today.

A few seconds later, Chen Jinyao replied: Yes, you can.