Chapter 20.2

In the afternoon, she took a half-hour nap, then got up, carrying a book and sitting at the door, reading leisurely. Zhou Yao was still at home, but she wasn’t sure what he was doing, as he kept moving back and forth.

Wen Yue’s peripheral vision caught sight of his tall figure moving around constantly, and she couldn’t focus on her reading. She furrowed her brows, closed the book, and raised her eyes to ask, “What do you want to say?”

“I don’t want to say anything,” Zhou Yao stopped and replied expressionlessly. “I’m just exercising, moving around.”

Wen Yue was speechless: “…Fine.”

She simply stopped reading, stood up, and went back to her room to take out an old floral top she had brought from the Wen family, planning to alter it. There were only a few pieces of clothing, and it felt wasteful to throw them away. The color wasn’t bad. With some alterations, it could be worn.

Wen Yue had already thought through how to alter it and picked up the scissors, snipping twice.

Zhou Yao began to create noise again with an expressionless face, his gaze fixed on Wen Yue. He accidentally swept over her slender fingers and saw the small red spot on her soft fingertip, like a tiny wound from something sharp.

Thinking of the shirt in the room, Zhou Yao’s anger immediately dissipated. He ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes darkening as he turned and walked outside the courtyard.

Wen Yue glanced at Zhou Yao’s back as he walked away, then returned to her work.

About ten minutes later, Zhou Yao came back, carrying a water bucket to fetch water.

As soon as he left, Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao arrived. The two walked into the courtyard, smiling as they asked Wen Yue if Zhou Yao was around.

“He just went out to fetch water,” Wen Yue replied gently.

“Oh, wow, our brother is really hardworking,” Ren Yeliang said with a grin as he leaned closer to Wen Yue, curiously asking, “Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”

Wen Yue answered, “I’m altering some clothes.”

Ren Yeliang continuously praised her for being skillful and cooking delicious meals, showering her with compliments as if they were free.

Wen Yue felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and put down her work. “It’s not as exaggerated as you say…”

“It definitely is!” Ren Yeliang insisted, chatting casually. “By the way, sister-in-law, has your aunt been causing you any trouble lately?”

Wen Yue shook her head. “No, she hasn’t.”

“That’s good. If she does bother you again, just tell Brother Yao. We can go beat up Wen Hua again!” Ren Yeliang said cheerfully.

Wen Yue blinked quickly, surprised. “Wait, you guys were behind that incident with Wen Hua?”

Ren Yeliang laughed. “Of course! Brother Yao brought me and Old Fang along, saying we had to teach your aunt a lesson. She dotes on Wen Hua so much. If we give Wen Hua a good beating, she’ll think twice about bullying you in the future.”

Wen Yue’s expression became a bit complicated, and she fell silent. No wonder Zhou Yao had looked strange when she mentioned that incident.

“Sister-in-law, are you still angry at my brother?” Ren Yeliang asked cautiously.

Wen Yue pursed her lips. “Did Zhou Yao tell you?”

Ren Yeliang quickly waved his hands. “Sister-in-law, please don’t misunderstand. Brother Yao would not tell us this. Brother Yao just came to us and told us to go to the city with him tomorrow. I saw that he was not in a good mood, so I guessed it myself.”

Wen Yue narrowed her eyes, not responding.

“Sister-in-law, I’m not trying to take sides with Brother Yao. I just want to explain a bit,” Ren Yeliang said earnestly. “He does have a bad temper, but he’s a good person. He’s hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Plus, he hasn’t interacted much with girls since he was little and doesn’t know how to say sweet words. He’s a very straightforward person.”

“If there’s anything that makes you unhappy or anything he did wrong, just tell him directly. I can see that he really cares about you. I have never seen him care about anyone else like this. Old Fang and I genuinely hope you two can be good together.”

“Yesterday, Brother Yao wanted to come back earlier, but that elder kept holding him back. He had helped Brother Yao before, and he was about to take his family to Shencheng, and he might not come back. Brother Yao couldn’t refuse directly, so he could only continue drinking with him.”

Ren Yeliang spoke with great sincerity, as if from the heart.

Wen Yue didn’t know how to respond at that moment. She was silent for a couple of seconds and sighed, “I’m not…”

“Why are you two here?” Zhou Yao stepped into the courtyard with the water bucket, frowning when he saw Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao.

His gaze swept over Wen Yue, and he asked in a low voice, “What are you talking about?”

Ren Yeliang laughed awkwardly and said, “I didn’t say anything. I was just watching my sister-in-law altering clothes. Brother Yao, my sister-in-law is amazing. She can even alter clothes. They look really nice.”

Zhou Yao looked at him suspiciously before turning to Fang Shitao. “What are you two here for?”

Fang Shitao replied in a dull tone, “It was a bit boring at home, so we came over to chat.” He wasn’t foolish. He knew what could and couldn’t be said.

“Alright.” Zhou Yao nodded. “If you’re so bored, come with me to chop some firewood on the mountain.”

He poured the water from the bucket into the water tank, grabbed a basket and an axe, and forcibly dragged Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao out of the courtyard.

Once outside, Zhou Yao’s expression immediately turned cold. He squinted his eyes and looked at the two. “Now, tell me, what were you talking about just now?”

Ren Yeliang feigned innocence. “Really, we didn’t say much. We just saw sister-in-law sitting there cutting clothes and were a bit curious, so we asked.”

Zhou Yao: “…Fine, I’ll believe you this once.”

He emphasized, “You two are not allowed to meddle in my business or speak out of turn.”

Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao nodded vigorously.

That evening, Wen Yue and Zhou Yao had noodles for dinner.

Zhou Yao slurped them down particularly fast, and once he finished, he silently sat to the side. When Wen Yue finished eating and got up, he quickly snatched the bowl and chopsticks in front of her and headed toward the kitchen.

Wen Yue: “…?”

She stared blankly for a couple of seconds, looking at the empty seat in front of her, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Was it really necessary?

Wen Yue slowly stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as she quietly watched Zhou Yao wash the dishes with hot water. After more than a minute of preparing to speak, she heard him say without looking up, “The hot water in the back is ready. Are you going to shower now or later?”

“Now,” Wen Yue replied.

Zhou Yao nodded. “Okay, then I’ll help you bring it in.”

Wen Yue said thank you as she added water to the bucket. When she finished her shower and came out, the kitchen was already empty. She hung up her towel and glanced at Zhou Yao’s room, the door slightly ajar, making it hard to see inside.

She slowed her pace and slowly walked to her room’s door. Seeing that Zhou Yao didn’t seem to be coming out, she pursed her lips and entered her room.

…

The next day, when Wen Yue woke up, the house was empty.

She remembered Ren Yeliang mentioning they were going to the city today. Taking her time, she washed up, had breakfast, and read a book.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Wen Yue saw Zhou Yao return, carrying something large wrapped in cloth.

Curious, she took a few glances.

Zhou Yao seemed to be in a good mood as he set down the burden from his back and approached Wen Yue. “Guess what this is?”

Wen Yue looked at it several times, shaking her head. “I can’t guess.”

“It’s a sewing machine.” Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow, lifting the black cloth with one hand to reveal a brand-new black sewing machine. His expression was calm as he said, “You like altering clothes, right? This will make it more convenient for you.”

“I also bought you two pairs of leather shoes, and some cosmetics—things I don’t really understand. You can check them out yourself.”

These were all flashy items, and Zhou Yao wasn’t sure if Wen Yue would like them. He bought them based on the recommendations of the salesperson at the department store.

Wen Yue was taken aback. “These are all for me?”

“Yeah, take a look and see if you like them,” Zhou Yao replied.

Wen Yue hesitated for a moment but eventually stood up and walked over.

The bag contained many items, including the two pairs of shoes Zhou Yao mentioned, as well as beauty creams, pearl powder, fragrant powder, anti-wrinkle cream, color-changing lipstick, and more.

“What do you think? Do you like them?” Zhou Yao asked eagerly, his dark, deep-set eyes fixed on Wen Yue’s face, not missing any subtle changes in her expression.

The more silence there was, the faster his heart raced.

“Thank you, I really like them.” Feeling Zhou Yao’s effort to please her, Wen Yue’s heart softened a little. She looked up and met his eyes, saying earnestly, “We should have a good talk.”

Zhou Yao was taken aback for a moment before quickly nodding. “Okay.”

“Let’s go inside to talk.”

They entered the room and sat down face to face at the table. Zhou Yao sat up straight, his back stiff, with his hands resting on the table, his deep-set brows showing a hint of anxiety. He looked like a student called to the principal’s office for a reprimand.

Wen Yue couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sight and said softly, “We’re just chatting. You don’t need to be so nervous.”

“What nervousness? I’m not nervous,” Zhou Yao retorted stubbornly, secretly wiping the sweat from his palms on his pants. “What do you want to talk about?”

Wen Yue didn’t press the issue. “Let’s talk about why I’m upset.”

Zhou Yao perked up immediately, his eyes sparkling.

Wen Yue looked down, avoiding his gaze as she concealed her own feelings of embarrassment. “The first reason I’m upset is that you promised to come back for dinner but returned so late after drinking. The second reason is that you think I’m annoying for caring about you.”

Zhou Yao interjected, “That was me being unreasonable! I didn’t think you were annoying at all. If you don’t believe me, I can swear.”

“No need to swear,” Wen Yue chuckled lightly and continued, “The third and most important reason is that you won’t tell me anything. Why did you go to the city? Why didn’t you take me to meet your relatives at Grandma Fang’s? Why were you in a bad mood? You don’t share anything with me, which makes me feel like an outsider…”

Zhou Yao’s brows began to furrow as he replied straightforwardly, “I asked you before, and you said you didn’t want to get involved.”

Wen Yue: “……” Girls can be contradictory, you know?

Clearly, the thick-headed Zhou Yao didn’t understand what “contradictory” meant. He frowned and explained, “As for drinking, I thought I’d be back quickly and didn’t plan to drink much. I didn’t take you because if you went, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your meal properly, and you might even have to go into the kitchen to cook. I didn’t want you to have to work.”

“Also, those aren’t really relatives. They’re friends of my dad’s. I probably won’t get a chance to see them again. I was in a bad mood because I thought about some unhappy things while drinking, and I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d laugh at me.”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow and said frankly, “I am a face-conscious person.”

Wen Yue: “……”

Wen Yue looked at him. “Are you embarrassed now?”

“My wife is about to run away, why do I need to save face?” Zhou Yao’s voice was low. Seeing that Wen Yue’s expression was no longer as cold and distant as yesterday, his tense body relaxed a little, and he shifted his chair back slightly to free his long legs that had been cramped under the table.

Wen Yue felt her cheeks heat up.

She tried to steady herself, ignoring the warmth rising to her skin, and calmly asked, “Then what unhappy things did you think about?”

“It’s about my dad.”

Zhou Yao’s long fingers rested loosely on the table, his eyes narrowed, and his thick, curled lashes obscured the emotions in his gaze. “I have a poor relationship with my dad. Ever since my mom passed away, I haven’t called him ‘Dad’ again.”

Wen Yue was taken aback, instinctively searching her mind for any memory of Zhou Yao’s story.