Xu Chengyi felt a bit embarrassed. “We haven’t… yet.”
Lin Rui was shocked. “Why?”
Xu Chengyi shrugged. “He won’t.”
Lin Rui was puzzled. “He hit his head and doesn’t understand anything. You’re not bad-looking—shouldn’t it be as easy as crooking your finger? Or is it that you don’t want to?”
Xu Chengyi raised three fingers to swear. “Honest to God, it’s absolutely not that I don’t want to—it’s that he doesn’t. And besides, he’s genuinely clueless. He can’t even see through my…”
She paused, a little embarrassed, her gaze drifting as she continued, “…my seduction attempts.”
Lin Rui thought it over and finally reached a conclusion. “Someone must have taught him before marriage. Maybe it’s not that he doesn’t want to—maybe he can’t. I’ve heard men go downhill after 25, and he’s already 27. He’s definitely reached that age.”
Then, as if something occurred to her, she murmured softly, “He was in a car accident a year ago. Maybe it crushed something.”
Xu Chengyi seemed to have never considered this angle. Hearing these words was like a sudden awakening. “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?”
All this time, she’d been trying so hard to seduce him, yet he remained unmoved. The problem was obvious!
Lin Rui sighed, reached out, and patted her shoulder in comfort. “Stay strong. Guard yourself. A lifetime passes quickly.”
Xu Chengyi propped her head in her hands, unable to even eat, her heart half-broken.
She’d never even tasted what a man was like. What was the difference between this and being a widow in all but name?
That evening when she got home, she held her bowl, her thoughts scattered, looking pensive and utterly without appetite.
Song Wenzhou also felt she was strange today.
Normally at this time, the dishes on the table would already be in her stomach. For that reason, the chef had been increasing the portions every day.
But today, the food looked untouched.
Elder Song noticed she hadn’t picked up her chopsticks for a long while and asked, “Does the food not suit your taste tonight?”
Xu Chengyi snapped back to reality, staring blankly at Elder Song, and shook her head repeatedly. “No, it’s fine.”
“You seem distracted. Did something happen again?”
Xu Chengyi quickly shook her head. “No.”
“Then eat a bit more.”
“Mm.”
To prove the food was fine, Xu Chengyi picked up a shrimp from in front of her and popped it straight into her mouth.
Song Wenzhou saw this and slowly extended his hand toward her.
Xu Chengyi froze for a moment, then spat the unpeeled shrimp into his palm.
She gave an awkward smile. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Elder Song looked up, his gaze landing on Song Wenzhou.
Song Wenzhou carefully peeled the shrimp, placed it in Xu Chengyi’s bowl, and then, with dirty hands, picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.
Xu Chengyi picked up the peeled shrimp with a smile in her eyes and put it into her mouth.
Ling Zhu watched the two of them, and a trace of envy rose unbidden in her eyes. These kinds of small details always struck a chord in every woman’s heart, but she would never get to experience such things in her lifetime.
Suddenly, the Old Master set down his chopsticks.
Ling Zhu also set down her chopsticks, helped the Old Master to his feet, and went upstairs with him.
Xu Chengyi held her bowl but only managed half a bowl of rice before she too put down her chopsticks.
Late at night, the two lay in bed.
The bedroom was dark, and a faint glow from her phone illuminated Xu Chengyi’s side.
She held her phone and typed into the search bar: 【If a man is impotent, can he still father a child?】
The answer was written in two bold characters: No.
She tapped into the explanation given by an expert doctor and scrolled down, where she saw a suggestion for conception: IVF.
IVF was extremely grueling. She remembered the wealthy family she’d tutored for during college—the employer was nearly forty, trying for a son. She’d done IVF and posted photos of her pregnancy-preserving injections on her social media. A whole small basket full of them—a shocking sight.
And she’d heard that children carried with such measures were often half-mentally disabled, tormenting the mother.
Frightened, she quickly exited the search app and put down her phone.
After calming herself, she reached out and poked Song Wenzhou. “Are you asleep?”
“I am.” In the darkness, his voice came through, hoarse and groggy, as if she’d just woken him.
She shifted her body closer. Just by drawing near, she could already feel the warmth radiating from his body.
“Song Wenzhou, do you like kids?” she asked.
Feeling her soft, warm breath, Song Wenzhou instinctively scooted away a little.
“Why are you asking?” he said.
Xu Chengyi smiled brightly. Even in the darkness, Song Wenzhou could sense her enthusiasm. She said, “Just asking.”
He replied, “No.”
The smile at the corners of Xu Chengyi’s mouth widened. She grabbed his arm and babbled nonsense. “Honey, we’re truly a match made in heaven. I don’t like kids either. They’re noisy and troublesome, such a worry. What’s so good about them?”
“I just want to spend this life with my husband, just the two of us. I don’t want a child to take away my husband’s love.”
Song Wenzhou let out a silent chuckle and couldn’t help but agree. “Mm.”
Xu Chengyi rested her head on his shoulder. “Honey, you’re so good to me.”
Honestly, saying all that made her feel sick too, but at least she could appease him for now. When Meng Aoshuang started pressuring them to have children, she could use him as a shield.
The chat ended, and she let go of Song Wenzhou’s arm without making a fuss. “Honey, weren’t you about to sleep? Go ahead, I won’t disturb you.”
With that, she swiftly rolled back to her own spot.
Song Wenzhou touched the arm she had been holding, gave a light cough, and turned over, facing away from her.
Xu Chengyi felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She picked up her phone and continued scrolling contentedly.
In the days that followed, she stopped teasing Song Wenzhou at night, entering a state of serene detachment.
A few days later, the well-informed Lin Rui pulled her aside and said, “Remember Wang Ling?”
Xu Chengyi nodded. “She took a hit to the leg, and the bruise hasn’t even fully faded yet. How could I forget?”
Lin Rui said, “Her family is about to collapse. I heard someone set them up. They’re in a state of semi-bankruptcy now, and the company has laid off a lot of people. To save themselves, the Wang family is marrying Wang Ling off to an old man with gray hair as his concubine.”
Xu Chengyi furrowed her brow slightly. “Really?”
Lin Rui shrugged. “It should be true. But honestly, even though Wang Ling isn’t a good person, being forced to marry an old man is pretty pitiful.”
Xu Chengyi made no comment, offering no judgment.
That evening, when she returned home, she ran into Song Zhiyu, who had just come back.
Dinner hadn’t started yet. Song Zhiyu was sitting in the living room, long legs crossed, lounging lazily as he chatted with someone on his phone.
Xu Chengyi walked over and greeted, “Little uncle.”
Song Zhiyu hung up the phone and flashed her a smile. “Niece-in-law, I heard you got hurt a few days ago. How are you? All better?”