Chapter 42

Xie Tingyu thought she would once again suffer in silence like in her previous life—being taken advantage of for nothing?

Ye Qingshui, her expression dazed, thought of that chaotic night from their past life. Xie Tingyu had been dead drunk, but his gaze was sharp and piercing, like that of a lone wolf locking onto its prey, completely different from his usual refined and composed demeanor.

That night, Xie Tingyu was rough and frenzied, causing her intense pain. Just thinking about it now made her scalp tingle.

But at that time, Ye Qingshui had been deeply in love with him. To her, the pain was a gift from him. He had transformed her into a woman—her body forever branded with his mark, his scent.

He had become her man.

That night, his sweat dripped into her eyes, and his kisses—usually so withheld—were suddenly tender and urgent. He kissed her repeatedly, something he had never done before.

With her heart overflowing with honeyed sweetness, how could she have had the clarity to think about the pain he caused?

Xie Tingyu had been trained militarily since childhood. His physical endurance was excellent. While other men might be exhausted after three rounds, his “three rounds” could last half the night. That kind of memory was frightening for Ye Qingshui. Now, thinking back to his roughness and urgency, the mere idea of experiencing it again made her shiver.

Ye’s mother watched in astonishment as her daughter rode back home, clearly startled. She noticed the tear-streaked face and reddened lips that looked as if she’d been bullied, and she knocked on the door in worry.

Inside, Ye Qingshui answered dully, “A-Niang, I’m fine.”

But Ye’s mother didn’t believe her and tried to come in.

Ye Qingshui said, “Really, I’m fine. A-Niang, go to work. It’s so late already.”

Ye’s mother covered her mouth and secretly laughed. “My girl’s finally growing up. Your grandma and I both went to see you today.”

Ye Qingshui hadn’t expected even her mother to know, especially when Xie Tingyu had coaxed her not to tell. Realizing this made her grind her teeth in anger.

Not long after, Xie Tingyu returned.

He was surprised to find the door—rarely locked—actually locked and wouldn’t budge.

This little girl was getting more temperamental.

Xie Tingyu said, “Shui’er, open the door.”

Ye Qingshui hadn’t expected him to return so soon. There was still a good half of the road left—on foot it should take at least two or three hours.

Xie Tingyu looked through the window and saw Ye Qingshui’s shocked and uncertain expression. He said lightly:

“Cold-hearted Shui’er, you really left a wounded man in the wild. If not for a passing car, I might not have made it back before nightfall…”

“Who do you think I got these injuries for?”

Ye Qingshui thought that after what had happened between them, they would at least feel awkward for a while. She hadn’t expected Xie Tingyu to act as if nothing happened, shamelessly saying things like that. Her eyes widened in speechless disbelief.

“Hurry up. Your mother saw me standing outside for so long—she’s about to come over and ask what’s going on,” Xie Tingyu added.

Ye Qingshui was silent for a while before going to open the door.

When Xie Tingyu entered, he was slightly surprised to see the items he had placed on her bed all thrown onto the floor.

Thankfully, the girl still had a shred of conscience—she had laid a mat under the quilt, sheets, and pillows.

Ye Qingshui looked up at him and said, “You seem mostly recovered now. I won’t be letting you use the bed anymore.”

Xie Tingyu thought for a moment, then said, lips twitching, “It’s getting cold. I can’t sleep on the floor forever, right?”

Ye Qingshui’s eyes widened like she was in utter shock.

Had Xie Tingyu really become so shameless? He used to act like a proper gentleman, avoiding her like the plague—he couldn’t wait to get away after their wedding night. And now he wanted to sleep in the bed?

Seeing the girl’s wide, glistening eyes filled with confusion and surprise made Xie Tingyu laugh.

Was she… that afraid of him?

He frowned.

If just a kiss scared her, wouldn’t what came next terrify her even more? Then again, Xie Tingyu reflected on himself—he had just pushed her against a tree, probably bruising her back.

Remembering that, he also recalled the scent of her wife-like sweetness clinging to him, soft and fragrant. Her lips were unbelievably tender—he kissed her so much they ended up bruised.

Xie Tingyu said calmly, “I was just talking nonsense.”

He patiently folded his quilt, placed it in the wardrobe, and quietly left the room after finishing everything.

Once again, only Ye Qingshui was left in the room.

She sat on the bed, puzzled and unsure, thinking for a long time.

Xie Tingyu’s behavior today had given her far too many surprises—it was hard to digest them all at once. If not for the limitations of her circumstances, Ye Qingshui would have run far away.

It had only been half a day, but her emotions had ridden a full rollercoaster.

First, in the morning, Xie Tingyu gave her clothes and shoes so she could hold her head high at the commendation ceremony—helping her regain face. At that moment, Ye Qingshui had genuinely felt a bit grateful. His gentle encouragement had warmed her heart.

Then he suddenly turned on her at the black market, pinned her under a tree, and stole a kiss—taking advantage of her.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingshui looked down at her clothes, her face flushing red. A perfectly fine outfit had been crushed into wrinkles by him. In her panic, she hadn’t even noticed he had torn her undergarment’s clasp, leaving a red mark on her skin and an aching pain on her back.

As her body relaxed, the pain spread all over.

…

That day, Shen Weimin slept like a log, waking up late in the morning.

The brigade wasn’t organizing labor for the educated youth because the deputy leader had said they were all going to the commendation ceremony for the water-finding instrument. Shen Weimin wasn’t interested. After all, he had helped organize the whole thing according to Xie Tingyu’s instructions. Between working and running errands these days, he was utterly exhausted.

So while everyone else went to the ceremony, he stayed back to sleep. Ye Dazhi didn’t object—after all, there were plenty of people going, and too many would just leave them without enough seats.

Around noon, the educated youths who had gone to the county started gradually returning.

After the male educated youths came back, they were silent for a long time before someone finally spoke up:

“Really misjudged her before.”

“Ye Qingshui is actually really pretty.”

“Shoot, I said it before—how could someone as calculating as Comrade Xie willingly sacrifice himself for a wife he didn’t genuinely like?”

“Listen to yourselves—don’t you feel ashamed saying that kind of thing in private?”

The group of men fell silent again. After a long, long pause, someone finally let out a sigh full of regret—a sigh that seemed to strike a chord with all of them:

“Ye Qingshui is fucking stunning!”

And wasn’t she? Her fair skin almost glowed under the light, her lips were soft and red, her figure slim and elegant, long legs, tall frame.

Who would’ve thought that in such a godforsaken place, a girl like that could even exist?

Shen Weimin was growing increasingly irritated by the repeated mention of “Ye Qingshui” from all those mouths.

He snapped a bit impatiently, “So what if she’s pretty—she’s someone else’s wife now, why the hell are you all still yapping about her?”

Shen Weimin had seen Ye Qingshui’s features before—sure, she looked good, but not to the exaggerated degree they were claiming. He thought these guys were just a bunch of country-starved fools—stay single in the sticks long enough and even a sow starts looking like a beauty queen. Any girl who’s even slightly attractive makes them gawk like it’s the second coming.

Still, a vague suspicion crept into Shen Weimin’s mind. Judging by the way things were going, it seemed likely that Yu-ge didn’t actually want a divorce. But—what if he did divorce her? After the split, wouldn’t these wolves just be lining up to be Yu-ge’s “successor”?

Having this kind of sister-in-law and watching others eye her like that… it felt uncomfortable. Even if it was just in name, it still didn’t sit right.

Before long, Xie Tingyu showed up at his dorm.

Shen Weimin’s dorm was actually quite small. He didn’t like bunking in the big communal rooms and had requested a private one. Back when Xie Tingyu was around, he’d reluctantly shared the space. After Xie Tingyu left, Shen Weimin was more than happy to have it to himself.

Seeing Xie Tingyu show up at the educated youth site right around lunchtime, he was a little surprised and couldn’t help but ask:

“Yu-ge, how come you’re here?”

Xie Tingyu said,

“Shui-ya kicked me out. I tried getting close to her and she couldn’t take it.”

Shen Weimin was a bit stunned.

In his memory, Ye Qingshui had always liked Xie Tingyu a lot—almost to the point of worshiping him.

But after thinking it over, Shen Weimin just shrugged and said coolly:

“That’s totally normal. Who was it again that said he’d treat her like a little sister? I knew this day would come!”

Xie Tingyu frowned slightly. “Really?”

Shen Weimin, sounding disinterested, replied:

“Of course. Yu-ge, you just need to put in a bit more effort—you’ll be carrying a baby in three years!”

Author’s Note:

Ping Shengjun (the author): I just have a feeling…

Later on, Shui-ya might end up slapping both their faces.

Shen Weimin: Slap our faces?

Yu-ge: Why would our faces get slapped?

Sansukini: The romance part is just starting. Thanks for your patience.

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