Qin Yan ran a newspaper.
As expected of someone who made her living with a pen, she spoke clearly and logically.
On the way back to the villa, she briefly explained her relationship with the Lan family to Cheng Tianxun.
“I’m Lan Changming’s daughter. When I was born, my mother was in poor health, so I stayed in Yicheng with my grandmother and was raised by a wet nurse. My parents and older brothers were all in Nancheng.
“When I was three, I still couldn’t speak very well. My grandmother gave me the childhood name ‘Qin Yan.’ The Ye family next door had a little girl who was a few months older than me. She was clever, lively, and very good with words. My grandmother was very fond of her.
“Mrs. Ye was very good at ingratiating herself with people. She suggested that the two families exchange children and raise them for fun.
“Mrs. Ye also liked me very much. She took me with her when she went south to visit relatives, and my grandmother agreed. Later, Yicheng fell into chaos, and my family was worried, so they brought my grandmother back to Nancheng. That was how we became separated.
“When I was seven, I saw my grandmother again. She told the Ye family that she couldn’t bear to part with their daughter. So she suggested that the two families simply treat it as though they had two daughters and raise them interchangeably. When the girls eventually married, both families could provide dowries for them.”
Cheng Tianxun slowly turned his head and looked at her as she recounted all of this with an indifferent expression.
“From the age of seven, I was called Ye Zhishu,” Qin Yan continued. “And the other girl was called Lan Muhe.
“The Ye family went through enormous changes. Mr. Ye lost two wives.
“When I was fourteen, I stole two gold bars from his study and ran away. From then on, I relied on my friends. If my chief editor hadn’t gotten into trouble and nearly gotten me killed by the police, I wouldn’t have gone to the Lan family for help.”
Cheng Tianxun listened silently for a long while before finally summarizing, “So neither family wanted you?”
The words stung a little.
Qin Yan remained as calm as ever.
“Yes.”
“Chief of Staff Lan even arranged a marriage for you. Not bad,” Cheng Tianxun remarked, completely without restraint and seemingly unconcerned about anyone’s feelings.
Qin Yan said, “He gave me a check for twenty thousand silver dollars as my dowry. He did everything he could for me. But he told me not to go to the Lan family because he was afraid his daughter wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Cheng Tianxun said, “You got two gold bars from your previous father, and twenty thousand silver dollars from this one.”
One gold bar was worth roughly ten thousand silver dollars.
Quite fair.
Qin Yan nodded. “A life worth forty thousand silver dollars. Quite expensive.”
Cheng Tianxun didn’t seem particularly concerned. “That’s enough. How many people are starving to death in this world?”
“I think so too,” Qin Yan said.
When the car returned to the villa, Qin Yan was about to instruct the maid to prepare some late-night food when Cheng Tianxun suddenly swept her into his arms.
Her feet left the ground without warning, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
The elaborate crystal chandelier in the living room cast a bright glow. The light reflected in his eyes, making his gaze appear deep and intense. His thin lips were slightly pressed together, and the muscles in the arm holding Qin Yan bulged with strength.
Qin Yan: “…”
The man was strong enough to carry her as though she weighed nothing. He strode upstairs with her in his arms.
The Western-style iron bed had four brass posts, with an ivory-colored canopy embroidered with delicate patterns hanging from them. It was beautiful, though it did little to block the light.
The lamplight and moonlight mingled as they streamed through the canopy. Cheng Tianxun’s hand tightened around Qin Yan’s waist. His palm was scorching hot, like molten syrup.
“I was thinking last night that you’d look beautiful wearing a diamond necklace,” he said as his hand reached beneath her pillow and found the jewelry box he had placed there earlier.
It was a new-style necklace, exquisitely crafted.
She was healthy and full-figured, with fair, luminous skin. Her naturally beautiful complexion made the sparkle of the diamonds even more striking.
He fastened the necklace around her neck.
As expected, she looked even more beautiful. A few shimmering sparks seemed to catch in her eyes, making them look bright and almost fragile.
“Thank you,” Qin Yan said.
Her voice was soft, as faint as the thin frost of early winter. It wasn’t coy or delicate, yet somehow it was irresistibly captivating.
Cheng Tianxun stared at her, fiery heat surging through his eyes. His solid chest rose and fell slightly before he lowered his head and kissed her.
When their emotions reached their peak, Qin Yan clung tightly to him, her teeth sinking into his shoulder.
She seemed to cry out something through her tears.
“It wasn’t me.”
Cheng Tianxun didn’t hear her clearly. At that moment, the bed suddenly sank with a loud creak, and the two of them dropped down with it.
After a moment, Qin Yan was breathing unevenly, her voice choked with tears.
“The bed leg broke again.”
Cheng Tianxun said, “This lousy bed. That’s the second one it’s broken. Tomorrow I’ll have someone bring in an old-fashioned canopy bed.”
A traditional Chinese canopy bed was practically like a little fortress. It wouldn’t break so easily.
But the entire bedroom was furnished with Western-style furniture, including the crystal chandelier hanging overhead.
“No. It won’t match the furniture.”
“Then next time, we won’t do it on the bed?” he asked, rubbing her collarbone.
Qin Yan said, “Fine.”
She went to take a bath. By the time she came out in her nightgown, she saw Cheng Tianxun entering through the door. He was wearing only trousers, his upper body bare, and he was carrying two bowls of steaming wontons.
“I’m hungry,” he said.
Qin Yan pointed toward the bell beside the bed. “You could have called the servants to bring them up.”
“Too lazy to wait,” he replied.
The servants could be lazy too. If he went downstairs and waited himself, he could get what he wanted as quickly as possible.
The master bedroom was actually a suite, with a small sitting room outside containing a loveseat, a table, and chairs.
The husband and wife sat down and ate.
Qin Yan was hungry as well, so she ate silently.
“Let’s sleep in the guest room tonight,” Cheng Tianxun said. “I’ll have someone replace the bed tomorrow morning.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“I’ll sleep in the guest room with you,” he answered.
Qin Yan agreed.
After quietly finishing the wontons, Qin Yan seemed as though she had something to say.
Cheng Tianxun drank every last drop of the broth before saying, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“I bought a small house,” Qin Yan said.
“How much?”
“Thirty-nine hundred silver dollars,” Qin Yan replied. “It’s on Hongxia Road. It takes ten minutes to walk from the house to my newspaper office.”
“Not a bad price. The land alone on Hongxia Road would sell for two or three thousand silver dollars. It’s not expensive,” Cheng Tianxun said.
“You’re not going to ask why I bought it?”
Cheng Tianxun finished eating, took out a cigarette, and lit it. With a smile, he said, “You’re not my subordinate. Why would you need to report everything to me?”
Qin Yan still explained.
“I thought you wanted a divorce. Once you brought it up, I wouldn’t have been able to keep living here. Preparing everything at the last minute would have been too messy. I like to plan ahead.”
She added, “Since it was all a misunderstanding, if it bothers you, I can have my secretary sell the house again.”
“I don’t mind. Keep it.” Cheng Tianxun slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. “This whole thing started because of me. I’ll pay for the house.”
“That’s not necessary. I have money.”
“What do modern women say? Give a gentleman the opportunity to be a gentleman,” he said.
Qin Yan: “…”
“Oh, right. When I bought the necklace, I also bought a bracelet and earrings,” Cheng Tianxun added. “If you like them, try them all on.”
“Thank you.”
That night, the couple slept in the guest room.
The bed was smaller, so Cheng Tianxun lay close beside Qin Yan. The weather was still somewhat hot in early August. He was like a human furnace, making it impossible for Qin Yan to fall asleep.
She found herself thinking about many things.
Luo Qisheng’s face when they parted and the face she had seen when they reunited seemed to overlap, leaving Qin Yan with the strange sensation that time itself had become distorted.
“…Why are you crying?”
Cheng Tianxun suddenly reached over and touched the corner of her eye.
Qin Yan moved away.
Only then did she realize that she had tears on her face.
“Did I hurt you earlier?” he asked again, moving closer until his breath brushed against the back of her neck.
He wasn’t exactly gentle, but neither was he rough or unpleasant.
“No. The diamond necklace got pressed against my back and left a mark. It hurt a little at the time,” Qin Yan said.
Cheng Tianxun knew it was an excuse.
But it was already very late, and he was quite tired. He didn’t feel like pressing the matter. He simply wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back with his fingers.
Slowly, Qin Yan drifted into sleep.
The next morning, Cheng Tianxun went to the military government office for his usual meetings. He always woke earlier than Qin Yan.
Qin Yan went downstairs for breakfast.
Her mind was occupied with the newspaper office, as well as the matter of replacing the bed in the master bedroom.
Adjutant Qian handed her a check.
“Marshal gave this to you.”
Qin Yan remembered what he had said about being a “gentleman” the previous night and found herself amused.
But when she saw the amount written on the check—one hundred thousand silver dollars—her smile disappeared.
Adjutant Qian explained, “Marshal said this is your living allowance. He’s making up for the entire past year.”
Qin Yan: “…”