His face immediately darkened as he turned his wheelchair, trying to retreat.
But the wheels got stuck, and after several attempts, he couldn’t adjust them properly.
Su Qingyi didn’t know who he was.
Injured soldiers were common in the military, so she kindly hurried forward to help.
“Don’t force it. Wait a moment.”
As she spoke, she bent down, trying hard to pry out the small stone stuck in the wheel hub.
Unaware that the half-exposed, snow-white waist beneath her shirt was now directly facing the man.
That smooth, delicate skin was completely different from the bare-chested, rough men in the army.
It was like fine, creamy jade—soft and warm to the touch, with just a little pressure leaving faint bruises.
Pei Zhao was startled by his own inexplicable thoughts, his breath catching.
He quickly snapped in a hoarse, unpleasant tone.
“Get away!”
Su Qingyi was startled.
Why is this man’s temper so bad?
But catching a glimpse of the blanket covering the man’s legs out of the corner of her eye, she said nothing and continued trying to pry out the small stone.
From the effort, her breathing grew slightly rapid, her warm breath brushing over the back of the man’s hand gripping the armrest.
It felt warm, slightly damp.
“Hmm!”
Su Qingyi finally managed to free the small stone, but the soft gasp sounded almost like a moan in the man’s ear.
Pei Zhao felt as if something had exploded in his mind.
He tried to steer the wheelchair to the left, wanting to put distance between them.
But Su Qingyi happened to stand up and step back at the same time, and the wheelchair collided with her. A sharp pain shot through her leg, and she ended up sitting squarely in his lap.
Her rounded bottom landed firmly against him.
The man grunted, his hands instinctively wrapping around Su Qingyi’s waist.
His fingers on both sides could almost touch each other.
Just how slender was this woman’s waist?
That was his first thought.
Yet, he was someone who had always kept his distance from women. People in the military joked that he was like an iron tree that would never bloom.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have adopted his deceased brother and sister-in-law’s two children, planning to remain unmarried for life.
But now, why did he feel something unusual for this woman? She really knew how to tempt people!
“Get off!”
Su Qingyi scrambled to her feet, feeling the part where their bodies had touched was frighteningly hot and hard.
“Comrade, I… I didn’t mean to…”
Pei Zhao’s chest heaved violently, his pitch-black eyes glaring at Su Qingyi as if he wanted to tear her apart.
“Such clumsy seduction tactics won’t work on me. Save your energy.”
With that, he tried to leave on his own.
Su Qingyi knew she was at fault, but being unjustly criticized still left her feeling uncomfortable. She muttered softly.
“You’re really strange. Even if I wanted to seduce someone, it wouldn’t be you.”
“Then who would you seduce? Pei Tuan?”
Unexpectedly, the man’s hearing was so sharp that he caught her words.
His sharp, aggressive tone made Su Qingyi’s face flush even redder.
“Eavesdropping is rude. What I do is none of your business.”
She quickly tried to defend herself, but having her shameless plan overheard made her ears burn and left her unsure where to put her hands and feet.
Before Su Qingyi could react, the man’s face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
“Get lost!”
Even though Su Qingyi had never experienced intimacy with a man in her past life, she now clearly understood what had just happened.
She forced herself to explain.
“I… I didn’t mean to.”
“This wasn’t me seducing you—it was you who…”
“I don’t want to repeat myself!”
Amid the man’s gritted restraint, Su Qingyi fled as if running for her life.
Wang Cuiping stood dumbfounded at the doorway.
Yet, taking it as a point of pride, she secretly slapped her thigh in delight.
Her daughter truly had a way with men—who wouldn’t be charmed?
After anxiously lingering for nearly an hour, Su Qingyi finally returned.
Sure enough, before Wang Cuiping could nag much, a guard arrived.
It turned out the matter of the nanny had been settled—she was to be taken to Regimental Commander Pei’s home.
Su Qingyi casually instructed Wang Cuiping.
“Mom, since they’ve agreed to let me try, I’m confident I can stay. If you have nothing else to do, you should head back first. After all, staying at this guesthouse costs a yuan per day!”
She had long understood Wang Cuiping’s mindset.
Telling her to return outright would never work, but mentioning money—that was a different story.
Indeed, as soon as these words were spoken, Wang Cuiping’s brows visibly furrowed.
It pained her—a whole yuan per day!
“Alright, alright. Then do your best when you go. Don’t worry about me. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”
…
On the way, Political Commissar Chen Gang explained Pei Zhao’s situation to Su Qingyi.
“In their household, besides caring for him while he’s injured, you’ll also need to look after a pair of twins. Those twins are Pei Zhao’s older brother’s children. His brother and sister-in-law were both soldiers in our military district, but unfortunately, they sacrificed their lives during a mission. He took the children in and raised them as his own. Now, with his leg injured and confined to a wheelchair, he needs a nanny.”
Recalling what the guard had said, Su Qingyi asked nervously.
“Is Regimental Commander Pei’s temper not good?”
To this, the political commissar only smiled without further explanation.
When she finally met Pei Zhao,
Su Qingyi understood why Chen Gang had remained silent.
It wasn’t something that could be described simply as “a bad temper.”
Soon, they arrived at Regimental Commander Pei’s residence.
It was a standalone courtyard within the Family Compound.
Entering the door and looking through the window,
Su Qingyi saw a man in a wheelchair writing something at a desk.
A simple light green military uniform shirt made him appear even more imposing, exuding an aloof and forbidding aura that kept others at bay.
Hearing the noise at the door, the man turned to look.
Their eyes met, and Su Qingyi nearly fainted on the spot, breath catching in her throat.
Her mind went completely blank.
Instinctively, she lowered her head quickly.
She never could have imagined that Pei Zhao was actually the man she had encountered earlier!
Recalling what she had said at the time, she wished she could slap herself twice.
As the creaking sound of the wheelchair drew closer step by step,
her heart nearly leaped into her throat, her mind racing for a solution.
Pretend amnesia?
Pretend not to recognize him?
Pretend nothing had happened?
As long as she didn’t say anything, surely this man wouldn’t bring it up directly in front of the political commissar.
If he dared to mention it, she would accuse him of being a scoundrel.
No, she absolutely had to stay today.
Otherwise, she would truly be dragged back home to marry the butcher.