Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 279 - 275: Going Out at Night

Chapter 279: Chapter 275: Going Out at Night

Within half an hour or so, He Fang’s home visit had already ended. A woman, who bore a resemblance to Yuan in facial features, smiled broadly, accompanying Yuan as they saw her out the door, waving continuously.

"Goodbye, Teacher He!"

"Goodbye!"

He Fang glanced back, waved at them, then turned and got into the car.

Qin Guanglin slowly reversed the car, exited the alley, and slightly accelerated towards home.

"Looking at them, your visit was about praising someone, wasn’t it?"

"Mmm."

"We should also have a daughter this lovely in the future."

"Mm... Mm?" He Fang glanced sideways.

"Even cuter than that little Yuan... with a bun, big eyes, a princess dress." Qin Guanglin stopped the car at the traffic light and got lost in his daydream, "Looking a lot like you, and calling me ’daddy’ every day..."

"..."

"Just thinking about it is exciting, don’t you think?"

"We will."

The nights were longer and the days shorter in winter; by the time they reached the apartment below their home, it had grown dark, the moon was yet to rise, and only the dim street lights and the brightly lit storefronts illuminated the street.

They didn’t buy groceries for dinner, just used leftovers from yesterday in the fridge. He Fang casually stir-fried two dishes, which were slightly insufficient, so Qin Guanglin poured some sauce into his bowl, mixed it, and consumed another bowl, then patted his belly satisfyingly.

"Actually, you could go home during the winter vacation, spend ten days to half a month with family... You haven’t been home all year, you must miss it." Qin Guanglin leaned on the sofa, watching He Fang washing dishes in the kitchen as he slowly spoke.

He Fang didn’t turn around, asking while washing the dishes, "So you’re saying I should stay at home more before we get married, because you won’t let me once we marry?"

"That’s not what I meant... You can go home even after marriage. I’m just saying it’s winter vacation now, if you want to go back, then go back. I don’t mind staying alone."

"I don’t want to."

"Okay then." Qin Guanglin sighed, lazily leaning and half-laying on the sofa, gazing at the ceiling.

Ever since they started dating, He Fang had barely visited home; he really worried that she might miss it.

Most people working away from home usually returned only once during Spring Festival each year, but her job gave her two long holidays. Even if she herself didn’t want to go back, Teacher He and the others might feel somewhat upset.

"Or do you want me out for ten days to half a month so you can bring some other young lady home?"

"Just talking nonsense. What young lady?"

"None?" He Fang finished washing the dishes, wiped her hands with a towel, and sat beside him, looking down at him intently, "Now you are a big director at the company, tall, handsome, wealthy, and even muscular..."

"Hey, stop that." Qin Guanglin swatted her hand away, annoyed yet sighing.

"...You see, even without dressing up, and just stepping out of the car in that old plaid shirt, your aura is different—Back then even looking scruffy you managed to have a young lady send you home, let alone now."

"Go on, keep the compliments coming."

Qin Guanglin gently shook his head with a smile, "Without you saying it, I wouldn’t even know when I turned into a tall, rich, and handsome guy."

"Shameless." He Fang rubbed his cheek, humming as she stood up.

"Look at you, a successful writer, good-looking, wealthy, and... a great cook, so gentle and kind. I’m actually worried about some man seducing you away."

"Is this what they call mutual admiration?" He Fang laughed.

"No, this is called mutually beneficial flattery."

Qin Guanglin sat up from the sofa, saying, "You know, speaking of which, it’s really strange. Before, when I was just a chief editor, people had a crush on me. Now, having been a director for half a year and the company’s workforce having tripled, no one seems charmed by me... Sigh, people’s standards really are dropping."

"You get all breathless just from a couple of words, get up, let’s take a walk to aid digestion."

He Fang had already put on her coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck twice, and then donned a fluffy hat on her head, wrapping herself up tightly, looking rather clumsy.

Qin Guanglin followed her downstairs, watching the fluffy ball on top of her hat swing back and forth, unable to resist pinching it a couple of times.

"What are you doing?" He Fang turned around and stared at him.

"This... is kind of fun."

"Then I’ll buy you a similar one in a few days, you can play with it as much as you want."

"Don’t, I’m a man, why do I need one with little pompoms..."

"Couple’s style."

"...just pick a blue one for me."

Once Qin Guanglin heard "couple’s style," he was sold; now the couple wore matching scarves. If they added matching fluffy hats with pompoms and took a stroll, it would be a beautiful sight.

The trees along the street had already shed their leaves, their bare branches stretching out. A gust of wind made the branches sway lightly, and in the night, they resembled some unknown monster waving its claws.

The two leisurely strolled around South Fly Road and, without knowing it, circled back to the intersection. As Qin Guanglin walked toward the car, ready to drive to the gym, He Fang grabbed him.

"Let’s go back. I want to rest early tonight."

"You’ve become lazy."

Qin Guanglin flicked the pompom on her head with his finger and didn’t persist. He took her upstairs, and after bathing and soaking their feet, it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet and they were already snuggled into bed; one reading a book, the other playing on the phone.

He Fang’s novel on the table was almost finished by him. He would occasionally buy a new one or two, pulling one out to read in his free time. When they talked about books now, he no longer just shook his head and said he hadn’t read them.

When a volume ended, Qin Guanglin turned his head to look at He Fang. She was holding her phone, but her eyes weren’t on the screen; instead, she was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Should I turn off the light?" he asked, setting the book aside and looking toward He Fang.

"Turn it off."

The bedroom light went out.

Qin Guanglin rustled back under the covers and hugged He Fang, wanting to nuzzle in like burrowing into cabbage.

In the cold winter, the happiest thing was hiding in the warm covers at night, holding his girlfriend, playing games—though she was still a girlfriend, she was no different from a wife.

"Let’s sleep properly." He Fang turned and gently pushed him, whispering, "Not tonight."

Qin Guanglin, of course, did not agree. It was too early to sleep anyway, so he gently nudged around with his eyes closed, as if he hadn’t heard her.

After He Fang’s rebuffs proved futile for a moment, she grabbed the mobile phone again from the bedside and swiped the screen a few times.

"Touch again, and you’re a dog."

Qin Guanglin’s voice came from the phone, and he froze for a moment, then pretended not to hear.

"Touch again, and you’re a dog."

"..."

"Alright, let’s sleep." He Fang tugged at the corner of the blanket, turned her back, and with her eyes open, stared at a vague shadow on the wall, her face marked with a faint unease.

Qin Guanglin lay flat back, staring at the ceiling for a while, then closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep.

Sooner or later, she’ll beg him to touch her.

The night deepened gradually, and time slipped away unnoticed. He Fang tossed and turned, unable to sleep, picking up and putting down her phone.

Near twelve-thirty at night, as though remembering something, she glanced at the sleeping Qin Guanglin, quietly crawled out of bed, stood by the window, and opened it; the chill from outside instantly filled the room.

He Fang poked her head out and looked around; the winter night was deserted, with only the twenty-four-hour convenience store still lit.

Closing the window, she glanced again at the sleeping Qin Guanglin, gently pulled open the bedroom door, went to the living room, put on her clothes, took her phone, and clattered downstairs.

Qin Guanglin, who had been asleep, heard a faint sound outside and suddenly opened his eyes, stunned for a moment before reaching out beside him, touching emptiness.

"Wife?"

No response.

His heart tightened, and he got up to look in the living room; seeing no one, he felt a panic and searched around only to discover that He Fang’s coat hanging on the rack was missing.

Where is she?

Qin Guanglin stood in the living room with his mouth slightly open, remembering the faint sound he heard in his daze, threw on some clothes, and ran down the stairs thumping loudly.

Halfway down, the outside chill struck him, jolting his mind awake, and he involuntarily slowed his steps.

What’s she doing out in the middle of the night?

His heartbeat gradually sped up. Qin Guanglin looked up the stairs, then down, hesitated in the dark stairwell, and stepped downstairs.

Standing at the exit of the corridor, he immediately saw a thin figure under the streetlight, wrapped in a coat, walking toward the distance.