Chapter 40: Fortieth Day as a Salted Fish
A lamp glowed brightly beneath the porch of Yueli Courtyard, emitting a soft, dim light that soaked the space in a romantic ambience. High above, a bright moon hung in the clear night sky, pouring a expanse of silver light across the ground. The soft grass, the swaying purple-flowered tree dancing in the wind, and the swing on its flower frame gently rocking—all came together in the quiet night as the two held each other’s gaze, adding a subtle touch of hazy romance.
The distance between them slowly closed, their heartbeats growing distinct and loud.
Qin Jiaojiao leaned softly against Zhou Shaoli’s chest. In such a romantic mood, as a married adult couple, they didn’t need to overthink things and could naturally kiss each other.
No, wait…
Where Qin Jiaojiao found the courage, she didn’t know, but she turned her face away and shifted her gaze, holding her ground firm.
Zhou Shaoli’s movement to lean closer came to a halt. He lowered his eyes, looking down at the delicate profile of her turned face. She hadn’t said a word, yet her posture conveyed a silent refusal.
Even though she hadn’t stepped out of his arms yet.
Using sheer willpower, Zhou Shaoli suppressed the surge of heat in his body. Inhaling the soft scent of flowers, he held her quietly in his arms for a moment longer before standing up and picking her up in a princess carry.
Qin Jiaojiao habitually wrapped her arms around his neck, her mind going completely blank as the man carried her back toward the room.
It wasn’t until he effortlessly carried her upstairs that her entire body gradually stiffened.
What did Zhou Shaoli want to do?
He wouldn’t be driven into a beastly frenzy just because of an accidental kiss, would he?
Qin Jiaojiao’s mind ran wild with crazy thoughts. There are production team cameras inside the wooden house, so he shouldn’t be so shameless as to act like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, right?
Zhou Shaoli set her down on a wooden chair in the bedroom, opened the closet, grabbed a change of clothes, and walked straight into the bathroom, leaving her sitting on the chair in a daze.
Ever since their very first day of living together, she had always been the one to go into the bathroom first. She liked taking long showers, applying sheet masks, and doing her skincare routine, which took quite a while. Meanwhile, Zhou Shaoli had plenty of work to handle, so he usually waited until she finished before heading into the bathroom himself.
This seemed to be the first time Zhou Shaoli had gone to the bathroom before her.
Listening to the soft pitter-patter of the shower coming from the bathroom, Qin Jiaojiao’s face flushed red for no reason. Cupping her still-warm cheeks, she pondered deeply.
Zhou Shaoli wanted to kiss her just now, right? It wasn’t like before—I wasn’t dreaming.
Qin Jiaojiao gave her arm a gentle pinch. It hurt a little. It’s not a dream. Why did he want to kiss me? Just because the mood was too good?
She truly couldn’t calm down; her mind was entirely filled with the image of him holding her, kissing her, and looking at her with a gaze brimming with desire. The mere thought made her feel weak all over.
Oh gosh, stop thinking about it!
Qin Jiaojiao felt like her heart rate was about to spike past safe levels.
Tonight really felt surreal. Qin Jiaojiao rubbed her face—she couldn’t overthink this. How could a self-disciplined, chaste man like Zhou Shaoli possibly have any out-of-line thoughts toward her?
It must have been because the lighting was too dim and I saw things wrong! It definitely was!
Inside the bathroom, Zhou Shaoli took a cold shower, though the icy water failed to immediately quench the fiery heat in his body. The moment he closed his eyes, the almost-kiss in the courtyard flashed through his mind.
The girl’s lips were soft as flower petals, sweet as honey hanging from a cliff, carrying a dangerous temptation.
He had been drawn in beyond self-control, wanting to pull her back into his arms and kiss her again, to taste her flavor even more deeply. For him, a single gesture or a single look from her was enough to shatter his formidable self-restraint.
His black hair was thoroughly soaked by the cold water, partially veiling his brows and eyes. Zhou Shaoli reached up and brushed his hair back, revealing his incomparably handsome face. He closed his eyes and let the cold water cascade over his visage, water droplets trickling down his sharply defined cheeks, his chest heaving with deep, powerful breaths.
One sitting on a chair in the bedroom, the other standing inside the bathroom—both of their minds were still reliving that moment.
Qin Jiaojiao’s thoughts were a chaotic mess, making her fail to notice that Zhou Shaoli’s shower was taking much longer than usual. He only stepped out half an hour later.
When Zhou Shaoli finally emerged, his messy black hair slightly veiled his handsome brows, and his entire body radiated an unignorable warmth.
“I’m going downstairs to handle some work,” the man said, his voice raspy.
Qin Jiaojiao’s fair toes curled nervously inside her slippers as she whispered back, “Oh, okay.”
Zhou Shaoli left the bedroom, and at the click of the closing door, she let out a long, quiet sigh of relief.
Feeling as though her inner peace had just survived a chaotic battle, Qin Jiaojiao picked up her phone, completely at a loss as to who she could talk to. The only person she could confide in was her best friend.
How am I even supposed to bring this up?
Could I really tell Yang Yutong: ‘Hey, guess what? I think my husband likes me.’
Yang Yutong would definitely roll her eyes first, asking ‘Who else would your husband like if not you?’, followed by a barrage of enthusiastic rainbow farts.
“Our Jiaojiao is so pretty and cute. Anyone who doesn’t like you has zero taste.”
“Jiaojiao is the absolute prettiest little fairy in heaven and earth. The whole world should fall in love with you.”
In times like this, it’s best to make good use of the search bar.
Qin Jiaojiao created an alt account and went over to an online relationship forum to post a thread.
【My arranged marriage partner tried to kiss me. Does he like me?】
Floor 1: What era are we in for arranged marriages? Which elite circle’s rich heiress are you?
Floor 2: I know this one! He simply wants to sleep with you.
Floor 3: You guys are already in an arranged marriage and sleep in the same bed without anything happening—is he impotent?
Floor 4: You see something new every day! You guys are way too pure.
Floor 5: A married couple without a sex life is like a city without Jerusalem.
Floor 6: I have the following six points to make: ……
The thread quickly built up a massive stack of replies, a chaotic heap of messy comments. Qin Jiaojiao read them in total bewilderment, her head spinning even more.
She knew that in many webnovels with love-after-marriage tropes, the male and female leads would sleep together on their wedding night and begin their life as a married couple long before falling in love—unless they were the type who mutually despised each other, forced into an arranged marriage, and played around in private.
But her situation with Zhou Shaoli was different! They had signed a contract marriage, not a simple family-arranged marriage.
Fearing her identity might be exposed, Qin Jiaojiao quickly submitted a request to delete the post. Asking netizens really was a waste of time. She’d better hurry up, wash up, and get some sleep—at night her brain was prone to wild overthinking, but daytime would bring clarity.
Qin Jiaojiao grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to shower. After finishing, she climbed into bed, pulled the blanket over herself, closed her eyes, and began counting little golden sheep.
When she woke up the next day, her mind had indeed cleared up, but the moment she laid eyes on Zhou Shaoli, memories of last night’s kiss came flooding back, making her too flustered to even make eye contact with him.
The production crew dispatched vehicles to pick up the guest couples, taking everyone to a local villager’s fruit orchard to kick off their agricultural charity livestream.
Upon arriving at the orchard and stepping out of the car, they met Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong. The two were fully equipped in sun-protective clothing and straw hats, looking completely integrated into the countryside environment.
Qin Jiaojiao shifted her gaze to Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang on the other side. Yesterday, Shen Xiaoshan had been pinned on the trending search and dragged through the mud for a whole day. Today, even her heavy makeup failed to cover up her exhausted expression, and Meng Zi’ang beside her looked in an equally foul mood.
Shen Xiaoshan was currently the key artist being promoted under Meng Brothers Pictures. The company planned to build her into a hugely popular rising star, so the more negative internet sentiment surrounding her, the greater the backlash on Meng Brothers Pictures.
The head director picked up a megaphone and announced: “Welcome, guest couples, to our villagers’ orchard! Today, your primary task is to assist the villagers with a livestream event to help sell their unsold peaches. Whichever couple sells the most will receive bonus screen time and an exclusive VIP feature episode in our next installment…”
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaoshan’s eyes glinted with intense motivation. Extra screen time and an exclusive VIP feature cut meant significantly more views, and she was determined to claim first place.
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong were on this dating show to enjoy some quality couple time, so they weren’t overly interested in the rewards issued by the crew.
Shen Xiaoshan fixed her gaze on Qin Jiaojiao. Her primary rival this season was Qin Jiaojiao. Over the past two days, netizens had berated her mercilessly, making her unable to eat or sleep well while holding back a surge of resentment.
For today’s charity livestream, she had to take first place no matter what.
Upon hearing about the production team’s rewards, Qin Jiaojiao clapped her hands on the surface, putting on an eager and expectant look, while inwardly groaning. Doesn’t this just mean extra filming work? No way I want that.
After explaining a few rules, the production team announced which villager each couple would be paired with for the charity livestream.
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong were assigned to help a pair of twin sisters; Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang were paired with a duo of middle-aged brothers; while Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli were tasked with helping Grandpa Li, who was accompanied by his grandson.
Grandpa Li looked to be in his sixties or seventies, holding the hand of a four- or five-year-old boy as he walked over warmly: “Boss Zhou, thank you for taking me to the hospital the other day. I haven’t paid you back for the expenses yet.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked over at Zhou Shaoli.
Zhou Shaoli’s tone was gentle: “It was just a small sum, no need.”
“Thank you,” Grandpa Li said with deep gratitude. “Let me lead you to the orchard.”
The camera operator followed behind, filming as each guest couple followed their assigned villagers into their respective areas of the orchard.
Qin Jiaojiao had originally been walking behind Zhou Shaoli, but he paused his steps to let her walk ahead of him. The dirt path through the field was uneven, so he needed to keep a close eye on her.
The group arrived at the orchard.
Looking at the orchard brimming with peaches, Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes widened. A massive amount of peaches had fallen to the ground, rotting away as bugs and ants devoured them. If so many peaches couldn’t be sold, wouldn’t they all rot away on the branches and in the soil? What a tragic waste.
Grandpa Li said, “This section is my family’s peach grove. The peaches are all ripe, but we just can’t get them sold. People from the city came to buy them, but they drove the prices down so low that I wouldn’t even break even if I sold.”
Qin Jiaojiao asked, “Grandpa Li, do you pick all these peaches by yourself?”
Grandpa Li nodded. “Once I finish the farm work, I bring Xiao Yu along to pick peaches. My son and daughter-in-law work in the city to earn money and can’t get time off to come back. The fellow villagers occasionally come by to help out, but we had a bumper harvest this year and there are just too many peaches to pick…”
After chatting for a few moments, the camera operator gave a reminder, saying, “Teacher Qin and President Zhou, please get ready. We’re about to start the livestream.”
Qin Jiaojiao quickly pulled a small compact mirror out of her fabric crossbody bag to check if her makeup had smudged, wanting to present her most perfect state to her fans.
“Three, two, one, live!”
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli stood before the camera. Doing a livestream for the first time was truly a test of one’s mettle, but Qin Jiaojiao did her best to maintain her composure, offering a sweet smile toward the lens.
“Hi, hello everyone!”
Fans who had set reminders for the stream flooded into the room right on cue.
【Here they come, here they come!】
【Ahhh my daughter is so beautiful!】
【Jiaojiao looks even prettier in a livestream than on TV!】
【The internet said you got mushroom poisoning, are you feeling better now?】
【The Yueli CP is so sweet, sweet, sweet! Feed us more sugar!】
【What fruit are you selling for the charity stream today?】
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at the comments on her phone, answering with a smile: “I’ve fully recovered! Today we’re selling sweet peaches. Look over here!”
The camera turned toward the orchard, where a large swath of ripe peaches looked crisp, sweet, and mouth-watering.
【Drop the link already!】
【Whatever products the Yueli CP is selling for charity, I’m definitely going to try them.】
【Drop the link, drop the link! I want to buy ten jin!】
【I want to buy twenty jin!】
The fans were overflowing with excitement, constantly demanding the link, causing the livestream room to instantly surge into the top fifty of the real-time rankings.
The link couldn’t be dropped so quickly; they needed to build up more viewer engagement and introduce the product thoroughly first.
Grandpa Li’s grandson held up a washed peach, raising his tiny hands to pass it to her. Qin Jiaojiao took the peach and gave his head an affectionate pat with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Xiao Yu.”
Qin Jiaojiao introduced him to the watching fans and audience: “This is today’s local villager Grandpa Li’s grandson—he’s so well-behaved and cute! He brought the product over for everyone to see. Take a look at the peach in my hand, isn’t it huge…”
Zhou Shaoli’s gaze rested on her, feeling a touch of surprise. He hadn’t expected the usually ethereal and detached Qin Jiaojiao to be so natural when doing a charity sales stream, her pitch clever and effortless at driving up the energy in the room.
In truth, last night before going to bed and right after waking up this morning, Qin Jiaojiao had laid in bed looking up livestreaming pitches and practiced them several times, striving to pull it off perfectly.
She was very much a lazy salted fish who had no interest in competing with Shen Xiaoshan for popularity or CP status, but helping villagers sell their unsold produce for a charitable cause was a meaningful endeavor. She was more than happy to lend a helping hand to villagers in need.
“Let me take a bite to show you how juicy these peaches are…”
Holding the peach, Qin Jiaojiao opened her mouth and bit down. Juicy and soft, the sweet peach instantly burst with juice, splashing a bit onto her face and leaving her completely stunned.
The livestream chat and fans burst into laughter right away.
【Hahahahaha Jiaojiao is so cute!】
【Whoa, such tender and sweet peaches! So much juice, the nutritional value must be super high.】
【Hahahahahahaha this scene is hilarious, Jiaojiao is totally dazed!】
【Baby looking all pitiful and delicate after getting splashed by peach juice is just drop-dead gorgeous.】
【Hugs, don’t feel bad!】
While the fans were chuckling away, a hand reached into the frame—a hand with distinct, elegant knuckles like a piece of fine art—holding a tissue to gently wipe away the peach juice from Qin Jiaojiao’s forehead and face.
The movement was soft and meticulous.
Because Qin Jiaojiao had been standing solo in front of the camera to demonstrate the product, the stream could only see the man’s side profile and hand, which immediately sent CP fans into a screaming frenzy.
【AHHHHHHH IT’S BROTHER-IN-LAW!】
【PRESIDENT ZHOU APPEARED!!!】
【Brother-in-law is so gentle and thoughtful! Wu wu wu, I’m shipping this so hard!】
【The Yueli CP truly is the sweetest wealthy couple.】
【Pull the camera back! We want to see President Zhou’s handsome face, hurry, hurry, hurry!】
Qin Jiaojiao turned her head toward Zhou Shaoli beside her, a flush of embarrassment crossing her face as she hurriedly snatched the tissue. “I’ll do it myself.”
The camera operator co-operated smoothly by pulling the lens back a bit, bringing Zhou Shaoli’s figure into the frame, which triggered another wild wave of comments from fans.
Wiping away the juice on her face, Qin Jiaojiao held up the bitten peach to the camera. “Babies, look! The peaches here really are super tender and sweet…”
The livestream chat had already been completely overrun with comments moving at rocket speed, the screen filled with sweet praises.
【Oh my goodness, I’m swooning over this ship!】
【Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m dying of sweetness!】
【I can’t even hear what baby is saying anymore, I’m completely soaked in a jar of honey!】
【The feeling of shipping a CP is truly wonderful!】
【Your Majesty, drop the link post-haste! I shall conquer this land for you!】
【A real married couple is so good to ship! Just one glance between them makes the air taste like sweet honey.】
The stream hadn’t disabled virtual gifts, and the fans’ enthusiasm was almost leaping off the screen, driving the stream’s popularity ranking past several top influencers straight into the top twenty.
Having spoken for so long and eaten a peach, Qin Jiaojiao’s throat felt a bit dry, so she pulled on Zhou Shaoli’s arm.
Zhou Shaoli lowered his head, leaning down right in front of her.
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