Chapter Thirty: Pursuing Vivi

Ever since leaving the space, Zixuan had become obsessed with television. Although he persisted in entering the space to cultivate every night, by day he would always emerge punctually, refusing to budge from the TV for even a moment. Nothing could lure him away, not even meals, unless Tang Wei lost her temper—only then would he grudgingly dash to the dining room, wolf down a few bites, and race back to the television at lightning speed.

Alas! One must admit, television programs these days are truly harmful! No matter which channel you tune in to, there’s always something about love and romance. Since he called Tang Wei “my dear wife” and received a swollen lump on his head for his trouble, today Zixuan had done something even more amusing. He had run into the space, cut a large armful of roses that Tang Wei had been preparing to sell at her flower shop, and delivered them to her room, grandly proclaiming it a “pursuit of love.”

At that moment, Tang Wei was laughing as she watched the twins roll over for the first time, when suddenly a huge, untrimmed bouquet of roses appeared before her, presented by a hopeful Zixuan. She sighed and asked in exasperation, “What are you up to now? I was going to sell those at the flower shop—could you please stop making a mess of things?”

Zixuan, holding the roses aloft with both hands, answered eagerly, “I’m wooing you! Even though you’re my fiancée by arrangement between our fathers, I know you don’t like it that way, so you refuse to acknowledge me in your heart. That’s why I’m courting you, so you’ll willingly become my girlfriend. Then we’ll get married, have two little babies, and live happily ever after—just like on TV!”

Tang Wei looked helpless. “It’s not as if I don’t acknowledge you. I’ve no idea what kind of weird formation your father used, putting two babies in my belly so I don’t even know where they came from, tying our fates together. How could I possibly deny you? I had no intention of marrying anyone in this life, but since I’ve been set up, I accept it—I can’t escape anyway. So please, stop making such a fuss!”

“Exactly! That’s just it. Deep down, you don’t want to be my wife at all, so I have to pursue you! On TV, if two people get married without being in love, they argue every day. I don’t want to fight with you! So I’ll do my best to make you fall in love with me!” Zixuan spoke as if it were all perfectly reasonable, his face shining with the innocence of a dreamer.

“Quit dreaming. I’ll never fall in love with you. Just focus on your cultivation. If, in the future, you find someone you truly love, I’ll graciously bow out. If you never do, I’ll make do. That’s that. If you keep pestering me, I’ll give you another lump on your head!” Tang Wei shoved him out, muttering a few more complaints after she’d closed the door, before turning back to play with the twins struggling to roll over on the bed.

Banished from the room, Zixuan trudged downstairs, dejected, tossing the roses aside as he went. He muttered to himself, “Failed again. I’ll try again tomorrow. For now, I’ll go and learn some more from my seniors.” With that, his eyes lit up as he dashed back to the television.

The next day, at the same time, in the same place, the same people repeated the same scene. Staring at the fresh roses before her, Tang Wei felt a sudden urge to hit someone. “Wang Zixuan, one more time and I’ll lose my temper! You waste a huge bunch of my roses every day just to disgust me!”

Zixuan replied with exaggerated caution, “I’m not Wang Zixuan—just Zixuan. And you haven’t agreed to be my girlfriend yet, so I have to persevere. As long as I give you flowers and care for you every day, I believe I’ll eventually touch your heart.”

“You blockhead, Zixuan is Wang Zixuan, so keep this up and I’ll call you Wang Zixuan from now on! And who told you that giving flowers every day would move me?” Tang Wei inwardly cursed whoever had given him this rotten idea, determined to find them and give them a good beating so they’d never dare suggest anything so nauseating again.

“It’s what they do on TV! So, have I moved you yet? The wisdom of my predecessors is that persistent suitors win the lady’s heart, so I’ll stick to it. No matter if you hit or scold me, I’ll brave all hardships, press forward with determination, striving tirelessly, unwavering through wind and waves, steady at the helm…” he declared, full of lofty passion, going on and on about his resolution.

Tang Wei’s head throbbed as she listened. What kind of person was he? She almost wanted to die. At first, she’d been sure Tang Jun was the culprit—after all, the two of them had been getting along famously lately.

But it turned out he’d gotten it from television. She couldn’t exactly smash the TV to vent her anger—that would just earn her a scolding from her mother. So, fuming, she snapped, “What kind of ridiculous phrases are you picking up? The whole point of letting you watch TV was so you’d learn about the outside world, adapt to life. But all you’ve done is learn to chase girls! If you want to chase someone, fine, but how dare you pester me! We’ll see how I deal with you!” With that, she dashed in front of Zixuan and gave him two hard knocks on the head.

Zixuan stood tall, acting as if nothing could harm him, and recited with great dignity, “Even if you hit me, I must persist. Even if you give me ten lumps on my head, I won’t back down. They say hitting is affection and scolding is love. No hitting, no affection, no love. So these lumps are just the beginning of my success.” He clutched the roses tightly, chin held high.

Tang Wei looked at his foolish bravado, torn between laughter and exasperation. She could neither scold nor hit him anymore, and could only sigh and look up at him. “Fine, you win! From now on, I’m your girlfriend. Willingly, even! Now, are you satisfied? Can you go downstairs now?”

“Really?” As soon as he heard this, Zixuan tossed the roses onto a nearby chair and, trembling with excitement, grabbed her hand as if to confirm.

“Of course! Now it’s settled—can you go downstairs now?” she replied, dragging Zixuan toward the door.

But Zixuan stood his ground, brimming with excitement. “So we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now? Then let’s kiss! That’s what couples do, and then we can…”

The word “kiss” was enough to turn Tang Wei’s face green. She was about to lose her mind. Unable to bear it, she cut him off with a furious roar, “Zixuan, are you looking for trouble? So you didn’t just learn how to court someone, but also all this nonsense! I’ll… I’ll…”

She looked around, and spotting a broom by the door, she grabbed it and started whacking Zixuan with real force. He hopped around the room, yelping, “Weiwei, stop! Please, no more! I don’t want to kiss, I don’t want to kiss! Just put it down!”

Hearing the word “kiss” only fueled Tang Wei’s anger, and she swatted him even harder, muttering, “That’s what you get for learning bad things, picking up all these crooked tricks!”

The twins on the bed were so frightened by the commotion that they started to cry. Seizing the opportunity, Zixuan darted out the door and shouted as he ran downstairs, “Auntie, save me! Weiwei’s going to beat me to death!” If not for the occasional glint of cunning in his eyes, anyone would have thought him a fool.

Afraid that Zixuan would say something outrageous, Tang Wei glanced at the still-crying twins. She wanted to give chase but couldn’t leave the children behind. As she hesitated, her mother came up the stairs. Seeing Tang Wei still holding the broom, she scolded, “You’re getting more and more out of hand! What kind of girl goes around hitting people with a broom?”

Tang Wei protested, “Mom, you don’t know he…” But thinking of what Zixuan was about to do, she faltered, unable to explain.

“What about him? He’s your fiancé—no matter what, you can’t hit him with a broom! If I see this again, you’ll be in real trouble!” Her mother paused, then added, “Your two disciples are here. Go down and see them. I’ll look after the children.”

“Alright,” Tang Wei replied sulkily, leaving the room. Seeing Zixuan hiding outside the door, she shot him a fierce glare, met his innocent gaze, rolled her eyes, and headed downstairs.