Full Cup of Water - Chap 37
Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong’s marriage is a topic of nationwide attention, with gossip-loving netizens being secondary to the stock market investors who are most concerned about their marriage.
As both of them are directors of the company, their every move can potentially impact the stock price, let alone such a significant matter as marriage.
Even if Xin Qianyu is unwilling, she has to maintain a “loving appearance” with Su Zhong.
Su Zhong, on the other hand, enjoys this.
In the past, Su Zhong was very low-key and rarely appeared in public, but after getting married, he suddenly became exceptionally active.
Ultimately, it was because, in public, Xin Qianyu was particularly gentle towards Su Zhong.
Xin Qianyu would gaze at Su Zhong with affection in her bright eyes, her lips slightly curled, just like when they were in love before.
Su Zhong could also place his hand on Xin Qianyu’s waist, and that familiar touch made Su Zhong feel like he was back in the past.
Ignoring the annoying noise and camera flashes, it was like a beautiful dream.
The reporter asked, “Will you have a wedding ceremony?”
Su Zhong hesitated and said, “It depends on Mr. Xin’s preference.”
Xin Qianyu took over with a faint smile, “Mr. Su and I don’t attach much importance to these.”
— In front of others, if they call each other by their full names, it seems unfamiliar, and using affectionate nicknames, Xin Qianyu respectfully declines. Finally, based on public relations advice, they address each other as “Mr. Xin” and “Mr. Su,” maintaining a certain level of intimacy.
After the interview, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong returned to their extended Lincoln car.
As soon as they got into the car, Xin Qianyu immediately distanced herself and returned to her unapproachable demeanor.
Su Zhong knew he was playing the role of the “clingy” one now but didn’t mind and asked, “Do you really think we don’t need to have a wedding ceremony?”
Xin Qianyu turned her head and said, “We had a sham marriage, so why have a wedding?”
“How can it be a sham marriage?” Su Zhong disagreed. “We have completed all the legal procedures, and it’s recognized by the law…”
“Fine, fine, it’s a real marriage,” Xin Qianyu didn’t want to argue with the stubborn Su Zhong, “but as you said, ‘completed the procedures, recognized by the law,’ that means proposals and weddings are secondary.”
Su Zhong seized the key point and thought, “Oh, so there’s still a proposal.”
Xin Qianyu let out a deep breath, feeling weary.
Struggling in the vortex called “Su Zhong,” Xin Qianyu felt increasingly overwhelmed. The attraction of this vortex was becoming terrifying, as if any misstep could drag him in, never to return.
Xin Qianyu closed his eyes and said, “Let’s try to reduce these public events in the future. We’re not celebrities; there’s no need.”
“Okay,” Su Zhong felt regretful but didn’t dare to contradict Xin Qianyu.
Using the words of the m-global boss, Su Zhong was now the “shame of men, loyal servant of his wife.”
But Thomas would say, “But Su Zhong is happy now! Isn’t happiness what matters?”
The big boss would retort, “Look, your dog at home is happy too! He’s genuinely happy, but he’s still just a dog!”
On this day, at the m-global office, Su Zhong put on his coat and picked up his briefcase to leave, coincidentally encountering the big boss returning from outside.
Seeing Su Zhong’s posture, the big boss knew he was going out and casually asked, “Meeting clients?”
“No,” Su Zhong replied, “I’m going to the airport to pick someone up.”
“Wow,” the big boss exaggerated, “who’s such a big shot that you’re personally picking them up?”
“My mom,” Su Zhong answered.
The big boss gulped and said, “Then… give her my regards.”
“She doesn’t know you.”
“…”
Su Zhong kept his work and personal life quite separate. When he went to pick up Lin Chunhong, he didn’t even bring an assistant; he went alone.
When Lin Chunhong got off the plane and saw that Su Zhong was the only one there to pick her up, she was somewhat unhappy and said, “Just you?”
Su Zhong replied, “I don’t let my assistants and secretaries do anything other than work.”
Lin Chunhong said irritably, “I’m not talking about your assistants and secretaries! I mean you… Xin Qianyu! Why isn’t he here to pick me up?”
Su Zhong didn’t understand, “You didn’t say you wanted him to come.”
“I… if I don’t say it, he won’t come?” Lin Chunhong was getting even more upset.
“If you don’t say it, why would he come?” Su Zhong was puzzled.
Lin Chunhong stamped her foot in frustration, “He… he’s practically my ‘in-law’ now, right…” Lin Chunhong said the word “in-law” with some reluctance. But she had accepted the reality. Su Zhong not coming home for the past two years had made Lin Chunhong anxious. She didn’t dare to say anything about Su Zhong finding a woman to marry, so she could only accept Xin Qianyu as her “son-in-law.”
“If you don’t say it, how would he know to come pick you up? Let alone him, even I wouldn’t come unless you specifically asked,” Su Zhong replied.
“…I feel like I’m about to have a heart attack,” Lin Chunhong said in frustration.
Su Zhong took Lin Chunhong to a hotel and arranged a room for her. Lin Chunhong wasn’t very satisfied, “Why didn’t you take me to your house?”
“I never let you stay at our house before,” Su Zhong replied bluntly.
Lin Chunhong swallowed her words. Indeed, in the past, when Su Zhong and Xin Qianyu lived together, she was never allowed to stay over. Although Lin Chunhong had stubbornly tried several times, Su Zhong was never very welcoming.
After sitting down on the sofa, Lin Chunhong finally relaxed and began to scrutinize Su Zhong. After several years apart, Su Zhong looked even more mature and composed, wearing a sharp suit that made him look like a successful businessman in a magazine. No, not just “like” – Su Zhong was now the successful businessman in the magazine.
Lin Chunhong felt a sense of absurdity.
She had never thought her son could be this successful, so successful that she couldn’t reach him anymore.
Thinking back on the years of neglect, Lin Chunhong felt a growing panic, afraid she couldn’t hold onto her son anymore—just like she couldn’t hold onto her husband back then.
She held onto Su Zhong and tearfully poured out how much she had missed him over the past few years, while also complaining about why he had been so heartless.
Su Zhong rarely had moments like this in his life—moments of feeling awkward.
As an emotionally insensitive person, Su Zhong rarely felt awkward, but at this moment, he seemed to finally understand the meaning of the word “awkward.”
Lin Chunhong complained and played the emotional card, tears and all. Her thin hands tightly clung to Su Zhong’s pristine sleeve, as if she were a miser holding onto coins.
Su Zhong cleared his throat—he instantly understood why so many people would clear their throats when they were with him, it was because of awkwardness!
“Mom,” Su Zhong cleared his throat and said, “I understand what you mean.”
Lin Chunhong, with tears streaming down her face, asked, “You understand? Then tell me, what do I mean?”
Su Zhong replied, “You want me to spend more time with you, don’t you?”
Lin Chunhong nodded joyfully, “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean!”
Su Zhong said, “I understand.”
With that, while Lin Chunhong was momentarily distracted, Su Zhong discreetly pulled his sleeve back.
After settling Lin Chunhong, Su Zhong went to find Xin Qianyu.
In fact, Xin Qianyu also stayed in the same hotel. Not only that, Su Zhong also stayed in the same hotel.
It was indeed a complex relationship as they all stayed in the same hotel with three separate rooms.
After entering the hotel room, Su Zhong watched as Xin Qianyu brewed tea, as she usually did when welcoming him into the room. This wasn’t Xin Qianyu’s “way of hospitality” but rather her “makeshift solution.” Every time she opened the door, Xin Qianyu needed a moment to calm her emotions.
While brewing tea, Xin Qianyu thought, “This Su Zhong guy is toxic. No matter how many times I see him, he always looks too good…”
Su Zhong sat on the sofa, and after Xin Qianyu finished making tea, she handed it to him and said, “My mom has already arrived, and I’ve arranged a room for her here.”
“Okay,” Xin Qianyu replied casually. “Let’s take the opportunity to meet tonight since we’re married. We should let the elders know.”
Su Zhong nodded, “I think in her eyes, we’re still the same as before.”
Xin Qianyu nodded and said, “I know. Your mom is conservative; telling her that our marriage is a mistake might be too much for her.”
However, Su Zhong said, “If you say that, I can’t handle it either.”
Xin Qianyu was puzzled, “What?”
“You said our marriage is a mistake,” Su Zhong said, “but in my opinion, it’s fate.”
Xin Qianyu felt a bit embarrassed and smiled, “Fate? That doesn’t sound like something you’d say. I thought you didn’t believe in such mystical things?”
“I don’t think it’s mystical; I think it’s a matter of probability,” Su Zhong explained. “There are over six billion people in the world, and if we assume our expected lifespan is…”
“Stop!” Xin Qianyu realized Su Zhong was about to launch into a statistical analysis of the probability of falling in love, so she interrupted, “Are you trying to talk to me about the probability of falling in love, all romantic and cheesy?”
“What?” Su Zhong was puzzled.
Xin Qianyu took out her phone and searched, then read from the screen, “In a person’s lifetime, they may encounter 29.2 million people, so the probability of two people coming together is only 0.000049…”
Su Zhong completely ignored the romantic sentiments in the statement and furrowed his brow, “How was 29.2 million calculated?”
Xin Qianyu hesitated, scrolled the screen, and then recited, “Currently, the world’s population is over 6 billion, and the average lifespan is 80 years. That means we have 29,200 days in our lifetime. We can meet around 1,000 people per day. So, the total number of people we can meet in a lifetime is 29,200 * 1,000 = 29,200,000…”
“That’s obviously incorrect,” Su Zhong said. “The world’s life expectancy is much lower than 80 years, so that figure is not appropriate to begin with. Furthermore, even if it were 80 years, you can’t count it as 80 years because we don’t have the opportunity to meet people during infancy and early childhood, so it should be reduced by three to five years. Additionally, using 365 days for calculations is not precise because it doesn’t account for leap years. When you include leap years, the average number of days per year should be 365.24…”
Xin Qianyu held her phone, stunned, “I see…”
“What did you realize?” Su Zhong asked curiously.
Xin Qianyu said, “Artistic people shouldn’t touch mathematics, and math enthusiasts shouldn’t dabble in the arts.”
At dinnertime, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong went together to the restaurant to meet Lin Chunhong.
When Lin Chunhong saw Xin Qianyu again, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had heard that Xin Qianyu was now the heir to the Jade Polishing Group, but because they hadn’t seen each other in so long, she still pictured Xin Qianyu as the humble and docile young teacher. Reuniting now, she realized Xin Qianyu’s appearance hadn’t changed, but his presence had grown significantly. She felt somewhat astonished.
However, she restrained herself and didn’t say much. Lin Chunhong thought to herself, “No matter how impressive Xin Qianyu has become, can he really surpass my son?”
The three of them settled into a private dining room. Xin Qianyu politely asked, “Auntie, it must have been tiring for you to travel such a long way?”
Lin Chunhong smiled and replied, “Why are you still calling me ‘auntie’? You should call me ‘mom’!”
Xin Qianyu said, “We don’t have that tradition in our family.”
Lin Chunhong’s expression stiffened.
Xin Qianyu continued, “And Zho…”
Su Zhong interrupted, “That’s right, we’re just married, not adopting each other.”
“…” Lin Chunhong felt uncomfortable seeing her son not taking her side. She thought, “What did I say? Xin Qianyu used to never argue with me, but now he’s growing bold, daring to stand up to me?”
Su Zhong didn’t think much of it and said, “That’s right, we’re only married, not parent and
child.”
“… ” Lin Chunhong, feeling slighted, changed the subject. “Oh, by the way, when Su Zhong came to pick me up at the airport today, why didn’t Xiaoyu come along? I was asking about you the whole time, I really missed you.”
Xin Qianyu said, “Yes, he had work to do, so he couldn’t make it.”
“It’s not me who’s complaining about you,” Lin Chunhong straightened her back and began to assume the role of an elder.
However, before Lin Chunhong could finish her sentence, the door to the private dining room opened, and an elegant and glamorous woman walked in with a smile as bright as a wind chime. She said, half-covered by her vermilion lips, “Oh my, am I late?”
