The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 23

Chapter 23

The warmth seeped through the damp, wrinkled fabric and onto Pei Yunle’s skin. The stark temperature difference made her shiver uncontrollably.

The tremor passed to Chen Qingtang. She released her arms, lifted the person out of her embrace, and started up the stairs in her slippers. Seeing the person still huddled on the spot, she went back down and pulled her upstairs.

Ji Mingzhu, who had been left to dry on the side, was dumbfounded. So the two of them were just going to ignore her. She took off her still-damp jacket and held it in her hand, following behind them with a resentful look on her face.

Chen Qingtang pulled the person into the room. Ji Mingzhu was at a loss, looking at the ajar door. She couldn’t just enter someone else’s bedroom, especially since she was an outsider. She hadn’t been rained on much, and her clothes were mostly dry from the car. So she just waited outside, leaning against her semi-damp clothes.

The phone in her bag was vibrating. She took it out and saw that it was from Lin Zilan. Ji Mingzhu gasped. The constantly ringing phone was like a hot potato, but she didn’t dare to answer it.

She peeked through the crack in the door and waited for the phone to hang up on its own. Then she turned it on silent and threw it into her bag, pretending she didn’t know.

The adrenaline faded, and the high emotions dissipated. Only now did Pei Yunle feel a bone-deep chill. She watched as Chen Qingtang bent over and searched for clothes in the wardrobe.

Pei Yunle was taller than her, and her frame was also larger. Chen Qingtang rummaged through a pile of clothes. Other than the dresses, the rest of the clothes were close-fitting. It would definitely be uncomfortable to force them on.

Helpless, she had to pick out a cotton nightdress and hand it to Pei Yunle.

Seeing the person squatting on the ground like a stone statue, Chen Qingtang became annoyed. She walked over, helped her up, and was about to take off Pei Yunle’s clothes.

“Hey, hey, hey, wait, wait, wait!” Pei Yunle had never had someone just come and take off her clothes before. She was startled and immediately took two steps back. “I’ll do it myself, I’ll take them off myself!”

With that, she pinched the corners of her clothes and tried to lift them up. But the wet clothes were twisted together, and the resistance made them even harder to take off. Pei Yunle raised her arms, her face flushed with exertion. The clothes clung to her upper body like a piece of maltose.

Seeing the layers of fabric piled up at Pei Yunle’s sternum, Chen Qingtang wanted to help her. But then she remembered how the person had reacted just now. She probably didn’t like people helping her with this kind of thing. So she just crossed her arms and waited on the side.

Pei Yunle gritted her teeth. She heard a faint tearing sound from the fabric. She suddenly didn’t dare to move and could only look at Chen Qingtang with teary eyes for help.

“Can you help me? I think there’s a tie in the back of this dress, it might be knotted.”

With that, Pei Yunle turned her back to Chen Qingtang.

Chen Qingtang lifted the dress but didn’t see any tie. Her hand went inside the dress and climbed up Pei Yunle’s slightly protruding spine. The cool fingertips raised goosebumps on Pei Yunle’s skin.

Chen Qingtang grew impatient with the exploration. She simply grabbed the dress and pulled it up with a little force, finally taking it off. However, a seam on the side had ripped, making a tearing sound.

Ji Mingzhu, who was squatting by the door, was taken aback. She peeked through the crack in the door and saw Chen Qingtang holding the torn dress, and Pei Yunle, who was only wearing a CK bra on her upper body, with a long, unclear red mark on her ribs.

The two of them looked at her, the third wheel.

The three of them looked at each other.

Ji Mingzhu was a little embarrassed. “Did you two not know I was outside…” She looked at Pei Yunle, her words tinged with anger. “Why are you still doing it? Don’t you want to live?! Can’t you have some self-control!”

Pei Yunle’s face turned red and then green, and finally black. She snatched the dress from Chen Qingtang’s hand and threw it in Ji Mingzhu’s direction. This time, the door was completely closed.

Chen Qingtang’s expression was calm. She stuffed the nightdress into Pei Yunle’s arms and turned around.

Pei Yunle held the soft bundle. As she unfolded it, she saw that the nightdress also contained a pair of underwear embroidered with small flowers.

Chen Qingtang handed Pei Yunle a written note—New, washed but not worn. If you mind.

Then you can either endure it or go naked.

Pei Yunle felt like her face was about to explode. The small piece of fabric felt like it was covered in thorns, and she didn’t dare to touch it.

“I, I’ll go to the bathroom to change.” Her voice grew quieter and quieter, like a mosquito’s buzz. The last few words were completely silent. As soon as she finished speaking, she ran out.

As soon as she went out, she bumped into Ji Mingzhu. Pei Yunle rubbed her shoulder bone. “Are you a pervert? You have to squat here and eavesdrop.”

“You’re not doing anything that you’re afraid of people hearing, are you? Or are you planning to do something?” Ji Mingzhu glared at her, holding her head.

“None of your business.”

Seeing her holding the clothes, Ji Mingzhu looked around and had to follow behind her, muttering in a low voice, “What am I going to do tonight? You can get me a room.”

The penniless Pei Yunle immediately refused and protested, “Are you trying to torture me to death in this heavy rain? You can just sleep here for one night, in my room.”

“Wow, you’re the one torturing people, aren’t you? If I hadn’t come in, who knows what stage you two would be at? I can’t bear to look.” Ji Mingzhu pouted. “Besides, who wants to sleep in the same bed with you? Your sleeping posture is an offense to both gods and men.”

“Who wants to sleep in the same bed with you? You can sleep in my bed.”

Ji Mingzhu tasted a different meaning. “What do you mean? You’re going to sleep in the same bed with Chen Qingtang?! No—” She bent her knuckles and knocked on the wall. “Is the soundproofing here good? I’m afraid I’ll hear something else.”

“Are you crazy? I was just changing clothes.” Pei Yunle shivered from the cold again. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, don’t you understand? If I don’t climb into her bed today, when will I ever be able to? I really have nothing to say to a single dog like you. You can go and complain to Jimao.”

“Tch.”

“Can you stop following me? I’m going in to change clothes. What will I say if Chen Qingtang sees me?” Pei Yunle pushed open the handle and blocked Ji Mingzhu outside.

“Then what about me? I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

“You can either pray that someone will give you some clothes to wear, or you can just go naked. Anyway, I’m not sleeping in the same bed with you, so I won’t see anything. My room is over there, you can go yourself.”

Ji Mingzhu gritted her teeth in hatred. Seeing Pei Yunle’s gloating face, she clenched her fists even tighter. But thinking that half of today’s events were her fault, she endured it. She closed her eyes and took a breath, then stormed into Pei Yunle’s bedroom.

Chen Qingtang’s nightdress had a faint, not-too-strong scent of soap. It was just that cotton fabric wrinkled easily. Pei Yunle tugged at it a few times but felt that it was useless.

Chen Qingtang had already made the bed and was lying in the dark with her eyes open. The pitter-patter of the rain outside was a good white noise.

Suddenly, something climbed onto the bed. Chen Qingtang was so scared she jumped out of bed, only to be pulled back by someone’s arm around her waist.

A warm breath tickled her ear. She heard Pei Yunle’s laugh. “Big Sis, it’s me.”

Seeing that the person next to her didn’t move, Pei Yunle poked her. “Wow, were you scared by me?”

Chen Qingtang picked up the pillow next to her and stuffed it into Pei Yunle’s arms, then got into bed and turned over to sleep.

Pei Yunle squeezed the somewhat rough pillow. “Are you still angry? Which one are you angry about? Are you angry that I didn’t come back, or are you angry that I scared you?”

Pei Yunle reached out to turn her over, but Chen Qingtang refused. She pulled the quilt over her head, one inside and one outside, the thin quilt forming a barrier.

Looking at the lump, Pei Yunle also got under the quilt and crawled towards Chen Qingtang until she touched her face.

“So you’re angry about both?” Pei Yunle wrapped her arms and legs around Chen Qingtang, not letting her turn over.

Chen Qingtang lifted the quilt to reveal her head, pushed the person in her arms down, and became the one outside the quilt again.

Pei Yunle was not in a hurry to stick her head out. She heard the sound of Chen Qingtang’s heartbeat from her chest. She roughly guessed how close she was to the apex of her heart, climbed up, and buried her head in the crook of Chen Qingtang’s neck. It was warm and moist there, and she just leaned against it.

Feeling that Chen Qingtang still wanted to move, she loosened her grip a little. “I’m still cold. Can you bear to leave a sick person aside? There’s no electric blanket or hot water bottle here. You’re my only warm baby. Don’t you think so, Chen baby?”

At these words, Pei Yunle felt the struggle of the person in her arms gradually become less intense, until it slowly stopped.

Pei Yunle contentedly continued to nestle against Chen Qingtang.

“My mom sprained her ankle and it’s not getting better, so I really can’t say for sure when I’ll be back. As for being drunk that day—” Pei Yunle suddenly sat up. “If you were curious, why didn’t you ask me? Why did you ask Ji Mingzhu?”

“And, why did you believe everything she said? Why don’t you believe me at all?”

The more Pei Yunle spoke, the more excited she became. Her body was no longer cold at all, but a little hot.

With the quilt pressed tightly behind her and a person moving around in front of her, Chen Qingtang felt like she couldn’t breathe. She wanted to push her away, but Pei Yunle wouldn’t let her.

“I’m cold.”

With that, Chen Qingtang stopped moving again.

Chen Qingtang pinched Pei Yunle’s waist, but was pinched back by that person. The force was light. Instead, she unconsciously bent her waist to rub the itch.

She was indeed curious, and she indeed didn’t believe Pei Yunle that much.

After all, Pei Yunle had gone back for a banquet that day. Since it was a funeral, who would get drunk at the banquet? Besides, she hadn’t wanted to leave that day, so she probably didn’t have a close relationship with this relative. She was even less likely to get drunk.

Chen Qingtang thought that as soon as Pei Yunle returned to the world of wine and women, she would forget about her.

The human heart was the most unreliable thing. Even her own parents had abandoned her, let alone a seven-day trial lover. And wasn’t this also something Pei Yunle had come up with on a whim? Everything was just a whim.

The two of them were entangled. The faint scent of soap was amplified by their body heat, and the scent filled the quilt. Every move was filled with Chen Qingtang’s scent.

“I was drunk that day because my mom tricked me into having dinner. I didn’t plan to get drunk. Who knew that wine was so strong? I drank a few glasses and didn’t even know who my grandmother was.”

“And, why did you block and delete me without explaining? Don’t you know you can’t just delete people?” Chen Qingtang felt Pei Yunle’s chest rising and falling violently, pressing against her chest, making her feel stuffy as well, as if their emotions were resonating at this moment.

“I don’t know what other people think, but I think you only delete someone when you’re very disappointed in a relationship and there’s no hope of saving it.”

“I don’t care, you have to add me back tomorrow. No, you have to beg me to add you back!”

Chen Qingtang nodded, her chin resting on Pei Yunle’s forehead, poking her a little.

Pei Yunle simply rubbed her forehead against her chest. Chen Qingtang was so startled that her breath hitched. She subconsciously leaned back and couldn’t help but slap Pei Yunle’s butt.

Pei Yunle let out a subconscious hum.

She, who had never allowed anyone to hit her butt before, stiffened. The two of them just hugged each other, like two stones colliding.

“You’re not allowed to pat my butt!” Pei Yunle couldn’t help but shout. She suddenly heard a knock on the wall from next door. She immediately closed her mouth and repeated in a low voice in Chen Qingtang’s ear, “You’re not allowed to pat my butt!”

Chen Qingtang probably knew something she shouldn’t have. This sensitive spot was really strange.

The raindrops hit the window, sparsely.

“It’s already past 12 o’clock. The seven-day trial card has expired, did you know?” Pei Yunle shook the person in her arms.

Of course Chen Qingtang knew. She had been counting the days.

Neither of them spoke, listening to the sometimes fast, sometimes slow sound of the rain outside. Outside was a cool wind and rain, and inside the quilt was a scorching heat and mist.

They were both waiting for the other person’s next words.

Chen Qingtang heard a chaotic heartbeat. She listened quietly for a while. It was not just one person’s, but the two of them intertwined, with no clear boundaries, just as they were embracing at this moment.

Pei Yunle thought that if she waited any longer, she would probably have to wait until the flowers outside had withered once before the other person would take the initiative. This person was really good at enduring.

She cleared her throat, but the words that came out were still sticky. “Dear sssssvip user, do you want to renew?”

“If you want to unsubscribe, only voice message ‘td’ is accepted.”

“If you want to renew, please operate.”

Chen Qingtang was speechless. This person was so childish.

Perhaps it was also on a whim. She raised her hand and patted Pei Yunle’s butt again.

Pei Yunle “aiya-ed” and couldn’t help but cover the spot that had been hit. She laughed, “Congratulations, you’ve accidentally unlocked an indefinite renewal. The amount is your sincere heart.”

Chen Qingtang’s throat bobbed. At this moment, she couldn’t hear the outside world. Everything felt like an unreal dream. Only the touch of the person in her arms was real. The first time she was picked up was when Grandma Liu brought her back and raised her. The second time, Pei Yunle picked her up.

In this perennially gloomy house, with two people snuggled together in the middle, Chen Qingtang felt the reality of home for the first time.

“But, I’ve discovered something. I used to teach you how to be a couple, but now I find that we’re both elementary school students. Now we’re deskmates, and I’m not your teacher anymore.”

“But, in my day and night of hard study, I’ve decided to change the no. 1 rule for couples. It’s no longer ‘missing,’ but ‘trust.’ As for ‘missing,’ let’s change it to no. 1.5. I’ll forgive you for occasionally being busy and not thinking of me. The petty me has decided to be generous for once…”

Pei Yunle mumbled on and on until her eyelids were tired. “Don’t talk, you’re not allowed to refute…”

Chen Qingtang watched the person in front of her lips open and close, as if she still wanted to say something. She reached out and covered Pei Yunle’s eyes. At this moment, the room was finally quiet, with only the sound of steady, long breaths.