PEN DOWN A MARRIAGE: CHAPTER 11.2

Sorry Greaders… momma’s been busy… I’ll try and be regular from today onwards.

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Under high commands order, Xi Jin shoved her phone inside her designer handbag, and walked towards a solitary bench near the cherry blossom trees.

The soft, snow-like cherry trees stood out, looking tall and beautiful. New green leaves sprouted under the wilting pink flowers on their delicate dark branches. In the blink of an eye, the retreating spring welcomed an early summer.

Xi Jin couldn’t help but enjoy this lovely surrounding in her own solitary space.

Since childhood, Xi Jin was different from the other girls. In Hu Mei’s words, she was a ‘too-boring’. Her undying love for writing novels established her weird personality as an occupational hazard.

There were times when Xi Jin’s anxiousness and nervousness ranged from being a high voltage electric current, to being like static frizz on puffy hair. But, mostly she stayed calm and content, enjoying life all by herself. 

While watching the distant figure of his family’s little wife from his car, Mu Tian’s frown deepened. In his heart, he felt rather weak and unhappy that his little kitten looked so lonely and lost, gazing at those spring flowers.

Originally, Mu Tian’s meeting had been scheduled for half a month, but he hurriedly returned home, within the first week of his trip, to be with his little drunk kitten. Though his actions were new and strange, seeing her again, he subconsciously knew that his desire to be with her was rather instinctual and natural.

Undoubtedly, Mu Tian was a rational, cold, and arrogant man, who never saw himself as a man who’d fall in love at first sight. The probability of him falling in love was near-zero, especially when the object of his desire turned out to be a simple little girl. But, his undying insistence on marrying her after their first meeting itself, completely surprised him, and failed to control his unreasoned desire.

The idea of marriage with Xi Jin, was undeniably the most exciting thing he had ever encountered. So, he tried every trick in his book, to marry her and take her home. Even if she did not love him, it didn’t bother him because he wasn’t ready to love her either. So, it was only a fair deal between them.

But, when he heard Xi Jin clearly declare that she didn’t love him, he could barely hide his disappointment. Since he was quite unhappy, he didn’t suppress his urge to win her heart over, and decided to make her fall madly in love with him. He wanted her to love him, even if their relationship in the future was unsure.

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As a tall silhouette over-shadowed her from the front, Xi Jin raised her head slightly surprised. A pair of intense deep eyes caught her attention. The face of the man she had been waiting for, looked luminescent as the sunlight filtered through the branches of the cherry trees. Her man looked handsome beyond reason, and his usually stern face could not hide his potent charm.

Suddenly, a hint of sadness consumed her thoughts. Why did this man treat her so well, when in reality she meant nothing to him at all.

Seeing Xi Jin lost in an admiring daze, Mu Tian couldn’t help but feel proud and happy about himself. He tenderly scooped her up in his arms and hugged her closely. Showering her with sweet feather-light kisses, he finally teased her, “What’s with the silly look..huh? *tch..tch* Within a week you’ve forgotten your good-looking husband?”

Husband!!? Xi Jin flushed rosy pink in embarrassment as she couldn’t get used to this word, although they had been married for months.

Reading her adorable pink face, Mu Tian embraced her closely walking her back to their car. Once seated comfortably, he ordered old Liu to drive them straight to the airport.

Puzzled by his instruction, Xi Jin softly asked, “Airport!? Why…?”

With a unusually warm expression, he smiled, “I’m taking you to the mountains for a few days to relax. Think of it as a weekend trip. Later, when I’ll get considerable time-off from work, we’ll go to Europe for our honeymoon.”

Feeling rather silly, Xi Jin leaned deeper in his chest wondering how a man could talk about vacationing abroad, like visiting her neighbourhood. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the thought.

Upon reaching their destination, Xi Jin felt breathless. The traditional Chinese styled holiday villa stood out magnificently at the foothills of the picturesque mountains. The ancient charm of the villa, with its exquisite courtyard, outclassed the modernity of the present era.The breathtaking landscape of the courtyard, with its beautiful classical gardens, rock formations, and lotus ponds, circulated a calm and peaceful energy that could help any couple to cultivate their feelings leisurely.

As each day passes, Xi Jin felt more strongly that Mu Tian resembled a ancient hermit, whose emotions flowed around her like a meandering mountain river. Each day, he dressed himself in light coloured, loose-fitting garments, as he readied himself his to either drink tea under the shade of a large tree, or patiently fish at the lake or the lotus pond.. He also spent tedious hours at teaching Xi Jin to play chess patiently, even if she was reluctant to play along.

Spending time at the Mu Tian’s holiday villa, Xi Jin felt that their stay reminded her of god’s eternal heaven. Life at the mountains, away from the city’s hustle-bustle, was very calm and relaxing. With each passing day, its beauty and charm made her reluctant to leave this safe haven. But, she sighed in defeat when she realised how expensive it was to maintain and be raised in a place like this.

Undoubtedly, the two of them felt more harmonies and happy as they spent their days together. Inseparable from each other, the traces of their indulgence lingered around the villa… from their bedroom, to the carpets and tables in the various rooms, couches, bathing rooms, etc… everything hinted at their uninhibited, intimate relationship.

In the tranquility of the mountain villa, Xi Jin couldn’t help but notice the slight change in Mu Tian since they entered the place. The cold hostility in his eyes was replaced by a look of warmth and comfort that was never seen before. This inevitably made her simple heart erratic.

She, even, wondered whether she was capable of resisting her husband’s emotional willingness to move forward in their relationship, if he ever told her so. 

But, even if they were unwilling to shed their emotional baggage from their past relationships, they were somehow happier continuing their sexual relationship, even if they ignored how they truly felt about each other…

On their way home, Xi Jin couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about spending so many peaceful days together. Mu Tian sensing her mood, chose to coax her, “Once we get the time, we’ll definitely come back here.”

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Coming back to reality, Mu Tian immediately got busy with his work. Since Xi Jin did not like staying at the villa, Mu Tian too, moved in the their city apartment with her. The couple gradually settled into their normal married life, and seemed blissful.

Nearly half a month later, Mu Tian got bulldozed by a mountain-load of work that had piled up because of him handling two giant corporations. Shaking his head in dismay, he couldn’t believe what the old folk said was true. Women were trouble! Who knew that taking Xi Jin out to play for the weekend would turn into a mini-vacation for a week.

Being busy for the entire day, Mu Tian handed some signed documents over, and checked the time. Oh, it’s time to go home, he thought feeling faintly excited. But, unexpectedly, his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar looking man, who whined pitifully,

“Brother-in-law, please drink with me tonight. I need to fall out of love…”

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T/N: So, our dear RFL doesn’t know about XMT & XXJ yet. Nice! I smell trouble in paradise already. Anyway, the first time I read about XMT’s determination for XXJ to fall in love with him, I really felt like he was border-line psychotic. But, then I remembered I’ve done something like this too before. There was this terrible guy who I absolutely disliked in college, but a common friend later told me that he disliked me more, so I took it pretty hard on my ego and went on a scheming rampage trying to date him. Of course, it didn’t end too well because he never gave in. *Sighhh….* But, I was 18 then, and Mu Tian’s 36… So, presently, I’m at least more mature than him!! (ANYWAY, I’LL ADD THIS NOW, DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE, I DID PRETTY STUPID THINGS IN MY TEENS)

 XOXO