Wen Tang nodded, “I’ll stay, as long as Gu Yanli doesn’t get involved with the female lead. If he does, I won’t make a scene—I’ll just leave immediately.”  

Chi Yue pocketed the money, “Don’t worry, if you run, I’ll run too. I’ll take all this money with me. I’ll make sure the Lin family knows exactly what kind of person they married.”  

“Everything has its cause and effect. Their karma is me.”  

Wen Tang got excited, threw her arms around Chi Yue, and planted a loud kiss on her forehead. “Truly my one and only bestie! Love you!”  

There was a noise at the door. They turned their heads and saw Gu Yanli standing at the entrance of the main room.  

Wen Tang quickly let go of Chi Yue.  

Then she coughed twice, “Ahem, stop yapping so much from now on,” Wen Tang said, raising a fist. “Or I’ll hit you!”  

With that, she glanced at Gu Yanli by the door and quickly turned to go back to her room.  

Chi Yue immediately put on a stern face and muttered defiantly, “Oh yeah? Don’t run away if you’re so tough!” Then she shot a glance at Gu Yanli and also turned to leave.  

Gu Yanli: “…”  

When he came out of the kitchen, he saw the two of them huddled together. Soon after, his wife’s lips were pressed against his niece-in-law’s forehead. The angle wasn’t great for him, and he wasn’t sure if his wife was kissing or gnawing on her head.  

So he hurried toward the main room, inevitably making some noise with his footsteps.  

Then the two of them quickly separated.  

And then… he thought he saw a trace of a smile lingering on his wife’s lips.  

Maybe he was mistaken. He wasn’t entirely sure.  

Gu Yanli followed his wife back to their room.  

Wen Tang felt guilty. She was afraid Gu Yanli would notice something off between her and Chi Yue. Two people who were supposed to be at odds were suddenly as close as sisters—anyone would find that suspicious.  

What if they got taken away for experimentation?  

Feeling guilty, Wen Tang put on a sweet, ingratiating tone and called out, “Hubby!”  

She even offered a tribute, “Hubby, here!”  

She presented the silver bracelet and hundred yuan from Zhong Meixian to Gu Yanli with both hands.  

On the surface, Wen Tang was all sweet and obedient, but inwardly, she had her own little scheme. If this man took the items, he wouldn’t be a truly good man—his current kindness might just be an act.  

Behind her obedient facade, Wen Tang’s fox tail was already twitching.  

Gu Yanli frowned at the items held out to him. “Mom gave those to her daughter-in-law. No need to give them to me.”  

Gu Yanli’s inner thoughts: Is my wife unhappy with the amount? Or is she hinting at something?

After all, his mother had given so much on the first day. As her husband, shouldn’t he…  

Gu Yanli suddenly remembered—his salary.  

Thinking of this, he immediately turned around. “Wait for me a moment.”  

Thanks to the money matter, Gu Yanli indeed forgot about the earlier incident where she seemed to have kissed his niece-in-law.  

Gu Yanli quickly retrieved a large metal box from a dark-red lacquered wooden chest and brought it to Wen Tang.  

His grip on the box tightened slightly, and his voice carried a hint of nervousness. “Inside this… is my salary and some ration coupons. You… take it.” He shoved the box directly into Wen Tang’s arms.  

Once the box was handed over, Gu Yanli let out a sigh of relief.  

Thankfully, his wife accepted it.  

If she hadn’t, it would’ve meant she wasn’t serious about staying with him.  

“Oof,” Wen Tang gasped as the box bumped into her.  

Gu Yanli’s relief vanished instantly. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Tang clutched the metal box with one hand while pressing the other against her chest, her eyes misty with unshed tears. “What’s wrong?” she asked, though the answer was obvious.  

Gu Yanli immediately reached out to take the items from her hands.  

He tried to take the metal box first, but after two firm tugs, it didn’t budge.  

Because he had bumped into her hard enough to make her eyes water, he had deliberately held back his strength. When the first tug didn’t work, he assumed he had been too cautious, so he increased his effort on the second try—still no luck. Gu Yanli lifted his gaze to look at her.  

Wen Tang’s eyes were still watery, but hidden within that misty gaze was a hint of guilt.  

Gu Yanli didn’t try to take the items from her again. She clearly didn’t want to let go of the metal box she had just gotten her hands on, and the other hand held the silver bracelet and cash—there was no way he was prying that loose.  

Forcing them away would probably only result in those misty tears turning into golden droplets.  

Instead of trying to take the items, Gu Yanli went straight for the buttons of her collar.  

“Hubby, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”  

“We’re married.”  

“But… it’s still daytime, and the bed is broken.”  

Gu Yanli: “…”  

His fingers, gripping the edge of her clothes, turned white at the knuckles—evidence of how hard he was restraining himself.  

“…I’m checking if you got hurt from the bump earlier,” he said, his voice as calm as he could manage, though his joints practically creaked from the effort.  

“Oh! Right, I… I was thinking the same thing. Yeah, exactly!” Wen Tang declared loudly, as if trying to convince both him and herself.  

Gu Yanli lowered his eyes to hide his amusement and hummed in acknowledgment. “Mm.”  

Then, one by one, he undid the buttons at her collar. What greeted him first was a expanse of fair, unblemished skin—followed by the scattered bruises marring it.  

At night, under dim lighting, Gu Yanli hadn’t noticed anything amiss. But now, in broad daylight, the sight of those blue-and-purple marks against Wen Tang’s snow-white skin made him feel like an absolute beast.  

He had ravaged this delicate girl to such a state.  

Among those bruises, however, was a fresh red mark—clearly from just moments ago.  

Gu Yanli’s long, strong fingers lightly traced over it, barely touching, yet he could already sense the texture—smooth and silky, like a piece of milk pudding.  

At first, his fingers only brushed the red mark, but then they began to explore further, venturing to the older bruises, and then…  

“…Mmm, it’s not even dark yet—”  

“Mmph!”  

For most of the process, Wen Tang’s mouth was effectively sealed.  

Gu Yanli’s gaze never left her. Apart from the veins in his neck standing out and his breathing growing heavier, his expression remained as unreadable as ever.  

He was like an unstoppable, emotionless machine.  

Not that Wen Tang had the presence of mind to notice—she was too busy being thoroughly overwhelmed.  

By the time it was over, another bedsheet needed washing.  

And the bed had shifted even farther from the bench.  

Wen Tang didn’t leave the room for the rest of the afternoon—this time, her legs were genuinely too weak.  

Luckily, there was nothing else she needed to do.  

Gu Yanli changed the bedsheet.  

Gu Yanli washed the bedsheet.  

He even brought in the water for her to clean herself.  

After hanging the freshly washed sheet outside, Gu Yanli came back in and said, “I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”  

“Mm,” Wen Tang responded, her face still flushed.  

Wen Tang thought to herself that if Gu Yanli ever became her ex-husband in the future, she would definitely label him as the “Most Satisfactory Ex-Husband Ever.”  

Satisfactory looks? Check.  

Satisfactory physique? Check.  

Satisfactory… performance? Check.  

Stamina? Also check.  

Yep, straight S-tier all around.  

By the time Gu Yanli returned with the new bed, it wasn’t even dark yet.  

Villagers who saw him pulling the new bed couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Yanli, why’d you buy another new bed?”  

“Who else in your family is getting married?”