Xu Lai entered the house and looked at the layout. It was actually no different from the day she left, except that the furniture had all been replaced.

Looking at the pieced-together family photo, Xu Lai felt as if she could see through the picture her grandmother patching up the cracks with tape.

But it's not the same intact photo as before. The peace and tranquility before was because she was willing to endure it. Once she developed a rebellious spirit, the family was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Zhao Qingyun took her suitcase to the room. Her bed and cabinets had also been replaced, and they felt to the touch that the quality was much better than before.

Xu Lai remembered that the old bed and cabinet were given to them for free by the shop owner, who noticed that their family bought a lot of furniture and asked Xu Zhicheng to pay a little extra.

She stared blankly at the made-up quilt, remembering that when she returned home for the New Year in the past, no one would make her bed in the house in the county.

She dragged her tired body and dug out the bed sheet herself. Actually, her mother was at home at the time, but as soon as she told her what day she would arrive, her mother completely forgot and didn't make the bed for her at all.

Xu Lai stayed in the room for a while, then Xu Yan knocked on the door, "Sister, may I come in?"

Xu Lai nodded: "Come in, is there something you need?"

Xu Yan held an envelope in his hand and said, "This is the 50,000 yuan you left on the table. Your parents didn't want it and told me to wait for you to come back and return it to you."

Xu Lai took it, then returned it, saying, "I'm the one who smashed the house, so I'll naturally pay for it."

Xu Yan didn't take it. "Keep it yourself. You still have a company to support."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Mom said she won't have any more contact with your aunt anymore, and she told you not to blame her."

Xu Lai smiled. "Did she ask you to tell me this too?"

Xu Yan didn't expect his sister to see through his words so quickly. He sighed, "Okay, actually, the first sentence was what Mom said, and the second sentence was what I said on her behalf."

Xu Lai patted his shoulder, "Alright, this is between me and them, it has nothing to do with you."

The two chatted for a while, and then Grandma called them to eat. Knowing that she was coming back today, Grandma had slaughtered a chicken. Knowing that Xu Lai liked it soft and tender, she had been stewing it for two hours in advance.

Grandma put a big chicken leg on her plate, saying, "I don't know if you've been eating on time while you're out. Hurry up and eat this chicken leg."

Xu Lai laughed and said, "I've eaten, how can I not eat?"

The meal was quite enjoyable; the atmosphere was much more relaxed without Mr. and Mrs. Xu present.

After finishing their meal, Xu Lai cleared away the dishes and was about to wash them when Xu Yan took them from her, saying, "Let me do it."

Xu Lai couldn't help but wonder why everyone treated her like a guest when she had only been gone for a short time of more than half a month.

Xu Yancai didn't treat her as a guest. He only noticed the scar on Xu Lai's hand, which had half-fallen off the scab and wasn't fully healed yet. He didn't want his sister's hand to get wet.

After taking a shower, Xu Lai went to Zhao Qingyun's room. She didn't know that there was a custom in their area that married daughters could not sleep in the same bed with their husbands when they returned to their parents' home.

She didn't know what it would be like to sleep together, and she wasn't married yet, but Zhao Qingyun used to spend six out of seven days a week in her room.

After learning about this custom, although Xu Lai felt it was a bad habit, she decided to sleep in Xu Zhicheng's room to avoid gossip and because of his attitude.

Xu Lai also realized that the slap Xu Zhicheng gave her when he first returned was partly due to this custom.

She knocked on his door while holding her tablet. Zhao Qingyun opened the door and joked, "Are you here to offer yourself as my bedmate?"

Xu Lai threw the tablet at him, "Are you looking for a beating?"

Zhao Qingyun smiled and accepted the gift, then pulled the person into the room, saying, "A warm welcome."

He hadn't washed up yet and was handling official business. Xu Lai climbed into bed first and started editing videos on her phone.

She hadn't updated for two weeks, and her fans thought something had happened to her, so they asked her in the comments section and fan groups.

Xu Lai replied: I have been a bit busy lately, but I'll be back to updating tomorrow. Sorry to keep everyone waiting.

Fans were very understanding and said it was okay, after all, life is outside the internet, and the real world is the most important.

As soon as she arrived, Zhao Qingyun's mind wandered. He simply closed his computer, grabbed a towel, and went to take a shower.

He always showered very quickly. After a while, the sound of water stopped, and Xu Lai thought he was getting dressed. But the next second, the door opened.

Even though she had seen his upper body before, Xu Lai still couldn't help but swallow hard when she saw him again.

Zhao Qingyun did it on purpose. Back at her home in City B, she was always worried that her voice would be heard, and Aunt Zhang cleaned the house every day, so she was afraid of leaving any traces.

So the two hadn't been intimate for a long time, and he decided to seduce her.

Xu Lai glanced at it and then looked away, asking, "Aren't you cold?"

Zhao Qingyun thought to himself, "Isn't that obvious?" He picked up the remote, turned on the air conditioner, and then walked to the bedside.

Xu Lai clicked her tongue, "Go blow-dry your hair first, you've splashed water all over me."

Zhao Qingyun took out the hair dryer and put it in her hand, "Can you help me?"

Xu Lai smiled. "Don't you have hands?"

Despite saying that, she still picked up the hairdryer and dried his hair.

After Zhao Qingyun put the hairdryer away, he touched Xu Lai's neck and kissed her all the way down. Xu Lai wanted to say something, but it was all swallowed up.

Until he touched a cotton-like substance, Xu Lai gasped, "I said no, I'm on my period today."

Despite his best efforts, he still failed. Zhao Qingyun wiped his face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Xu Lai couldn't help but laugh, "I told you to listen to me, but you wouldn't listen."

He remembered that it wasn't from the last two days, so Zhao Qingyun asked him about it.

Xu Lai laughed and said, "Don't you know that a woman's period can't always be on time?"

Xu Lai glanced at him. "Are you alright?"

Zhao Qingyun kissed her lips again, "No."

After a long while, the two separated, and Xu Lai's hand was already in his grasp; her face was completely flushed.

Zhao Qingyun carried her to wash her hands, then held her and fell asleep.

The next morning, as he was about to leave for work, he touched her hair and whispered, "I'm leaving now. I'll bring you something delicious tonight."

Xu Lai hummed twice. She had completely forgotten what Zhao Qingyun had told her when she woke up. She only knew that he had come over and said something that annoyed her, so she just gave a perfunctory reply.

After washing up, she returned home to find her grandmother had already eaten. She said, "There are sweet potatoes and noodles in the pot, and I also steamed a bowl of egg custard for you."

Xu Lai took a sweet potato and brought out the steamed egg custard. The bowl was still very hot. Seeing that she hadn't gotten up yet, her grandmother specially put it in the pot to keep it warm.