Little Pink Starfish

As Long As I Like My Wife

Gu Xinglang first raised his hand to cover his face, but quickly regained composure. He looked up at Yu Xiaoxiao and said, “If you want to smash it, then smash it. Once you’re done, we’ll go home.”

…Was it really okay to say things like that?

Hearing Gu Xinglang’s words—with zero bottom line—everyone, including Jingmo, struggled to keep their expressions under control.

Yu Xiaoxiao, given the green light, hurled the gate straight at Zhao Qiuming.

Zhao Second Young Master hugged his father and rolled away across the floor. It wasn’t dignified, but rolling was at least fast—ideal for escaping flying gates.

“Let’s go,” Yu Xiaoxiao said to Gu Xinglang.

No one in the group even looked back as they casually strolled out of the Zhao estate. Whether it was the Gu family’s guards or Jingmo’s men, everyone made a silent decision the moment the iron door flew: We saw nothing. Zhao Qiuming’s fate has nothing to do with us.

Jingmo said a word to one of his attendants.

The guard ran back to the wine shop and soon returned with a luxury carriage.

Jingmo said to Yu Xiaoxiao, “You and the prince consort should take this back.”

Yu Xiaoxiao eyed the carriage. Beaded curtains on the windows, carved decorations on the body—this was a high-end ride.

“Go ahead,” Jingmo added in a low voice. “Your night-robe is inside. If you like the carriage, you can keep it too.”

“You’re giving me the carriage?” Yu Xiaoxiao was stunned. This man, the rumored lover of the tyrant empress, was being way too generous. Even toward that terrifying woman, he had never been this kind!

“I already gave it to you,” Jingmo said indifferently. “You’ve got a lot of jewels stored with me, remember?”

Ah—right! Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered. She was a rich woman! She even saw one of Jingmo’s bedroom dramas that night. Come to think of it, she’d always been loaded!

Gu Xinglang didn’t want to ride in Jingmo’s carriage. But looking at his wife in her thin clothing—what mattered more, pride or his wife? No question. So Gu Xinglang gave a look, and two guards carried him up into the carriage. Sitting inside, he called out, “Princess, let’s go home.”

“I’ll come deliver it to you tomorrow,” Yu Xiaoxiao told Jingmo, referring to something she didn’t specify—but she was smiling with delight now that she remembered she was rich.

It was rare for Jingmo to see any emotion on her face, and it stirred something inside him. “Shall I send the jewels to the Gu estate for you?” he asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao almost nodded. But then she thought of Xiao Liu, who still needed Jingmo to raise him. Jingmo had to return and fight for the throne. No money, no chance.

Jingmo saw her smile turn into a frown and asked, “You don’t trust me?”

Yu Xiaoxiao sighed. “You’ll need a lot of money back home. Keep the jewels and use them.”

“Princess?”

“I believe you can become emperor,” she said sincerely. “So work hard.”

Jingmo looked stunned for a moment, then smiled. He raised his hand to pat her shoulder—but remembered Gu Xinglang was right there. He retracted it and simply nodded. “Alright.”

I’m amazing, Yu Xiaoxiao thought. Didn’t even take the jewels. So noble. Still hurts though. How do I stop this pain in my wallet?

The carriage rolled down the street. Jingmo stood at the Zhao estate gate, watching it for a long time.

His attendants dared not speak. Don’t tell me our master’s really fallen for Princess Linglong…?

Inside the carriage, Gu Xinglang pulled Yu Xiaoxiao into his arms.

Yu Xiaoxiao sighed. “Did I go too far being so wasteful? Those jewels filled whole boxes!”

Gu Xinglang chuckled. “I’ll never let you go hungry. Not this lifetime.”

Yu Xiaoxiao gave a soft “mm” and said, “Little Gu, I won’t let you go hungry either.”

Gu Xinglang kissed the top of her head.

“That door was made of wood,” Yu Xiaoxiao added. “Really light.”

Gu Xinglang opened his mouth, thinking: It didn’t look like wood at all…

“Why would Zhao’s estate use such a flimsy door?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked, doing her best to cover up how she managed to lift a multi-hundred-pound gate with one hand.

Gu Xinglang thought for a while, then said, “Zhao Qiuming’s arrogant. Thought no one would dare cross him, so he put up a cheap door for show.”

Yu Xiaoxiao…

Who’s gonna believe that?!

“You’re my wife,” Gu Xinglang said as he hugged her tighter. “Whether you’re strong or weak, you’re still my wife.”

“Then do you like strong ones or weak ones?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

“Strong,” he answered without hesitation.

Yu Xiaoxiao felt all her worries melt away. As long as my Little Gu likes it. She stretched her neck and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m strong.”

Gu Xinglang laughed, showing his teeth, and leaned down to kiss her lips. So what if she was freakishly strong? He didn’t care. She was his wife. In a general’s household, having a strong wife—what’s the problem?

Outside the carriage, the second-in-command called, “Princess? Princess?”

Yu Xiaoxiao wanted to answer, but Gu Xinglang’s tongue was still in her mouth.

The second-in-command, not hearing a response after several calls, tried again. “Princess, we left a girl on someone’s roof. Are we just abandoning her?”

That finally got Gu Xinglang to reluctantly end the kiss. “Girl?”

“Oh,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “A chubby girl. Second-in-command’s future wife.”

“She’s not! Not my wife!” the man yelled from outside.

Gu Xinglang lifted the beaded curtain and saw the man being carried by two guards. “What happened?”

“I’ll go get the girl,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, leaping from the carriage and landing on a wall without touching the ground.

The second-in-command then explained to Gu Xinglang how he met the girl.

After hearing the story, Gu Xinglang thought for a while and asked, “Why did you run with her?”

“Huh?” the man blinked, confused.

“You didn’t know her,” Gu Xinglang said. “Why did you drag her along to flee?”

Oh right… the second-in-command thought. I dragged this girl along, running and carrying her the whole time—what the heck was I doing?!