"Are you asleep?" Ji Yun's faint voice came to his ear, as if she was preparing to leave.
He quickly reached out from under the blanket and grabbed her leg.
"Ah~!"
A scream was about to come out, but Ji Yun immediately covered her mouth and looked down to see a pair of shining eyes.
"You're not asleep yet?"
"I'm just using my phone under the covers."
"You scared me."
"You scared me more. I reached out and touched a leg."
"Sorry, Xu Lin, I couldn't sleep well. I wanted to see if you were still awake."
"Yeah, why didn't you go home today?" Xu Lin sat up from under the blanket and leaned against the back of the sofa.
"They had another argument, my mom went back to her family, and my dad followed her. There's no one at home today."
"What's it about this time? You didn't tell me the reason last time, but this time you came over to my place, I have to ask."
When Ji Yun suddenly became so sad last time, Xu Lin wanted to ask, but in order to take care of her emotions at the time, he didn't ask.
"It's possible that my dad is having an affair."
"An affair? Maybe it's a misunderstanding?"
"I hope it's a misunderstanding too, but my mom said she saw him hugging another woman."
"What did your dad say?"
"He didn't say anything, just insisted that he didn't have an affair. He said he would tell my mom the truth after some time."
"But if they were seen hugging, and your dad doesn't explain, she'll definitely be even more angry."
Xu Lin seemed to recall some things about his own parents.
"Yeah, my mom wants him to tell her the identity of that woman, but my dad refuses to say anything, and then they end up quarreling."
"It was that day when I intervened to stop their quarrel, but accidentally got injured myself. Luckily, they also calmed down afterward."
"After you advised me, I also calmed down and went back to separate them, had a separate chat with each, and they settled down."
"Mom agreed to wait a few days to see what he would say, but yesterday, she planned to return to grandma's birthday with dad."
"But my dad said he had something to do. Instantly, mom got angry and questioned if he was going to see that woman!"
"Dad nodded directly. Then my mom didn't quarrel or fight, just took her bag and left for her parents' house. Dad also went there today."
As she spoke, Ji Yun clenched her fists tighter, and Xu Lin reached out, holding her hand.
He turned her palm over, intertwining their fingers, feeling a bit cool and soft.
Ji Yun also looked at him, tears shimmering in her eyes, leaning toward him. Xu Lin reached out with his other hand, embracing her shoulder.
"Wearing just a thin layer of pajamas must be cold, right? I haven't turned on the air conditioning. Do you want to snuggle under the blanket?"
Xu Lin's tone was like that of a mischievous man holding a lollipop, but Ji Yun unexpectedly nodded.
"I was kidding!"
"Give me some space, why so stingy?" Ji Yun smiled and squeezed into his blanket.
Xu Lin let go of the corner of the blanket, letting her in directly. Compared to the touch and fragrance of a beautiful girl, the first feeling was actually crowded.
"A bit cramped."
"But it's warm." Ji Yun gave a faint smile.
"Oh, by the way, I noticed that the bruise on your leg hasn't completely faded yet?"
"There is still a little bit left. You fell harder than me, do you still have bruises?"
"There is nothing left where I could see... It's like... It faded away most of that day, and by the next day, it's almost all gone." Xu Lin thought to himself, pulling out a hand from under the covers and examining it. He found that the wound on his hand had completely disappeared, leaving no trace.
Did I awaken some strange superpower? I didn't even buy a Healing Bead yesterday.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, continue talking about your thing. Do you know why your father insisted on finding that woman?"
"I'm not sure. If it was just an affair, he wouldn't have to go to such lengths. I feel there must be a reason."
"Yeah, I believe Uncle Ji. But you're also quite pitiful, being left alone at home."
"Haha, parents' matters, children ultimately can't control anything."
"They actually consider me a lot. Whenever I'm at home, it's always quiet. When I go to school, I can still hear my mom yelling before I reach the elevator."
As she said this, Ji Yun also chuckled bitterly, unconsciously leaning into him again, and Xu Lin adjusted his arm's position to make her more comfortable.
"Thanks. If my parents don't come back in the next few days, can I stay here temporarily?"
"Of course, you can stay as long as you want, even for a lifetime."
Xu Lin smiled at her, but Ji Yun sensed the meaning behind his words and lightly slapped his arm.
"I didn't say I'll marry you."
"I didn't say that either~"
"Hmph!"
"Okay, let me tell you something about my parents then?"
"Uncle and Auntie are so kind, please don't show me your parents' affection."
Ji Yun thought of the night when Father Xu hid money, just to fulfill his wife's dream from her youth, and she was deeply moved.
With such parents, unable to reconcile with her own, even if they hadn't caused this incident, they would still argue all the time, rarely having moments of peace.
"I'm sorry, Class Monitor Ji, even though you excel in your studies, there are things you don't know, such as the fact that a couple can't go through life without friction."
"It's just a matter of scale; many conflicts don't show in public. Even if you don't tell me about your parents, I still think highly of them."
"So, don't judge by appearances. No matter how good things were before marriage, conflicts and friction arise afterward."
"The major conflicts usually stem from material aspects, like money and life pressures. Minor ones can be about cleaning, cooking, or doing laundry, which might lead to a few arguments."
"But these aren't bad things; they're essential experiences in life, especially in marriage. Going through ups and downs is what life is about, walking through rough paths."
"In the end, if you can still live together, feel the sweetness amidst bitterness, that's meaningful, a healthy and happy marriage."
"Let me give you an example, my parents' story. My mom actually had an affair."
"What?! That's impossible..." Ji Yun widened her eyes in disbelief.
"It's true, but it was an emotional affair, as my mom openly admitted to me."
"At that time, I wasn't born yet. My mom had just married Old Xu and soon became pregnant. But Old Xu was still young and had a hot temper, very proud."
"He looked down on making small money, aiming for bigger gains but failing. This led to frequent arguments with mom, even physical altercations a few times."
"So, mom chose to work elsewhere temporarily to cool off. During this time, she met another man, her boss, who treated her well, looked better than my father, and was wealthier."
"With his gentle approach, mom, in an unstable state, developed feelings for him, but she still respected my dad."
"She honestly told Old Xu about the possibility of liking someone else."
"Old Xu ran straight to her side, proposing to her again in front of everyone, apologizing. He said he wouldn't resort to violence anymore and would listen to her in everything and so on."
"In the end, mom chose dad, saying that if he broke his promise even once, they would divorce immediately. And my dad kept all his promises until now."
"Later they had arguments, faced obstacles, many of which I witnessed, but they still came through."
Hearing this, Ji Yun took a deep breath and sighed, "Has such a thing really happened..."
"Yes, that's why there aren't many of those scenarios in TV dramas."
"Xu Lin... if... I mean, if we get married, will our future be like this?"
Ji Yun asked shyly, her voice barely audible, but Xu Lin heard it clearly, and his lips curled slightly.
"No, it won't!"
"Why? Didn't you just say there's bound to be some ups and downs?"
Ji Yun looked puzzled at Xu Lin.
"You'll know when the time comes."
Xu Lin thought of the scene with 12 wives in his head, hmm... maybe they won't even argue. If they did, someone might just disappear, never reaching the point of divorce.
===============
If you want to read advanced chapters, you can visit Hiraethtranslation to read upto 30 advanced chapters.