Volume One, Chapter 19: I Want to Sleep Beside You

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Zhang Lin's eyes were red as she hysterically questioned Chen Haodong.

Those who knew them understood that they were merely ordinary colleagues; those who did not might have thought they were a quarreling couple.

Moreover, Zhang Lin’s voice was quite loud, and as she shouted, teachers from other family compounds, along with their children and relatives, couldn’t help but glance over.

Chen Haodong, after all, was a man of dignity.

“Teacher Zhang, let’s discuss the poor physics performance of your class tomorrow when neither of us has any lessons, alright?”

“Then what are you doing now?”

Jiang Weiyue, standing beside them, heard Zhang Lin’s words and couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

But as an outsider, she didn’t want to put Chen in a difficult position on her account.

“Teacher Chen, if you’re busy, go ahead. My younger sister will be here soon, and then we can move together.”

“Comrade Jiang...”

Before Chen could finish, Jiang Weiyue had already left.

Zhang Lin watched Chen Haodong, her gaze fixed longingly on Jiang Weiyue’s retreating figure, cursing inwardly—“Seductress, wretch.”

What did that wretch have besides her looks?

What angered Zhang Lin the most was that this wretched woman was using her beauty to seduce the man Zhang Lin had her eyes on.

She grabbed Chen Haodong’s sleeve, her tone sour, “They’ve all gone. Don’t look. I have something to discuss with you. Come back with me to my family compound now. Let’s sit down and talk seriously about why my class’s physics scores are lagging this semester.”

Without waiting for Chen’s consent, Zhang Lin pulled him toward her family compound.

This scene drew sneers from other teachers and relatives who witnessed it.

But Zhang Lin didn’t care; she was a modern woman, a university graduate, unlike those uneducated women.

The notion of gender difference simply did not exist for her.

Besides, what she and Chen Haodong were doing was nothing improper—they were discussing work.

She paid no mind to their gossip.

As long as she didn’t hear any slander, it was fine; but if she did, she would make sure those who spoke ill of her suffered, including Jiang Weiyue, who dared to compete for her man.

Since childhood, Zhang Lin had always been competitive.

Anything she desired had to be hers, including people.

This woman dared to steal her man; she would make her understand what it meant to live a life worse than death.

At least Jiang Weiyue had some self-awareness, moving out of Chen Haodong’s family compound early—so Zhang Lin would let her off for now.

But if she dared to seduce Chen again, she’d see what would happen.

Jiang Weiyue had barely finished tidying up in the family compound when her younger sister, Jiang Weiyi, came home from school.

Seeing her sister packing, Jiang Weiyi blinked her bright eyes in confusion, “Big sister, what are you doing?”

“Packing to go back to our hometown.”

“Going back? Did something happen? Why would you leave like this?”

“We’re no longer running the breakfast stall here, so naturally, we can’t keep occupying the school’s housing.”

“Why aren’t you selling breakfast here anymore? Don’t the students like the food?”

“No, Song Chuanhe asked me to sell breakfast in the steel mill’s canteen.”

With every sentence Jiang Weiyue spoke, Jiang Weiyi grew more and more shocked until her mind was in a whirl.

What was going on?

Wasn’t Song Chuanhe said to hate her sister to death?

Not only did he forbid workers from buying at the factory gate, but now he was asking her sister to sell breakfast inside the canteen?

She had only been in school one day, yet so many unexpected things happened.

“Sister, didn’t Song Chuanhe hate us? He even forbade us from setting up a stall at the steel mill gate. Why is he now telling us to sell breakfast inside the canteen?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he had a change of heart. Anyway, the school is about to close its gates. We need to leave before that happens.”

Although Jiang Weiyi couldn’t comprehend it, she hurriedly packed up according to Jiang Weiyue’s instructions.

When the two finished and stepped outside the school gate, they saw a small car parked there.

Jiang Weiyue instinctively tried to pull Jiang Weiyi away, but the car stopped right in front of them, and the window slowly rolled down.

The next moment, Song Chuanhe’s stern and intense face appeared.

He spoke to Jiang Weiyue and Jiang Weiyi in a deep voice, “Get in.”

Qin Mu sat in the driver’s seat, and Song Chuanhe was in the back; their intentions were clear.

Qin Mu, showing good manners, got out and opened both front and rear doors, saying to Jiang Weiyi, “Little sister, sit in the front with brother. Let your sister sit in the back.”

“We don’t even know you. We don’t want your car,” Jiang Weiyi retorted.

Instead of getting angry, Qin Mu laughed teasingly, “Little girl, small in age but big in temper.”

“Mind your own business, big sister, let’s go.”

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With that, Jiang Weiyi tried to pull Jiang Weiyue away, but Song Chuanhe only coldly glared at Jiang Weiyue.

Seeing that look, Jiang Weiyue knew exactly what the man meant.

“Yiyi, it’s getting dark, and we have so much to carry. It won’t be convenient to go back to our hometown now. Let’s take their car.”

“But sister, I feel like they might harm us.”

“Silly girl, this is a society ruled by law. Nothing will happen.”

Persuaded by Jiang Weiyue, Jiang Weiyi finally agreed.

Yet her large, shiny black eyes kept glancing nervously at the back seat every few minutes, afraid that Song Chuanhe would harm her sister if she wasn’t careful.

Jiang Weiyue noticed the car wasn’t heading toward their hometown but toward the steel mill instead.

She asked, puzzled, “This isn’t the way home...”

“Yes.”

“Director Song, where are you taking us?”

“To the steel mill.”

“What are we doing at the steel mill now?”

“To sell breakfast in the workers’ canteen tomorrow.”

“I know. I’ll make breakfast in the morning and come over.”

“No need to trouble yourself. The canteen has everything. Come today, and tomorrow you can cook directly at the steel mill canteen.”

“But...”

“But what?”

Jiang Weiyue wanted to say more but stopped when she saw Song Chuanhe’s hawk-like eyes, cold and impatient.

Knowing this man could be a devil when enraged, she swallowed her words.

The car’s interior was warm, but the atmosphere was strange—silent and tense.

Fortunately, they soon arrived at the steel mill.

Jiang Weiyue said to Qin Mu, “Comrade, please park the car near the family compound up ahead. Thank you.”

Qin Mu said nothing and looked at Song Chuanhe.

Song Chuanhe said nothing either, so Qin Mu continued driving until the car stopped at the entrance to the steel mill canteen.

Jiang Weiyue thought Song Chuanhe wanted to show her the canteen.

“Director Song, I’ve been to the steel mill canteen. No need for a tour. It’s late; my sister and I will go back to the family compound to rest.”

“Who said you can go back to rest?”

“Then where else should I rest?”

“Right in the workers’ canteen. We’ve prepared two rooms upstairs for you and your sister.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Why not? You start making breakfast at three or four in the morning. If you stay in the family compound, you’ll disturb others’ rest.”

Before Song Chuanhe spoke, Jiang Weiyue thought he was making things difficult.

But after he explained, she realized it made sense.

Steel mill work is often tough and exhausting; most workers are men.

After a full day or night of labor, poor rest would be really uncomfortable.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Then, as you say, Director Song, my sister and I will stay in the canteen.”

The canteen had four floors.

The first and second floors were dining areas for workers.

On the third floor, the left side was for the canteen servers’ residence; the right side was for the cooks.

The rooms Song Chuanhe arranged for Jiang Weiyue and Jiang Weiyi were on the fourth floor.

Although on the top floor, water facilities were convenient, with restrooms and showers on every floor.

Since only the two sisters lived on the fourth floor, besides being higher up, it was quiet and convenient for them.

After Song Chuanhe and Qin Mu left, Jiang Weiyue and Jiang Weiyi settled into their dormitory on the fourth floor.

Night deepened, but Jiang Weiyue’s sleepiness was nowhere to be found—she felt completely alert, even more so than after drinking coffee in her past life.

Her mind was like a tangled ball of yarn, chaotic and restless.

In just two days, they had moved twice.

Jiang Weiyue had a habit: she could never sleep well after changing places.

She still hadn’t adjusted to the school compound before moving again.

While she was lost in thought, a tall, slender figure slipped in through the window.

Perhaps accustomed to Song Chuanhe’s intimidation over the past days, Jiang Weiyue did not scream as she had before.

Or perhaps she already understood that the visitor was not a ghost or a villain but Song Chuanhe.

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As Jiang Weiyue suspected, the next moment he said, “Not asleep yet? Waiting for me?”

Waiting for your nonsense.

Such a narcissistic man.

If she were as confident as Song Chuanhe, everything she did would succeed.

“I can’t sleep after moving to a new place.”

“Oh, if you can’t sleep, why not do something interesting?”

Jiang Weiyue didn’t want to be an easily readable girl. Perhaps most girls in the world wouldn’t understand Song Chuanhe’s innuendo, but she did.

This arrogant man who appeared solemn and unapproachable in public now spoke lewdly in private.

But on second thought, before Song Chuanhe joined the army, he had been a rogue who cared only about the original owner.

After being abandoned and humiliated by the original owner, he locked away his heart, transforming from a hooligan into what he was now.

Yet his old nature still surfaced at times, like now.

“No, thank you. I want to sleep. If you have nothing else, you should rest early too, Director Song.”

“And if I don’t?”

As he spoke, he began to approach her step by step.

She had changed into her pajamas but was still shaken by his aggressive gaze, shivering and clutching her blanket tighter.

Although she knew a thin blanket couldn’t stop him if he wanted something, she still felt safest underneath it.

Like when watching ghost stories or horror movies, burying her head under the blanket made her feel less afraid.

“What... what are you going to do?”

“What could I do to you? What should I do?”

“You can’t do anything, and you shouldn’t do anything.”

Faced with his strong retort, Jiang Weiyue firmly responded.

Her stance amused Song Chuanhe.

“If I wanted to do something, do you think you’d still be safe?”

Though harsh, it was the truth.

It wasn’t that she was masochistic; apart from threatening her and terrifying her at night, Song Chuanhe hadn’t done anything.

“Then why did you come now? There are workers downstairs. If they see the director here, I’ll become the steel mill’s top gossip.”

“I want to sleep with you.”

He deliberately emphasized the last two words, making it hard not to let one’s imagination wander.

“Song... Song Chuanhe, don’t get any ideas. If you do, I’ll... I’ll call someone...”

“What are you thinking? I just want to sleep.”

After speaking, the man pulled back her blanket and slipped into her warm bed.

The moment he entered her bed, a chill from him passed onto Jiang Weiyue.

Whether from fear or the cold, she shivered again.

By the moonlight outside the window, she glanced at Song Chuanhe and realized he had treated this place as his own bed.

He was already lying down, eyes closed.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Song Chuanhe kept his eyes shut, his thin, blood-red lips slightly parted: “Sleep. If you’re not tired, we can do something interesting.”

Hearing this, Jiang Weiyue quickly lay down and closed her eyes.

She had expected that sleeping beside such a fierce man would mean a sleepless night but, unexpectedly, she fell asleep within five or six minutes.

Before drifting off, she suddenly understood something.

No wonder there was a one-and-a-half-meter-wide iron bed here—the bed in Jiang Weiyi’s room was only one and two-tenths meters wide.

She hadn’t given it much thought at first, but now she realized.

This large iron bed was likely prepared by that scoundrel Song Chuanhe for himself.

After all, in the 1980s, a one-and-a-half-meter bed was already the largest double bed.

—

Early the next morning, when Jiang Weiyue woke up, Song Chuanhe was gone.

Glancing at her watch, it was just past three o’clock.

She had no idea when he left.

She wasn’t concerned about when he left but worried whether anyone had seen him depart.

Judging by the time, the cooking workers were probably still asleep and hadn’t seen anything.