Chapter 7

He stood with his arms crossed, and no one knew how long he had been listening.

Under the dim yellow light, nearly half of his face was swallowed by shadows.

By rights, Zhao Yunsheng shouldn’t have been able to see his expression—but somehow, she could feel the warning aura he was giving off.

Pei Hechuan was tall and handsome, a rising star among men.

Everything about him was good—except he was incredibly jealous.

Zhao Yunsheng knew this all too well.

Whenever she got a little too close to He Dali, life afterward would be anything but easy.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her voice trembled slightly. She pinched the palm of her hand to steady herself and bit her teeth to finish speaking.

“…Although our hearts are honest, since neither of us is married, people are bound to gossip. For the sake of your reputation, it’s better for us to keep our distance. It’s getting late, so He Ge, you should head home.”

She said it quickly and decisively, then shut the door.

Leaning against the doorway, her mind was filled with the image of Pei Hechuan’s dark eyes.

Her heart pounded wildly; she was clearly shaken.

Not just her—sitting on the sofa at home, Deng Lijun was also on edge, silently sweating for fear that his boss would get angry and take it out on him.

Luckily, Zhao Yunsheng had refused in time.

“Commander, come in and sit! It’s windy outside—you don’t want to catch a cold.”

Her busy mother, Qin Feng, hurriedly brought the dishes to the table, wiping her hands on her apron before giving Deng Lijun a slight shove.

“You! Sitting there like a bump on a log! Go invite Commander Pei in.”

Deng Lijun laughed and quickly got up.

He lifted the curtain and stepped outside, glancing at Pei Hechuan.

“Commander, want to come in and warm up?”

Pei Hechuan’s deep gaze landed on the tightly closed door next door, then flicked toward the hot pot on the Deng family’s stove, hinting at something as he asked:

“With so much food, can we finish it all?”

Having spent time with him, Deng Lijun could read his mind perfectly.

He straightened up and called out: “How could we finish it all? If not, we’ll just invite a couple more people. Commander, you go in first—I’ll go get Xiaoyu and the others.”

Only then was Pei Hechuan satisfied. He nodded thoughtfully and turned to enter.

Deng Lijun rubbed his hands and went to knock on the neighboring door. No matter what he said, Zhao Yunsheng refused to come out, so he had to ask his younger sister Deng Xiaotong for help.

“Xiaotong, go get Zhao to come over for dinner! We live in the same yard, and I see that their stove is cold—better let them come and share a meal.”

Deng Xiaotong, surprised to see her brother, leapt up happily.

“Brother, you’re back? Didn’t Mom say you’ve been busy lately?”

Deng Lijun ignored her question. “I heard from Mom that you and Zhao are close. Go get her—that’s your mission. Finish it, and I’ll buy you a radio.”

Xiaotong’s eyes lit up. She immediately parked her bike by the wall, her round face full of excitement.

“Really? You can’t go back on your word! I’ll go get Yunsheng right now.”

Always straightforward, she didn’t question his motives. She knocked on Zhao Yunsheng’s door, grabbed Yuanbao, and headed next door.

Zhao Yunsheng was wary. Knowing Pei Hechuan was already at their house, she didn’t dare walk into a trap.

“Xiaotong, I really won’t go. Yuanbao and I have already eaten.”

But Xiaotong wouldn’t let her off. “What did you eat? Just noodles you made? Yunsheng, I’m not kidding—your cooking is terrible. Don’t make poor little Yuanbao suffer.”

She pinched the little one’s cheeks and teased,

“Yuanbao, do you want some of Grandma Qin’s steamed egg custard?”

Yuanbao’s mouth watered, but he obediently refused, despite wanting it.

“I don’t want it.”

Xiaotong didn’t believe him. “Little glutton, don’t lie! Don’t be afraid of your mom—Auntie is here, she wouldn’t dare scold you. If I say you want it, then you want it.”

Her voice was loud; soon the entire yard could hear.

Meanwhile, the He family was eating. Liu Yuetao snorted and glanced at the restless He Dali, sarcastically saying,

“I say, Qin Feng lets anyone into her house. Don’t let wolves in! I heard Yunsheng went on a blind date with Deng Lijun this afternoon. Shameless! A country girl with a kid—how could she deserve our Dali? Dali is a company commander, young and promising—she couldn’t even dream of him!”

He Dali, already in a bad mood from being rejected, finally got some anger. Normally a quiet kid, he now snapped back.

“Auntie! Could you say less?”

He slammed his chopsticks on the table, losing all appetite.

“Don’t talk nonsense about Yunsheng. Even if she has a kid, so what? She rejected me, not the other way around!”

Liu Yuetao was caught off guard, almost dropping her bowl.

“You little brat, you…”

“I’m done eating. You eat by yourself.”

Fuming, he stormed out without even putting on his coat.

Liu Yuetao, left alone, also lost her appetite. She looked at her nearly untouched food, pinning all her frustration on Zhao Yunsheng.

It was all that girl’s fault!

The more she thought, the angrier she got. Looking up, she noticed that her son hadn’t taken his coat, so she hurried after him.

“Dali, why aren’t you wearing your coat?”

By now, He Dali was gone.

Feeling wronged, Liu Yuetao started crying. Seeing the Deng family’s lively scene across the yard, she cursed:

“Have fun! Go ahead and enjoy yourselves! But when your son is taken by that little wretch, let’s see how much fun you have then!”

Meanwhile, Qin Feng sneezed. Rubbing her nose, she wondered if she was coming down with a cold.

Peeking outside, she saw Zhao Yunsheng and smiled.

“Yunsheng, come in! Haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

She then instructed her husband, Deng Qinglin, who was about to pour wine:

“Don’t pour wine, old Deng. Commander Pei drove here; he doesn’t drink. Just pour some juice. And get the milk out for little Yuanbao.”

She took the unopened wine from his hands, holding it awkwardly as she explained to Pei Hechuan.

“Commander Pei shouldn’t mind two extra people, right? Yunsheng lives right across from us and is close with Xiaotong. She’s young, widowed, raising her child alone—it’s not easy. We like to help whenever we can.”

At her words, Pei Hechuan’s expression, previously calm, turned grim.

His brow furrowed, and his gaze darkened dangerously.

Qin Feng jumped slightly. Pei Hechuan truly commanded respect, having been on the battlefield despite his young age.

Was he perhaps not fond of crowds? Should they let Yunsheng and her mother go back first and later bring the food over just for them?