Seeing Su Su nod, he was silent for a moment, a little confused by her actions.
Last time, hadn’t she complained that the place was unbearable and insisted on staying in a hotel in the city? So why had she cleaned up the entire house now? Was she planning to sleep here tonight?
At that moment, Su Su’s stomach rumbled. She looked longingly at the lunchbox in Qin Xutao’s hand. After tidying up for so long, she was starving. Even if Qin Xutao hadn’t returned, she had planned to get some food from her space to tide herself over.
But this man was thoughtful enough to bring hot food back. Seeing her hungry, Qin Xutao suppressed all the questions in his mind. Whatever she planned to do, she should eat first.
He placed the lunchbox on the desk and said, “I got this from the military canteen. You can make do and eat a little first.”
“Make do?!”
The lunchbox was arranged neatly on the desk: stewed pork ribs with green beans, sweet and sour pork, braised eggplant, scrambled eggs with tomatoes… For staples, there was coarse millet porridge and plain white rice.
The colors and presentation were enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
While Su Su ate, Qin Xutao sat on the sofa, his curious gaze occasionally resting on her.
Her appetite had increased. She ate without complaining. Her usual sharpness was gone, and her profile looked surprisingly well-behaved.
It seemed the events with the Su family had hit her hard—she had changed so much in such a short time.
After she finished eating, Qin Xutao immediately cleared the table without a word and said, “Pack your things; I’ll take you to a hotel in the city.”
Su Su stood in front of him, expression serious. “I don’t want to go to a hotel.”
Qin Xutao frowned. She had said the same last time, causing a midnight ruckus wanting to go to the city, keeping the neighbors awake. He put on his coat and said coldly, “I’ll wait downstairs.”
Su Su panicked. This man was so stubborn! She grabbed his hand. “Qin Xutao, I’m your fiancée, of course I should live with you—”
Qin Xutao’s brows knit tightly. “We’ve already broken off the engagement.”
Su Su immediately retorted, “Who said our engagement was canceled? Did you tell my grandfather? Did you tell my mother?”
“And you said you’d be responsible for me. I came to Black City to find you—you can’t just go back on your word!”
Su Su had already thought this through before tidying the room. In this era, a man like Qin Xutao—capable of protecting her and appealing to her—was rare. Missing such an opportunity would be a waste.
The best way to build a relationship was to live together. If she went to a hotel in the city and Qin Xutao was busy with work, not seeing her for ten days or half a month, there would be no chance at all. So today, she had to stay no matter what.
Qin Xutao looked at her delicate face and was reminded of that day. He pressed his lips together and said seriously, “Are you sure? Do you know what staying here means?”
Su Su nodded. “I’m sure.”
In this era, dating was still strictly regulated. There was a saying: “Dating without the intent to marry is just fooling around.” Living together before marriage was even more serious—it was only acceptable if marriage was certain, with no room for backing out.
Qin Xutao nodded. “Then you’ll stay here for now. Once the marriage report is filed, I’ll apply for a larger apartment for us in the military.”
“Can you let go of my hand now?”
Su Su suddenly realized that she had been holding his hand out of anxiety. His hands were wide, rough, with prominent knuckles and calluses from years of training—touching them hurt a bit. Her ears burned, wishing she could bury herself in a hole, thinking of that scene again!
Gently but firmly, he pulled his hand away, frowned, and said, “I’m going to shower. If you’re tired, go sleep in the bedroom. No need to wait for me.”
When Su Su snapped back to reality, Qin Xutao had already taken his clothes and walked into the bathroom.
The scent of body wash lingered. Qin Xutao’s sense of smell was sharper than most, and the fragrance was the same as what he had smelled on her that day—she clearly liked this brand of body wash.
Once he entered the bathroom, Su Su immediately snuggled into the warm bed.
The single bed was so small she could barely turn over. She wondered how Qin Xutao managed to sleep on it every day. In a few days, she would definitely find a reason to replace it with a two-meter-wide bed. And the dining table outside was too low—she couldn’t keep eating on the desk…
Thinking about this, Su Su slowly drifted off to sleep.
When Qin Xutao finished his shower and came out, he saw her wrapped tightly in the blanket, only her face visible, cheeks flushed.
He instinctively slowed down, moved the blanket from the bottom bunk onto the sofa, and closed the door.
A full night’s sleep…
The next morning, Su Su stretched, feeling completely revitalized.
The bottom bunk, where Qin Xutao had slept, was empty, the blanket neatly folded into a “tofu block” shape.
Su Su pouted. After washing up, she noticed breakfast on the table: hot cornmeal porridge, spiced tea eggs, and chive-and-egg buns.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Brother Qin, are you awake? I’m Yingqiu. My aunt asked me to bring you some homemade fried sugar cakes.”
Yingqiu? The fiancée the military wives talked about?
Su Su’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had forgotten to ask yesterday, and now the person showed up. Seems this man had quite a few admirers.
She took a big bite of her bun, got up, and opened the door.
Fang Yingqiu stood outside, anxious. Yesterday, when she got home, her aunt had told her that Brother Qin’s fiancée had come to live with him.
But hadn’t Brother Qin’s fiancée caused a fuss about breaking off the engagement? Why was she suddenly here?
She had waited until this morning, using the excuse of delivering sugar cakes to confirm if it was true.
When the door opened, the girl before her made her heart sink. The girl’s skin was fair and delicate, obviously pampered from childhood, unable to endure hardship. She was even wearing a nightgown, finely made, not at all frugal—how could she be worthy of Brother Qin?
Seeing Fang Yingqiu’s changing expression, Su Su’s lips curved into a smile. “Xutao went out. I’m his fiancée. If you have anything to say, just tell me.”
Fang Yingqiu realized the situation, looking a little awkward. “It’s nothing… I just came to bring Brother Qin some sugar cakes.”
Su Su took the steaming sugar cakes from Fang Yingqiu’s hands and smiled, “Then I’ll accept them on his behalf. Thank you.”
She closed the door with a snap.
Fang Yingqiu stood there for a moment before leaving, feeling completely defeated.