Zhou Mingchen stretched out his hand to pull out a chair, "Come sit."
Xia Lu hesitated for a second, but still walked over and sat down, dining in such an environment made her very uncomfortable.
"What kind of wine would you like?" Zhou Mingchen's gaze wandered over the wine list, then he lifted his head to look at Xia Lu.
Xia Lu immediately shook her head, "I don't drink alcohol, a beverage will be fine."
"She'll have the same as me." Zhou Mingchen closed the wine list and dismissed the waiter.
"Today is our first official date." He leaned back in his chair, lightly flicking the table with one hand, "A bit late, after all, we're getting married next month."
"Next month?" Xia Lu was caught off guard, and even though she knew it would happen sooner or later, hearing it for real still made her gasp, "Isn't that too rushed?" Her throat suddenly felt dry, changing her voice as she spoke.
"I will prepare everything that needs to be prepared, you just need to show up and cooperate," Zhou Mingchen looked at her, "Why, do you have any special requests?"
"No… I just feel like this is a bit too fast… we haven't been back for two months…"
Too fast? Zhou Mingchen even felt it was too slow, having waited so long to announce this relationship, he was eager to see Lin Xilin's expression. If it wasn't for the need to prepare for the wedding, they would have entered the chapel the day they landed.
"Try this wine." Zhou Mingchen pushed a glass of red wine in front of Xia Lu.
Sure enough, even if she refused, he would still do as he pleased. So why even ask for her opinion?
The tart liquid slid down her throat, this was the first time Xia Lu had ever drunk alcohol.
"If you don't want to drink, then don't, I will." In the past, whenever faced with being urged to drink, Luo Fan would take her glass and down it.
"Remember the taste of this wine, it's what we drank together when we met on the island."
In the story Zhou Mingchen fabricated, this wine also had its place, a lengthy red wine name surfaced in Xia Lu's mind; she had almost memorized the "love story" of the two of them during this time.
Upon exiting, as passersby walked by, Zhou Mingchen gently held Xia Lu's waist, keeping her close.
Xia Lu's back instantly stiffened, she was not yet accustomed to this physical contact, and instinctively tried to dodge to the side.
"You'd better get used to it quickly, from now on, you are my woman," Zhou Mingchen whispered in her ear.
Xia Lu looked at the man in front of her, the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile, but his eyes were very cold.
The car stopped in front of a European-style white grand building, "Get out." Zhou Mingchen opened the car door for Xia Lu.
"Mr. Zhou, everything has been prepared as you instructed."
As they walked through the door, Xia Lu realized this was a bridal shop.
"Miss, this way please."
Xia Lu turned to look for Zhou Mingchen, finding him already seated on the sofa, accepting a drink offered by the staff.
"Miss?"
"Oh…"
A whole rack of dresses was wheeled over, various styles of wedding dresses appeared before her eyes.
"Are all of these for me to try on?"
"Yes, miss, Mr. Zhou has already selected them for you, and after you try on the main dress, evening gowns, party dresses, and spare dresses will be brought over."
Xia Lu struggled to curl the corners of her mouth, wanting to protest, but as soon as she caught Zhou Mingchen's gaze, she immediately swallowed the words that had come to her lips.
She knew that arguing with him was unwise.
"Not good."
For half an hour, these two words had echoed in Xia Lu's ears countless times.
"From now on, only try the slim-fitting mermaid styles with thin straps; all the others, take them away," Zhou Mingchen said as he downed the remaining champagne in his glass and stood up.
Once again, the curtain of the fitting room was pulled aside, revealing Xia Lu in a fully hand-sewn satin mermaid gown with a long train. The gown, tailored to fit the curve of her body perfectly, wrapped around her slender figure just right, without an inch to spare. The front barely grazed the floor, while the train extended three meters behind her, covered in hand embroidery that shimmered like pearls under the light, both heavy and luxurious. She gave a gentle shrug of her shoulders, and the delicate thin straps caused her some pain.
Zhou Mingchen walked over, encircled her waist, and looked her over carefully in the mirror.
"Mr. Zhou, this is the haute couture model of the season, entirely hand-sewn, and the most expensive in the entire store."
"Hmm," he finally nodded, allowing Xia Lu to breathe a sigh of relief.
"You can't lose any more weight," Zhou Mingchen said, looking into Xia Lu's eyes through the mirror.
True, for the past two months, Xia Lu had struggled to eat or sleep, and every day she still had to spend two hours talking to Luo Fan in the hospital, an ordeal that would be unbearable for anyone.
Xia Lu looked down and noticed her fingers were even slimmer than before. At this rate, she would be skin and bones before half a year passed.
"On our wedding day, you must be the most beautiful woman at the scene," Zhou Mingchen insisted, focusing on her face.
Xia Lu entwined her fingers. She really didn't care whether she was still beautiful; moreover, it wasn't something she could decide.
"From now on, I'll be supervising your three meals a day, and you can't leave until you finish eating."
"What?" Xia Lu looked at him in shock. How was this any different from prison?
"Also, starting today, I'll arrange for a personal nutritionist and beautician for you. You don't need to go anywhere for a while. Just focus on recuperating at home."
"And the hospital— you're not to go there anymore."
"No way!" Xia Lu refused flatly. "I can do everything else you've asked for, and I will agree to any other demands you have, but I must go to the hospital."
"Oh?" Zhou Mingchen looked at her. "Must go, why?"
Xia Lu frowned slightly.
"Let's be alone for a moment," Zhou Mingchen waved his hand, and the surrounding attendants left one by one. Soon, there were only the two of them left in the large hall.
"The doctor said that in order to make Luo Fan wake up as quickly as possible, my efforts are indispensable. Although he's comatose now, he can hear me talking. As long as I talk to him frequently, to awaken his consciousness of this world, he will wake up soon."
"Hahaha," Zhou Mingchen suddenly laughed coldly, "You believe that?"
"I believe the doctor and I believe in medicine."
Zhou Mingchen's expression quickly turned cold again. "You believe in medicine? What do you know about medicine?"
"Luo Fan has remained in a coma till now, and the reason he can still maintain a rosy complexion and a healthy body, looking like the man you gave yourself to initially, is all because of me. If I stop his medical care, nursing, and rehabilitation services now, within a month, he'll wither away, a mere husk of a person. Even if he wakes up, he'll face a severely weakened self. Or is that what you want?"
"You?!" Xia Lu hadn't expected him to threaten her.
"I have said before, his fate is in your hands, it always has been and always will be," Zhou Mingchen declared. Then he turned and called out to the door, "Next one."