The clearest memory she had was from one Chinese New Year, when she had gone with Xiao Xingjie to the Xiao family’s old residence for dinner.
That day, Xiao Wangnian had hurried back from his military unit. Dressed in his uniform, he walked through the door, and the faint smile that had still been lingering at the corners of his lips disappeared the moment he saw Xiao Xingjie.
And every time Xiao Xingjie tried to talk to him, he was unusually cold and distant.
At the time, she had been sitting beside Xiao Xingjie, and she could practically feel herself freezing under the oppressive atmosphere. She had instinctively wanted to move away from them, doing her best to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
Watching the way Xiao Xingjie could barely lift his head in front of Xiao Wangnian, Qin Mingzhi had always thought there was something strange about him.
No matter what, Xiao Xingjie was his biological nephew. How could an uncle be so harsh toward his own nephew?
Qin Mingzhi frowned as she carefully recalled the scenes from her past life. Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind.
Her neck instantly shrank back, and she unconsciously moved a little farther away from Xiao Wangnian.
She seemed to remember that time, Xiao Wangnian’s cold gaze had not only fallen on Xiao Xingjie. For a brief moment, it had even lingered in her direction.
But back then, she had felt an inexplicable fear of this man and had quickly looked away.
Now that she thought about it…
Qin Mingzhi cautiously raised her eyes and stole a glance at Xiao Wangnian. In just a few minutes, she felt as though she had aged several years.
She had been the same way in her previous life. Because she could tell that Xiao Wangnian disliked his nephew, Xiao Xingjie, although she had never known why, she figured that since he clearly wanted nothing to do with Xiao Xingjie, she, as his nephew’s wife, naturally shouldn’t shamelessly try to get close to him either.
So, throughout all the years she had been married into the Xiao family, she had always maintained a very careful distance from Xiao Wangnian.
Even when greeting him, she would only take a quick glance at him. She never dared to meet his eyes, afraid of getting on his nerves.
Part of it was because Xiao Wangnian disliked Xiao Xingjie. But more importantly, she herself had never wanted to deliberately curry favor with him.
Could it be that Xiao Wangnian also hated her because she was associated with Xiao Xingjie?
Was he refusing to let her go now because he thought she had taken advantage of him last night and insulted him?
Qin Mingzhi couldn’t figure it out. Besides, judging from last night, he certainly hadn’t seemed like the one who lost out.
What could a man possibly lose?
After everything she had experienced in her previous life, she had come to one conclusion: Any woman who went out of her way to worry about a man was practically inviting eight lifetimes of bad luck!
Her thoughts were a complete mess when, out of the corner of her eye, Qin Mingzhi suddenly noticed that the sky outside had begun to brighten.
Her heart tightened. She didn’t dare waste another second. She still had to hurry and catch them in the act. There was no time to lose!
“Brother Xiao, I have to go!”
Qin Mingzhi immediately tried to struggle upright, her voice filled with urgency.
But her strength was utterly insignificant in front of Xiao Wangnian.
She struggled with all her might for quite some time, yet he still held her firmly in place, leaving her unable to move.
Xiao Wangnian not only showed no intention of loosening his hold, but when she finally grew tired, his arm tightened instead, pulling her firmly into his embrace.
“What are you in such a hurry for?”
Xiao Wangnian rubbed his chin lightly against Qin Mingzhi’s soft hair, his voice lazy and languid.
“Go back to sleep. It’s still early.”
“Go back to sleep? It’s already daylight!”
Qin Mingzhi was so anxious she nearly wanted to cry.
“If we sleep any longer, everyone will be up! If someone catches me in your room, it’ll be a disaster!”
She absolutely could not let Qin Mengxue have her way.
Xiao Wangnian narrowed his eyes, looking at her with faint amusement.
“What’s so bad about that? Is being in my room something to be ashamed of? Who would dare say anything about you?”
“I don’t want this.”
Qin Mingzhi knitted her brows tightly, her tone firm.
She had already been set up by Qin Mengxue. How could she possibly have the heart to lie in this man’s arms until the sun was high in the sky?
This was the most crucial moment. She had to find a way to turn the tables as quickly as possible.
Seeing that Xiao Wangnian’s expression remained unchanged, Qin Mingzhi took a deep breath.
If force wasn’t going to work, she could only try a softer approach.
She frowned helplessly and sighed before patiently explaining,
“I was drugged and set up yesterday. My stepmother and stepsister plotted together to drug me, and they even wanted to send me into another man’s bed. Those people are absolutely horrible. I have to seize the initiative now. Otherwise, if things between you and me remain unclear, I’ll end up being the one blamed for it.”
Qin Mingzhi spoke with furious resentment, grinding her teeth in anger. The sound was especially clear in the quiet room.
As she spoke, she kept watching Xiao Wangnian’s expression, hoping to awaken at least a little bit of kindness in this man who seemed as cold as an ice cellar.
But Xiao Wangnian looked as though he had entered some kind of meditation retreat.
His eyes remained closed, his expression completely blank. There wasn’t the slightest hint of emotion on his face, as though he hadn’t heard a single word she said.
His breathing was so steady that anyone else might have thought he was already asleep.
Seeing this, Qin Mingzhi became even more anxious. She wriggled around in his arms a couple of times before finally freeing both of her hands.
She clasped them together in front of her chest, looking utterly earnest, and softened her voice even further.
“I really am in a hurry! If there’s anything else you need to discuss with me, can we put it off for now? You can come find me whenever you want, okay?”
The room quickly fell silent again, leaving only the sound of their breathing.
Qin Mingzhi stared at Xiao Wangnian’s face.
Just as she thought he would continue ignoring her without giving her an answer, his arm suddenly loosened.
Qin Mingzhi hadn’t expected him to let go so abruptly. She nearly lost her balance and rolled right off the bed.
She froze for a moment, then looked at Xiao Wangnian as his eyes slowly opened. She pointed at herself, then toward the door.
“So… I can go?”
“You can leave.”
Xiao Wangnian’s voice remained calm, but there was an unmistakable weight to it.
“But remember this. I’ll speak to you privately about the marriage.”
Now that the grim-faced man had finally agreed to let her go, how could Qin Mingzhi possibly refuse?
She nodded vigorously.
“Okay!”
Whatever he wanted to discuss, she would deal with it later. As for anything she didn’t agree to, no one could force her.
Qin Mingzhi didn’t dare waste any more time. She quickly sat up and climbed out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor, her legs nearly gave out beneath her, and she almost collapsed.
Qin Mingzhi’s face flushed for a moment as she looked down at her wrinkled undergarments. All she could do was sigh.
Last night had been far too chaotic. Even the neckline of her clothes had become a complete mess, hanging loosely to one side and faintly revealing traces that were better left unseen.
Just one glance at herself was enough to make her feel as though her face were about to burn off.
She hurriedly turned around, putting her back to Xiao Wangnian, who was still lying on the bed, and quickly grabbed her clothes and pulled them on.
The gaze behind her was far too intense. Even with her back turned, Qin Mingzhi could almost imagine exactly what Xiao Wangnian looked like right now.
She turned her face and quickly glanced at the man on the bed.
Sure enough, Xiao Wangnian was half reclining against the headboard, his face turned toward her as he stared at her without blinking.
Even after she looked back at him, he showed not the slightest intention of looking away. If anything, his gaze became even more direct—and completely unapologetic.
Qin Mingzhi met his eyes for a moment before quickly looking away again, instinctively speeding up as she got dressed.
There was something strange about Xiao Wangnian’s gaze. It seemed to carry a complicated meaning she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
A thought suddenly popped into Qin Mingzhi’s mind for no apparent reason.
For some reason, she felt that the way she looked right now was exactly like those irresponsible men who pulled their pants back on and ran after getting what they wanted.
And Xiao Wangnian…
was the one left behind on the bed.