Li Qinkuai glanced at him, realizing he had been brooding over this matter.
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“How can it have nothing to do with me?! I failed to protect you as your man—I’m useless!”
“Who said you didn’t protect me? If you hadn’t, where did the blood on your hands come from? This really isn’t your fault. Blame Yang Liwen—she’s the one with ill intentions. If she hadn’t harbored bad thoughts, none of this would have happened. Besides, I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
Li Qinkuai tried to console Duan Pengyue, even spinning around in front of him to show she was unharmed.
Duan Pengyue stared at her for a long while without saying a word.
Li Qinkuai yawned again. “Alright, stop dwelling on what’s already happened. I’m tired and want to sleep.”
Duan Pengyue quickly stood up. “Then sleep. I’ll guard the door and won’t go anywhere.”
The auntie teased, “Your man is afraid something might happen to you again.”
Li Qinkuai, of course, knew this. She turned to the auntie and asked, “Auntie, Yang Liwen has been arrested, and no one will be using her bunk now. Could my man sleep here?”
The auntie waved her hand dismissively. “Of course.”
Li Qinkuai immediately pulled Duan Pengyue inside. “Come in quickly. You can sleep on Yang Liwen’s bed.”
Without hesitation, Duan Pengyue lay down on Yang Liwen’s bunk.
Two days later.
Li Qinkuai trailed listlessly behind Duan Pengyue as they queued to exit the train station.
Even though they had sleeper berths, spending so long on the train was anything but comfortable.
Before disembarking, the railway police exchanged phone numbers with Duan Pengyue, saying they would contact them once Yang Liwen’s case was resolved.
Lin Sheng followed behind Duan Pengyue and Li Qinkuai, helping carry their belongings.
Outside the train station, a military jeep was parked by the roadside, with Duan Pengcheng waiting nearby.
“Big brother.”
Duan Pengyue called out.
Duan Pengcheng immediately walked over and reached for their luggage. “Finally back! The whole family is waiting for you at home!”
“This is my wife, Li Qinkuai. This is my elder brother, Duan Pengcheng,” Duan Pengyue introduced.
Li Qinkuai politely greeted, “Big brother.”
Duan Pengcheng nodded at her. “Mm.”
Lin Sheng, standing nearby, also called out, “Brother Pengcheng, long time no see.”
Duan Pengcheng smiled at him. “It has been a while. You’ve gotten much darker. Your parents knew you were coming back with Pengyue and asked me to drop you off on the way. Get in the car—your family is waiting for you at home.”
Noticing his elder brother’s starkly different attitudes toward Li Qinkuai and Lin Sheng, Duan Pengyue frowned in displeasure. He was about to turn and comfort Li Qinkuai when he saw she looked completely unfazed, so he swallowed his words.
Li Qinkuai truly didn’t mind. After all, in her previous life, Duan Pengcheng had treated her with the same indifference.
The three of them got into the jeep. Li Qinkuai sat in the back, gazing out the window at the buildings of Beijing, thinking she might as well take this opportunity to explore the entire city.
In the military compound in Beijing, some residences were apartment buildings, while others were small Western-style houses. Since Duan Pengyue’s father, Duan Wu, was a high-ranking officer, the Duan family naturally lived in one of the small Western-style houses.
Lin Sheng got out at the compound entrance to return home, while the jeep continued driving for a while before finally reaching the Duan residence.
The entire Duan family was waiting at the door. When they saw the jeep returning, they immediately smiled and came forward to greet them.
Duan Pengyue got out of the car with Li Qinkuai. Just as he was about to introduce Li Qinkuai to his parents, he was pushed aside by his mother, Wu Yafang.
“You must be Qinkuai, right? Southerners really do have delicate and beautiful features. I’m Pengyue’s mother, this is Pengyue’s father, and this is Pengyue’s younger sister, Peng Wei. I’ve prepared some fruit for you. Let’s go inside and chat. It’s still a bit chilly out here.”
Wu Yafang rushed over excitedly, holding Li Qinkuai’s hands, her face beaming with joy. As she spoke, she pulled Li Qinkuai toward the house.
Li Qinkuai stared at the enthusiastic Wu Yafang in front of her, momentarily stunned and unable to react.
In her previous life, Wu Yafang had disliked her immensely. During their first meeting, she had given her the cold shoulder, treating her as if she were invisible. But now, her enthusiasm was overwhelming.
After snapping out of her daze, Li Qinkuai quickly greeted them: “Mom, Dad, Peng Wei.”
“Good.”
“Second sister-in-law,” Duan Pengwei also greeted Li Qinkuai with a smile.
Seeing that Li Qinkuai was accepted by his parents, Duan Pengyue didn’t mind being treated like a stranger by his own parents. Happily, he followed them into the house.
Li Qinkuai was surrounded by the Duan family. Apart from Duan Pengcheng, the other three stared at her eagerly, making her feel quite uncomfortable.
“Have some fruit. Mom didn’t know what you like, so I bought all the fruits I could find. Eat whatever you want. From now on, we’re all one close family.”
Wu Yafang pushed the fruit toward Li Qinkuai.
The coffee table was filled with all kinds of fruit, all neatly cut. Li Qinkuai picked up the apple closest to her and took a bite, politely saying, “Thank you, Mom, for preparing all this. You’ve worked hard.”
Wu Yafang happily acknowledged her thanks, then took a red envelope out of her pocket. “This is a red envelope from your parents. Please accept it.”
Li Qinkuai looked toward Duan Pengyue.
Duan Pengyue was busy eating fruit and didn’t catch her glance.
Duan Wu immediately spoke up: “Take it. Don’t be afraid of this kid. If he dares to bully you, just tell Dad, and I’ll deal with him!”
Only then did Duan Pengyue realize Li Qinkuai was looking at him. He quickly said, “Take it.”
Li Qinkuai finally dared to accept the money, thanking them sweetly.
Duan Pengyue also noticed Li Qinkuai’s discomfort. He turned to Wu Yafang and said, “Mom, we’ve been on the train for several days and are a bit tired. I’ll take her upstairs to rest for a while. Call us when it’s time to eat.”
After saying this, he took Li Qinkuai upstairs to their room.
Duan Pengyue’s room was the last one on the second floor. When he pushed the door open, they found the room had been cleaned spotlessly, and even the bedsheets and covers were freshly changed to bright red.
Li Qinkuai sat on the bed, thinking about the Duan family’s enthusiastic attitude. She couldn’t understand it—their behavior was so different from before.
But for the Duan family’s attitude to change so drastically, it was likely that Duan Pengyue had spoken to his family before they returned.
Li Qinkuai looked at Duan Pengyue, who was standing in front of the wardrobe, and asked, “Before bringing me back, what did you say to your parents?”
Duan Pengyue was about to put their clothes into the wardrobe when he heard her question. He turned to look at her and said, “I didn’t say much. I just told them I got married and was bringing you back with me, and asked them to prepare.”
“Just that?” Li Qinkuai didn’t quite believe him.
Duan Pengyue nodded seriously. “Yes, they can’t wait for me to get married and have a wife. They’ll definitely be happy to hear I’ve brought someone home. Don’t you like my parents?”
Li Qinkuai quickly shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I thought your parents might look down on me for being from the countryside and think I’m not good enough for you.”
Hearing this, Duan Pengyue put down the clothes in his hands, realizing she was feeling insecure. He walked over and took her hand. “My parents were also from the countryside when they were young. How could they possibly look down on you? You’re overthinking it. But my parents did mention one thing.”
“What is it?”
“They want us to have a child early so they can hold their grandchild!”
As he spoke, Duan Pengyue reached out and wrapped his arms around Li Qinkuai’s waist.
Heaven knew how much he had endured these past few days—seeing her but not being able to have her.
Li Qinkuai slapped away his wandering hand and quickly stood up to avoid him. “Go take a bath! What are you thinking in broad daylight? What if your family comes up and sees us? How embarrassing would that be!”
“Then how about tonight?” Duan Pengyue asked shamelessly.
Deep down, he was still afraid Li Qinkuai was angry about what happened last time.
“Go take a bath!”
Only after Duan Pengyue went to take a bath did Li Qinkuai lie down on the bed, thinking about everything that had happened recently.
This time, after being reborn, many things had indeed changed a lot. Perhaps it wouldn’t be like her previous life.