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

The sky and earth were vast and empty, and tiny snowflakes fell like willow catkins.

Qingyan's beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly as her gaze lingered on Xiao Jingye's thin lips.

These lips, last night, kissed her neck, chest, waist, and everything below.

"Xiao Jingye," she called softly.

"Um?"

Kiss me.

The man smiled, cupped her face in his hands, and then gently and quickly placed a kiss on her lips.

Just as he stood up, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.

Qingyan had somehow rolled a small snowball in her palm and stuffed it into his collar.

"All's fair in war!" She smiled slyly, shoved him away, and ran off.

Xiao Jingye chuckled, his eyes full of doting affection.

That night, someone paid the price for their actions during the day.

Snow melts slightly at certain temperatures, turning into meltwater, and then condenses back into ice.

Xiao Jingye held a small piece of ice in his mouth.

"Want to play again?" he asked.

"No, I'm not playing anymore..." Qingyan crumpled the checkered pattern on the pillowcase into a curve.

The man's calm, cold eyes appeared somewhat domineering and ruthless in the darkness.

His voice was cold: "I see you haven't had enough fun yet. Let me teach you how to play."

A large hand covered her head, and she slowly slumped down.

Xiao Jingye lazily lowered his eyes, the scene causing his throat to churn violently.

After a long while, Qingyan's voice became hoarse and she could no longer speak. She was completely subdued and curled up in his arms like a little rabbit, sobbing softly.

"Don't cry." Xiao Jingye gently brushed aside a strand of wet hair, kissed her sweaty forehead, and coaxed her softly.

Qingyan stopped sobbing, breathed a sigh of relief, and it was finally over.

Soon, a man's low, husky voice came from beside her: "I'll let you off the hook tonight, come back tomorrow morning."

Starting from New Year's Eve, the sound of firecrackers in the village never stopped.

Many weddings have banquets, and Qingyan went with Xiao Jingye to several weddings to receive gifts, her face getting rounder from all the food.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, firecrackers were set off at the entrance of the Xiao family compound.

A bright red firecracker was gently tossed and spread out at the gate of the courtyard, like a red dragon poised to pounce.

Xiao Jingye lit it with a lighter, and within seconds, the firecrackers exploded with a deafening crackling sound.

Duoduo quickly covered her ears and ran into Zeng Yumei's arms.

Qingyan was startled by the red debris that blew up to her feet. She shouted "Xiao Jingye" and threw herself into the man's arms.

He wrapped her in his coat, bent down and kissed her hair, chuckling softly, "Coward."

A warm current surged through the cold wind, the temperature emanating from his chest.

-

In the countryside, at a teahouse.

After playing cards all night, Chen Xiaomeng felt unsteady on her feet as she walked to the entrance of the teahouse. She stumbled and was quickly helped up by someone.

"Are you alright?" Jia Er asked.

Chen Xiaomeng looked up and saw a tall, muscular man in a suit, dressed in the dead of winter. He had a broad face, narrow eyes, and his hair was neatly combed. He looked to be about thirty or forty years old.

"Thanks, it's nothing." She pulled her arm back, instinctively on guard.

I've never seen you play cards before.

"I've never played here before; I just started playing recently."

Seeing that she was wary, Jia Er politely took two steps back, nodded, and kindly said, "You should eat some breakfast, or you'll faint."

"Thank you." Chen Xiaomeng felt the money in her pocket through her clothes, and as she was about to leave, she asked, "Where's a good breakfast place around here?"

"I haven't eaten yet either, let's go together!"

"Forget it, just tell me which one, I'll go by myself," Chen Xiaomeng said.

"Go straight ahead from here, turn left, and there's a Wang's Steamed Buns shop at the alley entrance. You can try it."

"Thanks."

The next day, Chen Xiaomeng ran into Jia Er again at the teahouse.

He sat at the card table, seemingly having won money, with a broad smile on his face.

He was still wearing that well-fitting suit, and when he touched the cards, his hands were clean and delicate, unlike the rough hands of a farmer.

Chen Xiaomeng went to eat Wang's steamed buns and ran into him again. He just nodded and didn't say anything else.

However, she could always sense that he was watching her.

After finishing her soy milk and steamed buns, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and called out, "Boss, how much?"

The owner came out carrying several trays of hot buns: "Mr. Jia has already paid your bill."

"Mr. Jia?" Chen Xiaomeng asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the one in the suit."

On the third day, Chen Xiaomeng ran into Jia Er at the teahouse. He was leaning against a door frame, smoking and chatting with someone, with one hand in his pocket. He was very composed and exuded masculinity.

Chen Xiaomeng stepped forward and took out a few bills: "You paid for my breakfast yesterday, here you go."

"No need," Jia Er exhaled a puff of smoke. "It's just a small amount of money, don't worry about it. It's just for your meal."

"Why?" Chen Xiaomeng asked.

"If you meet a girl you like, can't you just ask her out for breakfast?"

Chen Xiaomeng's face flushed; it was the first time she had heard such blunt words.

"I don't like owing people things, let me treat you to some tea."

"OK."

The two found a place to sit down and drink tea. After a while, Chen Xiaomeng quickly figured out Jia Er's background.

He used to be a city dweller and had a respectable job as a technician at a steel mill, earning over a hundred yuan a month, which was more than Jiang Runsheng's salary.

I was married once before, but we divorced because we weren't compatible. I'm currently single and have no children. My mother's family lives in the countryside, and I came back with her for the Spring Festival.

After chatting for a while, Jia Er asked, "What do you do? You have a very refined air about you, you don't seem like a country girl."

Chen Xiaomeng was overjoyed. Indeed, clothes make the man, and the money she spent on the clothes she bought in the city was well spent.

She thought for a moment and casually made up a lie: "I'm a teacher, I'm here to visit relatives during winter vacation, I'm not a local."

Finally, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear and added, "The countryside is so boring. With nothing to do, I can only come here occasionally to play cards to kill time. I usually like to go to the bookstore to read. What about you?"

"What a coincidence, we share the same interests," Jia Er said with a smile. "No wonder I always thought you looked so quiet and pretty, with a scholarly air. I was just wondering if you were a teacher, and it turns out you really are!"

A barrage of compliments made Chen Xiaomeng very happy.

Before parting, Jia Er said with concern, "It's snowing heavily outside, wear something warm."

"Hmm." Chen Xiaomeng turned to leave, but Jia Er called her back again.

He said, "To be honest, it's been a long time since I've met a woman who makes my heart flutter."

Chen Xiaomeng's ears turned slightly red when she left.

Ever since the Zhang Laizi incident, and after divorcing Jiang Runsheng and receiving the money, Chen Xiaomeng showed no mercy, revealing all about Jiang Runsheng's sexual dysfunction. The whole village knew about it.

She herself couldn't stay in the village any longer, so she rented a small house near the teahouse in the township and lived alone.

At first, Chen Xiaomeng was worried that she might have some serious illness and die, but so far, she is in good health and has no discomfort.

Chen Xiaomeng went to the hospital for a check-up with questions in mind, and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her body.

This made her extremely happy, thankful that she had escaped a disaster and hadn't contracted the disease from Zhang Laizi.

She took the hospital's diagnosis certificate to her uncle's house and showed it to her mother and relatives: "I'm not sick."

Before the Lunar New Year, she spent money to buy a lot of rice, flour, and cooking oil for her uncle's family. Her aunt's attitude towards her softened considerably, and she always spoke to her in a flattering manner. As a result, Chen Xiaomeng felt much more relaxed living at her parents' home.

After meeting Jia Er, Chen Xiaomeng felt a new hope in her heart, thinking that she was finally going to turn her life around.

If she could marry into the city, all the shameful and sordid old stories from her village could be buried and she could start a completely new life.

Once I have some savings in the future, how could I be inferior to Qiao Qingyan?

Although Jia Er was in her second marriage, she herself had been divorced, so the two were a good match.

Moreover, it is quite common for someone his age to have been married before. If he deliberately concealed his marital history, it would only make him seem dishonest.

Judging from his honesty, this man is quite good.