This Marriage Is Worth the Trouble

"Wanna tell me what's bothering you?" Shen Yi popped the question that was bugging him ever since his wife came back with a dejected expression on her face. His hand rubbed up and down on her spine.

Lu Xinyi snuggled closer to him with a sigh while he laid his cheek at the top of her head, her scent deeply engraved in his mind.

"I heard your conversation with your brother. I didn't know that was the real reason between the feud of our families." Lu Xinyi confessed, but she didn't have enough courage to tell him she was overwhelmed with what her husband stated to his younger brother. Shen Yi was willing to fight for her just to stay with her, and it nearly brought her to her knees and cry.

Shen Yi stiffened for a moment before his body relaxed.

"Grammie will understand. You don't have to worry about it."

"But still…"

"No buts. The only thing you should do right now is to study hard and pass those exams." Shen Yi reminded her. There was no point in thinking about what happened in the past. Just like what he'd told Xue, Lu Xinyi had nothing to do with it.

Lu Xinyi sat up and covered her bare chest with the blanket. Her eyes tried to see if her husband wasn't bothered by their situation.

"Yi, I don't want to cause trouble for you and for your family." Her eyes welled up. If there was something she didn't want to happen, it was for Shen Yi to get hurt just because he chose to be with her.

Shen Yi's eyes blazed with intense emotion and something that Lu Xinyi couldn't point out. His hand lifted up to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears that run down her face.

"You called me by my name." The corners of his mouth turned up while Lu Xinyi's brows knitted in confusion. He was happy about that?

"That's the first time you said my name," Shen Yi answered her unspoken question.

Flush crept up into Lu Xinyi's face when she noticed. Taking a deep breath, she leaned on his palm and held his hand closer.

"Then what should we do?" she asked. As his wife, she should obey and respect Shen Yi's decision. They were a team now, and eventually, their marriage would have to face some problems in the future.

"I decided to introduce you to Grammie soon. It's better for her to learn the truth from me than hear the rumors from other people." Shen Yi pulled his wife to his chest and twirled a lock of her hair in one hand. "Grammie is an open-minded person, but what she hates the most is being left in the dark. It may take some time for her to accept you, but we need to prove that this marriage is worth the trouble."

"Why are you so good to me?" Lu Xinyi choked back her tears. Shen Yi was doing more than enough for her, and yet she felt she wasn't doing her share.

"Don't you still understand, Xinyi?" Shen Yi asked, taking his wife's hand and placing it on the top of his chest, letting her feel the loud and steady beat of his heart. "Because of this." His eyes met hers, silently hoping she would see how much she meant to him.

Lu Xinyi threw her arms around her husband and wailed. She couldn't believe how lucky she was meeting and marrying someone like him. When Gong Yijun cheated on her with Meng Jiao, didn't she promise that she will never dare to love again? Since then, she lost her faith in love.

"You always know what to say, don't you?" She let herself to be encased in his arms. They had three months left before knowing whether they would have to part with each other or not. Passing the exam in Silver Leaf could mean one step closer to her dreams, but she knew perfectly well she couldn't stay away from him for too long.

Not now. Not ever.

"Of course not." Shen Yi plastered a smirk on his handsome face.

"If ever I make it to Silver Leaf, I promise I will be the best pastry chef in the country!" Lu Xinyi declared, determination twinkled in her brown eyes.

"Not the whole world?" He beamed, liking the way how she smiled back at him.

"No, you're my world, but I'll conquer each one at a time." Lu Xinyi laughed, her fingers reaching to trace his jaw and cheek. "I will work hard for you. Until I can stand beside you in public with honor and dignity. Until we're on the same level and enough to be acknowledged and seen as Mrs. Shen."

Shen Yi didn't respond, but his eyes were glowing with happiness from her words. He let his wife snuggle comfortably next to him, the silence surrounding them comforting, lulling her to her slumber.

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AUTHOR'S ANNOUNCEMENT

Webnovel informed me that this novel will go premium soon and the succeeding chapters will be locked with a paywall.

So what could this be mean?

Starting on Friday, you will have to use spirit stones (either free or paid) to unlock the chapters. I know I said before that it might take 200 chapters but the popularity and the overwhelming support for this novel surprised me and the Webnovel.

By making the next chapters premium, I will be allowed to earn something from my novel that could help me financially. As you know, I decided to quit my real life job to give a three month trial for full time writing and see if it can support me. I hope that you will still support this novel even if it goes premium.

For those who will drop this novel, thank you very much for being part of this journey. I do hope I can still see you in my next novels. For those who will stay, thank you. I'll do my best to make sure you will get the worth of the ss you will spend.

So how much ss do you need to unlock each chapter?

Each chapter will cost 4 to 5 ss to unlock them. No more, no less.

Again, thank you so much for supporting this novel. You have given me much more than I asked for. Sometimes, I feel bad because I couldn't give you more chapters that you all deserved.

I also have to thank Akinnah, a reader I met during the PH Fan Meeting Event who convinced me to continue writing Little Miss Devil, if it isn't for her this novel will be left dropped and unfinished. I cannot believe how happy she is when she told me that she loved LMD even if it only had 5 chapters at the time. And to my friends who helped me and knew that I was on the brink on giving up writing webnovels because of the heartache I received from some readers, telling me not to give up without a fight, my heart is with you.

xoxo,

anjee