Chapter 9

After a period of silence, Su Ting decided to skip the topic. She moved the fruit in her hand a little forward. “Do you want to eat?” she asked.

“No need.”

Su Ting responded with an “oh” and retracted her hand, feeling a bit troubled inside.

Based on the memories left by the original owner regarding He Dongchuan and the descriptions in the original text, she had thought that He Dongchuan was cold, but overall, he was still easy to get along with.

But now, it seemed that he was truly cold, and whether he was easy to talk to remained to be seen.

So the question arose: they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but they were experiencing the opposite—He Dongchuan had returned. Should she, in order to avoid ruining her image, try to act happy, ignore his coldness, and engage in a few more pleasantries?

But as a person who cared about appearances, Su Ting really couldn’t feel happy about it.

She thought that the transmigration god had been particularly cruel to her. Others who crossed over either became noble ladies in the ancient times, or heirs of multibillion-dollar fortunes in the modern era. At the very least, they were married women in historical novels, and their husbands were mostly handsome men.

As for her, she transmigrated into the role of a stepmother, and her husband had a scruffy beard.

Looking at the beard on his face, Su Ting truly couldn’t express any affection. She could only give up and let things fall apart. If she ruined her image, so be it. After all, no matter how smart He Dongchuan was, he would never guess that she was a transmigrator.

Who would have thought?

Even though she had watched over a hundred and eighty transmigration novels, she had never imagined that such a troublesome thing as transmigrating into a book would really happen in the world.

Thinking this, Su Ting straightened her back, feeling like she was ready again.

He Dongchuan didn’t know what was going on in Su Ting’s mind, but he noticed the change in her expression and sharply realized that, compared to before he left for his mission, his newlywed wife had changed quite a bit.

There were more little expressions now.

He Dongchuan thought this as he reached out and took the fruit from her hand.

It seemed like Su Ting hadn’t reacted right away. She tugged on it a little, then lowered her head and let out a soft “eh?” to express her confusion.

“I’ll take it.”

Su Ting snapped out of her thoughts and released her grip. “Oh, thank you.”

He Dongchuan didn’t say anything further. With one hand carrying his military bag and the other holding the fruit, he walked briskly toward the family compound.

Su Ting turned around, watching him from behind.

He was very tall, at least about 1.8 meters, with a typical inverted triangle build—wide shoulders, narrow waist. His long, straight legs were wrapped in blue-gray military pants.

Considering He Yan’s appearance, He Dongchuan should have looked decent. Although he couldn’t be called handsome, his facial features were well-proportioned. Unfortunately, he had a beard.

Su Ting preferred fair, delicate “little fresh meat” and wasn’t fond of the rugged, bearded tough guy look.

But then she thought to herself—whether He Dongchuan was a little fresh meat or a tough guy had nothing to do with her. In the novel, the original character hadn’t been able to warm his heart after three years, so could she really expect him to fall head over heels for her?

Since she couldn’t expect that, the fact that he didn’t meet her aesthetic was actually more beneficial for her. It would help her lock her heart away and focus on surviving until the end of the story.

Noticing that Su Ting hadn’t caught up, He Dongchuan stopped, turned slightly, and asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

Su Ting quickly reacted and hurried to catch up.

It wasn’t just Su Ting who didn’t recognize He Dongchuan. The guard at the gate also stopped him, asking for his name before letting him in. The family compound only allowed residents to enter and exit, and even military personnel had to be registered before being allowed entry.

Once they entered the family compound, the military wives sitting at the stone table didn’t recognize He Dongchuan either. Seeing them walking together, one of them called out to Su Ting and asked: “Who’s that with you?”

At that point, Su Ting could finally be sure that the problem of not recognizing He Dongchuan wasn’t hers, but his own. Otherwise, how could both the guard and the military wives not know him?

With this confirmation, Su Ting straightened up even more and smiled, pointing to He Dongchuan. “Xiao Yan’s dad. He’s back from a mission.”

Although He Dongchuan had only moved into the family compound less than a month ago, many people had wanted to introduce him to someone. Before his remarriage, the family compound had heard of him and even met his military wife.

Not to mention the few military wives sitting at the stone table—they were regulars at the playground and came by almost every day. They often ran into him before his mission, both morning and night. So, everyone knew what he looked like before he left for his mission.

At this moment, everyone looked surprised. Chen Shaomei, being straightforward, asked: “Colonel He, how long has it been since you shaved your beard?”

Su Ting stifled a laugh and turned her head.

He Dongchuan, after a moment of silence, replied: “…I’ve been busy lately and haven’t had the chance.”

—

It was only 4 p.m., and the men were still at the military camp, the children of school age were at school, and the women who worked were at their jobs. The family compound wasn’t particularly lively. On the way home, Su Ting occasionally encountered people chatting outside.

Just like at the gate of the compound, these people were momentarily stunned when they saw He Dongchuan. They would ask Su Ting who he was, while some with sharp eyes could recognize him after just a couple of glances, and then display an expression of surprise.

When they turned into the courtyard of Building No. 66, the same scene played out again. Wang Lixia, though, either had face blindness or something, because after Su Ting mentioned He Dongchuan’s identity, she still looked skeptical and said: “Impossible. Colonel He doesn’t look like this at all.”

Hearing her words, Su Ting couldn’t help but feel second-hand embarrassment. She turned her head to look at He Dongchuan.

He, however, remained calm and said: “Sister-in-law, it’s me.”

Perhaps his voice sounded familiar, because Wang Lixia’s doubts faded somewhat. She looked closely at He Dongchuan, and then exclaimed: “Oh, no wonder you looked familiar! It really is Colonel He. When did you come back? Have you eaten lunch?”

Su Ting: “……” Fine then.

He Dongchuan replied: “I arrived this morning. I ate at the base for lunch.”

“Oh, that’s good then. No need for little Su to keep working.” Wang Lixia smiled on the surface, but inwardly she felt disappointed. She was hoping He Dongchuan would quickly realize that Su Ting wasn’t doing anything at home and see her true nature.

But she didn’t feel disappointed for long, because after missing the opportunity for lunch, she still had the evening. She purposely added: “Little Su, Colonel He just got back, you should cook something nice for him tonight to make up for it.”

Su Ting thought to herself: before He Dongchuan went on his mission, he’d always find an excuse to eat at the base so he wouldn’t have to eat the meals made by the original owner. Now, she was expected to cook for him. She was willing to do so, but would he actually eat it?

What really bothered Su Ting wasn’t He Dongchuan, but Wang Lixia’s bossy attitude. If someone knew her well, they would understand she was just talking to a neighbor. If they didn’t know her, they might think she was instructing her daughter-in-law on how to behave.

No, the original owner’s mother-in-law, He Dongchuan’s real mother, treated her far better than Wang Lixia did. At least she wouldn’t be so controlling.

Su Ting chuckled softly but didn’t respond to Wang Lixia. Instead, she walked directly to the He family’s front gate, took out her keys, and unlocked the door.

Wang Lixia, ignored, furrowed her brows and said: “I’m only saying the right things. Colonel He’s been working hard on his mission. He must have had a tough half month—probably didn’t eat well or sleep well. As his wife, shouldn’t you treat him better?”

He Dongchuan sensed something was off and spoke before Su Ting could respond. “I’m not picky. I’ll eat whatever.”

Su Ting swallowed the words she was about to say and pushed the door open.

Wang Lixia curled her lips and said sourly: “Colonel He, you really know how to pamper your wife.” She thought to herself: “You’ll see when dinner comes tonight.”

She suppressed her displeasure and waited for the drama to unfold.

—

After entering the house, He Dongchuan placed the fruit on the dining table, then carried his military bag into the Master’s Bedroom.

The Master’s Bedroom had changed quite a bit since he left.

The furniture was still the same three pieces: the bed, wardrobe, and dressing table. However, the red “double happiness” patterned bedsheets and duvet cover had been taken off and replaced with a light blue set, plain without any special pattern.

The “double happiness” patterned set had been prepared by his mother for their wedding, and Su Ting liked it very much. After they moved to Pingchuan Island, she put it on the bed, and it hadn’t been changed until he left for his mission.

The light blue set was meant for He Yan, and there was also a light green set, which was currently laid out on the bed in the second bedroom.

There were also many more items on the dressing table. He Dongchuan looked up and recognized a stack of fashion magazines, with a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush next to them. In the past, it had been Snow Cream clam oil, and there were a few hair ties for girls, along with a headband.

Additionally, on the rack at the foot of the bed, there were two girls’ clothes hanging.

Su Ting had just come out of the bathroom when she saw He Dongchuan standing at the door of the Master’s Bedroom. After hesitating for a moment, he said: “Um… your things are all in the second bedroom.”

He Dongchuan turned around and looked at her.

Su Ting licked her lips and, with little confidence, said: “Aren’t you sleeping with Xiao Yan in the second bedroom tonight? It would be inconvenient to keep going back and forth between the two rooms, so the second bedroom’s wardrobe is bigger, and there’s enough space for your things. I went ahead and organized your luggage and moved it to the second bedroom.”

Although He Dongchuan and the original owner were legally married and had been living under the same roof for nearly half a month before he left on his mission, they had always slept in separate rooms, and their marriage hadn’t been a real one.

It wasn’t that the original owner didn’t want to sleep with He Dongchuan, but he didn’t want to be with her. He had made that clear before they got married. The original owner didn’t want to believe it, thinking that over time, she could win his heart and warm him up.

The two of them had registered their marriage at the original owner’s hometown and then returned to the capital for two days, during which they also picked up He Yan.

During that time, they had slept in the same bedroom once, but nothing had happened at night. By the time they reached Pingchuan Island, they had gone their separate ways and stayed in different rooms.

The original owner hadn’t stopped him from separating the rooms but had firmly refused to allow He Dongchuan to move his things into the second bedroom. She thought that as long as his clothes were there, he’d have to come to the Master’s Bedroom twice a day. She believed that one day, maybe she could lure him to stay.

Whether the original owner’s plan succeeded in the novel, Su Ting didn’t know. The original owner’s side story didn’t mention whether they ended up sleeping together.

But even if they had, Su Ting thought it would have been of no use. If there’s no love, there’s no love. A couple in name only would remain a couple in name only.

Su Ting wasn’t the original owner. She never longed for He Dongchuan’s love, nor did she want to become a resentful couple. Over the next three years, she hoped they would simply be roommates.

If, after three years, he was still alive, they could part on good terms.

If he died, Su Ting probably wouldn’t be too upset. In the future, if she met a suitable man, she might consider marriage.

For now, what she needed to do was cut off any chance of ambiguity. It was best if things like a grown man coming in and out of her bedroom for clothes didn’t happen.

That was why, in the days before He Dongchuan returned, Su Ting had tidied up all his belongings in the Master’s Bedroom and moved them to the second bedroom.

She had chosen to do this while he was still away, mainly because she feared complications. Though, based on the original owner’s memories, He Dongchuan didn’t like running back and forth between the two bedrooms, who knew how he might feel after half a month?

If He Dongchuan really didn’t want to sleep with her, he would probably appreciate her consideration once he came back and found out about this, right?

Su Ting smiled and looked up at the man standing at the door of the Master’s Bedroom, whose furrowed brow deepened after hearing her words. They silently confronted each other.

After what felt like a long time, the man looked away and淡淡 (淡淡: in a calm, indifferent tone) said: “I understand.” before leaving the Master’s Bedroom and turning into the adjacent bedroom.