Seeing Zhou Zhuo remain silent, Qin Zheng picked up his fountain pen and lightly tapped it on the desk. “What exactly is going through your mind, kid? You’re not really interested in that Ye family girl, are you?”
He had seen the Ye family daughter a few times before.
She only seemed lively when dancing on stage.
Offstage, she was a complete invalid, always frowning, clutching her chest, looking as if she could barely walk steadily.
And she was constantly biting her lip, weeping and wailing.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’d been bullied.
Zhou Zhuo was the young man he held in the highest regard—surely his taste couldn’t be that poor.
Zhou Zhuo’s hands paused slightly as he organized the documents. He simply couldn’t understand why everyone thought he would like Ye Jingjing.
After a long while, he finally looked up at Qin Zheng. “Between Wen Mingyao and me, it’s just a marriage certificate. Beyond that, I can’t give her anything else.”
Hearing Zhou Zhuo’s words, Qin Zheng fell silent for a moment.
A marriage certificate relationship—just like him and Jiang Yue’e?
Who would believe that!
“If it’s just a marriage certificate relationship, why were you in such a hurry yesterday? You even went to the commander, insisting on shortening the investigation and evidence collection to just over half a day?”
While teasing him, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
If you care, you care—he really didn’t understand why these young people had to be so stubborn.
Zhou Zhuo’s tone remained calm. “She is my wife in name. In public, I can’t let her lose face. That’s better for both her and me.”
Qin Zheng shook his head repeatedly.
After a while, he stood up and walked to the window, looking at the two young figures standing straight at the entrance. His expression grew complicated.
After a long silence, he murmured softly, “Once you miss certain people, there really is no future.”
Though his voice was quiet, it still fell clearly into Zhou Zhuo’s ears.
Zhou Zhuo placed the documents in the drawer and said nothing more, but an indescribable restlessness stirred within him.
After spending this time with Wen Mingyao, he was no longer the clueless young man he once was.
In the quiet of the night, he had thought about many things.
For example, the night after talking to his mother on the phone, he had wondered: if Wen Mingyao really became pregnant, would she stay in Rongcheng for the birth or remain here?
He had even considered whether he should start flipping through the dictionary early to choose a nice name for the child.
Later, after waking up and calming down, he wondered if he had gone mad.
He probably did have some affection for Wen Mingyao, but it was only a little—far from enough to start a family and have children.
Even Zhou Zhuo himself didn’t know what kind of future he and Wen Mingyao would have.
Zhou Zhuo lowered his gaze, hiding the myriad thoughts in his eyes. He glanced at his wristwatch, saw that it was time, and bid Qin Zheng farewell before heading home.
Qin Zheng looked at the slightly ajar wooden door and shook his head helplessly. “What a blockhead!”
…
Evening had fallen, and the sky had darkened.
Wen Mingyao set down her chopsticks, glanced at the man across from her, and said softly, “Today, I heard from Sister-in-law Sunmai that there will be a group activity in the compound around the Mid-Autumn Festival in a few days.”
Zhou Zhuo unhurriedly swallowed his last bite, wiped the corner of his mouth, and was about to say something when he realized he had only applied for housing half a year ago—how would he know what activities the family compound held?
He leaned back in his chair, looking at the woman with delicate features before him, when something suddenly came to mind.
“I remember you graduated from high school, right?”
Seeing that Wen Mingyao didn’t deny it, he continued, “The leader spoke to me today and mentioned that the literacy class is short of teachers. What do you think…”
Before he could finish, Wen Mingyao spoke up, “I can do it!”
Seeing how quickly Wen Mingyao agreed, Zhou Zhuo wasn’t the least bit surprised.
He knew Wen Mingyao was someone who couldn’t stand being idle.
In truth, he had lied.
Commander Qin hadn’t mentioned this to him at all today.
But it was true that the literacy class was short of teachers.
Sending Wen Mingyao to the literacy class would keep her occupied with teaching every day, saving her from constantly thinking about “divorce.”
Wen Mingyao thought to herself that this was just as well: the knowledge she had acquired could finally be put to use. Not only that, but it would also keep her away from Zhou Zhuo, sparing her from constantly thinking about him and Ye Jingjing.
Just as Wen Mingyao was about to clear the table, her fingertips brushed against the back of Zhou Zhuo’s hand. For some reason, she no longer felt the same flutter in her heart as she had a few days earlier.
She quickly withdrew her hand, her expression calm as she picked up the bowls and chopsticks and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll take care of it. You should rest early.”
Zhou Zhuo stood where he was, his hand hanging in mid-air before dropping silently.
From this spot, with just a glance, he could see the entire cramped kitchen, separated only by a curtain.
Wen Mingyao rolled up her sleeves, bent over the stove, and washed the dishes in the water that had already cooled in the pot.
Her movements were extremely efficient, clearly something she had done countless times before.
Zhou Zhuo suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
He knew Wen Mingyao was someone who cared about her appearance, always meticulous about skincare.
She placed great importance on her face and her hands.
She applied lily-of-the-valley-scented Friendship Snow Cream to her face and clam oil to her hands.
Before, although he knew Wen Mingyao washed the dishes, seeing it with his own eyes had a much greater impact.
He had seen rubber gloves at the military service store before. Tomorrow at noon, when he returned, he would buy a few pairs.
That way, when they returned to Rongcheng, if his grandfather saw her hands, he would surely scold him again for not taking good care of Wen Mingyao.
He was almost thirty years old and didn’t want to be yelled at by his grandfather like before.
Over the next few days,
Wen Mingyao grew accustomed to the schedule of the literacy class.
The classes weren’t too frequent, mainly arranged during free time after dinner or when the soldiers weren’t on duty or training. The teaching content was also relatively simple.
But Zhou Zhuo noticed…
Ever since Wen Mingyao started teaching at the literacy class, she no longer had the energy to think about other things, and her smiles had become more frequent.
Yet, the number of times he saw Wen Mingyao had unknowingly decreased.
When he returned from morning training, Wen Mingyao was still asleep.
When he returned at noon, Wen Mingyao had already finished her meal and gone inside to prepare her lessons.
When he returned in the evening, Wen Mingyao had long since finished dinner and left for the literacy class.
She seemed busier and busier, almost as if she was deliberately avoiding him.
Lowering his gaze to the red long rubber gloves on his hands, Zhou Zhuo couldn’t help but laugh in frustration.
He was starting to wonder whether these rubber gloves were bought for Wen Mingyao or for himself…
At night, Zhou Zhuo sat on the bed, looking at the woman sleeping soundly, his teeth itching with frustration.
“What an ungrateful woman!”
Watching her relaxed expression, Zhou Zhuo slowly leaned down, his cold lips brushing past Wen Mingyao’s small earlobe before finally settling on her delicate jawline.
Suddenly, the sensation from that day when his fingertips gripped her shoulder flashed through his mind…
His Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbed.
The roots of his ears abruptly grew hot.