Ye Zhenhua took a sip of tea and said leisurely, “I’m aware of the fact that Youyou had a hard time in your household before.”


  As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Zhilie. “I heard that the old lady in your house treated her terribly, so I’m not holding out hope that she’ll be kind to Qianqian. But you’d better promise me that you’ll protect my daughter well. In the past, I always worried that she wouldn’t be able to find someone suitable. Now what I’m worried about is that she’ll be bullied by your family.”


  Ye Zhenhua sighed and gazed at Ye Qianqian. In a tone of concerned exasperation, he said, “Can’t you cause me a little less worry?”


  Ye Qianqian looked at him with a hurt expression. “You’re the one who chose to worry! What can I do about that?”


  Ye Zhenhua glared at her, but his face betrayed how helpless he felt. “I guess,” he said.

  “Rest assured, Uncle.” Shen Zhilie looked Ye Zhenhua in the eye and said earnestly, “Regardless of what happens, protecting Ye Qianqian will be my number one priority. I will settle the issue regarding my grandmother. Even if Ye Qianqian can’t marry me now, I’m willing to wait. Besides, it’s only one more year. We’ll have the rest of our lives to be together. Whether or not we have our marriage certificates right now doesn’t matter to me.”


  Ye Qianqian nodded her head in intense approval. Ye Zhenhua, however, didn’t reveal how he felt. He harrumphed and said, “You better keep your word. If my daughter gets bullied, I’m warning you now that I won’t let you get away with it.”


  Shen Zhilie smiled good-naturedly, revealing his white teeth. “That will never happen,” he promised.

  “What a smooth talker.” Although Ye Zhenhua’s tone was curt, his face broke out into a smile, and he looked satisfied.

  After chatting in the living room for a while, Ye Zhenhua soon felt sleepy. The trio dispersed and went back to their rooms. Because it was cold, Ye Qianqian didn’t want to shower. She simply removed her coat and lay down on the bed.

  The couple had been apart for almost five months, and Shen Zhilie had been busy in the capital throughout that time. The experience of a long-distance relationship was indeed unpleasant. Shen Zhilie had gone to pick Ye Qianqian up the moment he touched down, and they had gone to Yun Town immediately. There hadn’t been time for any tender loving care.

  Now, lying on the bed, Shen Zhilie’s hands began to get busy.

  Ye Qianqian wrenched herself away and whispered, “The walls here are thin. Don’t touch me.”


  “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”


  “Bullsh*t. We’ll do something tomorrow. What’s the hurry?”


  Ye Qianqian kicked him off, then hugged herself tightly, refusing to give in to him.

  Shen Zhilie had already been somewhat hesitant to begin with. Thinking about how he still needed to leave a good impression on his future father-in-law, he gritted his teeth and resigned himself to the situation.

  Unexpectedly, clenching his jaw simply served to heighten his urges, and he was unable to fall asleep the whole night.

  The next morning, Shen Zhilie looked like he had gotten up on the wrong side of bed. Ye Qianqian saw this, but looked away and pretended not to notice anything.

  After eating the breakfast Ye Zhenhua had prepared, Ye Qianqian had the sudden random urge to visit Fang Tongtong.

  Shen Zhilie knew that Ye Qianqian couldn’t let go of her friendship with Fang Tongtong, and he didn’t stop her. However, when Ye Qianqian reached Fang Tongtong’s shop, she found Fang Tongtong’s mother at the counter instead.

  When Fang Tongtong’s mother saw Ye Qianqian and Shen Zhilie, she felt a mixture of emotions. “You’re back,” she remarked.

  Ye Qianqian nodded her head and craned her neck to look inside. “Where’s Tongtong?” she asked.

  “Tongtong has gone to Thailand on holiday,” she replied. With that, she pulled a stool out and said, “Have a seat.”


  “That won’t be necessary, Auntie. We still have to rush to make our flight,” Ye Qianqian said with a polite smile. “I just wanted to meet Tongtong. Since she’s on holiday, I’m assuming that she’s in a pretty good state, so I don’t have to worry about her.”