As Song Xinya lay in bed, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Qin Yuhe had cut ties with the Qin family, betrayed his ancestors, and given up a life of luxury and privilege to come live with her in a rented apartment.
If you switched their genders around, wouldn’t this be—
A poor boy eloping with a rich, beautiful heiress!
The “rich beauty” who had been raised on the finest food and clothes by a wealthy family, spoiled with stacks of banknotes, had met a “poor boy” like her and thrown caution to the wind. She had given up everything and followed her wholeheartedly.
Song Xinya felt as though she were one of those legendary delinquent boys.
The kind who whisked a rich heiress away from home.
She rolled over in bed, changing from lying on her back to facing Qin Yuhe.
She reached out to hug him, carefully avoiding his injured back.
A sense of responsibility welled up in her heart.
She had already abducted a “rich heiress” and brought “her” home. Of course she had to treat “her” well!
She absolutely could not become a scumbag boyfriend!
With a solemn expression on her face, Song Xinya said earnestly, “Qin Yuhe, I’ll treat you well from now on.”
Qin Yuhe was lying facedown on the bed, half his face pressed into the pillow. He turned his head to look at her, revealing sharp, handsome features and a strikingly sculpted profile.
“Shouldn’t that be my line to you?”
Song Xinya said, “Women can support men too.”
She looked at him seriously. “Qin Yuhe, I’ll support you from now on.”
Qin Yuhe smiled. “You really plan to support me?”
Song Xinya nodded vigorously. “I do!”
Qin Yuhe’s voice was lazy. “Then you’d better be mentally prepared. Everything I’ve eaten, worn, and used since I was little has been top-of-the-line. I’m picky, and I’m expensive to maintain.”
Song Xinya clenched both fists and raised them with great enthusiasm. “Then I’ll work hard and make lots of money! Every day, I’ll give you the best food, the best clothes, and the best things. I’ll take good care of you!”
He truly never would have imagined that, in this lifetime, he would hear a woman tell him, “I’ll support you.”
Qin Yuhe had plans of his own, but he didn’t say anything like “You don’t have to,” “It isn’t necessary,” or “I don’t need it.” Instead, he reached out and ruffled her hair.
The fireworks outside gradually died down until there was no sound left. It was late at night.
The lights were off, and the two of them lay in bed.
The entire room was submerged in dense darkness.
After a moment, Qin Yuhe’s voice rang out in the room. “I’m very happy tonight. There’s just one regret…”
Song Xinya asked, “What do you regret?”
Qin Yuhe replied, “That I can’t have my way with you tonight.”
Song Xinya’s face flushed crimson.
She reached out to cover his mouth and whispered, barely making a sound, “The walls aren’t soundproof.”
Qin Yuhe suddenly remembered that this house shared a single alarm clock with the ten rooms next door.
Another question immediately followed: How were they supposed to have married life in the future?
Song Tingyou and Qin Yuyan lived in the room right next door.
Song Tingye and Jin Ruizhi were staying in the living room, separated by only one door.
The walls in this house were practically made of air. Any little noise could travel for miles.
The pounding and slapping sounds during sex, combined with her moans and cries, would make it feel like a live broadcast. Wouldn’t the entire neighborhood end up knowing?
At the thought, Qin Yuhe clicked his tongue.
Song Xinya asked, “Why did you click your tongue?”
Qin Yuhe began, “I…”
Song Xinya anticipated what he was about to say and covered his mouth again, whimpering softly, “Don’t say anything. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, when The four little ones aren’t around.”
Qin Yuhe stopped talking. In any case, he couldn’t say much.
The walls had ears.
Four pairs of them.
Qin Yuhe still couldn’t fall asleep even after lying there for half an hour.
He pushed himself up with both hands in a standard push-up position. Then, instead of bracing himself beside her, he shifted until he was hovering over Song Xinya.
The heat radiating from his body washed over her. His aggressive, dangerous aura enveloped and wound around her entire body.
Her heart began to race, and she panicked. “Q-Q-Q-Qin Yuhe, you’re still injured. Don’t do anything reckless.”
Qin Yuhe lowered his voice. “I’m not going to do anything reckless. I just want to touch you a couple of times.”
Song Xinya said, “Only twice.”
Qin Yuhe replied, “Fine.”
He lifted her nightgown and slid his large hand inside…
He had said he would only touch her twice, but he touched her two hundred times.
Song Xinya felt as though her soul had been teased right out of her. Her eyes were hazy and glistening with moisture, and she bit down tightly on her flushed lips, not daring to make a sound.
The next morning, his hand slipped inside her clothes again and touched her two hundred more times.
What a liar.
When Song Xinya walked out of the bedroom, the two places on her chest still hurt.
He had been far too rough.
They were real, not surgically enhanced.
If they had been fake, he would have squeezed them until they burst!
With her face still red, Song Xinya headed toward the kitchen. Song Tingye’s head poked around the corner again.
“Sis, why is your face red again?”
Song Xinya said, “Little brother, why are you asking me that again?”
Jin Ruizhi grabbed Song Tingye by the hair and dragged him away.
“I still have a whole pile of red blessing banners to put up. Help me hang them.”
Song Tingye said, “New Year’s is already over. Why are you still putting those up?”
“There are extras. It would be a waste not to use them. We might as well put them up.”
Song Tingye snatched all the red banners from his hands and flung them into the air. “Let the heavenly maiden scatter flowers!”
The bright red banners drifted and fluttered through the air.
Qin Yuyan opened the door and stepped out, spinning in circles amid the shower of red paper.
“I’m getting married! I’m getting married!”
Qin Yuhe walked out of the room next door and glanced at Qin Yuyan.
“What an idiot.”
He entered the kitchen and stood beside Song Xinya. “Do you need my help?”
Song Xinya had already arranged a plate of Cantonese-style dim sum. All that remained was to put it in the steamer.
“Light the stove for me.”
Qin Yuhe walked over to the burner. “Do I turn it left or right?”
Song Xinya suddenly remembered that the “rich heiress” she had brought home had always been picked up by chauffeurs when she went out and waited on by servants at home. He had never lifted a finger to do household chores.
“I’ll do it.”
She reached out and lit the burner.
Watching her, Qin Yuhe said, “I’ve got it now.”
Song Xinya said, “What a good student. You learned it in one try.”
The corners of Qin Yuhe’s lips lifted. She was treating him like a child.
Although he didn’t know how to do housework, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. Everyone had their own strengths.
And his strength was making money.
He looked around the old, shabby house. It wouldn’t be long before he moved her back into a luxurious mansion.
During breakfast, Qin Yuyan received a call from the Qin family’s old residence, asking her to return and pay New Year’s respects to the elders.
Qin Yuhe’s phone, however, never rang.
Qin Yuyan said, “Brother, I’m really envious of you. You’ll be free from now on.”
Qin Yuhe’s tone was indifferent. “You can be free too. Leave the Qin family, don’t take a single thing from them, don’t spend a single cent of their money, and rely on yourself for everything. Start from nothing and become self-reliant and independent.”
Qin Yuyan shrank her neck. “Forget it. I don’t want to be free anymore.”
A novice like her could never follow in her brother’s footsteps.
If she left the Qin family like he had, she might starve to death on the street.
After breakfast, the self-aware Little Princess returned to the Qin family’s old residence to pay New Year’s respects to the elders.
Song Xinya was sitting on the sofa watching a replay of the Spring Festival Gala when Qin Yuhe came over carrying a red gift bag.
Song Xinya had noticed the red gift bag yesterday.
But she had been too busy worrying about the injury on his back, celebrating the New Year, and confessing their feelings to each other to pay any attention to it.
“What’s inside?”
“A New Year’s gift for you.”
“What is it?”
Qin Yuhe took the gift out and placed it in her hands.
It was a square gift box wrapped in soft, luxurious red velvet.
Song Xinya opened the box and saw a red scarf inside.
The color was rich and deep, exuding an air of vintage elegance and luxury.
She ran her fingers over the scarf. It was soft and smooth, with a light, delicate texture.
“Guess why I gave you a scarf,” Qin Yuhe said.
“Because it’s so cold in winter, and you’re worried my neck and ears might get cold, so you bought me a scarf to keep my little neck and little ears warm.”
Qin Yuhe picked up the red scarf, wrapped it around her neck, and pulled her toward him.
“Because I want to tie you down so you can never run away again.”
Song Xinya nestled against him, her eyes glistening as she gazed at him. “I’m not going anywhere. I couldn’t bear to leave you.”
“Who was it that ran away from Zijin Huafu without saying a word on New Year’s Eve?”
Song Xinya cupped his face in both hands and kissed him on the lips again and again. “Don’t say it anymore. Don’t say it. I promise I’ll never do something like that again.”
At that moment, Song Tingye, Song Tingyou, and Jin Ruizhi were sitting off to the side. Each of them held a handful of sunflower seeds, but none of them was eating. They sat frozen, staring wide-eyed at Song Xinya kissing Qin Yuhe.
Song Xinya’s heart and eyes were filled entirely with Qin Yuhe. She had completely forgotten that the three little ones were there.
When she puckered her lips to kiss Qin Yuhe again, he raised a hand and covered her mouth.
“What kind of behavior is that, being all lovey-dovey in front of other people?”
Song Xinya secretly grumbled to herself, You should talk. The things you do behind closed doors are far more shameless. Yet you act so proper in front of everyone else.
She pulled away from him and sat up straight. Looking at the three little ones, she declared with complete confidence, “We’re husband and wife. Kissing and hugging is perfectly normal. Loving couples are supposed to be like this. The more they kiss and hug, the better their relationship must be.”
After saying that, she grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and began cracking them open. “Watch the show. Don’t look at me. Shen Teng is in this year’s sketch—it’s especially funny.”
The three little ones turned their heads toward the television.
Qin Yuhe stood up from the sofa and walked into the bedroom.
Song Xinya watched the television and cracked sunflower seeds, laughing merrily.
After a while, the bedroom door opened. Qin Yuhe stood in the doorway and looked at her.
“Come here.”
Song Xinya scattered the sunflower seeds in her hands back onto the plate, picked up the remote, and turned up the volume. Then she hurried into the bedroom.
Qin Yuhe closed and locked the door. He turned around, pressed her onto the bed, and slipped his large hand beneath her clothes without the slightest hesitation. Once again, he began to caress her.
A soft, alluring sound escaped Song Xinya’s lips.
Qin Yuhe teased her. “Your younger siblings are in the living room, and you’re still making so much noise. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Her eyes shimmered with desire, and her voice broke into fragments. “I… ah… I turned up the volume. They… ah… won’t be able to hear us…”
The day passed quickly. They spent half of it eating, and the other half being sweet and affectionate together in the bedroom.
Because the injury on Qin Yuhe’s back had not yet healed, they did not go all the way.
They stopped at kissing, hugging, and touching.
Song Xinya felt like a walnut being rolled around in the palm of Qin Yuhe’s large hand.
She was practically about to crack.
That evening, Song Xinya stood in front of Qin Yuhe with an object clenched in each hand, both hidden behind her back.
“I have a New Year’s gift for you.”
“Hold out both hands.”
Qin Yuhe extended both hands, and Song Xinya placed the two objects in his palms.
“Ta-da! Squishy rubber balls!”
Qin Yuhe looked down at the spiky, hedgehog-like rubber squishy balls in his hands. Then he lifted his eyes toward Song Xinya, a trace of confusion floating in his deep gaze.
“Aren’t these for children to play with?”
“They may be made for children, but adults can play with them too.”
His gaze traveled down her slender, fair neck and continued lower, crossing the rising curves of her body.
“Baby Yaya, what exactly do you mean?”
Song Xinya sprawled across the bed, her body forming a large X. She let out a long breath, as if a great burden had finally been lifted.
“I mean that you have rubber squishy balls to play with tonight, so don’t touch me anymore.”
Qin Yuhe closed his fingers around one of the rubber squishy balls, squeezing it once before releasing it, then squeezing it hard again.
The sensation was nothing like touching her.
He turned his head toward her. “Baby Yaya, first of all, I’d like to thank you for my New Year’s gift. Secondly…”
He placed the two rubber squishy balls on the bed. Then, with both hands, he seized the hem of her nightdress and swept it upward, bunching it above her collarbone.
“I’m not only going to touch you—I’m going to devour you too…”
