“Why do you even care about how much she eats? She’s only here for the time being, so don’t stick your nose into other people’s affairs. ”
Her husband was an honest man but was also faint-hearted, while she was a warm-hearted person.
“Are you trying to say that I’m being nosy?”
“When did I say so?”
“How could you be so cold? I feel sorry to see such a fine young lady being bullied. Is it wrong to feel unfair for her? ”
Her husband surrendered immediately. “Fine, you’re right. Anyways, I dare not start an argument with you. I’m just worried about you after seeing how they argued so fiercely earlier in the morning.”
“What are you worried about? They won’t dare to do anything to me. He only gave her a slap because he couldn’t take it any longer. Besides, someone has this young lady’s back, so no one will take advantage of her.”
The landlord then added, “Though she won’t be physically taken advantage of, what about mentally? People can recover from physical injury relatively quickly, but how long would it take to recover from a psychological trauma? If someone attacks you on your appearance, how would you feel? Furthermore, she’s just a teenage girl!”
Her husband was silent, feeling that his wife had a point.
A simple word could easily destroy one’s life.
The girl seemed to have taken those words to heart, or else she wouldn’t have acted so differently.
Since Zhong Chufeng slapped An Qian, she mellowed down and kept herself in check. When An Qian saw Tang Yuanyuan, she didn’t dare to talk to her, nor even have eye contact with her.
It made Tang Yuanyuan feel a little uncomfortable at the beginning, and she even approached Zhong Chufeng to ask him about it.
Zhong Chufeng smiled and explained. “She’s just paying the price for what she said. Why do you care so much about her?”
“But…”
“Stop thinking too much. After what she said to you, me not sending her back is already a blessing. Yuanyuan, as long as I’m here, nobody can harm you. I will not let go of those who hurt you, no matter who they are.”
After that, he reached out his hand to stroke Tang Yuanyuan’s head, smiling gently. “I will always protect you.”
Back then, Tang Yuanyuan would’ve felt that Zhong Chufeng was very warm-hearted, and he was a good brother. However, after Tang Yuanyuan became aware of her feelings, she seemed to feel that Zhong Chufeng’s actions and words carried a different meaning.
Looking at Zhong Chufeng, a weird thought started to germinate within.
As soon as she thought about it, Tang Yuanyuan was taken aback. She immediately shook her head vigorously.
It’s impossible! This is foolish. How could Chufeng…
“Is something wrong?”
Zhong Chufeng was confused by Tang Yuanyuan’s actions. One moment she was staring at him with certainty, the next moment she was shaking her head. He was guessing that Tang Yuanyuan might not want him to protect her.
“Oh.” Tang Yuanyuan came back to her senses. She didn’t expect herself to be vigorously shaking her head in front of Zhong Chufeng, so she quickly waved her hand and reassured him. “It’s nothing, Chufeng. I was just thinking about something else.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing.”
“What’s with the guilty look?” Zhong Chufeng squinted at her and drew himself closer to Tang Yuanyuan. Tang Yuanyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she took a step backward.
“Chufeng, I’m not feeling guilty.” Tang Yuanyuan defended herself and stood up. “I’m going back to my room.”
“Wait.”
Seeing that she was about to leave, Zhong Chufeng clasped onto her wrist and pulled her back.
Tang Yuanyuan didn’t feel odd, but the moment Zhong Chufeng grabbed her wrist, he let it go as if it was fire. “I still have something to tell you. Have a seat.”
“Okay.”
Tang Yuanyuan had no choice but to sit down next to him again.
“What’s wrong, Chufeng?”
Zhong Chufeng took out a small box from his pocket and handed it over to Tang Yuanyuan.
“What is this?”
“A New Year gift.”
Zhong Chufeng’s gaze was soft, his tone warm. “I wanted to give you this on the first day of the New Year, but I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I did not give it to you. After that, I wanted to find the right time to give this to you, but…”
Actually, Zhong Chufeng had his own reasons. He wanted to find the right time when it was just the two of them to pass the gift to Tang Yuanyuan.
However, with all the unpleasantness lately, there really was no opportunity for him to have a chat with Tang Yuanyuan.
The opportunity presented itself today, so he decided that he might as well hand the present to her.
“A New Year gift?”
Tang Yuanyuan took the box curiously. The packaging was lovely. Opening the box, she saw a rose gold bracelet inside. The bracelet was thin and delicate, and it shone beautifully under the light.
“Wow, it’s so pretty.”
Tang Yuanyuan picked up the bracelet and said, “Thank you, Chufeng.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad that you like it. Do you want me to put it on for you?”
Zhong Chufeng was nervous. Previously, he had always given her gifts that were suitable for her age. This year was the first time he gave her something personal, albeit for his own reasons. He wanted to see her wearing something that was a gift from him, so he chose this bracelet for her.
“Sure.”
Tang Yuanyuan passed the bracelet to Zhong Chufeng.
Zhong Chufeng unhooked the bracelet to put it on Tang Yuanyuan.
However, when he tried to put it on, he realized that Tang Yuanyuan’s wrist was too thick, and the bracelet was not hooking.
The atmosphere became slightly awkward, and Zhong Chufeng broke into a cold sweat. He wanted to put it on for her, so he tried to clasp it again, but failed to do so. He didn’t want to give up, so he gave it another try.
“Chufeng…”
“Shh.”
Zhong Chufeng reassured her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll fit.”
How sad would she be if it didn’t fit? Zhong Chufeng was mad at himself. He thought he was quite focused and thoughtful when he picked out the bracelet, but now, it was nothing but a joke. He was such a scatterbrain.
It was the dead of winter, but Zhong Chufeng broke out in cold sweat, which ended up dripping onto the back of Tang Yuanyuan’s hand.
“Chufeng?”
“Yuanyuan, be quiet. I will put it on for you.”
“Chufeng, stop. You won’t be able to put it on.” Tang Yuanyuan grabbed his hand. She looked him in the eye and shook her head. “It’s okay if you can’t put it on. Even if it doesn’t fit me, I still like this gift very much.”
Zhong Chufeng’s gaze was fixated on her. Out of the blue, he punched the wall hard.
Tang Yuanyuan was startled and exclaimed.
“Sorry, it’s my fault.”
He grabbed the bracelet and lowered his head in frustration. “I should’ve paid more attention when I bought it. I’m sorry for being so careless.”
Zhong Chufeng was very upset with himself. Tang Yuanyuan was already so sensitive about her appearance, and his mistake only made it worse.
“Stop blaming yourself, Chufeng. I know you did this with good intentions. It’s just that I’m too fat, so it’s not your fault.”
