After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

As darkness fell, the streetlights came on one by one, casting long, yellowish shadows.

"Let's go, the last movie is about to start." Jiang He chewed the last bite of his popsicle and took Lin Qingqing's hand.

The county's movie theater was actually a large auditorium, with hand-painted posters hanging at the entrance depicting the male and female protagonists gazing lovingly at each other.

Jiang He bought two tickets and dragged Lin Qingqing into the venue.

It was pitch black inside, with only the light projected from the screen. The air was filled with the smell of sunflower seed shells and tobacco.

Jiang He deliberately chose a seat in the last corner.

Lin Qingqing didn't pay any attention to what was going on in the movie.

Because Jiang He was too close.

This old-fashioned long wooden bench had no armrests in the middle. Jiang He was practically pressed against her, with one arm casually draped over the back of the bench behind her, as if he were holding her in his arms.

On screen, the male and female leads are breaking up, crying their hearts out. The audience below is watching with great interest.

In the darkness, a hand quietly climbed up Lin Qingqing's waist.

Lin Qingqing trembled and grabbed the mischievous hand: "Xiao He, don't..."

"Shh—" Jiang He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe. "Sister, don't make a sound, someone will hear us."

His fingers were not behaving properly; through the thin fabric of her clothes, he gently caressed the soft, ticklish spot on her side.

Lin Qingqing bit her lip, trying to suppress the tingling electric currents, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sister, are you happy today?" Jiang He's voice was so low it was almost a murmur.

Lin Qingqing nodded haphazardly, just wanting him to take his hand away quickly.

"As long as you're happy." Jiang He chuckled softly, then suddenly pinched her slender waist hard. "Big brother said that as long as sister is happy, he'll spend any amount of money."

Lin Qingqing turned her head in alarm, and with the faint reflection from the screen, she saw Jiang He's eyes, which shone brightly in the darkness.

There was no trace of a well-behaved younger brother in it, only a naked and undisguised possessiveness.

"The movie is almost over." Jiang He glanced at the words "The End" on the screen, then slowly straightened Lin Qingqing's collar, his fingertips tracing her slender neck, causing a slight shiver to run through her.

The crowd began to stand up, and a commotion arose.

Jiang He stood up, looked down at Lin Qingqing who was huddled in the chair, and reached out his hand.

"Let's go, sister."

Lin Qingqing looked at the hand, "Where...where to? The buses back to the village have been gone for a long time..." Her voice trembled.

Jiang He bent down, his lips almost touching her cheek:

"Who said we were going back? I already found a guesthouse up ahead. The kind that doesn't require a letter of introduction."

He pulled the trembling Lin Qingqing to her feet and whispered his last words in her ear:

"Tonight, it's just me and my sister. My older brothers aren't here, so my sister can cry however she wants..."

The night was like a black pot that had been turned upside down, completely covering the few remaining lights in the county town.

The streets were deserted, save for the occasional bark of a dog, which sounded eerie. Lin Qingqing was being pulled along by Jiang He, her new sandals clicking crisply on the stone pavement.

The guesthouse in front was a small two-story gray building with a dim yellow light bulb hanging at the entrance, around which moths fluttered and bumped against the glass cover.

"Xiao He, how about... we wait by the main road? What if there's a delivery truck passing by?" Lin Qingqing was still making a last-ditch effort, pulling her hand back.

Jiang He stopped and turned to look at her.

The lamplight cast a long shadow, completely covering Lin Qingqing's slender figure. His face was expressionless, but his dark eyes stared at her, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Sister, where are there any cars at this hour? Do you want to stand on the street all night, or do you want to be kidnapped by a child trafficker?"

Lin Qingqing shuddered in fright. The security situation wasn't great these days, and the legends surrounding child prostitutes were incredibly exaggerated.

"But……"

"No buts." Jiang He had a strong grip, holding her wrist like an iron band, and without saying a word, he pulled her towards the peeling wooden door. "I have money, and I don't need you to pay for it."

The receptionist, a middle-aged woman who was dozing off, didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard the noise: "Letter of introduction."

Lin Qingqing's heart leaped into her throat. Just as she was about to say no, Jiang He was already leaning on the counter, his face, which had been gloomy a moment ago, now beaming like a flower.

"Sister, I forgot to bring it when I left in a hurry. My cousin and I came to the county town for medical treatment and missed the bus back. Could you please help us?"

As he spoke, two 10,000-yuan bills slid through the gap in the counter, with a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes that had just been bought underneath.

The older woman opened her eyes a crack, glanced at the cigarettes and money, and then looked at Lin Qingqing, who was hiding behind Jiang He, head down, too ashamed to be seen.

He is indeed handsome and looks honest; he doesn't seem like the type to mess around with women.

"The last room on the second floor. Hot water is at the entrance of the hallway, get it yourself." The older woman put the money and cigarettes into the drawer, tossed out a key with a large wooden tag, and said, "Keep it down at night, don't disturb others."

"Okay, thank you, sis."

Jiang He took the keys, and with his other hand carrying a bag of peaches he had just bought from the roadside, he led Lin Qingqing upstairs.

The hallway reeked of mildew, mixed with the fumes of disinfectant. The wooden floorboards creaked underfoot. Lin Qingqing felt the path stretched on endlessly, her legs growing weaker with every step.

"Click".

The door opened. The room was simply furnished: a metal bunk bed, a writing desk with peeling paint, and a metal washbasin stand in the corner. Though rudimentary, it was at least a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

Jiang He closed the door behind him and casually plugged in the bolt.

The crisp metallic clang made the hairs on the back of Lin Qingqing's neck stand on end.

"Sit down, sister." Jiang He put the bag of peaches on the table, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and patted the spot next to her. "The bed is quite soft."

Lin Qingqing didn't dare go over. She stood against the wall, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. "I...I'm not tired."

"Aren't you tired?" Jiang He raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the new sandals on her feet. "Walking in new shoes for so long, don't your feet hurt?"

He shouldn't have mentioned it, because once he did, Lin Qingqing felt a burning sensation in her heels. The new shoes were nice, but the plastic straps were stiff, and after rubbing against the floor all the way, they were definitely raw and chafed.

"Come here." Jiang He's voice deepened.

Lin Qingqing bit her lip and shuffled over. Just as she reached the bedside, Jiang He grabbed her wrist and made her fall onto his lap.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, frantically trying to stand up.

"Don't move." Jiang He gripped her waist with both hands like iron clamps, rested his chin on her neck, and took a deep breath. "Your sister smells all sweaty, but... it's quite pleasant."

The hot breath on her neck made Lin Qingqing's body go weak, and she had no strength to push him away: "Xiao He, let go, I'll go get some water to wash up..."

"You don't need to go." Jiang He gently bit her neck, then released her. "I'll go fetch water. Sister, take off your shoes and wait for me here."

After saying that, he picked up the enamel basin with the Double Happiness logo and went out.

Lin Qingqing collapsed onto the bed like a deflated balloon. She stared at the closed door, her mind a jumble of thoughts. If Qin Lie found out about tonight's events… she didn't dare think about it.

A short while later, Jiang He returned. Steam was rising from the basin, and he was holding a towel in his hand.

He placed the basin beside the bed, squatted down, and held Lin Qingqing's ankle.