Their conversation quickly attracted the attention of Xu Qiqi, who was sitting on the other side of Cheng Fangqiu. She curiously sized up Yuan Zheng for two seconds before leaning close to Cheng Fangqiu’s ear and asking, “Qiuqiu, you knew each other before?”
“Mm, he’s come to our photo studio to take pictures a few times.”
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Fangqiu added, “His brother is going on a blind date with Fangping.”
Hearing this, Xu Qiqi instinctively glanced in the direction where Du Fangping was, and sure enough, she saw her chatting with the man beside her with a shy expression. The two of them were talking and laughing, the atmosphere between them quite ambiguous.
“He’s a total heartthrob! And Fangping didn’t even tell me about this.” Xu Qiqi was delighted at first, but then pursed her lips unhappily.
Seeing her reaction, Cheng Fangqiu chuckled and comforted her, “Maybe they haven’t confirmed their relationship yet, so she didn’t mention it to you.”
Xu Qiqi’s expression softened a little. Thinking of something, her eyes flickered as she shifted her gaze to Yuan Zheng, a mischievous smile appearing on her lips. “Hello, I’m Xu Qiqi.”
Because the movie’s sound was quite loud and there was a Cheng Fangqiu between them, Xu Qiqi was afraid that Yuan Zheng wouldn’t hear her clearly. She leaned half her body onto Cheng Fangqiu’s lap, and with that motion, she inevitably pushed Cheng Fangqiu slightly toward Yuan Zheng.
Their shoulders brushed lightly against each other. Yuan Zheng’s breath hitched for a moment, only snapping back to his senses when he heard Xu Qiqi speak again. He replied, “Hello, I’m Yuan Zheng.”
Xu Qiqi’s eyes curved with amusement as her tone gradually softened, as if coaxing a child, “Let’s be friends, shall we?”
Yuan Zheng subconsciously glanced at Cheng Fangqiu, as if seeking her opinion, but she was focused on carefully steadying Xu Qiqi to prevent them from falling, not even sparing him a look.
Seeing how protective Cheng Fangqiu was of Xu Qiqi, Yuan Zheng figured they must have a very close relationship. He smiled and said, “Alright.”
Xu Qiqi immediately beamed and changed the topic, asking, “Then let me ask you something—does your brother actually like my friend or not? Why haven’t they made it official yet?”
Noticing Yuan Zheng’s expression turn a bit awkward, Cheng Fangqiu sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead, stepping in to rescue him. “Qiqi, just watch the movie.”
Xu Qiqi wasn’t dead set on getting the gossip, so she simply shrugged and smiled at Yuan Zheng. “I was just asking casually, don’t go telling anyone about it.”
“Mm.” Yuan Zheng hadn’t planned on saying anything to anyone, so he agreed immediately.
“He’s actually kind of cute.” Xu Qiqi looked at Yuan Zheng’s serious expression, which made him seem a bit dense, and couldn’t help but tease him. Cheng Fangqiu was reminded of how Yuan Zheng had awkwardly left behind a note of apology last time, and she chuckled, going along with it. “I think so too.”
The surrounding noise was chaotic, yet Yuan Zheng still managed to catch their conversation. His delicate face burned slightly.
As for the movie—what was it about? How long had it been playing? He had no idea. His mind and gaze were entirely fixed on one person.
By the time it ended, everyone still seemed reluctant to leave as they carried their stools back toward their homes. After helping return the stools to a friend of Du Fangping’s family, Cheng Fangqiu and Xu Qiqi also prepared to head back.
“How are you guys getting home?” Du Fangping glanced at her watch and suddenly realized that the last bus had probably already stopped running. She then offered, “Why don’t you stay over at my place?”
“No need, my husband’s coming to pick us up,” Xu Qiqi waved her hand dismissively. She had already mentioned it to Chang Yan’an before coming out. After saying that, she turned to look at the quiet man standing beside Du Fangping and couldn’t resist wiggling her brows at her. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Du Fangping’s face flushed red in an instant. She cleared her throat lightly and said, “This is Yuan Feng. And these are Xu Qiqi and Cheng Fangqiu.”
“Hello.” Yuan Feng took the initiative to extend his hand in a natural and confident manner. The group exchanged handshakes, greeting each other.
Watching this, Du Fangping nervously clenched her fingertips, her voice softening with embarrassment. “We’ll wait with you for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Since they were all around the same age, there were plenty of topics to chat about. However, before long, Chang Yan’an arrived.
A sleek black sedan pulled up at the bus stop. Chang Yan’an stepped out of the driver’s seat and walked over to Xu Qiqi’s side, standing steadily as he nodded to everyone in a composed manner. “Hello.”
“Hello, hello.”
Aside from Cheng Fangqiu and Du Fangping, everyone else was meeting Xu Qiqi’s husband for the first time. They couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated by the mature and steady aura he exuded.
“Then we’ll head off first, bye-bye.”
After bidding farewell, the three of them got into the car and left.
Cheng Fangqiu and Xu Qiqi sat in the backseat. Since coming to this world, this was the first time Cheng Fangqiu had ever ridden in a sedan. She couldn’t help but curiously glance around a few times, but after just a few looks, she quickly retracted her gaze.
Compared to that, she was more curious about the fact that Chang Yan’an actually knew how to drive.
After all, unlike in later generations, cars in this era were a rarity. It was uncommon for individuals to own one. Most were vehicles assigned to work units, and drivers had to undergo specialized training.
As a deputy factory director, Chang Yan’an had no need to drive, and he didn’t seem like someone who had learned to.
With this in mind, she asked directly.
“He learned when he was younger, in the army,” Xu Qiqi, who knew the answer, responded without hesitation. However, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt as if the temperature in the car had suddenly dropped. Her body stiffened, and she instinctively glanced toward the driver’s seat.
But all she saw was Chang Yan’an’s cold and rigid profile.
Was it just her imagination?
Thinking of this, Xu Qiqi pursed her lips. She was about to take the initiative to say something to Chang Yan’an when she heard his voice first: “Ying Huai was supposed to come, but something came up at the factory, so he went back to his department.”
Cheng Fangqiu didn’t particularly mind this, but since Chang Yan’an specifically explained it to her, she simply smiled and replied, “Alright.”
The streets were almost empty at night, and the road was smooth without any obstacles. They arrived at the factory district in no time. Chang Yan’an drove the car to the base of the residential building. Cheng Fangqiu opened the door and got out, waving at the two of them. “Bye-bye.”
Xu Qiqi leaned against the window, staring at her eagerly. “Qiuqiu, have you applied yet? When are you moving in to become our neighbor?”
Zhou Yinghuai’s position was already high enough to apply for housing in the row of small Western-style buildings. Cheng Fangqiu also wanted to move there, but the approval process wasn’t that fast, so they still had to wait for some time.
“Got it.” Hearing this, Xu Qiqi nodded in understanding. She watched as Cheng Fangqiu entered the building and saw the lights turn on in her home before finally instructing Chang Yan’an to drive away.
“You have no idea how much money I made today.”
“Qiuqiu is really amazing. I need to learn more from her so I can be of help in the future.”
“That movie was actually quite good. I wonder if the cinema has the film in stock. Next time, I’ll go with you to watch it again?”
Xu Qiqi chattered on non-stop the entire ride, her eyes curving into crescent moons. Even after they entered the house, she showed no intention of stopping. Just as she was about to open her bag and carefully count her earnings, she was suddenly lifted off her feet and carried straight upstairs.
“Ah! What are you doing?” She exclaimed in surprise, and the money in her hands scattered all over the floor. She wanted to pick it up, but he held her tightly, giving her no chance to escape.
Even when she was pressed down onto the bed, she was still calling out, “Chang Yan’an! My money!”
Her remaining words were muffled against his lips. She whimpered and struggled, but before long, she had no strength left to speak. By the end, she was lying on the pillow, unable to form a single complete sentence, her voice breaking into fragments.
“When he was younger?” A deep and husky male voice murmured beside her ear.
“Qiqi, do you think I’m old?”
Xu Qiqi’s muddled mind instantly cleared up. So she hadn’t imagined it in the car—this damn man really took it to heart!
Maybe because he was eight or nine years older than her, he had always been sensitive about this topic.
Realizing that she had unknowingly stepped on his landmine, Xu Qiqi shook her head frantically. Yet, no matter how she denied it, her eyes still welled up with an uncontrollable shimmer.
She was doomed. She was completely doomed.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Chang Yan’an only got up after making sure she had fallen into a deep sleep. He carried her to the adjacent room, cleaned up both the bedsheets and her body, and then carried her back.
“I want some water.”
Hearing her pitiful murmur, a trace of gentleness flickered in Chang Yan’an’s eyes. The water kettle in the room was already empty, so he went downstairs. He first picked up the money she treasured so dearly, carefully placing each bill back into her bag, then poured a cup of warm water and prepared to head back upstairs.
However, just as he stepped onto the stairs, the phone in the living room rang.
Who could be calling at this hour?
Chang Yan’an frowned slightly and walked over to pick up the receiver. Due to work habits, he didn’t speak first, waiting instead for the caller to say something. But after a moment of silence, the other end of the line remained quiet.
His mind was still on the person upstairs, and just as he was about to hang up, a voice finally came through.
“Is Qiqi there?”
The moment the voice rang out, Chang Yan’an’s expression darkened. His grip on the water cup tightened, the veins on the back of his hand standing out. His voice turned frighteningly cold.
“You’ve got the wrong number.”
“Hm?” The caller seemed about to say something else, but Chang Yan’an had already ended the call.
He stood still for a while before finally turning around and heading upstairs.
—
The night breeze was cool. After taking a bath, Cheng Fangqiu stepped out of the bathroom and noticed that a light drizzle had started outside, but Zhou Yinghuai still hadn’t returned.
He hadn’t taken an umbrella with him when he left in the morning, so he would definitely get wet on the way back. Although he was in good health, Cheng Fangqiu was worried that catching a cold in this season would be especially uncomfortable, so she went to the kitchen and boiled a small pot of ginger soup.
Once it was ready, she curled up on the sofa with a book. However, she quickly grew drowsy and, after glancing at the clock, found that it was almost ten o’clock.
He still wasn’t back?
Feeling uneasy but not daring to go outside so late at night, Cheng Fangqiu forced herself to stay awake in the living room. Fortunately, it wasn’t even half an hour later when she finally heard the sound of the door opening.
“Zhou Yinghuai.” As soon as she spoke, she let out a sleepy yawn.
Zhou Yinghuai walked over and reached out to touch her face, his voice soft. “Why didn’t you sleep first?”
The moment his fingertips brushed against her skin, he felt a distinct chill. His brows furrowed, and he pulled her into his embrace. “The rain made the temperature drop. Next time, use a blanket so you don’t catch a cold.”
Cheng Fangqiu nodded. She didn’t actually feel cold, but she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. His clothes were dry, without any dampness, which surprised her. “You didn’t get wet?”
“The rain was too heavy, and riding my bike wouldn’t have been safe, so I borrowed an umbrella from a colleague and walked back. My upper body is dry, but my pants got wet.” Zhou Yinghuai carried her to the bed and gently tucked her in.
Cheng Fangqiu snuggled into the warm blankets, her eyelids so heavy with sleep that she could barely keep them open. Still, she mumbled a reminder, “I made some ginger soup in the kitchen. Don’t waste it.”