When Wen Ke’an returned home, her parents, Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing, had already returned and were affectionately watching TV on the sofa. Wen Ke’an joined them on the sofa, eating some fruit briefly before retreating to her own room.
Initially, she wanted to send a message to Gu Ting, asking him to come over later, but to her surprise, she found Gu Ting in her room as soon as she opened the door.
“Why are you here so early?”
Wen Ke’an was momentarily stunned, worried her parents would discover Gu Ting in her room, and quickly shut the door.
“Weren’t you the one who invited me? Are you going to pretend you didn’t now?” Gu Ting said with a smile.
The room was warm due to the underfloor heating, especially warm. Gu Ting was still wearing his black cotton-padded jacket upon entering. As he spoke, he stood up and began to remove his coat with fluid movements, making himself at home.
Seeing Gu Ting taking off his coat and about to remove his sweater, Wen Ke’an stared at him, “Are you planning to strip naked?”
Gu Ting paused, “Isn’t it too hot?”
The underfloor heating was very warm, and Wen Ke’an was comfortable in a thin nightgown. Gu Ting, who naturally runs warm and seldom feels cold, felt overly heated.
However, with Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing still awake, the sudden appearance of a shirtless man in her room could lead to an unavoidable misunderstanding.
After a moment of silence, Wen Ke’an turned and walked to her wardrobe. After some searching, she found a very loose nightgown.
“Put this on.”
Looking at the pink nightgown printed with numerous cute rabbits that Wen Ke’an handed to him, Gu Ting said helplessly, “We’ve been married for seven years, are you still shy?”
Though he said that, Gu Ting obediently took the nightgown from Wen Ke’an.
The clothes were a bit tight, but bearable.
Looking up, Gu Ting saw Wen Ke’an’s eyes crinkling with laughter.
“Satisfied?”
“It’s alright,” Wen Ke’an reined in her laugh, “Stay here on your own for now. I’ll come back after my parents have gone to sleep. If they don’t see me, they might enter my room at any time.”
Gu Ting, sitting on the bed, replied, “Won’t I be very lonely alone in the room?”
Wen Ke’an walked to her desk and handed Gu Ting a book.
Flipping it over, Gu Ting saw the title.
“Three Years in College Entrance Examination, Five Years of Simulation.”
“……..”
Meeting Gu Ting’s gaze, Wen Ke’an earnestly said, “Study hard and make progress every day.”
“…….”
Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing were captivated by a popular melodramatic TV series about wealthy families, which they found immensely enjoyable despite it not being particularly remarkable. They made a habit of watching it eagerly every night at 8 o’clock.
Wen Ke’an didn’t follow the story and couldn’t recognize the characters, but seeing her parents enjoy it so much, she pretended to be engrossed in it too, peeling oranges.
“When talking about the female protagonist, how could she be so naive and easily trust others, letting them into her room? Isn’t this just bringing the wolf into the house!” Wen Qiangguo suddenly exclaimed angrily upon seeing a rather ridiculous scene in the drama.
“Exactly, the words of men cannot be trusted. Girls must protect themselves when outside and must never easily believe the nonsense boys say,” Liu Qing echoed.
“Right, do not let boys into your room casually!”
After saying this, Wen Qiangguo subconsciously glanced at his daughter, “You agree, right, An’an?”
Wen Ke’an, peeling an orange, paused for a moment and after a brief silence, murmured, “Hmm.”
Actually, Wen Ke’an was startled by their words, but after calming down and thinking it through, she figured her parents hadn’t discovered the person she was hiding in her room. If they had found a man hiding in her room, they would have probably stormed in with a stick rather than sit and watch television.
At 10 p.m., Mr. Wen and Mrs. Liu finally turned off the TV and went to their room to sleep.
Worried that Gu Ting might be thirsty, Wen Ke’an went to the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water.
Returning to her room, Gu Ting was already on her bed, sitting and looking at his phone.
Hearing the door open, Gu Ting looked back and asked, “Can we finally go to sleep?”
“Hmm.”
“The bed is already warmed up for you.” Gu Ting patted the space next to him.
Wen Ke’an turned on the bedside lamp, turned off the room’s main light, and under Gu Ting’s gaze, slowly walked to the bed, took off her shoes, got onto the bed, and under the covers. The movements were fluid and continuous.
“Let’s turn off the light and sleep,” Wen Ke’an said, reaching out to turn off the bedside lamp.
Gu Ting put down his phone, also got under the covers, and lay down properly, without any indecency, like a gentleman.
Having not shared a bed with Gu Ting for a long time, Wen Ke’an felt her body’s memory from their past life stirring; simply having him by her side made her unconsciously want to snuggle closer to him.
Initially lying properly, she hadn’t expected a little girl to slowly burrow into his arms. Gu Ting looked down at her, “Didn’t we agree to just sleep quietly?”
“Why are you taking liberties with me?”
“………”
Despite saying so, Gu Ting’s body honestly wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer into his embrace.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to change immediately with Gu Ting’s movement, thought Wen Ke’an.
After a moment of silence, she whispered, confused, “We’ve slept together many times before, but why does it feel different this time?”
In the quiet room, Wen Ke’an clearly heard him chuckle softly.
“So, you prefer my younger body.”
“……….”
Wen Ke’an fell silent again.
Gu Ting’s body was warm, like a big, heated water bag.
With such a heater next to her, Wen Ke’an found herself momentarily unable to fall asleep. She looked up at Gu Ting; the curtains weren’t drawn shut tightly, and moonlight streamed in through the gaps.
He couldn’t sleep, and just when he thought to look down at her, he heard the girl in his arms mutter softly.
Gu Ting realized and looked down at her, asking with a smile, “What did you call me?”
Wen Ke’an grabbed his hand to play, and while playing, she said nonchalantly, “Ah Ting.”
“I heard something different just now.” Gu Ting stopped her from playing by firmly holding her hand.
“……..”
“Say it again.”
The threat was clear, say it again and I’ll let you play.
This time, Wen Ke’an quickly compromised, she smiled as she looked into his eyes, “Husband, husband, husband.”
Gu Ting’s body stiffened slightly, then he smiled and asked, “Did you have candy? Why so sweet today?”
“I ate several of your candies~~”
The girl in his arms had a small, soft voice, adorably cute.
Just when Gu Ting thought to push further, he heard Wen Ke’an suddenly become serious, whispering, “I saw your brother today.”
“Gu Yu?”
“Mm.”
“When?”
“Tonight, in Chu Chu’s neighborhood.”
“He’s back, isn’t he?”
Playing with his hand, Gu Ting could clearly sense her nervousness.
In his past life, Gu Ting ended up in jail and lost everything, all thanks to his so-called good brother.
Gu Yu wasn’t someone Wen Ke’an knew well, but Gu Ting had told her before that Gu Yu was not their father’s biological son, and their relationship wasn’t that of real brothers.
In his previous life, Gu deliberately framed Gu Ting, resulting in his imprisonment, and even after Gu Ting was released, Gu had people target him. It can be said that all of Gu Ting’s misfortunes stemmed from Gu Yu.
“He’s back.” Gu Ting’s eyes darkened, he knew Wen Ke’an was worried about him, he lowered his head and gently rubbed her head with his chin, “Don’t be afraid, in the last life, he got so much because I let him.”
Gu Ting chuckled lightly, “This life, let’s see whose tactics are more ruthless.”
“Your husband has eaten more rice for a few years at least, not a child anymore.” Gu Ting looked at Wen Ke’an, “Besides, Gu Yu just came back to the country, doesn’t have enough power to stir up any big waves.”
“Mm.” Wen Ke’an softly replied.
Thinking about the past life, Wen Ke’an squeezed his hand, asking softly, “After I left, how did you fair?”
“Just like that.” Gu Ting said, “I was obedient, took good care of your flowers and plants, even fixed the fence you always thought about.”
“How did you leave then?” Wen Ke’an looked up at him.
“Died of old age.” Gu Ting smiled, “Got old, body wasn’t good, died of illness.”
“What about Xiao Mai?”
Xiao Mai was a little dog Wen Ke’an adopted not long after she got sick, a particularly cute little white dog.
“Xiao Mai later had a litter of puppies, and those puppies all lived.”
Wen Ke’an noticed a loophole, “But Xiao Mai had been sterilized by her previous owner, how could she get pregnant?”
“It’s possible…”
“I might have remembered it wrong,” Gu Ting said with a smile.
Wen Ke’an’s eyes reddened, “You’re lying.”
Knowing how smart Wen Ke’an is and understanding him well, she must have guessed something.
Gu Ting didn’t want to explain the bad things that had happened in the past. He bowed his head and kissed her on the forehead, whispering, “The past is behind us, we will be fine in this lifetime.”
“We must be fine, I want to earn lots and lots of money,” Wen Ke’an said, not in a good mood, nestling in his arms.
“Why earn so much money?”
“To buy lots and lots of houses, then rent them out and keep you.”
Her serious tone made him laugh, and Gu Ting said, “Okay, I’ll wait for the day you become a wealthy woman.”
It was very late, and Wen Ke’an was obviously sleepy. Before going to bed, Gu Ting felt her gently squeeze his hand, whispering, “It’s really nice, I get to meet you in this lifetime.”
Wen Ke’an was not very still in her sleep, her pajamas had rolled up to her waist due to her moving about.
Sleeping like this was uncomfortable, so Gu Ting turned on the light, intending to adjust her pajamas.
Just as he placed his hands on her waist, Wen Ke’an’s hand pressed down on his, she half-awake opened her eyes, looked at him, then at his hand, frowning and whispering, “I’m not yet eighteen.”
“What?” Gu Ting didn’t understand.
“That would be…”
“A beast.”
“…………”
Wen Ke’an woke up at six o’clock in the morning. It was still dark when she woke up. Instinctively, she looked up at Gu Ting and saw his dark eyes watching her.
“………”
“Why are you awake so early?” Wen Ke’an was confused for a while before she spoke.
“Did you dream of some delicious food last night?” Instead of answering her question, Gu Ting asked first.
Wen Ke’an was about to ask how he knew, but then noticed the bite marks on Gu Ting’s neck.
“”
At least from that position, Gu Ting couldn’t have bitten himself.
“I don’t know what you were dreaming about, biting me here and there,” Gu Ting said in a haunting tone. “Someone seemed to be enjoying some delicious treat in their dream, but I could only watch, not eat. In the middle of the night, I even got called a beast.”
“”
Wen Ke’an felt guilty and didn’t say anything.
Seizing the moment, Gu Ting extended his arm.
“Look, who knows who not only bit me but also scratched me.”
Wen Ke’an looked down; sure enough, his arm was marked with fresh red lines—clearly grabbed last night.
Wen Ke’an hadn’t shared a bed with anyone in a long time and didn’t even know she had this habit.
After a moment of silence, Wen Ke’an lifted her head, looked at him seriously, and said, “If I do this again in the future, you can tie my hands.”
“”
Soon, Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing would wake up. Gu Ting got dressed and smoothly climbed out of the window.
Xie Hongyi was waiting at the location Gu Ting had sent him, puzzled as to why Gu Ting left his villa to come to this rundown neighborhood.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and some old folks were already outside exercising. Xie Hongyi, being young, stuck out like a sore thumb.
Just as he was about to text Gu Ting to hurry up, he saw Gu Ting coming out: he deftly climbed from the third floor to the second and then from the balcony into the hallway.
The sequence of moves left Xie Hongyi dumbfounded.
“What’s up?” Gu Ting asked as he walked over.
Xie Hongyi, who never got up this early, must have had something important.
“Woah, what are you doing, Ting? Why climb walls in the middle of the night instead of staying home?” Xie Hongyi was still in shock.
Before Gu Ting could respond, Xie Hongyi guessed, “Is this the little sister-in-law’s place?”
“Yeah,” Gu Ting replied succinctly.
“You seem pretty skilled at it now. Anyone who doesn’t know might think you live here,” Xie Hongyi said with a laugh, glancing at the second floor.
—
There was no one living on the second floor of Wen Ke’an’s house, which Gu Ting had discovered by accident as an easier route.
When he climbed over the wall, he could first crawl along the pipe to the second-floor balcony. The second-floor balcony was not closed off, and their door was broken, so you didn’t need a key, just a twist of the handle to open it.
However, this time Xie Hongyi’s words reminded him, and after thinking for a moment, Gu Ting suddenly said, “That’s actually a good idea.”
Xie Hongyi: “Huh?”
—
The final exams at First High School were relatively early; although the exams were over, they still had to attend classes for another week before the winter break.
Recently, the weather had turned cold and it often snowed.
Wen Ke’an hated the cold and would avoid going out if she could.
On the day they handed out the final exam results, it suddenly started to snow heavily. During the break, many students took the opportunity to go to the playground to have a snowball fight.
Wen Ke’an did not like snow. She didn’t even want to touch it, much less have a snowball fight.
Gu Ting had clearly been dealing with some issues recently, and she rarely saw him.
With Gu Ting’s birthday approaching, Wen Ke’an stared outside the window contemplating what to give him after finishing her homework.
After the class bell rang, Jin Ming ran back inside.
As soon as Jin Ming sat down, she opened her hand to reveal a cute little snowman in her palm.
“Bui~ Here’s a little snowman for you~” Jin Ming said with a smile.
Wen Ke’an accepted it, smiling, “Thank you~”
“You fear the cold and didn’t want to go out, so I brought one back for you. Isn’t it cute? I made it myself!”
“Super cute!” Wen Ke’an gently poked the little snowman’s face with her finger.
Looking at the cute little snowman, Wen Ke’an suddenly became distracted during class.
She remembered in her previous life, when she was in the second year of high school, she was teased by many classmates for gaining weight. Even after getting healthier and returning to school, many people still made fun of her. She became somewhat silent and introverted, always alone with no friends.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jin Ming, noticing Wen Ke’an’s unusual gaze during class, asked suddenly.
Wen Ke’an looked at her, her eyes a bit red.
“Thank you for the little snowman.”
Jin Ming was momentarily stunned and then smiled helplessly, “So moved?”
“Yes.”
Wen Ke’an didn’t expect that after this class, Jin Ming suddenly ran out. She only came back when the bell for the next class rang.
She was holding more than a dozen little snowmen in her arms.
—
After school in the afternoon, Wen Ke’an didn’t wait for Gu Ting but instead encountered Chu Han, who had come looking for her.
Chu Han was wearing a pink puffer jacket and had two little pigtails, making her look lively and cute.
As soon as she saw Wen Ke’an, Chu Han linked arms with her and whispered quietly, “An’an, have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
Chu Han sighed, “Apparently, I misunderstood Xie Huaiyan.”
“A few days ago, I heard that the bar I used to go to had an incident. A girl was… you know.”
“Thinking back, it’s really scary.”
“I don’t want to go to bars anymore.”
Wen Ke’an’s biggest worry was that something bad might happen to Chu Han, making her end up like the despondent person in the previous life. But she had to admit, having Xie Huaiyan around her now actually seemed to help a bit.
Wen Ke’an nodded and looked at Chu Han, “You said it, so I’m holding you to it. No backing out.”
“I’m not going, I’m not going,” Chu Han waved her hand.
“And another thing, do you think what I said to Xie Huaiyan before was really hurtful?” Chu Han frowned, speaking softly.
“Maybe a little.”
Wen Ke’an didn’t know Xie Huaiyan well, but having interacted with him a few times recently, she felt that although Xie Huaiyan wasn’t good at courting girls, he was actually a thoughtful and sensitive guy.
Chu Han walked and sighed, “But I really don’t know how to get along with him; he’s too daunting.”
Wen Ke’an thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, “Maybe you could try being a little nicer to him?”
Chu Han pondered for a bit and then whispered, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
—
A few days later, Wen Ke’an finally welcomed her first winter break.
After the winter vacation started, in addition to completing her daily homework, she had to help out at the store.
As the winter vacation progressed, the foot traffic gradually increased, with many out-of-town students returning home. The stewed dishes made by Wen Qiangguo were evidently more popular with the younger crowd, making the store exceedingly busy.
Everything was calm until the day of Xiaonian (a traditional Chinese festival day).
Every morning, Wen Ke’an would go for a run with Wen Qiangguo, have a bit of breakfast afterward, and prepare for the store to open at 9 AM.
The weather had gotten colder recently, and Wen Ke’an bundled herself up like a chubby little ball each time she went out.
That morning, as soon as Wen Qiangguo opened the store’s door, he was stunned.
Sensing something was wrong, Wen Ke’an peeked inside and noticed the store was in complete disarray.
Boxes were overturned, and various drawers had been opened.
After inspecting the area, Wen Qiangguo said, “The kitchen items have been rummaged through; someone came here to steal things.”
“What about the surveillance cameras?” Wen Ke’an asked, heading to the front desk computer only to find it damaged and unable to turn on.
Wen Qiangguo immediately took the computer out for repairs and returned soon after, looking grim.
“The surveillance footage has been tampered with, so we can’t find anything from it.”
“The money at the front desk is untouched. If they weren’t after the money, perhaps someone wanted to steal our recipe?” Wen Ke’an speculated.
This incident was puzzling, so Wen Qiangguo promptly called the police.
The perpetrator was clearly a professional, leaving no clues behind.
Although they didn’t get the recipe, they might come back.
Everyone remained on high alert for days, yet the intruder never returned, making them wonder if they had given up.
Just as everyone started to think the person might not come back, one night at 10 PM, Wen Qiangguo received a call from the police saying they had caught the culprit.
The family rushed over immediately.
To Wen Ke’an’s surprise, she saw Gu Ting at the scene.
While Wen Qiangguo was dealing with the situation and repeatedly thanking the officers for their hard work so late at night, one officer waved his hand and looked at Gu Ting, saying, “You should thank this young man; he reported the crime and helped catch the culprit.”
After exchanging a few words, Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing headed to the police station to complete some additional paperwork.
It’s fortunate that Gu Ting is here to keep Wen Ke’an company.
Wen Qiangguo inexplicably trusted Gu Ting. He thought this young man was capable, honest, and dependable. That’s why he dared to let Gu Ting stay by Wen Ke’an’s side late at night.
After everyone had left, Wen Ke’an looked up at Gu Ting and asked, “How did you catch him?”
“When I came over, I noticed there was light in your shop, so I went in to have a look and caught him red-handed,” Gu Ting replied.
Gu Ting wanted to climb through the window into Wen Ke’an’s room, which required him to go through the back, and their shop was not far from the back.
Coming over so late, Wen Ke’an suddenly understood and softly said, “So you wanted to climb through my window again in the middle of the night.”
Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing returned in less than half an hour because they discovered the situation quickly, and the shop hadn’t turned into a mess.
“We originally thought those windows were too high for anyone to enter, so we didn’t install burglar bars. Now, it seems like we need to install them.” Liu Qing looked up at the top windows.
The windows were small, and they wondered how the thief got in.
“Let’s also install some burglar bars at home. A few days ago, the property management came to me, saying that there are always people lurking around suspiciously, yet the surveillance cameras can’t catch them,” Wen Qiangguo said.
Hearing this, Wen Ke’an instinctively glanced back at Gu Ting.
Unexpectedly, Gu Ting, who was standing beside Wen Qiangguo, suddenly nodded righteously, “That’s right, Uncle.”
“Without burglar bars, it’s easy for thieves to get in.”
