"No need, it’s nothing." Sheng Ning rubbed her shoulder, always feeling sore in her back and waist.
Xu Qigang half-squinted his eyes and, noticing her movements, silently came over and sat on her bed.
"What are you doing?" Sheng Ning widened her eyes at him. With people coming and going, wasn’t he supposed to act aloof?
"What are you overthinking?" Xu Qigang said irritably as he ruffled her hair and reached out to help massage her waist. His hands were warm and dry, resting on Sheng Ning’s slender waist as if they could snap it with just a little effort.
"You’re too thin!" Xu Qigang slightly frowned, a flash of pity and an unreadable emotion crossing his face.
Sheng Ning, with her keen senses, caught the fleeting emotion in his eyes, bit her lip, and hesitantly felt that she should speak up.
"I’m sorry." On the matter with Meng Ping, he had not asked her a single question. Her trust in him was apparent, but she shouldn’t keep silent either; it just felt unfair to him.
"Sorry for what?" Xu Qigang furrowed his eyebrows.
"I want to talk to you," Sheng Ning said softly. "About the Meng Ping incident."
"Hmm! You talk!" Xu Qigang looked at her intently. Even before she could start, he added, "No matter what you say, I will believe you."
"..." How could they continue the conversation ? Could they not have a proper chat?
"I don’t like Meng Ping, not at all."
"I only like you," Sheng Ning quickly stated her resolve, fearing he might misunderstand.
"Hmm!" Someone nodded coolly. "I know that too."
"..." Dammit, there really was no point in continuing. He claimed to know everything, but did he really?
Xu Qigang watched Sheng Ning’s face flush with irritation and couldn’t resist lifting his hand to gently caress it, his deep-set eyes filled with profound emotion.
Sheng Ning closed her eyes shyly; she couldn’t handle him looking at her with that gaze—it felt like cheating!
After a while, with Xu Qigang motionless, she stealthily opened one eye to see that he remained as before. "What... are you looking at?" It felt strange to be watched continuously.
"Xiao Ning, please never leave me," Xu Qigang said in a deep voice. For some reason, there was always a voice reminding him that one day he might lose her.
This intuition that kept emerging made Xu Qigang wish he could merge her into his body so they would never part.
"Of course I won’t," Sheng Ning assured him with a serious nod.
When the train arrived at the station, Xu Qigang casually carried the luggage ahead. With his long strides, he would unintentionally leave Sheng Ning behind, so he had to look back for her from time to time.
Exiting the train station, Xu Qigang immediately spotted his parents standing outside. He turned back to Sheng Ning and said, "My dad and mom are here!"
At his words, Sheng Ning became terribly nervous, hastily tidying her hair and rubbing her somewhat pale cheeks. "Where? Where are they?"
Seeing her adorable reaction, Xu Qigang’s lips curved into a faint smile, "Don’t be nervous, they both really like you."
Sheng Ning didn’t believe a punctuation mark of what he said. In another place, she could pretend to be the new wife entering the family, and no one would know of her past reputation.
But this was his hometown. Her reputation there... was difficult to summarize. What mother-in-law would like that?
Xu Qigang ruffled her hair and led the way in front.
Zhao Lanzi and Xu Xianxiong were standing by the road and instantly saw their son come out. Xu Qigang’s height and presence stood out; even in a crowd, he was easy to spot with just a glance.