Shen Qingqing hadn't been asleep for long when she was awakened by the sound of knocking.
Perhaps afraid of disturbing others, the person outside knocked only three times before stopping.
Shen Qingqing turned over, and her eyelids almost stitched themselves back together.
In her groggy state, she heard someone calling her name.
"Shen Qingqing, open the door."
The soundproofing in the room wasn't great, and Jiang Zhixun's voice came through loud and clear.
Shen Qingqing had a good temper—except when she was woken up.
And the one waking her up was Jiang Zhixun.
That immediately lit a fire in her heart.
What was he here for now? Based on his usual behavior, shouldn't he be avoiding her during this time?
After all, back in the cafeteria, Jiang Zhixun hadn't even given her a chance to talk privately.
The fire in her heart burned even hotter.
Shen Qingqing pulled the quilt over her head, pretending not to have heard anything.
The man standing outside grew anxious.
Could Shen Qingqing have actually fainted?
This single thought unsettled Jiang Zhixun.
"Shen Qingqing?"
There was still no response from inside.
Without hesitation, Jiang Zhixun rushed downstairs. When he returned, he was holding a key.
Xiao Li understood Shen Qingqing's situation.
Thinking the couple was arguing and Mister Shen was intentionally refusing to open the door for Jiang Zhixun, Xiao Li didn't follow him upstairs.
Once the door was opened, everything in the room was laid bare.
Jiang Zhixun headed straight for the bed. Seeing the figure on the bed motionless, his heart leapt to his throat.
Without a second thought, he pulled the quilt away, ready to carry Shen Qingqing to the hospital.
The change happened so quickly that Shen Qingqing, who had been pretending to be deaf, couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
She was wearing a nightgown, and as the quilt was pulled off, the hem of her gown lifted up to her thighs.
Her fair, slender legs were exposed.
The sky was still dark, and the room was pitch black. Jiang Zhixun froze in the posture of bending down to pick her up.
One arm had already slid under Shen Qingqing's back, while the other hand brushed against her warm, smooth thigh.
Her startled cry rang in his ears.
His gaze shifted downward.
Thanks to his excellent vision, the darkness didn't affect his ability to see.
He suddenly lost composure.
Before he could collect himself, he was shoved, and Shen Qingqing wrapped herself back up tightly.
She glared angrily at Jiang Zhixun. "How could you just barge in like that?"
The man said nothing, merely turned around to shut the door.
Shen Qingqing sat up nervously.
She scooted backward until her back was against the wall.
She had no idea what Jiang Zhixun wanted at this hour.
And just now—he had tried to carry her...
Could it be that he had listened to her mother-in-law and was actually planning to have a child with her?
Her throat tightened. "Y-you, turn on the light first."
Jiang Zhixun hadn't yet recovered from the shock of the scene earlier. Though they were married, he hadn't so much as taken a peek at what he wasn't supposed to see.
He closed his eyes and tried to push the earlier image from his mind.
It didn't work.
In the dim room, only the sounds of their breathing and Shen Qingqing's rapid heartbeat could be heard.
With a snap, Jiang Zhixun turned on the light.
The unspoken tension dissipated.
His gaze landed on the curtains, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Why didn't you answer just now?"
Shen Qingqing countered, "Why did you come so early? Do you have something urgent to say?"
Jiang Zhixun didn't have anything urgent.
He'd simply had a dream that unsettled him, and he came to check on Shen Qingqing.
After all, she was nominally his wife, and he couldn't just leave her to fend for herself.
Facing the confusion in her eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed.
In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.
He didn't forget to close the door behind him.
The room returned to its quiet stillness.
If the light wasn't still on, Shen Qingqing might have doubted that everything just now was merely a dream.
Jiang Zhixun had really come.
He had said nothing and then left.
Leaning over, she grabbed the watch off the table and checked the time—it was only four in the morning.
Fuming, Shen Qingqing punched her pillow.
"What's wrong with him? He doesn't sleep and won't let me sleep either!"
She threw the watch back onto the table, climbed out of bed, and switched off the light.
It was cold.
Immediately, goosebumps formed all over her skin.
Shen Qingqing hurried back under the quilt, finally feeling like she was alive again.
She cursed Jiang Zhixun thoroughly.
He just enjoyed bullying people—he was like that three years ago, and he was still like that now!
Once she got divorced, she would stay as far away from him as possible.
Never giving him the chance to bully her again!
Jiang Zhixun left the guesthouse. The farther he walked, the faster his heart raced.
His large hand clenched tightly.
Though the weather was cold, sweat poured from his palms.
He ran dozens of laps on the training grounds before his mood gradually settled.
…
Jiang Zhixun and his comrades had completed their mission and had been granted two days of leave.
According to the original plan, Lin Zhidong wanted to invite his closest comrades over for dinner to celebrate his child's first birthday.
But now he found himself in a dilemma.
Inviting Jiang Zhixun meant he couldn't leave Shen Qingqing out.
If he called her over, he worried the girl might say something inappropriate.
It wouldn't just make things awkward—it might even affect Jiang Zhixun and Shen Qingqing's relationship as a couple.
Lin Zhidong's wife Zhou Xiaomei noticed him fretting as soon as she got up and offered him a suggestion.
"Tomorrow, let's host them at the state-run restaurant. Xiao Mian can stay home to look after the child. That way, she won't bump into Jiang Zhixun's wife."
Zhou Xiaomei worked at the cultural troupe as a clerk.
But she knew that several single female comrades in the troupe were interested in pursuing Jiang Zhixun.
Some of them were bold enough to confess to him directly.
All were rejected.
Once, Zhou Xiaomei overheard someone complaining about how difficult it was to win Jiang Zhixun over, suspecting he wanted to remain a lifelong bachelor.
Who would've thought he'd gotten married three years ago without anyone knowing?
Zhou Xiaomei was curious about Shen Qingqing.
She wanted to see what kind of woman could convince Jiang Zhixun to agree to marry.
She also wanted to find out more about their situation.
If their marriage was good, why hadn't Jiang Zhixun returned home in three years?
Lin Zhidong immediately vetoed Zhou Xiaomei's idea.
"If we go to the state-run restaurant without Xiao Mian, she'll know, and she'll tear the roof off."
Zhou Xiaomei was afraid of her sister-in-law too. When Xiao Mian started making a fuss, it gave everyone headaches.
Fortunately, Xiao Mian was quick and efficient in her work and treated the child with heartfelt care, so Zhou Xiaomei didn't make a big deal of it.
She thought, since Xiao Mian had helped raise the child, criticizing her would make her seem ungrateful.
Although they could have asked someone else to help out, it was still more reassuring to rely on family.
"We won't shortchange her. We can bring her a bowl of braised pork and buy her a couple of meat buns."
"She's always reluctant to use snowflake cream, only applying it every two or three days. Her face is practically cracking from the cold. We'll get her another tin so she can use it however she wants."
Under normal circumstances, these small favors could placate Xiao Mian.
But now, the situation was different.
If they didn't let her go to the state-run restaurant, she'd definitely think they were siding against her on purpose.
She might even feel that they were embarrassed to let her mingle, considering her unpresentable in front of others.
And she'd probably think the food they brought back was just leftovers...
Lin Zhidong understood his sister's temperament and had already imagined how her antics would unfold.
He became even more troubled.
"Whether to throw the party or not—it doesn't really matter. Maybe we should cancel it, and we'd save a few ration coupons too."
Lin Zhidong adored his son. His comrades would always bring supplies for the child whenever they visited.
If they bumped into each other outside, they'd even vie for the chance to hold the baby.
Because of these close connections, Lin Zhidong was eager to use his leave to invite his brothers over for a lively celebration at home.
Zhou Xiaomei sighed wistfully. "Well, you were the one loudly announcing the plans earlier. Backing out now—don't you worry about people gossiping behind your back?"
"They're not that type of people."
Lin Zhidong was certain of this, but canceling at the last minute would indeed leave a bad impression.
He scratched the back of his head. "Why don't we just cook at home? It's only three or four people coming over, and we have enough space. Xiao Mian would stay occupied, so she wouldn't have time to overthink things."
If worst came to worst, there'd still be plenty of people around to keep her in line and prevent trouble.
Zhou Xiaomei agreed, "Fair enough. I'll head to the guesthouse after work at noon to personally invite Mister Shen. Otherwise, it might seem insincere."
Lin Zhidong nodded, "Makes sense. Yesterday, Xiao Mian offended Mister Shen and didn't properly apologize. When you go, help Xiao Mian say a few words to smooth things over. Don't let Mister Shen hold a grudge."
Zhou Xiaomei pursed her lips. "I've apologized on behalf of your sister countless times. Her bad attitude really needs to change!"
Lin Zhidong wanted Xiao Mian to adjust her temper as well.
But the young woman had grown up and developed her own views, leaving him helpless.
"Take your time with her. She's learned a lot over the past year because of your efforts."
That one sentence made his wife happy.
Zhou Xiaomei snorted lightly, "She's your biological sister, so she's my family. How could I not take care of her?"