68 Fragments of Life
◎“Those tiny, vibrant, and lifelike moments”◎
Song Chiyu vaguely guessed what he wanted to do, and a hint of hesitation appeared between her brows.
His expression was gentle, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Hmm?"
She was hesitant, unsure whether to sit or lie down, and asked tentatively, "What should I do..."
He held her smooth knees.
Like a fluffy baby, she let him handle her. Suddenly, when their eyes met, he laughed out loud, "So cute?"
She pouted and supported her back, saying coquettishly, "It wasn't you who wanted to..."
Before he finished speaking, he had already cupped her chin with one hand, closed his eyes, and kissed her lips.
Perhaps the surrounding lights were too soft.
She didn't show much shyness or resistance, naturally wrapping her arms around his neck and returning his kiss. Suddenly, as if sensing something, her slender waist trembled violently, and a soft moan escaped her lips.
His attention unconsciously shifted from his lips to his knees.
He lifted her chin again, blocking her view, and curled his fingers, fiddling with them with his knuckles.
She couldn't help but bite his lips.
Faced with his questioning gaze, she revealed a coquettish accusation.
He couldn't help but grab her wrist and gently pull her down to lie flat.
He gently brushed aside the fingers she was biting her lip and kissed her again.
Song Chiyu could sense his attraction, as well as his gentleness and restraint.
Staring at his face so close to hers, she was overwhelmed with emotion, her legs went weak, and she blurted out a string of jokes. It was only at this moment that she felt no shame, completely driven by her emotions.
"What did you say?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
She called out softly and weakly, her voice full of emptiness: "Husband... it's me."
He smiled slightly, completely oblivious to his vulgarity and stupidity.
He lowered his head and covered her lips with his, "Mmm."
In an instant, the emptiness in my heart was filled.
Her slender legs unconsciously wrapped around his waist.
...
The night grew deeper.
The breathing inside the room gradually calmed down.
The man, now full and satisfied, gently patted the contours of her waist, beads of sweat still clinging to her forehead. "Did you fall this morning?"
Song Chiyu was taken aback, then belatedly came to her senses and lifted her head from his embrace. "Isn't it a bit too late for you to be concerned about me now?"
"Didn't I just not find an opportunity?" He sounded quite innocent.
"No."
"Were you scared?"
“No,” Song Chiyu added, leaning against his chest, afraid he wouldn’t believe her, “but you’re so fierce.”
Her tone was soft, and even her fiercest words didn't sound so harsh anymore.
He lowered his head and stroked the skin below her waist, their foreheads touching. "Where did you look fierce?"
"Don't think that just because you're speaking to me in such a gentle tone, you're not being mean." She subtly changed the subject.
He chuckled softly, picked her up again, and kissed her lips.
Song Chiyu calmly propped herself up and dodged, saying, "I'll go find some clothes."
"What should I wear?" He put his arm around her waist, his expression gentle, unwilling to let her go.
"Hmm?" He gave her pert buttocks a light pinch.
Unable to intimidate him, she had no choice but to back down: "You've done this so many times, it's been almost a month since I last had sex... How can you start with such... high intensity right away?"
"It won't happen again." Thinking of how she suffered because of him, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes.
"Is that the main point?" Song Chiyu didn't want him to feel guilty, so she changed the subject. "Yes, the intensity was too high."
"Mmm, kiss, no."
She was skeptical, but while returning the kiss, she didn't forget to scold, "Teacher Qi, I've noticed that your self-control is getting worse and worse."
She even started blaming him.
He responded with a sound of agreement, then retorted, "Stop calling me 'husband' so often... I... I don't have much self-control..."
Song Chiyu couldn't understand how he could say such embarrassing things with such a noble and aloof face.
Is it appropriate to blurt out the word "grass" in this kind of situation?
Song Chiyu silenced him with a kiss, preventing him from speaking further.
Qi Yanzhou tasted the sweetness and softness on her tongue and wisely closed his eyes.
The previously subdued enthusiasm is gradually showing signs of revival.
Knowing when to stop, she deftly rolled up from his chest and said, "I'm going to find some clothes."
He held her arm, still dazed and suspended in mid-air.
Realizing what had happened, he smiled, shook his head, and picked up his clothes to put them on.
After she finished dressing, she finally felt at ease and lay down next to him.
He pulled her close, their noses touching, and kissed her again.
She declined, saying, "Teacher Qi, you really are a bit..."
When she looked in the mirror just now, she not only had several red marks on her skin, but even her lips were swollen.
"Anything?"
"Too clingy."
"Because I love you." The smile on his lips disappeared, revealing a tender affection.
“Then you’re being a little too loving today.” She remained unmoved, because she had already read the love in his eyes long ago.
Every subsequent contact and kiss was merely a confirmation.
Qi Yanzhou rose from his knees in front of her, clutching his forehead, and said, "Chi Yu, are you made of wood?"
Song Chiyu rarely saw him smile so adorably, and couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips as well, "Mm."
“I’d love her even if she were made of wood.” He didn’t play by the rules and leaned down to kiss her again.
The room lights dimmed.
When they were both breathless from kissing, he suddenly looked up and said, "Chi Yu, let's have a child."
She was taken aback, instinctively feeling that this wasn't his intention. "Did my mom call you?"
"Huh?" He was stunned. "What did your mother say?"
Realizing she had misspoke, she pursed her lips and asked, "Why are you suddenly thinking about having a child?"
"It's just..." he licked his lips, "that I suddenly feel it's nice to have one more person in this world who loves and protects you."
Before Song Chiyu could speak, he suddenly added, "Two, perhaps?"
"You gave birth?"
“Okay,” he readily agreed, “I’ll look into it.”
Song Chiyu was amused again.
"Let it be."
He seemed to be deep in thought, as if he had made a decision in secret: "I won't wear it anymore."
She was stunned for a moment, and after realizing what was happening, she couldn't help but kick his shin.
His ankle was pressed against her calf.
Warm and cozy.
She started talking again, as if she had finally finished her business and had time to talk to him.
"Tell me, how come all the people in your family are so...outrageous?"
She used a relatively euphemistic word.
In her view, these are things that would never happen in real life if you didn't watch the news.
"We're all just toiling in the soil, what difference does it make what we do?" Qi Yanzhou said nonchalantly, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery and disdain.
"What were you thinking when you heard them doing this?" His expression was too calm at the time, making it impossible to read his thoughts. But as you get to know him better, you'll find that he's not without emotions, he's just good at hiding them.
“It’s shameful.” He rarely opened up to anyone, but he felt particularly at ease when it was her. He didn’t need to worry about being misunderstood after expressing himself. She seemed to understand everything and was more accepting of him than he was. “I knew what they did was dirty, but I never thought they could be this despicable.”
Often, others thought he was cowardly and dared not, but more often than not, he was just disdainful.
"What do your older brother and the others think?"
"have no idea."
"Is it that you don't know or that you don't want to ask?" Song Chiyu rolled over and nestled against his chest. "Are you still angry with your older brother?"
“No,” he said, his hand resting on her waist, gently stroking the end of her hair. “He just doesn’t understand, it’s not like he doesn’t love me.”
Song Chiyu was relieved to hear this.
Indeed, what is there for her to worry about in someone like him?
But I still feel inexplicably sorry for her.
She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in the crook of his neck: "Sleep well, goodnight."
"Okay, goodnight."
**
As dawn broke, Song Chiyu felt the person beside her move and instinctively grabbed his arm, asking, "Where are we going?"
He hadn't expected her to be such a light sleeper. He stopped getting up and sat down on the edge of the bed: "Walking the dog."
She paused for a moment before remembering the three Rottweilers in the backyard.
He got out of bed and said, "Together."
"No need, I can walk it by myself."
Song Chiyu stubbornly shook her head, "I want to go with you."
He smiled gently: "Then you don't need to change your clothes, just put on a coat over your pajamas."
"I'll wash up."
It was still early, and the courtyard was still shrouded in lingering mist.
Aunt Ning saw her through the room window and was about to say that the sun must have risen in the west today, that she could actually be so well-behaved.
Yinghong was combing Aunt Ning's hair and didn't notice what was happening outside the window. She only heard Aunt Ning sneer, "The Qi family really cherishes this daughter-in-law. They said they would lock her up here to force Qi Yanzhou to submit, but she's been lying in the room for more than twenty days. She's been given everything she needs to drink and eat. This isn't house arrest; it's clearly a life of luxury."
“She’s locked in her room every day, with no one to talk to. Anyone else would have gotten sick from being cooped up like that,” Yinghong retorted calmly.
“That’s why they can enjoy a life of leisure.” Aunt Ning didn’t understand the meaning in Yinghong’s words at all, and thought that Yinghong was being sarcastic about Song Chiyu: “If it were someone else, they would have collapsed long ago, but others are perfectly fine.”
"My sister-in-law has a good attitude."
"It's all because Qi Yanzhou is on her side. If you put someone Qi Yanzhou doesn't like, do you think things would be so peaceful?" Aunt Ning sighed softly. "You're so naive. If you had hooked up with Qi Yanzhou earlier, she wouldn't have had a chance. If you had married Qi Yanzhou, how would the Qi family dare to..."
“Aunt Ning, that’s not how it works. My second brother has met a lot of people outside, but he’s only ever been with his sister-in-law all these years. She must treat him differently.”
Aunt Ning then realized that she had been speaking up for Song Chiyu the whole time. "Where have you been siding with?"
Yinghong smiled sheepishly: "But I just think my sister-in-law is very nice."
Aunt Ning sighed helplessly: "Forget it, if you missed Qi Yanzhou, you missed him. Don't miss Qi Zhannan too."
Sakura didn't speak.
Aunt Ning didn't care. She glanced at Song Chiyu not far away and looked at her pajama bottoms under her coat. She felt a wave of dizziness. "How can Yanzhou, who values rules so much, tolerate his wife being so unruly?"
Yinghong remembered what Aunt Ning had told her about when she first married into this family.
Aunt Ning's mother-in-law, who is also Qi Qingfang's mother, is not easy to get along with. Her hair has turned completely white, but she still holds onto the power in the family, and everyone has to follow her rules.
Aunt Ning has never had a peaceful night's sleep since she married into the Qi family.
Every day, she accompanied the ancestral hall to receive foreign guests. Not only were the etiquette strict, but even a single strand of hair could not be left outside. Qi Qingfang never argued with the old lady on her behalf; as long as she didn't say anything, he would never ask.
She thought this was the Qi family's rule.
Even after the old lady died, she continued to follow these rules, turning a blind eye even when Qi Jianguo got married, until his wife couldn't stand it anymore and moved away from Anxi. But after Qi Yanzhou got married, he completely disregarded these rules.
She then realized that these rules didn't actually need to be followed.
Her perseverance and grievances over the years seem like a joke, a harsh slap in the face from the passage of time.
Suddenly I understood why Qi Yanzhou hadn't wanted to get married before.
He had long seen through the corruption of these families, and neither longed for their marriages nor approved of their treatment of their wives, but he never said anything about it.
Therefore, Qi Yanzhou did not take these rights back from her.
He could empathize with all the rules she was subjected to, but he did not agree with them. He would certainly not allow his wife to suffer such constraints, but he also gave her dignity and did not completely overturn or abolish the rules.
This was an unspoken understanding between her and Qi Yanzhou.
That's also why she wouldn't rashly cause trouble for Song Chiyu.
Although I hate to admit it, Sakura is right about one thing.
Qi Yanzhou must have realized that this person was the one for him to live with, which is why he wanted to get married. He also wouldn't repeat the same mistake and let anything affect his marriage.
Aunt Ning couldn't tell whether she felt gratified or envious; a bitter taste welled up in her mouth.
This era is still the best.
Whether it's marriage or life in general, we now have more choices.
...
Song Chiyu was completely unaware that someone was watching her from behind the window.
She took Xiaohua's leash from Qi Yanzhou and immediately started running after Xiaohua. Qi Yanzhou could tell at a glance that she had never walked a dog like this before; the way she was walking it, the dog had barely warmed up, but she was already exhausted.
Sure enough, before they even reached the nearby park, Song Chiyu was already sitting on a roadside deck chair, panting.
Qi Yanzhou pulled his hand out of his pocket and took the leash from her hand. "I'll do it."
Song Chiyu was hot and tired, and slowly straightened up, asking, "How do you usually walk them?"
With that kind of strength and speed, it would be strange if they didn't break someone.
Qi Yanzhou didn't say anything, but held her hand and continued walking forward.
After observing from behind, Song Chiyu immediately knew what he hadn't said: when he was walking them, they didn't dare to run like that.
This dog...
They always treat people differently based on who they're dealing with.
Song Chiyu fell into a subtle silence and did not bring it up again.
There weren't many people in the park in the early morning. Qi Yanzhou untied the leash and let the dog run on the grass.
"Actually, it's fine for them to roam around the house, right?"
"Yes." Qi Yanzhou nodded: "When I was in Mingzhou, they would usually just run around in the backyard for a while."
"Who usually walks them?"
"There's no such thing as walking them. We usually just open the cage and let them run around. Whoever has time lets them out for a bit."
Song Chiyu said thoughtfully, "If someone releases them without telling anyone else, they might play in the yard several times a day."
"Yes, sometimes when there are no guests at home, they are not turned off, but they all have to wear muzzles."
Even now, the muzzles on the three dogs haven't been removed.
Having witnessed their fighting prowess, Song Chiyu felt no pity for them at this moment and nodded in deep agreement.
An hour later, the two left the park.
Since they got married, there have been few moments like this, and Song Chiyu couldn't help but take his arm.
"Teacher Qi."
"Hmm?" He withdrew his gaze from the back of her hand and looked up at her.
"I feel very happy right now."
He smiled knowingly, "Yes, me too."
Back home, the dog's muzzle was removed and it was put in a cage.
The two were having dinner in the hall and talking when Qi Jianguo and Aunt Ning came out of the study. Qi Jianguo's voice was loud enough for everyone around to hear clearly: "I can't control other things, but I definitely won't agree to Zhan Nan's marriage."
"Does this matter require your approval? This is a matter between Yinghong and Zhannan; isn't it enough that they agree?"
"If Zhan Nan could agree, would Russia even need to tell you all this?"
"Then you'll have to call Zhan Nan and Ying Hong over and ask for their opinions. If Zhan Nan disagrees, I definitely won't bring it up again."
"Zhan Nan will definitely run away if he finds out about this. My kid was missing for so long before we finally found him." Qi Jianguo grumbled, "Last time, Yan Zhou injured his leg, and it's still not fully healed. If something else happens to him... I'll be more worried than you are."
He looked up and saw Qi Yanzhou and Song Chiyu in front of him.
Qi Yanzhou ate as if he hadn't heard anything. He looked momentarily embarrassed, but he didn't mention it and sat down on the chair next to him with a normal expression.
Aunt Ning repeated her point of view to Qi Yanzhou.
Qi Yanzhou was determined not to get involved in this mess, and raised his hand to stop Aunt Ning before she could finish speaking.
"Chi Yu and I are leaving tomorrow. Since both of you are parents, you can handle things yourselves."
"They left so soon?" Aunt Ning and Qi Jianguo blurted out.
"I haven't finished dealing with things in Tibet yet, I still need to go there."
"Are we still going?" Qi Jianguo asked.
"kindness."
Qi Jianguo hesitated for a moment: "When will you be back?"
"It should be around the New Year," Qi Yanzhou replied. "Please bear with me and Dad while I'm gone."
"Wouldn't that be causing you trouble?" Qi Jianguo asked.
"No, I don't care, but you've caused trouble for Chi Yu." Qi Yanzhou didn't question him immediately, precisely to prevent him from blaming Song Chi Yu for this. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wouldn't miss it.
Qi Jianguo calmed down and spoke politely and calmly: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have troubled you. You can tell me if you have any problems at work, and I'll help you solve them."
“No trouble at all, I’ve arranged everything.” Song Chiyu shook her head.
Qi Jianguo felt even more guilty. "This time, consider it an obligation from your older brother. When you and Yanzhou buy a house, it will be considered an obligation from your older brother."
Song Chiyu smiled politely.
Qi Yanzhou didn't let the matter rest. His expression was serious: "I don't think there's anything wrong with Qi Zhannan being beaten. I hope you won't just feel sorry for him, but also consider what he did. Besides, I gave you and Dad a chance, didn't I?"
That familiar sense of oppression has returned.
Qi Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief and hunched over, feeling guilty. "I know, I didn't say anything, it just happened to come up with this."
He just happened to overhear it.
Qi Yanzhou didn't care what Song Chiyu was thinking. His attitude was clear. He didn't say anything and left after Song Chiyu finished eating.
Song Chiyu didn't know what Aunt Ning said to Qi Jianguo after they left. The final result was that Qi Jianguo agreed to consult Qi Zhannan's opinion.
What was originally just a matter of discussion was suddenly put on the agenda. After Qi Zhannan learned about this, he didn't say anything, only that it wasn't good for him and Yinghong, without mentioning the reason.
Aunt Ning, of course, wouldn't buy it.
Qi Zhannan didn't argue with her. Before the matter could be brought to the forefront, he ran away that very night.
Once he left, Qi Jianguo wouldn't budge, and Aunt Ning had no choice but to give up.
What should have been a very difficult problem was simply left unresolved.
Song Chiyu realized that Qi Zhannan had finally learned his lesson and knew to withdraw and stop things before they became irreversible. Now that he had run away, it wouldn't damage Yinghong's reputation, and it would only disappoint Aunt Ning's hopes.
She thought this was the best outcome, but Sakura was still somewhat disappointed.
It wasn't because she couldn't marry Qi Zhannan, but because Qi Zhannan just ran away, as if she were some terrible person.
Song Chiyu didn't want her to blame herself for this, so she postponed her departure, which was originally scheduled for tomorrow, by another day.
She didn't participate in the Qi family's internal discussions, but instead met up with her classmate who worked in Anxi, and had a meal with Yinghong and the others.
After graduating from university, she mostly kept in touch with her classmates via WeChat. When they learned that she had married a native of Anxi without telling them, they all jokingly told her to punish herself by drinking three cups of wine.
Song Chiyu naturally didn't take it seriously, and used the opportunity to introduce Yinghong to her classmates, "This is my husband's younger sister, and she's also a local from Anxi. You can invite her to hang out when you have time."
"Are you coming?" a female classmate asked.
“I’ll come when I’m here,” Song Chiyu said, putting her arm around Yinghong’s shoulder. “But when I’m not here, please bring my sister along to play.”
"Okay." Several classmates readily agreed, especially the boys, who looked Yinghong up and down and said, "Your sister is very cute."
"Of course," Song Chiyu added, "you can observe from a distance."
The rest is self-explanatory, and they exchanged knowing smiles. The boy then asked, "Can't I be serious either?"
"Even when you're being serious, you have to respect your sister's opinion." Song Chiyu knew these friends were trustworthy and reliable people, but she still couldn't help but give them a few more words of advice.
Yinghong rarely interacted with people outside the Qi family, and she blushed easily after just a few words. Her female classmates quickly intervened and stopped talking about it.
After dinner, everyone was still enjoying themselves and suggested going to sing karaoke again, but Song Chiyu refused and went back with Yinghong first. On the way back, she didn't forget to teach Yinghong how to protect herself.
No matter who you go out with, only go to the agreed-upon "first scene," and never go to a "second scene" that you decide to visit on a whim, because a lot of research shows that most accidents happen at the "second scene."
Since we've already made plans to eat today, let's just eat.
Yinghong humbly accepted the instruction, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Sister-in-law, why did you introduce your friend to me?"
“Because I want you to get to know more friends your own age, and not just focus on the small world of the Qi family,” she said, her eyes slightly glazed after drinking. “Don’t think that the people from the Qi family are anything special. Outside of the antique business, many people don’t even know about the Qi family.”
Sakura then realized that she was trying to comfort herself.
He leaned on her shoulder and said, "Thank you, sister."
This time, Yinghong didn't call her sister-in-law.
Song Chiyu didn't notice; her head was completely spinning. Luckily, she hadn't agreed to go singing with them, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to care about Yinghong. If anything happened, she wouldn't be able to explain it to Aunt Ning.
Back in the courtyard house, she didn't go back to her room immediately.
I sat in the courtyard, waiting for the smell of alcohol to dissipate.
She couldn't see what he was doing in the room, but he was probably reading a book.
I couldn't help but lie down on the cold stone surface, imagining his silhouette reading behind the window, and trace it with my finger.
Yinghong was cooking hangover soup for her in the kitchen. Through the glass, she saw Song Chiyu gesturing wildly in the air with her fingers raised. She thought she was hallucinating and was about to dry her hands and go out to check when she saw Qi Yanzhou slowly walk up to Song Chiyu.
Sakura wisely retreated to her previous position and stopped asking questions.
A gentle evening breeze blew as the man in the dark blue striped shirt stood quietly before Song Chiyu. His hand, holding an ancient book, rested on his slender waist. His cool, handsome face exuded a natural, casual languor as he calmly grasped Song Chiyu's hand gesture in mid-air. "How much did you drink?"
When he first arrived, Song Chiyu thought the magic had come true.
Until the word "magic" spoke, he was instantly brought back to reality and obediently sat up: "Teacher Qi."
"kindness."
"I drank just a little bit." She held up two fingers to indicate.
Qi Yanzhou didn't answer, but bent down and picked her up.
Seeing that the two were about to leave, Yinghong hurriedly caught up with them, carrying the freshly cooked hangover soup. "Second brother, let sister-in-law drink this before she goes to sleep."
Qi Yanzhou's gaze was deep and meaningful, "You all today..."
"I'll leave it here, I'm off." Fearing that she might be implicated, Cherry Blossom placed the bowl on the windowsill and ran off without looking back.
Song Chiyu was completely stunned, pointing blankly at Yinghong's retreating figure: "She, she ran away."
Qi Yanzhou ignored her, carried her into the house, and slammed the door shut with his foot.
Song Chiyu initially thought he was going to do something, and kept pointing at the crack in the door that wasn't fully closed and calling out. However, Qi Yanzhou simply placed her on the chair in front of the desk, turned around, picked up the hangover soup, and closed the door.
"What's wrong with the door?" he asked, placing the hangover soup on the table.
"It's nothing." She was momentarily clear-headed, and placed her hands obediently on her knees. "Honey, you go to sleep first, I'll take a shower and come over."
"What's coming?"
"I'll sleep with you."
"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry." He leaned on the armrest of the chair, carefully examining her. "How much did you drink?"
Two bottles of beer.
That's a very low alcohol tolerance.
Qi Yanzhou said nothing, but touched the buttons on her coat: "I'm going to take a shower."
She clutched her chest and pulled away, asking, "What do you want to do?"
"What can I do if I let you take a bath?" He gently pushed her hand away and touched the buttons on her chest again.
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