Chapter 10: Are You Injured?

Li Yiyi quickly pinched her palm when she felt herself being drawn in by his good looks. With a forced smile, she said to him, “It’s so late, have you eaten? Would you like me to cook something for you?”

As soon as she said this, she regretted it.

“Sure, thank you. I’ll go take a shower first,” he nodded.

Li Yiyi let out a sigh of relief, resigned to her fate, and turned to light the fire and cook the noodles.

In the bathroom, as he washed with cold water, Jiang Hong thought deeply about what had just happened.

The surprises upon his return were a bit much. First, the clean house, and then the fact that his wife had actually volunteered to cook for him.

Before he could figure it out, his shower was finished.

Soon, he came to the kitchen, now wearing a white shirt and military green pants.

At that moment, a delicious aroma filled the kitchen.

Li Yiyi turned around and was caught off guard by the sight of a man approaching her with half of his chest exposed. His handsome figure, strong physique, and well-developed muscles radiated power with every step.

When he stood in front of her, Li Yiyi immediately turned her gaze away, irritated and embarrassed, “Why didn’t you put on your clothes properly after taking a shower?”

Hearing her teasing words, Jiang Hong looked down at his outfit. Wasn’t he wearing clothes?

“Sorry,” he said softly.

Li Yiyi heard his deep, magnetic voice and felt a little guilty. “It’s okay, just remember to wear something proper next time, don’t show half of your chest.”

She didn’t want to think too much about it, though she silently cursed herself for feeling that way. Of course, she dared not say it out loud.

“The noodles are ready, you can eat. I’m going to sleep now.” She pointed to the steaming bowl of noodles on the table.

Jiang Hong glanced at the noodles on the table, nodded slightly, and just as she turned to leave, he said, “Thank you.”

Li Yiyi heard his voice, which was as pleasant as a violin, and blushed. Without turning her head, she said, “You’re welcome, eat up.” Then, she quickly left the kitchen.

Jiang Hong watched her disappear into the darkness, his deep eyes slightly furrowing. This time, coming back, his wife gave him a completely different feeling.

In the past, she had avoided him like a mouse avoiding a cat, always running away when she saw him. Though she still seemed to be avoiding him, he could clearly feel that her avoidance was not the same as before.

Meanwhile, Li Yiyi ran back to her room with a red face, locked the door behind her, and then lay down on the bed. Despite the cool night, she felt a heat all over her body, and her cheeks were burning.

She touched her burning cheeks with both hands and then, feeling frustrated, buried her face in the blanket.

In the kitchen, Jiang Hong finished the noodles, washed the bowl, and went back to the door of the room. When he tried to push the door, it didn’t budge. He frowned slightly and tried again, but the door was still locked.

Looking at the closed door with a confused expression, he wondered, did she lock the door?

After thinking for a moment, he didn’t continue pushing. Instead, he turned and left for the utility room next door to spend the night.

Li Yiyi was woken up by the two children. The brother and sister were both standing at the side of her bed, pulling on her arm urgently, “Mom, mom, wake up quickly!”

Li Yiyi, still half asleep, opened her eyes. The man from last night had kept her tossing and turning in the blanket until she finally fell asleep.

“What’s wrong? Are you hungry?” Her voice sounded a bit hoarse as she had just woken up.

The two children shook their heads frantically.

Jiang Yueyue, with a worried expression, pulled on her arm, her little mouth quivering as she said, “Mom, there’s a bad person in our house.”

Seeing Jiang Yueyue on the verge of tears, Li Yiyi immediately got up, wiped away the small tear from her eye, and reassured her, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, mommy’s here.”

She quickly put on her shoes and let the two children lead her out of the room.

Following the children’s lead, Li Yiyi finally saw the “bad person” they had mentioned.

In the backyard, Jiang Hong, who had been chopping firewood, saw them suddenly appear and immediately put down the axe, his expression tense as he looked at the two children next to her.

Li Yiyi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, feeling a bit sorry for the siblings. Even though he was their father, they had mistaken him for a bad person.

“Come over here,” she waved at the dazed Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong, worried about scaring the children, slowly walked over to them.

Li Yiyi sighed and crouched down, introducing the children to him, “Yueyue, Xiaobao, this is your dad. You’ve been wanting to see him, and now he’s back.”

Jiang Hong opened his mouth, his voice a little stiff as he called out to the two children, “Yueyue, Xiaobao, I’m your dad. I’m back.”

When he reached out to hug them, the two children shrank back in fear, hiding behind their mother.

Jiang Hong withdrew his hand, feeling a bit dejected.

Li Yiyi couldn’t bear to see this and kindly said to him, “Don’t blame them. You’ve been gone for so many years, they don’t remember you. But don’t worry, it’ll get better soon. Just spend some time with them, father-daughter, father-son bonds will come back quickly.”

Jiang Hong gave a soft hum and then suddenly looked up at her, “Thank you.”

Li Yiyi didn’t know how to respond to his gratitude. Should she tell him that she was just a “rebound” for him?

Seeing her silent, Jiang Hong thought she was upset with him and said, “I’ve recently achieved something big, my position will rise, and my salary will increase. I’ll send some money back to you. Also, have you considered joining the army with me?”

Li Yiyi, hearing his words, suddenly remembered something. Last night, in the darkness, she hadn’t noticed his complexion, but now that it was daytime, she saw that his face was unusually pale.

This was clearly the pallor of someone who was injured.

“Are you hurt?” she asked directly.

Jiang Hong’s expression froze at her question, and after a long pause, he finally replied, “Yes, it’s just a minor injury, nothing serious.”

Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Li Yiyi decided not to press him further.

“Please look after the children for me. I’m going to make breakfast.” As the atmosphere grew tense again, Li Yiyi quickly found an excuse to leave.

She feared if she stayed any longer in this stifling silence, the gloomy man would suffocate her.