28

Shizuka just asked casually, but Song Wanyue never thought about it seriously.

She had no appetite and just drank a mouthful of porridge casually. She held the handle of the white porcelain spoon in her hand and said softly: "I should like him."

Jingxiang was puzzled: "What do you mean I should like him?"

Song Wanyue put down the spoon and explained to her seriously: "Even if I don't like him now, I will like him in the future. I am his wife, his wife, and we will live together for the rest of our lives."

Therefore, in such a long life, she will always like Duan Baiting.

Shizuka always has some prejudice against Duan Baiting, but this prejudice certainly does not come from hating him as a person.

Rather, it was her heartfelt resistance to the marriage.

And she is also the only person who knows about Song Wanyue's first love.

In her opinion, Duan Baiting was the evil man who broke up the couple.

"But how can I force myself to like you?"

"No, I won't force it."

She said seriously.

He seems to have a very bad reputation; even her best friend dislikes him.

But he was obviously not a bad person. Even if he lacked patience, he was still able to patiently comfort her when she cried.

When her family told her about her marriage partner, Song Wanyue cried for two days and almost cried her eyes blind.

The name Duan Baiting is like the policeman and doctor who are often used to scare children at home.

In Song Wanyue's opinion, he was undoubtedly equal to the devil.

The Duan family has a lot of bloody and messed up accounts, and rumors among the public even link it to the supernatural.

During the dispute over inheritance ten years ago, some people said that Mr. Duan was forced to death.

It caused such a big fuss, but in the end a junior managed to break out of the siege.

Therefore, malicious speculation about Duan Baiting was overwhelming.

How could it be possible to make it to the end without some tricks and ruthlessness?

Song Wanyue had always been afraid of him before this.

It was during their subsequent interactions that she discovered that he was not what people said he was.

-After

finishing her meeting with Shizuka, when Song Wanyue returned home, the living room was empty.

She wondered where everyone had gone.

After changing shoes, he reached out and turned on the light. Then he walked to the refrigerator, got a bottle of water, and walked upstairs while drinking it.

The temperature has been low recently, it even snowed a few days ago, and the heating in the house is a little too hot.

Back in the room, she didn't even have time to turn on the light and was eager to take off her clothes.

After just a short while, I started sweating.

She took off her scarf, her coat, and her sweater.

There is only a very thin base layer left inside.

It was soaked with sweat and stuck to my body.

When she walked to the closet and was about to get her pajamas, she heard a man coughing lightly in the room.

Song Wanyue stopped and turned to take a look.

Although the lights were not on, visibility was not low.

Now my eyes have adapted to the darkness and I can see more clearly.

The man on the bed sat up.

It wasn't too late, only eight o'clock, but judging by his appearance, he should have slept for a while.

Song Wanyue went over and turned on the light.

On the bed, Duan Baiting sat up and the quilt slid down to his waist. He raised his hand and pressed his brow.

When I opened my eyes again, there was still a hint of tiredness from just waking up.

Song Wanyue wasn't sure when she woke him up, was it when she pushed open the door or when she was taking off her clothes.

She was stunned, still holding the wooden hanger for her pajamas in her hand: "Oh... I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay." His voice was a little hoarse, he lifted the quilt and got out of bed, "It's time to wake up."

He unbuttoned his pajamas and walked over.

The two people's wardrobes are separate but next to each other.

Song Wanyue has a separate dressing room, where she only keeps some daily wear items.

Duan Baiting had no intention of avoiding suspicion or avoiding her.

After taking off his pajamas, he threw them on the sofa beside him and took out a shirt and put them on.

And Song Wanyue was still standing there, motionless.

Duan Baiting lowered his head and put the tie on the collar of his shirt.

Before he could do anything, Song Wanyue put down the pajamas in her hand, walked over to him without saying a word, and silently tied his tie for him.

She actually doesn't know how to do it very well. She helped her father tie it when she was a child, with her mother guiding her.

The tone of voice was all indulgent, so even if the Windsor knot she tied was ugly, she still received only compliments.

I haven't done it for a long time, so I'm more clumsy than before.

I don't know whether it's going down or up.

He was hesitant, as if struggling with his tie, and his frown deepened.

Perhaps he couldn't bear to watch it any longer, Duan Baiting held her hand and put her fingers in the right place.

"On the left." Hands-on teaching.

Hearing the voice so close to me, the hoarseness from just waking up gradually faded away, and now there was a deeper magnetism.

Song Wanyue obediently changed direction.

"Turn it over."

She said "Oh" softly and turned over the left tie.

"Fold it in."

He folded it in carefully, and a fairly standard Windsor knot was tied.

Still a bit ugly though.

Song Wanyue pushed her tie upwards guiltily and took a step back.

To see the overall effect.

Sure enough, it's still a bit ugly.

Just as she was thinking about whether to take it off and tie it again, Duan Baiting thanked her.

The tone was very light.

He took out his coat and closed the closet door.

Seeing that he was about to go out again, Song Wanyue sniffed and an inexplicable feeling of sadness welled up in her.

"Are you going to keep treating me like this?"

Her voice was soft, without the usual tenderness and tenderness, only endless loss.

As if mumbling to himself.

In the empty room, it is exceptionally clear.

She lowered her eyes and only dared to look at the pair of indoor slippers on her feet.

She didn't like this, and didn't like Duan Baiting's politeness towards her.

She would rather he lost his temper with her than be lukewarm like he was now.

Duan Baiting's back stopped, and after a moment, he turned around and looked at her.

Song Wanyue still kept her head down, but her voice became smaller and smaller.

"I tend to lose my memory when I'm drunk, so I'm afraid that if I say something bad, you'll take it seriously, so..." She pursed her lips and raised her eyes, trying desperately to hold back her tears, but she still underestimated her overdeveloped tear glands. Tears rushed out and her voice was shattered by the sobbing voice.

Aunt Tan went to the hospital for a physical examination today. Xiao Huan accompanied her and there was no one else at home.

It was very quiet and the only sound that could be heard was her sobbing.

He was still wearing a sweat-soaked undershirt that stuck to his body, and his chest was heaving violently.

He looked extremely pitiful, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"You're crying like this, thinking I've done something unforgivable."

Duan Baiting turned back, bent down, and gently wiped away her tears.

Song Wanyue's eyes and nose are red.

Just look up and look him in the eye.

She felt even more aggrieved: "You are... a heinous criminal... an unforgivable one." She

was choking up so much that she couldn't even utter a single word clearly.

It seems like there is no end to the tears.

She kept crying non-stop, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon.

Duan Baiting stopped what he was doing and followed up with her question: "Tell me, what have I done?"

Once Song Wanyue started crying, her tears flowed out like a floodgate, and even she couldn't hold them back.

She cautiously moved closer to him and gently rested her forehead on his chest.

The extra weight made Duan Baiting raise his eyebrows slightly, and the emotion in his eyes changed for a moment.

In the silent bedroom, she accused him in a muffled voice: "You haven't hugged me... lately."

Duan Baiting suddenly wanted to light a cigarette.

I need something to suppress those running rampant emotions.

Song Wanyue continued to add fuel to the fire, her crying became more and more aggrieved, her fingertips clenching the front of his shirt: "Don't... kiss me."

Duan Baiting endured it again and again, and finally held her arm and gently pulled her away from his arms.

She cried so much that her whole face looked like it had been soaked in the rain.

Duan Baiting didn't know what he was doing during this period of time.

Of course he understood that drunken talk should not be taken seriously, especially since it came from Song Wanyue's mouth.

But he did not deny that when he heard what she said about her love, he did have a moment of enlightenment.

At least for now, he chose to deceive himself and believe it.

I know it clearly in my heart, better than anyone else.

But when he heard her say it herself, he knew that she had told him to forget everything and that they were all lies.

He seemed to be competing with himself.

Being cold to her is also a form of punishing yourself.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking, I hope there is some truth in those words.

His wrist was gently held and Duan Baiting lowered his head.

Song Wanyue pursed her lips and moved closer to him little by little, and the palm of her hand that was placed on his wrist gradually slid down.

Finally, her palm touched his.

"Duan Baiting, I won't drink anymore. It's not that I don't want to take responsibility, I'm just... I'm just afraid that I'll say something weird. This is what happens when I drink too much. It's very strange. I..."

She explained incoherently with a sad face.

Because of the height difference, when Duan Baiting looked at her, he always felt like he was being scrutinized from above.

This feeling is extremely oppressive.

But at this moment, his eyes were gentle.

He wanted to figure out that Song Wanyue's initiative to show goodwill to him was because she was sad about his change in attitude towards her.

I am still worried about the harm that will come to her family if this relationship breaks down.

He can see through the calculations behind the cunning and the hypocrisy behind the smile.

But I couldn't guess what a little girl was thinking.

--------------

Song Wanyue finally got what she wanted. Just as she thought, Duan Baiting could not refuse her tears.

It was as if I cried in front of him and shed a few tears.

No matter how impatient you are, no matter how bad your temper is, no matter how cold-blooded you are.

The man in a suit was currently frying steak for his hungry wife in the kitchen.

In the pot next to it was bouillabaisse.

Song Wanyue stood at the door: "Do you need my help?"

Duan Baiting used the steak tongs to seal the edges of the steak. Song Wanyue liked it cooked medium rare, so it took a little longer to fry it.

Hearing the voice, he lowered his eyes and looked to the side.

I saw her standing there with her hands behind her back, trying hard to find something to do.

Duan Baiting nodded and satisfied her: "Take out the apron from the cabinet on the right."

"Oh."

She obediently went over and took out a brand new one.

After unwrapping it, she volunteered: "Let me put it on for you."

She stood behind Duan Baiting, with her arms outstretched, and put the apron on him in front, tying the two ties back around him.

Tie a pretty bow behind his waist.

She had specially chosen the pink color, but it didn't match his temperament, nor did it match what he was wearing today.

But she didn't like the fact that Duan Baiting was always cold, had too clear a sense of boundaries, looked indifferent, and kept everyone at a distance.

So everyone is afraid of him.

Even Shizuka, including my previous self.

But in Song Wanyue's eyes now, Duan Baiting is clearly a very good person.

Very good, very good, very good.

She wanted the whole world to know how good he was.

The spoiled Miss Song has too simple a mind.

She didn't know that the reason why she was the only one who thought Duan Baiting was good was because Duan Baiting was only good to her.

She put on her apron and didn't leave.

Instead, she put her arms around his waist and refused to let go.

Duan Baiting was obviously stunned for a moment, then relaxed: "What's wrong?"

The olive oil made a sizzling sound due to the high temperature.

Even when Duan Baiting was frying steak, he looked calm and pleasing to the eye. It seemed that he seldom cooked, at least in Song Wanyue's memory, the number of times he cooked was very few.

She watched him fry asparagus, rosemary and white button mushrooms in the pan as well.

"Nothing, I just want to hug you." After hugging you, he still pretended to ask, "Can I?"

He sprayed some olive oil into the pot again: "As you wish."

Song Wanyue hummed softly in her heart, quite generous.

The grilled steak was placed on the plate: "Is this enough?"

She nodded: "Enough."

"Yeah." Duan Baiting held the plate and looked down at his hand that was still on his waist.

Silence is better than words at this time.

Song Wanyue could understand what he meant.

Let her let go.

Song Wanyue didn't let go, but hugged him even tighter.

She pressed her face against his back and rubbed it randomly.

She really liked the cool sandalwood scent on him, and it seemed like she would get addicted if she smelled it too much.

Her heart was hooked and she wished she could smell it all the time.

"If you like, I'll ask Aunt Qin to prepare some for you."

"No." She refused without even thinking, "Only the one on you smells good."

He paused.

"Yeah." The tone was neither light nor heavy.

Song Wanyue didn't understand. She tilted her head and showed a pair of eyes from behind him: "What does 'hmm' mean? Is it responding to my previous 'no' or the next sentence?"

Duan Baiting was silent for a few seconds and did not answer her question.

Instead, he untied his apron with one hand, turned around, and hugged the person tightly in his arms: "If you like the smell, smell it for a while longer."

The thin and slender back was hugged by that tight and strong arm, and the inexplicable sense of security made Song Wanyue's heart tremble.

She snuggled into him and suddenly laughed.

Duan Baiting asked her, "What are you laughing at?"

She raised her head in his arms and said seriously, "I'm happy that you don't hate me anymore. I laugh because I'm happy."

She really seemed not to know how to hold a grudge. Even though she was so sad that she couldn't even stand up straight after crying just now, she now raised a beautiful and sincere smile to express her feelings to him. His Adam's

apple rolled and his voice became inexplicably hoarse: "I have never hated you."

This was not a lie.

"Then you have to be good to me all your life." Song Wanyue took his hand and placed it on her chest, closest to her heart, then looked up and smiled at him, "I will also be good to you all my life."

Duan Baiting glanced at the softness that stretched out his palm and had to question her true intentions.

The cunning mixed in Song Wanyue's smile seemed to confirm this.

He loosened his hand and rubbed her head: "Let's talk after dinner."

"Oh." Not achieving her goal, she walked out reluctantly and slowly.

Duan Baiting looked at her like this and raised the corners of his lips silently.

Song Wanyue eats very slowly, a habit she acquired from her mother.

My mother tried to correct it before.

She was almost late for school, but she was still sitting at the dining table, chewing her toast slowly.

Others can finish it in two bites, but she has to spend ten minutes.

Later, when I was promoted to junior high school, several classmates complained about me behind my back because I ate too slowly.

Say she is pretending.

There are even more in high school.

Not only did she say she was pretending, she also said she was a trickster, and her words were very coquettish.

Song Wanyue has a good attitude and never cares about these complaints and comments.

She has been a slow eater since she was young, and her voice has always been the same.

She thought Duan Baiting would urge her to eat faster like her mother did, but he just took a book and sat next to her to read.

Occasionally look up at her.

Song Wanyue ate the asparagus in small bites.

After meeting his gaze, she shook the fork at him: "Do you want to eat?"

Duan Baiting shook his head: "I'm not hungry."

Song Wanyue continued to lower her head and eat her meal quietly.

The meal took almost half an hour, and I had read a quarter of Duan Baiting's book.

She originally wanted to volunteer to wash the dishes, but Duan Baiting had already put down his book and came over with his sleeves rolled up.

The grey shirt was neatly tucked into the trouser waist.

The tie was still intact, a crooked Windsor knot that she had tied herself.

He bent down to clear the tableware, and the sleeves and back of his shirt were pulled into seductive folds along the texture lines.

The waist and abdominal lines gradually move inward. The figure with broad shoulders and narrow waist, the less you wear, the more imaginative it becomes.

Song Wanyue's eyes were fixed on him, motionless.

Wherever Duan Baiting went, her eyes followed.

When he rolled up his sleeves to wash the dishes, he looked unusually lively.

He is no longer like the arrogant and indifferent capitalist he usually is.

Song Wanyue walked in and leaned against the Liulitai to look at him carefully.

Duan Baiting didn't even bother to look at her, and said in a very calm tone: "Go out, don't get in the way."

She muttered: "I'm not in the way, I just came to take a look. My mother said that men are the most handsome when doing housework."

These words, which were obviously meant to deceive people, obviously did not work on Duan Baiting.

"Really?" he replied perfunctorily.

"Yes." She smiled like a nympho, holding her face with both hands, "Tingting, you are so handsome now."

She was very good at praising people, and she praised them one after another.

Duan Baiting washed the dishes, squeezed out two pumps of disinfectant, and carefully washed and disinfected his hands.

Especially my fingers, I washed them over and over again.

Song Wanyue murmured in her heart that his mysophobia was a little too serious.

It was just washing dishes, why was he so rigorous?

---------

After Duan Baiting went upstairs, she followed him upstairs.

He should have had something to go out for today, but because of Song Wanyue, he temporarily changed to working from home.

Song Wanyue insisted on pestering him with a book, saying that she could only learn by sitting on his lap.

Duan Baiting looked at her silently, but didn't say anything.

Song Wanyue was holding a book, feeling uncomfortable in her sitting position, so she rubbed her buttocks back and forth and kept adjusting her sitting position.

Duan Baiting's breathing became heavier, and he pressed her shoulder with one hand: "Okay, be quiet."

She was still making a fuss: "I just want to find a more comfortable sitting position, otherwise I can't concentrate on learning."

Duan Baiting grabbed her legs and made her change from sitting sideways to facing away.

She was wearing a skirt today, with her legs spread out, so the force was evenly distributed, and she was indeed much more comfortable than before.

Song Wanyue's attempt to tease him failed. She sighed and could only spread out the book and start studying seriously.

She hadn't read two pages when she felt something strange and looked back at him in horror.

Duan Baiting gently covered her mouth, the smell of disinfectant still lingering on his palm.

He pointed his empty finger outside the door and said in a low voice: "Aunt Tan seems to be back, be quiet."

She was stunned: "But..."

He curled his lips and chuckled, resting his chin on her shoulder: "I thought you were so brave."

The study room has good sound insulation, but it's not like no sound can be heard.

Aunt Tan should have gone upstairs, from the faint sound of her shouting.

After calling Song Wanyue's name, he called Duan Baiting's name.

She didn't go downstairs until neither of them responded: "You are not at home today."

The study was very quiet, and she could faintly hear the sound of the mechanical watch on the table moving.

——This was picked by Duan Baiting half an hour ago.

Song Wanyue grabbed his arm and suddenly became quiet, with her toes stretched into a straight line.

During those few seconds, it was as if the world was paused and time froze.

Her crying voice became shrill and high-pitched, and then she trembled as Duan Baiting pressed her back into his arms.

He coaxed her like he was coaxing a child: "It's okay."

Song Wanyue was like a fish out of water, gasping for breath.

The textbook in my hand is scrapped.

She looked at the culprit with red eyes: "It's all your fault."

"Yeah, it's all my fault." Duan Baiting lowered his head and kissed away her tears. "I have to go out later, so I don't have much time. Deal with it like this for now, and wait for me to come back..."

Song Wanyue understood, her face a little red, and she hid in his arms. Hide yourself like a cat.

Duan Baiting chuckled helplessly: "Why are you hiding?"

She said in a dull voice: "Nothing... nothing."

Duan Baiting changed his clothes again, and when he went downstairs to go out, he saw Aunt Qin busy in the kitchen.

The aroma of cooking in the pressure cooker overflows.

Aunt Qin heard the noise and came out from the kitchen.

Seeing that he was dressed neatly, she asked, "Are you going out?"

Duan Baiting nodded, "Yes."

Aunt Qin asked him to wait a moment, as there was soup in the pot and it would be ready soon. He could drink it before leaving.

Duan Baiting shook his head and refused: "No, I'm not hungry."

Aunt Qin hesitated for a moment, her face a little strange: "It's sea cucumber and mutton soup, you should drink a little."

Duan Baiting paused in changing his shoes.

Sea cucumber and mutton are good for strengthening yang and nourishing the kidneys.

He glanced upstairs and saw Song Wanyue taking a shower in the bathroom.

He was not good at lying, but thinking of Song Wanyue's thin-skinnedness in front of the elders, he still explained: "You misunderstood."

Aunt Qin was stunned: "Ah... misunderstanding."

When she heard that voice just now, she thought...

Duan Baiting didn't say anything more, changed his shoes and went out.

-The

temperature in North City has been below zero in recent days, and Song Wanyue holds her hand warmer all the time.

Xiao He muttered that the weather was becoming increasingly weird, and wondered if the end of the world was really coming.

Song Wanyue looked up from the pile of work and reminded him: "If you continue to be lazy and don't work, the end of the world will really be here."

As the year draws to a close, work is like a mountain that is suffocating them.

The last time I drank coffee so much was the devastating disaster that befell the Ministry of Justice a few months ago.

Xiao He slid his chair to Song Wanyue's side and said, "The company is having a team building next month, will you go?"

Song Wanyue looked confused, "What team building?"

Xiao He also heard from his seniors in the next department that the company has a team building at the end of every year and they directly book the entire villa.

Those who can go can go, and those who can't can cash it in as a year-end bonus.

Xiao He sighed: "Big companies are big companies, they are so generous."

Song Wanyue shook her head: "Not interested."

In the name of uniting employees, a group of people huddled together to play games. It's scary just to think about it.

Xiao He shrugged his shoulders, feeling it was a pity: "This is a good opportunity to get out of being single. You can look at this top student, rich and beautiful girl who you don't usually get to meet."

Song Wanyue looked at him with disdain. She was the top student, rich and beautiful girl he was talking about.

She didn't want to be considered as the first choice for finding a partner.

Xiao He hadn't given up yet and continued to instigate her: "I heard from Brother Su that the senior executives will also go. The annual meeting and team building are held together, maybe Mr. Duan will go too."

Song Wanyue was indifferent to his previous words, but her eyes lit up when she heard the last sentence.

"Is Mr. Duan going too?"

"Not sure, he may or may not." Xiao He said, "In the past few years, Mr. Duan hardly came to talk, but this year he is particularly concerned about the development here, and he can come three or four days a week, so maybe he will go."

Song Wanyue was moved.

If Duan Baiting also went, wouldn't it be a "honeymoon" in a sense?