Chapter 45 "How could yours be dirty?"
Inside the window, bright lights and shimmering spring colors filled the air; outside, the night stretched endlessly thick and dark.
Qiao Shu's mind went blank. First, she watched his lips move, and then she listened to his words. She temporarily lost the ability to think and stared at him blankly. She just stared at him.
They forgot all the unpleasantness of the past and started anew.
"Is it okay?" Yu Zeheng asked.
Qiao Shu wrapped her arms around his neck, lowered her head, and buried her forehead in the crook of his shoulder. She heard her own voice, a muffled "hmm" escaping from her throat.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she clearly sensed his change. Her voice became nasal and rising in pitch, turning into a questioning "hmm?"
She began to think about what exactly "do it again" meant.
It was like she was on a pure love channel, the sentimental scenes were just beginning, and the next second she was switched to an adult channel, all the emotions she had just built up, from tears to silence.
"Yu Zeheng, you're such a bastard."
Yu Zeheng held her, his movements slow, as if deliberately keeping her in suspense: "I'm serious."
Qiao Shu wanted to kick him, but her thigh was gripped tightly, leaving her in a difficult position. She told him to get lost, but she also wanted to cling to him. She had difficulty even breathing normally. She leaned on his shoulder, her body sinking down as if it couldn't support her.
Everything is back to normal, as if it was always meant to be this way.
Yu Zeheng put one arm around her waist and the other hand around the back of her head, his fingers stroking her soft hair.
"I'm sorry for the things I said before that made you uncomfortable or upset. I didn't expect you to care, and it wasn't from the bottom of my heart."
He always thought Qiao Shu was heartless and didn't care about his good or bad qualities. She didn't even care about him as a person, so why would she care about what he said?
Qiao Shu also asked herself why she cared so much. She never took other people's words to heart. Yu Zeheng was nothing to her. What did it matter whether he liked her or not?
The truth is, she was always bothered by how he saw herself in his words, as if she were a really terrible person.
In the end, Yu Zeheng is still the bastard.
Her nails dug into his firm back, and Qiao Shu bit his shoulder again, unwilling to give up: "Don't think that I'll forgive you just because you apologize."
"I want you to say how good I am."
Yu Zeheng felt the teeth biting, but the force was neither painful nor itchy. He picked up her long hair, put his hand on her neck, and they looked at each other. His gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks and finally settled on her bright eyes.
He kissed her lips: "Our Xiao Shu is very beautiful."
The voice was low, as if whispering in one's ear.
Qiao Shu had heard so many people compliment her on her looks, but none of them could compare to the thrill she felt now. She reached out and grabbed his ear, pinching his earlobe with her fingers, but it was her own earlobe that turned red.
She asked with a straight face, "What's so beautiful about it?"
"Your forehead is beautiful, your eyes are beautiful, your nose is beautiful, and your mouth is beautiful..." With each sentence he spoke, he would kiss her, from her forehead down to her chin, to her long neck, her delicate collarbone, his cool lips moving down her skin.
Qiao Shu tilted her head back, her neck taut, her pale skin turning a light pink.
"It looks nice here." His voice was low, husky, and magnetic, his tongue moistened with a touch of red.
Like a hard shell enclosing a soft core, Qiao Shu is no exception. Her glamorous and aloof appearance is an image that is difficult for ordinary people to approach. However, if you get closer, you will see another side of her, her gentleness, willfulness, pride, and softness.
Qiao Shu exhaled, grabbed his hair, and gently tugged at the roots, her voice hoarse as she said, "That's enough."
Yu Zeheng raised his eyes, his gaze as deep as a still lake: "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"I don't want to hear it anymore." Qiao Shu bit her lip.
"I want to say something." Yu Zeheng lowered his head again, not caring about having his hair pulled, and still pressed kisses onto his head.
Qiao Shu could no longer bear it, her voice trembling with tears: "Yu Zeheng!"
"This place is beautiful too."
"..."
Qiao Shu covered her eyes with the back of her hand, her throat already parched. She didn't want to utter another sound, as that would only fuel his wicked arrogance. Only she knew that fireworks were constantly going off inside her head.
As the final kiss was about to land on her lips, she reached out to block it: "I don't want it, you're filthy!"
“How could yours be dirty?” Yu Zeheng’s lips glistened with moisture. He dodged her hand but still wanted to kiss her. “Try it, it’s sweet.”
Qiao Shu blushed, and she hated him to death.
I wish I could cover his eyes and his face, or better yet, wrap him in a blanket and give him a good beating to vent my anger.
He fed her, and then asked, "How is it?"
"roll."
She was met with a low laugh.
Yu Zeheng's fingers brushed across her brow bone, and his tone became more serious: "The Qiao Shu I know is nice to everyone, thinking that she is sweet-talking but hard-hearted, but in reality, she is kinder than anyone else."
Qiao Shu's face felt a little hot.
"She may seem lazy and playful, but when she gets down to business, she's more serious than anyone else. She's very smart and learns everything quickly. She knows what she wants."
"..."
Qiao Shu didn't expect him to actually praise her so seriously. She felt a chill run down her spine and covered his mouth, saying, "Alright, I forgive you."
She didn't want to listen anymore.
Yu Zeheng's mouth was covered, leaving only his dark, bright eyes staring at her.
Qiao Shu is more like a piece of glass, reflecting all kinds of colors, whether bright or dark, depending on others. She treats others the way they treat her, responding to their likes or dislikes without discrimination.
His breath moistened her palm, like the weather in early spring, where something was budding.
When everything calmed down, Qiao Shu was exhausted. She handed herself over to Yu Zeheng to wash up in the bathroom, then snuggled in his arms and was carried out to bed. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to sleep, as she had no more energy to spare for him.
In a blur, she heard Yu Zeheng's voice beside her.
"I like you."
He said he liked her.
Four simple, straightforward words, without any embellishment.
The noise disturbed her peaceful sleep, and Qiao Shu reached out to push it away in disgust, but she couldn't help but feel that it was only natural and a matter of course that he liked her.
New Year's Eve ended in an unprecedented way, and the new year appeared in a new guise.
Last night's events are still vivid in my mind, playing out before my eyes like a movie.
Qiao Shu held Xiao Xi in her arms, watching Yu Zeheng prepare breakfast and coffee for her. She patted Xiao Xi's head absently and asked, "Did you come back yesterday because of me?"
The idea of seeking leisure is just an excuse.
The aroma of coffee wafted through the air with the rising steam. Yu Zeheng held the cup in front of her and answered simply and firmly, "Yes."
On the other side, both the person and the dog had the same expression.
Qiao Shu blinked her long eyelashes and asked again, "How did you know I was home? Did you receive a message from my dad?"
Yu Zeheng leaned on the island counter: "It was just a gut feeling, a gut feeling that you wouldn't stay there and come back. There's no one at home, I was worried, so I came back to check."
"You didn't message me. What if I wasn't here?"
"Then I'll go back."
Qiao Shu sensed a subtle emotion. She still had many questions for him, such as when he started to like her, whether he had ulterior motives for asking her to repay the money during the divorce, what he wrote on his prayer plaque at Qingling Temple, and what he meant by changing the name of his phone number to “…”.
She was like a problem child, hovering around him, muttering all her questions at once.
"I'm not in a hurry, you can answer them one by one." Qiao Shu smiled, appearing understanding.
Yu Zeheng looked at her: "Qiao Shu."
"Please speak."
"Could you please take Xiaoxi out to play for a while? Come back in about half an hour, and breakfast will be ready." She was completely influencing him; she was leading him astray, making him forget what he was supposed to be doing.
Qiao Shu rolled her eyes, still wanting to know: "Is the nickname for me because you find me speechless?"
"I'm not speechless."
Yu Zeheng pinched the bridge of his nose, thought for a moment, and then said, "It is to be continued."
To be continued.
Qiao Shu pursed her lips, as if opening a bottle of sparkling water, with bubbles bubbling out from the bottom. She wanted to casually say that he was quite eloquent, but she opened her mouth and didn't say anything. In the end, she just snorted through her nose and left with Xiao Xi in her arms.
Xiao Xi is a silly little thing; having food to eat and someone to play with is the happiest thing in the world for her.
Its way of expressing happiness is simple: it grins at Qiao Shu, rubs its head against her palm, and then licks her palm with its wet nose and tongue.
Qiao Shu smiled slightly and thought casually that she didn't really want to be in a relationship, but Yu Zeheng was pretty good in many ways, so she wasn't opposed to dating her ex-husband.
Let me find you a dad.
Xiao Xi grinned and barked twice.
Before breakfast, my aunt and sister-in-law had already sent me messages asking when I would be coming over, when we would have lunch at home, and most importantly, not to be late, as my father cares a lot about these last few days of the year.
Qiao Shu changed her clothes. She didn't take Xiao Xi out, but poured out some dog food for it.
The Qiao family is large, and it's just a small dog. It's timid and clumsy, and when bullied, it can't speak up. It's easily frightened and has a stress response.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Qiao Shu fastened her seatbelt and gave Yu Zeheng a heads-up: "If the old man pressures us to have another child, we need to stick to the same story. The doctor told us to relax, let nature take its course, and that we're still young and have a chance."
He'd almost forgotten about it if it weren't mentioned: "So it's still my fault?"
Qiao Shu raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips: "Just bear with it."
Yu Zeheng remained noncommittal; he only lived with Qiao Shu, and he didn't care what others thought of him.
The old man was an elder in the Qiao family and loved a lively family gathering. During holidays, his siblings' children would come over for a reunion dinner. Dozens of people, all talking at once, just thinking about that scene gave me a headache.
Qiao Shu never liked these kinds of occasions, where people would call her aunt, uncle, and great-uncle, their faces practically beaming with smiles.
She crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on the empty street, and murmured softly, "I really don't want to go back. I want to sleep. I'm so sleepy."
"It's not too late to go back now." Yu Zeheng slowed down the car. With just a turn of the steering wheel or by buying a couple of tickets, she could go wherever she wanted with just a word.
Qiao Shu only said it casually: "With the old man's health like this, we shouldn't make him sick over the New Year."
"Xiao Shu is back."
As soon as she got out of the car, Qiao Shu changed her lazy demeanor from the car and seemed to have been revitalized. She put on a smile and waved to greet everyone with a bright smile: "Second Aunt, it's been a long time. You look better and better. Your skin makes you look only in your thirties."
"Oh, you're so sweet-talking."
"Xiao Shu is getting prettier and prettier. I thought she was an actress when I saw her from afar."
"..."
Qiao Shu greeted everyone one by one, and Yu Zeheng stood beside her, following her lead in greeting people.
Upon entering, the first thing to do is to see the old man. He was neatly dressed, but his face was so thin from illness that his cheeks were sunken, and the back of his hand resting on the wheelchair was withered, but his eyes showed good spirit.
"Happy New Year, Grandpa."
"grandfather."
Qiao Shu and Yu Zeheng went inside.
The old man was talking to his elders when he heard this and beckoned them over to talk.
Qiao Shu lost interest when the conversation turned to current affairs, and her peace and quiet wouldn't last long. Her aunt called her over to meet the female relatives and greet her aunts and sisters-in-law.
They were playing cards right now. At the table were four elders, led by her aunt, and her sisters-in-law watching the game. She walked over and chatted with them with a smile on her face.
Aunt's luck wasn't great; when Qiao Shu approached her, she had just discarded a nine of coins, which was considered a losing hand.
"Why do you want the nine of coins too? My luck is terrible today. I can't draw the cards I want, and I'm getting pairs of the ones I don't want." Aunt frowned and pushed away the cards in front of her. "Xiao Shu, come and play a couple of rounds for me."
"Let your sister-in-law come instead, I'll come see Xiaoyan."
"Your sister-in-law doesn't know how. I'll keep an eye on you. You can play as many cards as you want, and if you lose, it's on me."
Qiao Shu said, "I'll give it a try," and then sat down.
"If we're talking about who's the most capable in our family, it's Xiao Shu. Even in this state, he can still keep people under his thumb." The speaker was the third aunt, who raised her long eyebrows and gestured to Yu Zeheng, who was talking to the old man in the distance.
Only the old man in the family didn't know; everyone else knew, but they tacitly kept it from him.
Qiao Shu just smiled, drew a card, and played an eight of bamboo.
But someone immediately chimed in: "You think he's like your husband, always out of touch and never around?"
"It's better not to see it. Out of sight, out of mind. It's disgusting to have it standing in front of you."
Looking at her cards, her aunt said quietly, "Everyone has their own way of getting along with their husbands. Zeheng is well-educated by the Yu family, has a good personality, and is polite and filial. They also said that we put a lot of thought into choosing him for Xiaoshu."
Qiao Shu chuckled inwardly. Back then, his aunt was the first to oppose Yu Zeheng, believing that his cousin was mature and worked in a company, while Yu Zeheng was a playboy who played racing cars. In terms of helping the Qiao family, he was far less capable than his cousin.
"Yes, only those of us who have been through it know how rare someone like Zeheng is."
"How could you bear to let go of such a good person? Does Zeheng have someone else in his life?"
"..."
Several pairs of eyes turned to her, some even abandoning their cards in a hurry, wanting to get something out of her.
Qiao Shu suddenly realized that this large card game was arranged just to wait for her. She casually picked up the cards and sighed, "It's not that I look down on others. My uncle and aunt chose them, so I definitely like them. But there's nothing I can do. Maybe we just don't get along. That's how we separated."
"What kind of logic is it to say that our personalities don't match? Your reason is ridiculous. In the end, who can truly get along with their spouse in a marriage? Everyone just has to put up with it and get through the days together."
"He doesn't have any other women, he hasn't been unfaithful, he's sorry to you, isn't that good enough?"
As soon as she finished speaking, all the other aunts and sisters-in-law appeared, none of whom she usually had much contact with.
The implication was that Qiao Shu was willful and reckless, taking advantage of her youth and lacking self-control. They suggested that she should seize the opportunity now, find a time to remarry, and she would still be Mrs. Yu. This would ensure a stable relationship between the Qiao and Yu families, which would be good for everyone.
While her aunts were talking, Qiao Shu pushed out a tile: "This should be a winning hand?"
Auntie's attention was on the card game. When she saw her hand, she laughed: "A pure suit, huh? In the same position, your luck is much better than mine."
The aunts smacked their lips.
Qiao Shu looked up and suddenly said, "I remember Jiaxin is twenty years old this year, already a young woman in college."
"What do you mean 'big girl'? She's still as willful as a child who hasn't grown up."
“You can get married at twenty. Doesn’t Third Aunt like Yu Zeheng? If I step down, Jiaxin can take her place. I’ll definitely give her a big red envelope. The Qiao and Yu families will still be in-laws.”
Auntie choked back, "What are you saying? We elders are saying all this for your own good, and you don't even want to hear it."
"As the older sister, I'm only doing this for my younger sister's own good. Why is it that I don't mind, but my third aunt is against it?"
“Xiao Shu,” Auntie stepped forward, her voice stern, “How dare you speak to your elders like that?”
Qiao Shu pushed the cards aside and apologized to her third aunt: "Third aunt, please don't take it to heart. That's just how I am. I'm not good with words, but I'm not a bad person at heart."
She smiled gently, a smile so sincere and innocent that no one could find fault with it.
"You guys play, I'm not very good at this, I'm afraid I'll spoil the fun." Qiao Shu stood up, and her aunt wanted to ask her to sit down, but she had already walked away.
The remaining people looked at each other, their expressions revealing their thoughts: "Our Xiao Shu has quite a temper."
"She was spoiled by the old man. He took her in and raised her when she was so young. Everything she ate, wore, and used was the best. He pampered her like a flower. He didn't take care of anything at home, but she turned around and divorced him on her own and ran away abroad, leaving us with a mess to clean up."
The aunt, unable to bear the embarrassment, couldn't help but scold the others and urge them to draw their cards: "With this temper, how many men can stand it?"
During lunch, her aunt gave Qiao Shu an even colder look, occasionally throwing out a few sarcastic remarks to shut her down.
Qiao Shu didn't seem to care and continued drinking her soup.
"What's going on?" Yu Zeheng turned his head and asked her.
Qiao Shu, holding her spoon, caught a glimpse of his dark gaze and instinctively wanted to say it was nothing. However, she changed the subject and told him what had just happened. The gist of it was that her aunt had called her over to try and persuade her to remarry, but she had refused without any mercy, which had offended her.
"It's also my own fault. I should have just tolerated it and pretended not to hear it, but I had to take it seriously."
Yu Zeheng raised his eyelashes: "Why should I endure it?"
Why?
Because she had no mother and her father was not well-liked, she was more like an outsider in the Qiao family, living under someone else's roof and having to be mindful of others' feelings to survive.
These are things Qiao Shu doesn't want to say, and he might not even understand them.
"Nobody wants to be unhappy during the New Year." She hooked his palm. "We'll be fine when we get home tonight."
Yu Zeheng pursed his lips and hummed in agreement.
After lunch, Qiao Shu played with Lego with Qiao Yan for a while, and other children came over to join in the fun, wanting to snatch the Lego that Qiao Yan had half-assembled.
Qiao Yan pouted, feeling wronged: "It's wrong to steal other people's things."
Qiao Shu couldn't treat everyone equally, nor would she tell Qiao Yan to just put up with it. She reached out and snatched the Lego back, handing it to Qiao Yan: "Take these back to your room to play with."
"Okay!" Qiao Yan escorted her into the room as if she were a precious treasure.
Another child was crying loudly on the spot, and Qiao Shu encouraged him: "You're crying too softly, your mother probably won't hear you."
"Wow!" the child raised his voice and howled at the top of his lungs.
Qiao Shu smiled with satisfaction.
She turned her head and met the gaze of someone not far away.
Yu Zeheng took in her bullying behavior of taking advantage of a child. He smiled, as if giving her a silent compliment.
She tilted her head back, rolled her eyes, and bared her teeth, which further suited her "bully" persona.
He lowered his eyes and chuckled softly without a sound.
Qiao Kaiyu was expressing his views on current affairs when he caught a glimpse of Yu Zeheng's smile: "Is something wrong?"
Yu Zeheng suppressed his smile: "No, please continue."
The commotion that had lasted all day ended after dinner. Cars drove away from the old house one after another, and gradually only the family remained, with the eldest aunt leading the group, sitting on the sofa in the living room chatting.
Qiao Shu had just finished building Lego with Qiao Yan and came out of the room when her aunt called her back.
It was all because of what happened during the day. There were so many people around, and she, as a junior, had talked back to her elders, making her lose face.
"Tell me, your mother passed away when you were six, and you call me your aunt. I have treated you the same as your two older brothers, and I have never mistreated you in the slightest. Your surname is Qiao, so ask yourself what you have done for the Qiao family? What can the family rely on you for? It's just getting married..." He swallowed the rest of his words for fear that the old man would hear them.
The aunt cursed him under her breath as an ingrate.
Chen Yi advised Qiao Shu, "We're all family, just admit your mistake and that's enough."
Qiao Yizhou was playing on his phone, while Qiao Kaiyu leaned back on the sofa, peeled an orange, and popped two segments into his mouth.
Qiao Shu recalled her conversation with Yu Zeheng during the day.
Why should we endure it?
Since neither of them wants to have a peaceful New Year, why should she swallow her anger?
Qiao Shumei lowered her eyebrows, looking aggrieved: "I feel heartbroken when my aunt says that. You call me an ingrate. Take the other day, for example. My older brother asked me for money, and even though I didn't have any on hand, I sold various stocks and funds to raise 20 million to lend to him in an emergency..."
Qiao Kaiyu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and his face turned deathly pale: "Qiao Shu, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"I didn't want to say it, but I didn't expect my aunt to think of me like this. Twenty million is not a small amount."
The aunt was stunned for a few seconds, her expression one of disbelief: "What did you say? Your older brother asked you to borrow money?"
Qiao Yizhou put down his phone and looked at Qiao Kaiyu with interest.
Chen Yi was so shocked that she lost all composure and turned to Qiao Kaiyu, glaring at him: "Qiao Kaiyu, are you crazy? What are you going to do with all that money?"
Qiao Kaiyu was extremely annoyed: "Enough! I've already said I need it. It's all work-related, what do you know? I borrowed it, it's not like I'm not going to pay it back."
"Brother, those futures you bought probably won't break even in the short term. You bought at a high price, and this volatility has trapped so many people. I remember your last investment also lost everything. You poured tens of millions into it and didn't get a single penny back. I feel sorry for you."
Qiao Shu heard Yu Zeheng's voice behind her. She turned around and saw that Yu Zeheng had already put his arm around her shoulder.
The eldest uncle came up from behind and heard what had just been said clearly. His face turned ashen: "Qiao Kaiyu, tell me everything you've been doing behind the scenes."
Yu Zeheng said casually, "Brother is too impatient. The investment market is sluggish, and you just want to make back the money you've lost. But with such high leverage and such a big gamble, it's easy to lose everything. What do you want to invest in next time? We can talk about it, and maybe I can give you some advice."
"It's all my fault. If I had known that my brother was borrowing money everywhere because of this, I would have advised him against it." Qiao Shu leaned on the strong shoulder next to her.
"..." Qiao Kaiyu was speechless, staring anxiously with wide eyes, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The house was in complete chaos.
Chen Yi grabbed Qiao Kaiyu's clothes: "Qiao Kaiyu, you bastard! You told me things would get better after the New Year and I'd have money. I even sold my bags and jewelry. Do you know how my girlfriends are laughing at me?"
Auntie nearly fainted: "How much did you actually lose?"
"You beast, if you keep hanging out with those scoundrels of yours, you'll be bankrupt sooner or later!" the uncle cursed angrily.
Qiao Shu said to keep her voice down so that her grandfather wouldn't hear and get angry, but she grabbed Yu Zeheng's hand and was so happy that she almost laughed out loud.
Yu Zeheng squeezed the back of her hand: "I've already told Grandpa we have a date tonight, so we can go now."
Qiao Shu's eyes lit up, but she had to suppress a smile.
The moonlight, like water, dimly illuminated the night.
Qiao Shu took Yu Zeheng's hand and went out, leaving the arguing inside the house far behind. They walked lightly in the night, only their clasped hands were burning hot.
Qiao Shu got into the car, let out a big sigh of relief, and then leaned back and laughed.
readily!
After laughing for a while, Qiao Shu met Yu Zeheng's gaze. The car was cramped and the distance was so close that even the slightest changes could be seen clearly.
How do you know about my older brother's affairs?
Yu Zeheng calmly said, "I asked you why you sold the stocks. You lent the money to Qiao Kaiyu, and it's easy to find out about his affairs."
Beneath her high brow bone were a pair of calm, watery eyes.
After catching her breath, Qiao Shu looked at him quietly for a while, then smiled and said, "I suddenly realized that we are quite a good match."
"What makes them a good match?"
“They’re all pretty bad,” she replied with a light smile. “Where are we going now?”
Yu Zeheng started the car engine, his gaze fixed straight ahead: "Didn't I tell you already?"
"Um?"
"We have a date tonight."
-----------------------
Author's note: Two bad guys together are roughly 1 + 1 = 3 [The Joker]
50 red envelopes, kiss kiss!
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