You want it just because you say so? Who do you think you are?
Xiang Meilan’s eyes filled with contempt, but just as she was about to speak, the pain in her wrist twisted her face into a grimace.
Zhou Qingbai looked at her with a smile. “Aunt Xiang, is that okay?”
If her wrist continued to be squeezed like this, it would really break!
Xiang Meilan took a deep breath, but the pain was too intense to bear. She snarled, “Let go! Let me go! Whether it’s possible or not isn’t up to me—it’s up to your dad and the Xia family! They’re the ones who decide!”
Anyone with eyes could see that Zhou Qingbai wasn’t much of a catch.
Especially since the Xia family was wealthy, and Xia Ying was a beautiful young woman. Did he think he deserved her?
Pah! He should take a good look at himself in the mirror and see if he was even worthy!
Zhou Qingbai suddenly flung her hand away, sending Xiang Meilan stumbling backward several steps. Once free, she still wanted to curse, but the pain in her wrist was too sharp. Afraid Zhou Qingbai might do it again, she could only storm out in a huff.
Zhou Xiaocao had been standing at the door the whole time. This was the first time in her life she had seen Zhou Qingbai treat Xiang Meilan like this. Logically, she should have shown some concern for Xiang Meilan, but she was so frightened she froze in place.
Xiang Meilan vented all her anger on her, shoving her hard and scolding, “Are you blind, standing there like a block? What use are you? All you do is eat and drink, growing into a useless lump—utterly worthless!”
Zhou Xiaocao’s eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to defend herself, but when she opened her mouth, she didn’t know what to say.
Xiang Meilan found her even more irritating and ignored her, stomping out angrily.
Xia Ying’s gaze fell with some pity on Zhou Xiaocao, who was still standing at the door, and she sighed softly.
When Zhou Qingbai went to close the door, he couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times. Even at a time like this, she still had the heart to worry about others—quite remarkable. With only the two of them left in the room, Zhou Qingbai leaned casually against the door, quietly watching Xia Ying on the bed, not speaking for a moment.
Xia Ying gathered her thoughts and, after a moment of hesitation, met his gaze directly.
In her past life, she had hated this man too, but later, after learning the truth and letting go of that hatred, he had already run away from home without a trace. She had never really looked at him properly before. Now, studying him carefully, she realized he was actually quite handsome. Unlike Zhou Yiming’s frail, scholarly appearance, he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a high nose bridge, giving him an air of boldness and openness. Whether it was because she was comparing him to someone as disgusting as Zhou Yiming or because of the shared sympathy between them, Xia Ying suddenly felt he was a very good person.
She straightened up, about to speak, when Zhou Qingbai suddenly turned away.
“You… put your clothes on first.”
Xia Ying was taken aback. She looked down and only then realized that the blanket she had been holding to her chest had slipped down when she sat up. She had already stripped down to just a small tank top, and in the commotion, it had shifted, with one shoulder strap half-slipped off.
But she was no longer a young girl. She didn’t blush, only let out an awkward “Mm,” and found the shirt still tossed on the inner side of the bed, hastily putting it on.
“Done,” she reminded him.
Zhou Qingbai paused before turning back, his eyes dark as he looked at her, his thoughts unreadable.
Xia Ying couldn’t stand the silence and wanted to take the initiative, so she spoke first. “Big Brother, do you really want to be husband and wife with me?”
Zhou Qingbai didn’t answer immediately.
He found Xia Ying too surprising. After something like this had happened, she hadn’t shed a single tear so far.
He didn’t have much experience interacting with girls, but when something this serious happened, shouldn’t she be crying, panicking, or completely at a loss? She seemed three years younger than him, just an eighteen-year-old girl—how could she be so calm and composed?
Moreover, under normal circumstances, she should be angry with him, hate him.
But since she knew about Zhou Yiming and Jiao Qinqin’s scheme, it made sense that she was clear-headed and didn’t blame him unfairly.
Yet, how did she know?
Zhou Qingbai didn’t answer but instead asked, “How did you know about Zhou Yiming and Jiao Qinqin’s plan to drug the wine? And since you knew, why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
This was truly a difficult question to answer.
She couldn’t very well say she was reborn and knew everything.
Xia Ying could only play dumb: “I didn’t know in advance. I guessed. Last night, I woke up early but couldn’t move at all. And you were burning up, especially your forehead. I called out to you for a long time, but you didn’t wake up. With both of us like that, do you believe we weren’t drugged?”
No, he didn’t.
He still felt uncomfortable now, which was why he could only use half his usual strength when grabbing Xiang Meilan earlier.
But could she be so firm in her attitude just from guessing?
Zhou Qingbai remained skeptical.
“And you? What are your plans?” He didn’t dwell on it further and returned to Xia Ying’s earlier question.
Between him and Zhou Yiming, one was a farmer who worked the land, relying only on brute strength. The other was a scholar, a promising one at that, with a good chance of getting into university. Comparing the two, anyone with a brain would know Zhou Yiming was the better choice. And there had always been many matchmakers for Zhou Yiming, while those for him, though they existed, were far fewer in number and the women they proposed were of much lower quality.
Xia Ying was beautiful and came from a good family. If she didn’t want to marry Zhou Yiming, she would still have other decent options.
Although he had said he wanted Xia Ying as his wife, it was mostly to anger Xiang Meilan, and he had no intention of forcing her.
The ball was back in her court.
Xia Ying looked at Zhou Qingbai seriously, feeling that he didn’t seem opposed to being with her.
Although she had considered what path to take if she didn’t stay with Zhou Qingbai, that path was clearly not as smooth as being with him. After all, there was now a solid reason: they were already husband and wife. If her father still tried to force her to marry Zhou Yiming or find another man for her, this would be an obstacle.
It wasn’t that she was disillusioned with men because of Zhou Yiming and didn’t want to find someone else; she just didn’t want her father to choose for her.
Because whoever her father found might actually be worse than Zhou Yiming, and she would just be ruined for another lifetime. On the other hand, Zhou Qingbai—though she didn’t know him well enough to understand what kind of person he was—was definitely better than Zhou Yiming.
Xia Ying made a decision immediately: “If Big Brother is willing, then I’m naturally willing too. It’s just… my family might be a bit difficult to handle, and I don’t know if Big Brother will find it troublesome?” It wasn’t just difficult to handle—Zhou Qingbai’s conditions were clearly much worse than Zhou Yiming’s. Xia Ying was even afraid her father would say harsh words and do ugly things. So before Zhou Qingbai could reply, she quickly added, “Of course, I’ll definitely be a very good wife. I can do all the household chores, farm work won’t be a problem for me, and I’m quite pretty too. I have a decent dowry, my personality is gentle, and I can guarantee I’ll never cheat in my entire life!”
After speaking, Xia Ying looked at Zhou Qingbai with an expression that seemed to say, “What do you think of me?”
Hmm, was she listing her strengths to sell herself to him?
Never cheat in her entire life.
She even considered his male pride—what a stark contrast to Jiao Qinqin. To be honest, Zhou Qingbai never disliked Xia Ying to begin with, but after hearing her say all this, even if she didn’t want to marry him, he felt like snatching her away.
After all, she really would make a good wife.
Zhou Qingbai could guarantee that in their hometown and the surrounding villages, it would be hard to find anyone better than Xia Ying!
Though his mind was filled with countless thoughts, he showed nothing on his face.
Zhou Qingbai simply nodded, putting on a thoughtful expression.
Receiving no response, Xia Ying could only play her final trump card: “Of course, if you’re not willing, that’s fine too. But right now, Zhou Yiming has completely humiliated you and even stole your fiancée. Aren’t you angry? If you are, just tell everyone you want me as your wife. You should know that Zhou Yiming needs my money to go to college. If I become your wife, he won’t get a single cent—he’ll be so angry he could die. And after you’ve made him angry, you can marry someone else. I promise I won’t cling to you, and I’ll split all my dowry with you fifty-fifty. That way, you’ll gain both face and substance, while Zhou Yiming will be so furious he’ll vomit blood and still won’t be able to fix anything!”
Zhou Qingbai almost laughed out loud.
Where on earth did Xiang Meilan find such a treasure? Zhou Yiming had really missed out!
After Xia Ying’s persuasive skills—no, after such a presentation of facts and reasoning—not just him, but any man would be moved. Of course, he was mainly moved by her as a person. He just didn’t know whether she had no feelings for Zhou Yiming and was just fighting for pride, or if she actually liked Zhou Yiming and was reacting so strongly out of anger.
But whatever the reason, who cared!
Even if she did have feelings for Zhou Yiming, he’d just uproot them!
“Alright, then it’s settled,” Zhou Qingbai said, stepping to the bedside and sitting on the edge.
The sudden closeness between them made Xia Ying, who was no longer a young girl, feel a bit overwhelmed as Zhou Qingbai leaned in to look at her seriously. Her cheeks flushed, and she asked somewhat confusedly, “It’s settled? Are you talking about being real husband and wife with me, or splitting my dowry with me?”
Zhou Qingbai smiled, deliberately speaking slowly, “That depends on your performance.”
Xia Ying was instantly delighted. She laughed, “Really?”
Zhou Qingbai inexplicably felt there was something off about her smile, but he couldn’t figure out what. So he could only nod.
Xia Ying was overjoyed. Did this mean she could decide everything?
If they got along and she found him good, then becoming his real wife wouldn’t be a problem.
If she found him lacking, she could just give him some money and part ways!
This deal is too good to pass up. It’s not like she’s taking advantage of him, so she wouldn’t feel guilty even if she left without a word.
Xia Ying smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “Alright, then it’s settled!”
·
Now that they had made up their minds, the two of them got dressed and went outside.
At the moment, only Zhou Xiaocao was in the yard, sitting beside a large wooden tub, wiping her tears with her sleeve while washing clothes. The door to the East Wing Room was closed, but there was movement inside—clearly, Zhou Yiming and Jiao Qinqin were in there. The doors to the two side rooms south of the kitchen were both open, so it was obvious that Xiang Meilan had either gone to find Zhou Zheng or to see Xia Ying’s parents.
When Zhou Xiaocao turned and saw them, she took the initiative to greet them. “Big brother.” When it came to Xia Ying, the words “big” and “second” seemed to linger on her lips before she finally said, “Sister-in-law. Breakfast is ready. Go wash up, and as soon as Dad comes back, we can eat.”
It was early summer now, the time for harvesting wheat. Originally, Zhou Zheng, Xiang Meilan, and Zhou Qingbai were all supposed to work in the fields. But yesterday was his wedding day, and he had been drinking, so Zhou Zheng hadn’t called him to go to the fields this morning.
And Xiang Meilan hadn’t gone either, given the special occasion.
“Stop washing, let’s eat first!” Zhou Qingbai said, turning directly to Xia Ying. “Hurry and wash up. If we wait for Dad to come back, we won’t be able to eat properly. Let’s eat first and talk later.”
There was a tough battle ahead.
Looking at Zhou Xiaocao’s thin, frail figure, Xia Ying also said, “Xiao Cao, stop washing. Let’s eat together.”