Chapter 7

No matter what Liu Fen said, Gu Juncheng remained silent, until Liu Fen said: “What are you still thinking? When we went to discuss the marriage proposal, she didn’t like you. What she liked was that refined, handsome kept man. That Gousheng, a man who was reckless but had fair skin. She just…”

This sentence, Lin Qingping wasn’t sure if it wounded his male pride, but he finally spoke, a stern and abrupt “Stop talking.” followed by the sound of a chair hitting the floor.

He was coming out! Lin Qingping quickly returned to the room. 

Lying back on the bed, Lin Qingping felt both wronged and sad.

But, most of what her mother-in-law had said was true. She really didn’t like Gu Juncheng and indeed preferred a kept man.

But that was in the past…

She didn’t blame her mother-in-law for saying such things. Liu Fen was originally a traditional rural woman with a soft temperament, easily influenced by others.

However, it was precisely because of Liu Fen’s weakness that Lin Qingping had lived comfortably in the Gu family in her previous life.

Liu Fen had tolerated her, especially when Gu Juncheng’s will had decided to leave her the pension. Liu Fen hadn’t caused a scene. In fact, Liu Fen had every right to cause one. 

Given how comfortably Lin Qingping had lived in the Gu family in her previous life, she wouldn’t blame her mother-in-law for such remarks today.

Besides, life was all about time and understanding people over time. Eventually, her mother-in-law would understand, but that was assuming their life together could continue.

The real question was what Gu Juncheng thought in his heart…

Lost in thought, the door unexpectedly opened.

He had come into the room!

She had thought he would go to share a room with Zhiyuan, but was he here to accuse her? Or was he here to talk about divorce?

No matter what, she could not endure this unjust accusation.

Gu Juncheng, just like the previous night, laid out a mat on the floor after entering the room and went to sleep.

Lin Qingping was filled with grievance; she sat up abruptly and, facing the darkness where his mat lay, asked him: “Do you not believe me?”

The person on the mat remained silent.

What did silence mean?

Lin Qingping’s tears almost burst out. She held them back, jumped out of bed, turned on the light, and asked him directly: “Say something! Do you not believe me?”

Without realizing it, her eyes were already red, and her voice was trembling. 

Gu Juncheng’s eyes were as dark as the night sky, deep and unreadable. Lin Qingping, unwilling to let things go, grabbed the hem of her shirt and, in a swift motion, tore it open. Buttons scattered everywhere, one of them even hitting him in the face, causing him to blink.

Under the light, she was now fully exposed. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked deeply wronged. “Look, Gu Juncheng, I do have a mole. Do you really think I’ve been with someone else?” 

Finally, he was no longer as calm. His eyes quickly darted away, and he pulled the blanket up, wrapping it around himself, his tone urgent and harsh: “Stop it! Go to sleep!” 

“I’m not going to sleep…” 

With Gu Juncheng wrapping himself in the blanket, she found herself pulled into it with him, their bodies pressed closely together.

By the time Gu Juncheng realized this, it was too late. Lin Qingping took advantage of the situation, her body soft and warm, and she wound herself around him. Her voice was gentle and tender, with a hint of crying as she whispered near his ear: “I can prove that there’s nothing between me and Gousheng. I’m clean with everyone, Gu Juncheng, it’s you who can prove it…” 

As she spoke, her lips gently brushed against his ear, her breath warm against his ear, making his entire body tense and on high alert.

“Lin Qingping! Behave yourself!” His whole body tensed, his voice low and growling.

Lin Qingping didn’t respond. Instead, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Even through his undershirt, she could feel the tension in his muscles.

Immediately, his hand pressed down on hers. He looked at her, his gaze as dark as the night sky, flickering with flames. 

He gritted his teeth. “Lin Qingping! Don’t make things worse for yourself!”

Her face, small as a palm, was framed by her dark hair cascading down. She tilted her chin up defiantly, her eyes moist, two crystal-clear tears hanging at the edge, ready to fall at any moment. “Then what do you want me to do? How should I prove myself? If even Mom doesn’t believe me, what am I supposed to do if you don’t believe me either? Of course, I’ll have to use my own way to prove myself…”

Her voice cracked as she spoke, her nose turning red from the grievance, and her eyes, brows, and cheeks blushed pink, like a delicate peach flower, as if it could be crushed by the wind and rain. 

Gu Juncheng was almost driven to laughter by her. His face remained tense. “Lin Qingping, I didn’t realize. You were so powerful when you were confronting Da Pang’s wife in the daytime, but now you’re acting all clingy and shameless?”

Lin Qingping: “…”

She hadn’t expected him to overhear her confrontation with Da Pang’s wife during the day…

She blinked, and tears began to fall like pearls, one by one. “Well, this is just who I am… Do you believe me like this? Do you believe…?” 

Lin Qingping had thrown all caution to the wind now.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting go. Her lips were near his ear, soft and gentle, with a voice only he could hear. “Gu Juncheng, tomorrow I’ll go to the village and shout it out. You’re no good! You’re not a man…” 

“Lin Qingping!” 

She finally pushed him too far. His voice thundered, and he stared directly at her. 

“I…” Lin Qingping had just started to speak when a rough, warm kiss shut her up… 

He really did look angry. She felt as though she was being crushed under his intensity…

The air was filled with his scent, and soon, her mind was clouded as well…

Just when she felt dizzy and on the verge of being overwhelmed, clutching his hair, he suddenly pulled away, lying back down, breathing heavily. Lin Qingping’s mind continued to buzz, and she was still a bit dazed. 

“Go to sleep!” he growled, turning off the light. 

Lin Qingping only felt a tingling on her lips, where his rough stubble had left behind a lingering, intense warmth. After a long while, a soft voice came from the darkness: “I believe you.” 

She turned in surprise, but he said nothing more. 

She smiled faintly and cuddled up to Gu Juncheng’s arm, falling asleep.

In her heart, she thought: It’s taken so long, but finally, after sorting through all the sorrow from my past life, I’ve shed these tears… at least there’s something gained. 

Sometime later, a heavy rain began to fall, the summer rain coming down in a dense, bean-like scatter, but it did not disturb Lin Qingping’s sleep. 

When she woke up the next morning, as expected, she was back in bed, the mat already packed away.

Lin Qingping hugged the blanket, feeling a little embarrassed.

She had clearly wanted to get up earlier, but she felt that it wasn’t entirely her fault. In fact, since her rebirth, she had often struggled with sleep, plagued by nightmares.

She dreamt of her nephew’s twisted face, of the suffocating feeling of being on the brink of death, and the dream she had most often was of receiving the telegram from the Military Unit informing her of his sacrifice.

Holding that telegram, she would cry out in heart-wrenching grief…

Each time she woke up from those nightmares in the middle of the night, the agonizing pain she felt in the dream would still reverberate clearly in her chest, making it hard to fall back asleep.

Yet, the past two nights, though she had slept on the mat, she had slept soundly…