Chapter 668 448: Our Marriage

No matter how brave one person is, their path is inevitably intertwined with the other two. Forming a family, a community of fate, is not as simple as one might imagine.

The three of them first needed a common goal.

When Chen Yuan suggested they try a three-person marital relationship, Jiangg Ning realized it seemed to be the only compromise.

After all, she had already said she would back out; she couldn't go back on her word.

But deep down, Jiangg Ning knew she would be incredibly unwilling to quit just like that.

'Maybe it's just as Chen Yuan said. To not even try, and to just arbitrarily decide everything based on my own ideas, is, in a way, irresponsible toward this relationship.'

Now, Chen Yuan had given her a way out. If Jiangg Ning refused, their three-person love affair would reach its grand finale today, ending in Jiangg Yao's absolute victory.

Remembering Yaoyao's aggressive behavior just now, Jiangg Ning knew that if she agreed to try, Yaoyao would be absolutely furious.

It wasn't out of spite.

Rather, she had to take responsibility for her own happiness.

"Just dating won't be enough. Why don't the three of us try a trial marriage?"

"A trial marriage?" Chen Yuan was taken aback for a moment, mulling over the new term.

"Marriage isn't the fairytale we imagine. It's completely different from just dating. It involves everything from the nitty-gritty of daily life to the relationships between two entire families. Most importantly, my idea of marriage might not be the same as yours, and what Yaoyao imagines might not be achievable either."

Jiangg Ning had taken the idea Chen Yuan proposed, thought it over, and now offered her own interpretation.

It was actually a more refined and comprehensive version of his idea.

"I don't quite get it. Could you explain it more clearly?"

"What's your ideal marriage like?" Jiangg Ning asked softly.

"Probably like my parents. They're each busy with their own things, but they still think of each other over small stuff, like one of them going out for a bit or if the laundry isn't done. Letting adaptation and compromise become a habit. Just thinking about the other person makes you happy for no reason. You can talk about anything instead of bottling it up, trust each other unconditionally, and be as tolerant as possible... building a wonderful home together."

Chen Yuan couldn't quite put the feelings between his adoptive parents into words.

In any case, he had always been envious of it, so he just tried his best to describe what he could remember.

Jiangg Yao, still wrapped in her blanket, propped her chin on her hand. She imagined the scene Chen Yuan was describing and thought it sounded pretty good.

"So, what's your ideal marriage like?" Chen Yuan's interest was piqued, and he stared intently at Jiangg Ning.

"It's probably about two people growing together and working hard at life. We'd each have our own goals and constantly strive for them, unconditionally supporting each other along the way. If one of us gets tired, we can find a moment of comfort with the other, to feel what it's like to have someone to lean on... In our free time, we'd go for walks, watch the ocean, and share the insights we've gained from life... Most importantly, we'd talk about our ideas for the future and work step-by-step to achieve what we want. If we have a child, we'd watch her grow up with optimism, documenting her childhood innocence as we wait to grow old."

It had to be said, Jiangg Ning's description was far more beautiful.

Through her words, the other two in the room could almost see a summer evening, a couple walking hand-in-hand along the beach, their faces lit with radiant smiles, with endless things to say to each other.

Suddenly, a cute little girl came stumbling over, her cheeks smudged with sand, calling for her mommy and daddy to wait for her.

"If that day ever came... how wonderful would that be," Chen Yuan sighed, his eyes full of longing.

"My turn," Jiangg Yao cut in eagerly. "My ideal marriage, of course, is me sleeping in, recovering from yesterday's exhaustion. Then, my dear Young Master gets up bright and early for work. After he's dressed, he'll still give me a kiss, ignoring my embarrassing drooling face as I sleep soundly. When I wake up, my phone will be filled with messages from him checking in, as if he can't stand a single second without being clingy. After we're both off work, we'll go out for good food. My dear Young Master will spoil and tolerate me more and more, play all sorts of games with me—even role-playing he can't normally stand—and we'll spend our days shamelessly—"

Before Jiangg Yao could finish, Chen Yuan walked over and clamped a hand over her mouth.

All that could be heard was her muffled "MMPH MMPH."

"Alright, we don't need to hear the details on that."

"It seems the three of us have different expectations for married life. But there's one thing we all agree on: tolerance and adjustment," Jiangg Ning analyzed calmly. "In other words, a happy marriage is built, at the very least, on a foundation of mutual compromise."

"I don't think trying to tolerate each other will be that hard. No couple in the world is a perfect match from the start," Chen Yuan said, looking at Jiangg Ning with encouragement. "Give it a shot. Let's give this relationship the resolution it deserves."

"Yaoyao, what do you think?" Jiangg Ning turned to ask for Jiangg Yao's opinion.

"Hah. So *now* you decide to ask my opinion."

"She agrees!" Chen Yuan answered for Jiangg Yao, reaching behind her back and rubbing it hard as a signal.

"Hey!" Jiangg Yao looked up, her expression complicated as she stared at Chen Yuan. After a long moment, she turned away with a cold snort.

"Then starting today, we'll see who was actually right... I'm going to wash my face. Don't worry about me, I'll be right back."

Jiangg Ning put the pillow she'd been holding back on the bed, opened the door, and went to the washroom by herself.

They waited until they heard the door click shut.

「...」

"What the hell are you doing now? If you had just listened to me, none of this would be so complicated. You just had to leave her so much room to maneuver. It's because of that 'room' that this relationship has been dragged out like this. I swear, I'm done with you."

To his surprise, before Chen Yuan even had a chance to complain, Jiangg Yao was the first to voice her dissatisfaction.

"Me?"

"Who else? You ruined my plan, don't you get it? You idiot teammate. You're such an idiot."

Chen Yuan was suddenly struck dumb.

"If I hadn't stepped in to save the day, Ningning would have given up completely, okay? Is leaving no room for negotiation a good thing?"

"What else? Didn't you agree to respect her decision? That means you should have been mentally prepared. If you didn't hit her with a strong dose of reality in that moment, just letting her watch us get engaged and married, then she'd learn the difference between being stubborn and compromising."

"That's too much of a gamble."

Chen Yuan imagined the scene according to Jiangg Yao's plan and quickly shook his head.

He couldn't bear to do that.

"You should have just trusted me. We're sisters, after all. I definitely know her better than you do. And look what happened now. It was all for nothing..."

"Then why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand?"

"If I had discussed it with you, would you have had the heart to go through with it?"