Wen Qian noticed some commotion at the door and looked up to see a blushing Hui Mei. The young girl appeared very happy, with a smile that seemed permanently etched on her face.
Hui Mei met her gaze and, shyly covering her face, exclaimed. Fortunately, there were only the two of them in the office; otherwise, things might have become awkward.
Hui Mei ran over and sat beside Wen Qian, fidgeting as she struggled to find the right words. She murmured softly, "Sister Wen Qian, I’m dating Liu Heng now."
"Sister Liu Heng, you don’t know! He even brought his parents over. They said they really like me and told me not to worry about being with Liu Heng; we could get married."
As she spoke, Hui Mei's face turned even redder, her fingers nervously fiddling with the table.
Wen Qian smiled and nodded. "Isn’t that great? Liu Heng is a good person. You two are a perfect match; both of you are lively and will surely bring endless excitement in the future."
In the afternoon, when classes ended, Wen Qian stayed behind for a while to clean the office. Lu Chen patiently sat on a chair inside, leaning over the desk to do his homework.
After tidying up and preparing to throw some dust and scraps into the designated bin, Wen Qian passed by the principal's office and heard strange noises coming from inside. The sounds resembled those of Guan Nian’er along with other voices.
If it weren’t for what happened last night, she might not have thought much of it. But having experienced it herself, she immediately recognized those sounds. However, wasn’t the principal a woman? Why would Guan Nian’er be making such noises?
As she was about to leave, a man's low growl echoed from within the room, causing Wen Qian to freeze in place. A man? Could it be that Guan Nian’er was having a secret meeting with someone in the principal's office? What audacity!
Wen Qian decided not to meddle in others' affairs; she placed her things down and took Lu Chen home. As she stepped out of the room, she noticed the principal’s son standing outside smoking.
He leered at Wen Qian as he took another drag from his cigarette, his eyes narrowing slightly with a lewd grin. Although his gaze was suggestive, he didn’t dare to openly flirt with her. After all, who was she? And who was her man? He wouldn’t want to provoke them.
"Take your time leaving, Teacher Wen," he called out with an exaggerated drawl and a playful smirk.
Wen Qian frowned in disgust; she felt ugly at that moment. At least no one dared to harass her.
Since he had already made his intentions clear in front of her, there was no need for her to avoid him deliberately. "What are you trying to signal? Are you starting to like her?"
Guan Nian'er adjusted her clothes and walked out, glaring at the man with disdain."A woman who's already had a child, yet I still care about you. What is there about you that wouldn’t make me think of you?" Her tone was sharp and unkind, her jealousy clouding her judgment, completely forgetting how to speak properly.The man exhaled a final puff of smoke, flicked the cigarette away, and walked toward her. He grabbed her butt cheek and gave it a squeeze, a brazen smile on his face."Don't worry. You're still my favorite. After all, who could ever compare to you? You're exactly my type."He pinched Guan Nian'er's cheek with enough force to make her gasp in pain."Don't ask about things you shouldn't know. I don't like stupid women."It was only then that Guan Nian'er realized what she had just said. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and apologized."Shen Ge, please don't be mad. I know I was wrong. Forgive me this once, will you?"She pouted and acted coy, lifting her leg to brush his with her foot, even throwing him a flirtatious wink. The temptation was too much for him to resist. Muttering a curse under his breath, he scooped Guan Nian'er up and carried her toward the bedroom.As the door shut, Guan Nian'er cast a cold glance outside — or more precisely, at the spot where Wen Qian had been standing moments earlier.Inside the house, Lu Zhengjing, who was in charge of cooking, began preparing dinner. His attentiveness made Wen Qian uneasy. Memories of yesterday flashed in her mind — he had been the same then.Wen Qian clutched her bag tightly and avoided Lu Zheng's gestures, stepping around him and heading inside. Lu Chen dropped his schoolbag and ran off to play with Yuan Yuan, leaving just the two of them at home.In the room, Wen Qian placed her bag on the table and picked up a textbook to read. Lu Zheng approached her from behind and started massaging her shoulders, asking softly, "Is something bothering you today?"His actions only made Wen Qian feel more uneasy and awkward. She patted his hands and said casually, "Go cook. I'm fine. I'm just reading."But the normally obedient man seemed rooted to the spot, refusing to move. He bent down, scooped Wen Qian into his arms, and slipped his hands under her legs."Ah!" she yelped in surprise, suddenly finding herself securely seated in his embrace. Panicked, she patted him. "What are you doing? What if your arm gets worse again?"Lu Zheng rotated his right arm a couple of times and handed it to Wen Qian for inspection."It's fine. It's all better now."He held her tightly, burying his face in her neck and whispering softly, "Why won't you talk to me? Are you upset? You can tell me anything, and I'll help you."The warmth of his breath and the heat of his words tickled her neck, making her feel both hot and itchy. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly in place.
Wen Qian helplessly patted him, assuring, "I'm fine, really fine. It's just that, can we rest tonight? My legs and back are still sore; I want to take a break."
Her words were subtly phrased, but how could Lu Zheng not understand her meaning? He chuckled softly, immediately realizing the reason for her earlier discomfort. He tightened his embrace around her arm and turned to kiss her cheek.
"If you don't want to, I won't force you. I was planning to sleep anyway," he said with a smile, causing Wen Qian to blush involuntarily.
It was clear that he had no such thoughts on his mind, unlike her who had been thinking about this matter constantly. "Don't be angry; I promise I'll listen to you from now on."
Wen Qian nodded, feeling a sense of happiness and security while sitting in his arms. It was a feeling not derived from her own self-assurance but rather as if someone was supporting and encouraging her from behind.
Lu Zheng adjusted her position, gently pressing his hand against her soft hair before leaning in to kiss her. His lips were insistent, entering with a force that left no room for refusal.
Wen Qian placed her hands on his shoulders, responding to his kiss. When they finally pulled away, both were breathing heavily; Wen Qian was so shy that she buried herself deeper into Lu Zheng's embrace.
It felt so strange!
It was truly too strange!
This was completely different from what she had known! How had Lu Zheng transformed into someone who wanted to kiss at every turn? Just this afternoon, he had pulled her in for a forceful kiss before they left.
Had he changed? Or had she changed?
While cooking, Lu Zheng even asked Wen Qian to keep him company, saying that even if she just stood by and watched, it would be fine.
The couple was surrounded by pink bubbles of affection, completely unaware that their son had arrived.
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