Ye Fengwu snorted, then took out a box of special cigarettes that ordinary people had never seen before. After lighting one, he sat down on the narrow sofa in the living room.
"That old man probably won't give up so easily, so… I hope you don't play too small," Ye Fengwu said, blowing out a smoke ring. His resolute eyes glinted with a cold, murderous intent.
Tap tap tap...
At that moment, the sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen, and the rhythmic sound of the knife on the chopping board felt oddly comforting to Ye Fengwu.
Since the death of his foster mother when he was fourteen, and the disappearance of his foster sister—the girl who had bullied him since childhood—he hadn't felt the warmth of a home in many years.
So from today onwards, wherever Qin Qinghan and her daughter were, that would be his home. Anyone who harmed a hair on their heads would have their entire arm severed.
Yah!
As soon as Ye Fengwu finished his vow, he heard Qin Qinghan's surprised cry from the kitchen.
In an instant, Ye Fengwu sprang up like a startled rabbit, rushing to the kitchen door. He roughly opened it, only to find Qin Qinghan holding her left little finger, looking pained. There was a small red drop of blood near the half-chopped vegetables.
A flash of concern crossed Ye Fengwu's eyes. He wanted to take that knife and break it into pieces.
Qin Qinghan's knife skills were quite good, but today, she was so worried and distracted that she had cut her finger by mistake.
What she didn't expect was that Ye Fengwu would suddenly rush in.
"I'll take a look," Ye Fengwu said.
The kitchen was small, and Ye Fengwu quickly moved to Qin Qinghan's side. She had nowhere to retreat and had to let him grasp her hand.
"Don't touch me," Qin Qinghan said, her expression wary. She tried to pull her hand away, but Ye Fengwu unexpectedly placed her injured finger into his mouth and began sucking on it.
This made Qin Qinghan's face instantly flush with heat, followed by a surge of disgust and anger.
"What are you doing?"
Slap!
Instinctively, Qin Qinghan slapped Ye Fengwu hard across the face. The slap landed with a resounding impact.
Ye Fengwu could have dodged, but he didn't, because he owed her that much.
However, throughout the whole exchange, Ye Fengwu never let go of her finger. To be honest, it actually tasted pretty good, though sucking on a cut didn't really do anything useful.
What irked Ye Fengwu was that in the idol dramas, whenever the female lead injured herself, the male lead would do the same thing, and the female lead would be deeply moved. But why didn't it work with Qin Qinghan?
After reluctantly releasing her finger, Qin Qinghan leaned against the wall behind her, her earlier anger slowly turning into unease.
The slap had been purely instinctual. She had already expected that he might hit her.
However, to her surprise, Ye Fengwu didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled cheekily and said, "Well, don't worry about it. I deserve it."
With that, Ye Fengwu grabbed the kitchen knife and continued, "You tell me how to cut it, and I'll cut. You just focus on cooking."
Looking at the gentleness in Ye Fengwu's eyes and his actions of picking up the knife to continue chopping, Qin Qinghan felt confused and unsettled. What exactly did he want to do to her?
Seeing Qin Qinghan unsure of what to do, Ye Fengwu sighed and said, "Wife, hurry up and cook. I haven't eaten all day."
Upon hearing this, Qin Qinghan felt even more lost. She didn't even know how to guard against him anymore.
With a blank expression, Qin Qinghan replied, "Just cut it into pieces."
After that, she picked up two potatoes to wash and peel.
"I'll do it, I'll do it. Don't touch the water with your hands; it'll slow down the healing," Ye Fengwu said, quickly snatching the potatoes from her hands, much like a new son-in-law eager to avoid disappointing his mother-in-law.
Once again, Qin Qinghan felt at a loss. She even wondered if Ye Fengwu was really the kind of dangerous criminal he appeared to be.
Half an hour later, the family of five sat around the small dining table, trying to enjoy the meal. No, it wasn't quite a joyful gathering, but a tense and uncomfortable one.
Ye Fengwu, already starving, gobbled down his food and, with a wide-eyed expression, gave Qin Qinghan a thumbs-up. "Wife, your cooking is amazing. It's truly a blessing to marry you, Ye Fengwu."
After saying that, Ye Fengwu continued to wolf down his meal.
Ye Fengwu wasn't just flattering her; her cooking was genuinely good. Although he didn't dine at many restaurants, it was rare to find food that he could truly praise.
Hearing Ye Fengwu's compliment, Qin Qinghan didn't feel pleased at all. She picked up her chopsticks and placed some food in Jing Si's bowl, softly saying, "Jing Si, eat up."
Qin Qinghan hadn't eaten anything at the banquet today, but her bowl of food remained untouched.
On the side, Yang Yu and Qin Zhi ate in silence, clearly rejecting the sudden addition of Ye Fengwu into their family.
At this moment, Qin Qinghan's phone rang.
The caller ID showed "Uncle," and Qin Qinghan furrowed her brows, but she still answered the call.
"Uncle, is there something wrong?"
Although her relationship with her uncle wasn't particularly close, Qin Qinghan's tone remained gentle.
Soon, Qin Fei's voice came from the phone, and Qin Qinghan's expression began to show signs of distress.
Ye Fengwu noticed the change in her face and frowned slightly.
Yang Yu asked, "Qinghan, what does Qin Fei want?"
After hanging up the phone, Qin Qinghan's face was filled with worry. "He wants me to go to Fenghao Engineering's department tomorrow to negotiate and sign the contract."
Upon hearing this, both Yang Yu and Qin Zhi immediately became upset. Yang Yu angrily shouted, "What a piece of work Qin Fei is, and so is Qin Guangnan! They're trying to push you into a dead-end!"
"Everyone knows that the head of the Fenghao Engineering department in the suburbs is Jin Bao, and he's not only tyrannical but a pervert. So many women have been mistreated by him. Qin Guangnan is clearly pushing you into a trap, you can't go."
Qin Zhi's expression darkened. He turned to Qin Qinghan and said, "Your mother is right. You can't go."
Qin Qinghan, however, bitterly replied, "If I don't go, Grandpa will fire me from Qin Group. Without a job, how can I support you and Jing Si?"
Hearing this, Yang Yu and Qin Zhi's expressions grew awkward. Over the years, the couple had lived a carefree life, relying entirely on Qin Qinghan's income. If she lost her job, they would truly be left with nothing.
Qin Qinghan comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, I'm just going for the negotiation. I might not even encounter Jin Bao."
At that moment, Ye Fengwu, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke up. "Don't go. I'll figure out the money problem."
Upon hearing this, both Yang Yu and Qin Zhi shot Ye Fengwu disdainful looks, as if to say, "You, a freshly released criminal, how are you going to get money? Are you planning to rob someone?"
Even Qin Qinghan just shook her head.
After the family finished their first dinner together in silence, Ye Fengwu, before Qin Qinghan could, cleaned up the dishes.
After the exhausting events at Qin Guangnan's birthday party, Qin Zhi and his wife went to bed early.
Qin Qinghan, holding her clothes, walked into the tiny bathroom, and soon, the sound of water came from behind the closed door.
Ye Fengwu gazed at the bathroom door, gritting his teeth. "Such a small bathroom… how does she manage? I really want to go in and see."
Slap!
Alone on the sofa, Ye Fengwu sat back, smoking. He had a heavy smoking habit, but when on a mission, he would never light up.
Twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and Qin Qinghan, with wet hair, stepped out. Her loose pajamas concealed her slim waist, but couldn't hide the curves and contours of her body.
A beauty after a bath was especially tempting, and Qin Qinghan was no exception.
At first, Ye Fengwu had considered taking care of Qin Qinghan and her daughter as a responsibility, a debt he owed. But now, after seeing Qin Qinghan, all that responsibility and guilt seemed irrelevant.
Because it felt like he had experienced the sudden, inexplicable sensation of love at first sight.