25. Eccentricity
◎"Sleeping in the same bed"◎
"Mmm—" Song Chiyu groaned softly, trying to push away with her hands and feet, but was only held tighter.
The person outside the window, leaning against the bed, responded and gently knocked on the window again.
"Second Uncle."
Song Chiyu tilted her head back and broke free from his lips, angrily shoving him in the chest and gesturing for him to speak.
Qi Yanzhou glanced indifferently at the collar that had slipped off her shoulder, gently lifted it, and helped her down from the desk before opening the window behind her and asking, "Hmm?"
The person outside the window, unsuspecting, cautiously pointed to the outer courtyard: "Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle is here. I was afraid others would laugh at us, so I let him wait in the outer courtyard."
What is he doing here?
"I've come to wish my uncle a Happy New Year."
"Then go see my dad. Why are you looking for me?"
The person outside the window opened their lips with a troubled expression, "But..."
Qi Yanzhou stared at him calmly, and he immediately understood. He said "I understand" and then closed the window and walked away.
Qi Yanzhou closed the curtains again.
Song Chiyu had already found a clip in her bag to secure her collar. "This fourth uncle is..."
Suddenly I realized I shouldn't have known about this.
I made up a random excuse and headed towards the bathroom.
Qi Yanzhou grabbed her hand: "You saw it?"
Song Chiyu's eyes darted away. "What...did I see?"
Qi Yanzhou ignored her feigned ignorance, put his arm around her waist, and pressed her against the back of the chair, looking her over as he asked, "Running so fast in high heels?"
Song Chiyu: "..."
"Did you fall and hurt yourself?"
Song Chiyu shook her head.
Qi Yanzhou recalled the way she looked at him from the corridor that day, and it didn't seem like she had fallen, so he let go of her and stopped making things difficult: "Go take a shower."
“You,” Song Chiyu thought he was holding her back because she had seen something she shouldn’t have, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case: “You’re so fierce.”
"Yeah." He didn't deny it, resting one hand on his hip, picking up a water glass from the bookshelf and taking a sip: "If you're not fierce, you can't control them."
Song Chiyu stared at his face, a look of unspeakable heartache appearing on her face.
Qi Yanzhou turned around, puzzled: "What's wrong?"
"I just feel that you've had a tough time."
He raised the corner of his lips slightly, leaned down, and touched her lips to his.
"fine."
Song Chiyu didn't understand why he would kiss her again after they were talking so well.
I didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Is this bothering you again?"
It's not bothersome, just a little embarrassing.
Song Chiyu shook her head: "I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay, I'll go get your luggage."
Living with him was a completely new and unfamiliar experience for her.
Just thinking about his family situation, she knew there were many challenges ahead, and she wasn't someone who liked to face difficulties head-on.
She sighed helplessly.
Turn on the water in the bathroom.
She came out after showering, wearing his pajamas, just as he pushed her luggage in. Song Chiyu nervously pulled her bare legs under her shirt tighter, and said calmly, "Thank you."
Qi Yanzhou glanced at her hesitantly, then stepped aside to avoid her.
Song Chiyu quickly found his pajamas in his suitcase and changed. He turned his back to her, sat at his desk, opened his laptop, and looked at the document on his screen, as if he was about to start working.
Song Chiyu slowed her pace, lifted the quilt, and got into bed.
She was really going to sleep in the same bed with him.
Song Chiyu closed her eyes tightly, reminding herself not to be nervous. Hadn't she already made up her mind to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife?
Why did she say "it's okay to come up and sleep" first? It's understandable that he's unwilling to take things slowly.
They're married. They're married.
That was her husband, not someone else.
While Song Chiyu was busy packing her luggage, Qi Yanzhou brought over another quilt. Seeing her muttering something to herself, he leaned closer.
Song Chiyu suddenly sensed something and abruptly opened her eyes.
That handsome, aloof face suddenly loomed large before her eyes, and Song Chiyu unconsciously gripped the quilt tightly around her.
What are you so nervous about?
Song Chiyu bluntly asked, "Didn't you say you were going to come up here to sleep?"
He looked puzzled.
Song Chiyu couldn't bring herself to say it, so she suddenly turned to the side and said, "Fine, don't sleep then."
"Didn't you say we should take it slow?"
“But if you want to come quickly, I… can too.” The last word was so soft it was almost inaudible.
Qi Yanzhou laughed, his tightly closed eyes filled with a gentle, helpless smile.
Song Chiyu had never seen him like this before.
She sat up angrily. "Did I say something wrong? You keep kissing me, isn't it just because you want to...do that thing?"
A man is still a man after all.
It's a lie to say you don't have that kind of desire.
“I’ve said it before, I only have you if you have me,” he said, reverting to his gentle and considerate husband persona as he pulled back the corner of the blanket that had been lifted from her head. “Let’s take it slow.”
Song Chiyu didn't say anything.
Just then, the sound of knocking on the window rang out again. It was the same boy from before, who asked in a low voice, "Second Uncle, it's time to set off the firecrackers for New Year's Eve. Uncle Jianguo wants you to come over."
The smile on Qi Yanzhou's face gradually disappeared, replaced by his usual indifference and detachment.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Song Chiyu looked at him through the blanket that covered half of her face, "Then when are you coming back?"
She might be a little scared living alone in this old house.
"Soon." Qi Yanzhou noticed her mood. "There should be fireworks too. Do you want to come with me?"
"May I?"
"certainly."
Song Chiyu found a long black down jacket and covered herself from head to toe. When she went out, she found that she was the only one dressed like that. Everyone else was dressed more formally, especially the old lady with jade hairpins. She wore a black velvet cheongsam with a cashmere shawl and high heels, standing on the steps outside the door, like a proud plum blossom.
Seeing Song Chiyu dressed like that, the others subconsciously looked towards the old lady.
The old woman gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to look at her, and instructed the others, "Alright, let's begin."
In addition to setting off firecrackers, people were hired to perform on the street outside, attracting many vendors who had not yet packed up their stalls.
Song Chiyu wanted to find a place where she wouldn't be noticed, but Qi Yanzhou held her hand and walked expressionlessly to the front of the crowd.
The old lady glanced at the incongruous outfit around her ankles and took a deep breath.
They clearly felt that she was somewhat damaging the Qi family's image.
Song Chiyu scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
I wish she hadn't worn slippers.
Who knew they had such rules for setting off firecrackers? Luckily, Lao Song and Li Li went to bed early, otherwise the old lady would have had to go through another night of darkness.
At that moment, she faintly smelled the scent of safflower oil.
Turning around, Qi Zhannan was standing on the steps behind her, staring coldly at her. It was obvious that he had blamed her for the trouble again.
never mind.
It was rare for Song Chiyu to argue with him; it was clear she couldn't win against Qi Yanzhou, so she could only vent her anger on her.
The performance ended close to midnight.
Next comes sending out red envelopes.
No wonder there are still people here at this hour; it turns out everyone gets a share. While the old lady was handing out red envelopes, Qi Zhannan leaned down and approached Song Chiyu from behind, saying, "Didn't your second uncle remind you that you shouldn't come out dressed like this? You're practically dancing on the old lady's sore spot."
Song Chiyu pretended not to hear.
Qi Zhannan kept nagging, "Second Uncle is too biased. Before, when I dressed like this, I was punished by the old lady to kneel for an hour, and he didn't even utter a sound. But when it comes to you, everyone in the house is blind."
Jealousy can drive people to madness.
The ancients were right; they did not deceive us.
At this moment, Qi Yanzhou slipped two red envelopes into her hands.
Song Chiyu looked at the others and asked, "Should I say auspicious words to you too?"
"No need, this is for both of us."
Qi Zhannan stared coldly at her, "It's just two red envelopes, look how happy you are. You've never seen anything like it."
Song Chiyu couldn't help but turn around, about to retort, but he handed her the red envelope in his hand, saying, "I'm giving you mine too. Don't be too touched, Happy New Year, Second Aunt."
Song Chiyu felt completely bewildered.
Holding his red envelope, she looked at Qi Yanzhou, bewildered.
Qi Yanzhou glanced at his retreating figure, then quietly took the individual red envelope from Song Chiyu's hand and stuffed it into his coat.
It was almost 12:30 when the firecrackers and fireworks were finished.
Song Chiyu was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. Just as she was about to go back to her room, Qi Jianguo secretly called her back and gave her two extra red envelopes.
Song Chiyu was extremely flattered.
He quickly took out his own red envelope as a return gift.
Qi Jianguo naturally wouldn't accept it.
Back in the room, Song Chiyu was about to give all four red envelopes to Qi Yanzhou when Qi Yanzhou gave her a separate red envelope, saying, "Happy New Year."
Song Chiyu's bag was almost overflowing with red envelopes.
Lao Song and Li Li had already given two.
"Teacher Qi, you and I don't need to, right?" Song Chiyu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I haven't paid you back for the things I bought from your store yet."
"You said you were coming to my house." Qi Yanzhou took off his coat. "Let's go to sleep."
The two of them each slept under a fleece quilt.
Song Chiyu, on the contrary, perked up a bit and muttered softly, "Your family has so many rules."
“Yes, but I won’t let these rules bind you.” He paused. “I already talked to Aunt Ning before you came.”
Song Chiyu was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was talking about the old lady.
“I heard…” Song Chiyu, feeling a bit gossipy, turned to face him. He faced her directly and said, “Hmm?”
Song Chiyu realized that she shouldn't say that.
She slowly turned over and said, "No."
"What did you hear?" Qi Yanzhou asked, leaning forward.
"You and Sakura..."
"kindness?"
"Were you forced into a marriage by the old lady?" Song Chiyu asked hesitantly.
"Hmm." Qi Yanzhou didn't ask who told her, but explained gently, "It happened a long time ago, when I was still in college. She was afraid that I would be blinded by the sights while studying abroad and would look down on Yinghong, but she never thought that Yinghong and I never had that kind of feeling from the beginning. However, I don't allow anyone to mention this, not to mention me, it's not fair to Yinghong either."
"Wow, Teacher Qi," Song Chiyu exclaimed sincerely, "What a good man!"
“No,” he replied casually, “I didn’t do anything.”
"Wouldn't Aunt Ning hate me to death?" Song Chiyu thought about it from Aunt Ning's perspective.
“No,” Qi Yanzhou paused, “It’s already quite good that I’m willing to get married at my age.”
No wonder the old lady kept getting dizzy, but she didn't correct her at all.
She licked her lips: "So, do I have to get up at four o'clock today?"
Do you remember?
"In no mood."
"Then we don't need to."
"But...won't it have a bad influence?" Although she didn't want to do anything, she also didn't want people to gossip.
"No, I had my older brother hire a chef from outside, so the others don't need to get up at four o'clock."
"Teacher Qi!" Song Chiyu patted his shoulder forcefully. "You're truly amazing—"
After expressing his feelings, he realized something was amiss and suddenly sat up, saying, "If you could invite people, why didn't you invite them before?"
"Aunt Ning's rules."
"It broke as soon as I arrived?" Song Chiyu asked incredulously. She wished the old lady would curse her ancestors for eight generations behind her back.
“It has nothing to do with you; it’s my decision,” Qi Yanzhou replied.
Song Chiyu immediately understood why everyone else had been so polite to her; it was probably the first time someone had broken the old lady's rules. Qi Yanzhou's influence in the Qi family also exceeded her expectations.
But she was still somewhat annoyed.
If I had known that having a meal would be this troublesome, I wouldn't have come.
"You don't need to worry too much about the details of this matter, just focus on the outcome," Qi Yanzhou comforted her.
"But--"
"No buts, these are all my decisions."
Song Chiyu wanted to be polite, but after hearing what he said, she decided not to pretend anymore. "Okay, if anyone asks, I'll just put all the blame on you."
"Alright, let them come find me whenever they want," Qi Yanzhou replied, resting her head on her hand. However, apart from Qi Zhannan, who was so clueless, no one else would dare to ask her.
"Then I'm going to sleep." Song Chiyu felt much more at ease when she heard that she didn't have to get up at four o'clock, and turned her back to him.
"kindness."
Song Chiyu, not hearing him fall asleep, turned to look at him and asked, "Is there anything else, Teacher Qi?"
"Do you want to sleep here?"
Song Chiyu replied instinctively, "I'm not cold."
Qi Yanzhou didn't speak. She instantly understood. Was it okay to sleep together? But after all, it was part of the marital obligations. She swallowed and said, "Yes."
He didn't move.
She carefully pushed aside her own blanket and slipped into his bed.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Qi Yanzhou stared at her motionless back and asked, "Am I being a bit unreasonable?"
“No, please continue,” Song Chiyu denied outright.
He silently raised the corners of his lips, "Then would you mind if I hugged you?"
“I don’t mind,” Song Chiyu said, raising one hand. “You can hug me.”
Her stiff arms successfully made Qi Yanzhou lower his head and bury his face in her neck, laughing.
His strong, powerful arms inadvertently wrapped around her waist.
Song Chiyu had no idea what he was laughing at.
But she didn't dare ask, because she could clearly smell the sandalwood scent emanating from him. This was different from the previous embraces caused by various reasons; it was entirely of his own volition.
She swallowed hard.
Almost silently, he asked, "Do you want to do it?"
"Hmm?" He lowered his head and moved closer to her lips.
"Do you want to...?"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt something grip her chest.
She turned back to look at him in disbelief.
His face remained expressionless as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Hmm?"
[Author's Note]
[Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] I'm here! I'm here! Thank you everyone for the food!
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