Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 81: The First Wife of a 1980s Big Shot Who Died Young (14)
Qin Huaijing staggered slightly from the push, still holding Huo Meilan’s hand. “What’s wrong with that girl? She cries every time she sees me.”
Huo Meilan shot him a sideways glance. “Maybe she likes you and got her heart broken.”
Qin Huaijing raised a brow. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve always treated her like a neighbor’s little sister. Besides, she’s only seventeen or eighteen. She should be focusing on her studies right now.”
Huo Meilan didn’t even bother arguing with that straight man logic and simply went back to picking clothes.
Qin Huaijing trailed after her like an obedient shadow. “Just pick whatever you like. No need to save money for me.”
As long as his wife was happy, he could even try asking for small favors later.
The capital’s fashion was noticeably more stylish. Huo Meilan picked out a red wool long dress, paired it with a short white round-neck jacket, and also bought a pair of low-heeled square-toe shoes.
Seeing some new arrivals, she even grabbed a fitted khaki trench coat, thinking it would be perfect for early spring after the New Year.
Qin Huaijing paid without hesitation and naturally carried the shopping bags behind her. Huo Meilan walked ahead with her handbag slung over her shoulder.
She was wearing a light apricot coat and black wide-leg trousers today. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, decorated with a few delicate hairpins, giving her an effortlessly strong presence.
With Qin Huaijing walking behind her, she somehow looked even more refined and elegant. Passersby couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances.
Just then, Fang Jiao from earlier came back again.
Beside Fang Jiao was a well-dressed, wealthy-looking woman. Her face was full of anger as she strode straight up to Huo Meilan.
“Did you bully my daughter?”
Fang Jiao’s eyes were red and bloodshot from crying. She kept tugging at her mother’s sleeve, whispering urgently, “Mom, it’s not her fault. I was the one who started crying. Let’s just go.”
Qin Huaijing frowned and stepped forward, shielding his wife behind him. “You must be Madam Fang, right? Then please watch your tone when you speak to my wife. No one bullied your daughter.”
“Qin Huaijing! Don’t act all high and mighty in front of me. I can see your taste for what it is. Men only care about looks, but pretty faces age sooner or later. Without inner character, it’s all useless in the end.”
After saying that, Madam Fang let out a cold snort and looked Huo Meilan up and down, practically pointing her words at her face.
Qin Huaijing’s expression darkened. Watching someone openly bully his wife right in front of him, he planted his hands on his hips and snapped back without hesitation.
“How strange. I’m the one living my life with my wife. I’m satisfied, and that’s all that matters. Do I need your approval for that? Who do you even think you are to me?”
Madam Fang flushed red with anger. “How dare you! I’m your elder. Is this how you talk to your seniors?”
Qin Huaijing didn’t even bother with her. “We don’t have relatives like you. Don’t try to use seniority to pressure me. At your age, publicly slandering people without knowing the facts shows even worse manners. My wife staying silent doesn’t mean she’s afraid, she just doesn’t want to argue with someone like you.”
“You… you!”
Madam Fang staggered back a step, shaking with rage. She had never been spoken to like this in her life.
Fang Jiao only felt utterly humiliated, tears still streaming down her face. “Mom! Stop it already!”
She pulled hard at her mother, trying to drag her away, while Madam Fang’s angry scolding still echoed behind them as they left.
From start to finish, Huo Meilan hadn’t even gotten a chance to say a single word.
Seeing the mother and daughter leave, she glanced at Qin Huaijing with a teasing look, clearly in a pretty good mood.
At the very least, when trouble came from him, he handled it himself properly instead of letting it spill onto her.
Qin Huaijing turned back and saw his wife with the corners of her lips lifted, looking rather pleased with herself. He immediately leaned in and said proudly, “How about it? Your man handled that pretty well, right?”
Huo Meilan lifted a hand in disgust and pushed his face away. “Sure you’re good at praising yourself. Isn’t this all your love trouble anyway?”
Qin Huaijing refused to accept that label. “What love trouble? I’m innocent here. I don’t even know her name. Just because she happens to like me, I become the culprit?”
Huo Meilan thought about it and nodded. That actually made sense. She laughed and patted his arm. “True. Being good-looking isn’t your fault either. Must be good genes from your parents.”
Qin Huaijing smoothed his hair with a dramatic flair. “Exactly. You hit the jackpot with me, wife. There are plenty of girls who used to chase me.”
Huo Meilan shot him a glare, basically telling him not to get cocky just because he got a little praise.
Qin Huaijing, on the other hand, was oddly fond of her little proud expression. Her skin was fair and soft, and when those bright black-and-white eyes rolled at him, it looked ridiculously cute.
He cleared his throat and leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as he quickly said near her ear, “You misunderstood me. That calls for compensation.”
Huo Meilan let out a light scoff the moment she heard it. She instantly understood what he was getting at, but still played along. “Oh? And how exactly do you want to be compensated?”
Qin Huaijing didn’t answer right away. In front of everyone, he just smiled and slowly rubbed the corner of his lips with his finger.
“Look at you,” Huo Meilan said lazily, “this is all you’ve got? Fine, I’ll make it up to you when we get home.”
With that, she slung her small bag over her shoulder and strolled off to continue shopping.
Qin Huaijing lit up instantly, happily following behind her with all the shopping bags in hand, his steps practically full of smug energy.
……
At noon, after lunch, Qin Huaijing, who had been looking forward to it all morning, used the excuse of taking a nap to drag his wife back to their room.
Downstairs, Lai Suyun couldn’t help complaining to her husband. “Look at that boy, he’s practically glued to his wife. He acts like he can’t survive a day without hanging off Meilan.”
Qin Guozhong laughed heartily. “Young couples are just like that when they’re in the honeymoon phase. Nothing wrong with it.”
Upstairs, the moment Qin Huaijing closed the door, he pulled her in and kissed her against it.
Huo Meilan reacted quickly and covered his mouth with her hand.
He ended up biting her hand instead and, thinking she was refusing him, gave her a pitiful, aggrieved look.
“Huo Meilan, you’re my wife. We already kissed this morning, didn’t we?”
She pushed him away. “I still have makeup on my lips. What, you trying to chew off my powder?”
Qin Huaijing wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, laughing. “So that’s it. I thought you were starting to dislike me.”
Huo Meilan pried his hands off with a helpless expression. “There is some dislike, yeah. You left marks all over my lips. If you keep this up, how am I supposed to go downstairs and face people later?”
Qin Huaijing gritted his teeth. “Then how am I supposed to kiss you? Too light and you say it feels like feathers. A little heavier and you worry about marks. I wasn’t even using that much force.”
Seeing his frustrated, unsatisfied expression, Huo Meilan couldn’t hold it in and laughed.
She took off her coat and sat lazily in the chair, stretching her shoulders as she asked, “Qin Huaijing, how come you weren’t this clingy back in the family compound? Now that you’re home, your true nature is showing, huh?”
Qin Huaijing casually unbuttoned two buttons and plopped down at the edge of the bed, speaking as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Feelings need a process too. Those few months in the family compound were just us getting to know each other. Besides, when we were sleeping separately, there weren’t so many thoughts running around.”
“Now that we’re home and sleeping in the same bed, and you don’t exactly behave yourself in your sleep, I open my eyes and there’s a pretty wife right in my arms. I’m a healthy young man, how am I supposed to handle that? Then we even had that close-contact kissing situation, of course I’d start feeling things.”
He sighed dramatically again. “Poor me, no experience at all, and my wife still thinks I’m annoying. I can’t even kiss properly, not even a chance to practice.”
“Pfft.”
Huo Meilan laughed.
Even though he was slick with his words, he still answered everything she asked.
She patted her shoulder lightly. “My shoulders are a bit sore. Go on, show some performance.”
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