Chapter 37 Zhenge? Husband?

Chapter 37 Brother Zheng? Husband? Song Ni brought up the wedding during a dinner with both families, and as expected, it was met with opposition from both sides. The Song family felt that a wedding was a very important event for a woman, while the Tan family believed that not holding one would be unfair to Song Ni. However, Song Ni was adept at handling elders, and since it was only a temporary postponement of the wedding, the matter was settled under her persuasion. The date for the couple to get their marriage certificate was also set at the dinner table. One auspicious date was in October, and another in November. These were auspicious dates calculated separately by Madam Song and Madam Tan. The choice between them was left to Song Ni and Tan Zheng. Song Ni chose the latter, November 16th, wanting to enjoy more days of single, free girlhood. Tan Zheng naturally had no objections. After the dinner, Song Ni felt uncharacteristically melancholic. Who would have thought that she would be a wife so soon? "It must be because you're too old, that's why they're rushing to get the certificate," Tan Zheng: ... The more Song Ni thought about it, the more depressed she became, and she took her frustrations out on Tan Zheng. The man glanced at the slightly agitated Song Ni, figuring she was still a young girl studying and didn't intend to argue. Then Song Ni pushed her luck. "Uncle Tan, is this what they call an old ox gnawing on young grass? No, I'm young flower." "Hey, there's nothing I can do with an old man. Thirty means it's time to settle down and establish a career, you can't keep delaying it." Tan Zheng: ... "Song Ni." The man's voice was lowered, but Song Ni didn't notice, indifferently replying, "What?" "I remember you're almost 24, and I'm only six years older than you. Stop calling me an old man." Hearing this, Song Ni raised an eyebrow at Tan Zheng. "So it's not just women who care about age, men do too." Listening to her sarcastic tone, Tan Zheng's chest heaved with annoyance, and he frowned irritably. "Know when to stop, Song Ni. I won't always indulge you." If it were the Tan Zheng of six years ago, he would have kicked Song Ni out of the car. Song Ni was also proud, and when Tan Zheng's tone turned unpleasant, she didn't put on a good face either. It wasn't until a phone call broke the somewhat stiff atmosphere. It was Tan Zheng's phone. The man glanced at it; it was a call from the club. He picked it up and inadvertently switched to speakerphone. The manager's voice came through, "Brother Tan, the race cars you asked me to prepare are ready. They've been maintained all these years and are as good as ever. When are you coming over? The young guys at the club are all incredibly excited to hear you're going to race with them." Hearing this, Song Ni forgot her annoyance with Tan Zheng and sat up straight, listening intently to the situation. Tan Zheng glanced at her. Seeing her ears pricked up, listening to their conversation, a large part of his irritation vanished. Why should he argue with a young girl? It was true, someone who was supposed to be studying and was now arranged to marry someone six years her senior was bound to get upset. However, he still needed to correct her habit of calling him an old man. So, the man said coldly, his voice thin, "No race. Put the cars back." The manager on the other end was bewildered. Tan Zheng had never gone back on his word. What was going on? The person eavesdropping on the phone protested loudly, "Don't, Brother Tan, you can't go back on your word!" "We're all waiting here! Brother Tan, this is really disloyal of you." "Brother Tan, if you don't come and race, we quit!" "Yeah, not only will we quit, but we'll smash your beloved cars!" ... The club was full of young men who loved racing. They got along well with Tan Zheng and saw him as a brother, their elder brother, so they dared to speak like that. But Tan Zheng said coolly, "Who gave you the audacity to be so presumptuous in front of me?" Tan Zheng, when he indulged people, seemed approachable, but when he decided not to, he exuded an unspoken authority. Just one sentence could quell the arrogance of those impetuous young men. Song Ni heard the silence from the other end of the phone and felt anxious. Seeing Tan Zheng's demeanor, she truly believed he wasn't going to race. "How can you go back on your word? You said you would do what you promised." Hearing this, Tan Zheng lazily raised his eyelids to look at Song Ni. On the other end, hearing a woman's voice caused an uproar. The man, annoyed by their clamor, hung up the phone. Song Ni pursed her lips, staring at Tan Zheng. "I asked you before, and I gave you a chance. You said you would do it." Tan Zheng leaned back against the chair, shifted his gaze away from Song Ni, took out a cigarette, and lit it slowly, taking a drag. Song Ni had never been left hanging like this before. Tan Zheng used to say what he meant. "Hey, are you going to race or not?" Tan Zheng flicked the ash from his cigarette. "My name isn't 'Hey'." After a pause, he turned his head to look at her. "And I'm not an old man." Song Ni: ... She understood. So this person was still bothered by that. Such a grown man, no, an old man, could be so petty! Song Ni's anger flared up quickly and dissipated just as quickly. Besides, she had no objections to the marriage; it was just a temporary bout of bad mood. "Then are you going to race or not?" Song Ni pondered for a moment and called out, "Brother Zheng?" Tan Zheng's hand paused, his eyes narrowed as he took a drag, exhaling a beautiful smoke ring. His mood, like the smoke ring, swirled with the wind. Seeing that he remained silent, Song Ni thought he was still unsatisfied with the title and lowered her head to ponder for a moment. "Husband?" Tan Zheng's hand trembled, ash falling onto his hand and burning him. The stinging sensation made his heart itch. Seeing that he still hadn't reacted, Song Ni became impatient. "You should know when to stop too. We're not married yet, and you're already trying to take advantage of me." Tan Zheng extinguished the cigarette and looked at Song Ni. "I said, I'll do what I promised." Song Ni rolled her eyes. "Then why did you say that on the phone just now?" As she spoke, Song Ni also realized something was amiss and looked up at Tan Zheng. She saw an unconcealable smile in his eyes. "I was teasing you." Song Ni: ... Damn it! She had been tricked by Tan Zheng! Tan Zheng felt cheerful and laughed heartily. "When do you want to go to the club?" Song Ni glared at him fiercely. "Today." Tan Zheng raised an eyebrow, showing no surprise. "Alright." It was a good day, after all. Since it was Tan Zheng's return to racing after five years, Song Ni called Qin Yang. When Qin Yang heard about it, she couldn't believe it and asked several times. Song Ni patiently replied several times because she knew that for a fan, seeing their idol return to the track was a momentous occasion. Fearing Qin Yang wouldn't believe her, she handed the phone directly to Tan Zheng. "Say something to her." Tan Zheng glanced at her and, as she wished, greeted Qin Yang. Then, Song Ni, expertly, hung up the phone before Qin Yang could scream. (End of chapter)