Song Xinya came to see Qin Yuhe before nightfall.
When she lay down, she saw the sky outside the window dyed orange-red by a vast sea of sunset clouds.
When she stood barefoot beside the window and looked out again, dusk had settled over the world. Neon lights flickered, and there were only a few cars on the road. It was already deep into the night.
As she leaned over the bathroom mirror, the hotel corridor lay just beyond the wall. At four in the morning, no one passed by, and there was not the slightest sound—apart from all the noises the two of them were making.
Time passed so quickly, so quickly. The two of them had barely exchanged a few words, devoting all their energy to one another.
Qin Yuhe possessed a fierce, seemingly inexhaustible vitality.
Their breath smoldered in the flames.
Their hearts beat in sync with their emotions.
They had both forgotten the passage of time, completely intoxicated and immersed in each other.
He held her entirely within his arms.
Just as Qin Yuhe had said, sometimes rushing was not a bad thing at all.
Thoroughly so.
………
The next day was Saturday, so there was no need to go to work.
As the company’s president, Song Xinya did not have to worry about sleeping in and delaying the countless affairs of the company.
While she was sleeping deeply, a pair of strong hands dragged her out from beneath the covers.
Her body, covered in marks, was soft as a cloud as she leaned against the man’s chest.
Qin Yuhe spoon-fed Song Xinya a bowl of bird’s nest porridge he had cooked and allowed to cool.
After finishing the bowl, Song Xinya lazily opened her eyes.
She looked languid, weary, and soft, making Qin Yuhe think of a newborn kitten.
She was simply adorable like this.
Qin Yuhe gazed at her fair skin, her dewy eyes, and her vivid red lips.
He set the porcelain bowl on the bedside table with a faint clink.
Without saying a word, he cupped her cheeks in both hands, making her tilt her face toward him, then naturally lowered his head and kissed her.
His face was reflected in Song Xinya’s bright, watery eyes.
When he lowered his head, his long, thick lashes cast a shadow over his features. The lines of his brows and eyes were exceptionally deep, his nose tall and straight, and his warm breath brushed across her face.
Song Xinya accepted the kiss naturally.
His moist lips carried a fresh, elegant scent, transferring it from her lips to the tip of her tongue and throughout her mouth as he inhaled deeply and kissed her gently.
The moment she woke, he had already set her heart racing.
When the kiss ended, their joined lips parted. The two of them silently met each other’s eyes, and both saw the same lingering desire—their kiss had not been enough. They fit together too perfectly. His palm cradled the back of her head, while her small hands hooked around his neck, and without the slightest hesitation, they pressed together once more.
In the quiet room, there was an indescribably intimate, clinging sensuality. The two of them rolled from the head of the bed to the foot, and every tiny sound was filled with suggestiveness.
Song Xinya felt that Qin Yuhe was nothing but a hypocrite.
During the day, he was dignified and proper. With that handsome, cool, aloof face of his, he looked like a man who had no interest in women at all—cold and serious, his voice devoid of fluctuation whenever he spoke. But every night, once he lay beside her, the beast sealed beneath his refined exterior would be released, wild and unrestrained, committing all manner of wicked deeds.
He was a completely different person by day and by night.
A man with two faces.
On Saturday, Qin Yuhe did not do anything else with Song Xinya.
On Sunday, on the way back to the capital, Qin Yuhe pressed Song Xinya against the back seat of the Rolls-Royce and kissed her.
He was like a typhoon sweeping through—fierce, violent, arrogant, and brazen.
He kissed her everywhere.
Cars roared past them along the highway.
When Song Xinya looked outside, she could see the people in the oncoming vehicles looking in her direction. Occasionally, it even seemed as if she met their eyes.
It only seemed that way.
The privately customized Rolls-Royce was fitted with bulletproof one-way glass.
There was no way anyone outside could see in.
In the front, the driver kept the car perfectly steady. He was also extremely considerate of his employer, Qin Yuhe, keeping the speed neither too fast nor too slow so that his boss would not arrive in northern Beijing before he was satisfied.
The journey from Hebei to northern Beijing was a hundred kilometers. Under normal circumstances, driving at full speed, they could make it in an hour.
The driver was an expert at controlling his speed. That day, it took him four hours to arrive.
When the car reached Purple Forbidden Manor, Song Xinya was carried out by Qin Yuhe.
It was Sunday afternoon, and all four little ones were at home.
High school seniors only had half a day off each week on Sunday afternoon. That was simply how brutally difficult senior year was.
The moment Qin Yuhe carried Song Xinya through the door, Song Tingye came over.
“What happened to my sister?”
Song Tingyou hurried over, concerned and nervous. “Did she twist her ankle?”
Qin Yuyan immediately pulled out her phone. “I’ll call an ambulance for Sister-in-law.”
Jin Ruizhi understood the situation at a glance and called the three little ones back.
“Song Tingyou, Song Tingye, Qin Yuyan, get back here right now. Stop asking so many ridiculous questions.”
Qin Yuhe carried Song Xinya upstairs. His eyes swept over Jin Ruizhi.
“You freeload and live off my family every day, but you’re at least somewhat useful.”
Jin Ruizhi said, “Of course. I have to demonstrate my value somehow, or what if you kick me out?”
Qin Yuhe replied, “Even if you’re useful, I might still kick you out.”
“Then that can only mean I’m not useful enough,” Jin Ruizhi said. “I’ll have to work harder and do more for President Qin.”
His attitude was remarkably enlightened.
At only seventeen, he already knew how to curry favor with his future brother-in-law.
Song Xinya rested for the entire afternoon. At dinnertime, Old Madam Qin called her and Qin Yuhe to the old residence for dinner.
Fortunately, she had rested all afternoon. Otherwise, she truly would not have been able to walk.
The Qin family’s old residence was different from usual that day. The moment Song Xinya stepped through the gates, she heard the joyful laughter of children.
Young, babyish, bright and crisp.
As Song Xinya walked into the courtyard, she saw two little babies, a boy and a girl.
Both children had a pair of large, limpid eyes, with thick, long lashes. Their skin was as white as milk, their noses small and delicate, and their lips rosy. The baby fat on their cheeks was plump and round, making them look like exquisitely crafted dolls—beautiful and adorable.
The two babies were extremely lively. Each held a colorful pinwheel as they ran and hopped around the courtyard, carefree, innocent, and radiant. At a glance, it was obvious they had been born into a happy family.
Old Master Qin and Old Madam Qin were there, and even Qin Hanxiao, who was rarely home, had come. They stood around the two children, watching them play with eyes full of affection.
The children’s laughter drifted through the courtyard.
Looking at the babies’ faces, Song Xinya felt that they seemed vaguely familiar.
She asked Qin Yuhe beside her, “Whose children are they?”
“My ugly-ass cousin, Fu Xiaochen’s,” Qin Yuhe replied.
Fu Xiaochen’s voice came from nearby. “Could you at least say that behind my back? I heard that with my own ears. Do you have no sense of decency?”
Song Xinya turned around and saw a handsome, distinguished face marked by wealth and experience.
Beside him stood a woman with her arm linked through his. She was delicate and gentle, dressed in an ivory-white qipao, with an exceptionally tender air about her.
Fu Xiaochen and his wife, Gu Qingcheng, walked over to Qin Yuhe and Song Xinya.
Fu Xiaochen said, “Since my sister-in-law is here today, I won’t hold it against you for insulting me.”
“Then I’ll have to thank my wife,” Qin Yuhe said.
Fu Xiaochen: “...What kind of logic is that? Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Qin Yuhe: “It’s thanks to my wife that I don’t get chewed out, so of course I should thank her.”
Fu Xiaochen: “You little—” You’re really good at twisting the meaning of things.
Gu Qingcheng tugged on Fu Xiaochen’s arm, and his mouth immediately snapped shut tighter than a mute’s.
Gu Qingcheng looked at Song Xinya, her gentle eyes filled with warmth and friendliness. “It’s wonderful to meet you, sister-in-law.”
Song Xinya greeted her politely. “It’s wonderful to meet you too, sister-in-law.”
Qin Yuhe and Fu Xiaochen found each other equally irritating. They exchanged a look but said nothing.
A little boy and girl came running over, their tiny windmills spinning in a lively whir. Their voices were soft and childlike.
“Mommy!”
“Mommy!”
The two adorable little children, as delicate and lovely as carved dolls, threw themselves into Gu Qingcheng’s arms.
The boy hugged Gu Qingcheng tightly, then turned around and glared fiercely at Fu Xiaochen with his large, grape-like eyes. “Hmph! Daddy stole Mommy away from us again!”
The little girl also turned around and glared at Fu Xiaochen. “Daddy’s bad! Daddy smells as bad as poop!”
Fu Xiaochen was so angry that he laughed. “What do you mean, I stole your mommy? You two are the ones who stole my wife, hogging her all day long.”
The boy said, “Daddy, you’re being unreasonable. Please act like a mature adult and stop throwing tantrums all the time. If you keep fighting us for Mommy, I solemnly warn you: I’ll secretly pee in your water cup!”
The girl chimed in, “I’ll pee in Daddy’s cup too, and then make Daddy drink it.”
Fu Xiaochen said, “You’re still wearing diapers, yet you’re already this filial. What will happen when you grow up? When I’m old and lying in a hospital bed, you two will probably pull out my oxygen tube while I’m still alive.”
Everyone was amused, and laughter rang out around them.
Song Xinya looked at the two little babies. They were the same height and looked remarkably alike.
She asked, “Which one of them is older?”
The boy looked at Song Xinya and said, “Pretty lady, allow me to answer that myself. I was born nine minutes and forty-eight seconds before my sister, so I’m her older brother.”
The girl said, “Pretty lady, my brother and I are twins!”
Old Madam Qin walked over and looked at the pair of rosy-lipped, pearly-toothed little children, her eyes filled with envy and longing.
“Just look at how capable Chenchen is. He got his wife pregnant with two babies at once. Well done!”
Fu Xiaochen said, “That’s mainly because my kidneys are strong.”
Qin Yuhe shot him a sidelong glance. What was that supposed to mean? He made it sound as if everyone else had weak kidneys.
The reason Old Madam Qin praised Fu Xiaochen’s abilities instead of saying Gu Qingcheng was good at having children was that if a woman failed to become pregnant, the blame could always be placed on the man.
Sure enough, Old Madam Qin turned disdainfully toward her eldest grandson, Qin Yuhe. “Just look at you. You’ve been preparing for pregnancy for so long, yet you still haven’t gotten your wife pregnant. Why are you so useless?”
She sighed. “Can’t you be impressive just once and let Grandma see?”
Qin Yuhe asked, “How do you want me to be impressive?”
Old Madam Qin said, “I’m not asking you to hit the jackpot with triplets. Just try to follow your cousin’s example and score twins in one shot!”
