"Okay, okay, I won't say anything."

Knowing that Ye Yun was shy and that she was just embarrassed and angry, Qin Zheng didn't press the matter further. Besides, even the tips of his ears couldn't help but turn red.

Even though they are an old married couple and have shared a bed for a long time, they still can't help feeling shy.

After washing her feet, Ye Yun wanted to go straight to sleep, but Qin Zheng insisted on massaging her legs, saying something as he did so:

"The book says that you are currently experiencing edema, so it's best to massage it every day to improve blood circulation and reduce discomfort during the day."

Ye Yun sighed, impressed by how much he knew.

Qin Zheng chuckled, his tone helpless yet tinged with affection: "Do you really think I don't read the books next to my pillow?"

"Yo yo yo~"

Ye Yun ruffled his dark hair, feeling the stiff strands, and teased with a smile, "Isn't our CEO Qin the one who hates reading and writing the most?"

Qin Zheng: "..."

Okay, okay, you're mocking him again.

Qin Zheng remained calm and composed, silently massaging Ye Yun's legs before removing his clothes and getting into the warm bed. He then pulled her into his arms and said slowly:

"Honey, how about we continue our previous conversation?"

As he spoke, his eyes crinkled with a smile, he propped his head up with one hand, and beneath his thick eyebrows, a pair of narrow, eagle-like eyes fixed on Ye Yun with keen interest.

Ye Yun was stunned for a moment, "What?"

Qin Zheng slowly curved his lips into a smile, his voice unconsciously lowering as if whispering in Ye Yun's ear: "Just now... that topic you wouldn't let me talk about."

Ye Yun: "..."

An alarm bell rang in my mind.

She raised her hand and covered her head with the quilt, pretending that she knew nothing.

When she didn't know what to do, she pretended to be asleep. However, her appearance couldn't fool Qin Zheng at all. Qin Zheng forcibly pulled the quilt off her face and gently stole a kiss on her cheek.

"Wife, you can't abandon your responsibilities halfway through the journey."

What can't you shirk your responsibilities?

Ye Yun gave an awkward smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling in the moonlight, and said like a fawn, "Qin Zheng, I don't understand what you're saying..."

Qin Zheng, "..."

Okay, okay, you're playing dumb, huh?

The man stopped playing along and grabbed her hand, proceeding to the next step.

...

The snow melted the next day.

Ye Yun didn't want to recall how she spent the last night; overall, it wasn't a very kind experience for her.

Qin Zheng, however, lingered in her soft embrace, and after a long while, reluctantly got out of bed and rode his sidecar to the company.

However, he returned home halfway through his journey in less than an hour.

They also brought back the latest news about Xun Xiangbin.

Qin Zheng said that Lao Gao knew about the relationship between Xun Xiangbin and Xiao Hai, and now Xun Xiangbin is making a scene at home, hoping to see Xiao Hai.

There was a big disturbance at the gate of the garment factory yesterday.

Xun Xiangbin insisted on seeing Xiao Hai, but his mother's arguing and scolding were useless. In the end, she knocked him unconscious with a stick before someone had to drag him home.

Apart from a few eyewitnesses, very few people knew about Xun Xiangbin's outburst.

Afterwards, Xun's mother visited the homes of the witnesses, bringing them some snacks and asking them not to spread the story, lest her daughter-in-law, who happened to be away on a business trip, find out and cause a huge uproar.

The woman was going away on a business trip for a week, so Xun's mother planned to tame Xun Xiangbin before her daughter-in-law returned.

On the first day after bringing Xun Xiangbin home, Xun's mother, just like five years ago, used an iron chain to tie Xun Xiangbin's waist like a dog.

The chain, as thick as a thumb, was so tight that even a hunting dog couldn't break free. One end was secured with a lock, and the other end was locked to the headboard, leaving him room to move around, yet preventing him from escaping the room.

Xun's mother's behavior was despicable.

But for Xun Xiangbin, who had been neglected since childhood, this was not the first time. His mother's way of educating him had always been like this. All five of his brothers and sisters grew up under her stubborn and outdated corporal punishment.

Xun Xiangbin is the second oldest child in his family.

There was an older brother in front of him. Even though he was the second child and had a boy, he didn't get much favor from his parents. The advantages of having a boy had already been taken by his older brother who was two years older.

It was precisely during the time of his birth that Xun's mother and mother-in-law had a conflict and separated their households. Xun's mother had no one to take care of her during her postpartum period, so she blamed all her resentment on him.

Less than a year after he was born, his parents gave birth to a younger brother who was born into good fortune.

The younger brother received far more love than him because in the month the younger brother was born, Xun's father got a promotion and a raise, and everyone said the younger brother was a little lucky star.

He couldn't enjoy the privileges bestowed upon the eldest son.

He doesn't even get to receive the love and care of his youngest child.

Neither here nor there, it sits awkwardly in the middle, struggling to survive in the cracks, observing others' expressions and growing freely.

Later, their parents had two more younger sisters, so they had even less time to care for him.

To be honest, very few educated youth went to the countryside voluntarily. Who would want to give up a good life in the city and go to the barren mountains and villages to be re-educated by poor and lower-middle peasants?

The eldest brother joined the army, the third brother pretended to be sick, and the two younger sisters went directly to join the arts troupe.

He didn't want to either, but before he could come up with a solution, his parents said: "There are so many children in the family, it's not right not to send one of them down."

Xun Xiangbin understood his parents' meaning. With so many children in the family, it would inevitably arouse suspicion if one of them didn't go. If they really investigated, they wouldn't be able to hide the fact that his younger brother was faking his illness, and his brother would have to go to the countryside with him. His parents were sending him out to shield their younger siblings from the trouble.

His role in that big family was that he was the first person you wouldn't expect to be abandoned if something happened.

Seven or eight years after the educated youth returned to the city, he had reached the age to get married. He thought he had finally made it through and only thought that after proposing to Luo Xiujuan, he could separate from the extended family and the two of them could live a simple life together.

Who would have thought that my elder brother would pursue a career in government and settle in the provincial capital?

My third brother also found a girlfriend with good prospects and moved in with her family. In addition to their child having the surname Xun, he was practically a live-in son-in-law.

What's infuriating is that Xun's father actually agreed to this absurd arrangement for the sake of his youngest son's wealth and status.

Both of her younger sisters have also found partners.

Of the five sisters in the family, only he remained. His parents, as if suddenly realizing something, took his hands and said:

The second son is the most reliable; we'll have to rely on him from now on.

The short line of text weighed him down. He couldn't accept suddenly taking on the responsibility of two middle-aged people. When he was thinking of proposing to Luo Xiujuan, a party under the guise of a blind date ruined his life.

He dared not tell anyone, but a month later he received the news that she was pregnant.

At that time, Xun Xiangbin had just made an appointment with his only close relative to propose marriage in the mountains. Hearing this news was like a thunderbolt from the blue.

He made a fuss, but it was no use.

He ran past, and the result was that he was locked inside.

Xun's mother was overjoyed and held a grand wedding for him. He got married in a daze, married someone he didn't know well, and became a father...