“Zhao Jingyu, you’re overthinking it. You’re very good to me.” Xu Qingning didn’t expect him to think that way. She felt a little embarrassed, as if his thoughts had been exposed, but she still pretended to be relaxed and said, “I only made the decision to transfer my household registration after my aunt mentioned it. It wasn’t something I had thought about beforehand. As you know, this is the first time I’ve been to my aunt’s house since I got married.”

She will still be with him for the next three years.

She was just used to being prepared for the future. After all, people change, and just because he's nice to her now doesn't mean he'll always be nice to her.

In any time and in any era, women must learn to maintain their independence in marriage in order to live calmly and composedly, and remain composed in the face of adversity.

Moreover, she didn't fall in love with Zhao Jingyu, and she felt that Zhao Jingyu was kind to her for the sake of the child, not because he liked her.

He flirted with her and wanted to be intimate with her; it was all due to his overflowing hormones and his male nature, and had nothing to do with love.

She's not love-struck; she can tell the difference.

“Since you want to move your household registration to Wutong Village, then go ahead, but I have one condition: once you’re settled, you must also move my household registration there.” Zhao Jingyu turned her around and, by the dim moonlight streaming through the window, looked earnestly into her eyes. “I’m the child’s father. You can’t abandon me. The three of us are meant to be together forever.”

Over the course of these days, he grew to like her more and more—he liked her fiery temper, the way they interacted, and everything about her.

He'd do anything to be with her.

“I know.” Xu Qingning looked up and saw his strong chest muscles, feeling the refreshing scent of soap on his body, and subconsciously looked away. “You have to believe me. I’m carrying your child. Where could I run off to? Everything I’ve done is for the sake of the child.”

I really don't understand men. He's just chatting, why does he have to take off his clothes?

If she wasn't mistaken, he was only wearing underwear down there; was he going to sleep naked?

He's not embarrassed, but she is!

“I know that when you first came to me, you didn’t know my attitude or whether I would acknowledge the child, which is why you said those things. Now when I think about you saying those words, my heart aches.”

Zhao Jingyu was completely unaware of his wife's embarrassment. He was just a young man newly in love, eager to confess his feelings to the girl he loved. "My only thought right now is to work hard to earn money so that you and the children can have a good life. Trust me, I have the ability. You don't need to worry about money. I'll take care of everything."

Their marriage was too rushed, and he didn't have time to plan many things, such as her household registration and where she would live in the future.

He felt that these things could be dealt with later.

So when he heard that she wanted to change her household registration, he immediately thought that maybe she felt he didn't care about her affairs, so she was taking matters into her own hands.

He was someone who couldn't keep things to himself, and he wanted to tell her that he cared about her a lot and that he wanted to live a good life with her.

"I believe you, really. If I didn't believe you, I could have waited until you left before talking to Auntie about it, right?" Xu Qingning didn't want the issue of household registration to create a rift between them. Although she didn't tell him the truth, she didn't lie to him either.

No matter what, the child is his.

She will give birth to the child properly and raise it with care.

Although she had no experience as a mother, she started planning for the baby as soon as she found out she was pregnant.

She wouldn't have married him if it weren't for the child.

The only good thing about marrying him was that she met a good father-in-law and a good mother-in-law.

If her mother-in-law were as difficult and hard to get along with as Yang Yuexiang, she wouldn't need to wait three years; she would divorce Zhao Jingyu.

She accepted Zhao Jingyu's care and made him give, hoping that he would love the child so that the child would have both a mother's and a father's love. This had nothing to do with whether they would become husband and wife in the future.

Maternal and paternal love are innate and instinctive, and do not necessarily have to be maintained within marriage.

Because their marriage was an accident, a responsibility, not based on feelings, their situation was different from others.

"I'm terrible at guessing what other people are thinking, especially women." Zhao Jingyu was immersed in his love for her and couldn't help but reach out and hug her. He said emotionally, "I hope that no matter what happens to you in the future, you will tell me. I am your man, and I have the responsibility to protect you and solve all your problems."

"Okay, I promise you, I'll tell you if anything happens, I won't hide anything from you." Xu Qingning felt her ears burning as he hugged her, blanket and all. "You, can you put some clothes on..."

Although the room was pitch black, it wasn't completely invisible.

Especially since they were so close, she felt like he was a furnace, threatening to melt her at any moment.

She felt not only insecure but also extremely embarrassed sleeping next to him.

She already has a bad sleeping posture, and if she falls asleep and ends up in his arms, she might as well just crawl into a hole in the ground.

It's not that she's being dramatic.

Anyone would feel awkward sleeping in the same bed every night with a man they don't know well.

"I didn't bring any luggage when I came back, and I only had one set of clothes left at home. I washed it yesterday, and I can't exactly sleep in my shirt." Zhao Jingyu looked down at himself, not feeling embarrassed at all. Instead, he was amused by her words and even puffed out his chest. "It's so dark in here, how can you see?"

He's a man. What's wrong with a man going shirtless?

In the summer, they often didn't even wear pants while on the boat.

Speaking of shirts, he explained, "My new shirt was issued on the ship, not bought. It didn't cost me any money, and I don't have any money on hand."

"I didn't ask you about the shirt..." Xu Qingning glared at him, turned over, and said, "I'm going to sleep."

Actually, she couldn't sleep.

She slept too much in the afternoon and isn't sleepy at all now.

The moonlight outside the window was faint, and the courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps that quickly faded away.

Zhao Jingyu spent the afternoon tidying up the yard and was quite tired, so he quickly fell asleep.

He doesn't snore when he sleeps, his breathing is shallow, and he rarely turns over.

The moonlight shone on his face, revealing a man with sharp features who looked like a troublemaker. His exposed chest muscles were strong and powerful; by all accounts, he looked like a villain.

Xu Qingning looked at him quietly, and the more she looked at him, the more unfamiliar he seemed.

The thought that this man was the father of her unborn child made her feel much closer to him. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so no matter how troublesome he was, he would probably be good to the child in the future.

After thinking about random things for a while, Xu Qingning tossed and turned for a while before finally falling into a deep sleep around midnight.

A moment later, the man beside her opened his eyes, lifted the blanket, and pulled her into his arms. He couldn't bear to let go of her fragrant and soft body.

The way she secretly sized him up just now was like that of a cunning little fox, charming and adorable; he almost burst out laughing.

This woman either doesn't sleep at all, or when she does, she sleeps very soundly. Even if he were to carry her away now, she wouldn't know.

As Xu Qingning slept, she felt warmer and warmer, and she couldn't help but lean closer to that warmth, pressing herself tightly against it.

Seeing her clinging to him like an octopus, Zhao Jingyu was both amused and exasperated, yet dared not move, letting her hold him, a bittersweet experience.

She hadn't done anything, yet she had stirred his heart. Once she gave birth, he was determined to get his money back, with interest...

Tang Wenya, far away in Fenghuang Village, Nanping Township, also couldn't sleep. After experiencing initial panic and discomfort in the unfamiliar environment, her mood gradually calmed down over the next two days.

Going to the countryside wasn't as hard or difficult as she had imagined. Everyone in the production team knew she was pregnant, so they didn't make things difficult for her and just let her do some light work that she could manage.

Importantly, Xu Qingning's two sisters-in-law were also won over by her with small favors.

She gave each of them three feet of fabric, which Jiang Yumei bought from the factory. The fabric had a beautiful pattern and she originally intended to use it to make skirts.

Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan were delighted to see that Tang Wenya was so generous. They not only helped her with her work, but also told the people in the production team that she was a relative of theirs.

The only thing that chilled Tang Wenya's heart was that she had been there for two days and had not heard a word from Xiao Tingshen.

Men are indeed unreliable.

The next afternoon, after finishing work, Tang Wenya was sitting in the yard washing clothes when Xiao Tingshen pushed open the door and walked in, looking travel-worn: "Wenya, I'm here."

Their eyes met.

Tang Wenya burst into tears instantly.