"If I hadn’t happened to come by, what would you have done?" Qi Taiguo chided Cheng Su with a dark expression.
Cheng Su turned her head to look at him, a hook in her smile. Qi Taiguo had lectured her for a while, but hearing no response, he twisted his head and saw her staring straight at him with a smile on her lips, his heart suddenly skipping a beat.
Ever since their families had set up that infuriating so-called marriage arrangement, he had endured Cheng Su’s infatuated behavior. Every time he saw her behaving like that, he practically went mad for days.
Yet now, Cheng Su was doing the same thing, but it somehow made his heart flutter in panic.
It was really like seeing a ghost. Could it be that he ate some sort of enchantment drug in the meals he’d been having at her place these few days?
Qi Taiguo grew wary, his expression turning stern: "I’m talking to you, did you hear me?"
"I heard you. I’m just scared. If you weren’t here, I really wouldn’t know what to do," Cheng Su said with a scared expression, still pulling on his clothes, her eyes soft and pitiful.
Seeing her act like this, Qi Taiguo’s chauvinism surged, thinking to himself that women were indeed weak. Look, when it came down to it, they still needed a man. With that thought, he puffed out his chest and said, "Good that you know. Be more careful in the future."
"Mm-hmm." Cheng Su’s eyes darted around, and she put on a frightened look: "Today we’ve probably angered Brother Niu. What if he tries to take revenge later? What will I do if you’re not there? I’m scared!"
"Dare he? Even if they’re full of themselves, they wouldn’t dare mess with a soldier," Qi Taiguo boasted arrogantly, his face full of disdain: "They’re all just a bunch of crooks, they wouldn’t dare confront a soldier."
"But I’m just a woman," Cheng Su pouted, then sighed, "If only you could always be with me."
Qi Taiguo nearly jumped up: "What do you think I am, a bodyguard or something? I’m a soldier. How can I possibly accompany you to go shopping and do business every day? What would that look like!"
Cheng Su looked aggrieved, staying silent.
"Forget it, when I’m not on training or duty, I’ll come pick you up. Try to go out with Qiulan as much as possible during other times," Qi Taiguo said, softening a bit at the sight of her aggrieved look.
Cheng Su immediately beamed with joy and sweetly said while holding his hand, "You’re so good!"
At her words, Qi Taiguo’s entire body broke out in goosebumps, his face heated up, and his ears turned slightly red. Yet he feigned annoyance and lightly scolded, "You’re an adult, this is a public place with people coming and going. Be mindful of the impact."
Cheng Su’s eyes were smiling merrily as she firmly grasped his hand. Qi Taiguo tried to shake her off a few times, but she persisted, so he just let her be. His mouth corners, however, secretly curled up when Cheng Su couldn’t see them. Realizing his strange reaction, he put on a serious demeanour again, stiffly maintaining his expression.
But unbeknownst to him, Cheng Su noticed everything, a triumphant smile on her face, thinking that as a modern 21st-century woman, she could definitely handle a traditionalist like him.
Softness overcoming strength is an eternal principle, a pity that the original host didn’t understand and insisted on treating Qi Taiguo as her own private property, keeping a tight grip on him.
Which man does not have self-esteem? Especially a steadfast military man like Qi Taiguo, whose self-esteem was extremely strong. The more forcefully you matched his strength, the more tense your relationship would become, right?
The tighter a man is held, the more fiercely he will struggle and run away.
But if you grip and release, maintaining tension like flying a kite, he’s more likely to stand by your side.
Men, just like women, need to be coaxed. If you stroke his fur the right way, getting him to obey is just a matter of course, isn’t it?