After the rain, the sky cleared, and the temperature gradually rose, becoming hot again.
At the entrance, Zhou Yinghuai lowered his head to press against her forehead. The distance between the two of them kept closing, so close that she could clearly see his distinct, long eyelashes. The undeniable ambiguous tension was shattered and spread out in the narrow space.
Cheng Fangqiu swallowed, then retracted her glare at him. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes blinked, and she said with a hint of defeat, “I just didn’t want you to misunderstand and feel upset. It’s better to talk things out than to keep them buried in my heart. Now it seems I was the one who misunderstood.”
Seeing her slightly awkward expression, a flicker of something indecipherable passed through Zhou Yinghuai’s eyes. He pursed his thin lips and, without hesitation, said, “Actually, I was jealous.”
This wasn’t entirely a lie, because the jealousy he felt wasn’t the ordinary kind—he was jealous of Xu Qiqi.
Someone who had long disappeared from her side couldn’t possibly stir up much trouble. Moreover, she had already explained things to him last time, and he had “proven with actions” who was truly in her heart. So, regarding her decision to work at the Hongmeng Photo Studio, he hadn’t even considered that possibility.
But she had misunderstood, and…
Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze fell on the large expanse of fair skin below, and his eyes darkened.
This isn’t so bad either.
He didn’t finish his sentence, and Cheng Fangqiu thought he was referring to the fabricated male classmate. Instantly, her eyes lit up, sweeping away her earlier dejection. She struggled free from his restraining hand and poked his shoulder with her fingertip, saying, “See? I knew I couldn’t have been wrong.”
Her triumphant look was almost overbearing.
Zhou Yinghuai’s lips curved almost imperceptibly, the arc of his smile carrying a hint of all-knowing indulgence. He let out a soft hum, neither confirming nor denying, and then reached out to help her straighten her clothes. Since he had been the one to take them off, of course, he would be the one to put them back on, piece by piece.
Cheng Fangqiu didn’t see his smile and continued excitedly, “Ah, you can’t be like this in the future. We can’t live our lives soaked in a vat of vinegar.”
The amusement in his eyes deepened. While listening attentively to her scolding, he wrapped an arm around her waist and stole a kiss on her lips. “Alright, I’ll listen to my wife. Shall we go eat now?”
“Mm.” After experiencing emotional ups and downs like a rollercoaster, Cheng Fangqiu was now feeling a bit hungry.
Zhou Yinghuai had brought back sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried winter melon with chili, and two bowls of rice from the state-run restaurant. The portions were generous, and the food was delicious. Cheng Fangqiu ate to her heart’s content.
Seeing that she had almost finished eating, he said, “This weekend, I’ll accompany you to buy a new bicycle and a watch. Otherwise, it’ll be inconvenient for you to get around.”
Cheng Fangqiu had been about to bring this up but was surprised that he mentioned it first. She couldn’t help but feel touched. He was always so thoughtful and considerate, making it impossible to find any fault with him.
She smiled and picked out a piece of rib for Zhou Yinghuai. “You’re so good to me.”
“If I’m not good to my wife, who should I be good to?” Zhou Yinghuai ate the rib she had picked for him and then remembered something else. “Tomorrow, Zhou Yingchen will arrive at the train station a little after three in the afternoon. I can’t take time off work, so we won’t go pick him up. He has the address here, so he can find his way.”
“Ah?” Cheng Fangqiu blinked in surprise. “It’s his first time in Rongzhou. What if he gets lost?”
“If he gets lost, he gets lost.” Zhou Yinghuai didn’t seem particularly concerned.
“…”
Is he really his biological brother? Cheng Fangqiu’s mouth twitched, and she persisted, “What if he runs into bad people?”
“He’s spent two years in military school.” So, if ordinary bad guys run into him, it’s hard to say who should be afraid of whom.
Zhou Yinghuai looked completely indifferent. Seeing that she was full, he finished the remaining dishes, then got up to take the lunchbox to the kitchen to wash. The weather was hot, and if these things weren’t dealt with promptly, they would start to smell sour and foul soon.
It seemed like washing dishes was more important than his brother.
He could act like this, but Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t. She hadn’t forgotten that Zhou Yingchen was the destined male lead of this world, while she was the cannon-fodder supporting female character in the book. This kind of identity pressure always made her feel uncontrollably anxious.
“If you can’t take time off, then I’ll go pick him up myself,” Cheng Fangqiu said, following Zhou Yinghuai into the kitchen. Even if Zhou Yingchen weren’t the male lead, as his sister-in-law whom he had never met before, it was only right for her to go to the train station to pick him up.
Otherwise, it would be too disheartening.
Zhou Yinghuai paused as he turned on the faucet, his brows furrowing slightly, clearly disapproving. “Qiuqiu, you haven’t been in Rongzhou for long. What if you get lost?”
This sounded familiar.
“What if you run into bad people?”
This sounded even more familiar.
“Besides, the train station is a mixed bag of people. It’s crowded, and since you and Zhou Yingchen have never met, there’s a high chance you won’t find each other. I’m not comfortable with this.”
Cheng Fangqiu thought his reasoning made sense, but if neither she nor Zhou Yinghuai went to pick him up, regardless of how Zhou Yingchen might feel, how would her in-laws, who were thousands of miles away, react when they found out? It would likely leave a bad impression.
She shared her concerns with Zhou Yinghuai and then said, “I can take a sign with his name written on it. That should work.”
Zhou Yinghuai thought this was a trivial matter. He knew his family’s temperament and was sure they wouldn’t mind. But seeing Cheng Fangqiu’s worried expression, he relented. “I’ll take time off tomorrow and go with you.”
“Didn’t you say it’s hard to take time off? I’ll go by myself. Nothing will happen.” Cheng Fangqiu didn’t want to disrupt Zhou Yinghuai’s work over this. Making money was important. If he didn’t earn, how could she maintain her current comfortable and carefree lifestyle?
Seeing that Zhou Yinghuai was about to say more, she quickly interrupted, “It’s decided. I’m a grown-up; I can handle it. Besides, Rongzhou is a provincial capital. There are police officers everywhere. Who would dare cause trouble in broad daylight?”
With that, she slipped out of the kitchen. “Hurry up and wash the dishes. There’s still time for a nap.”
Zhou Yinghuai pursed his lips helplessly. He really wanted to dissuade her, but although she seemed soft-spoken and easygoing, she actually had a strong will of her own. If he pushed too much, she would definitely get annoyed.
Finally, he sighed and compromised. “Then ask Comrade Xu to go with you. Zhou Yingchen is probably bringing a lot of specialties from Beijing. You can give some to Comrade Xu as a thank-you gift.”
Two people were better than one.
“Specialties from Beijing?” Cheng Fangqiu had initially wanted to refuse, as she couldn’t keep asking Qiqi to accompany her for everything. But upon hearing this, she agreed. “Then I’ll ask her tomorrow if she’s free.”
“Okay. I’ll write you a route to the train station later.”
“After picking up Zhou Yingchen tomorrow, bring him back to rest for a while. We’ll go out to eat together after I get off work.”
“You’re the sister-in-law, and he’s the younger brother, but you don’t need to go out of your way to take care of him. If he’s thirsty or hungry, he’ll say so himself.”
Zhou Yinghuai arranged everything meticulously, and Cheng Fangqiu was happy to let him handle it. She had been unsure how to approach Zhou Yingchen, but his words clarified things for her.
There was no need to go out of her way to please him. Just treat him normally.
Moreover, it was clear that Zhou Yinghuai was on her side. Even if any conflicts arose, he would be there, so she had nothing to fear.
The afternoon passed quickly. After a short rest—so short that Cheng Fangqiu felt like she had just fallen asleep—Zhou Yinghuai had to leave for work.
“I’ll come back to cook dinner. Wait for me.”
A familiar kiss landed on her forehead. She waved her hand to show she understood, and Zhou Yinghuai left.
As soon as he opened the door, the neighbor across the hall also opened theirs. Zhou Yinghuai pretended not to notice and headed downstairs with his keys, but the other person called out to him.
“Comrade Zhou, heading to work?” The speaker was Ma Changjun, his face creased with smiles as if something good had happened. He looked radiant, even standing a bit taller.
A flicker of disgust passed through Zhou Yinghuai’s eyes. He didn’t stop walking, but Ma Changjun stuck to him like a piece of sticky plaster. He chattered happily, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Yinghuai’s impatience.
“You’re riding your bike too? Let’s go together, then.”
Zhou Yinghuai, tall and long-legged, walked with such speed that Ma Changjun almost had to jog to keep up. Despite his somewhat awkward and flustered state, he followed Zhou all the way to the bicycle shed. Seeing that Zhou Yinghuai remained silent and simply skillfully unlocked his bicycle, Ma Changjun hurriedly did the same, soon sweating profusely from the heat. He couldn’t help but complain, “This damn weather is so hot.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yinghuai pedaled away, his bicycle quickly putting distance between them. Ma Changjun hastily chased after him, shouting, “Comrade Zhou, wait for me!”
Faced with Ma Changjun’s feigned familiarity, Zhou Yinghuai’s expression darkened. Noticing the curious glances from passersby, he finally slowed down, his tone icy. “Are we close?”
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the nearby pedestrians to hear clearly.
The sarcastic tone in his words made it obvious to anyone with half a brain what was going on. Some quick-witted individuals burst into laughter almost immediately after he spoke.
Ma Changjun, however, seemed completely oblivious and continued to smile obsequiously. “We’ll be colleagues in the same department soon, and we’re neighbors too. Of course, we should get to know each other better.”
This statement caused many to widen their eyes in shock, both at Ma Changjun’s shamelessness and at the revelation that he had somehow entered the technical department.
Everyone in the machinery factory knew how difficult it was to get into the technical department.
Did Ma Changjun have such capabilities?
Zhou Yinghuai also frowned. Based on the information he had uncovered, Ma Changjun was just an ordinary worker with no special skills, and he had even been involved in some shady dealings behind the scenes…
There was no way someone like him could enter the technical department unless he had used connections and paid a hefty price.
Realizing this, Zhou Yinghuai immediately understood that Ma Changjun was the “connected” individual who had entered the technical department through Hu Pingsheng that very morning.
Seeing the smugness in Ma Changjun’s eyes, Zhou Yinghuai’s lips curled into a sneer. Birds of a feather flock together—it was no surprise that these two troublemakers had teamed up. He just hoped they wouldn’t end up turning on each other soon.
“You want to get close to me? Does Hu Pingsheng know about this?”
With that, Zhou Yinghuai didn’t linger. He rode off on his bicycle, not wanting to waste another second in the company of such a person.