The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: I Only Care About You

The grueling military training that had dulled their youthful vigor finally came to an end. Zhao Xunyu’s skin was sunburned and crimson, and it took weeks for him to recover. Chu Zhi Lu, favored by the heavens, emerged unscathed.

The initial novelty and awkwardness among classmates wore off during training, and the following days flew by.

During the National Day holiday, Zhao Xunyu accompanied Chu Zhi Lu to her mother, Liu Xiangjun’s, home. Ultimately, Liu Xiangjun decided not to divorce her husband. After over a decade of marriage, such deep-rooted feelings couldn’t easily be discarded, especially with their cherished daughter between them.

Even in City A, a metropolis teeming with powerful figures, the Tang family held a prominent position. Zhao Xunyu parted ways with Chu Zhi Lu outside the villa. “Go on in,” he said. “I’ll take a walk around. Call me if you need anything.”

Chu Zhi Lu hesitated. Zhao Xunyu ruffled her hair. “Go on.”

Since Chu Zhi Lu arrived in City A, Liu Xiangjun had repeatedly asked to meet her. Chu Zhi Lu finally agreed to a few meetings. This time, dinner at the Tang family residence was meant to introduce her to the entire family.

Liu Xiangjun’s husband and daughter were present, as were her in-laws, her husband’s elder brother, and his wife.

The elders were all dignified and polite, maintaining a cordial but reserved demeanor. Only Liu Xiangjun’s younger daughter, Tang Xiyue—a spoiled and domineering young woman—harbored deep resentment toward this long-lost sister who had nearly torn her parents apart. Now, witnessing her mother’s doting attention toward Chu Zhi Lu—fussing over her every need and fearing she might be even slightly displeased—Tang Xiyue’s anger nearly boiled over.

After Liu Xiangjun served Chu Zhi Lu another dish, Tang Xiyue slammed her chopsticks onto the table. “Mom, are you the elder here, or is she? Did you bring her back just to serve her?”

Her father, Tang Yunhui, shot her a stern look. “Don’t be ridiculous! Is that how you speak to your elders?”

“Dad!” Tang Xiyue twisted her shoulders. “Am I wrong? Just look at her. Not even a smile! You’d think our whole family owes her something!”

Liu Xiangjun forced a smile at Chu Zhi Lu, then turned a cold glare on Tang Xiyue. “If you don’t want to eat, go back to your room. Who taught you to throw your chopsticks on the table?”

Grandma Tang started to smooth things over, and Tang Xiyue felt a little more confident. She pushed her chair back and left dissatisfied. The chair scraped against the ground, making a harsh sound.

Liu Xiangjun tried to smooth things over, but the rest of the meal was strained and tasteless.

When Chu Zhi Lu emerged and saw Zhao Xunyu, she felt as if she had found her anchor. She exhaled deeply, her shoulders slumping as she slowly walked toward him.

Zhao Xunyu, who had been playing on his phone, noticed her approach. He stood up and greeted her with long strides. Chu Zhi Lu pressed her forehead against his shoulder and stopped walking.

Zhao Xunyu stroked her long hair and asked, “Why do you look like you’ve been in a battle? Were you bullied?”

Chu Zhi Lu shook her head; she was completely drained of energy. She didn’t feel like talking.

Zhao Xunyu turned and crouched down. “Get on.”

Without hesitation, Chu Zhi Lu climbed onto his back, rested her head against his neck, and wrapped her arms around him.

Zhao Xunyu bounced her up and down. 

“Still haven’t gained any weight? Come eat some more with me.”

“Okay.”

Zhao Xunyu took her to a highly rated Chinese restaurant. The place was bustling with families having dinner. The background noise created a warm and convivial atmosphere that encouraged conversation.

As Zhao Xunyu peeled shrimp for her, he asked what she had eaten at the Tang Family’s.

Chu Zhi Lu poked at the rice in her bowl and said, “I couldn’t taste anything. It felt like I didn’t eat at all.”

She then told him about Tang Xiyue’s outburst at the dinner table and sighed, “I shouldn’t have gone. It made things so awkward for everyone.”

Liu Xiangjun had wanted to make her stance clear and prove that Chu Zhi Lu wasn’t someone to be hidden away. Her refusal to divorce didn’t mean that she would deny her mother-daughter relationship with Chu Zhi Lu in the future. That’s why she had begged Chu Zhi Lu to accompany her to meet the Tang family. First, she wanted to show them her resolve and prepare them for her frequent visits with Chu Zhi Lu. Even inviting her home for meals was part of her plan.

The story she and Chu Zhi Lu had prepared was that she wanted to meet her current family and see her younger sister.

But the mission failed from the start. Her younger sister had no intention of treating her like an older sister. It felt like she had mistakenly crashed someone else’s warm family dinner—an untimely intrusion that shattered the harmony.

Zhao Xunyu sighed inwardly. She knew that Liu Xiangjun was trying to make amends by being overly humble in front of Chu Zhi Lu. However, she now had another family, completely separate from Chu Zhi Lu’s world.

This was a reminder that life rarely offers perfect solutions.

As long as Chu Zhi Lu was happy, Zhao Xunyu didn’t mind. “Then don’t go there anymore. If you’re unhappy, I’ll have to cheer you up.”

“You don’t want me to go?”

“Don’t misunderstand me! I just want you to be happy!”

After National Day, Chu Zhi Lu’s academic workload intensified. She often spent her evenings at the library, leaving Zhao Xunyu with much less time to talk to her. He offered to accompany her to the library every day, but she firmly refused, saying that she didn’t want him to waste his time traveling back and forth. Besides, when she was studying, she couldn’t pay attention to him anyway, so his presence would be pointless.

They eventually settled on a compromise: Wednesday evenings would be reserved for studying at home.

On the first Friday in November, Zhao Xunyu eagerly invited Chu Zhi Lu to watch a performance at his school.

“Chu Zhizhi, you absolutely have to come! If you don’t, you’ll miss out on a hundred million! Your favorite singer is performing!”

However, Chu Zhi Lu didn’t even know who her ‘favorite singer’ was. “Who is it?”

“It’s a surprise! I can’t tell you. Just promise you’ll be there.”

Chu Zhi Lu agreed. That evening at 7:30 p.m., she met Zhao Xunyu at the school gate. As they entered the campus, she noticed several large posters that read: Top Ten Campus Singers.

Chu Zhi Lu raised an eyebrow, silently questioning him.

Zhao Xunyu was dressed in a trendy, cool outfit. He poked her cheek and said, “Easter egg! Did you know there are special guests?”

“Oh.”

The grand finale of the Top Ten Singers competition was held in the auditorium and started at 8:00 p.m. By now, most of the seats were taken.

Zhao Xunyu led her to a seat in the front row. “I’m a staff member, so I got some perks for my ‘family.'”

As he leaned in to speak to her, many eyes turned their way. At 7:50 p.m., he told her to stay put and wait for the surprise while he went to work.

Chu Zhi Lu noticed the whispers around her. Some people even glanced at her while talking, as if to make sure she knew she was the topic of discussion.

By 8:00 p.m., the auditorium was packed. Glow sticks and clappers filled the air as the grand finale of the Top Ten Singers competition officially began.

Zhao Xunyu was probably busy because he hadn’t replied to her messages. Chu Zhi Lu wasn’t in a hurry; she focused on listening to the performers. All of the finalists were exceptional, and she thought each contestant performed flawlessly.

Chu Zhi Lu remained calm, even feeling a bit drowsy, until the host announced the next performer:

“Next, please welcome contestant number nine, Zhao Xunyu, who will perform the classic love song ‘I Only Care About You.’“