Xie Mingzhu’s eyes grew slightly moist.
Suddenly, memories surfaced of her childhood, back when her mother was still alive.
She had always slept between her parents. Every winter, the moment she got into bed, her mother would take her little feet in her hands, tickling them to make her laugh.
When it was time to sleep, she would tuck Mingzhu’s feet against her own belly to warm them.
Later, after she married Qin Haoyu, whenever she asked him to warm her feet, he would laugh and say, “My little princess, you’re cold, but so am I! Don’t go shoving those ice blocks down my clothes!”
With that, he would fetch a hot-water bottle for her.
Back then, she’d foolishly thought he was being thoughtful.
Looking back now, it was nothing at all!
At the end of the day, it was simply because he had never truly cared for her, so he felt no real concern for her comfort.
Huo Xuan was holding her feet, gently rubbing them. Hearing her soft sigh, he asked, “What’s wrong? Moved to tears?”
Lost in thoughts of her mother, Xie Mingzhu gave his leg a light kick and said reproachfully, “Who’s crying?”
Huo Xuan’s lips lifted slightly in a smile. He said nothing more, but kept rubbing her feet.
“When I was little, my mother used to warm my feet just like this,” Xie Mingzhu said softly.
Huo Xuan paused for a moment, then asked gently, “Missing her?”
Xie Mingzhu gave a quiet “Mmm” and fell silent.
Huo Xuan continued, “Once we get back, we’ll go visit her.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since we last went.”
“Yes,” she replied, “it really has been a long time.”
Her thoughts turned to returning to the city. “I wonder when the paperwork will be ready. I can’t wait another minute to leave this place.”
But returning required official approval — her household registration and grain ration documents had to be transferred first; otherwise, she would be considered an unregistered resident.
Huo Xuan said softly, “Don’t rush. It will take at least another week.”
They had only just started the process; there was no way it could be done so quickly.
Xie Mingzhu nodded slowly.
As they talked, the charged atmosphere between them eased.
“Huo Xuan, what plans do you have for the future?” she asked.
In her past life, Huo Xuan had first worked at a lighting factory for several years before resigning. Later, she’d heard he went into business, but since they had lost contact, she never knew how things turned out for him.
Instead of answering, Huo Xuan asked, “What about you?”
Xie Mingzhu thought for a moment before saying, “I want to go back to school.”
She was only twenty-one now — the perfect age to attend university.
In her previous life, after marrying Qin Haoyu, she had never returned to her studies.
Later, when her father left politics to start a business and became very successful, she and Qin Haoyu helped run the company.
She had wanted to further her education and improve herself, but Qin Haoyu had always found one excuse after another to stop her.
Back then, she hadn’t questioned it. Now she realized: since he relied entirely on the Xie family’s resources, he was afraid that if she became more capable, he would never be able to stand on his own.
She wanted to see how Huo Xuan would react to her decision.
Huo Xuan simply nodded and said, “Whatever you decide, I support it.”
Xie Mingzhu hadn’t expected him to agree so readily, without even hesitating.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Her feet were now warm. She shifted and pulled them free from his embrace.
“I’m tired. Let’s sleep,” she said.
Huo Xuan said nothing more and turned over again, facing away from her.
Xie Mingzhu closed her eyes and quickly drifted off, forgetting to ask him about his own plans.
Huo Xuan, however, lay awake with his eyes wide open.
The warmth of the quilt carried the faint, sweet fragrance unique to the young woman beside him — exactly the scent that clung to her skin.
It was so soft and sweet that it made his breathing grow unsteady.
The girl he loved most was lying right next to him, yet he dared not move an inch.
For a split second, he was seized by the urge to roll over and pull her straight into his arms.
But though he had the thought, he lacked the courage to act on it.
His mind was in turmoil, and he could not remember exactly when he finally fell asleep.
When he woke again, the sky outside was beginning to brighten.
The rain was still falling, though not as heavily as the night before.
Having stayed in one position for so long, his whole body felt stiff and numb.
He was just about to stretch when he felt the soft sound of breathing behind him.
He froze instantly, not daring to move.
Slowly turning his head, he found that Xie Mingzhu had somehow shifted over to his side of the bed in her sleep.
She was curled up slightly, clearly still feeling the cold.
He turned toward her and raised his hands, hovering them just above her body in a loose, protective hold.
Seeing how her brow remained furrowed even in sleep, he reached out to smooth it gently.
As he began to pull his hand back, she swatted it away. “Qin Haoyu, stop fooling around,” she mumbled.
His hand went rigid, and his expression hardened.
The thought struck him: she had once lain in the same bed with that man.
Qin Haoyu could hold her, kiss her, and be intimate with her whenever he pleased.
Just imagining it filled Huo Xuan with a raging jealousy that threatened to consume him. His eyes burned with resentment, and his hands clenched into fists.
But the moment he looked down at her peaceful sleeping face, all his anger melted away.
Having her lying here safe and sound beside him mattered far more than anything else.
He knew the crushing agony of losing her once before — he would never let that happen again.
With a quiet sigh, he brushed aside the stray hair falling across her forehead, then leaned down and pressed a soft, light kiss to her brow.
His gaze drifted lower, lingering on her soft red lips.
He moistened his own lips, but in the end, he refused to take advantage of her while she slept.
“Huo Xuan… don’t be silly…” she murmured in her sleep.
The words struck straight to his heart.
He looked down again, and heard her whisper, “I’m cold.”
Without further hesitation, he settled back down and pulled her fully into his chest.
As soon as she felt the warmth, Xie Mingzhu snuggled closer into his arms.
The turmoil in Huo Xuan’s heart vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming warmth.
A smile spread across his face. He rested his chin on top of her head and kissed her hair.
Breathing in the sweet scent of her locks, he felt happier than he had in a long time.
He had intended to get up, but her soft, trusting embrace lulled him back into a peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, Xie Mingzhu woke up feeling suffocated.
She had been sleeping soundly until suddenly she could barely breathe, forcing her awake.
The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a row of white buttons and the front of a crisp white shirt.
Inhaling the faint smell of soap, she blinked and lifted her head — only to realize she was lying curled up in Huo Xuan’s arms!