Chapter 12: Impact

Shen Qingqing hadn't been asleep for long when she was awakened by a knocking sound.

Perhaps fearing they might disturb others, the person outside only knocked three times before stopping.

Shen Qingqing rolled over, her eyelids sticking together once more.

In her daze, she heard someone calling her name.

"Shen Qingqing, open the door."

The room's soundproofing wasn't great; Jiang Zhixun's voice reached her ears clearly.

Shen Qingqing had a good temper, but that didn't include being woken up.

And this person happened to be Jiang Zhixun.

In an instant, a fire was lit in her heart.

What was he doing here again? Given his style, shouldn't he be avoiding her during this period?

After all, back at the cafeteria, Jiang Zhixun hadn't even given her a chance to speak privately.

The fire in her heart burned brighter and brighter.

Shen Qingqing pulled the quilt over her head, pretending she hadn't heard a thing.

The man standing outside the door grew anxious.

Had Shen Qingqing actually fainted?

Just the thought of it made Jiang Zhixun lose his composure.

"Shen Qingqing?"

The person inside still didn't respond.

Without further hesitation, Jiang Zhixun hurried downstairs. By the time he reappeared, he was already holding a key in his hand.

Xiao Li knew about Shen Qingqing's condition.

Thinking the two of them were having a marital dispute and that Comrade Shen was intentionally refusing to open the door for Jiang Zhixun, he didn't follow him.

As soon as the door opened, the layout of the room was laid bare.

Jiang Zhixun rushed straight to the bedside. Seeing the person on the bed motionless, his heart instantly leapt into his throat.

Without a second thought, he lifted the quilt, intending to carry Shen Qingqing to the hospital.

The sudden change happened so fast that Shen Qingqing, who had been pretending to be deaf, couldn't help but let out a startled cry.

She was wearing a nightgown; when the quilt was lifted, the hem was pulled up to her upper thighs.

Exposing her fair, slender legs.

It wasn't dawn yet, and the room was shrouded in darkness. Jiang Zhixun remained in a bent posture, preparing to scoop her up.

One hand had already slid under Shen Qingqing's back, while the other touched her smooth, warm thigh.

His ears were struck by Shen Qingqing's cry.

His gaze drifted downward.

Because his vision was excellent, the dark environment did not hinder his sight.

He was suddenly stunned.

Before he could recover his senses, he was pushed away. Shen Qingqing wrapped herself up tightly.

She glared angrily at Jiang Zhixun. "How could you just barge in like that?"

The man turned around without a word and went to close the door first.

Shen Qingqing sat up nervously.

She retreated backward, her back against the wall.

At this hour, she didn't understand what Jiang Zhixun was doing here.

He had just tried to hold her...

Could it be that he actually listened to his mother's words and really wanted to have a child with her?

Her throat tightened. "You... you turn on the light first."

Jiang Zhixun had not yet recovered from the shock just now. They were husband and wife, but he hadn't looked at anything he shouldn't have.

He closed his eyes, attempting to drive the scene from his mind.

It was unsuccessful.

In the dim environment, one could only hear each other's breathing and the drum-like thumping of Shen Qingqing's heart.

*Click.*

Jiang Zhixun turned on the light.

The light dispersed the silently spreading tension.

His gaze fell on the curtains, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Why didn't you make a sound just now?"

Shen Qingqing retorted, "You came so early, is there something urgent?"

Jiang Zhixun had nothing urgent.

He had simply had a dream and couldn't rest easy, so he came to check on Shen Qingqing.

Regardless, she was his wife in name; he couldn't simply ignore whether she lived or died.

Meeting the doubt in her eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed.

In the end, he said nothing and turned to walk out.

He didn't forget to close the door behind him.

The room returned to its quiet state.

If the light hadn't still been on, Shen Qingqing would have suspected that everything just now was merely a dream.

Jiang Zhixun really had come.

He said nothing, and then he left.

She leaned over to grab the watch on the table. Looking at the time, it was only four in the morning.

Shen Qingqing punched her pillow in frustration.

"Is this man sick? He won't sleep himself, and he won't let anyone else sleep either!"

She tossed the watch back onto the table and got out of bed to turn off the light.

It was very cold.

Goosebumps immediately rose on her skin.

Shen Qingqing hurriedly ducked back under the quilt, only then feeling like she was alive again.

She cursed Jiang Zhixun a good long while.

He was just a bully—he was a bully three years ago, and he was still one three years later!

Once she got a divorce, she would definitely stay far away from this man.

She would never give him another chance to bully her!

***

As Jiang Zhixun and his comrades completed their mission, they were allowed two days of leave.

According to the original plan, Lin Zhidong was going to invite his closest comrades over for dinner to celebrate his child's first birthday.

But now, he was facing a dilemma.

If he invited Jiang Zhixun, he certainly couldn't leave Shen Qingqing out.

But if he invited her, he feared his sister might suddenly say something reckless.

Not only would the atmosphere become awkward, but it might also affect the marital relationship between Jiang Zhixun and Shen Qingqing.

Lin Zhidong's wife, Zhou Xiaomei, saw him worrying early in the morning and offered a suggestion.

"Tomorrow, let's go to the state-run restaurant to host them. We'll let Xiaomian stay home to take care of the child. Wouldn't that way avoid a run-in with Jiang Zhixun's wife?"

Zhou Xiaomei worked in the art troupe in an administrative role.

But she knew that several single female comrades who sang and danced all wanted to pursue Jiang Zhixun.

The bold ones had even confessed their love to him.

They were all rejected.

Zhou Xiaomei had once heard people complaining that Jiang Zhixun was too difficult to pursue, even suspecting he wanted to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.

Who would have thought that he had quietly married three years ago?

Zhou Xiaomei was very curious about Shen Qingqing.

She wanted to see what kind of woman could make Jiang Zhixun nod and agree to marriage.

She also wanted to pry into the matters between them.

If their relationship was good, why hadn't Jiang Zhixun come home for three years?

Lin Zhidong immediately rejected Zhou Xiaomei's proposal.

"If we go to the state-run restaurant without Xiaomian, she'll try to tear the roof off the house if she finds out."

Zhou Xiaomei was also a bit afraid of this sister-in-law; if she really threw a tantrum, it would be a massive headache.

Fortunately, the sister-in-law was efficient with chores and was wholeheartedly good to the child, so Zhou Xiaomei didn't hold too much against her.

The girl helped her look after the child; if she kept nitpicking, it would be somewhat ungrateful.

Although they could hire others to help, having family do it was more reassuring.

"We won't mistreat her. We'll bring her a bowl of braised pork and buy two meat buns when we're done."

"Doesn't she skimp on using face cream? She only applies it once every two or three days, and her face is almost cracking from the cold. We'll buy her another bag then, and she can use it as much as she wants."

In other circumstances, these things could coax the girl into being happy.

But the current situation was special.

If she wasn't allowed to go to the state-run restaurant, she would definitely think they were playing favorites.

That they were intentionally keeping her from seeing Comrade Shen.

She might even think they found her embarrassing, otherwise why wouldn't she be allowed at the table?

She might even think the food they brought back was their leftovers...

Lin Zhidong understood his sister's temperament and could already imagine her crying and making a scene.

He felt an even greater headache coming on.

"Whether we celebrate the birthday or not doesn't matter. How about we just don't host the party? That way we can save a few coupons."

Lin Zhidong doted on his son. Every time his comrades came to the house, they would bring supplements for the child.

Occasionally, if they ran into each other outside, they would scramble to hold the little baby.

Because of their good relationship, Lin Zhidong had thought of using the leave to invite his good brothers over for a lively dinner.

Zhou Xiaomei said resentfully, "Who told you to be such a big mouth and blab the news so early? Now that the time has come, you suddenly want to cancel the party. Aren't you afraid people will gossip behind your back?"

"They aren't that kind of people."

Lin Zhidong was certain of this, but changing plans at the last minute was indeed not ideal.

He rubbed the back of his head. "How about we just cook at home? It's only three or four people anyway, and the house can fit them. If there's something to do, Xiaomian won't have time to dwell on things."

At the very least, with so many people watching, she wouldn't be able to do anything wrong.

Zhou Xiaomei agreed. "That works. I'll stop by the guesthouse after work this afternoon to personally invite Comrade Shen. Otherwise, it will seem like we lack sincerity."

Lin Zhidong nodded. "That's right. Xiaomian offended Comrade Shen yesterday and didn't even apologize properly. When the time comes, help Xiaomian say a few good words so Comrade Shen doesn't hold a grudge."

Zhou Xiaomei curled her lip. "I've already apologized so many times on your sister's behalf. That temper of hers really needs to change!"

Lin Zhidong also wanted his sister to change her temper.

But the girl was grown up and had her own ideas; he was truly powerless.

"Take it slow. With you teaching her, she has already made a lot of progress this year."

This one sentence made his wife happy.

Zhou Xiaomei huffed. "She's your biological sister, which means she's my family. How could I not look after her?"