The courtyard in the morning was cold enough to freeze.
Shen Qingyou stood at the kitchen door, watching the two men in the yard.
She had never seen her Third Uncle look like this before.
Cold and hard, as if he were flaying someone alive with his gaze.
Yan Hao took a step back under his stare.
“Th-third uncle, I was just trying to remind you—”
“Who sent you?” Yan Tingxu’s voice was low.
Yan Hao opened his mouth. “No—no one. I came on my own—”
“I’m asking you,” Yan Tingxu cut him off, “who did you hear those things from?”
Yan Hao’s face paled.
“I just… just heard rumors…”
“From whom.” Yan Tingxu repeated the question.
Yan Hao didn’t dare to answer.
Yan Tingxu looked at him for two seconds.
“Get out.”
Just one word.
Yan Hao stood there frozen. The smile on his face was completely gone. He seemed to want to say something, but when he met Yan Tingxu’s eyes, all the courage drained out of him. He turned and left.
At the courtyard gate, he looked back.
That look landed right on Shen Qingyou.
He twitched the corner of his mouth, pushed the door open, and left.
The courtyard fell silent.
Shen Qingyou stood at the kitchen door, watching Yan Tingxu.
His back was to her, his shoulders taut.
After a moment, he turned around. His gaze fell on her. The coldness hadn’t completely faded yet, but it was no longer as harsh.
“Go make breakfast,” he said.
Shen Qingyou nodded, turned, and went into the kitchen.
…
All morning, Shen Qingyou couldn’t concentrate.
It wasn’t about what had been said.
It was the look in Yan Hao’s eyes before he left. She had seen it too many times in her past life.
Every time after he hit her, after he knelt down crying and begging for forgiveness—that was the exact same look.
She had thought he had changed. That this life would be different.
But now she realized: he hadn’t changed.
He had just learned to hide it better.
…
At lunchtime, Li Hongmei dragged her to the cafeteria.
“Qingyou, why are you so distracted today?”
Shen Qingyou shook her head. “Nothing.”
They got their food and found a seat.
They had only taken a few bites when someone sat down beside them.
Shen Qingyou looked up, and her heart sank.
Yan Hao sat next to her, holding his lunch tray, wearing that same smile again.
“Qingyou, about this morning… I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean it. I just have a loose tongue. I said the wrong thing. Third Uncle scolded me, and I accept it.”
Shen Qingyou didn’t say anything.
Yan Hao sighed, looking utterly sincere.
“Honestly, I’m worried about you.”
Shen Qingyou ignored him and tried to shut him out.
But Yan Hao glanced around and lowered his voice.
“Third Uncle isn’t getting any younger. I’ve heard plenty of people are trying to set him up with someone. He’s going to get married sooner or later. What will you do then?”
Shen Qingyou froze.
“Do you really think his future wife will let you stay?” Yan Hao shook his head. “I’m worried about you. That’s why I’m telling you this.”
He finished speaking, patted Shen Qingyou on the shoulder, stood up, and left.
Shen Qingyou sat there, motionless.
Li Hongmei, who had been listening nearby, was so angry her face turned red.
“What does he mean by that? Trying to drive a wedge between you and your family?”
Shen Qingyou didn’t answer.
Her mind was buzzing, filled with Yan Hao’s words.
“He’s going to get married sooner or later. What will you do then?”
She had never thought about this before.
In her past life, her Third Uncle had died young, before he ever had the chance to marry.
In this life, all she wanted was to keep him alive. It had never occurred to her that he might marry someone else.
But Yan Hao was right. Her Third Uncle was only twenty-five. How could he possibly stay unmarried forever?
He would marry a wife, have children, and build a home of his own.
What would happen to her then?
Could she still live in her Third Uncle’s house?
She looked down at the rice in her bowl and suddenly found she couldn’t eat another bite.
…
In the afternoon classes, Shen Qingyou couldn’t focus on a single word.
Her mind kept circling back to the same questions.
Would her Third Uncle get married?
What kind of woman would he marry?
Where would she go then?
The more she thought about it, the more her heart raced with anxiety.
When the dismissal bell rang, she packed her bag and headed outside.
As she walked out of the school gate, the small car was parked by the roadside.
Yan Tingxu was leaning against the car. When he saw her come out, he straightened up.
Shen Qingyou froze for a moment, then quickly walked over.
“Third Uncle?”
Yan Tingxu looked at her.
“Get in.”
Shen Qingyou climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.
The car started and pulled away from the school gate.
Along the way, she sneaked glances at him.
He drove with an unreadable expression.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but didn’t dare.
The car turned into the alley and stopped at the courtyard gate.
She got out and went to the kitchen to cook.
While chopping vegetables, she got distracted.
With one slice, she cut her finger.
She hissed and looked down. Blood was seeping from the cut.
She put her finger in her mouth to suck the wound, then continued chopping.
But her mind was still filled with the same thoughts.
…
When dinner was served, Yan Tingxu took one look at the dishes.
“The food is too salty today.”
Shen Qingyou paused, picked up a bite, and tasted it.
It was a little salty.
She lowered her head and said nothing.
Yan Tingxu looked at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Shen Qingyou shook her head. “Nothing.”
Yan Tingxu didn’t ask further. He continued eating.
After the meal, he went to wash the dishes.
Shen Qingyou sat at the table, watching his back as he worked.
After a moment, she suddenly stood up and walked to the kitchen door.
Yan Tingxu heard the movement and turned to look at her.
She stood there, her hand tugging at the hem of her shirt, her eyes fixed on him.
“What’s wrong?”
Shen Qingyou opened her mouth.
“Third Uncle.”
“Mm?”
“I want to ask you something.”
Yan Tingxu turned around to face her.
“Ask.”
Shen Qingyou looked at him, her heart pounding fiercely.
“Are you… going to get married?”
Yan Tingxu froze.
He looked at her, his gaze pausing for a moment.
His stare made Shen Qingyou’s heart flutter with anxiety. She quickly lowered her head.
“I just… I was just asking…”
“No.”
The word fell from above her head.
Shen Qingyou’s head snapped up.
Yan Tingxu stood there, looking at her.
“No,” he said again. “No time, and no interest.”
Shen Qingyou looked at him. The panic in her heart suddenly dissolved.
It was as if someone had removed a stone from her chest—leaving her feeling both empty and light at the same time.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing what.
In the end, she managed just one word.
“Oh.”
Yan Tingxu looked at her. Something flickered in his eyes.
He didn’t say anything. He turned back and continued washing the dishes.
Shen Qingyou stood there, watching his back.
After a moment, the corners of her lips curved upward.
She quietly turned and went back to her own room.
…
That night, Shen Qingyou lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Her mind was full of her Third Uncle’s words.
“No.”
He had said it so decisively, so certainly.
She turned over and buried her face in her pillow.
She felt at ease.
So at ease that she wanted to laugh.
What she didn’t know was that half an hour later, the door of the main room quietly opened.
Yan Tingxu, wrapped in his military coat, stepped out of the courtyard.
At the alley entrance, a figure stood under a streetlamp, waiting for him.
It was Yan Hao.
When he saw Yan Tingxu, a smile immediately spread across his face.
“Third Uncle, you wanted to see me?”
Yan Tingxu walked over and stopped in front of him.
The light from the streetlamp shone down from above, casting his face half in light, half in shadow.
He looked at Yan Hao and spoke.
“Yan Hao, let me tell you something.”