Chapter 76: The Pitiful Female Supporting Character from a Patriarchal Family in the 2000s (23)

In the past, during New Year’s, Mother Ye had been focused on building her career and running her business.

Because her cooking skills were not great, there were even years when she just bought dumplings to make do.

Because Ai Xiaoling was coming, Mother Ye specially learned a few hard dishes and made a big table of food.

Ai Xiaoling had originally adjusted her mindset, but being treated so formally made her feel a little nervous again.

The second and third floors above the building materials shop had also been newly renovated. She had clearly lived here for a year or two, but coming again this time made it feel somewhat unfamiliar.

At the dining table, “Xiaoling, eat more.” Mother Ye could not hide her happiness in her eyes. “Don’t be polite, it’s your own home anyway.”

Ye Zhou changed the topic. “Mom, eat.”

“Peel a shrimp for Xiaoling.” Mother Ye gave Ye Zhou a look and even kicked him under the table.

Ye Zhou: “…..”

Ai Xiaoling: “Aunt Ye, I can do it myself.”

“Listen to Mom. Don’t feel sorry for men. Men are meant to be used.” Mother Ye said seriously to Ai Xiaoling.

That word “Mom” came from her mouth so naturally.

Ai Xiaoling: “……”

During the meal, Mother Ye kept talking. Looking at Ai Xiaoling, her mouth was about to grin to the back of her ears.

Ye Zhou spoke little. He silently gave Ai Xiaoling food and peeled shrimp for her. Many times, he looked at Mother Ye, hoping she would talk less.

Instead, it was Ai Xiaoling who followed Mother Ye’s topics and chatted casually, keeping the atmosphere harmonious.

Outside the house, firecrackers and fireworks sounds occasionally rang out. The air was also filled with the smell of fireworks.

Before Ye Zhou sent Ai Xiaoling back, Mother Ye gave her a big red envelope.

It was a very thick red envelope. As soon as Ai Xiaoling saw that the amount was not right, she firmly refused to accept it.

“It’s New Year,” Mother Ye held her hand and gave her the red envelope. “If word gets out, others will say our family has no manners.”

“But—”

“No buts. You bought me so many supplements. That must have cost a lot.” Mother Ye patted the back of her hand. “Be good.”

“Just take it.” Ye Zhou walked over, reached out, and put his arm around Ai Xiaoling’s shoulder.

Ai Xiaoling had no choice but to accept it.

Then Mother Ye brought out a gold bracelet and put it on her wrist. “This is a meeting gift from Mom. This one you must take.”

“Aunt Ye—”

“Look how good it looks on you.” Mother Ye would not let her take it off.

……

When Ai Xiaoling came out of the Ye house, she had a big red envelope and a gold bracelet on her wrist.

Mother Ye had considered that young girls might not like pure gold, so she bought rose gold instead. The design was fashionable and good-looking.

Ai Xiaoling looked at the red envelope. A thick stack of one-hundred-yuan bills plus one yuan. It should be ten thousand and one. Holding so much money made her feel uneasy, and she wanted to give it to Ye Zhou.

“You give it to me, and I’ll end up giving it back to you anyway. It’s not a big deal,” Ye Zhou said and added, “Anyway, it can’t be returned. Just keep it.”

He had already given all his money to her.

Ye Zhou drove Ai Xiaoling back to the supermarket. When they were about to reach the intersection, she saw Lu Hui holding hands with Ai Xiaofen at the entrance of the supermarket and immediately said, “Don’t drive over yet. Let’s go for a ride?”

They must not disturb the two of them.

Ye Zhou understood and turned the steering wheel to go around the supermarket.

The streets during the New Year were very quiet. Ai Xiaoling listened to the soft music inside the car and looked out the window.

After driving around, Ye Zhou drove into the parking lot under his company building. He could not bear to part with her and wanted to find a place to spend some time alone with her.

Ai Xiaoling naturally understood. After the car stopped, she reached out to show him her new bracelet. “Is it pretty?”

Ye Zhou pulled her hand over and looked at it seriously for a few seconds. “It looks good. It fits just right.”

She smiled. Looking at Ye Zhou’s handsome face, she suddenly leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Then she smiled with her eyes curved like crescents.

Ye Zhou wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lips.

Inside the small car, the space was enclosed and private. The atmosphere grew ambiguous.

Ye Zhou turned off the car. It was completely dark inside. Ai Xiaoling was naturally bold. In the end, she sat on his lap. Noticing his body tense up, she let out a low chuckle.

She raised her slender arms, wrapped them around Ye Zhou’s neck, and nestled in his arms. She felt his warm body heat, and his breath all around her made her feel inexplicably safe and at ease.

Ai Xiaoling really cherished the time spent with him. She always felt it was one of the few sources of warmth she could feel.

He was a really good person.

So passionate and sincere.

Ye Zhou hugged her tightly, pulling her closer to his chest, and asked softly, “Do you have any plans for the next few days?”

She shook her head.

“I want to take you out for a trip,” Ye Zhou said.

“Where to?” She became interested.

“Out of province. Just pick a random city and take you on a vacation.”

Ai Xiaoling’s eyes lit up instantly. When she found out they would fly there, she smiled and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest, rubbing back and forth. “Why are you so good?”

She had never been out of province, nor flown on a plane.

Even in her past life, when she worked outside the province, Ai Xiaoling sent all her money back home. In order to save money, she could even endure riding a hard seat for several days and nights.

She had casually mentioned before that she had never flown on a plane. And Ye Zhou was going to take her.

Ye Zhou looked at her, his eyes gentle. “Shall we go to City B?”

“Anywhere is fine!” Ai Xiaoling nodded. She had just wanted to say something more when she sensed someone approaching.

Their posture was quite bold. She was even sitting on Ye Zhou’s lap. As soon as she saw someone coming, she immediately buried her head in his arms.

The voices of people talking outside the car grew closer and closer. Ai Xiaoling buried her head lower and lower.

“It’s He Wenlei.” Ye Zhou lowered his voice.

“?” Ai Xiaoling seemed to realize something and suddenly raised her head to look out the window.

Outside the car, He Wenlei was holding hands with another man. The two of them were chatting and laughing the whole time, their gestures close and intimate.

Ai Xiaoling’s heart skipped a beat. Her first reaction was to look at Ye Zhou.

After all, this was a small place, and in this era, this kind of relationship was quite shocking.

Ye Zhou’s expression didn’t change. After a while, he said, “They’re gone.”

“Aren’t you shocked?” Ai Xiaoling couldn’t help asking when she saw his lack of reaction.

That day when she saw it, her mind went blank for a moment, and then she hurried to hide, afraid that He Wenlei would see her.

“It’s alright.” Ye Zhou stroked her smooth hair. “I don’t really care about others.”

He even thought it was quite good.

At least that was one less person who might have feelings for his girlfriend.

“You can’t tell anyone about this. It’s not good for him.” After discovering this secret, Ai Xiaoling hadn’t breathed a word and was determined to keep it.

Ye Zhou seriously told her, “There are probably already quite a few people who know.”

“?” Ai Xiaoling widened her eyes, looking very disbelieving.

Ye Zhou was amused by her cute expression. “It’s a small place. As long as they go out together, news spreads quickly. Besides, he should have already been mentally prepared.”

Ye Zhou was indeed right. News about He Wenlei quickly reached Wang Dazhou’s ears, and Wang Dazhou came to gossip with Ai Xiaoling, asking if she knew the man.

Of course, Ai Xiaoling didn’t know. She even tried to subtly express concern for He Wenlei.

He admitted it very openly and frankly.

He Wenlei even told Ai Xiaoling that due to his partner’s job, the two of them had decided to move to a big city to develop their future, and they were also planning to go abroad to get married.

Ai Xiaoling gave them her blessings.

With the exposure of this matter, all the rumors between Ai Xiaoling and He Wenlei were completely cleared up. Everyone sighed with emotion, realizing that her feelings for Ye Zhou had never changed.

No wonder Ye Zhou doted on her so much.

On the third day of the New Year.

Ye Zhou and Ai Xiaoling boarded a plane to City B.

It was Ai Xiaoling’s first time flying, and she was especially excited. Ye Zhou deliberately chose a window seat for her. She looked at the view outside with a face full of curiosity and wonder.

After watching for a while, she became sleepy from waking up too early. She leaned against Ye Zhou’s shoulder and fell asleep.

Before sleeping, Ai Xiaoling still had to hold Ye Zhou’s hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

She slept soundly while Ye Zhou kept gazing at her sleeping face from time to time, the corners of his lips curved in a smile, his eyes warm and affectionate.

After they arrived in City B, the trip didn’t go smoothly.

The weather forecast was inaccurate. It was cloudy and rainy. The weather was bad, making it impossible to go out and play.

Since it was a rare New Year holiday, they couldn’t just stay in the hotel. Ye Zhou suggested changing to another city.

Ai Xiaoling naturally agreed, so the two of them went to the nearby City A.

City A was sunny and clear with blue skies. There were luxurious shopping malls and several famous scenic spots.

Ye Zhou took Ai Xiaoling to the aquarium, then found a restaurant on a high floor of a hotel to eat. When it came time to get a room, he still booked two separate rooms.

Because of the rushed itinerary, Ai Xiaoling fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

The next day, the two of them went to a tropical rainforest. After hiking for a whole day, they found out that the return buses were very few and they had already missed the departure time.

There was a hotel at the foot of the mountain. Ai Xiaoling was so tired that she didn’t even want to walk to the hotel. She stood still, frowning and stomping her feet twice.

Ye Zhou laughed and took a step back, then crouched down in front of her.

She had used this trick several times today.

Halfway up the mountain, she had already asked him to carry her on his back.

Carry her he did. He was completely willing.

When Ai Xiaoling saw Ye Zhou crouch down, her face lit up with joy, and she jumped onto his back.

Ye Zhou carried her to the hotel entrance. She was afraid of being seen, so she shyly got off his back.

The hotel was expensive, several times the price of one in the city, and there was only one big bedroom left.

Ye Zhou hesitated, thinking of checking the next hotel. Ai Xiaoling didn’t think much about it. She was afraid the room would be gone soon, so she quickly said, “Then book this one for us.”

Ai Xiaoling took the room card. Once she entered the room, she collapsed on the sofa from exhaustion.

To get to bed earlier, she forced herself to get up and take a shower.

As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Ye Zhou sat on the sofa, his gaze wandering, his mouth dry.

He opened the bottled water on the table and drank big gulps.

When Ai Xiaoling came out after showering, Ye Zhou had already drunk two bottles of water. She even wanted him to help blow-dry her hair, but Ye Zhou picked up his pajamas and went into the bathroom.

Ye Zhou took a very long shower.

When he came out, he thought Ai Xiaoling had already fallen asleep. Unexpectedly, she was leaning against the headboard. When she saw him come out, she yawned while covering her mouth. “You took so long in the shower.”

After she spoke, she reached out her hand to him. “Come here.”

The desire Ye Zhou had just managed to suppress suddenly surged up again, even stronger than before.

Seeing that he didn’t move, Ai Xiaoling was puzzled and continued beckoning him, her voice soft and sweet. “Come here—”

She trusted Ye Zhou completely. After all, the two of them had already been that close in the car many times, and nothing had happened.

So, of course, it would be the same in the room.

In the end, Ye Zhou still walked over. “Weren’t you sleepy? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I am a bit sleepy, but my legs are weak. I can’t sleep.” Ai Xiaoling lightly patted her legs and smiled at him. “I want you to give me a massage.”

Ye Zhou: “……”

“Really, they feel so weak.” Ai Xiaoling’s delicate face wrinkled up. “They’re sore and soft. I can’t sleep at all.”

Ye Zhou sighed. In the end, he still got on the bed, placed her legs on his thighs, and lowered his head to carefully massage them. “Your legs will probably feel sore and weak for two days. Let’s not go too far tomorrow. We will return to the city center.”

“Okay.” Ai Xiaoling responded while also directing him, “A little higher. Use more strength.”

Ye Zhou followed her instructions. “Go to sleep. It’s getting late.”

Ai Xiaoling closed her eyes and did not speak again.

Ye Zhou thought she had fallen asleep. He let out a breath and quietly put her legs down.

The restlessness in his body was intense. After abstaining for a long time, he suddenly felt a craving for cigarettes.

Just as Ye Zhou was about to get out of bed, Ai Xiaoling suddenly turned over with her eyes closed. She opened them pitifully, lay on the bed, and kicked the blanket with her feet. “So annoying. I can’t fall asleep, I can’t fall asleep—”

“Why can’t you sleep again? Weren’t you tired?” Ye Zhou sat back down.

“I can’t sleep!!!” Ai Xiaoling sat up angrily. Her eyebrows were almost twisted together.

Ye Zhou moved closer and hugged her.

Ai Xiaoling’s irritation eased a lot. She nestled softly in his arms, her voice full of grievance. “I can’t sleep. What should I do?”

“Maybe you’re too tired.” Ye Zhou comforted her and patted her back.

“Mm—”

Ye Zhou hugged her and lay down, pulling the blanket over them both, then turned off all the lights.

Ai Xiaoling raised her head in his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her, then reached out to gently cover her eyes. “It’s very late. Go to sleep now.”

Actually, he couldn’t sleep either, but if she didn’t sleep, he definitely couldn’t sleep.

Ye Zhou removed his hand. Ai Xiaoling didn’t open her eyes but leaned closer and bit his chin.

“……”

She quieted down for a while, seemingly trying to fall asleep.

After a long time with no success, Ai Xiaoling gave up struggling and began to squirm in his arms. She lifted her head and said, “You smell really nice.” After speaking, she buried her head into his neck and sniffed.

Her breath sprayed directly on his skin, making his heart itch. Ye Zhou tensed all over. His mind was like a tangled rope, a mess with no clear thoughts.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and let her fuss.

Ai Xiaoling was very obsessed with the scent on Ye Zhou’s body. She thought it smelled good and felt safe.

“Hiss—”

Ai Xiaoling suddenly bit his collarbone. It wasn’t painful, but a surge of electricity spread through his entire body. Ye Zhou’s mind went blank for a moment, and he couldn’t help but let out a sound.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to stop her, in the end, he only patted her head and gently persuaded, “Time to sleep.”

Ai Xiaoling whimpered a few more times, then bit him again, even more excessively this time, sucking for a while.

She even openly told him she wanted to give him a love bite.

Just as she was feeling proud and about to release him, Ye Zhou leaned down and kissed her, continuously taking the air from her mouth.

He was rarely this aggressive. Only when Ai Xiaoling could barely breathe did he reluctantly let go. His dark eyes were filled with restraint as he looked at her beneath him.

With their breaths entwined and eyes locked, Ai Xiaoling’s cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were filled with allure as she gazed at him.

Ye Zhou pressed his lips together. His hands, placed on either side of her body, clenched into fists. In the end, reason triumphed over desire. He lowered his head and pecked her eyes and brows, then prepared to get up.

The next second, Ai Xiaoling hooked her arms around his neck, tilted her head up, and kissed his lips again, taking the initiative.