Chapter 31: His Past

Just like her mother-in-law had said, Wen Zhixian also felt that Qi Yanjing had something weighing on his mind. Although he was caring, there was an underlying heaviness to him.

Qi Yanjing raised his hand and gently took her wrist, guiding her to sit next to him.

“Zhixian, marrying you has been quite advantageous for me.”

“But I haven’t lost anything,” she replied. Even when it came to expenses, it was Qi Yanjing who took the initiative. If she wanted to spend money, she had to act quickly, but she still often found herself slower than him.

His voice was calm, devoid of emotion: “There’s another reason I married you, something I haven’t told you before.”

Wen Zhixian’s body tensed involuntarily as she became serious. She felt uncertain, fearing that he might reveal something startling.

Noticing her tension, Qi Yanjing placed his hand on her back and spoke about his problem: “The doctor said I have PTSD. I see a psychologist from time to time, but it doesn’t really help.”

She looked at Qi Yanjing’s side profile. She had thought his insomnia and vivid dreams were due to work stress, but it turned out to be psychological.

“When I was in college, my therapist suggested that I spend time with people who are on the same wavelength. So, I tried dating, but it backfired. After all these years, I’ve lost interest in relationships.”

Qi Yanjing chuckled quietly: “Until I met you, a complete stranger. To put it simply, I just wanted to live with you. I wanted you to sleep beside me.”

Although it sounded crude, it was the truth.

“You’re so blunt,” Wen Zhixian chuckled awkwardly. It was hard to believe those words came from him.

Qi Yanjing quickly clarified, worried she might misunderstand: “I really do want to be with you. Being around you feels comfortable. Even though I’ve had insomnia for many years, lately, I’ve been feeling surprisingly good.”

“Then you…” She wanted to ask about his past, but hesitated, afraid it would be like rubbing salt into an old wound. She decided to let it go.

Qi Yanjing looked down at her, sensing she wanted to ask something but was holding back. “You want to know why I’m like this?”

Wen Zhixian bit her lip, shook her head, and said, “I don’t want to ask.”

He stared at her in silence, unsure if it was because of his affection for her or something else. Sometimes, he was genuinely touched by how she cared for his feelings.

He sighed deeply, pulling her shoulder closer: “When I was a child, I was kidnapped. One of my friends was also taken. The kidnappers demanded ransom, and both families prepared the money and secretly called the police. They thought paying the ransom would stabilize the situation, but the kidnappers ruthlessly killed my friend right in front of me. I thought I was next, but the police arrived just in time, and I survived.”

The room was silent, with only the faint sounds from outside the window.

Wen Zhixian wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him, her voice soft: “You shouldn’t have told me that.”

Now, she finally understood why Qi Yanjing had said that his parents would accept anything he liked when they married. She could understand now why his parents were so accepting, just wanting him to be happy. Everything made sense.

Qi Yanjing placed his large hand on her slender back, as if drawing comfort from her closeness. “I’m not afraid to tell you.”

He wanted to spend his life with her.

By saying it all out loud, he felt less weighed down, and as he felt her softness in his arms, a gentle longing stirred inside him.

The cold wind made Wen Zhixian shiver, causing her to pull her shoulders together and sit up straight.

Qi Yanjing glanced down at her and realized she was wearing just a nightgown without any underwear underneath. She had been so close to him earlier.

Through two layers of fabric, he must have felt… everything.

No, she realized, not “maybe he felt it,” but of course he felt everything!

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly pulled her hand away from Qi Yanjing’s grasp and stood up. “I… I’m going to sleep now.”

Without waiting for a response, she quickly ran back to the bedroom.

Qi Yanjing leaned back on the armrest, watching her flee in a hurry. He raised an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle.

He hadn’t even said anything, and yet she ran off.

He downed the rest of his wine and went to wash up, joining her in bed.

Wen Zhixian had covered herself with the blanket, trying to calm her thoughts. She kept repeating to herself that they were married.

She opened Taobao and searched for “Lily of the Valley Mug,” then browsed a page with high sales, quickly ordering twenty of the same mugs.

She knew enough about Gu Yuchen to understand that he would use any means to keep himself steady. It was very likely that he would make her return the mug, so she decided to order twenty identical ones, after all, they were gifts from his ex-girlfriend, and she was his ex-girlfriend too.

Not long after, Qi Yanjing finished washing up and returned to bed, his head heavy with drowsiness.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Wen Zhixian turned over and lay on her stomach to look at him, wondering if the things he said earlier had triggered his stress.

“I’m just a bit dizzy from the alcohol,” he replied. He often had to socialize and drink, but he’d never finished an entire bottle by himself. The aftereffects were pretty strong.

Wen Zhixian suddenly remembered that he had drunk the entire bottle of wine earlier.

She got up, ready to leave the bed, but Qi Yanjing grabbed her wrist.

“Where are you going?” His voice was low and hoarse, almost as if seeking comfort.

“I’m just going to get you a glass of water.”

She went to the living room and found the honey jar, but there was only one spoonful left. After searching through the cupboards, she remembered that she had sent the unopened jar to Gu Yuchen.

She regretted it.

But all she could do was use the last spoonful of honey to make water for Qi Yanjing.

She brought the cup back to him. “Drink this.”

After he finished, she set the cup aside, and his voice drifted to her ears. “Did you ever do this for Gu Yuchen?”

Gu Yuchen often had to drink at social events, and while Wen Zhixian cared for him, he rarely drank to the point of being drunk in front of her. She had never made him honey water but would occasionally give him honey when she knew he was suffering from drinking.

But she knew Gu Yuchen would never make honey water for himself. He’d never appreciated her efforts and had always treated it as something useless that she gave him.

She lowered her voice and replied, “No, he never needed my care. He thought I was a burden.”

Qi Yanjing raised his arm, pulling her into his embrace. “I need you.”

He deserved nothing less than to be without her. Gu Yuchen was like a wild boar that couldn’t appreciate the finer things.

Wen Zhixian explained to Qi Yanjing, “The honey is something I usually drink. I tend to cough a lot when the seasons change. My mom got it for me.”

There was a long silence beside her, and she was about to call out to him quietly to see if he had fallen asleep, but then decided against it. His sleep had never been good, and she didn’t want to wake him up and ruin his rest.

She let out a quiet sigh, reflecting on the things he had shared earlier.

She had heard about kidnappings for ransom, but she had never experienced it firsthand. These types of incidents usually occurred with wealthy families, ones that had billions of dollars to their name. But Qi Yanjing had also mentioned that his parents had done some business before, so perhaps that was why he was kidnapped when he was young.