Song Xinya nestled in Qin Yuhe’s arms, the clean, subtle scent of him filling her nose as his strong arms wrapped her up securely.
In that moment, she belonged entirely in the warmth of his embrace—close, safe, and so comfortable that she didn’t want to let go.
His hug was a tranquilizer with no side effects.
The tangled emotions in her heart instantly settled.
Because he was holding her, she became soft and vulnerable, like a kitten longing to have its head stroked. She could manage perfectly well on her own, but when she encountered someone she could rely on, whenever difficulties arose, she wanted to burrow into his arms, have him pat her head, and hold her close.
While Song Xinya remained silent, Qin Yuhe did not urge her or say a word. He simply held her quietly.
Sometimes, when a person was in a bad mood, an embrace could soothe the heart better than words.
There was no rush. He had plenty of time.
He would wait until she was ready to speak, then listen to her answer.
The seconds crept forward. Time seemed to drag, as though it had slowed down.
Song Xinya wrapped both arms tightly around Qin Yuhe’s back, squeezing him hard.
She loved him.
She couldn’t bear to lose him.
She wanted to keep him all to herself.
A despicable thought began to take root in her heart.
She said, “My examination results—”
Qin Yuhe quieted his breathing and focused completely.
She continued, “There’s… there’s nothing wrong.”
Qin Yuhe froze for a moment.
With his quick mind and careful nature, he understood at once.
A moment later, he smiled in relief.
It was fine.
They could simply pretend nothing had happened.
He patted her back. “Since your examination results are fine, let’s not think about this anymore.”
His eyes fell on the dinner tray on the table. Not a single bite of food had been touched.
“Yaya, I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Get up and have dinner with me, all right?”
Song Xinya murmured an agreement, and he lifted her out of bed.
He held her like a little child, her legs hanging on either side of him while his palms supported her hips.
He set Song Xinya down in the chair beside the dinner tray. Instead of sitting across from her, Qin Yuhe sat beside her and picked up his chopsticks.
“What would you like to eat? I’ll feed you.”
Song Xinya felt a little embarrassed. “I can eat by myself.”
Qin Yuhe placed a piece of boiled beef in her mouth. “Since you won’t say, I’ll take the liberty of feeding you.”
Everything on the table was food she liked anyway.
Song Xinya said, “You should eat too.”
“I’ll eat after I’ve filled you up.”
He was truly treating her like a baby.
She had never expected that at twenty-five, she would get to be a little baby again.
After feeding Song Xinya dinner, Qin Yuhe carried the tray downstairs. “Rest here for a while. I’ll come back shortly.”
When he reached the first-floor hall, the four younger ones were playing a game of snatching bottles.
The four of them stood at the four points of the compass. When the command was given, they would all try to grab the three bottles placed in the middle. Whoever failed to get a bottle lost.
The loser had to give the other three a hundred yuan each.
They played twenty rounds, and Jin Ruizhi lost every single one.
By the time Qin Yuhe came downstairs, Jin Ruizhi was handing money to the other three.
Song Tingye held a thick stack of red banknotes, his eyes narrowing into crescents as he grinned. “What goes around comes around. The next tycoon is going to be me! I’m the flower of human prosperity, and fortune follows me every moment!”
He smugly lifted his chin at Jin Ruizhi. “Brother Jin, thanks for going easy on me.”
Jin Ruizhi said, “You won fair and square.”
Every time he looked at Song Tingye, his gaze would sweep over Song Tingyou beside him.
Qin Yuhe immediately saw through him. Jin Ruizhi had been losing on purpose.
The kid was trying to make his future brother-in-law happy.
When Jin Ruizhi saw Qin Yuhe coming downstairs, he strode over and took the dinner tray from him. “President Qin, I’ll carry that.”
Qin Yuhe went to pour some water.
“President Qin, let me do it.”
Qin Yuhe went to serve the rice.
“President Qin, I’ll serve it for you.”
Qin Yuhe said, “You have real potential to become a live-in son-in-law.”
Jin Ruizhi asked with shining eyes, “President Qin, would you agree to let me marry into your family?”
“Your approval alone won’t be enough. My wife has to agree too.”
“In our family, I make the decisions on major matters, and my wife makes the decisions on minor matters. We don’t have any major matters.”
Jin Ruizhi fell silent for a moment. “…Got it. Your wife has the final say in everything.”
He asked, “Where’s Ms. Song?”
“She’s upstairs sleeping. If you want to curry favor with her, wait until tomorrow.”
Having one more person willing to work like a horse for his wife was hardly a bad thing.
After Qin Yuhe finished eating, he headed upstairs.
Song Tingye called after him, “Brother-in-law, I feel like my sister’s in a bad mood. What’s wrong with her?”
Qin Yuhe replied, “She’ll be happy if you get into Tsinghua or Peking University. Can you do that?”
“I can’t say for sure yet.”
“Then why are you still standing there? You’re just standing around like a utility pole. Will that get you into Tsinghua or Peking University?”
Song Tingye said, “…Fine, fine. I’ll go study.”
He headed toward the desk, but Qin Yuhe’s calm voice came from behind him.
“I’ll take care of your sister’s situation. You don’t need to worry.”
Song Tingye and Song Tingyou nodded at the same time. “Okay, okay.”
Qin Yuyan blinked her bright, sparkling eyes. “I was worried about my sister-in-law too. Now I don’t have to worry either.”
Jin Ruizhi said, “I was going to say exactly what the Little Princess said.”
Qin Yuhe returned to the bedroom on the second floor. Song Xinya was sitting by the computer, working.
She had spent the entire day feeling miserable, and there were plenty of matters she still needed to deal with.
Qin Yuhe looked at her and saw that the dejection had vanished from her face. Her spirits had returned to their usual state.
He walked over and embraced her from behind.
His lips landed on her ear, and the tip of his tongue teased her earlobe.
His nimble tongue moved over her earlobe, back and forth, like fingers plucking the strings of a lute.
Song Xinya’s fingers, tapping away at the keyboard, came to an abrupt stop.
The intense, tingling sensation plucked at her heartstrings, making her voice tremble.
“I’m still working.”
“Do you need my help?”
“The matters within the private education and training industry are something I should handle myself.”
A low “Mm” rumbled from Qin Yuhe’s chest. He continued kissing her, his lips moving from her earlobe down along her neck, sucking at the faint blue veins beneath her skin.
Once, then again.
The ambiguous sounds of his kisses rang out through the room.
The heat of Song Xinya’s blood rose with every movement.
How could she possibly concentrate on work?
Who could stay calm under these circumstances?
Song Xinya turned around and wrapped her arms around his head. She undid Qin Yuhe’s belt and slipped her hand inside his suit trousers…
Suddenly, she remembered something: today was not her ovulation period.
Then she thought about it again. What difference did it make whether she was ovulating or not? It was meaningless now.
The restraint they had maintained—three times a week—had been completely unnecessary.
Song Xinya clung tightly to Qin Yuhe, refusing to let go and not allowing him to retreat.
Even when they fell onto the bed, she continued to hold him.
She took the initiative, kissing his lips with overwhelming passion.
She simply loved him. She wanted to possess him, even if she had to do it in a dishonorable way.
Qin Yuhe pecked at her lips, soothing her emotions. “Loosen your grip a little. You’re holding me too tightly. I can’t move.”
Song Xinya stubbornly shook her head. “No, I won’t let go. I won’t let go. I’m not letting go.”
Her expression was defiant, her lips slightly pursed, making her look like a child.
Qin Yuhe smiled. “If you don’t want to let go, then don’t. I’m not going to run away on my own, either.”
Song Xinya: “I want you!”
Qin Yuhe: “I want you, too.”
He pressed the tip of his nose against hers and rubbed it gently, tenderly, against hers.
“How about we try something different tonight?”
Song Xinya: “Something different?”
Qin Yuhe: “Tonight, let me take good care of you. Do you want my hands or my mouth?”
