Rebirth: Contract Husband Falls in Love with Me-Chapter 457 - 234: A Gift for Her (Part 2)
"Does it look good?" Shi Fengju’s hands rested on her shoulders as he feigned an embrace, smiling as if presenting a treasure while asking.
"It’s beautiful, it must be very expensive!" Sang Wan smiled. The hairpin in her hand felt heavy, with a pleasant weight to it. Not to mention the craftsmanship, the material alone seemed to be quite valuable.
"Of course, I specifically ordered it from the capital for you, so naturally, it should be something more precious. Do you like it?" Shi Fengju smiled again as he asked.
"How could I not like such a beautiful hairpin!" Sang Wan smiled in response, although, for some reason, her smile seemed slightly stiff. The more deliberately he tried to please her and treated her well, the more she inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.
"As long as you like it! Here, let me help you put it on." Shi Fengju smile took the crystal lotus hairpin, studied her hair bun for a moment, then inclined the hairpin as he inserted it into her hair. He supported her shoulders as they admired their reflection in the mirror, and he praised with a smile, "Miss Wan, you look truly beautiful with this hairpin on! It was worth the effort to get it from the capital! That day, when the fire broke out on the boat, I was nearly frantic with worry, but luckily, I managed to salvage it—"
"What did you say!" Sang Wan’s body jolted as her eyes widened. She grabbed the lacquered brocade box that was placed aside; it had burnt marks on it, clearly showing that someone had rescued it from the flames. Associating this with Chang Huan’s half-spoken words from that day, when he stopped abruptly and didn’t elaborate further, "It’s all the slave’s fault for not keeping a close watch on young master. We had clearly already made it out, but the young master somehow—cough, it’s all the slave’s fault, in a moment of carelessness, the young master was hit by a fallen beam and fell into the water!"
"You," Sang Wan rose abruptly, holding the brocade box as she questioned Shi Fengju, "That day, you had clearly already made it out, did you go back into the boat afterward to look for this? And because of that—Fengju, did you?"
"Miss Wan!" Shi Fengju was slightly startled by her expression, and felt an inexplicable fear in his heart. He reached out to forcibly pull her into his arms, whispered into her shoulder with a soft chuckle, "Aren’t I fine now? Have you forgotten? Originally when the elder sister asked for that mutton fat white jade hairpin, I said I would find a better one for you. Look, isn’t this crystal lotus hairpin better than that one?"
"Still, you shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for this. If something really bad happened to you, every time I see this hairpin, I would just feel sorrow and guilt. What would I want it for!" Sang Wan’s heart felt bittersweet and weak as she leaned into his embrace, grasping his clothes tightly with her hand, "Fengju, you don’t have to be so good to me, really!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
His treatment made her feel at a loss, confused as to how to respond. This feeling of being relentlessly pursued was something she disliked and wanted to escape. She didn’t know what she could possibly offer him in return? The better he treated her, the more fear and panic she felt. He said he liked her, but each time she heard it, it felt unnatural. Actually, wasn’t mutual respect and equality already very good? Everyone could live openly, comfortably, and at ease!
But he insisted on not doing so!
Shi Fengju lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead; hearing her sniffle as if on the verge of crying, he startled and loosened his hold on her, lifting her face to gently wipe the wet trails from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, "Miss Wan, don’t cry, okay? You are my wife, and also the woman I cherish and like. If I am not good to you, then who should I be good to?"
"Fengju..." Tears began to roll down uncontrollably from Sang Wan’s eyes as she looked down and gently shook her head, "Stop saying that, from now on, don’t do this anymore, you have to promise me!"
"Alright, alright, I promise you, I won’t do this again! Stop crying, okay? Look at you, I give you a gift, and you cry like this, people who don’t know might think I’m bullying you!" Shi Fengju smiled and wiped away her tears for her.
With a "pfft," Sang Wan laughed, extracting the handkerchief and quickly dried her tears, softly saying, "Fengju, I truly don’t care about these things, as long as you are safe and sound, that’s enough for me! And also, mother, she can’t stand any more frights!"
Her words were clearly virtuous and filial, yet for some reason, they sounded slightly disappointing and disheartening to Shi Fengju. What was he hoping for? Even he was a bit puzzled.
"Don’t worry, I will be careful in the future, not to worry you both!" Shi Fengju smiled and then, holding her shoulders solemnly, he asked, "Miss Wan, tell me, do you like me?"
Sang Wan was taken aback and looked up slightly to meet Shi Fengju’s deep, serene eyes, which seemed to carry an intense, suppressed eagerness staring at her.
Sang Wan blinked gently to avoid his gaze, her heart in turmoil. She didn’t know why he was asking her this but instinctively felt that a wrong answer would surely anger him.
She nodded subconsciously and softly uttered, "Mhm."
A brilliance suddenly lit in Shi Fengju’s eyes, like the brightest star in the night sky, his hands on her shoulders tightened as he joyfully said, "Miss Wan, you fancy and like me too, right?"
"Mhm!" Sang Wan nodded, avoiding his gaze, and leaning against him, she embraced his waist. He was her husband, and throughout her life, she could never leave him; they were meant to be together forever, naturally, she liked him, right?
