"Who told you to change? Stop with all this chatter and come eat!" Shen Yitang chided.
Gu Huaizheng studied her carefully, confirming there was no sarcasm hidden in her tone, and trotted over cheerfully.
By accident, he flicked a few droplets of water onto Shen Yitang.
Before she could even frown, Gu Huaizheng immediately grabbed a towel and began wiping them off.
Shen Yitang: "So you do know how to be particular after all!"
So all that business of not washing his hands, not drying his face, and burying his head in his food—that was all deliberately done to disgust her.
Gu Huaizheng: "If you'd sleep obediently for me every night like you did last night, I'll be as particular as you want me to be."
Shen Yitang's expression shifted: "Why do you have to talk so crudely?"
"I'm sleeping with my own wife—there's nothing more natural than that. How is that crude?"
Shen Yitang got up to leave, but Gu Huaizheng quickly pulled her back: "Alright, alright, I won't say any more. Let's eat first."
Shen Yitang raised her hand to break free, but he happened to let go at the same moment. She put too much force into the motion, and her palm landed with a sharp smack—right across his face.
Whether it hurt him with his thick skin, she couldn't tell, but her own palm quickly flushed red.
Gu Huaizheng's expression immediately darkened: "I know you look down on me. Fine, I'm crude and vulgar, unworthy of a precious young lady like you."
"You don't have to force yourself to stay here. I'll go buy you a ticket right now and send you back."
Shen Yitang glared at him in fury. So—was he still going to do what he did in her past life? Give her the cold shoulder until the very end, then die just like that, leaving her alone to endure ten long, desolate years?
Suddenly, large tears began to fall from those autumn-pool eyes.
Shen Yitang pounded on Gu Huaizheng's chest without any restraint: "Gu Huaizheng, I hate you, I hate you to death! All you ever do is oppose me, all you ever think about is sending me away. Can't you just be good to me? Can't you just coax me properly for once?"
Gu Huaizheng's temper flared as well, and he grabbed her hands firmly: "I'm not good to you? Damn it, I'd gladly rip out my heart and hand it to you, and you say I'm not good to you?"
"You're hurting me!" Shen Yitang whined.
The moment Gu Huaizheng loosened his grip, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're just not good to me. You always oppose me, always deliberately provoking me."
"You need to speak with a clear conscience here. You despise me so thoroughly—everything I do is wrong. How dare I even presume to think you'd want me?"
Her scalding tears quickly soaked through his clothes, making his entire chest burn as well.
He could feel the softness and dependence of the body in his arms.
Unable to resist, he lowered his head and kissed her fair, delicate cheek, then her soft little lips.
When she didn't resist, he grew bolder and deepened the kiss.
Until they were both breathless, lost in a haze of passion.
Gu Huaizheng scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the bedroom.
Shen Yitang suddenly realized what he intended to do and hurriedly pushed against him: "What are you doing? It's broad daylight!"
"Who knows what sudden fit possessed you to throw yourself into my arms like that. What if you come to your senses later and change your mind? Of course I need to seize the opportunity—this chance won't come again."
Shen Yitang: "No—you were too rough last night, I'm still sore!"
Gu Huaizheng finally stopped, but not without a few more reluctant, fierce kisses and a hard squeeze before letting her go.
"Just you wait—I'm keeping a tally of this."
By the time they finally sat down to eat, the food had already gone cold.
That afternoon, Shen Yitang enjoyed a comfortable nap. When she woke, it was just at sunset. In the distance, the amber tide shattered the twilight into countless shimmering scales, like a vividly colored oil painting.
Within this magnificent tableau, Shen Yitang's heart felt suddenly unburdened.
The heart that had been floating in midair suddenly felt grounded.
Yes—she had come back.
Back to the years she had once most regretted.
This time, she would no longer blame heaven and fate. She would cherish every precious moment—and the very, very good man who belonged to this time.
So when Gu Huaizheng returned, what he saw was a smile of such exquisite tenderness on Shen Yitang's face.
In that instant, his heart pounded like a war drum sounding the charge.
Damn it. She was going to be the death of him—he'd bet his whole life on it.
He took a deep breath, steadied himself for a good long while, and only then walked in as if nothing were amiss.
"Well now, what's this?" He deliberately glanced up at the sky. "The sun didn't rise from the west, did it?"
Shen Yitang shot him a sideways look. "I'm happy. Is that not allowed?"
Her eyes shimmered with a glance that made his heart tremble.
"Something good happen? Tell me about it."
It was rare for her not to be complaining about her lot in life, and Gu Huaizheng felt a wave of relief. He couldn't help wanting to step forward and hold her.
He reached out a hand—then pulled it back.
Forget it. He was covered in sweat; he didn't want to earn her disdain again and shatter this rare, warm moment.
"I'll go get our food. I heard the mess hall has an extra dish tonight—braised pork."
Gu Huaizheng grabbed his lunchbox and hurried out, afraid that if he lingered even a moment longer, he wouldn't be able to suppress the restless heat inside him and would lose all restraint.
Shen Yitang watched him with amusement, but she could faintly hear people outside making snide remarks: "Regiment Commander Gu, off to fetch food again?"
"Now that your wife's here, why isn't she cooking for you?"
Then came Gu Huaizheng's irritated voice: "I just like the mess hall. Mind your own business?"
After a brief silence, the whispers resumed—not exactly quiet.
"Ah, Regiment Commander Gu is pitiful, really. He married a wife who's like an ancestral idol to be worshipped. Not only does she not serve her man, she makes him wait on her instead."
"What can he do? She's a capitalist's young miss—not the type to do any real work!"
"Who knows what his family was thinking. With his background, status, and looks, he could have married any good girl he wanted. Why did they make him marry a capitalist's daughter?"
Shen Yitang suddenly opened the courtyard gate and smiled radiantly at them. "What can I do? My family background may be poor, but my luck is excellent! My man is handsome, comes from a good family, and has a bright future. No matter how much you envy me, you'll never have what I have!"
With that, she turned with unhurried grace, swaying step by step back into the house.
The gossiping women outside were left fuming.
"How can she be like that!"
"I don't believe Regiment Commander Gu will put up with her for long. If she keeps carrying on like this, she'll drive away a good man sooner or later."
"And once she loses his protection, let's see what a capitalist's young miss is supposed to do!"
In her last life, Shen Yitang had never been well-liked. Throughout the entire military compound, she hadn't had a single friend she could truly talk to.
But back then, she was in a bad mood and had grown withdrawn. No matter what others said about her, she simply shut her door and ignored them, earning herself a reputation for being aloof, cold, and uncooperative with the group.
Of course, in this life, she never intended to lower herself to cater to others.
She truly couldn't understand what meaning there was in a life spent entirely revolving around men, children, and the stove, where the only intellectual stimulation was gossiping behind people's backs.
Yet she suddenly realized that setting aside her reserve and pride, and directly snapping back at people like this, was actually quite satisfying.