Xu Xiangsi opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found that she couldn’t utter a single word.
Indeed, from the time they got married on fake terms until now, Long Peiye seems to have been quite obedient to her.
But the thought of his “battalion commander” status made her feel inexplicably choked up.
Xu Xiangsi’s background instilled in her an innate aversion and wariness towards government officials in their uniforms.
However, she reconsidered.
Wait a minute, she’s already transmigrated. The current Xu Xiangsi is a law-abiding citizen.
But after thinking about my family background more carefully… it seems I can’t be considered a law-abiding citizen with impeccable morals.
But Xu Xiangsi herself is a good person at heart!
At least that’s what she thinks.
Thinking about it this way, Xu Xiangsi’s inexplicable depression dissipated considerably.
But she was still very, very unhappy about Long Peiye’s deliberate concealment!
“Then why didn’t you explain it to me clearly before?” she asked angrily, her cheeks puffed out.
Looking at her puffed-up face, Long Peiye’s smile deepened, but his tone remained calm: “You didn’t ask either.”
“This isn’t even a question of whether I asked or not!” Xu Xiangsi felt her blood pressure was about to spike again. “Shouldn’t you have explained it immediately, right there and then, since I mistook you for someone else in the first place?!”
How can this person be so nonchalant!
Seeing that she was really getting angry, Long Peiye toned down his playful expression and became more serious.
“Yes, you’re right.” He nodded, his attitude of admitting his mistake was quite good. “It was my fault, I know I was wrong, and I won’t do it again next time.”
He paused, his voice softening slightly, and explained, “Mainly because when I heard your name was Xu Xiangsi, I… was a little surprised. Later, when I learned that you needed help, I figured it wasn’t a big deal, so I agreed right away.”
Long Peiye’s gaze fell on her face, his eyes deep and inquisitive, carrying a complex emotion that Xu Xiangsi couldn’t understand.
“Don’t you remember me?” he asked softly, his voice low.
Xu Xiangsi’s heart skipped a beat!
An ominous premonition instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!
Oh no!
The little voice inside her was wailing and lamenting: Could it be that the original owner still had some romantic entanglements to settle?!
Seeing Xu Xiangsi’s expression turn terrified in an instant, Long Peiye was slightly taken aback, then seemed to understand something, a helpless smile flashing across his eyes.
He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of distant reminiscence: “When I was little, I was playing around once and, not knowing how to swim, fell into the river. It was you who happened to be passing by, found a long bamboo pole, and pulled me out of the water. You… have you forgotten all of that?”
Xu Xiangsi quickly searched her mind for those somewhat blurred fragments of memories belonging to the “original owner”.
It seems there is such a thing.
She vaguely remembered that it was a long, long time ago, one summer, she was probably fishing or something when a boy who was not quite grown up fell into the water.
There was no one around at the time, and she was startled. She hurriedly found a long bamboo pole and handed it over.
The thought flashed through her mind, and Xu Xiangsi suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with surprise and a hint of absurd speculation.
She stared at Long Peiye suspiciously, as if trying to find some flaw in his handsome face.
“Wait a minute! You mean…”
Xu Xiangsi’s tone rose a few decibels, carrying a speculation that even she herself found unbelievable: “Could it be… that I saved you when you were little, so you fell in love with me at first sight, or rather, you couldn’t forget me, and regarded me as the white moonlight and cinnabar mole in your life?”
“Then, after finally getting a chance to meet me, the debt of gratitude for saving your life, coupled with your pure love for your white moonlight, made you so excited that you couldn’t wait to decide to marry me?!”
The more she talked, the more she felt that the plot was so similar to those melodramatic novels she had read before!
Upon hearing this, several large question marks clearly appeared in Long Peiye’s deep eyes.
He frowned slightly, his expression as if he had heard something unbelievable.
“Xu Xiangsi, comrade,” he paused, his tone somewhat helpless, “what kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day long?”
“How old was I back then? Not even ten years old.”
Long Peiye shook his head, both amused and exasperated: “What child under ten years old would understand about love? I admit, I was thinking of repaying your life-saving grace, that’s for sure.”
His expression became more serious: “But this has absolutely nothing to do with… what you call a white moonlight or love.”
Xu Xiangsi was initially worried that she might accidentally steal the original owner’s destined good match, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Upon hearing this, her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, instantly settled back into her stomach.
She immediately looked up, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes filled with disbelief: “Then why did you agree to marry me? Apart from this, we have no other emotional foundation!”
She counted on her fingers, and the more she counted, the more she felt something was wrong.
Seeing her stubbornness and determination to get to the bottom of things, Long Peiye chuckled and casually shrugged.
“Didn’t I tell you this on the first day we met, at the state-run restaurant?” He spoke casually, as if he were talking about something very ordinary: “My family is pressuring me to get married, they’re really pushing me.”
Xu Xiangsi’s face darkened instantly.
She ground her back teeth, her voice tinged with suppressed anger: “Just… just for such a simple reason?”
She thought there was some earth-shattering, heart-stirring reason!
So, after all this time, she really was just a tool for him to deal with his family’s pressure to get married?
She had actually thought that after Long Peiye recounted his past experiences, he really did have some kind of “white moonlight” complex…
Looking at her angry but unable to speak out, her little face puffed up with rage, Long Peiye’s smile deepened.
“Yes,” he nodded, his tone still nonchalant, “Many things in this world are just that simple.”
He seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer, and turned his gaze to the courtyard.
“Alright,” he gently nudged Xu Xiangsi’s shoulder, gesturing for her to come inside. “Let’s go in and take a look. Why don’t you take a closer look and see if there’s anything you’re not satisfied with in our future home, or if anything is missing?”
Long Peiye’s voice softened a bit: “That way I can make other preparations and get everything ready as soon as possible.”
Xu Xiangsi was still seething with anger and was ready to have a serious talk with him about his deliberate concealment of his identity.
But as soon as she heard “home” or “getting things,” her attention was immediately and successfully diverted.
After all, this is where she will be living for several years to come, so she can’t be careless!
She stepped into the courtyard.
The yard was indeed quite large, with a cement floor that was kept very clean, and a few half-dead crabapple trees planted in the corner.
“Hmm, it’s alright.” Xu Xiangsi nodded. It was much better than the desolate military compound she had imagined.