Chapter 24 "Wife"

Ever since the kiss, Qiao Shu had a feeling that something was off between them.

The line between them became increasingly blurred, and someone crossed it, disrupting the order.

A jumbled mess of feelings swirled within her, but Qiao Shu was too lazy to think about it deeply; it shouldn't be a source of trouble for her.

Her gaze shifted from Yu Zeheng's face to the side of the road leading to Qingling Temple, where a pebbly path led to several irregularly shaped farmlands planted with fruits and vegetables, and a small stream could be vaguely seen.

It wasn't time for the vegetarian meal yet. Qiao Shu glanced around, then her gaze returned to his face: "Would you like to go for a walk over there?"

Yu Zeheng turned around.

It rained all day yesterday, leaving the ground covered with withered leaves. Only the green and yellow leaves remained hanging on the branches, washed by the water and gleaming with a cold, chilly light, creating a secluded and tranquil scene.

Qiao Shu walked ahead, the rocks covered with slippery moss. She breathed in the damp mountain air, feeling a sense of cleansed tranquility. A stream blocked her path, its waters swollen from the rain, with only a large rock in the middle barely visible in the water.

She estimated the distance, nimbly stepped onto the stairs, and jumped over.

Qiao Shu let out a soft breath, then turned around, feeling quite impressive. She looked up and met Yu Zeheng's cold, furrowed gaze. She spread her hands, making a gesture of lifting her skirt in farewell, her expression quite proud.

That's very childish.

Yu Zeheng didn't intend to go over. He stood in front of the stream, watching Qiao Shu squat down and scoop up a handful of cool water. She wrinkled her nose and smiled, "It's so cool."

The soil where she was squatting was being washed away by the flowing water. He reminded her expressionlessly, "Don't squat down, or you'll slip in."

"oh."

Qiao Shu stood up, lazily flicking her hand, and a few drops of water splashed onto his cheek.

"Hey, sorry," Qiao Shu blinked and asked, "Is it very cold?"

She pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh. Seeing his displeasure, she felt incredibly pleased. She turned around and ventured deeper into the area. Not far along, she saw brownish-red fruits on the ground and recognized them as chestnuts. She squatted down to pick them up, held them between her fingertips, and turned to show them to Yu Zeheng: "Yu Zeheng, look what this is! Chestnuts!"

The tone was one of surprise.

Yu Zeheng felt like he was taking kindergarten children on a spring outing, so he reminded them, "Qiao Shu, don't pick up trash."

"What garbage! How can this be eaten properly?" Qiao Shu held the chestnuts in her palm, looked around, and was pleasantly surprised to find them everywhere. "Come and look, there are so many!"

"I won't go and help you pick up trash."

In high spirits, Qiao Shu squatted down and picked up plump chestnuts from the grass. She couldn't hold them all in her hand, so she looked at the tall figure across the stream and asked, "Could you come and help me get them?"

She crouched down, small in stature, wearing a red sweater, like a red mushroom in a dense forest. She frowned and asked, "Is it okay?"

Yu Zeheng pursed his lips, stepped onto the stones in the stream, and crossed over in two steps.

"Hold this for me." Qiao Shu held it with both hands, gesturing for him to reach out.

"Isn't it dirty?" Yu Zeheng asked with a look of disgust.

Qiao Shu was completely unfazed: "What's dirty about it? It's edible. And you're right, you pampered young master, can you even tell the difference between chives and scallions?"

"I may not be able to tell the difference between chives and scallions, but yours is poisonous."

"How could that be?"

Yu Zeheng picked up one of them, squatted down, and told her, "This is called a horse chestnut. It doesn't have sharp thorns on the head, and its outer shell has coarse and sparse thorns. Although it looks a lot like a chestnut, it is highly poisonous."

Qiao Shu squinted and carefully examined the situation, finding that it seemed to be true. She leaned closer and asked, "So none of these can be eaten?"

“Of course, every year there are international students who accidentally eat it and end up in the hospital.” Yu Zeheng threw everything out of her hands.

Qiao Shu squatted down, poking her spoils with a hint of lingering affection.

Yu Zeheng stood up and stretched out his hand: "Let's go. You should be glad you didn't accidentally eat it."

Qiao Shu raised her eyelashes, thought for a moment, and then took his hand. His palm was soft and dry. Before she could react, his hand easily enveloped hers completely.

Despite nearly getting poisoned, Qiao Shu was still eager to venture further in. After walking along the pebbled path for a while, she discovered that there were still houses, with a small yellow dog lying in the courtyard.

Qiao Shu was in a good mood and took out her phone to take pictures of the scenery.

Turning her head, she saw Yu Zeheng a few steps away. He was tall with long legs and handsome features, and he looked very good in the cool-toned environment. She casually pressed the shutter button.

It's a candid shot, but its strength lies in the photographer's superb skills, which perfectly capture the beauty.

Just then, Yu Zeheng looked over, and Qiao Shu said without hesitation that she had just taken a picture of him. She looked down at the screen and said, "I'll send it to you."

She looked up, shoved her phone into his hand, and said matter-of-factly, "Now it's your turn to take my picture."

To be fair, Qiao Shu had considerable trust in Yu Zeheng's photography skills.

For their honeymoon and anniversary trip, he was the photographer, and she gave him a perfect score of 10.

Yu Zeheng glanced at the phone that had been forcibly shoved into his hand, and at Qiao Shu who had already gone to look for the background. He pursed his lips and said nothing. After she confirmed the location, he raised the phone with one hand.

The person on the screen had fair, glowing skin. She was just standing there, looking over from afar. He turned up the zoom, and her face became clearer and clearer. He lowered his eyelashes and adjusted the composition of the image. Light shone through the dense forest onto her hair and shoulders. He pressed the shutter button. Qiao Shu changed her pose and suddenly smiled, revealing shallow dimples on her lips.

It felt like my chest cavity was being pulled.

"Are you done?" Qiao Shu walked over and stood in front of him.

On the phone screen, I saw her bright eyes, her dark eyelashes clearly defined.

Yu Zeheng hummed in agreement. As he exited the app, he saw that the previous app interface was WeChat, currently displaying the photo she had sent him. He noticed her nickname in his contact's name—

“.

He dodged Qiao Shu's movement to take back his phone, opened the screen, and asked, "Why is it a period?"

Qiao Shu: "..."

She saved her ex-husband's name in her phone number contacts, and he's still saved that name in her WeChat contacts.

Instead of explaining, she asked, "So what do you think I should call him? Ex-husband, or ex-husband brother? Which one do you prefer?"

Yu Zeheng didn't like any of them. He took her phone, changed the nickname in her contacts, and then returned it to her.

Qiao Shu looked at the screen; the period had become an ellipsis with five dots, seemingly reflecting a certain mood. Qiao Shu didn't change it back. She opened the album, flipped through the photos he had taken, and raised her eyebrows, seemingly satisfied.

The vegetarian meal was simple: tofu, seasonal vegetables from the mountains, and a piece of steamed pumpkin.

Qiao Shu was with Yu Zeheng beside her and Uncle Qin on the other side. The surroundings were very quiet, and the temple had a clean energy field. She slowly finished her meal, feeling calmer than usual.

Looking at Yu Zeheng again, I felt that his face was paler than usual.

He didn't speak, and Qiao Shu didn't try to make conversation. After the vegetarian meal, the three of them got into the car and went down the mountain.

Qiao Shu had a feeling that everything was fine, and Yu Zeheng caught a cold after returning home.

It must have been because of that rain. Later, the place I stayed didn't have air conditioning, so the cold air got into my body. I didn't drink any hot soup afterward, and all that back and forth made me sick.

That very night, Aunt Chu cooked piping hot ginger soup and watched as Qiao Shu drank it all while it was still hot.

"Why did you only say the car broke down and not mention getting wet in the rain? How could you get wet in the car? Did something else happen?"

Qiao Shu held the ginger soup. She didn't like the spicy taste of ginger and swallowed it in small sips. She was vague about why she got caught in the rain, only saying that she wanted to see if the car could be repaired.

She finally finished one bowl, only to have another placed in front of her. Aunt Chu said sternly, "It's best to sweat it out, lest you get sick too."

Qiao Shu smiled and said, "Feel it, I'm perfectly fine."

Now we know who's all bark and no bite; even exercising all day can't fix his health. He really is a spoiled brat.

Qiao Shu gloated, but still said to Yu Zeheng, "I still owe you a favor. If you need any help, just ask, and I'll take care of you."

Yu Zeheng said he was fine, that he had only taken some cold medicine, and went to work as usual the next day. However, after returning home from get off work, he developed a high fever. He didn't eat anything after returning home, only drank some ginger soup, and then went into his bedroom and never came out again.

When Qiao Shu came home from get off work, Xiao Xi hopped over. After changing her shoes, she squatted down and hugged it, rubbing its little head as she listened to Aunt Chu talk about Yu Zeheng's situation.

"I'll go take a look."

Qiao Shu carried Xiao Xi upstairs and knocked on the door, but no one answered. "Yu Zeheng, I'm coming in."

After waiting for half a minute, she turned the doorknob. The windows were tightly closed, the curtains were drawn, and the lights were off, making the room dim. She could only vaguely see a person lying on the bed.

"Yu Zeheng?" Qiao Shu called him tentatively.

The person on the bed remained motionless.

Qiao Shu turned on the light and finally saw the person on the bed. Yu Zeheng had taken a shower and changed into some loungewear. His suit jacket and shirt were hanging messily on the sofa. He was lying there, motionless.

When I got to the bedside, I saw his flushed face and the thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

“Yu Zeheng?” She squatted down, Xiao Xi stepped on her lap, its front paws resting on the edge of the bed. The two of them looked at him. “You seem to have a fever.”

Qiao Shu reached out and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, which burned her and made her frown.

Yu Zeheng heard the voice in his ear and felt the coldness on his forehead. His brain felt heavy and chaotic, as if filled with lead. He dazedly opened his eyelashes and saw Qiao Shu's face close to his eyes, along with a fluffy little dog.

The puppy looked at its owner with the same worried expression.

Qiao Shu kept nagging, "You have such a high fever, aren't you going to the hospital? If you wake up, get up, I'll take you to the hospital. Did you take your medicine?"

Yu Zeheng's throat was swollen and painful, and his voice was hoarse and dry, as if he had swallowed razor blades: "I ate it."

Qiao Shu immediately withdrew her sympathy: "It's just a little rain, how did you get so sick? I'm perfectly fine. Now let's see who's the princess here, hmm?"

"..."

Yu Zeheng ignored her tone. He had no strength and just listlessly stared at the speechless puppy. He moved his fingers, about to touch its paw, when Qiao Shu picked up the dog and stood up.

Her makeup was exquisite, her hair was curled and fell smoothly over her chest. She hugged Xiao Xi and looked down at him: "Don't infect Xiao Xi, it's still a child."

Qiao Shu carried Xiao Xi and shuffled out of the room.

The lights weren't turned off, and the door wasn't closed.

Yu Zeheng closed his eyes, clearly impolite, as the word "polite" did not exist in Qiao Shu's dictionary. He frowned and endured, falling into a deep sleep again. A few minutes later, the sound of treading and clattering came from the room again. He opened his eyes and saw Qiao Shu carrying a bunch of things in, standing tall and looking like a professional nurse.

Qiao Shu was determined to repay the favor she owed last time.

She placed the things on the bedside table, picked up the thermometer, pressed it against his forehead, and looked at the number on the thermometer: "38.5 degrees. Thank goodness. If it had continued like this, you might have become mentally impaired."

Yu Zeheng's dark, deep eyes remained fixed on her.

He never imagined she would come back after leaving.

"Close your eyes, it might be a little cold, just bear with it." Qiao Shu's towel had been soaked in ice water, and she followed Aunt Chu's instructions to wipe her face and neck.

Yu Zeheng closed his eyes.

A cold, soaking wet towel was pressed against his face. He felt a hand moving the towel across his face, the movements rough and unrefined. Finally, it slid down and poked his Adam's apple. He subconsciously swallowed and heard the woman say with a pleasant, flirtatious "Oh," "Sorry, my hand slipped."

She then said with a stern face, "If your fever doesn't go down anytime soon, I'll have someone pack you up and send you to the hospital, blankets and all. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your aunt? Do you know that a persistent high fever can damage your brain?"

Yu Zeheng frowned: "You're so noisy."

Qiao Shu raised a delicate eyebrow: "You'll have to put up with the noise."

Now we are at their mercy, and he clearly doesn't see the situation clearly.

She slapped his forehead without hesitation and stuck a fever-reducing patch on it. She glared at him coldly, and it was hard to say whether she was taking the opportunity to retaliate.

"Take your medicine." Qiao Shu squeezed out the pill and handed him a glass of warm water.

Yu Zeheng did as instructed.

"I've put the water here for you. You can reach for it if you want a drink. If you feel unwell, just give me a call."

Yu Zeheng stared at Qiao Shu without speaking, as if looking at a stranger. Receiving no response, she leaned over and checked his temperature through the fever patch, just in case he had really suffered brain damage from the fever.

He couldn't smell her scent, only felt her icy temperature, and saw her face approaching, her clear black and white eyes, and her crimson lips.

No matter how many times or what she does, he will still be attracted to her.

Yu Zeheng felt he deserved it, that he had fallen into depravity. No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, his body was more honest than ever. He wanted to get close to her, touch her, and occupy every inch of her gaze.

She was like a campfire on a snowy night, looking so warm.

The firelight was fleeting, extinguished as Qiao Shu left. She turned off the lights and closed the door, and darkness materialized, pressing down heavily.

Yu Zeheng drifted off to sleep in a daze.

He had a dream in which he returned to the hospital ward where he had been lying for two months after the racing accident. The days were dull and boring, and almost everyone who visited him told him to give up racing. He had a wealthy family background and many other options, so there was no need to risk his life. Yu Xunli ordered him to withdraw from the race and announce his retirement.

Until one day, someone brought a bouquet of flowers, the bright colors illuminating the monotony of the ward.

Yu Zeheng should have been annoyed, annoyed that she would show up on time every day, treating him like a show audience, displaying her pretty face and figure.

What's most annoying is that she's unreliable; she appears for a month and then suddenly disappears.

A week later, Qiao Shu reappeared, carrying a large bouquet of lilies of the valley. She smiled and asked, "Hello, how are you feeling today?"

The familiar opening and tone made it seem as if she had never disappeared.

Yu Zeheng's face was icy as he asked her where she had been these past few days.

Qiao Shu rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head to look at him, her appearance beautiful yet with an indescribable frivolity. She blinked her eyelashes: "Are you starting to be curious about me? Or have you fallen for me a little?"

Yu Zeheng turned his face away and remained silent.

Qiao Shu chuckled softly, her slender fingers flitting a petal as she said to herself, "I went on blind dates, two a day, and met more than a dozen people, but they were all idiots. Of all the people I've met, you're still my favorite."

She can say anything without any restraint.

"Yu Zeheng, marry me. You won't lose out."

The wind outside the window rustled the lilies of the valley. Yu Zeheng said with his eyes half-closed, "I'm not your best choice. In the future, I might return to the competition. You've seen me here now."

Qiao Shu brushed her long hair aside: "It's marriage, not kidnapping. Whether you go racing or come back to take over the company, it's up to you, as long as you like it."

“Even if something really happens to you, I will remain a widow for you.” She paused, “but I might still fall in love.”

Qiao Shu spoke very frankly.

For no apparent reason, Yu Zeheng twitched his lower lip and smiled for the first time in months.

Qiao Shu said, "Look at me. You can tell me what type you like. I can pretend to be someone you like. If you don't choose me, you'll regret it. If you marry me, I will definitely make you happy."

fraud.

Yu Zeheng's smile vanished.

"Who's the liar?" A familiar female voice rang in my ears.

Yu Zeheng opened his eyes and saw a face so close to his. The face was clean and free of makeup, and a pair of large, bright eyes were blinking as she looked at him.

Qiao Shu came to check on him before going to bed to see if he was feeling better. She had just finished showering and was wearing her pajamas. When she came in, she heard him muttering in his sleep. Curious, she leaned closer to listen, but she couldn't hear anything else. She only heard two words: "liar."

The face in my dream overlapped with the face in reality.

Yu Zeheng could hardly tell; his lips moved, but he said nothing.

Qiao Shu was puzzled by his stare. She waved her hand in front of him, but he barely blinked. She began to suspect that he was delirious.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

Yu Zeheng kept thinking about it.

She can lie to him, so why should he always do what she wants?

Seeing no response, Qiao Shu took the thermometer and measured her temperature again, which was still 38.5 degrees Celsius, showing no signs of fever reduction.

"I'll go call Aunt Chu."

She tried to get up from the bed, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed and burned like a branding iron. She was startled and before she could react, she was pulled onto the bed. Yu Zeheng swept over her like a tide and hugged her tightly.

Yu Zeheng lowered his head, his forehead pressed against her shoulder, his breath hot enough to make her skin tremble.

Touching the cool temperature, everything seemed to return to its place, regaining its order.

Yu Zeheng pressed himself greedily against her skin.

Qiao Shu froze, and just as she was about to push the person away, a hoarse, low voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Wife."

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Author's Note: This is a blatant declaration of a wife's...

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50 red envelopes, kiss kiss!