Chapter 23

Su Qianqian quickly stepped back to put some distance between herself and Cheng Yue, rubbing her nose in pain. His chest was so hard—it really hurt to bump into him.

Cheng Yue, leaning on his crutch, stood there stunned.

It was the first time he’d seen Su Qianqian right after a bath, and he barely recognized her. Her hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head, with a few strands falling loose, giving her a playful, lively look. Her skin seemed to glow with a faint pink hue, and she gave off a fragrance he’d never encountered before. It made his heart skip a beat.

Especially since she was wearing thin, form-fitting clothes that accentuated her figure. Though she was on the slender side, it wasn’t an unhealthy thinness—it suited her well.

He suddenly felt his throat tighten and his body stiffen.

“Do you need to use the bathroom?” Su Qianqian, her cheeks flushed, hurriedly changed the subject. It was hard not to feel flustered around such a tall, handsome officer. “Go ahead, I’m done.”

She quickly walked away while Cheng Yue entered the bathroom.

The room was still filled with lingering steam and her faint fragrance.

And then—he saw it.

Her intimate clothing, left behind and unwashed.

He froze, his face instantly turning bright red, utterly at a loss for what to do.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened again.

Su Qianqian, clearly flustered, rushed in, grabbed her clothing in a swift motion, and dashed out.

Back in her room, it took her a long while to calm her racing heart. Living under the same roof as a young, tall, and handsome man was pure torment!

Stay composed!

She couldn’t afford to become some shameless woman and lose respect. The original Su Qianqian had already made that mistake, drawn in by Cheng Yue’s looks and even forcing the issue when they consummated their marriage. She wouldn’t repeat that error.

Unbeknownst to her, Cheng Yue stayed in the bathroom for a long time before emerging. Lying in bed, he found himself unable to calm down, absentmindedly touching his chest where their collision had occurred, the sensation still vivid in his mind.

---

The next morning, Su Qianqian got up early and did a round of yoga to improve her posture and temperament. Afterward, she prepared breakfast while the three children and Cheng Yue were still sleeping.

Once the food was ready, she knocked on the door and pushed it open, only to see Cheng Yue curled up pitifully on the folding bed. The bed was about 1.8 meters long, but Cheng Yue appeared to be at least 1.85 meters tall, making it clearly insufficient for him.

The bed was also narrow. While Cheng Yue wasn’t heavyset, his broad shoulders made sleeping on it a cramped experience.

“Time for breakfast,” she said casually before stepping back out and closing the door.

The three children dressed quickly and efficiently, finishing in no time.

Daya approached Cheng Yue and asked, “Do you need help?”

He was about to decline but then remembered his goal of bonding with the kids. He changed his answer. “Help Dad get my socks.”

Daya fetched the socks and placed them beside him. “I’ll help you put them on.”

Meanwhile, Erbao and Sanya brought over his slippers and set them neatly in front of him.

Watching their practiced movements, Cheng Yue couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. He’d missed so much of their growth.

His grievances with Su Qianqian were adult matters—the three little buns were innocent.

Seated in his wheelchair, Daya and Erbao tried to push him outside, but their short legs couldn’t reach the wheelchair handles. They had to push from below, which only made Cheng Yue feel even more remorseful.

“You don’t need to push me; I can do it myself,” he said.

Would calling himself “Dad” more often prompt the three little buns to call him that too?

---

“You each get one bun, one egg, and this bowl of porridge to go with it,” Su Qianqian instructed as she set the food in front of the three children.

“And you,” she said to Cheng Yue, “help yourself.”

Cheng Yue: “…” Why did he get treated differently?

“Your cooking is getting better,” he remarked after a bite. The stir-fried salted veggies and shredded pork were incredibly flavorful—perfect with porridge or rice.

“The King of Hell gave me this skill,” she replied nonchalantly.

“?” Is there a limit to making things up?

Su Qianqian grabbed three meat buns and headed to knock on Wu Sufen’s door across the hall.

“Sufen, I brought you some meat buns to try.”

“Such big meat buns? Qian, you’re so generous! Two are enough—three is too much,” Wu Sufen replied.

“Take them, don’t be polite,” Su Qianqian insisted, handing her the buns before hurrying back home. She knew Wu Sufen would only take two to give one to her husband and one to her son, treating herself poorly. But in this era, it was hard to change such ingrained thinking—it would be futile to even try.

Wu Sufen returned to her house with the buns. The moment her son saw them, his eyes lit up. “Meat buns! Give me one!”

“Did these come from next door?” He Hai, her husband, asked.

“Yes. I think Captain Cheng’s wife is quite nice—not as bad as the rumors make her out to be. It’s probably that vixen Zhou Yun spreading lies!”

“That’s their family business—don’t get involved,” He Hai warned.

Wu Sufen shrugged indifferently. “In the countryside, something like this would have gotten her drowned in spit.”

He Hai sighed. Even though his wife had been living in the compound for over a year, her personality hadn’t changed much.

“But honestly, Qian is a bit wasteful, spending money too freely. That’s not good. Sure, Captain Cheng’s salary is decent, but it’s still not enough for such spending, especially with three kids to raise. Now that Captain Cheng is injured, what if—”

“Enough! Stop talking!” He Hai interrupted loudly, cutting her off. She had a habit of rambling on endlessly, and her mouth often lacked a filter.

Wu Sufen begrudgingly fell silent.

She still preferred life in the countryside—so much freedom compared to the restrictions here. She found it suffocating.

---

Cheng Yue arranged for someone to accompany Su Qianqian to buy groceries.

The escort was an older soldier, likely nearing fifty, with an unremarkable appearance, a receding hairline, and a goofy smile.

“Kids, Mommy has to go out and buy lots of groceries today, so you can’t come along. Stay home and take care of your father, who can’t manage on his own. Once I’m back, I’ll take you to the department store another time,” Su Qianqian said.

Cheng Yue raised an eyebrow. “You know about department stores?”

“I’m smart, you know!” she replied, tilting her chin up with a playful humph.

He chuckled, instinctively wanting to pinch her cheek but catching himself just in time. Pretending to scratch his head, he managed to avoid making things awkward.

Only then did it dawn on him. “I’m not that helpless! I can already walk around the house with a crutch. Using a wheelchair is just to reduce strain on my leg. The doctor said I’d need another two weeks before I can increase the intensity.”

“And what if you fall and can’t get up?”

“The kids wouldn’t be able to lift me either,” he admitted. At his size, even Su Qianqian would struggle to help him up, let alone the children.

“They can always go call someone for help,” she countered.

Cheng Yue was speechless. Fine, he admitted it—he was practically useless right now. No wonder Su Qianqian wanted a divorce. She probably couldn’t stand him anymore.

Before leaving, Su Qianqian prepared food for them and, worried she might not return by lunch, instructed the three children on what to do. If anything happened, she told them to go to Wu Sufen for help.

“Take me to the department store first,” she told Cheng Yue’s subordinate, a platon leader named platon leader.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

At the department store, despite mentally preparing herself, Su Qianqian couldn’t help feeling disappointed at the limited variety of goods available.

She noticed the watches. A Rolex cost over a thousand, while Omega watches were priced around three to four hundred. A watch was necessary—telling time without one was inconvenient.

Earn money, earn money—there’s so much to buy.

“Give me a box of Vanishing Cream,” Su Qianqian said to the shop assistant.

“That’ll be thirty-five. Can you afford it?” the assistant replied, giving her a condescending look as they scanned her from head to toe.