Chapter 10

Lu Jingzhe walked into the room and saw Xia Qingning sitting on the chair, her head slightly lowered, diligently sewing something. As he got closer, he realized it was his clothes.

The light shone on her fair, delicate profile, like a soft glow, delicate and gentle.

Because Xia Qingning hadn’t gone with him to the military base, he hadn’t applied for a family housing unit and had been living in the army’s collective dormitory. The dormitory was full of big men, and the life was rough. Now, walking into a room and seeing a petite woman quietly sitting there sewing his clothes, he felt a little unaccustomed.

Xia Qingning also noticed Lu Jingzhe coming in. He didn’t speak, and she continued with her work. In a short while, she had finished sewing all the buttons. She folded the clothes neatly and handed them to Lu Jingzhe, saying:

“A button came off. I sewed it back on for you.”

Lu Jingzhe took the clothes and politely said “Thank you,” then put them in the closet. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Xia Qingning and asked:

“Do they often bully you?”

Hmm, he knows how to show concern. It seems this relationship can still be salvaged.

“Not often,” Xia Qingning said softly.

Lu Jingzhe’s heart just started to feel a little at ease after hearing his words, but then he heard her say:

“Just a few times a day.”

Lu Jingzhe: …

After a long time, Lu Jingzhe finally spoke up and asked:

“Did you fall into the river accidentally today?”

He hadn’t thought about it that way originally, but when he came back today, he saw many people bullying and humiliating her. She was so soft-natured, so he wondered if she might have been overwhelmed and done something stupid.

How could Xia Qingning answer that? Could she say that a man was trying to assault her and she jumped into the river in a panic? Thinking about how the original owner had actually gone out to eat and watch a movie with that director Liao, if this matter was to be made public, and the cause and effect were investigated, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“Yeah, I fell in accidentally.” Xia Qingning nodded and said.

Seeing her hesitant expression, Lu Jingzhe was dubious. Although he was angry with Xia Qingning in his heart, he had never thought of her being harmed.

“If anyone bullies you again, you just curse back at them. Don’t be so submissive.” Lu Jingzhe continued to look at her and said, “If someone tries to touch you, you just… run.”

He had originally wanted to say, “Just hit back,” but after seeing her small frame, he changed his mind.

Xia Qingning chuckled. She thought he was going to teach her some amazing method, but it turned out he was just telling her to run.

After laughing, she looked at Lu Jingzhe and nodded in agreement, saying:

“I know.”

At that moment, Lu Jingzhe realized that Xia Qingning actually looked very beautiful when she smiled. Her eyes were bright and full of vitality, like the rising sun he saw after training every morning.

If he were training soldiers in the army, he would say, “If you can’t win, keep practicing until you can.” But this was a frail girl, with barely an ounce of flesh on her bones. How could she practice?

He quickly realized that his idea of “running” wasn’t very wise. If she couldn’t fight, could she outrun them?

Now, he suddenly understood why Xia Qingning’s personality was so soft. If she couldn’t win in a fight, and couldn’t fight back, and no one supported her, wouldn’t she have no choice but to be soft?

Lu Jingzhe didn’t continue this topic. Instead, he looked at Xia Qingning and asked:

“Do you have an extra blanket?”

Xia Qingning thought he didn’t want to share a blanket with her. She didn’t want to share a blanket with him either. Sleeping in the same bed with a man she didn’t know well was somewhat awkward. So, she quickly said:

“Yes.”

Then she turned around and took a blanket out of the wooden chest. This era was popular for large cotton blankets with peonies on them. This was one. Xia Qingning was about to put it on the bed when Lu Jingzhe took it from her hand and said in a deep voice:

“I’ll sleep in Dad’s room tonight.”

As soon as Xia Qingning heard this, her heart sank. He still didn’t want to sleep here. If he refused to share a room with her tomorrow, it would spread throughout the entire courtyard. He Shanshan and Zhao Cuilan would make fun of her until she died. No, she couldn’t let him leave.

She held onto the blanket, refusing to let go. She tried to squeeze out tears, but after thinking of all the sad things, she still couldn’t cry. Oh, it seemed she still needed to practice acting.

“Can’t you just sleep here?” She tried to make her voice sound as fragile as possible. Afraid that he would misunderstand, she quickly explained, “I mean, just sleep, each with our own blanket, and we won’t do anything else.”

Lu Jingzhe saw that she wouldn’t let go and didn’t forcefully pull the blanket away, but he didn’t intend to stay either. They just stood there, locked in a stalemate.

After a long stalemate, Xia Qingning thought for a moment and decided to just tell him directly:

“You saw how they treated me today. If they know that we didn’t sleep in the same room tonight, I don’t know what kind of gossip they’ll spread.”

After hearing this, Lu Jingzhe’s expression softened slightly, but considering her past, he still didn’t agree.

Seeing that acting fragile and pitiful didn’t work, Xia Qingning started to analyze the situation for Lu Jingzhe:

“You’re sleeping in Dad’s room tonight. Where will you sleep tomorrow when Dad comes back?” After analyzing, she quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’m very well-behaved when I sleep…”

“Well-behaved?” Lu Jingzhe heard this and the old fire in his heart instantly burned up. He couldn’t help but sneer, “You mean, well-behaved enough to sleep in someone else’s bed in the middle of the night?”

These words were really hurtful. Xia Qingning felt truly wronged this time. She was a college student, she hadn’t done anything wrong, and she had inexplicably transmigrated into a book. She just wanted to live a better life in this world, and she was already so miserable. Why did she have to be repeatedly humiliated for the “climbing into bed” incident?

And she couldn’t explain it. After all, the original owner was found in Lu Jingzhe’s bed, and Wang Mingfang and the others had done it flawlessly. She had told the truth last time, but no one believed her. Now, Lu Jingzhe had no trust in her. If she told him again, he would only think she was lying and trying to evoke sympathy, and he would hate her even more!

She couldn’t cry earlier, but now, tears streamed down her face. Her hands lost their strength, and she unconsciously let go.

Feeling Xia Qingning release her grip, Lu Jingzhe held the blanket and was about to walk out. As he turned his head, he saw her wiping her tears. She wasn’t crying out loud, but tears were just falling down, one by one, making her look truly pitiful.

Seeing her like this, Lu Jingzhe’s feet couldn’t move. He realized that his words had been harsh. What was the difference between his actions and those who bullied her?

He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and put the blanket back on the bed. He said in a deep voice:

“Alright, stop crying. I’ll sleep here.”