50. Wife
Weekend, early morning.
A sudden knock on the door broke the silence. Jiang Zhi, with messy hair and sleepy eyes, opened the door, and the cold morning breeze made her shiver involuntarily.
Su Yan’s annoyingly playful face suddenly appeared in front of her.
Her gaze focused on the bright yellow object in the man’s hand. Jiang Zhi rubbed her tired eyes, cleared her throat, and her voice carried a hint of morning hoarseness: “What is this?”
“Milk Dragon.”
Su Yan seriously held up the toy.
The little yellow dinosaur wobbled in his hand, and he recalled someone’s suggestion from last night, saying, “My friend said kids nowadays all…”
“All what…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Jiang Zhi’s deadly glare. Su Yan shrank his neck sheepishly and chuckled twice: “Am I too early?”
“What the hell are you doing here?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!”
It’s six o’clock, six o’clock!
She usually doesn’t start her work this early!
Unbelievable.
The demanding Monday had finally given her a break once, and yet she not only spent the entire Saturday in vain but couldn’t even enjoy a sleep-in on the weekend.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got!
Jiang Zhi shot him an annoyed look, snatched the toy away, and squeezed it in frustration. The toy was indeed a bit sugary but felt pretty good to the touch.
Perfect for venting frustrations.
Speaking of which, this guy actually had a decent choice. He really picked the right one.
Fine, considering Su Yan still remembered to bring a gift for Qian Qian, she would forgive him for waking her up… but it wouldn’t happen again!
She casually tossed the Milk Dragon onto the sofa and said to Su Yan, who was still standing at the door:
“Come in, you don’t need to change your shoes. There are only two pairs of slippers in the house.”
“Then you should remember to buy another pair.”
“Roll!”
Su Yan followed her inside like a large dog, his eyes roaming all around the living room. Finally, he plopped down on the sofa.
“Your home is quite nice.”
He raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
Men and women have different perspectives; they view things from different angles.
If Jiang Ruyan came to Jiang Zhi’s house, she would think the decoration didn’t look like a girl’s home. But after Su Yan arrived, he only felt that this was the kind of decor that belonged in a man’s home.
Dark gray sofa, wooden coffee table, plastic shoe cabinet, and a big red carpet at the entrance…
Haha! An interesting woman!
But it was indeed quite clean.
One could tell that Jiang Zhi was a very tidy person, possibly with a slight obsession with cleanliness?
Su Yan remembered that whenever he bought coffee at the coffee shop, he often saw Jiang Zhi obsessively wiping the same table with a cloth.
“Where’s Qian Qian?” he asked.
“Sleeping inside.”
While Jiang Zhi was washing her face in the bathroom, she heard this and instinctively criticized, “What are you doing here so early?”
“Do you really think at this hour a six-year-old girl would be awake?”
Not to mention Qian Qian!
If it weren’t for this guy, this 22-year-old woman would still be having sweet dreams!
Su Yan scratched his nose awkwardly, justifying himself: “But I can only come at this time.”
He had a practice match to play in the afternoon, and after that, he had to continue training until the evening. Ever since the league started, his personal leisure time had been almost nonexistent, always squeezing in time amidst busyness.
Jiang Zhi in the bathroom didn’t respond to him.
She didn’t speak, so Su Yan stopped explaining.
After all, he came here to see Qian Qian; as for his relationship with Jiang Zhi, they were neither too familiar nor too distant, and there wasn’t much to talk about…
Plus, it felt like Jiang Zhi wasn’t really interested in chatting with him, so he better not make a fool of himself.
In fact, Su Yan really wanted to step into the bedroom to admire his daughter’s sleeping face. He heard that kids looked the cutest at this time; he hadn’t really had a good look yesterday at the hospital.
But he didn’t want to impose by going into their bedroom; he could only wait patiently for Qian Qian to wake up.
Or he could just wake Qian Qian up?
Eh～ what a loser of a dad～
Soon, the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.
Jiang Zhi emerged with a neat ponytail, the tiredness on her face replaced by refreshment. She glanced at Su Yan, who was lounging on the sofa watching short videos:
“I’m going out to buy breakfast for Qian Qian. Do you want anything?”
“Nothing,” Su Yan replied. He wasn’t in the habit of having breakfast; on competition days, he would eat something to replenish energy.
Getting Su Yan’s answer, Jiang Zhi didn’t say much more. After quickly tidying up, she casually threw on a coat and stepped out in her slippers.
——————
“Dad! This is Princess Leilei!”
On the sofa, Qian Qian was showing Su Yan her partner—a rabbit toy dressed in a princess gown, also her favorite toy.
“I’m planning to have her marry the Milk Dragon!”
Qian Qian picked up the Milk Dragon toy from beside her and placed both toys together.
Princess Leilei: ?
Su Yan’s lips twitched, not understanding but respecting his daughter’s actions.
Just then, the sound of a key turning in the door reached them. Su Yan turned his head and met Jiang Zhi, who was returning with breakfast.
“Back?”
“Mm.” Jiang Zhi replied casually.
“Mom, you’re back!”
Seeing her mother come back, Qian Qian immediately raised her arms, leaning against Su Yan, her cheeks flushed: “Look, look! Dad is home!”
She was very excited at that moment.
Dad and Mom had finally appeared together at the same time; she had been waiting for this scene for so long.
So…
Did Dad and Mom reconcile? It seemed they had been fighting for quite a while… Even though Mom always said they weren’t fighting, sigh, Mom really thought Qian Qian was foolish; Qian Qian wasn’t stupid!
“I’m back～”
In response to her daughter’s greeting, Jiang Zhi’s tone softened instantly, her previously tight lips relaxing a bit, transforming her demeanor completely.
Su Yan: …
The difference was too drastic, right?
Jiang Zhi set down the breakfast and walked over to the sofa, only to see Su Yan taking pictures of Qian Qian with his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking pictures.”
“Of course I know that, I’m not blind.”
Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes: “I meant, why are you taking pictures?”
“Does taking pictures of my daughter need a reason?”
Su Yan retorted, shaking his phone: “Besides, beautiful moments are worth remembering. Jiang Zhi, I see you totally don’t understand this.”
“Come on, daughter, strike another pose. Ah yes, that’s perfect!”
Tch.
So pretentious.
Jiang Zhi muttered in disdain, but as she watched the pair of father and daughter harmoniously cooperate, a smile she didn’t even notice began to form at the corner of her mouth.
Fine, as long as Qian Qian is happy every day.
Su Yan’s actions showed that he really liked Qian Qian; she hoped he could fulfill what he had said initially and take responsibility for Qian Qian.
That would be enough…
But taking pictures?
Su Yan had a point; beautiful moments needed to be captured. Thinking carefully, she realized she had very few photos of Qian Qian—no, not a single one! What had she been doing the previous half month?!
Jiang Zhi suddenly realized!
“Oh right, do you have a bit of morning grouchiness?” Su Yan, while busy taking pictures, suddenly asked a random question.
“What?” Jiang Zhi didn’t catch on.
“This kid has quite a serious morning grouchiness.”
Recalling how Qian Qian looked when she woke up earlier, Su Yan said earnestly, “Is she like you? That’s not a good habit; it needs to change.”
“Like me?”
Jiang Zhi laughed in anger: “That’s a question I should be asking you! Isn’t Qian Qian’s morning grouchiness inherited from you? Do you think I could possibly have morning grouchiness?”
“Why couldn’t you?”
“Counterattack!”
“Counterattack ineffective!”
The two started another pointless argument, clearly having differing views on whose excellent gene Qian Qian had inherited.
“Dad, Mom…”
Qian Qian glanced left and right, reminiscing about their interactions, and cheerfully clapped her hands: “Your relationship has improved again!”
“Who is close to him?!” Jiang Zhi puffed her cheeks and was the first to retort.
“Hey? Is your relationship not good?”
Unexpectedly, Su Yan suddenly leaned forward. His charming face with a mischievous smile got closer and closer: “I think it’s fine, right, wife?”
What the hell!
You’re the one who’s a wife!
Your whole family is your wife!
“You’re insane!”
At his words, Jiang Zhi straightened up and punched him in the chest, her ears slightly turning red, which hinted at her inner agitation.
“Y-you better not say that…”
She covered her hot ears, shot another fierce glare at Su Yan, and turned to flee toward the dining area, nearly tripping over herself.
She was once again being defeated by Su Yan!!!
“Su Ziqian, come eat!” Jiang Zhi’s voice came from the dining table.
Watching Jiang Zhi flee in disgrace, the instigator Su Yan was momentarily stunned. He scratched his head and shrugged at Qian Qian: “Let’s go eat.”
So easily provoked…
Su Yan rubbed his aching chest, a bit breathless; honestly, this woman had some strength. Would he end up being victim to domestic violence in the future?
