Chapter 26 : Isn’t God playing a trick on her?

Zhou Tingyue smiled helplessly.  

“I swear, I will never abandon you in this lifetime. If I ever have such thoughts, may I be struck by lightning!”  

Hearing him make such a harsh vow, Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin suddenly felt a little guilty.  

“Dad, we… we didn’t mean it like that…”  

Zhou Tingyue understood that the children were just feeling insecure.  

He knew where they were coming from.  

It was already late, so he led the children back to their rooms and tucked them in for the night.  

Then, he returned to the bedroom with Song Shiwei.  

The two of them lay side by side in bed, but no matter how they tried, things could never return to how they were before.  

Zhou Tingyue pulled Song Shiwei into his arms, gazed at her for a long moment, and finally placed a light kiss on her lips.  

“It’s late. Go to sleep.”  

Song Shiwei saw the unease in his eyes.  

After tonight, he must have finally realized just how sensitive the children were about their marriage.  

Silently, she reached under the blanket and held his hand.  

She pursed her lips and said softly,  

“Don’t worry. The children’s fears will fade with time. Time can heal everything. I’ll show them that I’m not the wicked stepmother they imagine me to be.”  

Hearing her words, Zhou Tingyue felt a pang of heartache.  

He gently rubbed her head with his large hand, his gaze filled with deep, indescribable emotion.  

“I’m sorry for putting you through all of this.”  

Song Shiwei nestled into his neck, inhaling the faint scent of soapberry on his skin, and shook her head.  

“No, don’t think that way.”  

Holding her tightly in his arms, Zhou Tingyue felt warmth spread through his heart.  

His little girl was so kind, so understanding it made him ache for her.  

That first night on the island, the two of them did nothing more than cuddle, sleeping in each other’s arms until morning.  

—  

At dawn, Song Shiwei slowly woke up.  

Reaching toward the bedside, she realized Zhou Tingyue was no longer there.  

She sat up, still groggy, her forehead damp with sweat.  

Her hands unconsciously clenched the bedsheets beneath her.  

She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but the moment she did, she began to dream.  

And in that dream, all the scenes from the book she had once read came flooding back.  

It played over and over in her mind, like a movie reel she couldn’t turn off.  

If it had been just the storyline, she wouldn’t have been so shaken.  

But what truly terrified her was that this time, the dream focused on a few particular people.  

Names she was all too familiar with—  

Zhou Cheng. Zhou Lin. Zhou Wei. Zhou Xinxin.  

In the dream or rather, in the book the children had grown up.  

Zhou Cheng started out as a trader. After making some money, he moved south and opened his own company. But his greed grew little by little, and he eventually colluded with customs officers to engage in illegal smuggling. He became the key figure in one of the biggest smuggling cases of the time and was ultimately imprisoned for fraud.  

Zhou Lin became a small-time gangster, getting involved in vandalism, theft, and robbery. Later, he fled to Yuecheng and established himself as the leader of a notorious local gang. His crimes escalated, and he was eventually sentenced to death by firing squad for multiple homicides.  

As for Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin, their fate wasn’t much better.  

In order to make money, they went south to join Zhou Lin, engaging in honey-trap schemes to lure in wealthy victims.  

In the end, all four of them ended up in prison.  

Thinking about the tragic fates of the four children, Song Shiwei’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.  

But what terrified her the most—  

Was that in her dream, Zhou Tingyue never remarried.  

For the sake of his four children, he remained single his entire life.  

And in the end.  

He was driven to death by them.  

Her entire body shuddered.  

This was too terrifying!  

Was fate playing a cruel joke on her?

I thought I was about to start a good life, but suddenly, my children turned out to be the biggest villains in this book!  

And Zhou Tingyue ended up with a tragic fate!  

I seriously suspect that the author of this book must have had a screw loose!  

How could such a plot even exist? Isn’t this a classic case of good intentions going unrewarded?  

Song Shiwei furrowed her brows tightly, worry clouding her face.  

But then suddenly a bright light flashed in her mind.  

She realized something crucial.  

Since she had already married Zhou Tingyue, the plot must have long deviated from its original course.  

Which meant… the storyline wasn’t unchangeable!  

And perhaps just perhaps she herself was the biggest variable in the entire plot!  

Maybe, with her around, the ending could turn out differently?  

The children were still young, which meant there was still time to change their fates!  

Yes! Everything could still be turned around!  

At the very least, she still had confidence in Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin.  

Especially Xinxin, she was just a sweet little girl. Right now, she wasn’t as emotionally troubled as her brothers.  

Song Shiwei was determined to take good care of her!  

With newfound energy, she got up and tidied herself up.  

Zhou Tingyue had likely already gone to work with the team, and the children were still asleep.  

She fixed the stove, added some coal, and went to wash up first.  

After that, she started preparing breakfast.  

She made some egg pancakes and a pot of cornmeal porridge.  

It would have been even better if she had some pickled mustard greens, then the egg pancakes would be even more delicious.  

Unfortunately, she didn’t have any for now. But since Qilian Island was, after all, an island, and she had grown up by the sea, she planned to head to the beach after lunch.  

There was bound to be plenty of good stuff to find there!  

There were two eggs left in the cupboard, a gift from the sister-in-law next door. She cracked them both into a bowl.  

This time, she used white flour to make the pancakes and chopped some green onions from the small vegetable patch in front of the house.  

A sprinkle of salt and a bit of five-spice powder and the flavor would be incredible!  

Once the pan was hot, she brushed a thin layer of oil on the bottom.  

When the oil was heated, she quickly scooped a spoonful of batter into the pan with one hand.  

Then she lifted the pan and swirled it around to spread the batter evenly.  

Soon, a perfectly round omelet formed!  

And with it an irresistible aroma filled the air!  

The mouthwatering scent drifted into the rooms, waking Zhou Cheng and the others.  

When he walked out, he saw the woman standing in the kitchen, making breakfast.  

The delicious smell was coming from the pan in front of her.  

It smelled so good!  

Even he had to admit, this woman could cook.  

Song Shiwei noticed him right away, but because of her dream earlier that morning, she felt a strange sense of detachment when she looked at Zhou Cheng.  

It was hard for her to believe that this boy standing in front of her would one day become that kind of person.  

But then she felt relieved.  

If she was here, she would make sure to straighten the tree before it grew crooked!  

She turned to him with a smile.  

“You’re awake. Hurry up and tell your brothers and sisters to get up. We’re having egg pancakes for breakfast! They’ll be ready soon.”  

Zhou Cheng glanced at the golden, crispy egg pancake in the pan.  

He couldn’t help but gulp but the moment he realized what he was doing, he quickly frowned.  

“I don’t want to eat it!”  

How could Song Shiwei not see through him?  

He was just a kid with a stubborn attitude!  

He said he didn’t want it, but his reaction just now had already betrayed him.  

So, instead of getting upset, Song Shiwei just smiled.  

“I know you don’t want it, but I’m not giving it to you for free. I want to go to the beach later, and I need some help. You guys come with me, and help me look for things on the shore!”  

Just then, Zhou Lin, Zhou Wei, and the others woke up one after another.  

As soon as they smelled the delicious fragrance, they immediately rushed over, sniffing the air.  

“Wow! That smells amazing!”  

When Zhou Wei heard what Song Shiwei had just said, he was instantly excited.  

“Okay! I want to eat! I’ll go fishing with you later!”