8 – Mother-in-law Looking at Her Son-in-law
They had already chatted amiably in the dining room earlier. The two families had always been close, and now they were even more tightly bound by marriage.
The whole affair had come about rather suddenly, but clearly both families had taken it remarkably well.
Song Wenhua put on a show of disdain, but Wang Junlan simply smiled.
Indeed, a mother-in-law’s eye for her son-in-law only grew more satisfied the longer she looked.
They all walked out together to see them off, and Pei Qingji followed them back inside.
Wen Song looked at the room full of boxes tied with big red bows, and at Pei Qingji standing beside her, and felt a sense of unreality.
She—barely twenty-two, a vibrant young beauty—was about to get married and become a mother, and to none other than a professor at their own institute.
Her world had truly veered into the surreal.
“Tired?” Pei Qingji leaned down and whispered by her ear.
His warm breath brushed against her ear, and Wen Song felt her face flush again.
Honestly, she grumbled inwardly, since when had she become so easily flustered?
“Song Song, the food we saved for Xiao Pei is in the kitchen. You should eat a bit more too—you barely touched your meal earlier.” Wang Junlan’s voice came from behind.
Wen Song turned around to see Wen Yuanbai and Wang Junlan both looking at her and Pei Qingji. Another situation where she wanted to flee but couldn’t.
Mainly because showing off their affection had been her idea in the first place.
She smiled sweetly and replied, “Okay! You two go get some rest, good night~”
That was what she said, but in Wang Junlan’s eyes, her face said only one thing—
Don’t disturb our little world for two.
Wang Junlan teased her with a knowing smile, and Wen Song winked back playfully.
Pei Qingji knew how to play along perfectly. He placed a hand on Wen Song’s waist and turned her around with him.
“Mom and Dad, go rest. I’ll take good care of Song Song.”
Wen Song shot him a glance. Impressive acting skills, she thought. She certainly couldn’t be outdone.
She leaned into Pei Qingji’s embrace and waved at Wang Junlan and Wen Yuanbai. “Go on, go on! Love you both, good night, good night, mwah~”
No one could resist her coaxing. Wen Yuanbai walked over and patted her head gently, while Wang Junlan stifled a laugh.
Just as they were about to reach the elevator, Wen Song was about to step away from Pei Qingji when Wang Junlan turned around.
“Song Song, I had Aunt Zhou prepare a room for you. You two should get some sleep early tonight—don’t sleep in till noon tomorrow.”
Wen Song blinked, her mind now entirely occupied by the words “sleep early.”
She’d slipped up. She really hadn’t considered that they’d be facing the prospect of sharing a bed tonight.
She stood there speechless, and it was Pei Qingji who nodded. “Alright. Mom, Dad, good night.”
Hearing his voice snapped Wen Song back to reality. She smiled along. “Mm-hmm, good night~”
With that, she generously blew them a kiss, and Wang Junlan and Wen Yuanbai smiled helplessly.
Only after confirming they were truly gone did Wen Song sidestep away from him.
She pointed toward the kitchen. “The kitchen’s over there. Go eat.”
“You’re not eating? Mom said you barely had anything.”
Wen Song still wasn’t used to Pei Qingji calling her mother “Mom,” but he seemed to have already gotten used to it.
She waved a hand. “No, I’m not hungry. I still have some things to do—I’m heading upstairs first.”
With that, she made to dash toward the stairs, but Pei Qingji caught her by the arm.
Wen Song turned around and stammered, “Wh…what’s wrong?”
Pei Qingji let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as if in helplessness. “Where is your room?”
Uh…
Wen Song mentally braced herself, then answered quickly and quietly, “Third floor, turn left, the room at the very end.”
The moment she finished speaking, she swiftly broke free from Pei Qingji’s grip and fled upstairs.
She ran fast, but she still heard Pei Qingji’s laughter.
“Slow down, be careful.”
Wen Song sucked in a sharp breath, but obediently slowed her pace.
The baby’s presence still wasn’t very prominent, so much so that she kept forgetting she was already pregnant.
She didn’t look back, only waved a hand behind her. “Got it. Take your time eating.”
With that, she headed upstairs without looking back.
Wen Song very quickly washed her hair and took a shower. After coming out, she found herself torn between pretending to sleep and waiting for Pei Qingji to come back, so much so that she genuinely experienced what it meant to feel like sitting on pins and needles, with a knife at her back.
Last month, it was purely the alcohol that gave her courage, allowing her to flirt so recklessly without caring about the consequences. Now that she was sober, she was simply a pure coward.
Wen Song buried herself under the covers, only to emerge within thirty seconds. She sat for less than two minutes, then dove back under the covers again. She stayed there for less than a minute before sitting up once more.
She cycled through this repeatedly, not even knowing what she was doing.
Because she was so deeply immersed in her own world, she completely failed to hear the commotion at the door.
Pei Qingji knocked several times but never heard a response from Wen Song.
Unsure if she was all right, and since the door wasn’t locked, he could only take the liberty of entering first.
Pushing open the door, the first thing that greeted him was a massive crystal chandelier. The wallpaper and furniture around were all in retro cream tones, with an overall atmosphere leaning toward European classical style, but with many sparkly decorations added on top.
The rest of the villa’s decor was actually more Chinese-style, yet her room could be decorated in a style completely at odds with the rest of the house—these were all signs that she was the treasure of this family.
Pei Qingji suddenly felt a sense of relief, glad that he had guessed her decorative preferences based on her usual style and the occasional glimpses of her belongings that appeared in Zhou Huanning’s social media posts.
He guessed she would like their new home.
While thinking this, he walked further inside. From a distance, he faintly heard a series of whimpering sounds.
He slowed his steps, thinking he must have misheard, only to see Wen Song just emerging from the covers.
The young woman was wearing a white sleeveless nightgown, her long hair slightly wavy and draped over her front. Probably because she had just crawled out from under the covers, it was a bit messy, yet it made her look even more languid and adorable—both innocent and alluring.
Her skin was fair with a rosy undertone, so delicate it seemed it might break at the slightest touch. Pei Qingji even wondered if a slight squeeze would leave marks on her skin.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because the moment their eyes met, she looked like a startled kitten with its fur standing on end, glancing around as if unsure whether she should hide or run away.
“What’s wrong?”
There was a hint of amusement in Pei Qingji’s voice, but Wen Song felt her face flush again.
She cleared her throat and pointed toward the bathroom on the right. “You go take a shower first.”
After she said that, she felt it was a bit odd to say such a thing in this situation. Looking up, she indeed saw a faint smile curling at the corners of Pei Qingji’s lips.
“Um, no, I mean—just taking a shower, plain and simple.”
“Is there an impure kind?”
Wen Song quickly shut her eyes. She seriously suspected she had evolved from a gluttonous girl into a lewd one. Though the material was scarce, those fragments in her mind kept flashing back and forth.
She dodged the conversation and stood up from the bed.