Married The Crybaby Childhood Crush First, Then Fell in Love - Chapter 55.1

“Your tattoo, Madam, is truly beautiful on your back.”

Yu Fei arrived at the mansion early in the morning and immediately saw Lin Wanqing changing clothes.

A large expanse of peonies in full bloom, complemented by a small rabbit eating petals underneath.

It was cute yet whimsical, and with the movement of her shoulder blades—which resembled butterflies about to take flight—the entire field of peonies became even more vibrant.

Lin Wanqing: “It’s not a tattoo.”

Yu Fei nodded and said, “That’s right, people with tattoos can’t apply for civil service exams or public institution jobs.”

As soon as she spoke, the entire room fell silent.

The butler, Lin Wanqing, and Yan Qiu, who had just stepped off the elevator, all turned their gaze toward her.

Yu Fei slapped her forehead. “You’re right. Madam is not the same as a lowly worker like me.”

Lin Wanqing patted her shoulder vigorously: It’s truly amazing that you’ve been able to work this long without being fired.

Yu Fei bent down to inspect the large floral design on Lin Wanqing’s back. Her finger gently touched it, realizing that it was a layer of body paint.

Yu Fei was greatly astonished. “Could this be… it didn’t wash off after a whole night?”

Or did they simply not stop for an entire night?

Beneath her snow-white down jacket, Lin Wanqing was wearing a simple camisole, and the faintly visible body paint could be seen from her back.

Just as Yu Fei wanted to keep looking, the butler immediately covered her mouth.

“Mmmph! Mmmph! What’s wrong with looking? I haven’t seen it yet!” Yu Fei, oblivious to the danger, tried to get a taste of the gossip.

The butler: “…”

Yan Qiu bent down and handed the bass guitar case on the floor to Lin Wanqing. “Come home early today.”

Lin Wanqing smiled lightly. “Okay, I’ll wait for you to come home for dinner tonight.”

Today, Yan Qiu not only had to attend a company meeting but also needed to return to the old family residence. The elderly master hadn’t been feeling well recently, and she needed to check on him.

She had planned to take Lin Wanqing with her, but Lin Wanqing had an important practice session to attend.

Yan Qiu’s hand pressed lightly but firmly on Lin Wanqing’s lower back to relieve her stress.

Lin Wanqing’s face looked shy. “Sister Qiu, you don’t need to massage me. Compared to me, Sister Qiu was the one who worked harder yesterday.”

Yu Fei perked up her sharp little ears.

Worked hard at what? Was it what she was thinking?

Yan Qiu’s eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses flickered, losing their usual sense of rationality and restraint.

A faint blush flashed across her cool, elegant cheeks.

Her little rabbit’s skills were getting better and better, and she had pestered her with questions over and over.

She only stopped once Yan Qiu finally said it was truly wonderful.

Lin Wanqing hummed a cheerful song as she lifted Yan Qiu in a bridal carry toward the car.

Yan Qiu’s leg condition was her biggest personal worry, deeply ingrained in her proud self-esteem, yet these legs had become the reason her little rabbit felt pity and affection for her.

Being pitied, being cared for, being favored.

The moment Yan Qiu cried out that her leg was hurting from the pressure last night, Lin Wanqing immediately checked on her.

Her knees were lifted, one hand supported her back, and her entire body was suspended in the air as Lin Wanqing carried her into the soft back seat of the car.

A blanket was placed over her knees.

She wanted to take care of her, a porcelain doll that could be positioned however she liked.

Lin Wanqing smiled faintly, removed the gold-rimmed glasses from Yan Qiu’s nose, wiped them clean with alcohol, and then placed them back on her nose bridge.

“Have a safe trip.”

Yan Qiu: “You too. Have a great performance.”

Lin Wanqing stood outside the car, tiptoed, and leaned her head inside to kiss Yan Qiu’s lips.

It was a fleeting kiss; before she could even taste it, the car had already started moving.

Yan Qiu looked back wistfully at the girl in the white down jacket standing in place. The fur around her hood, a soft white fluff, made her palm-sized face look even smaller.

A snow rabbit!

Yu Fei gave a look of crazy suggestion. “Boss, the body paint from yesterday…”

Yan Qiu: “Don’t look at me, look at the road.”

“If you ask one more question about the use of body paint, you can forget about this month’s bonus.”

Since the secretary had entered the mansion, she had lost count of how many times she had stared at Lin Wanqing’s back.

Yan Qiu saw a hint of fiery, R-rated excitement in her eyes.

Yu Fei shook her head repeatedly. “It cost a total of 467. Can you reimburse me?”

“…Fine.”

“My full attendance bonus is only 500.”

“Wow, how much did that tattoo cost you?”

As soon as Lin Wanqing arrived at the club, Lan Xiaoxiao immediately rushed over to look. “It’s so cute! That little rabbit looks exactly like Qingqing.”

There was a wall of mirrors behind Lin Wanqing. She turned around to look at the adorable little rabbit in the mirror, avoiding her roommate’s hand that wanted to touch it.

“It’s not a tattoo, it’s painted on.”

Lan Xiaoxiao gently touched it with her hand and realized it was paint. She tried to touch it again but was slapped on the back of the hand by Lin Wanqing.

“Don’t touch me, I am a woman with a wife.”

Lin Wanqing pushed her away in disgust and took her bass guitar to rehearsal.

The air conditioning in the venue was broken today, and the repairmen were currently working on fixing it.

The performance outfits for the club were all short sleeves and camisoles. In the venue, where the temperature was only a few degrees, everyone was shivering from the cold.

The new team captain bought hot milk tea for all the members, but even holding the cups could not ward off the chill in the vast space.

Although the cold in the North was not the continuous, bone-deep cold of the South’s rain and snow, it was a more immediate, stinging kind of cold.

In no time, Lin Wanqing’s fingers, which were plucking the strings, had turned purple from the cold.

The captain asked the repairman with a worried look, “Can’t fix it?”

The repairman, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, shook his head. “The main board of the air conditioner is broken. We don’t have the part right now; we’ll replace it tomorrow.”

The captain: “…”

Fortunately, before leaving, the maintenance staff fixed the air conditioning above the audience seats so that ticket holders wouldn’t be cold.

Backstage, Lan Xiaoxiao looked at the bruises on Lin Wanqing’s back. “Wow, Qingqing, you’ve been domestically abused! I’m going to expose that evil capitalist online!”

“…Have you never been in a relationship?”

Lan Xiaoxiao felt mocked: ?

Lin Wanqing looked in the mirror at the undeniable finger marks on her legs, the indentations pressed onto her waist—which was not even A4 paper-width—and a string of bite marks on her neck.

Tragic.

Pitiable.

The pitiful image of ineffective resistance was immediately conjured in Lan Xiaoxiao’s mind.

Lin Wanqing sneezed and wrapped her down jacket tighter around herself.

She couldn’t wear the down jacket on stage, so she could only bundle up for a while backstage.

So cold.

The rabbit shivered.

Her phone buzzed twice. Lin Wanqing opened the message.

Yan Qiu: Sorry, Sweetheart. I have to attend a meeting with the elderly master tonight and will be back a little late. Don’t wait up for me.

Yan Qiu: It’s snowing outside. Sweetheart, please pay attention to keeping warm and remember to wear extra layers.

Achoo! Lin Wanqing’s tender, reddened nose.

She used her small, purple-from-cold paws to reply to Yan Qiu, “I’m wearing thick clothes.”

She sent a rabbit-making-a-heart emoji.

The captain poked her head out from behind the curtain. “Sisters, it’s starting.”

Behind the curtain, they could hear the audience’s lively cheers. The captain patted her legs, which were clad in a mini skirt. “Ah, cold, cold, cold!”

Lin Wanqing unzipped her down jacket and hung it aside.

Her back, encased in a camisole, was covered in large, beautiful, blooming peonies. Under the lights, the colors became even more brilliant.

She had purposely slept on her stomach last night, not daring to let the blanket rub off the paint.

Every brushstroke, every line, was painted by Yan Qiu while leaning over her, marking her body with Yan Qiu’s sign, becoming her exclusive property…

Lin Wanqing looked at the spotlight, shyly rubbing her small face.

She wanted to become dazzling, worthy of her.

The elderly master held his dragon-head walking stick, his gaze constantly assessing Yan Qiu.

He said, “How are your legs doing recently, Miss Qiu?”

Yan Qiu sat opposite the elderly master, in a tranquil garden where a few swans and peacocks were kept, their chirping calls adding a bit of liveliness.

She stroked a stray cat that had jumped in from the neighboring yard, a rare moment of relaxation. “They’re fine, they don’t hurt too much.”

The elderly master’s eyes were stern. “I heard Wanqing recently started playing in a band, and each performance only earns the ticket price. It’s the middle of winter; aren’t you worried?”

He knew Yan Qiu’s character too well. Since the car accident, her personality had changed a lot.

To put it simply, she had become ruthless.

Yan Qiu offered a wry smile, filling his teacup. “It’s just developing a hobby. It has nothing to do with money.”

Yan Qiu’s marriage was a thorn in the elderly master’s heart. Wanqing was such a wonderful girl, and he was afraid that Yan Qiu might go crazy and bully her.

The elderly master lightly tapped Yan Qiu’s wheelchair with his dragon-head cane. “You’re spouting nonsense. Wanqing’s perfume brand has been developing rapidly recently. With Huian’s marketing team supporting it, its valuation is soaring. You’ve assigned a dedicated person to help her manage it; are you trying to get a piece of the pie?”

The little orange cat in Yan Qiu’s arms meowed repeatedly.

Even the cat suspected Yan Qiu’s ulterior motives.

Yan Qiu: “…I didn’t, and I’m not.”

The two looked at the time, saw it was appropriate, and got into the car to attend the government meeting.

The elderly master meticulously inquired about Lin Wanqing’s situation, finally sighing,

“Wanqing is your savior, you must treat her well. A few days ago, I heard you brought the girl to the company to be your secretary. Look at what kind of spectacle that is!”

Yan Qiu remained silent.

Even Yu Fei, who usually had something sassy to say, shrank her shoulders and dared not speak much.

The two quails exchanged glances.

The elderly master grew angrier seeing her silence. “Wanqing has a good career. You intentionally humiliate her by making her your little secretary to pour tea and water. Do you think I can’t see through it?”

His mustache trembled with anger. Everyone in the car held their breath.

Yan Qiu, uncharacteristically flustered, lifted her glasses. “…I didn’t bully her, Grandpa, let me explain.”

Yu Fei and the elderly master both looked at her: Explain then.

The secretary’s eyes wildly suggested: It’s just a game between lovers!

Yan Qiu silently looked out the window. “I have nothing to explain.”

She stretched out a finger and pushed the secretary’s turning head back to face forward.

The elderly master was even angrier.

Throughout the entire meeting, aside from necessary interactions, he did not say a single word to Yan Qiu.

As the attendees left, they suspected that there was a division within the Huian Group.

The elderly master merely gave a cold humph. “I have nothing to say to this unfilial child.”

The attendees: “…”

Although… you don’t seem to have any other heir to choose from.

The meeting went on very late. By the time they emerged from the government building, the moon was high in the sky, and a thick layer of snow had fallen on the greenery outside.

Yan Qiu sat in the Hongqi sedan and asked with concern, “Should I have the secretary send Grandpa back to the garden first?”

The elderly master looked at her plainly. “This place is close to where you live. I’ll spend the night at your house.”

“There is no guest room at home.”