Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 79: The First Wife of a 1980s Big Shot Who Died Young (12)

    

　　Huo Meilan glanced at him, completely drained of energy, let out a helpless sigh, and decided she was done playing along.

　　She casually untied her hair, planning to pick out something comfortable from the wardrobe, take a shower, and just collapse into bed.

　　“Found it!”

　　Qin Huaijing happily pulled out the camera and started adjusting it, testing it to make sure it still worked.

　　He had been away for half a year, and the camera had been sitting here for quite a while. He needed to check it wasn’t broken.

　　The moment he raised it, the lens just so happened to land on Huo Meilan.

　　She had already taken off her outer layer. Her slender waist and soft silhouette stood out beautifully, long wavy hair spilling over her shoulders.

　　While searching for clothes, she casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a delicate side profile.

　　Qin Huaijing quickly pressed the shutter, capturing that perfectly graceful moment.

　　He grinned in satisfaction and walked over with the camera, his brows and eyes full of that shameless, triumphant energy.

　　“Comrade Meilan, you really should thank me properly. I just took a super beautiful photo of you. Get it developed later, you’re definitely going to like it.”

　　Huo Meilan finally found a cotton-linen sleep dress and only glanced at the camera in his hand.

　　“Alright, thanks.”

　　Her tone was light, almost absentminded.

　　In the back of her mind, Huo Meilan didn’t quite trust his photography skills. With that lazy, half-serious attitude of his, he might have snapped something totally unflattering of her.

　　Qin Huaijing noticed her indifferent reaction and scooted closer with his camera, clearly unsatisfied. “Ungrateful, really. I’ll get this printed tomorrow and keep it myself. Don’t even think about snatching it.”

　　Huo Meilan let out a laugh and casually pushed his face away. “Relax, I’m not taking it. Keep it and admire it all you want. I see my own face in the mirror every day anyway. No big deal.”

　　With that, she opened the door and walked off lightly toward the bathroom next door.

　　Qin Huaijing clenched his fist and waved it at the doorway in frustration, muttering under his breath, “Ungrateful woman. You’re definitely going to regret it tomorrow. Just wait and see if I even show you.”

　　Then, from the hallway outside came Huo Meilan’s voice.

　　“I can hear you, you know. If you’re that bored, I can come out and spar with you later.”

　　Qin Huaijing went silent for a second, then finally squeezed out, “Your ears are way too sharp.”

　　After washing up, Huo Meilan came back and it was Qin Huaijing’s turn to take his shower.

　　Even though she was staying at her mother-in-law’s house, everyone was easygoing, so she didn’t feel restrained at all. In fact, she was surprisingly relaxed.

　　She used the skincare products on the table, casually dried her hair with one hand, and ate fruit from the platter with the other.

　　Qin Huaijing finished washing up quickly and was back in less than ten minutes.

　　Seeing her casually eating fruit, he rubbed his hair twice with a towel and cleared his throat.

　　“Your hair is pretty long. It’s not easy to dry, right? Want me to help?”

　　“Yes.”

　　Huo Meilan’s hair was long and thick, and without a hairdryer from the space, it was really hard to dry. After just a few minutes of wiping, her arms were already getting sore. Since he offered, she was more than happy to let him do it.

　　Seeing how straightforward she was, Qin Huaijing chuckled and took the towel from her, stepping closer to dry her hair with both hands working together.

　　“How’s the pressure? Good enough?”

　　“Yeah, not bad.”

　　Qin Huaijing immediately took the opportunity to say, “When I go back to my own place, there’s no sleeping on the floor. We’ll just split the bed.”

　　“Alright.”

　　Qin Huaijing raised a brow and smiled, still drying her hair while silently sighing at how spineless he felt.

　　Before this, he never would have imagined there’d come a day where he’d be so completely handled by a woman.

　　Of course, setting aside the fact that he was being physically overpowered, this was his wife after all.

　　By the time her hair was finally dry, half an hour had passed.

　　Huo Meilan was already yawning nonstop. Normally she would read a bit before sleeping, but today she didn’t even want to touch a book. She was so sleepy her eyes could barely stay open.

　　She climbed into bed, hugged the blanket, and immediately fell asleep.

　　Qin Huaijing turned off the light and switched on the bedside lamp, then picked up a book and got into bed.

　　He stayed half-lying there reading, not sleepy at all.

　　After a while, even he started to feel drowsy.

　　He reached for the blanket, but it wouldn’t budge. Looking over, he realized she had wrapped the entire blanket around herself.

　　There was only one blanket in the room. In winter, not covering up meant freezing.    

　　He tugged at the blanket for a while, and after a long struggle only managed to pull back a corner. With no other choice, he covered his stomach with it. Something was better than nothing.

　　In the middle of the night, Qin Huaijing, chilled, instinctively pulled the entire blanket over himself and completely forgot there was someone beside him.

　　Huo Meilan felt the cold too and naturally drifted toward the warmer spot nearby.    

　　……

　　Qin Huaijing had a rough night of sleep, dreaming the whole time that a giant stone was chasing him and pressing down on his body.

　　Accustomed to waking up at five in the army, he opened his eyes and felt someone next to him. He froze for a second and slowly lowered his gaze.

　　Huo Meilan had both arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. Her hair was a little messy, her small face clean and fair, lips slightly parted as she slept soundly, completely out cold.

　　Qin Huaijing couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out and poked her cheek.

　　Soft and squishy, like a white steamed bun. The more he poked, the more addictive it felt.

　　Worried he might wake her up, he kept his movements light, like he was playing with a doll, gently poking her cheek.

　　Then his fingertip accidentally landed near the corner of her lips.

　　His eyes flickered. He paused, then absentmindedly traced small circles around her lips with his finger.

　　His dark gaze settled on her soft, rosy lips.

　　His heartbeat sped up a little.

　　He… actually had the urge to kiss her.

　　“Mm… what are you doing…”

　　Huo Meilan mumbled, instinctively swatting away the ticklish feeling on her face.

　　Then she buried her face against his chest again, tightening her hold around him, clinging like a koala hanging onto a tree.

　　Qin Huaijing stiffened completely, his face heating up in an instant.

　　His body went rigid, and all he could think about was the soft, warm feeling of her just now pressing against him.

　　He didn’t even dare move. Stuttering, he called out, “Huo Meilan.”

　　Unfortunately, she was sleeping too soundly and didn’t respond at all.

　　His whole face turned red.

　　Then he silently cursed himself for being so useless. This was his wife. Sleeping like this was normal. Totally normal.

　　He had been surrounded by female comrades since young, but he had always focused on the military. Even after joining the army, he never had time for relationships, basically a complete rookie in that area.

　　Even though he and Huo Meilan were already registered as husband and wife, they had been sleeping separately all this time. The two of them were more like teammates who got along well. He had never once thought anything improper.

　　But after spending months together day and night, feelings were bound to develop a little, just that neither of them had said it out loud.

　　Even if they bickered and joked every day, he was actually very satisfied with his wife. He had never once thought about divorce.

　　After calming himself down with that reasoning, Qin Huaijing slowly relaxed. Then, secretly, he even leaned down and kissed her forehead.

　　At that moment, Huo Meilan slowly opened her eyes, still groggy, and looked up at him. “Qin Huaijing?”

　　Guilty as a thief, Qin Huaijing immediately tilted his head up and stared at the ceiling.

　　“You kissed me just now?”

　　Huo Meilan rubbed her eyes and sat up a little from his arms.

　　“No, how could I possibly…”

　　Huo Meilan cut him off. “You sure? Whoever’s lying won’t be able to have kids.”

　　Qin Huaijing choked a little on his words. That vow was a bit too ruthless.

　　He leaned back with both hands behind his head, putting on a righteous tone. “I didn’t sneak a kiss. That was a proper, open kiss. You're my wife, of course I can kiss you.”

　　Huo Meilan, seeing his shamelessness, touched her own forehead. “Even if you kiss, you don’t know how to do it properly. What is your mouth made of, chicken feathers? It felt like being tickled.”

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