Shen Qingqing hadn’t been asleep long before she was woken by a knock at the door.
Perhaps afraid of disturbing others, the person outside only knocked three times before stopping.
Shen Qingqing turned over, her eyelids sticking together again.
In her drowsy state, she heard someone calling her name.
“Shen Qingqing, open the door.”
The room’s soundproofing wasn’t great, and Jiang Zhixun’s voice came through clearly.
Shen Qingqing had a good temper, but that didn’t include when she was woken up.
And especially not by Jiang Zhixun.
It instantly lit a fire in her heart.
What was he here for this time? Given his style, shouldn’t he be avoiding her right now?
After all, back in the cafeteria, Jiang Zhixun hadn’t even given her a chance to speak to him alone.
The fire in her heart burned hotter and hotter.
Shen Qingqing pulled the blanket over her head, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
The man standing outside grew anxious.
Could Shen Qingqing really have fainted?
Just thinking about it made Jiang Zhixun lose his composure.
“Shen Qingqing?”
Still no response from inside.
Without further hesitation, Jiang Zhixun hurried downstairs. When he reappeared, he was holding a key.
Xiao Li knew about Shen Qingqing’s condition.
Assuming the couple was having a disagreement and Shen Qingqing was deliberately not opening the door for Jiang Zhixun, he didn’t follow.
The moment the door opened, the room’s layout was fully visible.
Jiang Zhixun went straight to the bed. Seeing the person on it completely still, his heart leaped to his throat.
Without a second thought, he threw back the blanket, ready to carry Shen Qingqing to the hospital.
The change happened too fast, and Shen Qingqing, who had been playing deaf, couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.
She was wearing a nightgown, and when the blanket was thrown back, the hem rode up to her upper thigh.
Exposing her fair, slender legs.
It wasn’t yet dawn, and the room was dark. Jiang Zhixun remained bent over in a carrying position.
One arm had already gone under Shen Qingqing’s back, while the other hand touched her smooth, warm thigh.
His ears were hit by Shen Qingqing’s startled cry.
His gaze traveled downward.
Because his eyesight was too good, even in the dark, he could see clearly.
He was suddenly stunned.
Before he could snap out of it, he was shoved, and Shen Qingqing wrapped herself up tightly.
She glared at Jiang Zhixun angrily. “How could you just barge in?”
The man turned around without a word, first closing the door.
Shen Qingqing sat up nervously.
She scooted backward, her back against the wall.
At this hour, she couldn’t understand why Jiang Zhixun was here.
And he’d just held her…
Could it be that he’d taken her mother-in-law’s words to heart and actually wanted to have a child with her?
Her throat tightened. “You, turn on the light first.”
Jiang Zhixun still hadn’t recovered from the shock just now. They were husband and wife, but he’d never seen anything he shouldn’t have.
He closed his eyes, trying to drive the scene from his mind.
It didn’t work.
In the dim environment, all they could hear was each other’s breathing, along with Shen Qingqing’s pounding heartbeat.
Click.
Jiang Zhixun turned on the light.
It dispelled the silently spreading tension.
His gaze fixed on the curtains, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Why didn’t you answer earlier?”
Shen Qingqing shot back, “What’s so urgent that you came this early?”
Jiang Zhixun had nothing urgent.
He’d just had a dream and couldn’t stop worrying, so he’d come to check on Shen Qingqing.
Regardless, she was his wife in name, and he couldn’t just ignore whether she was alive or dead.
Meeting the confusion in her eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbed.
In the end, he said nothing, turned, and walked out.
Not forgetting to close the door behind him.
The room fell silent again.
If not for the light still being on, Shen Qingqing would have suspected everything just now was a dream.
Jiang Zhixun really had come.
Said nothing, and left again.
She leaned over to grab her watch from the table. It was only four in the morning.
Shen Qingqing angrily pounded her pillow.
“Is this guy insane? He doesn’t sleep himself, and he won’t let others sleep either!”
She tossed the watch back on the table, then got out of bed to turn off the light.
It was freezing.
Goosebumps immediately broke out on her skin.
Shen Qingqing hurried back under the blanket, only then feeling alive again.
She cursed Jiang Zhixun up and down.
He was a bully—three years ago, and three years later too!
Once they divorced, she would stay far, far away from him.
She’d never give him another chance to bully her!
Jiang Zhixun left the guesthouse, and the farther he walked, the faster his heart pounded.
His large palm clenched tightly.
Even though the weather was cold, his hand was covered in sweat.
He ran dozens of laps around the training ground before gradually calming down.
…
Jiang Zhixun and his comrades had completed their mission and were entitled to two days of leave.
According to the original plan, Lin Zhidong was going to invite his closest comrades over for a meal to celebrate their child’s first birthday.
But now he was in a bind.
If he invited Jiang Zhixun, he certainly couldn’t leave out Shen Qingqing.
But if he invited her, he was afraid his sister might suddenly say something inappropriate.
Not only would the atmosphere become awkward, but it might also affect the relationship between Jiang Zhixun and Shen Qingqing.
Lin Zhidong’s wife, Zhou Xiaomei, saw him worrying since early morning and offered him a suggestion.
“Tomorrow we’ll treat them at the state-run restaurant. We’ll have Xiaomian stay home to watch the child, so she won’t run into Jiang Zhixun’s wife, right?”
Zhou Xiaomei worked at the cultural troupe in a clerical position.
But she knew that several unmarried women in the singing and dancing section were all trying to pursue Jiang Zhixun.
Some of the bolder ones had even confessed to him.
They were all rejected.
Zhou Xiaomei had once overheard someone complaining that Jiang Zhixun was too hard to win over, and suspected he wanted to stay a bachelor for life.
Who would have thought that he’d quietly gotten married three years ago without a word?
Zhou Xiaomei was very curious about Shen Qingqing.
She wanted to see what kind of woman could make Jiang Zhixun nod and agree to marriage.
She also wanted to ask about what had happened between them.
If the couple’s relationship was good, why would Jiang Zhixun not come home for three years?
Lin Zhidong immediately vetoed Zhou Xiaomei’s proposal.
“If we go to the state-run restaurant without bringing Xiaomian, and she finds out, she’ll blow the roof off the place.”
Zhou Xiaomei was also a bit afraid of this sister-in-law; when she really kicked up a fuss, it was a real headache.
Fortunately, the sister-in-law was quick with her work and genuinely devoted to the child, so Zhou Xiaomei didn’t make an issue of it.
Since she was already helping take care of the child, if Zhou Xiaomei still found fault, that would be rather ungrateful.
Although they could ask someone else for help, it was still more reassuring to have family.
“We won’t treat her badly either—we’ll bring her a bowl of braised pork and buy her two meat buns.”
“And isn’t she reluctant to use her face cream, only applying it every two or three days? Her face is almost chapped from the cold. We’ll buy her a bag of it then, and she can use as much as she likes.”
Under other circumstances, these things would be enough to appease the girl.
But the situation now was special.
If they didn’t let her go to the state-run restaurant, she’d definitely think they were favoring outsiders.
Deliberately keeping her from meeting Comrade Shen.
She’d also think they found her too embarrassing to bring out, otherwise why wouldn’t they let her sit at the table?
She might even think the food they brought back was their leftovers…
Lin Zhidong understood his sister’s temperament and could already imagine her crying and throwing a tantrum.
He felt even more of a headache coming on.
“Whether we celebrate the birthday or not doesn’t matter—maybe we just won’t host a dinner, and that’ll save a few ration tickets.”
Lin Zhidong doted on his son, and every time his comrades came over, they’d bring supplements for the child.
Occasionally, when they ran into him outside, they’d fight over who got to hold the little baby.
Their relationship was good, which was why Lin Zhidong wanted to take advantage of his leave to invite his good brothers over for a meal and have some fun.
Zhou Xiaomei said with a resentful tone, “Who told you to have a big mouth and spread the news early? Now that it’s come down to it, if you suddenly cancel the dinner, aren’t you afraid people will gossip about you behind your back?”
“They’re not that kind of people.”
Lin Zhidong was certain of that; it was just that backing out at the last minute really wasn’t great.
He rubbed the back of his head. “How about we just cook at home instead? It’s only three or four people coming anyway, and there’s room in the house. If there’s work to do, Xiaomian won’t have time to dwell on things.”
At the very least, with so many people watching, she wouldn’t be able to do anything wrong.
Zhou Xiaomei agreed. “Fine, then I’ll go to the guesthouse after work at noon and personally invite Comrade Shen. Otherwise, it’ll seem insincere.”
Lin Zhidong nodded. “That’s right. Yesterday Xiaomian offended Comrade Shen and didn’t even properly apologize. When you go, say a few good words for Xiaomian so Comrade Shen doesn’t hold a grudge.”
Zhou Xiaomei pursed her lips. “I’ve apologized on your sister’s behalf so many times already. She really needs to change that temper of hers!”
Lin Zhidong also wanted his sister to change her temper.
But the girl had grown up and had her own ideas; he truly had no way to handle it.
“Let’s take it slow. With you teaching her, she’s already improved a lot this past year.”
That one sentence put his wife in a good mood.
Zhou Xiaomei gave a light snort. “She’s your own sister, so that makes her my family too. How could I not look after her?”