Chapter 23 : I’ll Wash Your Underwear for You

While working on her draft that afternoon, Song Zhiyi suddenly felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen. Shifting slightly, she noticed something flowing out.

She counted the days and realized it was indeed time for her period to arrive.

Distracted by Chi Lin’s matters in recent days, she had completely forgotten and wasn’t carrying any sanitary pads.

“Qiqi,” Song Zhiyi called out to Lin Qiqi, who was sitting next to her.

“Huh?” Lin Qiqi removed her headphones. “What’s up?”

“Do you have… you know… that?”

“What… Oh, I do.” It was one of those unspoken codes between girls, understood instantly.

Lin Qiqi reached into her bag and handed over a pink sanitary pad.

“Thanks.”

Taking the pad, Song Zhiyi trudged toward the restroom with her aching legs.

As expected, it had arrived.

Luckily, it wasn’t heavy yet. Otherwise, it might have stained the chair—a surefire recipe for social disaster.

After changing into the pad in the restroom, she let out a sigh of relief. However, the abdominal pain grew more pronounced.

“Zhiyi, are you okay?” Lin Qiqi asked softly, noticing how drained Song Zhiyi looked. “Is your period pain severe?”

“It used to be really bad…”

When Song Zhiyi was younger, her father, Song Xinyuan, would gamble and lose. He’d return home in a fury, and just seeing her would set him off. Once, after losing money and drinking heavily, he flew into a rage for no apparent reason and locked her in the cellar overnight. She wasn’t freed until the next day, when Song Qi found her and took her to the hospital.

Though her frostbite was treated, her health suffered lasting damage.

By the next month, she was introduced to the agony of severe menstrual cramps, a pain so intense it felt worse than death.

It was Song Qi who sought out a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to prescribe a regimen of herbal treatments for two years before her condition gradually improved.

“You should take it easy. Only an hour left until we’re off work,” Lin Qiqi suggested.

“Alright.”

Song Zhiyi rested her head on her desk for a while. When the clock struck 6 p.m., she slowly gathered her things.

Chen Mo’s car was parked outside the news agency. He noticed Song Zhiyi coming out 10 minutes later than usual.

“Brother Chen Mo, could we stop by a convenience store? I need to… buy something,” Song Zhiyi said hesitantly, realizing she was out of pads at home and needed to stock up.

“Period?” Chen Mo asked, noting how she instinctively rested her hand on her lower abdomen as she approached.

“…Yes.”

Chen Mo was familiar with her painful periods; Song Qi had mentioned them before. Every month during her time of the month, Song Qi seemed even more worried than she did.

“Do you need painkillers?”

“I have some at home.”

When the pain was unbearable, Song Zhiyi would take a pill to avoid delaying her work.

Chen Mo stopped the car at a convenience store near the military compound. Seeing that Song Zhiyi was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, he said, “I’ll get it for you.”

“Eh…”

Before she could react, Chen Mo had already stepped out of the car.

It wasn’t the first time he had done this for her. He walked straight to the women’s hygiene section in the store, quickly picking out a few packs of Sofy pads, both daytime and nighttime varieties.

The store owner, a woman, couldn’t help but be surprised to see a rugged man buying these items.

“Such a handsome guy helping his girlfriend buy sanitary pads? Most wouldn’t even bother!”

She chimed in, “Young man, why not get her some period panties, too?”

“What kind of… panties?”

“Period panties,” she explained with a smile. “They’re great for sleeping at night, preventing leaks, and helping your girlfriend sleep more comfortably.”

Hearing the words ‘help her sleep comfortably’, Chen Mo didn’t hesitate.

“Alright.”

He didn’t even ask about the price.

Anything that could help her rest better was worth it.

“What’s her height and weight? I’ll find the right size for you.”

“She’s 168 cm tall and weighs 49 kg.”

“Then an M size should be perfect,” the store owner said, handing him a pack of period panties.

Returning to the car with a large bag, Chen Mo handed it to Song Zhiyi.

“Thanks.”

Opening the bag, she saw that it contained her usual brand, along with period panties.

“The store owner said these are great for sleeping, no leaks,” Chen Mo explained matter-of-factly.

Song Zhiyi’s face flushed. “I know, I know…”

Of course, she knew what period panties were for.

But having Chen Mo, a grown man, seriously explain their benefits to her felt… bizarre.

Due to the cramps, Song Zhiyi didn’t have much of an appetite that evening. She only managed to eat half a bowl of rice before stopping.

“Eat some more,” Chen Mo frowned slightly.

The little girl was already skinny, and if she didn’t eat because of her period pain, she’d probably be blown away by a gust of wind.

“I can’t eat anymore,” Song Zhiyi said, shaking her head. Compared to eating, she’d rather just take a painkiller and collapse into bed. “I’ll take a shower and go to sleep.”

“I saw online that it’s best not to shower during your period,” Chen Mo replied.

Ever since getting married, Chen Mo had made an effort to learn some women’s health knowledge.

“That’s not practical. I… got it on my pants, so I definitely need to wash up.” Although it was already late September, the weather was still quite warm, and skipping a shower wasn’t an option.

Not to mention, if she didn’t wash her pants soon, the stains might never come out.

“Alright then, you shower, and I’ll wash your underwear for you.”

Song Zhiyi: “???”

She froze for a moment before quickly waving her hands. “No, no, no… I can wash it myself.”

“You’re not supposed to touch cold water. I’ll do it for you.”

“That’s really not necessary!”

How could she possibly let Chen Mo wash her stained underwear?!

Chen Mo was silent for a moment. “Touching cold water will only make it worse. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“…”

“Be good,” Chen Mo said as he patted her fluffy head, like soothing a little kitten. “If you secretly wash it yourself, I might as well go in there and help you shower instead.”

Chen Mo’s tone was serious, and he didn’t look like he was joking.

The little girl was already in poor health, and during her special time, she really couldn’t afford to touch cold water.

So, what was the big deal about washing his wife’s underwear?

“Don’t take too long in the shower—ten minutes.”

“Wait,  Brother Chen Mo, could you maybe—”

“Eight minutes.”

“…”

Song Zhiyi bit her lip and kept quiet.

Was he treating her like one of his soldiers now?

Determined to make the most of her allotted eight minutes, Song Zhiyi grabbed her clean pads and nightdress and hurried into the bathroom.

Eight minutes wasn’t enough time to wash her underwear anyway.

Right on the dot, Chen Mo knocked on the bathroom door. “Time’s up—eight minutes. Are you done?”

“Done, done! I’m just getting dressed!” Song Zhiyi pressed against the door in a panic, afraid he might just walk in.

“You’ve got ten seconds.”

“?”

“Ten, nine, eight…”

“!”

Chen Mo, you’re such a tyrant!

Flustered, Song Zhiyi hurriedly put on her pad and slipped into her nightdress, managing to open the door just as he counted down to “zero.”

“All done! I’m done!”

As soon as the door opened, the warm steam from inside the bathroom rushed out.

Perhaps from rushing, her damp hair clung to her slender neck, and her flushed face glowed pink from the steam. Her big eyes glared at him, brimming with frustration.

She looked adorably fierce.

“I got you a hot water bottle. Go rest in bed,” Chen Mo said as he prepared to head into the bathroom. Seeing her hesitate at the door, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Maybe I should still…” Song Zhiyi wrung her hands nervously. Her underwear was in the laundry basket, and she still felt too embarrassed to let Chen Mo wash it.

The shame!

And it was too much trouble for him.

She wasn’t so delicate that she couldn’t wash her own underwear.

“Does the pad fit properly?” Chen Mo asked, noticing she hadn’t moved. With one hand in his pocket, he gazed at the small bun of hair tied up on her head. “Let me check.”

“…”

Was this really Chen Mo?

“What’s wrong? If it doesn’t fit, I’ll get a different size next time,” Chen Mo said, amused at how she stared at him as if he were a monster. His lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

“Doesn’t fit? Is it too big or too small?” He reached out, as if to lift the hem of her dress.

“It fits! It fits!”

Song Zhiyi quickly clutched the hem of her dress to stop him, then darted off to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Heh…

The little girl was so easy to tease.

Chen Mo entered the bathroom, took her light purple underwear from the laundry basket—it wasn’t even the size of his palm—and turned on the faucet to wash it carefully.