Of course you have to call him hubby

Ji Mingzhu soon settled the details of the fabric purchase with Chu He.

A weight lifted from his heart, and he could not help pressing his lips together in a small smile.

When Ji Zhian pushed the door open, he was greeted by the sight of a smiling beauty.

The young man had showered. Instead of his newly bought clothes, he wore an ordinary white T-shirt that did not look particularly well made, yet somehow gave him the air of a lotus rising from clear water. His exposed skin was dazzlingly pale. He looked down at his phone, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

For no apparent reason, a chilling sense of threat rose within Ji Zhian, as though the person before him truly were a radiant pearl. He scoffed. "Oh? What man are you chatting with, big brother? You're smiling so sweetly."

Ji Mingzhu's smile faded. He lifted his gaze, his clear eyes gleaming.

Before bringing Ji Mingzhu back into the family, the Ji Family had investigated his past. He had been a delinquent, always hanging around thugs and hoodlums. Rebellious boys his age might well like calling each other brothers, so it was entirely possible that he had picked up a few "big brothers" outside the family.

"You're about to get married, big brother. If you keep carrying on with people outside the family... it won't sound very good if word gets out." Ji Zhian's words were barbed. "Even if the head of the Gu Family isn't good-looking, you can't go playing the field."

Ji Mingzhu's expression had remained indifferent, but at the words "isn't good-looking," he raised his brows dubiously. "He isn't good-looking?"

Thinking he had hit a sore spot, Ji Zhian smiled even more brightly. "Oh, he's a man. What do looks matter? At least he has money. No matter how ugly he is, with your former status, you would never have met someone like him in your entire life."

In truth, Ji Zhian had no idea what Gu Shang looked like.

Gu Shang had risen to fame in his teens, earning the title of boy genius, and had gone abroad to further his studies at an early age. He had even founded a publicly listed company of his own before inheriting the Gu Family's businesses. Compared with his astonishing talent and distinguished family background, his appearance had become insignificant, and little was ever said about it.

Besides, Gu Shang had always kept a low profile, granting only basic interviews and not even deigning to appear in financial magazines.

After inheriting the Gu Corporation, he had also carried out a swift, sweeping overhaul that left everyone who had landed a job through connections fearing for their position, even in the smallest subsidiaries. With his ruthless reputation widely known, no one dared discuss whether their boss was handsome.

Ji Zhian refused to believe that someone with so much status and power could resist showing off. The only possible explanation was that he was too ugly to show his face.

The thought of that possibility nearly made Ji Zhian laugh out loud.

Besides, he was so outstanding, and once Ji Mingzhu married into the family, he would have a stepping stone to meeting the Gu Family. Ji Zhian had long had his heart set on Gu Shang's younger brother, Gu Yan. If he could marry him someday, he would get to watch his useless older brother's miserable life every day.

So even for the sake of his own future, Ji Mingzhu absolutely could not run away from the wedding.

Yet Ji Mingzhu remained composed, without the anger Ji Zhian had expected. He merely raised his alluring, peach-blossom eyes and regarded him coolly. "Oh, with my former status, I would never have met him in my entire life? But you've been living with my noble status all this time, and you don't seem to have met my fiancé either."

Ji Zhian choked on his words, his expression souring. He forced down his anger. This brother he had acquired could only enjoy a moment's triumph with his sharp tongue anyway. Who knew how miserable his days would be later?

"With such a sharp tongue, big brother, you'll have to rein it in after the wedding. Other people won't indulge your temper the way your family does." Ji Zhian's smile did not reach his eyes. "Once you're married, you can't just keep calling him 'you.'"

Ji Mingzhu's brows shifted slightly. Oh, right.

The way people addressed their husbands might be different in this dynasty. Didn't they call them 'my lord'?

This time, the aggressive chill had vanished from Ji Mingzhu's eyes, replaced by genuine curiosity. "Then what should I call him?"

Determined to disgust him, Ji Zhian said with a beaming smile, "Of course you have to call him hubby."

Hub... by?

Ji Mingzhu silently practiced this novel form of address in his mind. Ripples shimmered in his crystal-clear eyes, and warmth crept into his delicate earlobes.