“I’m fine.”
Cheng Fangqiu shook her head, and only then did Zhou Yinghuai release her. At the same time, his gaze turned unfriendly as he looked ahead.
Standing at the doorway, Yang Liqun met Zhou Yinghuai’s cold and sharp gaze. A trace of discomfort flashed across her face. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the scattered items on the ground, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, Comrade Zhou, you’ve returned?”
After saying that, she grabbed the little girl Cheng Fangqiu had just helped up from the ground, straightened her body, and pointed toward Zhou Yinghuai and Cheng Fangqiu. “Panpan, quickly wish Uncle and Auntie a happy wedding.”
The little girl had just taken a fall and was now yanked so forcefully by her mother that large teardrops immediately rolled down her cheeks. However, as if mindful of something, she dared not cry too loudly. She only sobbed softly while stammering through her tears, “Un… Uncle, Auntie, h-happy wedding.”
Her words were halting and unclear, but the general meaning was still understandable.
Cheng Fangqiu’s brows had already knitted tightly together. She looked at the little girl who barely reached her waist, a trace of distress flashing through her eyes. Then, she lightly lifted her gaze to Yang Liqun, whose greedy eyes were still fixed on the items on the ground—she didn’t even bother to hide it.
Cheng Fangqiu naturally understood what the woman was scheming.
“Thank you.” She smiled slightly and waved at the little girl named Panpan.
Panpan looked at the gentle Auntie before her and instinctively took a small step forward, but then quickly shrank back, glancing up at Yang Liqun to seek her approval.
Yang Liqun naturally had no objections. She even smiled as she gave Panpan a push forward. “Go on, Auntie has something tasty for you.”
At these words, Cheng Fangqiu’s expression grew even more indifferent, and even Zhou Yinghuai couldn’t help but darken his face.
“Your name is Panpan?” Cheng Fangqiu crouched down to be at eye level with her, softening her tone as much as possible. She had no idea how old the child was, but she looked thin and dark, her hair a tangled mess as if it hadn’t been washed for days. Her small face was streaked with tears and snot.
Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t stand it anymore. She took a handkerchief from her bag and gently wiped the little girl’s face.
Panpan stared blankly at the beautiful Auntie before her, who smelled nice and spoke in a soft, pleasant voice. She was different from everyone else in the compound. Others avoided her like the plague, but this Auntie willingly came close and even used a soft, fragrant handkerchief to clean her face.
Panpan suddenly wanted to cry again, but she was afraid the Auntie would think she was a crybaby, so she held it in. Then, after a brief delay, she nodded.
Cheng Fangqiu noticed how cautious Panpan was, completely devoid of the liveliness and energy typical of children. It made her feel uncomfortable inside. She let out a quiet sigh and rummaged through the bag on the ground, finally pulling out a delicate piece of pastry.
Yang Liqun recognized it at a glance—it was the most expensive type of pastry sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. Even she had never eaten one before. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She hadn’t expected Cheng Fangqiu to be so generous. Once she recovered from her shock, an uncontrollable smile crept onto her lips.
But her smile didn’t last long.
“Auntie just bought this and doesn’t know if it tastes good. Why don’t you help Auntie try it? After you finish, you can tell Auntie how it is.” Cheng Fangqiu spoke patiently, breaking off a small piece and holding it to Panpan’s mouth.
After all, she was still a child. A little coaxing was enough for her to open her mouth.
Yang Liqun gritted her teeth in anger as she watched this scene unfold. That precious treat was wasted on this wretched girl?!
She barely managed to suppress her urge to scold and forced a smile. “I see you’ve just returned and must have a lot to tidy up at home, so we won’t disturb you any longer.”
Without waiting for Cheng Fangqiu or Zhou Yinghuai to respond, she turned and called out, “Panpan, come back.”
But Cheng Fangqiu held onto Panpan’s hand, blinking innocently. “We’re not in a hurry. Let’s wait until Panpan finishes eating before we head back.”
Yang Liqun’s expression turned ugly as she watched Cheng Fangqiu patiently feed the pastry to Panpan, bit by bit.
“It’s not convenient today. Come play at Auntie’s house another time,” Cheng Fangqiu patted Panpan’s shoulder. Seeing her nod, she then stood up and turned to Yang Liqun. “It’s getting dark. It’s not safe for children to stay outside too long. You should take Panpan home now.”
Yang Liqun was just about to say something when Zhou Yinghuai, who had been standing silently on the side, cut her off in a deep voice: “Director Chen mentioned this in the bulletin board announcement last time. Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t have ignored it, would you?”
The moment Yang Liqun saw his cold and expressionless face, she felt a strong sense of intimidation. And now that he even brought up the Women’s Director, she swallowed back all her anger and forced a smile. “Who would dare not take Director Chen’s words seriously? Comrade Zhou, don’t slander me. I was just scaring the child a little, I didn’t really mean to let her stay outside and play.”
Since he had given her an out, she naturally took it. After saying that, she pulled Panpan back home and shut the door behind them.
“If we hadn’t run into her, who knows how long she would’ve made the child stand there as punishment,” Cheng Fangqiu muttered, pursing her lips as she looked at the tightly closed door across from them, feeling stifled.
She really didn’t understand what kind of mother Yang Liqun was. Punishing the child by making her stand for long periods, roughly yanking and pushing her around, and even trying to snatch food from her own daughter’s mouth—she had never seen anything more outrageous!
If you don’t want to have children, then don’t have them! But to bring a child into the world and then neglect her, making her suffer—people like this were worse than animals.
Zhou Yinghuai noticed her displeasure and reached out to rub the top of her head, speaking softly to comfort her: “She wouldn’t dare go too far.”
After all, this was a family housing compound with people coming and going. If someone saw and reported her to Director Chen, she’d be in for a real scolding—at the very least, she wouldn’t escape a round of ideological education.
Cheng Fangqiu huffed lightly and petulantly swatted his hand away. “You’re actually speaking up for her? Whose side are you on?”
Zhou Yinghuai’s arm hovered in midair for a couple of seconds before he smoothly lowered it, instead wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her into his embrace. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he parted his thin lips: “Cheng Fangqiu.”
“Mm?”
This seemed to be the first time he had called her by her full name. Hearing those three syllables spoken so close to her ear, his voice deep and magnetic, Cheng Fangqiu found it unexpectedly pleasant. The small tantrum she had thrown earlier dissipated by more than half, and she instinctively turned back to look at him. Their eyes met in the dimly lit corridor, carrying a trace of lingering warmth.
With just a glance downward, Zhou Yinghuai could see her delicate and beautiful face, exquisite like a little princess.
“Whose side I’m on, don’t you already know?” He raised an eyebrow, his large palm pressing more firmly against her shoulder, tightening his hold around her.
Cheng Fangqiu’s gaze darted around guiltily—of course she knew!
She had only been acting spoiled earlier, wanting to tease him a little. Now that he said this, she naturally went along with it, tilting her voice into a sweet and delicate tone: “Aiya, I know you treat me best, of course you’re on my side!”
After speaking, she hooked one arm around his shoulder and deliberately leaned closer, rubbing against him like a clingy little cat, making it impossible for him to get mad at her.
But Zhou Yinghuai still looked down at her from above, his fingers lightly kneading her shoulder blade, as if contemplating the truthfulness of her words. After a long moment, he finally said, “So, you were deliberately wronging me just now?”
Why was he taking this so seriously?
Cheng Fangqiu pouted with a miserable expression, neither admitting nor denying it, mumbling vaguely, “Then… what do you want to do about it?”
Before he could respond, she subtly took a step back, trying to escape. But she had only retreated half a step when he pulled her back again, pressing her firmly into his embrace.
Cheng Fangqiu nearly wanted to cry—if she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have acted spoiled earlier! Now she even had to coax him!
“Zhou Yinghuai, can we go inside first? Where’s the key?”
She just wanted to quickly move past this topic, so she reached for the key in his hand. But Zhou Yinghuai, being cunning as ever, took advantage of his height and held his arm high above his head, keeping the key out of her reach. Her fingers had barely brushed against his palm before they slipped away again.
“Ugh, we just got married, and you’re already bullying me.”
She whined dramatically, refusing to give up as she stretched to grab his hand. But with that movement, her whole body leaned forward, pressing against him.
The closer she got, the darker Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze became.
His eyes fell upon her slightly parted red lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed twice.
He really wanted to shut her up.
“Zhou Yinghuai! If someone sees us like this, I might as well find a block of soft tofu and smash my head against it!” Cheng Fangqiu puffed up her cheeks in anger, lifting her misty, wide eyes to glare at him.
Hearing her words, Zhou Yinghuai’s previously relaxed demeanor vanished. His face darkened like ink, and his voice sank. “What nonsense are you saying about death?”
Cheng Fangqiu pursed her lips, realizing she had misspoken. But she still stubbornly straightened her neck and jabbed his firm chest with her finger, huffing, “It’s all your fault, all your fault!”
“Alright, don’t move.” Zhou Yinghuai grabbed her hand with one of his own, then naturally lifted his other hand, looped it around, and—pa!—smacked her on the butt.
In the quiet hallway, a dull sound echoed crisply.
He didn’t just pretend to hit her—his large palm fully landed on her!
The slight stinging pain on her butt stunned Cheng Fangqiu completely. A flush of red immediately crept up her fair cheeks, and she stood there, staring at Zhou Yinghuai in shock. The moment she processed what had happened, she lunged at him to make a fuss.
At the very least, she had to hit him back!
But before she could make a move, the door in front of them suddenly opened. The next second, the world spun around her, and by the time she came back to her senses, she was already pinned against the door. Zhou Yinghuai, the culprit behind all of this, was just centimeters away, his nose nearly brushing against hers.
Cheng Fangqiu looked up at his handsome face, half-hidden in the dim hallway shadows. Her breath hitched, her back, waist, and long legs instinctively pressing against the door—she was afraid that if she got any closer, she would lose all self-control and throw herself at him.
That would be way too embarrassing!
What now? Emergency! Help!
Just when she was about to curse or punch him, the bastard pulled out his ultimate move—the seduction tactic! How was she supposed to fight back against that?!
“Y-you… what are you doing?”
Her ears burned, her eyes darting left and right, unsure of where to look. In her panic, she chose to look down—and instantly regretted it.
Right within her line of sight was his lean waist, cinched tightly by a belt, followed by his long, powerful legs.
And in between those… was something that was still asleep but clearly present…
She stared for two seconds, feeling like a complete pervert, and hurriedly tried to look away. But before she could, a low, husky voice rumbled beside her ear—
“What are you looking at?”
“I didn’t see anything!” Cheng Fangqiu immediately responded—very loudly!
Zhou Yinghuai raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into an amused smirk, as if mocking her for exposing herself.
Cheng Fangqiu’s face burned red. Out of sheer embarrassment, she pointed at him, stammering, “Who gave you permission to hit my butt?! I need to hit you back!”
Now that the topic had changed, she gained her confidence back. She widened her peach blossom eyes and glared at him, looking as fierce as possible.
“You wronged me. Shouldn’t I get some compensation?” Zhou Yinghuai’s eyes held a teasing glint. He leaned in even closer, their lips nearly touching, their breaths intertwining in the narrow space.
With such a handsome man right in front of her, Cheng Fangqiu almost lost herself. She shook her head hard to clear the dizziness, then gritted her teeth. “That’s a separate matter! I’ll apologize, and you stick your butt out so I can hit you back!”
The moment she finished speaking, Zhou Yinghuai agreed immediately—so easily it felt like a trap.
He even grabbed her hand and pressed it against his own firm, sculpted butt.
“Go ahead,” he said.
Cheng Fangqiu chickened out at the last second, yanking her hand back as if she had touched something scalding hot. “Zhou Yinghuai, you pervert!”
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to hit me back?” Zhou Yinghuai looked innocently confused, his gaze lowering slightly to land on her flushed red lips. Then, he suddenly reached out, pinching her delicate chin between his fingers. His deep eyes darkened with unreadable emotions, and his voice turned hoarse.
“I don’t want an apology.”
“Then what do you want? I’m already letting this go!” Cheng Fangqiu met his intense gaze, her fingers clenching into her palms.
Not waiting for him to answer, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss against his jawline.
“Like this?”
As she leaned in, a soft fragrance from her body drifted over, enveloping him.
“Not enough.”
Before she could retreat, a large hand clasped her waist, and Zhou Yinghuai followed the angle of her kiss, capturing her lips in return. His kiss was passionate and fervent, even a little reckless—completely unlike the cold and indifferent Zhou Yinghuai described in books.
“Qiuqiu.”
The moment he spoke, the sensation of their lips brushing sent tingling waves through her entire body. In that brief moment of distraction, he seized the opportunity, slipping his tongue past her parted lips. He carefully and cautiously traced her lips and tongue, his movements tender and patient, guiding her to respond.
She felt like she was suffocating. Clutching onto his belt for support, her fingertips blindly searched, accidentally brushing against the firm ridges of his abs through the thin fabric.