A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

On the other side, Xiao Jingye lay on Zhijie's bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Zhijie, who was standing beside him, was getting annoyed by his antics. He kicked him and complained in a low voice:

"Damn it, what are you doing in the middle of the night? Aren't you going to sleep?"

Xiao Jingye rested his head on his arms, his gaze fixed on the dark ceiling, his voice deep: "I can't sleep."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Qingyan's brother isn't her aunt's biological son; he's her uncle's son with his ex-wife. He likes Qingyan."

Zhijie instantly snapped out of it and muttered a curse under his breath: "Damn it! First Jiang Runsheng was eyeing us like a hawk, and now this cousin with no blood relation has appeared. Your wife is practically surrounded by wolves!"

He turned over, his back to Xiao Jingye, and casually uttered a deeply hurtful remark, completely extinguishing any possibility of him falling asleep:

"However, your wife is indeed beautiful, so you'd better be careful. Who knows, someone might steal her away one day!"

Xiao Jingye's eyelids twitched, and he kicked him.

No sleep for one night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Xiao Jingye got up early and returned to his own courtyard.

The moment he stepped across the threshold of the courtyard gate, the scene that greeted him almost made him vomit blood.

The soft morning light fell as Qingyan stood by the wall, brushing her teeth with her head down.

Her long, black hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, soft yet disheveled.

He Yannian stood behind her, raised his hand, pinched a black hair tie, and skillfully tied up the stray hairs at the back of her head.

His movements were swift and natural, as if he had done it hundreds or thousands of times before.

"It's so refreshing to tie it up, and I don't have to worry about getting my hair wet when I wash it."

Upon hearing the sound, Qingyan subconsciously turned to look at her brother. The moment she looked up, she was caught off guard and met a pair of sinister, cold eyes at the door.

It’s over.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Xiao Jingye stepped into the courtyard, his eyes dark and brooding: "You two siblings seem to have a pretty good relationship."

He Yannian smiled slightly, his expression calm: "When she was little, either Aunt Qiao or I would braid her hair. I'm just used to it."

Looking at Xiao Jingye's dark and sullen face, Qingyan felt a little guilty: "Um... I'll go to the kitchen to help serve breakfast."

After saying that, he grabbed the toothbrush cup and ran off in a flash.

Only the two of them remained in the courtyard, facing off.

Xiao Jingye casually put his hands in his pockets, lazily moved to He Yannian's side, and stared intently at the person in front of him.

The five fingers in his pocket were clenched tightly, with such force that a slight cracking sound of bones could be heard.

He Yannian raised an eyebrow: "You're not jealous, are you?"

Xiao Jingye chuckled softly as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, and retorted:

"Ha, why would I be jealous? I'm not that petty."

"You're just an older brother, nothing more. All you can do is tie her hair or watch her from afar. But I'm different. I'm her husband. We sleep together every day, and I wash all her underwear by hand."

He Yannian looked as if he had been struck precisely in the heart by a dagger, and his face darkened instantly.

Xiao Jingye snorted coldly, stepped aside to walk past him, and strode into the kitchen.

By the stove, Qingyan was diligently serving rice, completely unaware that the two men in the courtyard were arguing over her, childishly vying for her affections.

Breakfast was a typical farmhouse meal: thick corn porridge, fluffy steamed bean buns, refreshing cold side dishes, steamed sausages, and golden, oily salted duck eggs.

Having lived in the city for a long time, Qiao Ni loved this kind of food and kept praising Zeng Yumei's cooking skills.

While eating, he would occasionally glance at Jinye and Qingyan across from him.

Xiao Jingye's meticulous care for Qingyan was hidden in every silent detail.

He patiently peeled the salted duck eggs for her;

I carefully peeled off the damp dough from the bottom of the steamed bun before handing the soft and clean bun to her.

He stirred the scalding hot corn porridge in front of him repeatedly to let it cool, and then quietly swapped it with Qingyan's steaming bowl of corn porridge.

Oil from the duck egg dripped onto Qingyan's fingers, and she frowned slightly. Xiao Jingye immediately grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wiped it clean for her.

Throughout the entire process, not a single word was spoken; all the care and favoritism were done naturally and skillfully, like spring rain nourishing the earth, silently and imperceptibly.

The little flowers, nurtured and cared for, bloom even more beautifully.

Seeing this, Qiao Ni smiled with satisfaction and teased, "With such good food at home, no wonder Qingyan looks much rounder and has gained a lot of weight."

"Auntie," Qingyan blushed, "where have I gained so much weight?"

She thought to herself, "I've only gained a little weight."

"Girls should pay attention to maintaining their figure," Joni advised with a smile. "If you get any fatter, you won't be able to wear any of the pretty dresses I bought you."

Qingyan looked down at the half-eaten steamed bun in her hand and instantly lost her appetite.

She only ate until she was about 70% full for breakfast.

After the meal, Xiao Jingye prepared to go into town. He had been busy expanding his sales channels, negotiating cooperation with several grocery stores and a fruit factory in town. He was very busy and had a lot to do.

To be honest, he was really worried about his rival being so close to Qingyan, always by her side.

Fortunately, Qiao Ni mentioned this morning that she would be taking He Yannian out to visit relatives and friends in the next couple of days, allowing Qingyan to work from home with peace of mind. Xiao Jingye's anxiety eased slightly.

The autumn wind was bleak outside, and a chill was in the air.

Before he left, Qingyan chased after him and handed him a jacket: "The weather can change easily at night, and it'll be windy and cold while riding a bike. Take this jacket with you."

Xiao Jingye obediently took the coat, then took her soft, delicate hand in his, and asked in a low voice:

"What do you want to eat? I'll bring it back for you from the city tonight."

Qingyan immediately pouted and muttered, "Still eating? My aunt said I've gotten fat, I don't want to eat anymore."

"Not fat," Xiao Jingye said.

Qingyan didn't believe it: "I was deceived by your lies, plus Mom's cooking is so good, I ate so delicious food every day, that's why I gradually indulged myself and gained so much weight."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and gently pinched the soft flesh on her lower abdomen, then sighed, "I've decided, I'm going to lose weight from now on."

No reduction allowed.

Xiao Jingye held her waist and gently pulled her into his arms.

The two were in such an intimate pose that Qingyan was startled and quickly glanced into the courtyard. Fortunately, her aunt and brother were inside talking to Zeng Yumei, and no one was looking this way.

"Don't lose weight, I like you just the way you are." Xiao Jingye leaned down and whispered in her ear, pinching her skin lightly. "Soft and fluffy, feels great."

Qingyan's cheeks flushed instantly, and she glared at him shyly, "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"My wife is fair-skinned and chubby, so lovely. You're not allowed to lose weight, or I'll never forgive you."

After saying that, he took a long stride and gracefully mounted his motorcycle.

His gaze lingered on her curvaceous figure one last time, a roguish smile playing on his lips. He whistled, twisted the throttle, and rode away.

"You filthy scoundrel!"

Qingyan scolded the retreating figure, but couldn't hide the sweet and shy smile on her face.

-

Qiao Ni hadn't been back to her hometown for many years. In the past two days, she took He Yannian to visit several relatives.

When she arrived at her elder sister Qiao Liping's house, the other woman kept looking her up and down, praising her while holding her hand and repeatedly telling her how much she missed her.

Joni knew what kind of person her older sister was, so she remained calm and composed, responding with a faint smile.

Seeing her younger sister looking glamorous and increasingly capable, Qiao Liping was filled with jealousy, but couldn't help but fawn over her.

In order to gain favor with Qiao Ni and do her a favor, she took the initiative to bring up Qing Yan's affairs, revealing that Qing Yan had been falsely accused by her stepsister and almost lost her position as a public school teacher, as well as the various things that Qiao Yi had done to threaten and bully Qing Yan with a snake earlier.

Finally, he added to Joni, "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone that I told you."

After leaving the other party's house, both Qiao Ni and He Yannian looked rather unwell.

"Qingyan, that stepsister and stepmother, haven't changed a bit all these years." Qiao Ni's lips trembled with anger. "I knew Qingyan was hiding something from me. Her stepsister wrote a false accusation letter and almost got her job as a public school teacher taken away. What kind of hatred would drive someone to do something like that?"

"This mother and daughter are absolutely cruel and vicious!"

He Yannian followed beside Qiao Ni, silently clenching his fist:

"Aunt Qiao, I'm really worried about leaving Qingyan here alone. Once we get back to Beijing, I'll apply to the organization for a transfer here so I can take care of her if anything happens."

Joni paused slightly, sighed, and turned to him:

"Yan Nian, I understand your feelings for Qing Yan. Now that Jing Ye is protecting her, Qing Yan will have a smooth and happy life."

Seeing the disappointment and melancholy in He Yannian's eyes, Qiao Ni felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She raised the two children herself. She was aware of Yan Nian's feelings for Qing Yan before, and she even thought that if Qing Yan were to have feelings for him in the future, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

To her, both men were equally dear to her, but unfortunately, he loved her but she didn't reciprocate his feelings; fate played a cruel trick on her.