What a Big Drama
He let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his hand to his side. Lin Donghe noticed and frowned, asking, “You don’t want to be with Comrade Qin, do you? If you’re against it, you should say something.”
Lin Chuan didn’t respond, but there was a distant look in his eyes.
“It’s not like we’re still in the old days where our parents arrange everything. Even if you call off the engagement, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Call off the engagement?” Lin Chuan looked at Lin Donghe and said, “Alright.” He was so drunk and muddled that his thoughts were unusually straightforward. The idea had already crossed his mind when he returned earlier, and he had been planning to bring it up with his family after his uncle’s family left.
Indeed, calling off the engagement might put Comrade Qin in a difficult position, but he could treat her like a sister afterward. He could even cover her university expenses. After all, he felt guilty for not treating her well.
Initially, he hesitated because he thought men and women could simply make do in marriage as long as he didn’t let her suffer. But that figure’s sudden appearance made him realise that the relationship between a man and a woman wasn’t that simple.
Even after calling off the engagement, he didn’t expect Su Su to agree to be with him. After all, they were worlds apart. She was a university graduate, an academic star, with a promising future ahead of her. And what was he? Just a lowly soldier who was stuck in the military most of the time, unable to come back even if he wanted to. Even if he applied for family accommodation, she’d have to be willing to follow him.
After all, if even someone like Qin Yue Yue wasn’t interested in him, there was no way someone as soft and delicate as Su Su would be.
She was too good, so good that he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her suffer even a little.
His head throbbed as all these thoughts flooded his mind. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the pain, when suddenly Lin Donghe spoke in a serious tone, “Calling off the engagement—have you really thought this through? She’s such a good person; how could you bear to do that?”
Lin Chuan frowned. Wasn’t Lin Donghe the one who had suggested it? Now he was questioning him?
Lin Donghe felt a pang of guilt under Lin Chuan’s gaze, almost revealing his true feelings. He quickly covered up by saying, “Let’s go. I’ll help you lie down in the back room. Your brothers are studying in the other room, and your mom’s using Su Su’s room to rest.”
Lin Chuan nodded. He did feel like lying down and getting some sleep—he was really, really tired.
Harbouring a mixture of jealousy and resentment, Lin Donghe led him to the back room and opened the door, saying, “It’s dark in there, it looks like no one’s inside. Go on in.” After Lin Chuan stepped in, Lin Donghe quickly turned and left.
Lin Chuan, still muddled from the alcohol, didn’t know that his mother had sent Su Su to the back room to rest. He wasn’t thinking clearly enough to consider such things.
Meanwhile, Su Su, feeling drowsy from the warm room and the dim oil lamp, decided to blow out the light and lay down under a small quilt to take a nap. After all, the men would probably continue drinking for a while, and if necessary, she could just sleep there for the night.
The warmth from the heated kang quickly lulled her into a deep sleep. She had no idea that a drunken Lin Chuan would soon stumble into the room, strip off his outer clothes and shoes, and crawl into bed.
His habitual movements led him to search for the quilt, and once he found it, he burrowed under it, curling up on the pillow and immediately falling into a deep sleep. Something soft and comforting near him caused him to instinctively reach out and pull it close, finally finding peace as he drifted into slumber.
As for Su Su, she was a heavy sleeper. She slept so soundly that she didn’t even notice half her quilt being taken away. She continued to sleep sweetly, unaware of the man who had joined her.
Meanwhile, Lin Donghe returned to the house to notify Qin Yue Yue, who had been waiting outside. Then, he quietly returned to the table, listening to the ongoing conversation without saying much.
Father Lin, a bit tipsy himself, glanced around the room and noticed his son was missing. He asked, “Where’s Chuanzi?”
“He said he was going outside to sober up, so I came back alone,” Lin Donghe replied.
“Oh, that boy has too much on his mind. I never know what he’s thinking. I just hope once he’s married, his wife can keep him in check. He’s always glaring like a wolf—it’s intimidating sometimes,” Father Lin grumbled, admitting that even he, as a father, was sometimes wary of his son.
“Exactly. The Lin family has no daughters. Neither of our families has had a girl. The third family finally had one, but that boy’s no good. Sigh.” Lin’s uncle took a swig of his drink.
Thinking about his own adopted daughter, who had married far away, Father Lin sighed and downed half a bowl of liquor.
At that moment, the door opened, and Qin Yue Yue walked in. Seeing the men drinking, she greeted them, “Uncle, Big Brother Donghe, Uncle.”
Father Lin looked up and asked, “What is it, girl? Is something wrong?”
“I want to talk to Brother Chuan. There’s something I need to discuss with him,” Qin Yue Yue said, glancing around the room.
Mother Lin and her sister-in-law also came out of the back room, where they had been eating and chatting, but they hadn’t seen Lin Chuan.
Lin Donghe said, “He just mentioned going outside to sober up. Didn’t you see him?”
“No, I didn’t,” Qin Yue Yue replied, shaking her head.
Lin Donghe, not thinking much of it, suggested, “Maybe he went to the back room?”
“What? Su Su’s in the back room! No, I need to check on this,” Mother Lin said, suddenly worried that her large, drunken son might scare the girl from the city. She didn’t think of anything else.
“I’ll go with you,” Qin Yue Yue quickly offered.
As they stepped outside, Mother Lin realised how dark it was, so she asked Father Lin to find a flashlight. Once they found it, they all headed to the back room together.
The back room was pitch black, giving Mother Lin an uneasy feeling. She quickly opened the outer door, calling out for Su Su as she did. But there was no response. When she opened the door to the inner room, she gasped in shock.
Her first instinct was to shut the door to prevent anyone else from seeing, but Qin Yue Yue had already peeked inside and let out a startled scream.
The sudden scream drew everyone’s attention, and they all rushed to the doorway, freezing in place as they took in the scene.
Father Lin’s face turned beet red with fury as he bellowed, “Lin Chuan, you scoundrel! I’ll kill you!”
With that, he stormed outside, grabbed an iron shovel, and charged back inside, ready to strike.
Inside the room, the two who had been peacefully sleeping together were finally roused by the commotion. The first thing Su Su noticed as she gained consciousness was the weight pressing down on her—it felt like Mount Tai itself. Then, she realised there was a man’s arm draped around her waist. It was thick and strong.
She bolted upright, causing the arm to slip down to her lower abdomen—an awkward spot indeed.
Before she could even scream, she noticed the man beside her waking up. It was Lin Chuan. For some reason, she didn’t shout; perhaps because it was him, she didn’t feel as alarmed. And judging by the strong smell of alcohol, he must have been drunk.
Lin Chuan slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a slightly panicked face illuminated by the beam of the flashlight. Her hair was tousled, and the soft curls framing her chest made her look even smaller and cuter. Wait, what was his hand doing?
Finally, he realised where his hand had landed—right on her soft stomach. The feel of her waistline was delicate, and her lower abdomen was soft to the touch.
Lin Chuan’s face turned crimson as he quickly withdrew his hand.
But something didn’t feel right. When he looked toward the doorway, cold sweat broke out across his skin. He had just been sleeping on the same bed with Comrade Su, under the same small quilt, and had even been holding her. Worse, his entire family had just witnessed the scene.
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