He Teng had been standing close to He Zhilan during the phone call. He could clearly hear everything He Zhongguo was saying on the other end of the line. At first, He Zhilan stood upright, but then, for some unknown reason, she leaned backward and rested against him. The woman on the phone, seemed unaware of this.
Without even lowering his gaze, He Teng could take in all the expressions on Zhilan’s face as she spoke on the phone. Her palm-sized face brimming with smiles, but her eyes silently reddening due to the longing for her father on the other end of the line. She spoke on the phone, with faint glimmers of unshed tears in her eyes.
Zhilan’s eyelashes were long. When she looked down, He Teng could distinctly see each one of them. They were curled beautifully, fluttering up and down as she blinked, appearing as playful as a butterfly ready to take flight.
Her skin had always been fair since childhood, even after moving to the capital city, which was hot as an oven, and undergoing military training, her skin remained fair and tender. The phone conversation switched to He Dongxue. He Teng wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying, but he noticed that He Zhilan suddenly brushed her hair to one side, casually exposing the back of her neck and the kiss marks he left last night.
For some reason, upon seeing the traces he left on his wife, He Teng, standing behind He Zhilan, involuntarily cracked a smile.
He Dongxue, constantly curious about He Zhilan’s military life after knowing her deployment, kept asking if it was fun, then began to inquire about He Zhilan and He Teng’s recent situation. At first, He Dongxue kept addressing her as Sister Zhilan, but later, she surprisingly started to call her Sister-in-law!
For instance, "Sister-in-law, is my brother living well in the military?"
Or she outright asked, "Sister-in-law, is my brother nice to you? Has he ever lost his temper with you? If he does, let me tell you, you can fight back, as his wife, he can’t hit you!"
He Dongxue was rather impartial when it came to her big brother and sister-in-law. Initially, she was on He Teng’s side, thinking that her brother was at a disadvantage by marrying He Zhilan. But now seeing the young couple living a harmonious life, and Zhilan not being as reckless as before, she switched sides to Zhilan’s.
"No, your brother..." He Zhilan secretly glanced at He Teng behind her, "You chat with your brother."
Without waiting for He Dongxue’s reply, He Zhilan handed the phone directly to He Teng, "Dongxue wants to speak with you!"
Only then did He Teng gather his thoughts from secretly observing his wife. He took the phone, and the woman in his arms twisted to stand by the side. Instinctively, he reached out, pulled her back into his arms, and murmured, "Just stay still, don’t move around!"
Zhilan’s face had already turned red due to He Dongxue’s teasing. Hearing He Teng’s words, she looked at him flirtatiously, nearly dumbfounding the man behind her.
"Speak." He Teng cleared his throat, finally remembering that Dongxue was still on the line. His free hand naturally encircled Zhilan’s waist.
Zhilan’s mind buzzed. She hadn’t noticed any of this while she was on the phone, that was different. But now, this intimate posture made her feel both joyful and bashful.