Chapter 66: Just Your Wife

However, these matters weren’t suitable to bring up with Zhou Jianghao. Tan Qingya turned to her and smoothly changed the subject. “Do you like kids?”

Same-sex marriage didn’t mean they couldn’t have children. With technology so advanced these days, if someone truly wanted kids, they could still have their own. But Tan Qingya had no intention of having any.

Ten months of pregnancy—she didn’t want to endure that ordeal, and she certainly didn’t want Zhou Jianghao to go through it either.

Besides, children…

It was fine just watching others raise them. If she had to do it herself, she might lose her mind. She wasn’t the patient type.

Most importantly, once a child entered the picture, their two-person world would gain a third wheel, inevitably diluting their bond. She didn’t like that one bit.

Zhou Jianghao shook her head. “No.”

She hadn’t grown up bathed in love, never experienced maternal affection, and had no idea how to love a child of her own.

“If you want,” Tan Qingya said, her lips curving into a smile at the answer, “you can think of Little Beauty as our child. I’ll be its mom, and you’ll be its mommy. We love it, it loves us, and we’ll be the happiest family ever.”

Zhou Jianghao looked up. “I’ve already been treating her like my own child.”

As she spoke, she pointed at Little Beauty, who had suddenly grown excited. “But right now, our child’s heart isn’t with us. Looks like she’s fallen head over heels in love.”

Little Beauty whined and strained toward one direction with frantic energy. If Tan Qingya weren’t so strong, she would have been yanked right off her feet by now.

On the other side, an elderly woman was walking a white Samoyed. True to its reputation as a smiling angel, the Samoyed was strikingly handsome. The old woman clearly doted on it; its coat was impeccably groomed, soft and glossy, and it looked perfectly healthy.

Tan Qingya fell silent.

After a long moment, she looked down, grabbed Little Beauty’s leash firmly, and said seriously, “Silly Dog, behave yourself. You’re just a —you can’t give her any happiness.”

“Little Beauty’s a boy?” Zhou Jianghao asked in surprise. She’d always assumed Little Beauty was a girl. After all, that name didn’t sound like one for a male dog.

“Strictly speaking, he’s just a eunuch now.”

Tan Qingya replied with precise wording.

Little Beauty clearly couldn’t stand hearing that and barked even louder.

The Samoyed in the distance grew agitated too, charging toward them. The elderly woman clearly lacked the strength to hold it back and stumbled along unsteadily. With her fragile frame, a real fall could spell trouble, so Tan Qingya had no choice but to let Little Beauty get closer.

After all, he was just a eunuch. He couldn’t do any real harm.

Besides, the two dogs didn’t look like they were spoiling for a fight.

Sure enough, once they were close, the dogs immediately snuggled up affectionately, as if they already knew each other.

“I remember the ones who used to walk Little Beauty weren’t you two. Are you his owners?” The old woman eyed Little Beauty, then Zhou Jianghao and Tan Qingya, her expression wary and suspicious.

With so many dog thieves around these days, she clearly took them for villains.

Zhou Jianghao hurriedly explained, “Hello, we’re Little Beauty’s owners. We used to be too busy with work, so Auntie Chen was the one walking him.”

“Oh, I see.” The old woman’s expression softened. She looked at the two dogs nuzzling happily and chuckled helplessly. “They only met yesterday, but I didn’t expect them to hit it off so well.”

Just yesterday?

The way these two pups were acting, they didn’t seem like recent acquaintances at all.

“You’re out walking your dog in the middle of the day too?” Tan Qingya asked.

“Ai, it was too cold this morning. I’m getting old—can’t handle it!” The old woman laughed good-naturedly.

But looking at the dogs all lovey-dovey, she rubbed her temple with a headache. “We’ve been out too long today. If we don’t head back soon, my niece will come looking for us.”

No sooner had she spoken than a voice rang out. “Too late—I’m already here.”

Tan Qingya’s expression cooled.

The warm sun was suddenly shrouded by drifting clouds, and the sky gradually darkened.

“Good afternoon, Doctor Zhou!” Pei Shulan beamed brightly. She glanced at Tan Qingya, her smile unwavering. “Good afternoon, Qingya.”

“I don’t think we’re close enough for you to drop the surnames and use just first names.” Tan Qingya’s gaze was icy. She tightened her grip on the leash, yanking Little Beauty back, then bent down to tug his ear. “Behave.”

Unlike the helpless indulgence in her tone when she said those words to Zhou Jianghao, this carried a clear threat. Little Beauty whined pitifully. A smart dog knew when to back down, so he stopped straining to snuggle with the Samoyed.

“Don’t be so cold.” Pei Shulan laughed lightly, her eyes shifting to Zhou Jianghao. “Doctor Zhou, why’d you delete me?”

At those words, Tan Qingya’s gaze flickered.

She had suggested Zhou Jianghao keep her distance from Pei Shulan, but she’d never demanded that Zhou Jianghao delete her WeChat contact.

After all, Pei Shulan was Zhou Jianghao’s patient.

Whether Pei Shulan’s overtures were deliberate or coincidental, it didn’t change the fact that she was Zhou Jianghao’s patient.

Zhou Jianghao’s face remained impassive. “I passed your contact info to my colleague. She’s an experienced doctor—you can confidently let her handle your remaining teeth.”

“Why?” Pei Shulan frowned. “I think you’re great, Doctor Zhou. The extraction didn’t hurt at all.”

“It didn’t hurt because you had anesthesia. Rest assured, Doctor Liu will give you anesthesia before yours too.”

“…”

Pei Shulan fell silent.

There was no talking her way out of this one today.

She lowered her head, watching Little Beauty inching toward the Samoyed again, and changed the subject. “Is this your dog? He’s so handsome. No wonder my girl likes him so much. We should walk them together sometime.”

If Zhou Jianghao were single, she might interpret it as flirting.

But she was married, with her wife right there.

Clearly, Pei Shulan was deliberately provoking Tan Qingya.

Zhou Jianghao gripped Tan Qingya’s hand just as she was about to speak, her expression cool. “Miss Pei, we’re not that close.”

With that, she turned to the silent old woman. “Old Madam, we have to head out first.”

Ignoring Pei Shulan’s reaction, she linked arms with Tan Qingya and left.

For once, the person and dog cooperated perfectly, following obediently in her footsteps. Only after they were out of Pei Shulan and the others’ sight did Zhou Jianghao relax with a breath. She looked at Tan Qingya and realized the other woman had been watching her the whole time.

“Were you mad just now?” Thinking of Pei Shulan’s provocation, she said to Tan Qingya, “I won’t have any more contact with her. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I wasn’t mad.” Amusement softened Tan Qingya’s features. “You were so badass protecting your wife—I was secretly thrilled.”

In front of Zhou Jianghao, she no longer carried the air of a superior. The aloofness of an untouchable beauty had vanished, transforming her from a cold winter moon to a warm winter sun. Even her gaze brimmed with tenderness and fervor.

She probably hadn’t noticed it herself, but around Zhou Jianghao, her face always lit up with an extra brightness.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” When Zhou Jianghao just pursed her lips in silence, Tan Qingya sighed. “We’ve only been married a short time, and you’re already ignoring me?”

Before the words were out, Zhou Jianghao suddenly stopped in front of her.

She rose on tiptoe and pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

“Behave,” Zhou Jianghao said earnestly, looking perfectly serious—except for her ears, which burned red, betraying her feelings.

Those were Tan Qingya’s usual words.

Finally, Zhou Jianghao had said them back to her.

“Fine, I’ll behave.” Tan Qingya held back a laugh, lowered her head to jiggle Little Beauty’s leash, and sighed wistfully. “Why couldn’t you fall for any other family? The Pei family? Little Beauty, this romance of yours is doomed from the start.”

Little Beauty threw his head back and howled mournfully, as if cursing.

Icy raindrops suddenly began to fall from the sky—not heavy, but cold against the skin. Little Beauty got a mouthful and drooped his head pitifully. And so, their dog-walking plan ended early. The two tugged the dejected Little Beauty home.

What a coincidence—just as they arrived, the rain outside picked up.

“It’s cooling down.” Gazing at the rain through the window, Tan Qingya turned to Zhou Jianghao, her eyes sparkling. “Now we can wear those clothes you bought me.”

Zhou Jianghao’s gaze shifted.

Tan Qingya did wear the jacket from her last shopping trip, but not as often as that beige trench coat.

After some thought, she’d bought more clothes a few days ago.

This time, every jacket came in pairs—matching couple’s outfits.

Judging by Tan Qingya’s reaction, they seemed to be a hit. She really did like wearing similar styles with her, like couple’s wear.

Realizing this, Zhou Jianghao’s lips curved unconsciously. She nodded. “Yeah, it’s definitely time.”

As she spoke, her eyes drifted to Tan Qingya’s neck.

In winter, besides thick clothes, one should wear a scarf. Rumor had it many people knitted one by hand for their partners. She had no experience weaving scarves, but she figured she could give it a try.

The rain pattered on until afternoon before finally letting up.

Sure enough, the temperature had dropped. Zhou Jianghao, wearing a matching puffer jacket, tightened her hold on Tan Qingya’s arm as they paused outside a hotpot restaurant.

“This place is famous online—a real influencer hotspot. Lots of couples come to check in here.” Tan Qingya glanced at Zhou Jianghao. “As your suitor, it’d be inexcusable not to bring you for a photo op.”

Hearing “suitor” again, Zhou Jianghao couldn’t help looking at her. “I think we’ve already progressed to being girlfriends.”

“…That works too.” Tan Qingya took Zhou Jianghao’s hand. “Then let’s call today our first official date. How’s that?”

She glanced at the time as she spoke. “Today is December 5th—the day we officially got together. From now on, every year on this date will be our anniversary.”

“You can do that?” Zhou Jianghao had never heard of a dating anniversary coming after a wedding anniversary.

“Why not?” Tan Qingya raised an eyebrow. “We’re the ones in the relationship, not anyone else.”

With that, she led Zhou Jianghao further inside.

The trendy hotpot restaurant was packed, but they got lucky. They couldn’t snag a private room, but a table by the window was still open.

The two of them sat down there.

This wasn’t some upscale place where servers hovered constantly. Tan Qingya clearly had no experience with hotpot spots like this. After sitting for a moment, she grew impatient and glanced around, frowning as she said, “Their service here isn’t great. We’ve been sitting forever and no one’s come over.”

Was this the service at a trendy hotpot joint?

“Maybe it’s self-service ordering?” Zhou Jianghao pointed to the QR code on the table and pulled out her phone.

Tan Qingya: “…”

This was unfamiliar territory for her. Pushing through and pretending would only lead to more slip-ups.

After a moment of silence, she looked at Zhou Jianghao and decided to throw in the towel. “Little Doctor Zhou, why don’t you treat me this time? Give me a chance to eat soft rice?”

“That’s not eating soft rice.” Zhou Jianghao had already logged into her account and tapped to the ordering screen before handing the phone to Tan Qingya. “I was planning to treat you anyway. I used to work part-time here and got a coupon. If I don’t use it soon, it’ll expire.”

It was true.

She had decided on it the moment they pulled up outside the hotpot place.

Tan Qingya was quiet for a long while before letting out a sigh. “Little Pitiful, how do you end up working part-time everywhere?”

No wonder she was so skinny, like a bamboo pole. Other kids got spoiled by their parents with constant good food, but Zhou Jianghao had to scrape by with odd jobs everywhere just to support herself.

With that thought, she added an order of beef rolls.

She needed to eat more meat to gain some weight.

“A lot of places don’t hire students,” Zhou Jianghao sighed. “So I had to work as a server.”

The kind where she washed dishes in the back.

The pay was low, but the work was endless—every odd job imaginable, running wherever she was needed.

“How old were you when you worked here?” Tan Qingya found herself growing curious about Zhou Jianghao’s past.

“I washed dishes here in ninth grade. Once I was an adult, I started serving out front.”

“Ninth grade…”

Tan Qingya sighed wistfully.

Back then, she had already been a college sophomore, jetting off on trips all the time. She had even started handling some company affairs. Aside from classes and travel, she spent her days mingling in high-society circles.

How had she been so blind back then, at such a young age?

She had completely overlooked a little pitiful like this.

After a long moment of melancholy, she suddenly grabbed Zhou Jianghao’s hand. “When we have the spring banquet, Little Beauty has to sit at the head table.”

“Huh?” Zhou Jianghao blinked in confusion.

But Tan Qingya didn’t explain further.

Back then, if Little Beauty hadn’t gone running around everywhere and ended up locked in the Tan Family storeroom with Zhou Jianghao, she and Zhou Jianghao might have remained parallel lines, never crossing paths.

She was grateful they had met that day.

She handed Zhou Jianghao’s phone back and reached out to pinch her cheek. “I used to think you were stubborn sometimes—too proud, refusing to back down. But now I realize it’s a good thing you were like that back then.”

Otherwise, they might have missed each other entirely.

She wiggled her hand. “Truth be told, you scared me a little back then. You bit down hard—I nearly cried out from the pain.”

“Really?” Zhou Jianghao recalled the moment. “But you seemed totally calm about it.”

It had even made her wonder if she’d bitten into a piece of wood.

“Of course I had to act calm,” Tan Qingya said matter-of-factly. “I’m the head of the Tan Family. I couldn’t go yelping like that—I had to play the part of a mature, steady, aloof woman.”

She cared more about saving face than the pain. With all those juniors around, she had to pretend it was nothing.

“But now…”

“Now?” Tan Qingya arched a brow. “Now, I’m not the head of the Tan Family. I’m just your wife.”

So she could be her most relaxed, comfortable self.

Seeing Zhou Jianghao’s face flush bright red again, she chuckled. “I’m not teasing you.”

Why did she blush so easily?

Zhou Jianghao nodded solemnly. “I know.”

She knew Tan Qingya meant it, and that’s exactly what made her shy. Tan Qingya claimed Zhou Jianghao was the sweet-talker, but clearly, she was the one who knew how to charm.

After thinking it over, she said earnestly, “Well, then I’m not some little pitiful either. I’m just your wife. You can’t pity me anymore or feel sorry for me.”

“When did I ever pity you?” Tan Qingya protested.

Zhou Jianghao showed her the ordering screen. “Look at what you ordered, President Tan. Who are you looking down on here?”

She hadn’t ordered much at all.

Tan Qingya didn’t bat an eye. “I hemmed and hawed forever, but in the end, I just wanted meat. After all, I’m a carnivore. Cut Little Doctor Zhou some slack?”

Unfortunately, Little Doctor Zhou wasn’t buying it. She was convinced Tan Qingya was trying to save her money. She didn’t hand the phone back and instead studied the menu for a good while before placing the order herself.

The server finally wandered over, set up their pot, and got it simmering slowly.

They had ordered a split pot—one side spicy, one mild.

Zhou Jianghao liked bolder flavors, so she turned the spicy side toward herself. Steam rose in thick clouds, carrying the signature aroma of the spicy broth. She swallowed hard, her eyes lighting up.

“I’ll go mix your dipping sauce.” Zhou Jianghao, who knew Tan Qingya’s tastes well by now, stood and headed to the self-serve sauce station.

She grabbed two small dishes and was adding ingredients when someone called out, “Zhou Jianghao?”

Zhou Jianghao paused mid-motion.

The downside of working part-time everywhere was that people recognized her no matter where she went.

She turned to face the man.

He was tall and burly, dressed in the restaurant’s staff uniform, already going a bit soft around the middle with a slight paunch. Zhou Jianghao’s gaze dropped to his name tag—Supervisor Lan Maoquan.

He’d even gotten promoted?

She frowned in distaste and looked away, ignoring him.

She quickly finished mixing the sauces in both dishes and walked back with a cold expression. Fortunately, he didn’t follow. When she sat down and subtly scanned the area, he was nowhere in sight.

He must have been checking another section.

She clenched her jaw and looked away.

“What happened?” Tan Qingya noticed something off. She tilted her head, studying Zhou Jianghao’s expression, her own brows furrowing. “Did something go wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Zhou Jianghao shook her head.

She slid one of the sauce dishes toward Tan Qingya. “This one’s for you.”

Zhou Jianghao was no actress.

Tan Qingya thoughtfully withdrew her gaze. Since Zhou Jianghao didn’t want to talk about it now, she wouldn’t press—for the moment.

If it involved certain people, she doubted things would end quickly. She might even witness the drama firsthand.

This trendy hotpot spot lived up to the hype—the food was genuinely good. But staring at the mountain of dishes that barely fit on the table and cart, Tan Qingya was surprised. “How did you order so much?”

“The coupon discount was huge,” Zhou Jianghao said calmly. “Might as well go big. No sense leaving money on the table.”

She gestured to the cart of ingredients. “Whatever we can’t finish, we can pack up or share with another table.”

Tan Qingya nodded.

Zhou Jianghao didn’t seem like the type to haggle for deals.

There had to be more to it.

As Zhou Jianghao swished meat for her, Tan Qingya asked casually, “So where’d this coupon come from? When was the promo? Buy over a certain amount, get so much off?”

She fired off questions one after another, but Zhou Jianghao dodged them all, solemnly piling meat into Tan Qingya’s bowl instead. “There. Try it.”

Translator’s Note:

Well, that was a surprise for me too! Honestly, with a name like ‘Little Beauty’ and this being a Yuri novel, my brain just automatically assumed he was a she.(The author used gender neutral pronouns)