Chapter 6 — The Salted Fish's Marriage

His voice was slightly husky as he whispered, "Look at me." Beneath the soft glow of the lamp, his eyes were as deep and fathomless as the ocean, reflecting my silhouette clearly, brimming with boundless affection.

The next morning, I woke up wrapped in a warm embrace. Thuyen Mac Nghiem was still fast asleep, resting quietly beside me. His long eyelashes cast delicate shadows beneath his eyes, and his usual aloof expression had vanished, replaced by an extraordinary gentleness. Thuyen Phu and Chieu Tai lay on either side of our pillows, dead to the world as they slumbered. The scene was breathtakingly peaceful. Just as I lay there in a daze, Thuyen Mac Nghiem fluttered his eyelashes and opened his eyes. Our gazes met, but instead of looking the least bit embarrassed, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Mr. Thuyen," I replied with a smile.

He pulled me closer, nuzzling gently into the crook of my neck like a lazy cat. "Niem Niem, let me ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"When you named the cat Thuyen Phu, was it really just because you wanted supreme wealth and prosperity?" He still seemed somewhat preoccupied with this mystery.

"Well, of course," I nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why else would it be?"

He fell silent for a moment before letting out a low chuckle. The deep vibration resonated right through our pressed-together skin, sending a ticklish shiver down my spine. "I actually thought..."

"Thought what?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Nothing at all." He tightened his arms around me, pulling me even closer. "From now on, the two of us will achieve supreme wealth and prosperity together."

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, scattering sparkling motes of light across the bedroom. I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, my soul overflowing with tranquility. It turned out that the "salted fish" lifestyle I had always yearned for was never about lying flat and doing nothing all by myself. Rather, it was about finding someone willing to lie flat right beside you—someone to love and be loved by, idling away the rest of our lives in the laziest, most comfortable way possible.

A few months later, Thuyen Mac Nghiem invited his close friend, Chu Tu Uong, over to the house. When Chu Tu Uong saw Thuyen Mac Nghiem assembling an elaborate, high-end cat tree in the living room for Thuyen Phu and Chieu Tai, and then turned to see me leisurely sipping afternoon tea nearby, his expression was that of a man who had just seen a ghost.

"He's lost his mind. Absolutely out of his mind." He leaned in close to my ear, lowering his voice. "Sister-in-law, what kind of potion did you feed this guy? The ultimate iceberg of the entertainment industry has turned into a model twenty-four-filial-husband?"

I took a sip of my rose black tea and simply smiled without answering. Hearing this from across the room, Thuyen Mac Nghiem turned around and shot him an ice-cold glare.

"Too loud."

Chu Tu Uong instantly shrank his neck back, not daring to utter another peep. Thuyen Mac Nghiem tightened the final screw, dusted off his hands, and walked over to sit beside me. He naturally picked up a piece of tiramisu from my plate and took a bite.

"Too sweet," he evaluated.

"And yet you're still eating it?" I raised an eyebrow.

"If you feed it to me, it won't be sweet anymore." He looked at me with deadpan seriousness, then opened his mouth in anticipation.

I was speechless.

Beside us, Chu Tu Uong's jaw practically hit the floor. With a helpless sigh, I picked up a fork, speared a piece of cake, and shoved it straight into his mouth, accompanying the gesture with a withering glare. He narrowed his eyes, his expression a mixture of arrogance and absolute satisfaction.

That evening, as I was scrolling through my phone in the bedroom, I unexpectedly discovered that a certain online post—one that had long since gone quiet—had new activity. Intrigued, I tapped on it, only to find that it wasn't an update from Thuyen Mac Nghiem. Instead, some netizen had dug up the old thread, hailing it as "the funniest romance story of the year." The comment section had already surpassed ten thousand replies.

[I've re-read this N times, and I laugh my head off every single time. This couple is so sweet it'll give you cavities!]

[I wonder how the two of them are doing now? I'm begging for a side story!]

[Are Thuyen Phu and Chieu Tai still healthy? Is the legendary beast couple still doing well?]

As I was reading with great amusement, Thuyen Mac Nghiem pressed up against my back, resting his chin on my shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

"Looking at the records of your monumental about-face." I turned the screen toward him.

The moment he saw those familiar lines of text, his ears turned bright red. "Delete it." He reached out to snatch my phone away.

I chuckled and dodged out of his reach. "Not deleting it. This is our token of love."

Helpless, he had no choice but to surrender. "Niem Niem," he called out softly.

"What?"

"Let's revise article three of our agreement."

It took me a moment of cognitive pause to remember: article three of those original one hundred and eight rules was the one stating that neither of us was allowed to develop feelings.

"Revise it to what?"

He fell silent for a few seconds before leaning in close to my ear. In a voice meant only for the two of us, he spoke each word with deliberate clarity: "To love each other for all eternity."

Outside the window, the gentle moonlight poured down. Inside the room, love quietly filled every corner. I looked at the starlight shining in his eyes, smiled, and leaned up to kiss his lips.

Agreed, Mr. Thuyen. Our promise is made for life.