While waiting at the entrance, Xu Xi had already made up her mind: if she wanted to spend her pregnancy freely and peacefully in the military family compound, she had to get along well with Zhou Yue.
Otherwise, if he packed her back to the village, she wouldn’t even have a place to cry.
Xu Xi firmly remembered her motto: sincerity is the ultimate weapon!
Zhou Yue felt goosebumps rise at her overly sweet voice, his brow furrowing slightly.
He spoke coldly, “Xu Xi?”
Hearing him call her name, Xu Xi took two steps forward, stopping in front of him, blinking in confusion.
“It’s me. It’s only been three months since we last saw each other. Have you already forgotten what I look like?”
Zhou Yue’s temple twitched violently. At first glance, he truly hadn’t recognized her.
Her once rustic shoulder-length hair had grown much longer, now able to be tied into two braids. The freckles on her face had also faded considerably, almost invisible.
What surprised him most was her skin.
Xu Xi’s skin used to be rough, sallow, and dark, making her look unlike a young woman. Now, her skin was fair, tender, and smooth, like a peeled egg.
Her face had also become slimmer, accentuating her features even more.
If not for her features being exactly as he remembered, he would have suspected Xu Xi had been replaced by someone else.
Recalling the letter Mother Zhou had sent him last month, complaining that Xu Xi did no work at home, was incredibly lazy, and hid in her room all day without coming out.
Perhaps it was because she lazed around indoors every day, avoiding the sun, that her skin had turned fairer.
Zhou Yue frowned and asked, “Why did you suddenly come to the island?”
“I missed you, so I came to find you,” Xu Xi replied matter-of-factly, her bright eyes filled with sincerity.
“Zhou Yue, without you in the village, every day felt like a year.”
In truth, she hadn’t thought of him at all while in the village. It was only because she wanted to escape the village that she suddenly remembered she had a soldier for a husband.
Zhou Yue’s ears flushed slightly at her words.
Having lived so many years, he had never been flirted with like this by a woman.
As he looked at her smiling eyes, a trace of complexity crossed his heart. Her expression was so innocent and sweet, yet she dared to say such bold words to him.
Then again, she had dared to drug and scheme against him—what words couldn’t she say?
Zhou Yue frowned and said, “I’ll take you to the guesthouse to get a room now. Tomorrow morning, you’ll take the train back.”
Hearing this, Xu Xi’s delicate brows furrowed.
“I don’t want to go back!”
Seeing Zhou Yue’s cold expression unchanged, her eyes darted, and she continued, “It’s not just me who misses you. The baby in my belly misses you too.”
She pressed her loose floral blouse inward slightly, revealing her slightly swollen belly to Zhou Yue.
Zhou Yue’s dark eyes trembled. “You’re pregnant?”
He had glanced at her slightly protruding belly earlier, thinking it was just weight gain from not working. Who would have guessed she was pregnant?
Xu Xi said, “Could I fake a pregnancy? If you don’t believe me, touch it.”
Touch… Zhou Yue certainly wouldn’t touch it. He was still somewhat incredulous.
Last month, when Mother Zhou sent him a letter, she hadn’t mentioned Xu Xi’s pregnancy, so Zhou Yue was completely unaware.
“How long have you been pregnant?”
Xu Xi bit her lip and said, “Three months. That night we slept together just once, and I got pregnant. You’re so amazing, Yue-ge.”
Zhou Yue’s temple throbbed violently. What was this “Yue-ge” nonsense?
These intimate terms rolled off her tongue effortlessly, completely disregarding how others might feel.
Xu Xi noticed Zhou Yue’s face had darkened to the color of charcoal, and she couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward. It seemed she had discovered that teasing him until his face turned cold was especially amusing.
She wiped the sweat from her temples and said in a deliberately sweet voice, “Brother Yue, I’m so hot and thirsty. Could you take me somewhere to rest first? I’ve been on the train for so long while pregnant, and I’m exhausted.”
The temperature on the island was much higher than in the village. Even though it was almost September, it still felt like the height of summer.
“Speak normally. Just call me Zhou Yue.”
Zhou Yue saw that she did indeed look a bit tired. He clenched his right hand briefly before reaching out to take her bag, then led her toward the guesthouse.
“Let’s go to the guesthouse first and get you a room.”
Xu Xi happily followed behind him, feeling utterly worn out. Finally, there was a place where she could rest.
…
Arriving at the guesthouse.
The front desk staff widened her eyes when she saw Battalion Commander Zhou walking in with a woman.
She had worked at the island military district’s guesthouse for many years and had never seen Battalion Commander Zhou this close to any woman, let alone coming to book a room.
Zhou Yue said, “Could you please get me a room?”
The staff member withdrew her curious, scrutinizing gaze and asked them to register their information.
“Battalion Commander Zhou, who is this?”
Zhou Yue replied, “My family member.”
After saying this, he gave Xu Xi a look, signaling her to go register as well.
The staff member looked at Xu Xi, who was carefully filling out the information, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
Wasn’t it said that Battalion Commander Zhou’s wife was a village girl? How was this young woman different from the rumors?
Once they had both finished registering, the staff member took a key from the drawer.
“Battalion Commander Zhou, your room is on the second floor.”
Zhou Yue nodded. “Thank you.”
He led Xu Xi upstairs directly, completely ignoring the staff member’s blatantly curious and gossipy gaze.
Xu Xi followed behind him, frowning slightly. “The front desk staff seemed to be staring at me just now.”
It wasn’t just the front desk—along the way to the guesthouse, many people had been watching her as well.
Zhou Yue explained, “The island isn’t that big. Most people here know each other. You’re an outsider, and they haven’t seen you before, so it’s normal for them to be curious.”
When they reached the second floor, Zhou Yue opened the room for Xu Xi but remained standing at the doorway without entering.
Xu Xi plopped down onto the bed, finally feeling some relief throughout her body.
She leaned over slightly and loosely slipped off her cloth shoes, intending to shake out the sand and pebbles inside. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she looked up at Zhou Yue, who was still standing at the door.
“Zhou Yue, could you help me get the sand out of my shoes? I’m pregnant now, and bending over is so tiring.”
Since Zhou Yue was her husband in name, it wasn’t too much to ask him to do a little work, right?
As she spoke, her eyes were clear and bright, slightly curved, and her lips pouted almost imperceptibly, as if she were acting coquettishly with him.
Zhou Yue suddenly felt a surge of warmth rising within him.
His lips pressed tightly together as he decided to indulge her one more time. Tomorrow, he would send her back.
With a cold expression, he stepped into the room, crouched down, and carefully helped her shake the sand out of her shoes.
“Done.”
Xu Xi happily put her shoes back on. Indeed, a woman who acted coquettishly had it best.
But her happiness didn’t last long. In the next moment, Zhou Yue spoke again.
“Tomorrow, you must return to the village. The conditions on the island are harsh, and you’re pregnant. I don’t have time to take care of you.”
Xu Xi replied very understandingly, “It’s fine. I can take care of myself. I want to join you as a military spouse.”
Zhou Yue frowned tightly. “Xu Xi, you need to understand that I was forced to marry you. Just because I didn’t pursue what happened back then doesn’t mean I can tolerate you pushing your luck.”
If Xu Xi was willing to stay quietly in the village, he would provide her with a monthly allowance. Anything else was out of the question.
After hearing his words, Xu Xi replied without changing her expression, “I know I was in the wrong, and I’m already correcting my ways.”
“After joining the army, I absolutely won’t cause you any trouble. If you really can’t stand me, we can get divorced after I give birth to the child.”