Chapter 41 : Affair

Behind the door, Liang Qingqing was panting, her mouth filled with the sweet scent of White Rabbit creamy candy.

Her hands were pinned down on the wooden board by his fingers. After a few attempts to struggle and a wriggling of her waist, his large hand covered her, and a tingling sensation surged from that spot through her limbs. She couldn’t help but tear up, her long eyelashes glistening with two droplets of tears, her gaze at him seemingly begging for mercy.

She looked so pitiful.

Seeing her like this, Fan Yanxing’s eyes shifted slightly, his gaze growing hotter, as if hiding something burning deeply within. But ultimately, it transformed into tenderness.

There’s plenty of time ahead. If things didn’t go as expected today, they could always make up for it next time. The key was not to anger this delicate one, or he might be left hanging for a long time, which would be counterproductive.

He released her tightly held hands, gently brushing away the dampness from the corners of her eyes with his calloused fingertips. Then he bent down, kissing her with lips marked by love bites, wiping away the remaining tears.

“A kiss means responsibility. Aren’t you going to give me a title?”

Perhaps considering that Songzi was outside, Fan Yanxing’s voice was very low, tinged with a husky quality. She blinked and upon lifting her gaze, she saw his rolling Adam’s apple, the prominent lump mixed with veins, exuding an indescribable sensuality.

Liang Qingqing swallowed, staring at it several times before pouting and saying, “I don’t want to…”

“You refused me last time. Are you going to refuse again?” Anticipating what she was going to say, Fan Yanxing’s brow twitched and he interrupted her abruptly. After realizing his own impatience, he took a deep breath and after a few seconds, spoke with a hint of disappointment, “I was too hasty. I promised to behave well. Qingqing, just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing felt a twinge of unease. She knew he wasn’t just referring to the last time she turned down his confession but also to the first time when she had saved him in public despite the risk to her reputation.

Fan Yanxing was indeed a very patient person. If it were another man, he might have lost patience and walked away long ago. But he didn’t mind at all, not only pampering her materially but also providing ample emotional support.

Perhaps he genuinely wanted to be with her and might even give her the status of Mrs. Fan in the future.

Looking at his furrowed brows, Liang Qingqing’s heart softened. She didn’t want to keep him hanging anymore, so she turned her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Fan Yanxing was taken aback but instinctively tightened his embrace around her waist. Seeing Liang Qingqing’s initiative, his lips curved into a smile, and his tense expression relaxed.

She was about to speak but suddenly, there was a sound of someone trying to push the door open from outside. Her heart almost leaped into her throat. They had rushed in earlier and hadn’t locked the door!

Fortunately, Fan Yanxing was quick to act and held the door shut, preventing Songzi from coming in. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

“Auntie.”

Why was Songzi here? Normally, this little one liked her a lot and always obeyed her. As long as she was sleeping, Songzi wouldn’t disturb her. Why had he come to find her today? Could it be that he heard the noise between her and Fan Yanxing?

Although this possibility was slim, the mere thought of it made Liang Qingqing’s face burn intensely. Fortunately, Songzi quickly cleared up her doubts.

“Auntie, there’s someone looking for you outside.”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing breathed a heavy sigh of relief but the next moment, her brows furrowed again. Who could be looking for her at this hour?

Temporarily setting aside her doubts, Liang Qingqing nudged Fan Yanxing and gave him a pointed look, whispering, “You need to hide behind the cabinet.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Yanxing raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming ambiguous. A half-smile played on his lips, which made Liang Qingqing freeze for a moment. Realizing the situation, her face flushed even more, and she urged, “Hurry up.”

They weren’t actually having an affair; it was just a temporary measure! They certainly couldn’t let a child catch them kissing! Liang Qingqing reassured herself.

“Alright, Qingqing.”

The last two words were whispered close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her, making her shyly move back. Seeing her blushing, Fan Yanxing’s smile deepened. Liang Qingqing’s actions had already given him his answer, if not for Songzi’s interruption they might have already confirmed their relationship by now.

With this thought, Fan Yanxing glanced at the door outside, unhappily locked it with a touch, and then obediently moved behind the cabinet. However, given his height, his head was still visible, so he crouched down to hide.

He looked rather uncomfortable.

Liang Qingqing didn’t dare to laugh out loud. She pressed her lips together, leaned out to check, and confirmed that Songzi wouldn’t be able to see him when she opened the door. Then she tidied herself up, walked to the bed, yawned as if just waking up, and opened the door.

“Songzi, who is looking for me?”

Seeing her aunt just waking up, Songzi sheepishly fiddled with her fingers. As she was about to speak, a familiar voice called from the courtyard, “Qingqing!”

Following the sound, Liang Qingqing saw Qiu Xiaoyan, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. Qiu Xiaoyan was wearing patched short sleeves and long pants, which seemed a bit ill-fitting, with the pants ending short. Her round eyes sparkled with excitement upon seeing her, her face slightly sunburned, and she was carrying a basket on her back filled with pig feed.

She had likely snuck away from her work.

Indeed, Qiu Xiaoyan glanced around the courtyard, didn’t see anyone else, and came up to her. She greeted Liang Qingqing warmly, “Qingqing, I heard you came back from the country, so I sneaked over to see you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Liang Qingqing said, her eyes showing a hint of discomfort.

She wasn’t the original owner and couldn’t play the role of a young lady so she intended to avoid Qiu Xiaoyan. Fortunately, Qiu Xiaoyan was usually busy with work in the fields and at home, and didn’t have much time to come visit.

It seemed that since the incident in the soybean field, they hadn’t met alone. They only exchanged distant greetings when they happened to see each other in the village.

So Liang Qingqing was genuinely surprised that Qiu Xiaoyan had come specially to check on her, making her feelings a bit complicated.

She knew that if Qiu Xiaoyan was caught sneaking away from work and had her work points deducted, her parents, who were far from decent, would surely make her life difficult!

Thinking of this, Liang Qingqing couldn’t help but frown, “Why didn’t you come after finishing your work? What if your work points are deducted?”

Qiu Xiaoyan shook her head, “If I finish work, I won’t have time. My mother told me to collect firewood.”

With all the issues caused by the heavy rain recently, the village had pushed back the end of work by an hour and by then, it was almost dark. Qiu Xiaoyan still had to go collect firewood! They say that no mother doesn’t love her child, but it seemed rather ironic in Qiu Xiaoyan’s case.

“Why is your mother so unreasonable? Doesn’t she worry about you getting hurt in the mountains?” Liang Qingqing asked angrily, her fists clenched, her eyes reflecting a mix of concern and sympathy.

Hearing this, Qiu Xiaoyan forced a smile that was more painful than tears. “Daughters aren’t worth much. If something happens, it happens. My mother and the others won’t care at all.”

Realizing Liang Qingqing was different she was cherished by the Liang family, even her two older brothers had to stand aside . Liang Qingqing tried to comfort her, “Things will be better once you’re married.”

But if the marriage didn’t go well, it might be worse than staying with the Qiu family.

However, thinking of the promise made to her not long ago, Qiu Xiaoyan blushed slightly, clearing her throat to cover her discomfort, and said, “Qingqing, I’ll come find you again when I have some free time in a few days. I have to get back to work now.”

Unusually, Liang Qingqing did not resist Qiu Xiaoyan’s approach. She nodded and said, “You should go back now.”

Qiu Xiaoyan hurried out of Liang’s courtyard, and Liang Qingqing watched her leave with a gentle sigh.

Standing there for a moment, she suddenly remembered Fan Yanxing still crouching behind the cabinet. She quickly turned around and saw Songzi squatting by the door of the main hall, picking up something with his little bottom wiggling adorably.

Liang Qingqing had no intention of teasing Songzi, she forced a smile and gently asked, “Songzi, what are you doing?”

“Auntie, Uncle’s candy fell.” Songzi heard the voice and knew that Liang Qingqing and Qiu Xiaoyan had returned after chatting. He hurriedly held the candy in his palm to show her. His hands were too small and he couldn’t hold it all with both hands. Some of the candy lay quietly on the ground.

Liang Qingqing felt the lingering sweet scent of milk in her mouth return, and her mind flashed back to the moment Fan Yanxing had suddenly pulled her into the room. The candy must have fallen during that time, and she hadn’t expected Songzi to notice it.

She gave a forced laugh, reached out to ruffle Songzi’s hair, and praised, “You’re so honest, picking up the candy and not keeping it for yourself. You’re really good.”

It’s true that children have no resistance to candy, and since Songzi had tasted the sweetness before, she knew how good it was. However, instead of keeping the candy, he brought it to Liang Qingqing, showing that the family’s upbringing had been successful.

Although Songzi didn’t know what “honest and upright” meant, the praise made him blush with delight. He eagerly added, “Then let’s find Uncle and return it to him. But where is Uncle?”

“Ha ha ha, Auntie doesn’t know where Uncle is either.” Liang Qingqing was almost shocked by Songzi’s innocent words. If she didn’t know that Songzi was too young to understand their situation, she might have thought Songzi was teasing her on purpose.

Feeling a bit guilty, she even felt sweat beads forming on her forehead.

“Give me the candy, and I’ll return it to Uncle when I see him later.” Liang Qingqing, feeling both embarrassed and anxious, extended her hand. Songzi promptly handed over all the candy and even helped pick up the ones from the ground.

When Liang Qingqing had all the candy in her hands, she gave Songzi two pieces, saying, “Here, have these.”

However, Songzi refused, shaking his head vigorously and looking at Liang Qingqing disapprovingly. “Auntie, you taught me not to take other people’s things without permission. That’s stealing.”

“…” Liang Qingqing was taken aback, nearly choking on her own saliva.

Stealing? This candy was given to her by Fan Yanxing; it was her own. What’s wrong with giving a couple of pieces to her little niece? But she couldn’t explain this in front of Songzi right away, as that would be a problem.

She certainly didn’t want to reveal her relationship with Fan Yanxing so soon.

Liang Qingqing never imagined she’d be lectured by a child. Her face turned red and white with embarrassment, and after a moment of hesitation, she stammered, “I was just testing you. I didn’t expect you to remember so well, Songzi. You’re smart and understanding. It looks like Auntie’s teachings weren’t in vain.”

Hearing this, Songzi’s face brightened with a smile, and he stood up proudly, saying, “I always listen to Auntie.”

“Yes, yes.”

Liang Qingqing forced a couple of laughs, adjusted the stray hairs by his ear, and just wanted to send this little troublemaker away quickly. “Go out and play with your friends. Don’t stay cooped up at home. Kids should run and jump around.”

“But Auntie, you just came back. I want to stay with you.” Songzi fiddled with his fingers and looked at her carefully. “The big airplane I drew last time isn’t finished yet…”

Normally, Liang Qingqing would have been touched and would have gone to draw with Songzi. But today, she couldn’t!

Because there was a certain “scoundrel” hiding in her room!