She had expended too much energy, so Zhong Yi had just cooked herself a big bowl of noodles and eaten it. Now, she was planning to take a bath.
As for deliberately taking precautions against pregnancy, she hadn’t bothered with that either.
Her attitude remained the same. Things had already come to this, so if she ended up having a child, she would simply give birth. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t afford to raise one. At worst, she could keep the child and leave the father behind.
Besides, Zhou Shu’s genes were genuinely excellent, and the original owner’s looks were beautiful, too. If these two had a child together, the baby would undoubtedly be exceptionally bright and clever.
She didn’t want to waste such excellent genes. And if nothing else, having two children who took her surname, Zhong, sounded pretty satisfying!
She had just finished boiling a pot of hot water when she heard someone calling from outside.
“Is Zhong Yi home?”
Hmm?
The voice sounded both unfamiliar and familiar.
Zhong Yi walked outside, still holding a towel in her hand.
Standing at her gate was Zhou Shu, carrying a travel bag and dressed in a crisp green military uniform. He looked tall, handsome, and impeccably put together. As he approached, she could even catch the clean, refreshing scent of soap on him.
His skin was a healthy wheat color, and his entire build radiated strength. However, he didn’t have the exaggerated muscles of the bodybuilders from later generations. Instead, he looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye—clean, fit, and handsome.
Although the two of them had already shared their most intimate moments, it had been dark at the time. Seeing everything clearly under the sunlight now felt entirely different.
Zhong Yi stared at him for a moment before awkwardly looking away.
Zhou Shu was also studying her, his gaze moving from her eyebrows to her nose and then to her lips.
Zhong Yi had delicate, refined features. She was about 165 centimeters tall and wore a simple shirt with black trousers. Her frame was slender, her face small, and her skin as smooth and pale as a peeled egg, practically glowing in the sunlight. Her lips were a soft pink.
She looked gentle and delicate, yet she was remarkably resilient deep down. She had quietly helped support the Liang family through difficult times.
In Zhou Shu’s eyes, Liang Feng was simply an idiot for rejecting such a wonderful woman.
“I’m returning to my unit.”
Time was tight, and Zhou Shu couldn’t stay for long.
Hearing this, Zhong Yi let out a surprised, “Ah?”
She wanted to ask if he was leaving so soon, but then she felt she had no right to say that. It might make her sound as though she couldn’t bear to see him go.
And she absolutely did not feel that way!
“Then… have a safe journey?” she said.
Zhou Shu nearly burst out laughing. He could immediately tell that she hadn’t taken his earlier words seriously.
“My grandfather will step in and handle the Liang family’s affairs.”
Zhong Yi wanted to tell him that she already had other plans for dealing with the situation and that she certainly wouldn’t let Liang Feng off the hook.
But since Zhou Shu was suddenly returning to his unit, he had probably been urgently summoned. There might be an important mission waiting for him. She didn’t need to trouble him with her own affairs when she could handle them herself.
So she simply went along with his words.
“All right, I understand.”
There was hardly any change in her expression.
Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt an inexplicable discomfort somewhere in his chest, but the sensation was unfamiliar, and he couldn’t quite figure out what it meant.
He could only assume that she might still have feelings for Liang Feng. After all, the two of them had been dating for many years.
“I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to marry you.”
Once Zhou Shu set his sights on a goal, he went after it. He wasn’t the kind of man who would give himself room to hesitate or regret his decisions.
As he spoke, his dark eyes remained fixed on Zhong Yi, his gaze intense and possessive, as though he were a hunter keeping his eyes on his chosen target.
Zhong Yi had lived through two lifetimes without ever dealing with a soldier romantically. How could she withstand such an intense gaze?
Before long, her cheeks grew hot, and her heart began to race.
She pretended to be nonchalant as she ran a hand through her long hair.
“I still need time to think about it.”
Zhou Shu’s deep, mellow voice carried a hint of laughter.
“I hope you won’t make me wait too long.”
Zhong Yi: “…”
Was this man flirting with her?
She couldn’t be mistaken, could she? But why? Was it simply because they had slept together?
Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to get an answer to that question anytime soon.
Zhou Shu was short on time. He took a slip of paper from his pocket.
“This has my contact address and telephone number at the military unit. When you have some free time, you can write to me or give me a call.”
Zhong Yi was caught off guard by how sudden everything was. She clasped her hands together and didn’t reach for the paper.
Zhou Shu didn’t give her the chance to refuse. He took her hand, placed the slip of paper in her palm, and said, “Keep it safe. Even if you lose it, it doesn’t matter. My grandfather has my contact information, too. You can always go to him.”
Zhong Yi’s face grew hot again. It wasn’t exactly shyness; she simply couldn’t keep up with Zhou Shu’s initiative and sincerity.
Besides, did his words mean that Grandpa Zhou already knew about what had happened between them?
Why did she suddenly feel as though she couldn’t catch her breath?
And Zhou Shu wasn’t finished making requests. He was practically pressing forward step by step.
He lowered his gaze to look at her, the corners of his mouth seemingly curved into a smile. There was an indescribable charm about him.
“Do you have any solo photographs of yourself?”
“What do you need one for?”
Zhou Shu looked at her flushed cheeks.
“If I told you I needed a photograph to submit our marriage application, that would be a lie. I won’t lie to you. So the reason I want this photograph is simply personal. I want something to remember you by.”
Boom!
Zhong Yi was genuinely about to lose her composure.
Wait a minute! She had read so many novels set in this era. Weren’t men from this period supposed to be reserved and restrained?
But this man standing in front of her shouldn’t have become a soldier. He should have become a poet instead!
The kind who specialized in writing love poems.
Zhong Yi began fanning herself with her hand.
Zhou Shu glanced at his watch.
“Time is running out. My uncle should be arriving at the village entrance soon. Are you sure you won’t give me a photograph?”
No one could withstand the way Zhou Shu looked at her.
In the end, Zhong Yi surrendered.
Thinking about how he had always considered her feelings and looked out for her, she decided that it was only a photograph. What harm could there be in giving him one?
“Wait here.”
She returned to her room and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out several photographs. Then she pursed her lips in displeasure.
There were three photographs in total. One was a solo portrait of Liang Feng, while the other two were pictures of the two of them together.
Getting photographs taken wasn’t cheap in those days. Whenever the two of them had gone to a photo studio, Zhong Yi had always paid. That was why the original owner had never been willing to spend money on a solo portrait of herself. The only pictures she had were those two couple photographs, which she had obtained only after pestering Liang Feng endlessly until he finally agreed.
It might seem like a trivial detail, but it revealed just how little Liang Feng truly cared about her.
Otherwise, with so many photographs, why couldn’t he have skipped one of his own and let the original owner take a solo portrait?
Or, at the very least, why hadn’t he paid for one himself?
When a man doesn’t have a woman in his heart, he won’t even spend a single cent on her!
Now, whenever Zhong Yi saw Liang Feng, she felt disgusted. Even seeing his photograph was enough to make her sick.
Picking up a pair of scissors, she didn’t care whether cutting up photographs was considered unlucky. She immediately cut Liang Feng’s half out of their couple picture.
When she passed through the kitchen, she threw the photograph containing Liang Feng straight into the stove and burned it.
Zhou Shu was still waiting at the gate, standing tall and straight, like a sturdy poplar tree.
No matter how she looked at him, he was a delight to behold.
But when it was finally time to hand him the photograph, Zhong Yi suddenly felt a little awkward. After all, she was giving a photograph of herself to a man.
“Are you sure you want it?” she asked.
Zhou Shu nodded.
“Absolutely.”
Grinding her teeth slightly, Zhong Yi slowly extended the photograph toward him.
Zhou Shu reached out to take it. His fingertips brushed against her delicate palm, sending a peculiar sensation through her. It was like a faint electric current running through her body.
Zhong Yi curled her long fingers slightly.
Zhou Shu also silently cursed himself for being unable to control his composure. He then lowered his head to look at the photograph.
In it, Zhong Yi was wearing a pale yellow dress. She looked gentle, graceful, and beautiful.
After studying the photograph for a while, he raised his head and looked at Zhong Yi again.
Feeling a little self-conscious, Zhong Yi asked, “Does it mean I don’t look good?”
“No,” Zhou Shu replied. “The photograph is beautiful. Next time you come to the military compound, I’ll take you to have some solo portraits taken.”
Zhong Yi was stunned. A wave of deep, aching sadness suddenly welled up inside her.
She had been in a relationship with Liang Feng for so many years, yet she had never once had a solo photograph taken. And Zhou Shu, after merely glancing at her picture, had somehow recognized the grievance she had been carrying in her heart.
This man truly had such a thoughtful and considerate heart.