Chapter 45: Forty-Fifth Day as a Salted Fish
Qin Jiaojiao hurriedly retracted the sudden thought that had popped into her mind.
At most, she and Zhou Shaoli were cohabitating roommates. What was that nonsense about a married couple sleeping in the same bed separated by the Milky Way? Even if she often accidentally crossed the line, things between her and him were completely innocent.
Perhaps climbing over the school wall yesterday had been a bit too much excitement for her heart—even after a full night’s sleep, her whole body still felt lazy, devoid of any desire to move.
Qin Jiaojiao held her phone and browsed online for a while, catching up on the latest gossip and fresh news, until she received a message from her manager.
Her manager had recently taken on two new artists. Unless there was something necessary to communicate, they usually lived in peaceful harmony—you don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you.
The last time Qin Jiaojiao suffered mushroom poisoning, her manager had picked a huge fight with the production crew, demanding they exercise far more caution when filming in the future to prevent any life-threatening dangers to the guests.
Afterward, the manager had even supplemented the contract with the production crew with additional, stricter terms.
Her manager sent her a message saying that recently, several advertisers and producers had reached out to ask if she was interested in taking on commercials or scripts.
Just like the original host, Qin Jiaojiao had zero interest in acting. She knew full well how terrible her acting skills were—why rush off to act and suffer, getting lectured by directors and producers every day? Wouldn’t that be pure self-torture?
As for filming commercials… she wasn’t short on that little bit of money. If something happened to the advertisers, it could end up entangling her too. Better to have one less trouble than one more.
Qin Jiaojiao told her manager to decline them all. In any case, once she finished filming the dating variety show, she would wait for her contract to expire, terminate it, and stop being an artist altogether.
Her manager had long known Qin Jiaojiao intended to quit the entertainment circle. Seeing her firm attitude, the manager tried to persuade her a few times, but when Qin Jiaojiao refused to budge, she gave up. As a wealthy young miss, Qin Jiaojiao wasn’t short on cash; if she didn’t want to film, she wasn’t afraid. Could the manager possibly force Qin Jiaojiao to go film anyway?
Manager: 【Then I’ll reject them all on your behalf.】
Qin Jiaojiao: 【Mm, thank you.】
Her manager suddenly brought up another topic: 【Since you’re not taking commercials or scripts, how about an esports celebrity match? Do you want to take that?】
Qin Jiaojiao was just about to decline when her manager sent another message: 【It won’t take long to film. You just go on stage, play a few games, accept a post-match interview for a couple of minutes, and then you’re done.】
The manager knew Qin Jiaojiao loved playing video games, which was why she had paid special attention to recent game-related events.
Manager: 【The esports celebrity match is an event where the organizers pick a few celebrities to go on stage and play games alongside professional esports players. You can even make a few pro player friends while you’re at it.】
Qin Jiaojiao was persuaded and felt a spark of interest: 【When is it?】
Manager: 【The event date is the eighth of next month, Saturday evening.】
Qin Jiaojiao: 【Alright.】
The two chatted a bit more about work matters. Qin Jiaojiao ate lunch at home, then hired an aesthetician for a one-on-one home service to get a full-body beauty treatment.
Since she was going to the ancestral residence tonight, she carefully selected a qipao intricate with gold-thread embroidery. Her hair was pulled up and pinned with a jade hairpin, and her fair, translucent ears wore dark blue gemstone studs. Her silhouette was graceful and shapely, exuding a touch of mature elegance.
Zhou Shaoli returned to the garden villa early in the afternoon to pick up Qin Jiaojiao. A light rain was falling outside, and a young, beautiful girl emerged from the villa entrance holding an umbrella—looking like a beauty stepping right out of a Jiangnan ink wash painting, perfectly harmonious with the garden villa.
Zhou Shaoli was very fond of traditional Chinese aesthetics. He had deliberately purchased a garden-style villa as his residence, decorating it primarily in a Chinese style. Compared to coffee and various foreign wines, he preferred various fine teas.
Today, Qin Jiaojiao’s outfit—so different from her usual bright, glamorous rose style—kept his gaze locked onto her for a long time, unable to look away.
Qin Jiaojiao pulled open the car door, collapsed her umbrella, and sat inside, placing the umbrella by her feet near the door. Turning around, she caught Zhou Shaoli looking at her with a deep, profound gaze.
“Did my makeup smudge?” Qin Jiaojiao had looked left and right in front of the mirror at home, ensuring her appearance was completely proper—looking like the absolute picture of a happily married woman—before stepping out the door.
Zhou Shaoli said, “No.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt relieved, saying, “I don’t know what’s up with this weather, suddenly raining like this.” She pulled a small mirror out of her bag to check the makeup on her face.
Her face wore a light, almost nude makeup look that appeared natural and fresh, blending seamlessly with her skin as if she weren’t wearing makeup at all.
Zhou Shaoli glanced at the small mirror in her hand. She seemed to carry a small mirror wherever she went, ready to pull it out at any moment to check if her makeup had smudged.
Quite cute.
Zhou Shaoli withdrew his gaze, holding documents in his hands as he read. Since they were returning to the ancestral residence today, he had some unfinished work, so he brought it along into the car.
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at the man reading his documents so attentively and didn’t make a sound to disturb him.
Outside, the rain pitter-pattered, droplets hitting the car windows. Qin Jiaojiao stared at the street view outside the window, drifting off into a daze.
Why did it suddenly start raining? So annoying.
The driver turned into the street leading to the eastern suburb ancestral residence. The rain had been falling for a long time, and small streams of water had gathered on the alley pavement. The green-brick paved street looked as though stepping anywhere carelessly would land on a puddle, splashing water and dirtying one’s clothes.
There was still a stretch of alleyway separating them from the main gate of the ancestral residence. Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli got out of the car at the intersection. She linked her arm through the man’s, stepping carefully across the green-brick ground.
The driver carried the gifts bought for the elders of the ancestral residence, following close behind the two.
Seeing Qin Jiaojiao stepping so cautiously, Zhou Shaoli handed her his umbrella. “I’ll carry you over.”
“This… isn’t great, is it?” Qin Jiaojiao said shyly. She wasn’t that delicate of a person; they were almost at the gate of the ancestral residence, so why would she need to be carried?
“Hold the umbrella,” Zhou Shaoli said in a calm tone. “The water ahead is deeper. I’ll carry you.”
Seeing his insistence, Qin Jiaojiao didn’t refuse any longer. After all, he was the one who offered to carry her. The corners of her lips couldn’t help but curve upward: “Thank you, then.”
Qin Jiaojiao held the umbrella, and Zhou Shaoli bent down slightly to pick her up in a princess carry. She was already very used to being carried by Zhou Shaoli, hooking her arms around the man’s shoulders and leaning into his chest.
Holding her, Zhou Shaoli walked forward with light, steady steps. After a distance of several dozen paces, they arrived at the entrance of the ancestral residence.
The security guard standing post at the entrance saw Zhou Shaoli walking over while carrying his wife, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes. Having worked and stood guard for the Zhou family for many years, this was the very first time he had seen Zhou Shaoli being so intimate with a woman.
Clearly, the last few times they came, the two had acted like a mutually respectful married couple, simply linking arms.
Coming in from the alley street was barely a hundred steps away, yet the Second Young Master was actually carrying the Second Young Mistress over—wasn’t he pampering his wife a bit too much?
The security guard pretended not to see, keeping his eyes down and focusing his mind, until Zhou Shaoli set Qin Jiaojiao down under the clean shelter of the eaves at the door and looked up to greet him.
“Second Young Master, Second Young Mistress.”
Zhou Shaoli gave a slight nod, leading Qin Jiaojiao into the ancestral residence.
Qin Jiaojiao linked her arm through his, and together they walked down the covered walkway to the living room. The brightly lit living room held the whole family: the Old Master and Old Madam sat on the sofa, her mother-in-law Li Wanru was watching TV, her father-in-law Zhou Bowen was playing with his little granddaughter Zhou Jianing, his older brother Zhou Shaoyan was on a phone call by the floor-to-ceiling window, and other relatives were chatting with the Old Madam.
Stranger on the first visit, acquaintance on the second—the moment Qin Jiaojiao entered the house, she trotted straight toward Old Madam Zhou: “Grandfather, Grandmother.”
Old Madam Zhou let out a warm response, saying with a beaming smile, “Jiaojiao is here! Come sit quickly, let Grandmother see if you’ve lost weight.”
She pulled Qin Jiaojiao’s hand, looking her over left and right, and said, “You’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Jiaojiao, is it that you don’t like the food made by the house chef? Should Grandmother send a chef over for you?”
“No need, no need,” Qin Jiaojiao hurriedly said. “I haven’t lost weight, I’ve actually gained weight! If you don’t believe me, feel it.”
Qin Jiaojiao took Old Madam Zhou’s hand to touch her belly, intending to show the Old Madam her belly that had gained a ring of weight recently. Instantly, the gaze of everyone in the living room landed on her.
Literally in a single second, everyone was staring at her stomach.
A look of suspicion and joy surfaced in her mother-in-law’s eyes—could she be pregnant?
Young girls nowadays paid extreme attention to their physical image, preferring to starve themselves thin in pursuit of a slender figure. Today, Qin Jiaojiao had put on a fitted qipao, and when she sat down, a tiny little belly bulged out slightly.
It really was just a tiny bit—not that her figure was bad, but just a normal waistline. Yet her pulling Old Madam Zhou to touch her belly made everyone jump to the wrong conclusion.
The couple had been married for so long; it was about time for good news, right?
Everyone looked at Qin Jiaojiao, then turned to look at Zhou Shaoli, their eyes filled with expectant inquiry.
Zhou Shaoli naturally couldn’t give an answer, maintaining a calm and composed expression. No one could get an answer out of him.
Old Madam Zhou asked, “Is there a little baby?”
Qin Jiaojiao’s face turned pale with shock, and her face flushed red as she hurriedly explained, “No! I just gained weight from eating too much.”
Old Madam Zhou didn’t show a disappointed expression—young people nowadays didn’t want to have children too early. She warmly pulled Qin Jiaojiao and asked, “I heard that while recording the show in Nancheng, you accidentally got mushroom poisoning. Has your body fully recovered?”
“I’m all better now, thank you for your concern, Grandmother,” Qin Jiaojiao replied obediently.
A servant brought over two platters of washed fruit, one of which contained honey peaches cut into small pieces, emitting a sweet, fruity aroma.
Old Madam Zhou called out to everyone, “These are the honey peaches Jiaojiao sent back while filming the show in Nancheng. Everyone, come give them a try.”
Everyone picked up forks to taste them, praising the honey peaches as truly excellent—on par with the premium honey peaches bought at high-end shopping malls, both tender and sweet.
Old Madam Zhou chatted with Qin Jiaojiao for a while before letting her go. Since the feast in the dining room wasn’t ready yet, Qin Jiaojiao scanned the living room, didn’t spot Zhou Shaoli, and turned her steps around to walk out of the living room toward the back garden.
By now, the rain had stopped. The stone slabs in the back garden had been washed clean, leaving behind a wet sheen, while the air retained a fresh scent of rain.
Zhou Shaoli was once again feeding the koi fish in the pond, where plump koi were scrambling for fish food.
Qin Jiaojiao stepped up to stand beside him and said, “You really are here.”
Zhou Shaoli turned his head to look at her, his expression warm and gentle as he said, “It’s been a long time since I fed them, so I came over to take a look.”
Qin Jiaojiao said with a smile, “These fish seem to have gotten fat again.”
Zhou Shaoli asked, “Do you want to feed them?”
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head. “I’m afraid they’ll jump up and scare me again.”
Zhou Shaoli recalled the last time Qin Jiaojiao fed the koi. Probably because she tossed in too much food, the koi in the pond had scrambled frantically to snatch it, and one had leaped up and startled her, leading him to pull her into his arms.
“It’s alright, I’m right beside you,” his voice was steady. “Toss a tiny bit at a time and feed them slowly. They won’t jump up.”
“I’ll give it a try.” Qin Jiaojiao took the fish food from his hand and tossed it into the pond little by little. The koi scrambled for the food, though not as fiercely as last time.
Under the moonlight, the two stood by the edge of the koi pond. The man stood tall and refined, while the girl was slender and delicate. Because they stood so close, their shadows merged together, looking remarkably well-matched.
“Little Uncle, Little Auntie, time to eat!” Ningning’s crisp voice came over.
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli turned back simultaneously.
Ningning tilted her head, staring at them, and giggled, “Why aren’t Little Uncle and Little Auntie kissing?”
She remembered that a long time ago, she had seen Little Uncle holding Little Auntie in front of the koi pond and kissing. Why weren’t they kissing this time?
Qin Jiaojiao’s face flushed hot. She walked over, picked up the little girl, and changed the subject: “What is Ningning eating?”
A child’s attention was easily diverted, and she obediently told her, “Ningning is eating honey peaches—sweet and crunchy, super yummy!”
After carrying the child for just a few steps, Qin Jiaojiao found her getting a bit heavy to hold. Just as she wanted to set her down, Ningning hugged her neck: “I want Little Auntie to carry me.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “…”
She hurriedly looked to Zhou Shaoli for help. Kids really grew fast; she couldn’t hold her anymore.
Receiving her signal for help, Zhou Shaoli spoke in a deep voice: “Ningning, come over. Little Uncle will carry you.”
Ningning was raised under the care of the Old Master and Old Madam, fearing nothing in heaven or earth—she wasn’t even afraid of her own father, possessing a spoiled temperament. Yet in front of her Little Uncle, she didn’t dare to act willful.
Ningning let go of her hands, allowing Zhou Shaoli to lift her out of Qin Jiaojiao’s arms.
Zhou Shaoli carried Ningning, while Qin Jiaojiao walked by his side, entering the living room together. Seeing this scene, everyone held their own thoughts in their hearts.
Whenever Zhou Shaoli has a child, it’ll definitely be as cute as Ningning.
Qin Jiaojiao was beautiful and sweet-talking, very good at pleasing elders. Combined with the fact that she brought gifts for the elders every time she visited, everyone had accepted this new daughter-in-law from the bottom of their hearts.
The dining table was very harmonious, and the meal was enjoyed pleasantly.
Old Madam Zhou would occasionally scoop food into Qin Jiaojiao’s bowl, but Qin Jiaojiao hurriedly declined: “Grandmother, don’t give me any more, my bowl can’t fit any more food.”
“Eat more! You just got back after recovering from poisoning, you need to nourish yourself properly,” Old Madam Zhou instructed.
“Thank you, Grandmother.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at her completely full bowl of food, particularly a piece of half-fat, half-lean meat she really didn’t want to eat. The Zhou family didn’t have the habit of wasting food; even Ningning was taught that every grain on the plate was hard-won and that the food in one’s bowl had to be finished properly.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Qin Jiaojiao carefully tugged on Zhou Shaoli’s sleeve.
Zhou Shaoli turned his head slightly, looking at her.
Qin Jiaojiao communicated with him using her eyes: I can’t eat this fatty meat, think of something.
Zhou Shaoli intelligently picked up her meaning right away. Reaching out with his chopsticks, he picked the fatty meat out of her bowl. Seeing this scene, the Old Madam chided: “Shaoli, why are you snatching food from your wife’s bowl? If you want to eat, pick it up yourself.”
Qin Jiaojiao lowered her head, not daring to look at everyone’s expressions.
Zhou Shaoli said with a calm demeanor, “The food in her bowl tastes better.”
Everyone at the dining table burst into laughter, and someone teased, “Grandmother, just don’t worry about it—this is a little romantic quirk between husband and wife.”
Boom! Qin Jiaojiao’s entire face went red instantly, blushing from her neck all the way to her earlobes, her fair ears turning translucent pink.
Zhou Shaoli looked at his older cousin who had teased him and asked faintly, “Cousin, have you never eaten food from your wife’s bowl?”
The sound of chopsticks across the entire dining table instantly fell silent. Zhou Shaoli’s expression was tranquil, yet his eyes carried a subtle air of authority that made people feel inwardly intimidated.
The cousin offered a sheepish smile: “Of course I have! I’m the one who eats all the leftovers from my wife and kid.”
Ever since Zhou Shaoli took power over the Zhuxing Group, everyone in the family felt a sense of fear toward him. Everyone in the family worked within the Zhou family’s corporate enterprises. Although they were all relatives, as the saying goes, “kinship doesn’t last past three generations.” Even blood brothers could beat each other bloody over family assets. In today’s world, whoever held power and wealth had the strongest backbone, and their words had to be listened to.
Many people at the table were a bit afraid of Zhou Shaoli. On the surface, Zhou Shaoli appeared calm, but his methods were decisive, swift, and completely unswayed by personal feelings. Everyone relied on him to reap benefits. Seeing him protect his wife like this, who would dare tease him further?
The mood had gone a bit cold, so Old Madam Zhou smoothed things over: “It’s only natural for a husband to eat his wife’s leftovers! When the Old Master was young, he ate plenty of things I couldn’t finish. Once, I took a few sips of milk and set it aside to drink later, only to turn around and see he had taken it away and drunk it.”
Old Master Zhou mumbled, “I was just afraid you’d waste it.”
“You didn’t even ask me before taking it!” Old Madam Zhou still felt annoyed thinking back on it.
Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, chiming in one by one to soothe the Old Master and Old Madam, who had nearly started arguing over something from years ago. The atmosphere became lively once more.
Qin Jiaojiao let out a sigh of relief and looked up at Zhou Shaoli. His voice sounded gentle: “Whatever dishes you don’t like, just pass them directly to me.”
Since Zhou Shaoli put it that way, she didn’t stand on ceremony with him, picking up her chopsticks to transfer all the dishes she disliked into his bowl.
This scene fell into the eyes of Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou, bringing a smile of deep comfort to both elders’ eyes.
Initially, everyone had worried that Zhou Shaoli was coerced into marriage by Old Master Zhou using his illness, leaving him inwardly unwilling. Now it seemed forcing him to marry hadn’t been a bad thing at all—instead, it had brought about a match made in heaven for Zhou Shaoli and Qin Jiaojiao.
After dinner ended.
Old Master Zhou called the three Zhou family men upstairs for a talk as usual. The remaining relatives left after finishing their meal or stayed behind to chat with the Old Madam.
Qin Jiaojiao sat on the sofa playing on her phone when a small hand beside her tugged at her.
“Little Auntie, play Chinese checkers with me.”
Qin Jiaojiao set down her phone and said, “Sure!”
Zhou Jianing hugged a box from goodness-knows-where, placing it onto the coffee table. Opening the box revealed a colorful set of marble Chinese checkers.
Qin Jiaojiao asked, “Is there a reward for playing Chinese checkers?”
Zhou Jianing pulled a pack of candy out of her backpack. “If Little Auntie wins, this pack of candy is yours. If I win, Little Auntie buys me candy.”
“Then if I win, Ningning can’t cry, okay?” Qin Jiaojiao gave her a preventive warning.
Zhou Jianing nodded obediently: “Ningning is a big kid, I won’t cry.”
Qin Jiaojiao found teasing kids quite amusing. Sitting on the sofa while Zhou Jianing pulled over a small stool to sit by the coffee table, the one big and one small played Chinese checkers with utmost seriousness.
On the other side, Old Madam Zhou, who was chatting with her daughter-in-law, saw this scene and revealed a kindly smile on her face.
When the Zhou family had hosted a banquet inviting various young misses across Beijing to pick a wife for Zhou Shaoli, almost every socialite from Beijing’s wealthy families had attended, everyone wanting to become the Second Young Master’s wife.
Old Madam Zhou had instantly taken a liking to the beautiful, sweet-talking Qin Jiaojiao. A smaller family background didn’t matter; the Zhou family possessed centuries of heritage, power, and wealth, so there was no need for a high-stakes corporate alliance.
Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou were extremely satisfied with Qin Jiaojiao. After Zhou Shaoli met her, he agreed, and the wedding date was set right away.
The Zhou family had originally wanted to host a grand, century-level wedding in Beijing, but the young couple didn’t want a massive spectacle, saying that inviting a few relatives and friends as simple witnesses was enough.
Old Madam Zhou had always felt they had wronged Qin Jiaojiao, so she felt very close to the girl. Seeing Qin Jiaojiao blending into the family more and more, she felt deeply comforted.
Qin Jiaojiao and Ningning went back and forth in Chinese checkers. The little girl was quite clever—if Qin Jiaojiao weren’t an adult, she really might not have been able to beat her.
After a fierce battle, Qin Jiaojiao emerged victorious. Just then, the discussion among the three generations of Zhou family men came to an end, and Zhou Shaoli and Zhou Shaoyan walked downstairs.
A flash of slyness glinted in Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes as she picked up the pack of candy from the table. “Ningning lost, so this pack of candy is mine now.”
Ningning’s little face fell into gloom, and she gave a small nod. “For Little Auntie.”
Qin Jiaojiao observed the expression on Ningning’s face: two pools of tears were welling up in the little girl’s eyes, held back with great effort.
“Ningning,” Zhou Shaoyan called out.
Zhou Jianing stumbled over to her dad, reaching out her arms for a hug. Zhou Shaoyan lifted the child, and the little girl buried her face in her father’s shoulder, sobbing softly.
Qin Jiaojiao quickly hurried over with the candy: “Ningning, Little Auntie doesn’t like candy, I’ll give it back to you.”
“Ningning… lost… candy… for Little Auntie,” Zhou Jianing sobbed in a cute, milky voice.
Zhou Shaoli asked, “What winning and losing?”
Qin Jiaojiao felt a bit embarrassed holding the candy and explained, “Ningning and I played Chinese checkers, and I won her candy.”
Zhou Shaoyan laughed: “Ningning is a good kid; if she loses, she has to fulfill her promise. Sister-in-law, you keep the candy.”
“Mm!” Zhou Jianing’s eyes were slightly red as she nodded vigorously. “Candy is Little Auntie’s.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at Zhou Shaoli—she had just wanted to tease the kid, not actually steal a child’s candy.
“Ningning gave it to you, so keep it.” Zhou Shaoli patted Zhou Jianing’s head and said, “Next time Little Uncle comes, I’ll buy Ningning a giant jar of candy.”
Zhou Jianing wiped her tears and held out her pinky finger. “Pinky promise!”
Zhou Shaoli hooked his pinky with hers while Ningning recited: “Pinky promise, cross your heart, hope to die for a hundred years, no changing!”
Holding the candy, Qin Jiaojiao felt a slight sense of guilt for picking on a child.
Before leaving the ancestral residence with his daughter, Zhou Shaoyan said to her: “This kid has eaten too much candy recently and ruined a tooth. I was just worrying about how to trick the candy away from her. Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “I just wanted to tease her a bit. Since Big Brother puts it that way, I’ll hang onto the candy then.”
Most of the relatives at the ancestral residence had left. Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli bade farewell to the Old Madam and left the eastern suburb ancestral residence.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Qin Jiaojiao had an extra pack of candy in her hands. Unwrapping the candy she had won, she peeled open a wrapper and tasted one.
Very sweet.
In truth, her saying she didn’t like candy had been a lie to fool Ningning. Whenever she felt unhappy or down, she would buy all kinds of candies to cheer herself up.
She pulled out a light green candy, peeled the wrapper, and held it to Zhou Shaoli’s lips. “Have one.”
Zhou Shaoli hadn’t spoken since getting into the car. Although he appeared as calm and noble as usual, she could sense he was in a slightly bad mood—and his bad mood wasn’t because of her, but likely due to something else.
Zhou Shaoli looked toward her, parted his thin lips slightly, and took the candy. His lips brushed against her fingertips, making Qin Jiaojiao’s heart tremble slightly, and she quickly pulled her hand back.
“If you’re in a bad mood, eat a candy. Sweeten things up a bit, and your mood will get better.”
Holding the candy in his mouth, a sweet taste spread through his palate, gently clearing away the haze in his heart.
The Old Master had called them upstairs to discuss the future of the Zhou family enterprise and outline his estate planning.
The Old Master disliked living in a nursing home and insisted on staying at the ancestral residence because he felt his body was failing—advanced medical technology could no longer stop his condition from gradually deteriorating.
Although birth, aging, sickness, and death were natural laws, hardly anyone in this world could easily accept the passing of a loved one.
Zhou Shaoli felt a heavy weight on his heart, though he hadn’t shown it on his face. He hadn’t expected her to actually notice it and use candy to soothe his emotions.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tight.
Zhou Shaoli rarely lost composure or acted out of line. Qin Jiaojiao was slightly startled, but she didn’t struggle.
She let him hold her hand, as slowly, their ten fingers intertwined tightly together.
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