Playing Stupid 

“Mm.” 

Meng Yuanzheng held the water and hummed, then stood still with his eyes on the table. 

“I don’t want it; you can used it yourself,” she said with a cold face and turned her back, not wanting to say another word to him. 

She was already prepared. If Meng Yuanzheng couldn’t pretend anymore and scolded her, she wouldn’t just cry and make a scene like the original owner. She would let him experience what it meant to “bully others by taking advantage of one’s power.” If he didn’t want to work, her father was the team leader, and if he said Meng Yuanzheng should work, then he had to work. 

But there was no movement behind her. She turned around holding the quilt and found that Meng Yuanzheng had disappeared again. 

He actually didn’t fight with her? He didn’t even talk back? The original plot mentioned that Meng Yuanzheng never lost in a verbal argument. 

The floor was layered with dirt. Even though it was June, it would still be damp and cold to sleep on the floor. She planned to go to the haystack and pull out some dry straw to use as a mat. 

As soon as she walked out of the door, she met Meng Yuanzheng, who was holding a large bundle of dry straw. 

They both stopped. Because the straw blocked some of his view, he tilted his head slightly and looked at her with his eyes. 

When she met his gaze, Lin Miaoyin’s heart skipped a beat. 

Is this really the disgusting villain that she imagined? Not only does he not look disgusting, but he actually seems a bit handsome. 

 “What’s wrong with you?” 

Noticing the change in Lin Miaoyin’s expression, Meng Yuanzheng asked. 

“Nothing. Why are you carrying so much dry straw? There’s still firewood in the kitchen?” 

“To sleep on the floor.” 

He spoke, and then, holding the dry straw, he walked around her and went into the house. 

Lin Miaoyin hurriedly followed him and watched him put the dry straw on the ground and smooth it out bit by bit. 

“You want to sleep on the floor?” she asked uncertainly. 

Meng Yuanzheng half-kneeled on the ground and responded with a low “Mm.” 

Hm? She suspected that she had heard it wrong. What happened to the scene she had imagined, where the two of them would fight over the bed? 

This guy must have fallen into the pond and lost his brain, or maybe he was trying to gain sympathy and win her favor. 

But it was clear that something was wrong with him! 

Lin Miaoyin couldn’t make sense of it. Meng Yuanzheng had already made the bed on the floor and had gone to the kitchen to get hot water for a bath behind the house. 

She didn’t think any more about it and prepared to go to the kitchen to boil some water. When she opened the lid of the pot, she found that there was still half a pot of hot water in it. 

Was this… left by Meng Yuanzheng for her? 

She might as well use it that let it go to waste, right? She comforted herself, filled the wooden basin with hot water, washed herself, and wiped her body. 

The wind was howling hard outside. In the village without electricity, the night gave an unsettling feeling, especially with the dim kerosene lamp. When people moved, their shadows were imprinted on the wall. 

She felt a little nervous for no apparent reason. After changing her clothes, she lay down to sleep, nervously keeping an eye on the window and the door, hardly moving. 

It was just a little after eight in the evening, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Her thoughts drifted to memories of her past and her present situation, leaving her mind in a mess. 

Turning her head, she suddenly caught a whiff of an unpleasant smell. 

How long has it been since this pillow was washed? She almost vomited, but she managed to hold it in and move her head further away. 

After a while, Meng Yuanzheng finally came back. There was one more person in the room, and the unsettling feeling finally disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

On the floor not far away, Meng Yuanzheng was lying silently. His situation was much worse than Lin Miaoyin’s. 

Originally, Lin Miaoyin had planned to use two quilts over the straw, but all Meng Yuanzheng had was the dry straw itself.  

He knew Lin Miaoyin wouldn’t give him a quilt or the bedsheet since those were part of her dowry. Instead, he took out a woolen coat he had brought from the city, spread it out, and lay down. 

In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by a cold sensation on his face. He opened his eyes abruptly, wiped his face, and found it damp. 

Listening carefully, it was raining outside. 

Lin Miaoyin, a light sleeper, also woke up and suddenly remembered something—the house leaked when it rained. 

Although the house had been renovated, the roof was still made of straw. For some reason, there was a spot where it leaked. However, the two were lazy and did not put anything under the leaking spot. They just put a bucket to catch the water and never repaired it. 

And Meng Yuanzheng’s bed was right under the leaking roof. 

Is this guy really stupid, or is he just pretending? 

Lin Miaoyin’s mouth twitched. She had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and even though this man was a disgusting villain, she couldn’t bear to see him sleeping in the rain. 

She reassured herself that she was only doing it out of kindness, not because she felt sorry for him. 

She got up and looked at the bed on the floor. Meng Yuanzheng was lying flat on his back with his eyes closed and he’s sleeping soundly. 

She reached out to touch the straw and found most of it wet, with raindrops on Meng Yuanzheng’s face too. 

And yet, he still hadn’t woken up. Impressive. 

“Get up!” she raised her voice. 

Meng Yuanzheng frowned and opened his eyes; his eyes were confused, “What’s wrong?” 

“Did you sleep well?” She squatted in front of him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.  

“It’s raining?” Meng Yuanzheng looked up, then belatedly got up and reached out to pull some straw, but the straw was already wet and unsuitable for sleeping. 

Seeing his stupid look, Lin Miaoyin was furious. 

“Meng Yuanzheng, what do you want? Can you act normal for once?”  

You’re not normal; you make me feel like there’s a ticking time bomb beside me. 

Meng Yuanzheng didn’t say anything, just looked at her with an honest and innocent look. 

Lin Miaoyin said, “Stop pretending, okay? If you think you can play tricks in front of me, let me tell you, if I could divorce you, I would do it immediately. I don’t care which wild woman you go with! Also, no matter how you try to please me, don’t even think about going back to school to be a teacher. From now on, you have to earn your own work points, cook your own meals, and wash your own clothes. We’re living separately!” 

She’s making it clear; she was tired of pretending with him. 

“Why?” Meng Yuanzheng frowned and asked disapprovingly. 

“How dare you ask me why?” she was surprised. 

Meng Yuanzheng lowered his head slightly, deep in thought. He replied with a hint of pain, “My head hurts. I think I’ve forgotten something.”  

He raised his head and asked her, “Are you my wife?” 

She nodded. 

“You want to divorce me?” 

She nodded again. 

“Did I do something wrong?”  

Nonsense, does he have no idea? Lin Miaoyin looked at him suspiciously, could it be that he really lost his mind? 

“Yes, I can’t live with you anymore; I want a divorce.” 

 He turned his eyes to her, “But getting a divorce now is very difficult.” 

“Then let’s live separately first. We can divorce when you go back to the city,” Lin Miaoyin said. 

“Can I change if I’ve done something wrong?” Meng Yuanzheng stared at her intently. 

Lin Miaoyin said, “No, and you won’t stay here forever. We are not the same kind of people.” 

“No.” He paused and said firmly, “No, I won’t divorce. If I go back to the city, I will take you with me.” 

Listen, listen, listen, does that sound like something that scumbag would say? You’d think he was some lovesick fool. 

“You really can’t remember anything from before?” 

Meng Yuanzheng think about it again and shook his head, “I only remember some basic things; I don’t remember most of them.” 

Lin Miaoyin looked at him left and right but couldn’t see any sign of him lying. What was going on? Was it really such a coincidence? 

Meng Yuanzheng let her watch, openly and honestly. 

“You’d better not lie to me. If I find out that you are pretending, hah, the consequences will be something you can’t bear,” she warned fiercely. 

“I’m not lying to you.” He frowned and hold his head, looking like he was in pain. 

It was still raining outside and the wind was blowing in from the windows and the top frame of the door, making her feel a little cold. She noticed that Meng Yuanzheng was also dressed very lightly, looking pitiful. Reluctantly, she said, “Fine, let’s sleep. You take one side, and we’ll have our separate quilt.” 

Meng Yuanzheng nodded and brought a bucket to catch the dripping rainwater. He hung his wet coat, and Lin Miaoyin took a new quilt for herself and tossed the old one to him. The two of them slept on each side, curled up in their own quilts. 

The bed was quite small, with one side against the wall, which was covered in newspaper. The two of them were squeezed together. 

“Stay away from me!” she scolded, and when she noticed that he moved away obediently, she closed her eyes in satisfaction. 

Authors note: 

The male protagonist is just pretending! He is not really stupid. 

The female protagonist has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. 

At the beginning, the female lead might seem a bit melodramatic, but she’ll gradually improve. Please don’t blame her; if you want to complain, just blame me (I’m just trying to survive)! 😭😭😭