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

The following afternoon, Qiao Ni went directly to Qiao Nianshan's house.

In the courtyard, Qiao Yi was squatting on the ground, intently playing with glass marbles. When he looked up and saw who it was, his eyes lit up, and he called out in a clear voice, "Auntie!"

Joni glanced at him coldly but did not respond.

Hearing the noise, Chen Xiuying, who was inside the house, quickly came out to greet them, her face beaming with a fawning smile: "Oh, Auntie, you're here."

"Your brother went out to make cabinets for someone and won't be back until tonight."

Joni crossed her arms, wearing high heels, exuding a fierce and intimidating aura: "It's nothing, I came to see you."

Chen Xiuying's smile froze on her face, a bad feeling suddenly creeping into her heart. She cautiously asked, "What is it?"

Qiao Yi, being younger, didn't notice the tense atmosphere and excitedly ran forward: "Auntie, did you bring me anything delicious?"

Qiao Ni ignored them, pulled over a high stool in the yard and sat down, looking at the mother and son with cold eyes, her chest tight with anger.

"Chen Xiuying, while I was away from our hometown for the past few years, you must have bullied and tormented Qingyan behind her back quite a bit, right?"

Chen Xiuying was taken aback, and stammered, "Auntie, how could I say that?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Joni sneered. "My older sister told me everything, and she didn't say a single good word about you."

Chen Xiuying nervously twisted the hem of her dress, cursing inwardly: I knew Qiao Liping was no good! All she does is tattle and stir up trouble!

Joni's voice was exceptionally cold and sharp: "While I was away from our hometown, you and your children took advantage of the situation to bully Qingyan, a child without a mother, didn't you?"

Chen Xiuying clutched the hem of her clothes, arguing, "Auntie, you can't believe baseless rumors. These past few years, when Qingyan went back to the countryside, I took care of everything for her, from food and drink to everything she needed. I treated her like my own daughter. I cook and do laundry every day, working like a slave in your Qiao family, and yet I don't get any appreciation in return?"

Qiao Ni suddenly stood up, her high heels clicking crisply on the ground, and instantly pinned Chen Xiuying down.

"Don't try to play dumb with me! I'm telling you right now, Chen Xiuying, if I ever find out again that you, or your vicious daughter, dare to bully Qingyan in the slightest, I will absolutely not let you off easily!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Joni raised her foot and swiftly kicked over the wooden stool beside her.

With a loud crash, the wooden stool overturned and fell to the ground.

Chen Xiuying shrank her shoulders, startled by the unexpected action.

Qiao Ni was about to turn and leave when Qiao Yi's voice suddenly rang out behind her: "Second sister is a slut! She bullied my eldest sister first!"

Qiao Ni paused, her eyes flashing with coldness as she turned and stared coldly at Qiao Yi.

She strode forward and delivered a crisp, resounding slap.

The slap was powerful, and Qiao Yi's cheek was instantly burning and swollen. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, he immediately burst into tears.

Chen Xiuying was heartbroken and quickly hugged her son tightly. She glared at Qiao Ni with resentment, her tone both angry and anxious:

"How dare you hit my son? Joni, you've gone too far!"

Despite her resentment, she dared not openly confront her. Qiao Ni was a fearless person, and now she was rich and powerful. Chen Xiuying had suffered quite a few setbacks at her hands when she had just married Qiao Nianshan, so she naturally feared her.

"This child is just not well-mannered!" Joni said. "As his sister-in-law, I'll teach him some manners today."

She reached out and grabbed Qiao Yi's ear: "At such a young age, you're already spouting filth! Your muddle-headed mother and your heartless sister have taught you all these bad habits! You should be sent to a juvenile detention center and locked up for a few days to learn how to be a decent human being!"

Chen Xiuying was furious and argued with her, but was also caught off guard and slapped twice by Qiao Ni.

She covered her face and looked at her sister-in-law in disbelief, almost bursting with anger.

Qingyan was completely unaware of this matter from beginning to end.

-

Guangming Primary School.

As soon as the school bell rang, groups of children carrying military green backpacks poured out of the school.

He Yannian waited at the school gate early in the morning. He glanced at his watch, but Qingyan was nowhere to be seen. So he simply started walking into the school.

This rural primary school is small, with a simple dirt playground and old, mottled classroom walls, revealing its poverty in every aspect.

She preferred to stay in this harsh and simple place to teach rather than go back to Beijing with him.

Each room had a sign on its door. He Yannian walked to the door of the room with the sign for the office and peered inside.

Inside, Teacher Yu was tidying her desk, preparing to leave work, when she caught sight of a tall, unfamiliar figure at the door and asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, I'm looking for Qiao Qingyan."

"Oh, Ms. Qiao? She probably hasn't finished class yet; she might have gone overtime." She looked up. "And you are?"

He Yannian said, "I am her brother."

Teacher Yu looked him up and down. Goodness, no wonder Teacher Qiao is so good-looking, his brother is so handsome too.

"Come in and sit down to wait for her," Teacher Yu said, pointing to the desk next to her. "This is her workstation."

He Yannian nodded his thanks and stepped into the office.

Inside, the charcoal fire was blazing, the iron stove glowed red-hot, and the kettle on the stove hissed and steamed, dispelling the chill of late autumn.

He walked to Qingyan's desk, sat down, and gently stroked the rough surface with his hand. His gaze meticulously traced the books, ink, and pen on the desk... He gazed quietly at every object that carried her scent.

"I haven't seen you before," Teacher Yu said to him.

"I've been out of town the whole time," He Yannian replied casually.

He looked at the stove beside him and asked, "Isn't there central heating installed at the school?"

He Yannian grew up in the city, where his home always had heating. In his memory, it seemed that only extremely remote and impoverished places used stoves.

"Hey, this place is nothing like the city. Our rural primary school has nothing, and it's bitterly cold in winter. Even grading homework makes your hands freeze. This stove was repaired for us for free by Teacher Qiao's wife. He was worried that his wife would get cold, so he specially built this heater, and we benefited from it too."

He Yannian paused for a few seconds before replying, "I see."

"Yes, all the teachers at our school envy Ms. Qiao's good fortune. Whenever her husband is home, he always comes to the school on time at noon to bring her lunch. When it rains, Ms. Qiao is even carried across puddles, so her shoes don't get a single speck of mud on them. We all say she married a good man."

He Yannian lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing his complicated thoughts, and hummed in response, saying nothing more.

Not long after, Qingyan led Duoduo into the office.

Seeing him sitting in his seat, he smiled and quickly walked over: "Brother, what brings you here?"

He Yannian stood up, smiled, and said, "Come and see your work environment."

She raised an eyebrow, her bright, smiling eyes sparkling: "How about it? Isn't our village primary school full of energy!"

"Hmm," He Yannian said calmly.

Qingyan quickly tidied up the books and items on the table, then took Duoduo's hand and went back with He Yannian.

On the way, He Yannian took the bicycle from her and pushed it steadily. Duoduo sat obediently on the back seat, swinging her two short legs.

After a moment of silence, he finally couldn't hold back and spoke up again to persuade them:

"Qingyan, come back to Beijing with me. You've already passed the civil service exam, so finding a job is easy. Teaching is teaching, no matter where you are. The teaching resources and living environment there are far better than here, and your career development will be much broader."

"Brother, I really like it here," Qingyan said.

He Yannian turned his head slightly coldly: "Qingyan, you weren't like this before. You grew up in a greenhouse; you should be in the city, you should be with Aunt Qiao. Do you know how many tears Aunt Qiao cried the night she found out you married a country bumpkin? She raised you all these years, are you sure you want to be thousands of kilometers away from her in the future?"

"For that man, you're willing to ruin your future? Willing to be stuck in the countryside?"

Qingyan paused, then gently shook her head: "No, it's not just for him."

"I will never forget the kindness you, my aunt, and my uncle have shown me."

She looked up at the golden, rolling fields in the distance:

"Brother, it doesn't matter if the city loses one teacher, but if the village loses one, several classes will be without teachers."

"Cities have no shortage of excellent teachers, but rural areas are extremely short of teachers. Many children here come from impoverished families, and education is their only way to change their fate. Rather than teaching children in the city who have better conditions and parental guidance, I would rather support these poor students from the bottom of society."

"Brother, you understand me, right?"

As dusk falls in late autumn, the setting sun slowly dips westward.

The mountains and fields are ablaze with color, with layers of warm yellow and crimson hues, creating a scene resembling a natural painting that has been overturned, both gentle and expansive.

He Yannian gripped the handlebars tightly and turned to look quietly at the girl beside him.

The setting sun cast its last rays, bathing Qingyan in a soft, dazzling golden light.

On that clean face, the eyes were so resolute and clear, radiating a precious and kind light.

Qingyan blinked her long, curved eyelashes, a gentle yet firm smile playing on her lips as she looked at him, and added:

"The man I love and the children I care about are both here. Brother, I can't leave."

The man I love.

The five words were pronounced clearly and firmly.

He Yannian's heart sank to the bottom of the lake.