Chapter 32: Comrade Sheng, Please Take Care of Me

Nan Qiao’s question finally opened the floodgates for Sheng Yanchuan’s suppressed emotions.

He leaned against her shoulder, arms still tightly wrapped around her waist with no sign of letting go.

Closing his eyes, he waited for the sting behind them to subside. When he finally spoke, his slightly hoarse voice trembled,
“There is something… something really serious. Why did you tell Taohua to avoid me? I thought we agreed to get to know each other. Even if I did something wrong, you can scold me, hit me—but don’t just wipe away everything between us all at once, okay…?”

His voice carried both grievance and pleading.

Nan Qiao was stunned. Her hand, which had been gently patting his back, froze as she racked her brain for when she ever told Taohua to avoid him.

“When did I say that to her?”

“Yesterday morning! And you’re still denying it!” Sheng Yanchuan, for once, questioned her with rare childlike petulance.

A flash crossed Nan Qiao’s mind. She hadn’t explicitly said to avoid him, but… she might’ve said something like “if you can’t afford to offend him, avoid him.”

“Oh… you mean that ‘if you can’t afford to offend him, avoid him’ line?” Nan Qiao asked, half amused.

“There, see? You did say it.” Sheng Yanchuan seemed to have had a nerve struck, sounding even more aggrieved.

“Oh come on, I wasn’t talking about you,” Nan Qiao patiently explained. “It’s because you’ve been pestering Taohua lately, asking what she’s doing at my place every night. She tells you it’s studying and you don’t believe her. Of course it’s a case of ‘if you can’t afford to offend him, avoid him.’ How did that suddenly turn into something about you?”

“Really… you really weren’t trying to avoid me?” Sheng Yanchuan’s face visibly relaxed, a faint trace of happiness appearing. But inside, he grumbled to himself, That little rascal Taohua, only telling half the story. No more White Rabbit candies for her next time.

Looking at how nervous he’d been, Nan Qiao couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This man who usually appeared so cold and serious had this unexpectedly soft and childish side to him in private. Truly eye-opening.

Hearing her laugh, Sheng Yanchuan grew embarrassed and annoyed. He suddenly gave her neck a small bite.

The warm, damp sensation silenced her laughter and made her whole body stiffen.

Realizing what he had just done, Nan Qiao awkwardly placed her hands on his waist, trying to push him away.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”

Before she could finish speaking, her hands met his firm waist. With his thin summer clothing, she could clearly feel his burning body heat.

She couldn’t help but think, Sheng Yanchuan probably has abs, huh? I’ve never touched any before…

Her thoughts drifting, the next moment her hand cautiously reached for his abdomen, fingers lightly brushing against it.

Sheng Yanchuan, already feeling distracted holding her, was instantly overwhelmed by her touch. The sensation spread like wildfire.

He immediately let go of the girl in his arms, grasped her mischievous little hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing, eyes fixed on her.

Caught off guard, Nan Qiao looked up in confusion.

Their gazes met, and Sheng Yanchuan’s intense stare made her squirm. She quickly looked away, cheeks blushing a pretty pink.

“Nan Qiao, I regret it.”

“Hm? What?” Nan Qiao was flustered by his stare. Her voice came out soft and shy, not fully understanding what he meant.

“What I said before… that if after some time you still didn’t like me, I’d let you go.”

“I take it back.”

“Even if it costs me my life, I can’t live without you.”

His fingers traced her beautiful brows and eyes, gently outlining them. His words were overbearing yet tender.

Looking at Sheng Yanchuan like this, Nan Qiao couldn’t help but feel like she was living inside a romance drama: the domineering CEO cornering his sweet little wife…

“So what if I say no?” she asked, relaxing and leaning back against the wall, letting him trap her in the corner.

“Then I’ll keep chasing you until you say yes,” Sheng Yanchuan replied, and seeing that she didn’t resist his closeness, finally relaxed a little.

Seeing him like this stirred something in Nan Qiao’s heart. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, these past few days he’d truly treated her with care.

Reliable, considerate, makes money, handsome, good body! Honestly, dating a guy like this wouldn’t be bad.

Nan Qiao’s heart wavered.

She’d never been in a relationship and didn’t know how long it usually took for couples to get together. She preferred to follow her heart—if she liked someone, they’d be together. If they weren’t compatible, they’d part ways. Overthinking would only lead to missed opportunities.

So, looking at this devoted Sheng Yanchuan…

Nan Qiao smiled sweetly and said,
“Well then…”

She drew out the words deliberately, watching him hold his breath, too nervous to even exhale.

Her smile bloomed even brighter. “Please take care of me from now on, Comrade Sheng~”

“You… you’re saying yes? You’ll be with me?” Sheng Yanchuan was stunned. Just moments ago, he feared she would reject him—and now the girl he’d been dreaming of had agreed to be his partner?

He almost thought he was dreaming.

“Pinch me,” he said, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his arm.

Nan Qiao laughed and pulled her hand away. She cupped his face, stood on tiptoes, and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

“Is that real enough for you?” she teased, watching his body stiffen.

The warm kiss and the sweet scent of her breath overwhelmed Sheng Yanchuan. He was consumed by a wave of unfamiliar sensations.

Their eyes met, and in that split-second daze, he leaned in to kiss her again. One hand buried in her hair, the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. The sudden intensity startled Nan Qiao, but she soon closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Sheng Yanchuan’s kiss was clumsy—more like brushing lips than a real kiss—he clearly didn’t know what to do next and was just following instinct. It wasn’t exactly a great experience.

Nan Qiao, though also a rookie, had at least lived in the internet-savvy 21st century. Even if you’ve never run with pigs, you’ve surely eaten pork, right?

She parted her lips slightly and responded to his kiss.

Feeling her response, Sheng Yanchuan smiled into the kiss.

“Qiao Qiao, you’re my Qiao Qiao,” he whispered, tongue slipping past her lips as he deepened the kiss—passionate, aggressive, consuming.

No one knew how long they kissed.

Finally, Sheng Yanchuan let go, resting his head on her shoulder, breath slightly ragged.

“Don’t move. Just let me lean on you a bit.” Noticing Nan Qiao starting to fidget, he stopped her.

“You’re so heavy. Be gentle,” she grumbled softly. It felt like he’d dumped all his weight on her shoulder.

“Nope,” he muttered and deliberately pressed down harder, making her squeal in protest.

“Stop messing around, I have something serious to say.”

Seeing her expression turn serious, Sheng Yanchuan sobered up too. He picked her up, sat down on the small stool in the room, and settled her on his lap, playing with her slender fingers.

Only then did he ask, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Nan Qiao adjusted her position in Sheng Yanchuan’s embrace until she found a comfortable spot, then said, “We’re together now, but since I haven’t been in the village for very long, I was thinking… could we not tell the others just yet? Maybe keep it between us for now and wait a while before going public?”

Sheng Yanchuan frowned at her words. Although he was dying to tell the whole world that Nan Qiao was his girl, he also understood her concerns. After a moment, he nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you. We’ll go public whenever you feel the time is right.”

“Okay,” Nan Qiao smiled, pleased with his understanding.

“There’s one more thing… I don’t want to tell my family yet either,” Nan Qiao said softly.

“Why?” Sheng Yanchuan’s frown deepened. He knew there was a gap between their backgrounds, but he’d been hoping to slowly win her family over—not hide things from them.

“My parents were already worried about me coming here,” Nan Qiao explained gently. “Before I left, they warned me over and over not to start a relationship while I was here. And now I’ve only just arrived, and I’m already dating someone. I’m afraid they’ll worry more—and they haven’t even met you yet. If I tell them out of the blue, I’m worried they’ll get a bad first impression. And once that happens, it’ll be hard to change. Don’t you think?”

Her soft voice carried a soothing reassurance. Sheng Yanchuan watched as her words gradually eased the tension from his brows, and Nan Qiao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Thank goodness this man is easy to coax, she thought to herself.

“I need to go back now,” Nan Qiao said suddenly, getting up. “I came back early to make dinner. If the others return and see me missing, I won’t be able to explain it.”

She had just taken a couple of steps when Sheng Yanchuan pulled her back.

“You’re leaving just like that?” he asked, holding her and touching his forehead to hers.

“What else would I do?” Right now, Nan Qiao—whose mind was full of dumplings—looked just like a heartless woman ready to leave after taking what she wanted.

“A kiss,” Sheng Yanchuan said, looking at her with dissatisfaction. Her soft, sweet lips had left him craving more.

Nan Qiao rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck. “There, there. Be good.”

And with that, she turned and walked out of the room.

Sheng Yanchuan watched her run off, lips tugging into a smile. He murmured indulgently, “That girl…”

Nan Qiao jogged all the way home. With the time she’d already wasted, making dumplings from scratch was out of the question.

Thinking quickly, she grabbed two jin of pork from the cellar and stored it in her spatial fridge, then took one jin to braise into red-braised pork.

She lit a small fire under the stove, and once it was burning steadily, she placed ready-made buns from her space onto the steamer to warm them up.

With everything prepped, she began cooking the red-braised pork.

Luckily, Shen Nian had no concept of how long it should take to steam buns, and no one else knew when she’d started, so her secret stayed safe.

After setting the pork to simmer, Nan Qiao pulled out a dish of hand-torn cabbage from her space and plated it. Seeing there was still time, she even brewed a pot of sour plum soup.

Once all was done, she finally settled into a lounge chair.

She had barely sat down when Shen Nian came back. The smell of meat filling the courtyard made her feel blissfully happy.

“Qiao Qiao, it’s all done already? That was so fast! I was thinking I could get back early and help you.”

“There wasn’t much to do, so I finished quickly,” Nan Qiao replied, trying to get up to bring out the dishes, but Shen Nian stopped her before she could stand.

“Qiao Qiao, don’t move. You just sit there. I’ll wash my hands, bring out the dishes, and grab the bowls. You’ve done so much already. Let me handle the rest.”

Nan Qiao smiled and relaxed, swaying comfortably in her chair.

Shen Nian laid out the dishes on the table. Looking at the delicious spread, she felt utterly blessed—who would have thought life in the countryside could be this good?

After a moment, she got up and went to her room. There were rustling and clanking sounds coming from inside, and Nan Qiao couldn’t help but call out, “What are you doing? Aren’t you eating?”

There was no answer—just more clattering.

A moment later, Shen Nian emerged.

“Qiao Qiao, this is for you. I got it by chance. Even though you can’t wear it now, my dad said it’s a real treasure. Keep it safe.”

It was a treasure indeed… Nan Qiao looked at the violet jade pendant in Shen Nian’s hand, stunned.

Before transmigrating, she had come from a well-off family. Her mother loved collecting jewelry and jade, so she had been exposed to them from a young age. Even if she wasn’t a certified expert, her eye was far better than most.

“You should keep it for yourself. You can’t wear it now, but it’ll be really valuable in the future,” Nan Qiao said, sincerely trying to refuse.

She truly saw Shen Nian as a friend and didn’t want to take advantage of her.

“No way, Qiao Qiao. You’re going to be my best friend from now on. These came as a pair—one for you, one for me. You have to take it. Otherwise, I’ll feel too guilty eating your food.”

With that, Shen Nian shoved the violet jade pendant into Nan Qiao’s hand, looking thoroughly satisfied as she sat down to eat.

The week passed quickly. Each day consisted of little more than working, eating, and sleeping.

Well—almost.

Ever since the day they became official, Sheng Yanchuan would sneak in through the window every night after Taohua finished her study session with Nan Qiao.

He’d get his hugs and kisses, maybe a playful lift, then slip out the window again. Their relationship progressed at lightning speed.

Although Nan Qiao tried to avoid any public interaction with Sheng Yanchuan during the day…

Of course, not everyone was clueless. Shen Nian, who lived with her, and the Sheng family certainly had their suspicions, but they were tactful enough not to bring it up.

The only ones who didn’t seem to know were the two kids—Taohua and Yaya—and Sheng Yanchuan’s eldest sister-in-law.

After the chicken-leg incident, Nan Qiao had gone out of her way to avoid that woman. And now that she and Sheng Yanchuan were together, she rarely went to the Sheng house at all. If she needed to send something over, she’d just have Taohua pick it up.

She didn’t want to make things difficult for Auntie Xiumei or Sheng Yanchuan.

On the other side, ever since Nan Qiao asked Qin Fang to repay her debt, Qin Fang had gone out of her way to avoid her. Even during work, she’d stay as far away as possible.

With Qin Fang not stirring up trouble, Nan Qiao couldn’t be bothered with her. Things settled into an odd but peaceful balance.

That said, Shen Nian and Li Zhuoran’s gossip sessions revealed that Qin Fang had started picking on Dong Jiayan instead—sometimes even stirring up nonsense in front of Su Mu, which annoyed everyone.

This, in turn, made Dong Jiayan increasingly disgusted with Qin Fang. There was even a trace of venom in her gaze now. Watching her change like this made Wang Yuman feel increasingly distant toward her as well.

But none of that concerned Nan Qiao too much.

Because tomorrow was the day she’d been looking forward to for so long—the town market!

And Second Master Sheng would be waiting for her there…