NOVEL NEXT Chapter Twenty-Three: Marriage is the Grave of Love
In the evening, Young Master Sang carried Yan Rouwan back to the doorstep.
By the time he knocked on the door, Yan Rouwan was already snuggled up and fast asleep in his arms.
The two cats were curled up together, sleeping peacefully.
“Master, welcome home—”
Moments later, Zhang Xiaoying cheerfully came to open the door.
However, as soon as she saw Yan Rouwan in Young Master Sang’s arms, her beautiful eyes turned cold in an instant.
“This is the ingredient you brought back today, Master?”
“…Hello, I don’t eat people.”
Young Master Sang helplessly said, “From today onward, she’s also an employee of our company.”
“But until her employment paperwork and assigned housing are sorted out, she’ll just have to crash at our place for now.”
Zhang Xiaoying subtly shot a glance at her.
A moment later, she said coldly, “Should I have the maid prepare the guest room?”
“Much appreciated…”
After Zhang Xiaoying turned back into the house with an indifferent expression, Young Master Sang wiped the sweat off his brow and entered his own room with Yan Rouwan.
When he laid her on the bed, Yan Rouwan let out a cute pouty sound and flipped over.
Finally done with the hassle.
Next up was collecting his reward from the boss.
Feeling quite pleased, Young Master Sang pulled out his communication device and sent a message to Tang Yubbing.
Soon, he received a reply—a big, wet kiss from Tang Yubbing.
“Baby~ I knew you could do it~ Tomorrow, I’ll get Sect Leader to give you your reward, okay?”
“Ah~ I can’t take it anymore. Just thinking about how capable my little brother is makes me all hot… Want to come keep me company tonight—”
The remaining content was definitely not appropriate for reading.
Young Master Sang decisively turned off the communication device.
Ah, offering flattery without reason? That’s either suspicious or trying to rob me blind.
This woman’s been particularly flirtatious with him lately; she must have her eyes on his bonus.
Until he got his year-end bonus and commission in hand, he absolutely wouldn’t give her any chance to swindle him.
While Zhang Xiaoying was still tidying up the house and cooking, Young Master Sang casually asked the system.
“System, how many points do I get for successfully courting Yan Rouwan this time?”
【Success in courting the Fortunate Child Yan Rouwan, system point reward: 1,500 points. Current balance: 2,035 points.】
Wow.
As expected of a Fortunate Child.
The points he got in one shot were far more than the points he accumulated over the years through signing in.
This was truly a get-rich-quick scheme.
Suddenly feeling financially comfortable, Young Master Sang couldn’t help but smile widely, happily calculating whether to take Zhang Xiaoying on a little trip with his year-end bonus.
At this moment, Yan Rouwan on the bed let out a soft moan and stirred awake.
“Hmm… Is it time to eat?”
“It’s not easy for you to wake up just in time for dinner. I thought you’d sleep straight through.”
Yan Rouwan pouted her lips in dissatisfaction, then extended her hand toward Young Master Sang.
“Carry me up.”
“…Don’t be greedy now.”
In the end, she still obediently got out of bed on her own.
As she passed the kitchen, Yan Rouwan saw Zhang Xiaoying chopping vegetables and stealthily asked at the kitchen door:
“Zhang Xiaoying… I remember you were also captured during a Demon Cultivator attack, right?”
“Strictly speaking, it was the other disciples who covered for you while they left her behind.”
While changing the litter for Jiao Jiao and Xiao Hei, Young Master Sang casually replied, “She was nearly dead when they brought her to me. I saved her.”
“You’re unexpectedly a nice guy.”
“Hey, do I look like some heartless big bad guy?”
Yan Rouwan covered her mouth with a light laugh, but then her beautiful eyes slightly drooped as she pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “So, how long have you two… lived together?”
“Can’t really remember. About a year or so?”
“A year, huh.” A glimmer of something appeared in Yan Rouwan’s eyes.
“I say, living with such a lovely girl, don’t you have any thoughts about it?”
Young Master Sang’s face instantly turned red, and he coughed awkwardly, trying to act tough:
“Well, I think it should flow naturally, right?”
But that wasn’t the only issue.
With his previous life experiences, Young Master Sang was still filled with dread about marriage in this life.
No matter where you are, marriage means a whole chain of reactions.
Honoring both parents.
Saving for a house.
Regular check-ins, drastically reducing personal freedom.
And he’d probably have to hand over his salary, barely having enough to buy cigarettes after that.
If they had kids, he’d even have to think about registering them.
Where to send them to kindergarten, whether to enroll them in extracurricular classes, and if they should go to a private or public school…
Young Master Sang hadn’t married in this world yet.
But he had a hunch that this bottomless pit was something he couldn’t touch just yet.
He should at least reach a managerial position like Tang Yubbing’s before considering this issue.
“Why do I get the feeling that someone here is all talk and no guts?”
Suddenly, Yan Rouwan gently jumped onto his back from behind, playfully poking his face: “You really aren’t just shy due to inexperience, are you? That’s why you don’t dare to act!”
“Y-You better not say such things! What’s there for me to be shy about…”
“Do you want me to give you a couple of tips as a girl~?”
“Let go, I’m about to turn into a cat…”
As Young Master Sang and Yan Rouwan were tussling by the cat bed, a loud crash suddenly came from the kitchen, startling both of them.
Moments later, a calm voice from Zhang Xiaoying came:
“Sorry.”
“I lost control of my strength while chopping.”
Young Master Sang watched in horror as the thick cutting board split in half, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Yan Rouwan also awkwardly released her hold on him.
——
——
Dinner turned out to be much calmer than expected.
A table full of dishes, the three of them sat in silence, eating quietly.
The two cats nearby were also happily chowing down.
“By the way.”
As Young Master Sang ate, he suddenly mentioned, “Xiaoying, if you have some free time these next few days, could you bring me some lunch at the company?”
Zhang Xiaoying paused for a moment, a brief flicker of joy in her beautiful eyes.
But in the end, she only nodded blandly: “Mm.”
“Hey? Didn’t you use to come back for lunch?”
“Going up and down the mountain is troublesome, and the company has a cafeteria, so if I can skip a meal, I will.” Young Master Sang sighed, “The cafeteria’s free, and if you don’t eat, you’re missing out.”
Yan Rouwan looked at Young Master Sang, her gaze becoming a bit strange.
“What’s with you?”
“You’re surprisingly stingy.”
“I call this being frugal! You don’t know how expensive oil and salt can be without being in charge!”
After their little quarrel, Zhang Xiaoying had already started daydreaming about what to cook for Young Master Sang tomorrow.
Delivering lunch to her beloved man at work…
How annoying.
Isn’t that just like a wife?
As Young Master Sang and Yan Rouwan were bickering halfway, they simultaneously turned their heads to see Zhang Xiaoying, covered in red bubbles and sporting a blissfully happy expression, her mind clearly elsewhere.
…Is your maid always like this?
…Uh, occasionally.