Chapter Sixty-Four: Shared Values (Part Two)

Seeing Tao Ming finally speak, Su Nanxing felt a wave of relief wash over him. As long as she was willing to communicate, everything would be fine; his greatest fear was her silence. After living together for so long, he understood her too well—usually, she was easygoing, and when she was upset, a little coaxing could fix things. But once she made up her mind, she would never look back.

Su Nanxing didn’t want to lose her again. Although their last separation had been a matter of expedience, the moment he held the divorce certificate in his hand, regret overwhelmed him. Ordinary people might not notice, but Su Nanxing could clearly feel that the bond forged by their marriage certificate had vanished.

Meeting Tao Ming again, Su Nanxing had already resolved: he would never let her go.

He chose his words carefully. “I understand what you mean. I need some time to adjust my mindset.”

Tao Ming knew such matters couldn’t be rushed. The environment in Weishui was what it was, and it was natural that Su Nanxing, living there, would be influenced. Ordinary folk probably didn’t value their own lives much, either.

Fortunately, Su Nanxing was willing to change—even if, as he said, it was for himself. That was a good beginning.

Tao Ming nodded, her expression easing. “Thank you.”

Thank you for accommodating me.

Su Nanxing immediately pulled Tao Ming into his arms, holding her tightly. “Just a moment ago, I felt as if I was about to lose you.”

Tao Ming mischievously reminded him, “Don’t forget, we’re already divorced. You really have lost me!”

Su Nanxing buried his face in the crook of her neck and murmured, “When we reach the Imperial City, I’ll take you to sign a marriage contract. For all eternity, you’ll be my wife.”

Tao Ming shuddered. “No, just this lifetime is enough. Eternity would be too much—I still want to experience a few more men.”

Su Nanxing lifted his head, dissatisfied. “Other women would be eager to sign a marriage contract with their husbands!”

Tao Ming rolled her eyes. “What other women do is none of my business!”

She paused, then added, “Actually, even if it’s not me, there would be another woman. You’d still marry, have children, share your lives.”

Su Nanxing turned her to face him, gazing into her eyes. “I only want you. I only want to share my life with you.”

Tao Ming smiled softly. “Every couple thinks that way at first—but how many actually make it to the end?”

“I, Su Nanxing, hereby swear—”

He hadn’t finished before Tao Ming covered his mouth. “Don’t say that. Even if you choose someone else in the future, I hope you’ll be safe and happy.”

Su Nanxing was about to speak, but Tao Ming continued, “There was a moment when I thought about killing someone.”

Su Nanxing was astonished. “He must have been truly wicked, then.”

Tao Ming spoke in a distant tone, “Not quite. When I broke up with my first boyfriend, I hated him so much I wanted to blow up his house. Looking back now, it wasn’t worth it.”

“What happened afterwards?”

“Later, when I learned he wasn’t doing well, I felt at ease.”

Su Nanxing said sourly, “You still think about him?”

Tao Ming tried to recall. “Actually, I can’t remember what he looks like. I vaguely remember he resembled some movie actor.”

“Which actor?”

“I’m not sure anymore, but he was quite handsome.”

Su Nanxing leaned closer, “What about me?”

Tao Ming studied him. “You don’t quite match my memory. I remember your nose wasn’t so high, your eyes weren’t so big.”

Su Nanxing chuckled. “I made some changes to my face before. This is my real appearance now.”

“Why?”

“I was afraid girls would crowd around me in the streets!”

“Tch!”

Su Nanxing ran his fingers gently over Tao Ming’s brows and eyes. “You’ve changed a lot, too.”

“Not much. I checked in the mirror before.”

Su Nanxing produced a mirror. “Have you looked since I removed the formation from your eyes?”

Tao Ming took the mirror and saw a face with the graceful curve of an egg, skin as smooth as jade, delicate brows like wisps of smoke, almond-shaped eyes shimmering with watery light, a beautiful nose, and pink lips. She was startled. “Is this me?”

Su Nanxing leaned close and whispered, “Now you know how alluring you are.”

Tao Ming stared incredulously at the reflection, making faces to test if the person in the mirror was really herself.

Su Nanxing laughed. “No need to doubt. That’s you.”

Tao Ming shot Su Nanxing a flirtatious glance. “Looks like I can make a living with my face from now on!”

Su Nanxing’s throat tightened. He flipped Tao Ming over and pressed her beneath him, only to hear a soft voice say, “Mommy, why do you have to make a living with your face? Don’t you have hands?”

Tao Ming stifled her laughter, and Su Nanxing growled in her ear, “I’ll let you off for now.”

Tao Ming burst out laughing, which made Ruoruo sit up and see Su Nanxing pressing down on Tao Ming. She shouted, “Daddy, you can’t bully Mommy! Teacher says hitting people is wrong!”

Su Nanxing thought, Thank goodness we’re both dressed and nothing serious has happened yet. He hurriedly got up and explained, “Daddy just slipped and fell onto Mommy when getting into bed. It wasn’t on purpose.”

Tao Ming laughed even harder.

Su Nanxing, embarrassed and annoyed, flipped Tao Ming over and patted her bottom lightly twice. Ruoruo quickly crawled over, waving her “super little fist,” and punched Su Nanxing. But it had no effect. She stared at her fist, puzzled, “Why isn’t it working?”

Tao Ming couldn’t stop laughing, and now even Nuonuo woke up.

Su Nanxing watched Tao Ming laughing endlessly and joined in. When the laughter finally died down, Tao Ming sat up to help the two little ones get dressed.

Today they would travel by teleportation array, so it was better to dress normally. But Tao Banxia had only made four kinds of dresses, three of which had already been worn and not washed, leaving only three sets of Starry Sky gauze dresses—one large, two small.

Tao Ming hesitated, asking, “Honey, is it appropriate to wear this?”

Su Nanxing took the dress and looked it over. “It’s a fine thing. Save it for entering the Imperial City.”

“Then what should we wear? The others haven’t been washed.”

“Let me see.”

Tao Ming brought out the ones previously worn: Ice Silkworm silk, Moonshadow gauze, and Flowing Cloud silk.

As its name suggested, Flowing Cloud silk looked like a strand of cloud pulled from the sky, ethereal and evocative.

Su Nanxing examined them one by one. “Wife, you’re quite wealthy!”

“My father left them for me.”

“These fabrics don’t need washing—they’re naturally stain-resistant.”

“That’s not scientific!”

“They have tiny formations woven in, which not only repel stains but also offer protection.”

Tao Ming was skeptical and dragged a hairpin across the dress. Despite several attempts, not even a mark appeared.

She looked at Su Nanxing, belatedly realizing, “How do you know all this? How many girls have you given dresses to?”

Su Nanxing was both amused and pleased. “The Su family sells all these kinds, and my mother loves beautiful clothes.”

“Which one should I wear?”

Su Nanxing handed her the Ice Silkworm silk set. “This one—it’s cool.”

Actually, this set was the most covered, unlike the other two, which revealed glimpses of forbidden scenery with every movement.

Once the two little ones were dressed, Su Nanxing took them to wash up. Tao Ming, now dressed, clumsily began to fuss with her hair. Su Nanxing saw and said, “Let me comb it for you later.”