Chapter 7 From now on, will we all have to sleep at staggered times like this after they suddenly get so close...?
"Are you inviting me?"
"Is this the only bed in the house...?" Zhou Jinqin looked down at the big-eyed crocodile on her feet, her answer ambiguous.
She thought of Liang Minghe's words from last night, in which he said he hoped they could get along like a normal couple if they wanted.
Since she has chosen to get married, Zhou Jinqin naturally cannot and should not resist this idea.
In a normal family, it should be quite common for couples to share a bed, or even go further, right?
"I don't think I have any reason to refuse." Liang Minghe shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips.
There was only one bathroom in the house, and because she didn't want Liang Minghe to wait too long, Zhou Jinqin let him take a shower first.
His hair was still a little damp, and the soft, black strands hung down obediently. His hair was on the longer side, and when he didn't style it, his bangs would completely cover his forehead. With the addition of black-rimmed glasses, he looked much more docile.
He shuffled along in his clownfish slippers toward the bedroom, his steps unhurried, the rhythm of his stride mirroring Zhou Jinqin's restless heartbeat.
Every time Liang Minghe moved closer to her, Zhou Jinqin would unconsciously retreat a step, until she was forced to sit on the edge of the bed. Even then, the man continued to press forward without giving an inch.
He was wearing a long-sleeved silk nightgown today, with the sleeves loosely rolled up in the middle of his forearms. His large hands were resting on her hip bones, and the veins on his forearms were clearly bulging.
Like a possessive lion, Zhou Jinqin, who had mistakenly entered his territory, was completely surrounded by him.
She had been holding her breath without realizing it, and her body involuntarily leaned back, hanging upright in the air at a 45-degree angle.
The two stared at each other, neither speaking. One was composed and at ease, while the other was flustered and confused.
Suddenly, that exceptionally handsome face came close.
A strange, masculine scent suddenly filled her nostrils, and Zhou Jinqin panicked for a moment. She didn't know where the strength came from, but she pushed the tall man, who was about twenty centimeters taller than her, to the ground.
Zhou Jinqin felt extremely embarrassed and subconsciously wanted to apologize, but then she saw Liang Minghe laugh heartily.
He sat on the floor, the soft fabric of his clothes hanging down naturally and wrapping around his body, revealing his broad shoulders and lean waist. Even the rise and fall of his chest with each breath was clearly visible: "You see, your body is much more honest than your mouth."
“Adults should be responsible for their words. Every word you say may be taken seriously by me. If you haven’t thought it through, I suggest you boldly say no.” He stood up and patted his pants. “I’m not asking you to fulfill any so-called marital obligations. Women still have sexual autonomy in marital relationships, so you don’t have to force yourself.”
He turned around, opened the bedroom door, and casually waved his hand behind his back: "I'm working overtime on my drafts tonight. If you need anything, you can come to my study to find me."
Zhou Jinqin didn't sleep well that night, not entirely because of the little incident the night before, but almost pathologically, as she hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep for many years.
The bed in the bedroom was large, and she habitually slept close to the edge of the bed, taking up only a small space.
She hasn't had a sleeping space to herself for many years. Ever since Zhou Jinqin can remember, her parents have been fighting to the point of sleeping in separate beds. In their two-bedroom house, one bedroom is for her father, and the other is for her and her mother.
The room was small, barely enough to accommodate two people. Her only private possession was an 80-centimeter-long desk.
She used to think that her family was poor, but one day her grandmother came with relatives and friends to demand a share of the generous demolition compensation. She also realized that her family's financial situation was actually much better than she had imagined, when she decided to stay in Shanghai after graduation and work there.
When she decided to settle down in Shanghai with her, she was sure her parents could afford a bigger house, but in the end, they still signed and bought an old, dilapidated apartment, a small two-bedroom apartment, and she still didn't have her own independent space.
Zhou Jinqin threw off the covers and got out of bed. It was just past six o'clock. The rain had subsided, and the sky, which had been gloomy for a long time, had brightened up a little.
She walked into the walk-in closet around the corner. It was mostly empty; Liang Minghe had reserved the space for her in advance.
She didn't bring many clothes, so her half of the room was empty, while Liang Ming's half was almost overflowing.
Zhou Jinqin originally wanted to make room for him, but Liang Minghe refused, saying that there was still a long future ahead and the space would eventually be filled.
Perhaps it was because she was traveling light that Lü Jianying was so sure she would go home. But this was Shenzhen, where summer occupies most of the time, and one winter coat was enough to get through the winter.
Zhou Jinqin changed into her everyday clothes and walked out of the room. Tuantuan was already awake and was now peeking at the study door, eager to get out.
To prevent it from stealing food, Liang Minghe deliberately put the cat food in the study. Tuantuan, who was almost "starving," tried to resist, but to no avail.
Upon seeing Zhou Jinqin arrive, it decided to give up and seek outside help, darting to her feet and acting coquettishly.
Zhou Jinqin felt ticklish as the kitten's fluffy head rubbed against her bare ankles. Unable to resist the kitten's cuteness, she gave in and tapped its nose: "I'll go get you breakfast. Remember to be good."
As she spoke, she gently knocked on the door, but there was no response. Zhou Jinqin guessed that Liang Minghe was probably still sleeping, so she stopped knocking.
Liang Minghe had specifically emphasized that there were no restricted areas in the house, and she could go anywhere she wanted, so there was no need to hesitate any longer. She turned the doorknob and went into the study.
The kitten followed closely behind, its steps very light, faithfully keeping its promise to be good.
As expected, Liang Minghe was still asleep. The boss was curled up in the office chair, looking rather aggrieved. His handsome brows were deeply furrowed, indicating that he was probably having a hard time sleeping. Most of the blanket he had casually draped over himself had fallen to the floor.
Zhou Jinqin approached quietly, bent down to pick up the blanket and covered him again. Just as she was about to let go, the man suddenly moved and unconsciously rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand.
The sharp, angular face was unexpectedly soft, and Zhou Jinqin froze on the spot, unable to move for a moment. Only when the other person's trembling eyelashes returned to calm did she breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
She silently held on for a few more minutes until the other person was completely unconscious before Zhou Jinqin carefully withdrew her hand.
She took a half step back and saw the hand-drawn sketch on the table. It was of Tuantuan, the cat, whose missing ear had been replaced with a rabbit ear by Liang Minghe. It looked very cute, and she couldn't help but take a few more glances at it.
Suddenly, the computer screen in front of me lit up, displaying the WeChat chat window.
Zhou Jinqin was startled and instinctively tried to avoid eye contact, but she still caught a glimpse of the latest message.
【get married! ? 】
[Who is it? How come I didn't know you had a girlfriend? You kept something this important from me, are we even brothers anymore?]
[Could it be Kanna? The idea of feelings developing over time is quite plausible...]
"Kanna?" Zhou Jinqin stood there stunned for a moment, lost in thought, until Tuan Tuan at her feet called out impatiently, which snapped her out of her daze.
Zhou Jinqin put her index finger to her lips, shook her head to signal the kitten to be quiet, then silently selected breakfast from the top of the bookshelf, and quickly took the kitten out of the study.
Liang Minghe was awakened by the aroma of rice. When he came out, Zhou Jinqin was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Liang Minghe could tell at a glance that it was a documentary about popularizing traditional Chinese medicine.
He asked, "When you watch this show, does anything seem familiar?"
Hearing the sound, Zhou Jinqin turned around and saw a man with slightly disheveled hair leaning lazily against the door frame, watching her.
Zhou Jinqin thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, I took a course on traditional Chinese medicine before, and the teacher happened to talk about this herb."
Human hair charcoal is a carbonized substance made from human hair, and it is generally used to stop bleeding and reduce blood stasis.
She looked up and asked, "Did I disturb you?"
"Of course not," Liang Minghe said, pursing his lips and giving a deep look. "You didn't even turn on the sound."
"What was it you wanted to ask just now?" Zhou Jinqin pressed.
"..." Liang Minghe swallowed his words back. "It's nothing, just asking."
"Oh," Zhou Jinqin replied. She stood up and pointed to the pot in the kitchen that was bubbling and smoking. "I cooked porridge for breakfast. You wash up first, and I'll serve the porridge."
"Okay." Liang Minghe nodded, turned around and went into the bathroom.
He quickly washed up and sat down at the dining table, where Zhou Jinqin was already waiting for him.
Breakfast was simple, consisting of only a bowl of bland white porridge.
She explained, "I looked around, and it seems we only have rice at home. Please make do with this for now."
Liang Minghe scooped out a large spoonful and fed it to his mouth, praising, "It's very good, with a rich rice aroma."
Zhou Jinqin wasn't even sure if he was being sarcastic or not...
Seeing her strange expression, Liang Minghe chuckled softly: "Chicken should taste like chicken, and fish should taste like fish. People from Guangdong are always pursuing the original flavor of ingredients. You've already mastered the art of winning over my stomach."
A ridiculous, low-quality rumor suddenly popped into her mind: "To win a man's heart, you must first win his stomach." It was completely unfounded, even somewhat despicable, but Zhou Jinqin's face flushed uncontrollably.
She didn't look at him or say anything, but just kept her head down and focused on eating the tasteless porridge in front of her.
After a moment, she seemed to remember something and spoke up in a muffled voice: "If you have someone you like, please tell me in time, and I will help you let go in time."
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Liang Minghe put the spoon back in the bowl and looked up at her.
Zhou Jinqin opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just shook her head and swallowed her words: "It's nothing."
“I didn’t get married with the intention of getting divorced,” Liang Minghe said.
"What?" She suddenly looked up, her light-colored eyes glistening with moisture from the warm steam in the bowl.
“It’s hard for people to stay faithful to one person forever, and it seems pointless to gain trust with verbal promises in the future.” Liang Minghe looked at her, his words clear and strong, “But at least from the beginning and now, I’m sure I’m looking forward to forever and choosing to marry you.”
He always speaks bluntly, never mentioning love or anything related to love, yet he always manages to easily disturb people's peace.
Zhou Jinqin blinked, the thick fog that had been building up in her chest quietly dissipating. She nodded, her voice softening like water: "Yes, I understand."
Liang Minghe rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head to look at her. His peach blossom eyes, hidden behind his glasses, couldn't hide his smile. He asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Zhou Jinqin thought for a moment and said, "Do you want to go to sleep?"
Seeing the other person's slightly raised eyebrows, Zhou Jinqin suddenly realized that the sentence seemed to have a deep ambiguity, sounding like an inappropriate invitation.
"No..." Her ears turned red, and she quickly made up for it, "I meant to ask if you didn't sleep well last night, and if you wanted to catch up on some sleep in bed later..."
Liang Minghe seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked seriously, "Are we going to sleep at different times like this from now on?"
A note from the author:
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Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]
Haha, what's going on? Both of them are making pretty surprising statements. [glasses emoji]
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! [Loud-eared rabbit head]
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