He had been tense the entire way back and was utterly exhausted. As soon as he reached his room, he collapsed onto the bed. Turning his head to look outside the window, he found that because it was daytime, the view of the room across from him was not as clear.
It was still raining outside, and with the curtain of rain blurring everything, he could hardly see anything at all.
He lay there watching for a while, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. By the time he woke up, the sky was already dark.
Just as he sat up, there was a knock on the door.
"Xiao Qi, it's time for dinner," came Aunt Chun's voice from outside.
Qi Liangqin responded, turned on the light, and glanced at himself in the mirror. To his dismay, his hair was sticking up in all directions, refusing to be smoothed down no matter how hard he tried. He hurried into the bathroom, dampened his hair, and combed it neatly.
He still had to maintain his image in front of Yan Bozong. Not just Yan Bozong—he always paid extra attention to his appearance in front of any handsome man.
When he came out of his room, the food was already set on the table, but there wasn't a single person around. He turned toward the kitchen and asked Aunt Chun, "Just the two of us?"
Aunt Chun smiled and said, "Bozong went out this afternoon. He said he wouldn't be back for dinner. I'll be taking some soup to the old lady later, so you'll be eating alone."
Qi Liangqin felt a twinge of disappointment.
But really, Yan Bozong's absence was a good thing. According to the novel's plot, after the wiping water incident in the car, the story skipped ahead a full week.
Qi Liangqin thought to himself—so what was he supposed to do for this entire week?
The novel couldn't possibly describe every minute of every day in full detail, but as Qi Liangqin, he still had to go through the motions of daily life. This week belonged entirely to him, and the only thing he needed to be mindful of was ensuring that the story's pacing remained unchanged.
In other words, for the next seven days, he couldn't let anything happen between him and Yan Bozong that might disrupt the storyline.
So really, it was a relief that Yan Bozong wasn't here. Even if he were, Qi Liangqin would have to keep his distance.
Until the next week arrived, he absolutely could not have any physical or emotional entanglements with Yan Bozong—lest he break the continuity of the plot.
This was an uneventful week. As a stay-at-home spouse, Qi Liangqin had nothing to do all day except visit the hospital every morning to "pay his respects" to Old Madam Yan.
The old lady was strange—she clearly disliked him and never had a kind expression when she saw him. But if he ever skipped a visit, she would nag Yan Songwei endlessly, complaining that Qi Liangqin had no manners and didn't even bother to check on his mother-in-law while she was hospitalized.
A trip to the hospital was pure torment. He couldn't even play on his phone and had to just stand there idly for an entire hour until Old Madam Yan finally said, "You can go now. Stop standing around like a fool."
But today felt a little different.
Qi Liangqin knew this day was special because, according to the novel's plot, before he and Yan Bozong met again, there was a key event—his sister-in-law, Yan Yuan, was coming back.
He had been anxiously awaiting this day, feeling a bit apprehensive about Yan Yuan. She was the typical difficult sister-in-law often seen in melodramatic family conflicts—far more outspoken and bold than Old Madam Yan, making her even harder to deal with.
Sure enough, just as he reached the hospital room door and was about to push it open, he heard a young woman's voice from inside:
"My second brother has been a total flirt since high school. He even hit on my best friend. When did he suddenly switch to liking men? If you ask me, he's just using this to spite you because you disapprove of his stripper girlfriend."
"He can spite me all he wants, but there's a limit! They've even gotten their marriage certificate."
"Seriously? They're legally married?"
"His household registration has already been moved out of our family record book. That ungrateful traitor—I raised him for nothing!"
Qi Liangqin felt embarrassed, hesitating whether to wait a little longer before entering since the mother and daughter were having a private conversation. But before he could decide, someone behind him suddenly called out,
"Are you here to visit a patient? Don't block the door."
Qi Liangqin turned around to see a nurse holding a small notebook. His face flushed as he quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside, calling out,
"Mom."
Yan Yuan turned to look at him, scanning him from head to toe before asking,
"So, this is my second sister-in-law?"
Qi Liangqin wished he could disappear into the ground. The nurse glanced at him, seemingly holding back a laugh. Even Old Madam Yan appeared somewhat embarrassed, lightly patting Yan Yuan's hand as a sign of disapproval. Though same-sex marriage was legal and not uncommon, it was still a minority compared to heterosexual marriages. Someone as traditional and concerned with appearances as Old Madam Yan still found it humiliating.
Yan Yuan didn't press the matter further, but Old Madam Yan said in an annoyed tone,
"Why are you here again?"
"I just came to check on you..." Qi Liangqin stood awkwardly to the side. The nurse examined the IV drip and reassured Yan Yuan, saying things like, "It's nothing serious" and "She'll be fine." Finally, she advised,
"As long as she stays in a good mood and avoids getting upset, she'll recover quickly and be discharged soon."
After the nurse left, Yan Yuan said,
"Mom, did you hear that? The nurse said you shouldn't get upset. If you let anger affect your health, you're the one who suffers."
"It's not that I want to be upset, but just look at your brothers—and you! None of you ever give me peace of mind."
"I heard my eldest brother went back to the U.S. Apparently, my sister-in-law is sick."
"Sick?" Old Madam Yan sneered. "She's always so delicate, constantly running to the hospital at the slightest discomfort."
"What about my second brother? Why isn't he here?"
"Isn't someone here in his place?" Old Madam Yan glanced at Qi Liangqin and then added sharply,
"You just stand there like a block of wood. You used to be quite talkative, like your mouth was coated with honey. What's wrong now? Are you holding a grudge just because I scolded you a couple of times and don't feel like speaking anymore?"
"N-no, that's not it. I just... didn't know what to say. I didn't want to disturb your rest."
"Then stop standing there. Go outside and let me talk with my daughter."
"Okay."
"Absolutely no sense of tact. We women are having a conversation, and you, a man, actually have the nerve to stand around and listen?"
Qi Liangqin quickly left the hospital room but still overheard Yan Yuan's amused voice saying,
"I thought he'd be some seductive little vixen, but he actually looks so pure. Guess my second brother changed his taste."
Then, Old Madam Yan scoffed in obvious discontent,
"What's the use of looking pure? He's just a little slut begging a man to sleep with him."
Qi Liangqin's face burned with embarrassment. He walked to the corridor window and stood still.
It was late spring, and the air carried a lingering warmth mixed with the faint scent of disinfectant. He opened the window slightly, and a gust of wind immediately rushed in, lifting his hair and brushing against his forehead.
He wondered when Yan Bozong would return. And when the story mentioned "one week later," did it mean exactly seven days, or just approximately?
Emotions were truly strange. Sometimes, even when you knew something was impossible, you couldn't help but think about it, miss it. Just catching a glimpse every day could make you happy.
His feelings for Yan Bozong weren't sudden. He had already fallen deeply in love during the two months he spent reading the novel. Seeing the real person now only made those feelings more tangible, the attraction more intense, and his emotions even more real.
This late spring seemed particularly rainy. After just two or three days of clear skies, the rain started falling again.
Old Madam Yan had returned home, and Yan Yuan had resigned from her job to stay by her mother's side. This pleased the old lady greatly. Although she herself had been a career woman, she hoped her youngest daughter would live the life of a proper young lady—one who never stepped beyond the gates, married into wealth and power, spent her days dining out, shopping, and pampering herself at beauty salons. In her eyes, that was the life of a truly fortunate woman.
Lying on the bed, Qi Liangqin was on the phone with Tan Qingqing. "Of course she hates me. She never has a kind word for me when she sees me…" He sighed dramatically, looking troubled. "I think she's just about at her limit."
The "she" he referred to was Old Madam Yan.
Tan Qingqing's greatest hope was for the old lady to tire of Qi Liangqin as soon as possible. Ideally, she'd be so fed up that she wouldn't even care if her replacement was a nightclub hostess, as long as someone could take his place. That way, Tan Qingqing could finally marry into the Yan family properly. After all, Qi Liangqin's entire purpose in marrying Yan Songwei was to make Old Madam Yan realize that, no matter how bad Tan Qingqing was, she was still a hundred times better than him.
After finishing his report, Qi Liangqin tossed his phone onto the bed and rolled around a few times. The mattress was enormous and unbelievably soft—easily the most comfortable bed he had ever slept on in his life.
"Xiao Qi, dinner's ready," came Aunt Chun's call from outside.
He responded quickly and scrambled up, changing into a new outfit. Old Madam Yan always dressed meticulously at home and demanded that her children do the same. She didn't care how they dressed in their bedrooms, but the moment they stepped out, they had to be properly attired.
Qi Liangqin had learned this rule well. He picked a relatively formal outfit, put it on, and pushed open the door—only to hear Old Madam Yan already complaining,
"I've been calling him forever, and he still hasn't come out. Now I have to wait for him to eat?"
Yan Yuan snickered. "Mom, if you dislike him so much, why not just use stronger methods and force Second Brother to divorce him? I refuse to believe you can't handle him."
Qí Liángqín was stunned for a moment and stopped in his tracks. He then heard Old Madam Yan sigh, "I don't like him, that's true. If I had known before your second brother got the marriage certificate, I would have made sure they were completely separated. You know your mother—I have plenty of ways. But they've already registered the marriage… It's done."
"So what if they got married? Divorce is very common nowadays; it's not like in your time."
"I don't care how other families do things. In our family, divorce isn't something to be taken lightly. Marriage is destined by fate. Since they are already married, they can't separate so easily. It's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage. Your mother is a devout Buddhist. No matter how much I dislike him, I won't drive him away. Not only that, but if your second brother wanted to divorce him, I wouldn't allow it either. You know how he is—do you think he can stay with anyone for the long haul? He needs to be taught a lesson. He thought marrying a man would disgust me, but in the end, who do you think will suffer the most?"
Yan Yuan burst into laughter. "So you think so too? I feel the same way. Second Brother must be in it for the novelty. Looks like the responsibility of continuing the Yan family line is all on our eldest brother now."
"Don't even bring up your eldest brother!" Old Madam Yan said angrily. "I don't know if he's lost his mind or what. What's so great about that Shen He? Always cold and distant, never even smiles at people. They've been married for years and still refuse to have kids. She's already thirty—does she really plan to be a geriatric mother? I told your brother to divorce her, but he won't listen..."
"Mom, that's not fair! You just said, 'It's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage.'"
"How is this the same?" Old Madam Yan fumed. "As for Xiao Qin, I may not like his flirtatious ways, but I can understand why your second brother is temporarily infatuated with him. Men—who doesn't love beauty when they're young? Just look at Xiao Qin's face and figure…"
Lowering her voice, she continued, "I won't say this in front of him, but to be fair, I have friends whose sons have married men too, quite a few actually. But when I compare their so-called 'sons-in-law,' not a single one can match Xiao Qin's looks. Just look at that waist, those hips—perfectly shaped. Those long legs, that cherry-like mouth… Tsk, tsk, tsk."