Chapter 47: No Need for Outsiders to Weigh In

The topic came to a temporary halt because of that one sentence.

Before Tan Qingya could puzzle out its meaning, the surgery wrapped up successfully. Watching Zhou Jianghao hurry toward the operating room, Tan Qingya let out a sigh. She would have to find another time to talk.

Zhou Qiu was still under the effects of the anesthesia, and even though they had hired someone to look after her, Zhou Jianghao insisted on staying.

Tan Qingya had no choice but to head home first.

Staring at the empty apartment, she felt uncharacteristically uneasy for the first time in her life. Zhou Jianghao was slim and petite, always quiet and unassuming at home, hardly making her presence felt. Yet now that she was gone, the place felt inexplicably vast and hollow.

Too quiet. Too empty.

Little Beauty whined at the door, sniffing around Tan Qingya before leaping onto the sofa. It snatched the pillow Zhou Jianghao often hugged and carried it over, whining again.

“You heartless little thing,” Tan Qingya murmured, poking Little Beauty’s head with her finger. “You never acted like you missed me when I left.”

They had been companions for years, after all. Zhou Jianghao had only been living there for a few months?

“No backbone.”

She muttered under her breath, unsure if she was scolding Little Beauty or herself.

Of course, she couldn’t just ignore Zhou Jianghao’s off mood. After mulling it over, she finally called Chen Chen.

“She said you two aren’t even normal partners?”

“That’s right.” Tan Qingya nodded, then added, “She’s been out of sorts ever since she got back from your place.”

Narrowing her eyes, she continued, “Ask Tang Tiantian what she said to Zhou Jianghao.”

Tang Tiantian quickly took the phone and recounted their conversation from that day in a few words. When she reached her counter-question, she remembered Zhou Jianghao’s sudden silence and said guiltily, “If there’s anything off, it has to be right there.”

Because after that, Zhou Jianghao had seemed distracted.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “But there’s nothing wrong with what I said, right? Couples argue all the time—it’s totally normal!”

Tan Qingya pressed her lips together as a suspicion formed in her mind.

Zhou Jianghao had said she envied Chen Chen and Tang Tiantian’s seven years together. So, had she secretly hoped to meet someone, get to know them, fall in love, and eventually walk down the aisle with the person she loved?

Their marriage had shattered all of that young woman’s illusions about wedded bliss.

No wonder she was feeling so down.

Tang Tiantian asked cautiously, “President Tan, is everything okay?”

Tan Qingya lowered her gaze but said lightly, “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?” Tang Tiantian hesitated.

Considering how well Zhou Jianghao had gotten along with her before, Tan Qingya explained patiently for once, “It’s my own issue. I’m not blaming you two—in fact, I’m glad she can talk to you. So don’t worry about it.”

She ended the call after a brief exchange and sank back onto the sofa, staring at Little Beauty. Clearly, the girl had expectations for a sweet romance.

She had dragged her straight past the sweet dating phase and into the grave of marriage.

No wonder the poor girl was unhappy.

But they were already married, and Tan Qingya quite enjoyed spending time with Zhou Jianghao. Divorce was out of the question, so the only option was to make up for it by giving her that sweet romance.

A wife is meant to be coaxed.

She reached out and poked Little Beauty again.

“Right?”

Unfortunately, though Little Beauty was clever, it was just a dog. It tilted its head, looking utterly baffled.

Tan Qingya sighed again.

She knew a wife needed coaxing, but how to do it was the real problem.

Should she orchestrate a full-blown dating experience for Zhou Jianghao? But she had been pursued by others her whole life—everyone chased her. When had she ever chased anyone?

She had no idea where to start.

Still, in this marriage, she was the older one and ought to be more tolerant. Besides, the girl had grown up like a little pitiful thing, enduring plenty of hardships already. Tan Qingya couldn’t bear to bully her or make her chase after her with those longing eyes.

No, she would have to take the initiative.

The next morning, Tan Qingya arrived at the hospital with a pot of porridge she had personally cooked.

When she entered the room, Zhou Jianghao looked utterly surprised. Tan Qingya raised an eyebrow. “What, don’t you recognize me?”

With that, she walked over and pinched Zhou Jianghao’s cheek.

“Your complexion looks awful,” Zhou Jianghao said with a frown. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Tan Qingya’s eyes flickered.

Truth be told, she had simply slept poorly the night before.

She had grown accustomed to holding Zhou Jianghao while sleeping every night, so lying alone had left her tossing and turning on an empty bed until the wee hours.

“I’m fine—just went to bed late last night.” She shook the lunchbox in her hand to change the subject. “I brought some porridge.”

Before Zhou Jianghao could respond, Zhou Qiu spoke up from her bed in delight. “You didn’t have to bring anything! For someone as important as you to visit me is already more than enough to make me happy!”

With that, she struggled to sit up, clearly ready to eat.

Tan Qingya’s expression remained unchanged. “It’s for Little Hao.”

Zhou Qiu: “…”

The awkwardness hung thick in the air, and a flush crept onto Zhou Jianghao’s face. Tan Qingya, however, acted as if nothing were amiss. She calmly opened the lunchbox with gentle movements, and a familiar aroma instantly filled the room.

It was obvious that the porridge wasn’t some store-bought slop—Tan Qingya had made it herself.

Zhou Qiu inhaled the scent wafting through the room and swallowed involuntarily, a rare hint of resentment in her eyes. She was the patient, and her stomach was still empty.

In the quiet room, the sound stood out sharply.

Seeing that the elegantly dressed Miss Tan was handling everything, Zhou Qiu made small talk out of habit. “Little Hao, you can’t just stand there being lazy. Miss Tan brought porridge all this way for you—you should serve it yourself.”

“And you haven’t even thanked Miss Tan yet…”

Before she could finish, she caught a cold glare from the other woman. The words died in her throat, and she didn’t dare say another word.

“Our business is none of your concern,” Tan Qingya said coolly, her voice low and edged with displeasure.

“Y-Yes, of course…” Zhou Qiu responded awkwardly.

Zhou Jianghao couldn’t help glancing at Tan Qingya. In her presence, Zhou Jianghao never seemed to get a chance to do anything herself.

Tan Qingya apparently enjoyed handling things personally. After shutting down Zhou Qiu, she continued patiently arranging everything, ladling out the porridge for Zhou Jianghao herself. She even reminded her softly, “Careful, it’s hot.”

So patient. So gentle.

Not a trace of that earlier sharpness remained.

“Okay.”

Zhou Jianghao took the bowl and spooned a mouthful right away. As expected, the flavor burst forth, whetting her appetite.

It was strange—porridge was porridge, but the kind Tan Qingya made always tasted a little more fragrant.

In the quiet room, only the clink of bowl and spoon broke the silence.

Watching the two of them, Zhou Qiu felt a pang of melancholy.

An invisible barrier seemed to separate her from them, one she could never breach.

But that was her daughter.

Her own flesh and blood, shut out by a stranger she had just married.

Resentment welled up unbidden, urging her to rush over and reclaim her daughter. But reason quickly reasserted itself—the girl was grown, and that woman was far beyond her league.

The thought chilled her, leaving her at a loss.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door.

The caregiver arrived with breakfast, and Zhou Qiu exhaled sharply in relief, slumping back onto the bed.

“You’re so late!” she complained, emboldened by the fact that they had paid for the service. “Trying to starve me to death?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

The caregiver apologized profusely.

Zhou Qiu had just had surgery, so her meal was also porridge. But with the exquisite example before her, it tasted bland by comparison.

As she ate her ordinary porridge while the tantalizing aroma from the other side filled the air, Zhou Qiu lost her appetite entirely.

She wanted to snap, but worried about another scolding from Miss Tan, she swallowed her irritation with a sour expression.

Finally, once they had finished their porridge, she said quickly, “Don’t you both have work? Little Liu is here to take care of me now—go on and handle your business. No need to mind me.”

She made it sound like she was doing them a favor.

Zhou Jianghao hadn’t planned to stay long anyway. “Sure,” she said, then turned to Tan Qingya. “Shall we go?”

Tan Qingya’s eyes gleamed as she recalled Zhou Jianghao’s colleague. Glancing at Zhou Jianghao’s head, she reached out to smooth her hair. “Your hair’s a mess. Let me redo it for you.”

With that, she undid Zhou Jianghao’s low ponytail.

Zhou Jianghao swallowed her protest and obediently sat on the nearby attendant bed, sitting up straight. “Okay, sorry for the trouble.”

Tan Qingya’s touch remained gentle, her fingertips grazing Zhou Jianghao’s scalp and sending tingles through her, scattering her thoughts.

In a daze, she suddenly realized something was off. “Aren’t you redoing the ponytail?”

Why did it feel like her hair was being gathered higher and higher?

“Your face is so round and pretty—it’d look great in a bun.” Tan Qingya smiled at her, asking considerately for her opinion. “What do you think?”

She phrased it as a question, but her hands kept piling the hair higher.

Zhou Jianghao had never tried that hairstyle before, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Tan Qingya. As she hesitated, she felt a slight tug on her scalp. Tan Qingya had already slipped the hair tie into place, wrapping it around a few times until it sat heavily atop her head.

“Really nice.”

Tan Qingya gazed at the tiger-head clip now prominently displayed and nodded in satisfaction. She bent down and pressed a kiss to Zhou Jianghao’s forehead. “What a pretty little girl.”

Her sweet words always came out of nowhere like that, and she didn’t hesitate even with Zhou Qiu right there. Though it was only a kiss on the forehead, it was enough to make Zhou Jianghao’s ears flush pink.

“Let’s go. Want to show the family your workplace?” Tan Qingya said as she stepped back and extended her hand.

Zhou Jianghao’s eyes landed on that hand, with its prominent knuckles. The fair skin on the back bore several red marks from the hair tie—a fragile, ravished beauty.

Tan Qingya’s skin was so pale; it always marked easily.

After moments of intimacy, those traces on her body never failed to stir a powerful guilt in Zhou Jianghao.

“Zhou Jianghao?”

Tan Qingya’s brows furrowed slightly when there was no response. She wiggled her fingers in front of Zhou Jianghao’s face.

In the next instant, her wrist was seized.

The grip carried a bold dominance, and Tan Qingya arched an eyebrow.

“We’re heading out first,” Zhou Jianghao said.

She took Tan Qingya’s hand and turned toward Zhou Qiu on the other side. Her voice was even, betraying no emotion—save for her ears, which burned an unnatural red.

How sinful.

How could she be thinking about those things at a time like this?