Liаng Chengmin noddеd, thеn shook hеr head. Неr mind wаs sрinning, thе liquеur choсolates long gone, lеаving onlу a сlоуing swеetnеss оf аlсоhol in hеr mouth.
Luan Mingrui’s nоsе brushed аgainst hers. Hе wasn’t onе for sweеt tаlk, аlwауs sреaking bluntly: “I’m аsking уou, Liаng Сhеngmin, arе yоu willing оr not?”
“If yоu’rе willing, tomоrrow I’ll have mу parents visit уоur hоme. I’m nоt a teaсhеr, а doсtоr, оr а wоrkеr, but I prоmisе that оncе you’rе with me, уоu’ll nеver gо hungrу. I’ll mаkе sure you еat the shrimp and crаb you lovе everу daу.” Luаn Mingrui bеgan coaxing her.
Liang Chengmin finally snapped out of it and pushed him, but he didn’t budge. The two remained locked in a stalemate in the darkness—her pressed against the wall, him pressed against her, noses touching, breaths mingling.
“Who needs you to support me! I…” she started to speak, but Luan Mingrui only half-listened. This was his first time kissing someone, and he found the sensation utterly intoxicating. The sweet fragrance of her breath as she spoke made him lose focus, so he simply sealed her lips with his. He was starting to get the hang of it, sucking gently, and Liang Chengmin’s mind went blank again.
“You what?” Luan Mingrui murmured against her lips.
“I’m a doctor, I can support myse—” Luan Mingrui nipped her lips, refusing to let her finish a single sentence. After several rounds of this, both were slightly breathless, but Liang Chengmin finally managed to complete her thought. Her point was that she didn’t need him to support her—after all, she was a doctor. Even if she couldn’t eat shrimp and crab every day, she could still treat herself to a feast after getting her paycheck.
“I get it. So you’re saying you’re not willing, right?” Luan Mingrui glared at her. “If you’re not willing, then what are you doing here? Kissing and hugging a man in a dark alley in the middle of the night—are you trying to take advantage of me?” He turned the tables, deliberately provoking her.
“Am I the one taking advantage?” Liang Chengmin was furious. She reached out and pinched his waist, not holding back at all. Luan Mingrui grunted in pain, grabbed her wrist, and retorted, “Where are you touching, Liang Chengmin? Why not go a little lower?”
Liang Chengmin never imagined Luan Mingrui could be like this. The nurses at the hospital described him as an aloof young master, someone who rarely smiled, with a wealthy family background and well-educated siblings. Was the person they described the same man standing before her? How could he be so shameless!
Seeing her flustered, Luan Mingrui decided to quit while he was ahead and finally released her, taking a step back. “Fine, you won’t marry me. How about dating me freely?”
“No.”
“If not, then why is your face red?”
“My face is mine to blush. What’s it to you?”
Liang Chengmin gave him a shove and ran off. Once inside her home, she dashed to her small room, cracked open the window, and saw Luan Mingrui still standing there like a fool.
Liang Chengmin hadn’t known that thinking about someone could feel like this.
Whether her eyes were open or closed, all she saw was Luan Mingrui’s face and the memory of him holding her, breathing heavily. When she woke the next morning, her eyes were red like a little rabbit’s. After breakfast, she stepped outside and saw Luan Mingrui standing at her doorstep.
Her face flushed again. “What are you doing here?”
“To take you to work.”
“I don’t need you to take me to work.”
“I’m taking you.”
Luan Mingrui swung his leg over his bicycle and pointed to the back. “Get on.”
“I have my own bicycle.”
“Your legs are too short. You look ridiculous riding a bike.”
“…”
Liang Chengmin’s mother heard the commotion and came out, seeing the two locked in a standoff. She recognized Luan Mingrui—the young man was quite famous in their small town."What are you two doing?"
"Auntie, I'm here to see her off to work," Luan Mingrui replied openly.
"Aren't you getting married?" Mrs. Liang asked.
"That's just a rumor. If I do get married, it'll be to Liang Chengmin. My parents will be here in a couple of days. Please don't worry, Auntie."
"Who wants to marry you!" Liang Chengmin grew flustered, giving him a light slap. To Mrs. Liang, it looked like the two were playfully flirting. She simply said, "You'll be late if you don't hurry." Mrs. Liang had a good impression of Luan Mingrui—this young man seemed so upright and well-suited for her daughter!
Liang Chengmin mounted her bicycle, wobbling left and right as she rode off. Luan Mingrui followed behind her, watching the wind puff up her clothes. The uneven cobblestone road made the bicycle bounce up and down.
Seeing Liang Chengmin like this, Luan Mingrui thought she was truly a wonderful girl.
Aside from her temper, this girl was perfect in every way.
Following her to the hospital, she got off her bicycle. He remained seated, one foot propped on the ground, one hand gripping the handlebars, and the other reaching out to grasp her wrist. "Liang Chengmin, what I said last night was serious."
"What did you say? You were just being a rogue last night!" Liang Chengmin scolded him quietly. "If you act like a rogue again, I'll report you!"
"Fine. I'll come pick you up for dinner tonight."
"I'm not going!"
Liang Chengmin said she wouldn't go, yet she spent the whole day thinking about it as if it were a real plan. She found Luan Mingrui quite annoying. She had always been devoted to studying medicine, and this was the first time a man had distracted her.
When it was time to leave work, she pushed her bicycle out of the hospital, and sure enough, Luan Mingrui was waiting there. He took hold of Liang Chengmin's handlebars and smoothly maneuvered the bicycle under his legs, pointing to the back seat. "Get on."
"I won't."
"Then are you walking to dinner?"
"That's my bike!"
"Do you know how ridiculous you look riding this bike?" Luan Mingrui imitated her wobbling left and right on the seat, drawing laughter from passersby.
"Luan Mingrui!" Liang Chengmin grew frantic. "Are you crazy?!"
"Yes, I am. You can slowly cure me after we get married."
Luan Mingrui had always been steady, precise, and ruthless. Once he set his mind on something, he had to see it through. Once he set his mind on a girl, he had to marry her. Even if he seemed unusually shameless, like a scoundrel, it didn't matter—he was fine with it. First, spread the news, then claim the person. That was how underhanded he was.
His words were quite alarming. People passing by on their way home from work stopped to stare: Was Dr. Liang getting married? No one had heard Dr. Liang had a partner—how was she suddenly getting married?
Liang Chengmin grew frantic with him. "You're talking nonsense! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you..."
"What about me? Are you coming or not? If not, should I tell everyone about the liquor-filled chocolate incident?"
As soon as Luan Mingrui finished speaking, Liang Chengmin jumped onto the back seat, clutching his clothes. "Let's go!"
She was terrified Luan Mingrui's loose tongue would spill everything.
She didn't know how she had ended up attracting such a plague, and the most frightening part was that she found herself thinking about this scoundrel.
Luan Mingrui suddenly squeezed the brakes. Liang Chengmin lost her balance, her face bumping against his back, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist. Then she heard Luan Mingrui say, "Hold on tight!"
He carried her through the small town. Luan Mingrui smelled clean and pleasant, and Liang Chengmin's heart fluttered uncertainly.Arriving at the state-run restaurant, Luan Mingrui crouched down to lock his bicycle. Liang Chengmin noticed his clean, well-groomed fingers and neatly combed hair, and suddenly thought, how bad could marrying him be? At the very least, she had thought about him all night long.
When Luan Mingrui stood up, Liang Chengmin said to him, "Luan Mingrui, I can't eat this meal for free."
"You can treat me instead. Did you get your paycheck?" It didn’t matter who paid—as long as they could sit down and eat.
"What I mean is, I agree to date you freely, and I’m not afraid of marrying you." Her face flushed red, shy yet resolute, like a seventeen-year-old girl.
Luan Mingrui looked at her and suddenly smiled. At work, she was so mature—stern one moment, troubled the next, her mind always on her patients. But after work, she turned into a little girl who hadn’t quite grown up, so innocent, so pure.
He pinched her cheek lightly. Passersby glanced at them, but they didn’t care. What was there to fear?
Luan Mingrui acted swiftly. That same day, he went home and announced his plans to marry. He was decisive but never reckless. When he said he was getting married, he meant it. So when he asked his parents to prepare gifts and visit Liang Chengmin’s family, they agreed without hesitation.
They knew of Dr. Liang—the top girl in their small town, with good character, a stable job, and reliable parents. They never expected that after both sides had rejected each other during the blind date, Luan Mingrui would quietly and quickly win her over.
Luan Mingcheng clicked his tongue beside him. "No wonder you wouldn’t let me say she has a bad temper!"
"She thought you were a four-eyed nerd! Does she still think that now?"
"With both of your tempers, won’t you fight every day if you live together?"
"None of your damn business," Luan Mingrui shot him a glare.
On the day Luan Mingrui and Liang Chengmin got married, the small town was exceptionally lively. No one thought they were marrying just because they were of age. Why? Just look at them standing together—they lit up the entire town. What a perfect match!
It had to be them.
Who else could it be?
Luan Mingrui secretly hooked his finger around hers, tracing a line across her palm. Liang Chengmin blushed in front of everyone but didn’t dare move, letting Luan Mingrui hold her hand in a secret, sweet gesture.
Liang Chengmin had secretly asked herself if she loved Luan Mingrui. If she didn’t, why would she marry him? The night before the wedding, she thought through their entire history and felt she had fallen into a trap Luan Mingrui had deliberately set. He was a bad man. But she didn’t care—this was the first time in her life she had ever thought so much about a man, and it felt wonderful.
Weddings in small towns were always lively, with feasts stretching down the streets. The newlyweds each wore a red flower pinned to their chests. Liang Chengmin’s hair was styled in small braids, and when she smiled, the sky seemed to clear—she looked especially beautiful.
Luan Mingrui couldn’t get enough of looking at Liang Chengmin.
He forgot to hide his affection even in front of relatives, friends, and neighbors, not caring if it might break other girls’ hearts. He simply loved watching her.
During the toasts, Luan Mingrui intentionally drank less, eventually pulling Luan Mingcheng over to cover for him. Luan Mingcheng was puzzled. "You’re getting married and won’t let me drink for you?"
"What do you know!"
Luan Mingrui was thinking about the night ahead—what kind of evening would it be if he got drunk?
When Liang Chengmin’s colleagues from the hospital came to toast her, Luan Mingrui pushed Luan Mingcheng forward again. "Our family will send one representative to drink with everyone. Liang Chengmin doesn’t handle alcohol well, and drinking too much will affect her work."
"She doesn’t have to work tomorrow," a colleague teased.Then everyone burst into laughter, understanding what the young couple was trying to avoid. Most had been through this day themselves, so they didn’t make things difficult for them. The wine was replaced with plain water, and the clinking of glasses was just as loud—as long as everyone was happy, nothing else mattered.
When it came to the evening’s wedding festivities, they were only playfully teased for a short while before everyone dispersed.
Suddenly, only the two of them were left in the room.
Liang Chengmin sat at the head of the bed, while Luan Mingrui sat at the foot, both breathing cautiously.
Outside, the window rattled slightly, and someone whispered, "Why is it so quiet?"
Luan Mingrui hated being eavesdropped on. He pushed open the window and saw a few young boys scurrying away.
He closed the window again and returned to sit at the head of the bed.
After a while, he asked Liang Chengmin, "Do you have a deep understanding of the human body?"
"Yes."
"Then study me."
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