Su Xiaoqi lowered her head, wondering what Shen Yun was thinking at that moment.
Her consciousness drifted, and she discovered her spatial dimension had upgraded. It happened just now when she impulsively kissed Shen Yun at the supermarket. She hadn't noticed it at the time because her mind was elsewhere.
As she was about to enter it, Shen Yun suddenly leaned closer, took her hand, and said gently, "My wife, when did you notice that Su Jiamuo was behaving strangely?"
Su Xiaoqi gasped, quickly pulling her consciousness back from the spatial dimension. "I, I, I know Su Jiamuo quite well. Although he usually bothers me, he wouldn't be so rude today." In the past, Su Jiamuo was at least a scholar, holding impractical ideas and considering himself a romantic talent. But today, he was practically deranged. especially after seeing Shen Yun appear, he became like a rabid dog, biting anyone he could and spewing nasty words. No man could tolerate such slander, especially when it involved their dignity. Shen Yun indeed hadn't endured it...
No, Su Xiaoqi's eyes widened. "You, you actually noticed Su Jiamuo was acting strange a long time ago, didn't you?"
Shen Yun nodded. "Indeed."
"Since you saw that he deliberately provoked you with me, why, why did you fall for it... and hit him." If she hadn't thought Shen Yun was unaware of Su Jiamuo's scheme, she wouldn't have made such a foolish move.
Shen Yun nodded again, his expression calm, but his words were quite arrogant. "I just wanted to hit him today." Who told him to bully his woman? He wouldn't have minded how Su Jiamuo dealt with him, and he wouldn't have resorted to physical violence. But Su Jiamuo dared to use the woman he cherished as a target, so he naturally showed him, like any ordinary man, what a man's fist felt like.
"You, you're an idiot! You knew he was doing it on purpose, and you still, you laid hands on him. What if he reports you to the county office? Assaulting a classmate without cause right before the exams will disqualify your academic prospects." Su Xiaoqi said urgently. She was fixated on steering Shen Yun back onto the normal plot, allowing him to follow the trajectory laid out in the book. If the protagonist of the book deviated from the normal plot, someone would suffer, and that person could very well be her.
"A true man knows what to do and what not to do. When others bully my wife, should I just endure it and plan my revenge later? Some things are unbearable, even for a moment. You, you happen to be my weakness, my unyielding soft spot." Shen Yun said, word by word.
Su Xiaoqi's heart was filled with warmth. Under Shen Yun's confession, she couldn't help but open her heart, though she still felt a little shy. She pursed her lips slightly and said, "At that moment, what I was thinking was that I absolutely couldn't let Su Jiamuo's scheme succeed. I had to protect my husband." Of course, in her heart, she also thought that since Su Jiamuo had insulted her so much, while protecting Shen Yun, she certainly couldn't let the malicious Su Jiamuo off easily. As for her reputation afterwards, she didn't want to manage it, nor could she.
"My wife, you must be tired. Leave the rest to me." Shen Yun embraced her. His words had moved Su Xiaoqi, and Su Xiaoqi's words had equally moved him. He was even more certain of Xiaoqi's feelings for him. He felt immensely happy. He rested his chin on Su Xiaoqi's shoulder and said softly, "My wife, I am so happy."
"Hmm?" Su Xiaoqi was confused.
"In this life, having you as my wife, what more could I ask for?"
His words were so direct, Su Xiaoqi couldn't pretend to be oblivious. She looked up, met Shen Yun's starry eyes, smiled, and softly replied, "Mm." Since he said he would handle it, she would let him.
Su Xiaoqi arrived at Chen Jin Ji. Shen Yun whispered to her, saying he had something to attend to and asked her to wait for him at Chen Jin Ji. Su Xiaoqi knew what he intended to do and nodded, cautioning him, "Be careful." The Su family was not to be trifled with. Shen Yun smiled. The Su family might be difficult to handle, but there were always people who could provoke them.
After watching Shen Yun leave, Su Xiaoqi entered Chen Jin Ji. Chen Jin Ji was not open today. All the goods that needed to be delivered had been sent before the New Year, and they were taking a full seven-day holiday. Therefore, Su Xiaoqi went directly to find Chen Jin Niang.
"Oh, my little Qi, I heard about what happened earlier. Is everything alright?" Chen Jin Niang's news was quite prompt. The incident at the supermarket, barely an hour later, and she already knew about it. This showed the power of gossip. Su Xiaoqi smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a dog barking wildly. When it goes mad, it bites whoever it sees."
Chen Jin Niang, hearing her dismissive tone, but sensing the lively chatter outside on the street, knew the incident couldn't have been that simple. "Don't worry, my husband is handling it. I believe we'll know the outcome soon." Hearing this, Chen Jin Niang knew Shen Yun was reliable and let it go. She only asked Su Xiaoqi to be careful on her journey to the capital. "Alas, if not for this, I wouldn't bear for you to go so far away. But it's good you're going. I heard the customs in the capital have been very open, influenced by those Liaos and Beidi people. When the imperial examinations begin, they won't care if a candidate is married or not; they'll just swoop in and take them home." Chen Jin Niang was referring to the infamous "catching sons-in-law at the exam results" in the Great Liang Dynasty. In fact, such an event had occurred when Shen Yun placed first in the provincial examination. However, the southern regions were still more reserved compared to the north. They wouldn't directly snatch someone upon seeing them, and would at least inquire about their marital status.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled. So, Chen Jin Niang thought she was worried about Shen Yun being alone outside, which was why she wanted to accompany him. She wanted to explain, but felt there was no way to start. If she wanted to misunderstand, let her.
Chen Jin Niang asked her what she planned to do later. Su Xiaoqi said she would go to the Gu family with Shen Yun after he returned. "Earlier, Mr. Gu and my adoptive mother mentioned returning to the capital. I wonder what the progress is."
"Yes, if I could go to the capital with you, I would feel more at ease. Alas..." Chen Jin Niang grew more worried, holding Su Xiaoqi like a daughter, her face full of reluctance.
"Aunt Chen, don't think too much about it. If you have time, you should pay more attention to Jia'an Ge. He's also at an age to be married." Speaking of this, Chen Jin Niang finally managed to shift her focus from worrying about Su Xiaoqi's departure. A smile appeared on her wrinkled face, and her eyes became more animated. "Speaking of which, I'm going to visit the old madam at your residence in a couple of days."
Su Xiaoqi was clever. As soon as Chen Jin Niang said this, she understood immediately. "That's great. You're welcome then." Su Xiaoqi knew Chen Jia'an's character and integrity. He was down-to-earth, honest, and had no ulterior motives. Moreover, he was gentle and filial. She had observed his interactions with Xiao Mei, Shen Yun's younger sister, and they seemed quite harmonious. She felt she had to tell Shen Yun about this when she saw him later. Little sister was his only sibling, and her marriage was something her elder brother would surely care about. If this marriage were to succeed, it would require his approval.
The two chatted for a while, summarized the development of Chen Jin Ji over the past half-year, and also looked ahead to the plans for the coming year. Then, they heard Chen Jia'an outside announcing that Shen Gege had arrived. Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat, and she stood up abruptly. Seeing her reaction, Chen Jin Ji couldn't help but let out a giggle. Su Xiaoqi's face blushed slightly, but without any pretense, she bid farewell to Chen Jin Niang and walked towards Shen Yun.
As soon as she got into the carriage, Su Xiaoqi eagerly asked, "How did it go?" Shen Yun chuckled. "My wife, guess."
"Oh, Shen Yun, stop teasing me." Su Xiaoqi was displeased and pouted at him. "Your husband worked hard in the biting cold to wrap things up for his wife, and this is how you treat me? Not even a cup of hot tea, and you even call me by my full name..." Shen Yun seemed wronged, looking at Su Xiaoqi with his deep, expressive eyes.