In no time at all, Su Qing had devoured several pieces of peanut candy.
After finishing the candy and brushing her teeth, she found herself with nothing left to do—sleep seemed like the only option.
Hesitating for a moment, Su Qing glanced at the new chamber pot in the room, then at the door outside, before finally saying to Xie Jianhua, "I want to go outside to use the toilet, but I’m scared to go alone. Come with me."
This kind of hand-holding-to-the-toilet routine was something Su Qing had long outgrown, but it was dark outside, the streets were nearly empty, and the public restroom was frequented by all sorts of people. She genuinely felt uneasy.
Xie Jianhua didn’t say much, simply picking up a flashlight and leading the way.
Once they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Xie Jianhua lowered his voice and asked, "Did you tell Mom about your sister’s pregnancy?"
"No," Su Qing replied, exasperated. Nature was calling, and here he was, interrogating her at the worst possible moment—how inconsiderate.
"But this is such a private and crucial matter..." Xie Jianhua couldn’t wrap his head around how Wang Cuifen had gotten wind of it, especially since she seemed to favor Su Qing so much.
He was certain something had happened between these two women that he wasn’t privy to.
"I’m curious too. Why don’t you just ask Mom yourself?" Su Qing brushed him off and tugged at his arm impatiently. "Hurry up! I really can’t hold it anymore."
Su Qing had a rough idea of how Wang Cuifen found out. Knowing her temperament, she wouldn’t just sit on such juicy gossip—sooner or later, Su Xue’s pregnancy would become public knowledge. It wasn’t surprising that Wang Cuifen had caught wind of it.
Even if Xie Jianhua asked, Wang Cuifen would likely brush it off, claiming she’d heard it somewhere vague.
Since Su Qing hadn’t been the one to spill the beans, she felt entirely justified.
Back in the room, Xie Jianhua tried to press further, but Su Qing had already swiftly undressed, pulled up the covers, and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
Left with no choice, Xie Jianhua dropped the subject, undressed, and got into bed.
Even though Xie Jianhua didn’t do anything, his mere presence beside her made Su Qing feel an unspoken tension.
The bed was small, barely fitting two people, and the atmosphere grew unmistakably intimate.
Su Qing could even hear Xie Jianhua’s heartbeat quickening slightly. Her mind began to wander—if he made a move, how should she turn him down?
She’d already brainstormed several rejection lines when, to her surprise, Xie Jianhua remained perfectly still, his breathing steady and even.
Su Qing couldn’t resist peeking with one eye—Xie Jianhua lay stiff as a board, motionless.
Asleep? Su Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief. His ability to doze off so effortlessly made her downright envious.
Though her guard lowered, Su Qing still couldn’t sleep. The bed was too cramped, and having someone else beside her was just too unfamiliar.
After tossing and turning for an hour, Xie Jianhua finally gave up pretending and pressed a hand to her shoulder, sighing, "Go to sleep."
"Oh," Su Qing replied stiffly. She’d thought he was sound asleep—who knew he’d been faking it?
Not wanting to disturb him further, she obediently straightened her posture.
The two of them lay side by side, rigid as soldiers on a mission.
Eventually, Su Qing did drift off, but by morning, her sleeping posture had deteriorated—she’d sprawled across the entire bed.
"Wake up. Time for breakfast. After that, we need to go to the neighborhood office for paperwork."
Su Qing blinked groggily. "What time is it?"
"Seven-thirty," Xie Jianhua said. "You didn’t sleep well last night, so I didn’t wake you earlier."
Su Qing couldn’t help but blink again. Who would’ve thought this seemingly clueless straight-laced man could be so considerate?
"Mom asked me to buy brown sugar sponge cake for breakfast when I went out for my morning jog."
Wang Cuifen rarely splurged on store-bought treats for the kids—except for Su Qing, who seemed to get special treatment.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Xie Jianhua took the question he’d asked Su Qing the night before straight to Wang Cuifen.
Strangely enough, Wang Cuifen and Su Qing were eerily in sync on this matter.
Her explanation? "I overheard someone talking about Su Xue’s pregnancy in the next stall while I was using the public restroom."
In fact, Wang Cuifen sounded downright indignant about it.
"It wasn’t just me! Granny Zhang and the others said they heard the same rumors while they were in there."
No one knew where the gossip had started, but by now, word of Su Xue’s possible pregnancy had spread far and wide.
A few people tried to pry confirmation from Wang Cuifen, but she expertly dodged, keeping her expressions neutral and her lips sealed.
She didn’t dare fuel the fire—what if things escalated? Su Qing’s residency paperwork wasn’t settled yet, and the marriage application and certificate still needed to be finalized.
In Wang Cuifen’s eyes, Su Qing was innocent, completely uninvolved. If there was blame to shoulder, she’d take it upon herself without hesitation.
After this heart-to-heart with his mother, Xie Jianhua immediately regretted his earlier suspicions. While waking Su Qing up, he seized the moment to apologize.
"Sorry for misunderstanding you earlier."
Su Qing froze for a second before forcing a bright smile. "It’s fine! As long as the misunderstanding’s cleared up. I must’ve done something to make you doubt me."
By the end of her sentence, her head drooped low.
Xie Jianhua hurried to reassure her. "You didn’t do anything wrong. I overthought things."
Su Qing gave him a strained smile and stayed silent.
She planned to maintain this wounded demeanor and silently tattle on Xie Jianhua to Wang Cuifen.
She’d genuinely done nothing—why should she be doubted? And last night, he’d practically tried to interrogate her! The man was downright sneaky.
Xie Jianhua assumed his apology would close the matter. After all, he hadn’t actually harmed Su Qing—just privately questioned her. No big deal, right?
But Wang Cuifen didn’t see it that way. One look at Su Qing’s forced smile told her the poor girl had suffered greatly.
The moment Xie Jianhua stepped out of the room, he was met with the full force of Wang Cuifen’s scorching glare.
Her eyes were like daggers, and Xie Jianhua felt his hair stand on end under her scrutiny.