She Seems to Struggle with Having a Wife - Chapter 16

“After getting married, I had less contact with Ling Xi.”

Hearing this, Qin Mu slightly raised her eyelids, a bit surprised.

After marriage did, she intentionally reduce contact? Or was there some other reason they stopped communicating?

Yan Huan didn’t know about the matters between them and simply thought Wei Qing’an was adhering to wifely virtues. She clicked her tongue disdainfully and said, “So typical of a married woman, such a proper wife.”

Wei Qing’an: …

She really wanted to tape this woman’s mouth shut.

As the three were chatting, a few girls came in through the door. Spotting Yan Huan, they immediately got excited and hurried over, looking like starstruck fans as they said, “Are you Teacher Yan? We’re your fans, we really like you! Could we get your autograph?”

Yan Huan hadn’t expected to run into fans and nodded blankly, “Sure, but I didn’t bring a pen.”

“I brought my own!” The girl started rummaging through her bag.

Yan Huan froze; she had thought she might get out of it.

After the fan found a pen, Yan Huan smiled and took it to sign.

She thought it would just be signing, but there was more to come.

After signing, the two also asked to take photos together. Yan Huan couldn’t refuse and agreed with a smile.

People in the café, hearing the commotion, thought a celebrity had arrived and started getting up with their phones to come over. The crowd grew larger. Qin Mu was sitting outside, and a few people nearly bumped into her without noticing.

Seeing this, Wei Qing’an reached out, half-lifting Qin Mu from her chair, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and quietly slipped away through the crowd.

“Teacher Yan!” Qin Mu still wanted to show concern, but Wei Qing’an simply carried her away.

Yan Huan, still taking photos with fans, saw the two sneaking off and was about to call out to stop them when another fan came up asking for a photo. Yan Huan had no choice but to keep up her fake smile, signing autographs and taking photos with fans, though inwardly she was cursing.

Once outside the café, Wei Qing’an didn’t let go of her hold.

Qin Mu obediently leaned into her embrace.

Wei Qing’an said she hadn’t been in touch with Ling Xi for a long time, and Qin Mu believed her. She decided to treat what happened that night at the bar as if it never occurred. Perhaps the person who messaged Ling Xi was a mutual friend.

The evening commercial street was filled with young couples coming and going. Under the night sky, they held hands and embraced without restraint, even kissing unabashedly, their faces radiant with joy.

Wei Qing’an instinctively tightened her arm and glanced sideways at Qin Mu, who was looking straight ahead as calmly as ever.

Passing by a store, the light from the entrance shone on Qin Mu’s face. She turned her head curiously to look it was a stuffed animal shop. In the window hung a white bear, along with cute plush toys like Pikachu, and inside the store, children were playing around.

Qin Mu watched, an unconscious smile curling at the corners of her lips. Wei Qing’an, who had been watching her, felt her heartstrings plucked by that gentle smile. She slowly hooked her arm around Qin Mu’s neck, deliberately leaning in close to speak by her ear.

“Feel like going in?”

She was so close that her lips lightly brushed Qin Mu’s ear.

It felt warm, carrying the heat of her breath.

Qin Mu didn’t realize it was intentional; her ear suddenly grew hot, but she acted nonchalant and said, “Want to go on a date?”

“Can we?” Wei Qing’an leaned in again, her voice tinged with audible delight.

Qin Mu smiled and nodded, “We can.”

As soon as Qin Mu agreed, the weight on her shoulder suddenly lightened, and then a hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into Wei Qing’an’s embrace.

Since Wei Qing’an had limited use of her hand, the two of them didn’t engage in any activities after entering the mall. After wandering around for a bit, they realized that aside from food, the only options were clothing and shoe stores. In the end, they decided to watch a movie, treating it as a date.

Wei Qing’an chose a historical period drama.

Qin Mu didn’t make a selection and simply followed her choice.

At that hour, the cinema was crowded, and the remaining seats weren’t ideal. While selecting tickets, Wei Qing’an asked Qin Mu, “Should we switch? The viewing angle doesn’t seem great.”

“It’s fine, let’s go with this one.”

Qin Mu tapped the confirmation button for her and scanned the code to pay.

She had checked the day’s movie lineup aside from this historical film, the rest were either trivial romance movies or children’s films, neither of which Wei Qing’an liked.

After buying the tickets, the two of them went inside.

Their seats were in the corner of the fifth row.

Since they had bought their tickets a bit late, many people were already seated and ready to watch by the time they entered. The cinema was dimly lit, and Qin Mu worried that Wei Qing’an might not see clearly, so she turned back, took her hand, and led her carefully to their seats.

Once they reached their spots, Qin Mu let go.

Wei Qing’an sat down beside her.

Less than a minute later, the movie began, with a grand and solemn soundtrack filling the theater. Wei Qing’an immediately grew serious.

Qin Mu wasn’t particularly fond of history, and serious historical dramas weren’t her usual choice. As she watched, she found it both engaging and tedious, with some parts difficult to follow.

Wei Qing’an, on the other hand, watched with intense focus, occasionally pointing out historical inaccuracies in the film. For example, she explained that in ancient times, imperial edicts varied in appearance and color depending on the official’s rank, yet in the movie, they were consistently depicted with jade rollers and yellow silk.

She also mentioned that ancient carriage drivers had to pass a licensing exam consisting of five components: honking, starting and braking, navigating S-curves, and road tests. During the Qin Dynasty, if a driver failed the exam four times, they were required to perform forced labor according to the law.

Listening to her, Qin Mu found it fascinating, these obscure historical facts were things she had never encountered in over twenty years of life. Her gaze toward Wei Qing’an grew increasingly admiring, like that of an adoring fan.

During a scenic transition in the film, Wei Qing’an turned to speak to Qin Mu but noticed out of the corner of her eye that the person sitting in front of them kept glancing back. Following his gaze, Wei Qing’an’s expression darkened, and she abruptly kicked the back of his seat.

Qin Mu was startled, unsure why Wei Qing’an had suddenly kicked the chair in front. Concerned, she reached out and gently held Wei Qing’an’s forearm.

The man in front jolted violently.

Just as he was about to curse at Wei Qing’an, she leaned forward and snapped, “If you don’t want your eyes anymore, I’ll gladly remove them myself and donate them to someone in need.”

The man’s words caught in his throat. Guiltily, he turned back around and didn’t dare look their way again.

Wei Qing’an’s anger hadn’t subsided. With a grim expression, she took off her jacket and draped it over Qin Mu’s legs. Qin Mu was wearing a professional outfit that day, a black bodycon skirt that accentuated her long legs.

Seeing the jacket on her lap, Qin Mu instantly understood why Wei Qing’an had kicked the chair earlier. Glancing at her expression, which could only be described as stormy, Qin Mu reached out and held Wei Qing’an’s hand, gently stroking it to comfort her.

But it didn’t help much.

Wei Qing’an’s face remained as dark as ever.

The movie was only halfway through, but neither of them was in the mood to continue. Wei Qing’an had initially wanted to leave midway, but there were three elderly people sitting in the same row, and leaving would inevitably disturb them. So, Wei Qing’an had no choice but to endure it.

As soon as the movie ended, however, Wei Qing’an grabbed Qin Mu’s hand and hurriedly stood up, rushing out of the cinema as if she couldn’t bear to stay another second. Qin Mu, holding her jacket draped over her arm, jogged lightly to keep up with Wei Qing’an.

It wasn’t until they had left the mall that Wei Qing’an finally stopped.

Qin Mu, having run a bit too quickly, was breathing lightly as she caught her breath.

Once she had steadied her breathing, Qin Mu stepped closer and said soothingly, “Don’t be angry. I’ll wear long pants next time, okay?”

“It’s not about you,” Wei Qing’an replied, her expression softening slightly. She reached out and wrapped an arm around Qin Mu, and the two of them began walking slowly forward. “You can wear whatever you want. The problem was with that person.”

Qin Mu rarely saw Wei Qing’an get angry, especially over something like this. All she could do was gently coax her. Otherwise, even if they went back and beat that person up, Wei Qing’an still wouldn’t calm down.

“I’m sorry our first date turned out like this.”

Both of them had been in high spirits earlier in the evening, and no one had expected such an incident to happen midway. It really was an unnecessary complication.

“It’s fine. I’m happy,” Wei Qing’an said.

Qin Mu: “…”

That indifferent tone didn’t sound happy at all.

“President Qin?”

As they walked, a voice suddenly called out from the side.

Qin Mu instinctively turned to look.

A man emerged from a nearby store, brushing back his artistic, chin-length hair as he looked at Qin Mu with surprise. “President Qin, it really is you! I thought I might have mistaken you for someone else when I saw you in the store earlier. I never expected to run into you here.”

Recognizing him, Qin Mu instinctively moved Wei Qing’an’s hand from her waist, using the jacket on her arm to cover the gesture, and walked toward him with a warm smile. “I came to watch a movie with a friend. It’s so late, what are you doing here?”

He raised the camera in his hand and said, “A friend’s store just opened, and he asked me to take some photos for future promotions. I just finished and was about to leave when I turned around and saw you, President Qin. You’re as stunning as ever.”

“Just wearing makeup,” Qin Mu replied modestly.

This man was a freelance photographer their company had previously hired. Because of his excellent skills, the company continued to work with him. Since Qin Mu was the one who directly liaised with him for work, the two had become somewhat familiar.

Just as he was about to say something else to Qin Mu, he glanced up and noticed that the person who had been with President Qin had suddenly turned and walked away. He kindly reminded her, “Ah, President Qin, your friend just left without saying anything.”

“Huh?” Qin Mu turned to look.

Wei Qing’an had already quickened her pace and disappeared into the crowd.

Qin Mu bit her lip in regret and turned back to the man. “Let’s catch up another time. My friend isn’t in a good mood today.”

“Oh, sure. Goodbye.”

Qin Mu waved as she walked away. “Goodbye.”

She then hurried into the crowd, crossing the pedestrian crossing just as the green light was about to turn red, and finally caught up with Wei Qing’an. But Wei Qing’an’s expression seemed even darker than before.

Qin Mu already had no idea how to soothe her after the incident at the cinema, and now this had only added fuel to the fire. Staring at Wei Qing’an’s visibly upset face, Qin Mu felt as if her brain was about to short-circuit.

“Qing’an,” she called out softly.

Wei Qing’an heard her and slowed her pace slightly, but continued walking forward without looking back, showing no intention of engaging with her.

Seeing her reaction, Qin Mu didn’t know what to say and could only follow her silently. After a while, Qin Mu realized they had arrived at the place where she had parked her car.

In an instant, Qin Mu understood Wei Qing’an wanted to go home.

So, she took the car keys from her bag and pressed the unlock button. Wei Qing’an walked to the passenger side, opened the door, got in, and obediently fastened her seatbelt, but still didn’t utter a single word.

Watching her, Qin Mu worriedly furrowed her brow, opened the driver’s side door, got in, started the car, and drove home.

Throughout the journey, the atmosphere in the car was frozen to the extreme.

Qin Mu had never felt so suffocated being with Wei Qing’an before it was as if the air was being stripped away bit by bit.

The suffocation was one thing, but how was she supposed to comfort her?

When they arrived home, Qin Mu walked ahead to open the door.

During the hour-long drive back, she had mentally gone through every joke she had ever known and even rehearsed them.

Qin Mu pushed the door open and entered first, taking Wei Qing’an’s slippers from the shoe cabinet. Just as she was about to hand them over, everything suddenly went dark, and she was pulled into a warm embrace.

Bang, the door closed.

Pinned against the door, Qin Mu felt hurried kisses land on her lips.

Support