Wooing my Bodyguard Wife

Jingwei's shoulders slumped in pure exhaustion. "If you're smart, and you're very smart - you would take my father's offer, dump me and get all the money, and go find someone else that comes with less family drama! Preferably with a less psychotic father."

"As long as it's not Wei Yan." He added.

Xue Ning scoffed. "I hate being told what to do. I didn't dump you when your father demanded it, I sure as hell aren't dumping you because you're here sounding sad and wallowing in self-pity. Come on, get it together, or I'll go date Wei Yan out of pure spite."

While Xue Ning's words were harsh, she squeezed his hand with uncharacteristic softness, her other hand patting the side of his face.

Jingwei let out a watery chuckle.

"Can't have that then. You'll be miserable."

"Damn right. So will you." Xue Ning said. "It would be a different story if I hadn't fallen in love with you before knowing this mess, but now that I am, you'd better stop trying to get rid of me. Stop trying to blame yourself for every bad decision our parents made. They should clean up their own mess!"

Xue Ning yelled it through the door pointedly. Sun Haowei and Nangong Yue Niang heard her loud and clear, and once again they felt the barest amount of shame creep through them.

Meanwhile, Jingwei's mind was just reverberating with Xue Ning's words. Xue Ning was in love with him! And she didn't want to dump him! It felt like a huge weight rolled off his shoulders.

Before he could kiss her, his phone rang. He picked up only to be greeted with Shengli's irate voice on the other end.

"This isn't April Fool's, stop bullshitting me. Your father isn't even awake, how could Xue Ning's mother threaten him in a bathroom? Are you already drunk in the middle of the day?" Shengli complained.

"I wouldn't be able to bullshit a story like this, Shengli." Jingwei protested. "And I'm completely sober! More importantly, can you come up with a contract for my father and Xue Ning's family to sign, to ensure they won't be targeted by my father? Preferably in… half an hour."

"Are you insane?" Shengli demanded.

"Okay that deadline is kind of unreasonable." Jingwei conceded. "How about getting it done at the end of day? That's the most I can give you!"

"That's…. So you want to make your father sign a restraining order?" Shengli clarifies. "That's going to make your future wedding highly difficult to plan."

"Can you make a restraining order where they can be in physical proximity, but my father can't threaten to harm Xue Ning's family at all? Including verbal threats, physical threats, emotional abuse… cover all the bases?"

Shengli sighed. "I'll do my best. You're the worst."

"Thanks Shengli!" Jingwei beamed. "You're definitely the best man at my wedding."

"No thanks."

=======

Hours passed. Jingwei refused to let out the two old folks from outside the bathroom, because he didn't want his father to get any access to any electronics that could allow him to contact anyone to harm Xue Ning's family, despite his best efforts to escape.

And besides, technically his father could survive in the VVIP bathroom. There were chairs to sit on, tap water for him to drink and the toilet bowl was available for him to do his business if necessary.

Of course, these facts completely eluded Sun Haowei. The thought of being sequestered in a

bathroom as though he was a pet that hadn't been toilet trained was just the newest blow against his pride. He was this close to clawing at the door out of desperation!

He didn't even want to look at Yue Niang or think about their shared past. He needed to get out immediately and get rid of all of them, especially Li Tai Cheng who was still waiting outside, deliberately eating pork buns with relish while they starved.

Not only were this couple making his stomach hurt, they were making his heart ache.

"Unfilial son!" Sun Haowei yelled as he thumped the door, getting increasingly upset. "Unlock the door this instant!"

Yue Niang scoffed, choosing to save her energy by reclining in one of those cushy chairs. She knew how stubborn her husband was.

"Shut up and sit down. If you fall down and break your hip, your youngest son will be devastated."

"I'm not taking advice from you," Sun Haowei said with gritted teeth, thumping on the door again. "Let me go, or I'll disinherit you!"

Yue Niang laughed, kicking up her heels. "Sure, disinherit Jingwei. He'll marry into my family as my new son-in-law then. He showed us that he can cook, fix up the house and peel sprouts. All the skills he didn't learn from you. Bi Yu taught him well."

Sun Haowei snarled. "You made him work? In the kitchen? Like a servant?"

"Well, were we supposed to let him sit around at home being useless? I'm not letting my daughter date a bum. She should go for someone that's willing to get his hands dirty for her." Yue Niang replied, pointedly jabbing at a sore sport.

"We shall see if your daughter deserves it. Who knows if she'll decide to just run off with someone else instead of communicating her issues?" Sun Haowei returned fire.

"As long as Jingwei doesn't make her do anything she doesn't want to, we won't have a problem."

"In future, she'll have to do many things she doesn't want to as his wife. No one who marries my son can be a quitter." Sun Haowei scolded, but he finally stopped thumping on the door and elected to sit across from her. Yue Niang felt the tiniest hint of relief - if he had fallen down, she might actually help him up.

And that would be awkward.

"Jingwei will be my eventual successor. She'll have to carry his burdens."

"Not your oldest son?" Yue Niang asked with widened eyes. "You're going to give up a perfectly good heir for Jingwei?"

"Jingwei can be trained." Sun Haowei said, his eyes filled with an undefined emotion. Now he could kill two birds with one stone - turn Jingwei into their heir he was meant to be, over Tianwei the truly unfilial son, and possibly let the burden of being tycoon's wife in high society drive her away!

If she truly did stick with him to support Jingwei's success, then… fine. He'd have to accept her.

But his money was on their eventual divorce.

"Wow. You must really hate Jingwei." Yue Niang said frankly. "I've only known your son for two weeks and even I can tell he'll be eaten alive."

"I don't hate my son. And more importantly, your daughter will not let him come to any harm. All thanks to the power of love," Sun Haowei said the last part with the barest hint of mockery, a smirk crossing his face. He reclined back against the plush chair with satisfaction, delighting in the pissed look on Yue Niang's face.

Nangong Yue Niang snatched his best friend away from him? Fine.

He'll snatch the daughter she lovingly raised with his best friend away in return.

"Jingwei, let me out now." Sun Haowei said with a glint in his eye. "I agree to let things go, only if Li Xue Ning agrees to marry you within the month!"