Jiang Runsheng was dead drunk, supported on either side by two people, and was helped stumbling into the bridal chamber.
Chen Xiaomeng had already washed up. The dim yellow lightbulb in the room diffused a hazy halo, making her complexion appear even more sallow.
Seeing Jiang Runsheng being helped in, her cheeks suddenly flushed red, and she hurried forward to reach out and catch the heavily intoxicated man.
The two who had escorted him in joked a few words with a smile, then tactfully closed the door and left.
Chen Xiaomeng helped the man onto the bed and bent down to remove his shoes and socks. “Runsheng-ge, how are you? Are you feeling unwell?”
Runsheng-ge? In Jiang Runsheng’s haze, he automatically filled in that voice as the soft, sweet tone from the depths of his heart.
He half-squinted his drunken eyes and raised his hand to caress Chen Xiaomeng’s face, murmuring, “You’re so beautiful…”
Chen Xiaomeng’s ears burned hot, and she gave him a coy, reproachful glance.
But the next second, the rest of his words poured into her ears: “Qingyan, you’re so beautiful.”
A basin of ice water drenched Chen Xiaomeng, chilling her to the bone.
She patted Jiang Runsheng’s face and said indignantly, “Runsheng-ge, I’m not Qiao Qingyan. Look clearly—I’m Chen Xiaomeng. I’m your wife.”
“Qingyan…” Jiang Runsheng was completely unaware, his large hand landing on her waist. “Qingyan, I like you so much…”
Chen Xiaomeng flung his hand away, biting her lip in fury, staring into the air, her eyes churning with venomous resentment: “Qiao Qingyan, you bitch, I hate you to death!”
Her chest heaved violently, and she clenched her fists.
After a long while, she suppressed the malice in her eyes, and her gaze fell once more on the handsome face on the bed, stained with drunkenness.
Runsheng-ge, you can only be mine.
As long as we become a real married couple, one day you’ll understand that I’m a thousand, ten thousand times better than that cheap girl Qiao Qingyan.
Chen Xiaomeng stripped off her clothes and turned off the light.
In his daze, Jiang Runsheng felt a soft body press against him. It was Qingyan, his most beloved Qingyan.
He seized her wrist and rolled over on top of her.
“Qingyan, I’m sorry… I was wrong. Forgive me… please?”
Chen Xiaomeng endured the humiliation of her husband mistaking her for another woman. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shyly called out, “Runsheng-ge.”
This was their wedding night. No matter what, at this moment, the one Jiang Runsheng was intimate with was her.
They would have children. In the future, he would get promoted and earn more, his career would soar, and she would be the only woman by his side.
Chen Xiaomeng fantasized about a beautiful future life, hypnotizing herself.
The dark night was as bright as day; in the silent air were two entangled bodies and the sound of breathing.
Everything was progressing well, gathering momentum, ready to erupt…
Suddenly, in the darkness, the man cursed low under his breath, then his body went limp and he collapsed feebly onto the bed.
Chen Xiaomeng froze instantly, sitting there dumbfounded, unable to react for a moment.
She had privately heard her mother talk about that sort of thing before, and knew what a man looked like when aroused.
But… she hadn’t even felt anything yet—how could it be over so hastily? What was going on?
And besides, her underwear was still properly on.
Chen Xiaomeng turned on the light. The room suddenly brightened. She sat up and glanced at Jiang Runsheng’s pants—this was clearly a wilted pickled cucumber.
Could it be…
Impossible. Chen Xiaomeng frowned and shook her head, forcibly suppressing the absurd suspicion in her heart.
Runsheng Ge had married Qiao Qingyan in his previous life, and the two of them seemed to live so happily together—how could that be?
Chen Xiaomeng didn’t want to think about it in a negative light.
Her Runsheng Ge must have been drunk to act this way.
At dawn, a gauze-like mist hung in the air, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the village chimneys.
In her sleep, Qiao Qingyan felt something tickling her face, stroking it lightly.
“Stop it…” she mumbled drowsily, pushing it away. But the mischievous sensation refused to stop.
Finally, she opened her bleary eyes and saw Duoduo standing by the kang with a mischievous grin, tickling her cheek with a small feather.
She grabbed the little girl’s chubby hand, a sly smile glinting in her eyes. “Caught you, you little rascal…”
The chubby little girl giggled, pointing her small finger toward the window and babbling, “Brother, brother…”
Qiao Qingyan instantly lost all drowsiness and sat bolt upright on the kang. “Your brother’s back?”
Duoduo ignored her, pushed open the door to the inner room, and skipped off to play with her clay dolls.
Qiao Qingyan hurriedly dressed, smoothed her hair, and tiptoed off the kang. She crept to the main hall and hid behind the door, peeking outside.
In the courtyard, her mother-in-law Zeng Yumei stood facing a tall, imposing young man.
From the side… his profile was exceptionally handsome—sharp features, a high straight nose, deep and piercing eyes, and sun-kissed wheat-colored skin that gave him a wild, rugged look.
So this was Xiao Jinye?
He looked nothing like the crude, slovenly hunter she had pictured in her imagination.
His expression was cold and stern. He wore a pair of short boots, and his trousers made his legs look straight and long. His shoulders were broad, his back wide, and beneath his thin black shirt, taut, corded muscles were faintly visible.
He exuded a raw, brute strength—the type who looked like he could kill an ox with a single punch.
Qiao Qingyan shook her head inwardly, glancing down at her own small frame, then back at the man—
No wonder he was a hunter. Standing there like a mountain, every inch of him radiated fierce, formidable power.
Tsk, tsk. That build was terrifying.
Thank goodness the rumors said he was lacking in that department. Otherwise, with a physique like that… she didn’t dare think any further.
Just as she was mulling it over, the conversation from the courtyard drifted to her ears.
“You damn kid, I told you the wedding date was set for yesterday. Why didn’t you come back?”
Xiao Jinye furrowed his brow. “Mom, why did you take it upon yourself to marry me off? I told you I’m not considering this right now.”
Qiao Qingyan was momentarily taken aback. So he, too, had been forced into this arranged marriage.
“Am I supposed to just watch you be a bachelor for the rest of your life?” Zeng Yumei replied irritably.
Xiao Jinye ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I need to go up the mountain in a bit. I won’t be back for the next few days.”
“What? You’re going to leave your new wife alone at home? Son, what on earth is wrong with you?”
“Mom, I know you married me to that girl from the Qiao family. To be honest with you, I don’t like her.”
At those words, Qiao Qingyan’s grip on the door frame unconsciously tightened.
Xiao Jinye continued, “I can’t spend my life with someone I don’t like, and I can’t lie on the same kang with someone I don’t love.”
Zeng Yumei slapped his arm hard, her face full of disappointment. “You—you’re really going to be the death of me…”
Seeing his mother angered, Xiao Jinye’s expression softened slightly, and he lowered his head a little: “Mom, don’t be angry.”
Zeng Yumei lowered her voice: “Tell me the truth—has there long been a girl you fancy in your heart?”
Xiao Jinye pressed his thin lips together, was silent for a moment, then uttered one word: “Yes.”
“Who is it?” Zeng Yumei immediately pressed.
Behind the door, Qiao Qingyan was also very curious and pricked up her ears.