Chapter 44 — Indignation

When a man was embarrassed, he would become… a little dangerous.

Qin Jiran was feeling shy, yes, but he was not about to admit it. Definitely not. Since changing the subject didn't work, it was time for Plan B—counter poison with poison!

He took a few steps forward and instantly, their height difference became obvious. With his taller one-meter-eighty-five1(185cm/6'0") frame, he towered over her. Su Yanyi was only one meter seventy2(170cm/5'6").

The height difference and his deliberate intimidation caused a vague sense of danger to wash over her, but she only cocked an eyebrow in response.

Obviously, she wasn't afraid. Rather, she was interested in seeing what he would do next.

"Yanyi, it's late. Since you're not returning to your own room, do you plan on sleeping here tonight?" He emphasized the word "sleep" to remind her that ultimately, he was a man, and therefore, she should be more careful around him.

Qin Jiran didn't consider himself a gentleman. His indecent mind was only reined back by his love for her, but no matter how much self-control he possessed, he was still a man whose self-control was prone to snapping.

Tonight, he wasn't faring too well. Too many things had happened, so he wasn't in the right frame of mind to control his impulses. Now that he was being teased, he refused to take it lying down.

A look of surprise appeared on her face for an instant before getting replaced by a look of mild interest.

"Oh? You want to experience what it means to be a real husband and wife already?" she provoked.

She liked to be clean, so she hated being touched by others. Her private life before and after the marriage had always been chaste and simple.

However, she was not clueless.

She would really be too naive if she didn't understand the heavy implication behind Qin Jiran's words.

Unlike normal girls though, she didn't shrink back, and she wasn't the type to blush from being teased. Besides, even though it happened in her past life, nothing would change the fact that she'd already shown him her worst; as a result, she wasn't intimidated at all.

Furthermore, she preferred Qin Jiran's bashfulness over her own. There was a touch of charm, and even sexiness, to his shy and indignant expression.

In the end, Qin Jiran's Plan B failed too. He wasn't any more experienced than Su Yanyi, who triumphed as the first and last woman to ever hold his heart. The filming set was where he had the most contact with other females, but when he was filming, he would be too focused to think about anything else but work.

Right now, the woman he was facing wasn't just any woman—it was the woman he loved. Being teased by her left him at a complete loss.

When she saw that the tips of his ears had reddened even more and that he was desperately trying to regain his composure, Su Yanyi couldn't help but laugh. Her laugh immediately shattered the ambiguous atmosphere and allowed Qin Jiran to breathe a sigh of relief. He was also a little disappointed.

"Yanyi, let's stop playing around now. Go rest, tomorrow I'll make your favorite steamed buns with mushrooms and chicken filling." He tried to act normal again because he didn't want her to mistake him for a pervert.

Su Yanyi's eyes lit up. She was swayed by the mention of food, but… she didn't want to let him off this easily. Who told him to be so bold and try to tease her? Not getting revenge would be out of character for her.

A cunning look flickered across her eyes before she moved closer to him, so close that she could hear his breathing. His scent, fresh and cool, enveloped her.

She was extremely familiar with this comforting scent. It was a scent that brought her a sense of security.

Why was this man so stupid? In her past life, she'd clearly detested him so much that she hadn't even tried to hide her disdain. She'd mercilessly divorced him, but even after all that, he stayed to care of her in her vegetative state.

For the sake of earning her family's consent, he'd spent sleepless nights by her hospital bed and learned how to take care of her from the senior nurses. He'd ended up gathering so much information about vegetative coma patients that he probably knew more than half of the hospital staff did.

Recalling all of that now, she really didn't know what to say about this man.

"If you want to, I won't refuse. We're husband and wife," she said out of impulse, but she didn't regret saying it.

Actually, she still didn't know if she loved him or not. In fact, rather than saying she was in love, she felt like she was just very touched. However, since she had decided to spend the rest of her life with him and try to reciprocate his feelings the best she could, she was going to keep her promise. She was neutral in regards to physical contact.

At first, Qin Jiran was confused. Then, after he understood her meaning, he looked at her in disbelief. His stare contained astonishment, elation, and more astonishment. Instead of asking her why she was suddenly saying this, he focused on observing her expression first.

He could see a hint of resolve but more so calmness and indifference, as if she'd made a decision that she wouldn't regret.

A decision that had nothing to do with her emotions.

That immediately calmed Qin Jiran down. The discovery left him disappointed and a bit embarrassed.

"Don't say that if you're unwilling. I was only joking and didn't mean any offense, so don't misunderstand."

No matter how hard he tried to control his voice and tone, it was impossible to hide his anger and pain. Su Yanyi could sense it easily, and after she got over her initial surprise, she also felt a little angry.

What was this man talking about? Didn't he like her? Then why was he talking to her like this?

Why was he angry at her suggestion? Did he not want her? Or did he have physical problems, so he couldn't want her?

In an instant, countless thoughts swarmed around in her mind, causing her expression o change again and again.

VIN: Welp, this started out fluffy and ended angrily. But I approve. QJR was right to get mad about this. Countdown: It's. At. Oneeee.

RELEASE SCHEDULE: 1x a week, 3x every other week.