Chapter 25: Kissed
On the first day of the public holiday in the Independent State of Yi Meng, an official news bulletin caused numerous public platforms to lag, delay, crash, and become paralyzed within thirty seconds of its release.
[—15:30, October 17, 167 New Calendar, the current Chief Judge of the Trial Court, Zhu Yiqiao, announced her marriage.]
The real-time comment section below the marriage announcement was flooded with people. Many citizens of the Independent State, who were still taking afternoon naps in bed, logged onto the public network.
[Ahhh so sudden, why so sudden! Chief Judge Zhu, happy wedding!]
[The first to get married from the Victory Column is actually Chief Judge Zhu www, happy wedding, and may you have a long and happy life together!]
[Love at first sight, so sweet =v=, my biggest wish this year is for Chief Judge Zhu to have a happy wedding!]
[Wow~ It was actually Chief Judge Zhu who took the initiative! I really want to know who the Chief Judge’s partner is. When will the Trial Court’s official website be updated?]
[+1 +1, maybe it will take a few days to update, it must be a match made in heaven! Chief Judge Zhu, happy wedding!!!]
[I remember Chief Judge Zhu saying in an interview in March that she hadn’t considered marriage yet. I didn’t expect her to announce her marriage so soon, happy wedding, and may you grow old together! (flower.jpg)(flower.jpg)(flower.jpg)]
…
Given Zhu Yiqiao’s mention of “love at first sight” during the video call, Ming Fei logged onto the public network after waking up from her nap to take a look at the marriage announcement.
The blessings in the comment section were even more enthusiastic than she had imagined. Except for a small number of people who wanted to get to the bottom of it, most of the citizens of the Independent State, as well as other citizens on the international public network, were blessing the newlywed Chief Judge.
Ming Fei took a sip of her freshly brewed hot tea and clicked on the short interview linked to the marriage announcement.
[Reporter: How did you and your partner meet?]
[Zhu Yiqiao, Trial Court: I won’t reveal the details for now, but it was love at first sight for me.]
The real-time barrage for “love at first sight” was full of screams. Perhaps because she knew the inside story and the truth behind “love at first sight,” Ming Fei suddenly felt a little awkward.
[Reporter: Everyone is very concerned about whether your pursuit went smoothly, and why did you announce your marriage so suddenly?]
[Zhu Yiqiao, Trial Court: It wasn’t entirely smooth. She is very gentle and tolerant of many of the problems I had during the pursuit.]
[Zhu Yiqiao, Trial Court: Because I like her very much, I wanted to share this joyful news with everyone.]
Seeing this, Ming Fei stopped reading.
Because… another sum of money had been transferred into her account.
[Your account 2318xxx818 has received a new transfer of 19,999,999.]
[Remarks: Zhu Yiqiao.]
The fragrance of tea lingered in the corner of the study. Ming Fei looked at the two transfer balances in her account, feeling a little lost. After a moment of thought, she sent a message to Zhu Yiqiao, who was still busy at the Trial Court.
[You don’t need to pay me compensation for announcing the marriage. The suppressor patches and pheromone bracelet you gave me are enough.]
[[Kitten staring intently.jpg]]
She had thought the other party would reply slowly, but just as she was about to put down her phone, it vibrated with a new message notification.
[Chief Judge Zhu: You don’t like it?]
Ming Fei blinked, thinking to herself, who wouldn’t like money?
If someone really didn’t like money, there might be many reasons. But most of them were because they weren’t short of money, hadn’t truly experienced absolute poverty, and thus didn’t understand the hardships it brought.
Having grown up in an orphanage and been abandoned three times, she might not be in a position to say such things, but she knew a thing or two about suffering.
For example, she knew from a very young age that she had been abandoned at the orphanage because her family was poor. When she was adopted for the third time, she had wanted to refuse because of the two previous abandonments, but the orphanage was short of funds at the time and struggling to raise so many children. As the oldest orphan girl, she could only give up the idea to reduce the burden on the dean.
Such situations occurred repeatedly throughout her childhood.
Clothes and pants washed until they were faded, shoes that didn’t fit but she still squeezed her feet into, gritting her teeth and enduring as long as she wasn’t sick enough to go to the hospital, repeatedly abandoned but remaining silent.
Today, while fishing in the backyard pond, 0619 said that her hobby was truly simple and unpretentious compared to Lan Lubai’s hobby, which cost six figures each time.
But what expensive hobbies could an orphan who grew up in poverty and hardship have?
Fishing was something she gradually came to enjoy after transmigrating and interacting with her colleagues. Before this hobby appeared, her biggest hobbies were reading and mountain climbing.
In the past, the books she read were donated to the orphanage by caring people from all walks of life, and mountain climbing was because there was a steep mountain behind the orphanage. Whenever she felt sad and wanted to cry, she would climb from the foot of the mountain, step by step, until she reached the top and looked out at the distant scenery, letting the cool mountain breeze blow away the sadness in her heart.
Over time, this activity became her hobby, and she began to enjoy the process of mountain climbing alone. Not asking about the road ahead, just taking one step at a time.
So, she couldn’t say that she didn’t like money.
After taking another sip of tea, Ming Fei looked down at the ancient book on the desk. After reading a particularly insightful poem, she marked it with a highlighter before happily picking up her phone and opening her “little treasury.”
This “little treasury” app was developed and designed by her and was currently only for her own internal testing.
The amount in her little treasury was considerable. Both her savings and the money she had saved for Ming Zaozao made the corners of her lips curl up.
After exiting the app, she was about to reply to Zhu Yiqiao when the other party sent her another message.
[Chief Judge Zhu: After we arrive there, remember to change the way you address me in front of others.]
[Chief Judge Zhu: Our words and actions must be more intimate. Practice these few days.]
[Chief Judge Zhu: Since you don’t want the compensation for announcing the marriage, that amount will be considered extra compensation for your practice during the public holiday.]
Seeing the word “practice,” Ming Fei suddenly thought of the photo at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Her cheeks felt a little hot, so much so that she accidentally sent the wrong emoji, changing from a nodding bunny to a grumpy bunny.
Ming Fei was about to retract it when Zhu Yiqiao had already seen it.
[Chief Judge Zhu: You don’t want this either?]
Ming Fei didn’t want to argue about this anymore, and she felt that Zhu Yiqiao wouldn’t give her the chance to return the money anyway, so she decided, as she had thought before, to save all this money and return it to Zhu Yiqiao when the contract expired and she left.
After figuring this out, Ming Fei quickly replied.
[I understand, thank you. I will practice hard.]
[[Kitten studying hard.jpg]]
Ming Fei didn’t see Zhu Yiqiao for the rest of the public holiday.
On Monday afternoon, she went to school to coordinate her classes and discuss the trip to Taiya for the academic exchange with her colleagues.
The school didn’t require the teachers to depart together, only booking hotels for them in advance. Ming Fei didn’t know the specific details of Zhu Yiqiao’s arrangements, so she politely declined when her colleagues suggested going together.
She explained, “I have other matters to attend to and will probably arrive in Taiya later.”
No one minded. After discussing the key points of the academic exchange, they left the office.
It was almost 6 pm when Ming Fei returned to the villa.
Ming Zaozao, who was playing on the first floor, happily hugged Ming Fei and told her that Zhu Yiqiao had come back in the afternoon.
“Baby gave the flower drum Mommy made and the maple leaf bookmark to Auntie!”
The impending separation made Ming Fei feel reluctant. She kissed Ming Zaozao’s chubby cheeks and asked softly,
“Was Zaozao happy after giving the gifts?”
“Happy!”
Ming Zaozao smiled like a sunflower: “Auntie said that the flower drum is beautiful, and the bookmark is beautiful too. Baby told her that Mommy made them.”
The bookmark was made from the maple leaves she had picked up under the maple tree at the Civil Affairs Bureau. She originally only planned to make two, one for Ming Zaozao and one for herself. But when she looked up and saw Zhu Yiqiao, she picked up another leaf and made one more.
Then, she gave it to Zhu Yiqiao in Ming Zaozao’s name.
Ming Zaozao was still chattering.
“Mommy! Great!”
“Baby’s mommy is the best!”
Ming Fei was overwhelmed by Ming Zaozao’s praise. After playing with her on the sofa for a while, she took her to the dining room for dinner. Zhu Yiqiao didn’t return to the villa until Ming Zaozao fell asleep. Ming Fei only received a message from Zhu Yiqiao informing her of their departure time.
The next morning, Zhu Yiqiao and Min Man arrived at the villa in a hovercar.
Ming Fei said goodbye to Ming Zaozao, gently telling her to listen to Auntie Min Man and that she would bring her many gifts when she returned. Ming Zaozao obediently agreed and didn’t cry when she saw Ming Fei leave with Zhu Yiqiao.
The silver hovercar sped along the hover track.
Ming Fei, sitting in the back seat, was concentrating on reading the exchange materials on the display screen. Her long hair was tied up on the right side, and she wore black-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose. A few strands of hair fell down, making her look like a college student.
Neither of them spoke during the journey.
It wasn’t until the hovercar entered the Nanhua Cross-Sea Bridge that Ming Fei, having finished reading the materials, looked up and politely asked,
“Chief Judge Zhu, have you had breakfast?”
It was still early, but there was a time difference between the two countries. It would probably be three or four in the afternoon when they landed in Taiya. Zhu Yiqiao, who seemed to be resting with her eyes closed, opened her eyes at the question and corrected Ming Fei’s address.
“Are you going to address me like that in front of the staff at the flight station after we get off?”
Ming Fei paused, subconsciously wanting to apologize: “I shouldn’t—”
The Nanhua Cross-Sea Bridge was considered a scenic spot in the Independent State of Yi Meng. The distant sea level was tinged with a light gold, and the sea shimmered under the bright sunlight. A few rays of morning light penetrated the hovercar’s window, making Zhu Yiqiao’s deep blue eyes look like a dangerous and alluring deep sea.
She interrupted Ming Fei’s apology: “No need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ming Fei nodded: “Okay.”
Tentatively, Ming Fei softly called her, “…Jiejie.”
Zhu Yiqiao responded: “Mm.”
The hovercar passed the Nanhua Cross-Sea Bridge and entered a dark tunnel. The sunlight immediately disappeared, and even the car’s interior, lit by sensor lights, seemed to dim.
Zhu Yiqiao asked, “How is your practice going?”
Ming Fei pursed her lips: “It should be okay.”
In fact, she wasn’t sure what exactly she needed to practice. She had flipped through many books in the vast library, finally settling on two somewhat miscellaneous books on social etiquette and a best-selling book on expressing intimacy.
Zhu Yiqiao didn’t speak.
When the hovercar passed through the tunnel and arrived at the flight station, Ming Fei took off her glasses and was about to get out of the car when Zhu Yiqiao remained motionless beside her, like an ice sculpture.
Because this was a business trip, Zhu Yiqiao was still wearing the dark uniform of the Trial Court, with a darker cloak over it. Her hands, which usually held a gun, were now wearing thin white gloves.
Ming Fei was a little puzzled. Just as she was about to speak, the person beside her suddenly moved closer with lightning speed. The safe distance between them completely disappeared. The display screen on Ming Fei’s pheromone bracelet flickered, and her warm lips… were touched by a gloved fingertip.
In front of this retired colonel, who still held the world sniping record, Ming Fei’s reaction was no match. Moreover, she trusted Zhu Yiqiao very much now and didn’t resist at all.
The soft bead of her lip was pressed inward. A little closer, and it seemed like they would kiss.
“Your partner approaches you intimately, and you have no reaction.”
At such close proximity, Ming Fei’s ears felt hot, and her clear eyes were filled with surprise.
Zhu Yiqiao looked at her: “Is this the result of your practice?”
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