Have a baby to tie her down

Tang Mianmian's heart trembled, her palms turned sweaty, and she asked nervously, "W-What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think?" He tossed the question back to her.

That left the little lamb in a dilemma. She'd been struggling with this all night—wondering if this sudden marriage could really last. And now here he was, talking about taking it a step further.

She looked troubled and hesitantly said, "I'm not ready yet, and… you know, my period just started."

Long Yejue let out a low laugh, his gaze gentle. "You're adorable."

"…?"

What was that supposed to mean?

Did she say something wrong again?

He gave her forehead a light kiss before asking, "Ever since we got back from the capital tonight, you've seemed a bit off. Did something upset you?"

Tang Mianmian looked at him, stunned. He noticed that too?

Was she being that obvious?

"N-No," she quickly denied.

But how could someone like Long Yejue be fooled by such a clumsy lie?

He pulled her down to lie beside him, wrapping her tightly in his arms—not just to give her warmth, but to take in what he needed. He spoke slowly, "Does this marriage feel like a dream to you? Unreal?"

She nodded honestly. She hadn't expected him to hit the nail on the head—it made her feel a little awkward.

Long Yejue narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice calm and distant. "I feel the same way sometimes."

"Huh? Really?" Tang Mianmian lifted her head in surprise, finding it hard to believe.

A man like him, feeling that way?

Seeing her doubt, he pressed his forehead to hers, speaking sincerely, "Of course. I'm human too, aren't I? That's why I said we should take a real step forward."

"But…"

She didn't know exactly what felt off, but something did.

"No buts. I told you before—marrying me is a lifelong thing. If you feel uncertain or unsafe, I can make it more real. I wouldn't mind announcing your identity to the world, throwing a grand wedding, even visiting your parents…"

He listed each point one by one.

If it weren't for worrying about her ability to handle it, he would've done all of it already.

Tang Mianmian stared blankly, overwhelmed by his words.

Then Long Yejue lowered his head and whispered by her ear, "Or… we could skip to the end—have a child to tie you to me."

His hot breath burst like a bomb in her ear.

Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she instinctively tried to pull away.

But she was in his arms—where could she go?

He pulled her back in, pressing her ear to his chest where she could hear his steady, powerful heartbeat.

And yet her mind kept replaying that shocking sentence.

A baby to tie her down?

Wasn't that the tactic women used to keep a man?

How come now it was him using it?

She had no words, staying silent like a startled little turtle.

Long Yejue knew what kind of woman his wife was—there was no need to push too hard. Planting the seed and letting her think it over herself would work better than forcing it.

Weekends were always livelier at the Long family estate.

After breakfast, everyone began discussing weekend plans.

Long Ruoshui walked over to Tang Mianmian with a bright smile.

It caught her off guard.

"Sister-in-law, I'm going shopping with Wanru later. Want to come?"

Tang Mianmian glanced at Long Yejue, unsure how to answer.

But then she remembered Mo Chengyu had mentioned that Long Yejue's birthday was coming up. She definitely needed to buy him a gift, so she nodded. "Sure."

Then turned back to check with him, "Is that okay?"

Long Yejue was surprised. Though he wanted to keep her by his side 24/7, he nodded.

Long Ruoshui smiled, her eyes glinting subtly.

Back at Nianyuan, as Tang Mianmian changed into casual clothes, Long Yejue stood at the door with arms crossed, looking displeased.

His intense gaze made her uneasy. With a sigh, she turned to face him. "What? You're upset that I'm going out?"

"Of course." He admitted without shame. "It's the weekend—you should be spending all your time with me."

She laughed at his possessiveness. "Should I chain myself to you then?"

"Great idea." His eyes lit up like he was seriously considering it.

She was speechless. "You're really…"

She couldn't even find the right word for him.

"Shopping with Ruoshui, huh? Be careful not to get tricked," Long Yejue teased.

"She's your sister! Is that how you talk about your own family?" Tang Mianmian said helplessly.

"Did you bring a card? Buy whatever you like. Don't worry about my money—the more you spend, the more motivated I'll be to earn. Got it?" He ruffled her hair, full of doting affection.

Tang Mianmian smiled sweetly. "Okay, I won't hold back then."

He laughed and hugged her tightly, kissing her several times.

"Hey! I just put on lip gloss!"

"No problem. I'll fix it." He grabbed the gloss and reapplied it himself.

The soft pink color made his throat bob with desire. "Hey, how about not going out? Stay home with me."

"…You're impossible."

It took all her effort to finally escape his grasp.

When she got outside, Long Ruoshui and Su Wanru were already waiting. Ruoshui looked slightly annoyed but only muttered, "You're really hard to wait for, sis-in-law."

Tang Mianmian smiled apologetically.

Both Ruoshui and Wanru were from wealthy families, always decked out in designer brands.

Even their bags cost as much as a year's income for an average family.

Compared to them, Tang Mianmian felt out of place.

Though her clothes were designer—picked by Long Yejue—her bags and accessories were still from before, and looked cheap in contrast.

But she didn't think much of it—she was used to it.

Ruoshui drove her BMW, taking the group out of the estate.

Wanru sat in front, chatting with Ruoshui about beauty treatments, designer handbags, and jewelry.

Tang Mianmian couldn't join the conversation, so she sat in the back playing on her phone.

Wanru's sharp eyes caught sight of her phone. "Mianmian, is that the ROMMS limited edition pink diamond model? Only four in the world, worth over two million!"

Tang Mianmian almost dropped the phone in shock.

Two million?!

Even Ruoshui turned around, confirming it was the ROMMS "Love Flash" model. Her face turned green with envy. "My brother gave that to you? So unfair! I begged him for one forever and he refused. Now he just gives it to you? So biased!"

Tang Mianmian felt incredibly awkward. "I didn't even know it was that expensive…"

She now wanted to cradle the phone in her hands—she couldn't afford to drop it.

Wanru only smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

They arrived at the Meiyi Shopping Center.

It was owned by the Qi family and specialized in luxury brands.

Tang Mianmian had only window-shopped from the outside before, never dared to enter.

Seeing the other two confidently walk in, she clutched her wallet.

Even though Long Yejue gave her a card, she didn't plan to spend big. It felt more meaningful to buy a gift with her own money.

…Though she didn't have much.

"Come on, sis-in-law!" Ruoshui urged.

Tang Mianmian followed hesitantly, while Wanru exchanged a look and smirk with Ruoshui.

Tang Mianmian soon witnessed how rich people shopped.

Ruoshui didn't even check the price tags—just pointed at everything, rejecting only a few, and buying the rest.

Tang Mianmian's heart ached watching it.

How much does that cost?!

While they weren't looking, she peeked at the price of a single dress…

So. Many. Digits.

"Mianmian, why aren't you trying anything on? This dress suits you," Wanru said, holding up a wool dress.

She quickly shook her head and added, "No need. I have a lot of new clothes at home."

"Isn't that the point of shopping? To buy something?"

"No, really. Long Yejue already bought me tons of clothes. I haven't even worn them all yet—it'd be a waste to buy more."

Wanru raised a brow. "Don't tell me… it's because you don't have money?"

"What? Didn't my brother give you any?" Ruoshui emerged from the fitting room, clearly enjoying the show.

They both assumed that even if she was married, she'd only get a tiny allowance.

"No, no! He gave me a card—it's just that I don't think I need anything." Tang Mianmian hurried to clarify, afraid they'd misunderstand.

"A card?" Ruoshui was surprised. "What kind?"

"I… I don't know. It's black…"

A black card?!

That stung. She had once suspected it was some kind of sugar-daddy gesture, and now she worried that they might think so too.

But both girls froze.

A black card meant unlimited spending. Even as heiresses, they couldn't get one themselves.

They were ready to mock her—yet she had that?

It was like getting slapped hard in the face.

Wanru recovered first, forcing a smile. "Since you've got the card, what are you waiting for? Buy something you like."

"I already like what he bought me," Tang Mianmian said honestly.

They weren't just expensive—they were also stylish and tailored to her perfectly.

She meant it as an explanation.

But to the two women, it sounded like showing off.

Wanru clenched her fist, her eyes darkening as she put the dress back.

Ruoshui lost her shopping spirit too. Eyeing Tang Mianmian's handbag, she said, "Let's go look at bags. Yours doesn't even have a label. That thing's probably worthless. Embarrassing to carry around with my brother."