CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 282: YOU’RE TOO WILLFUL

Xu Xiuxiu had never experienced the madness of longing before, that clawing sensation at her heart that drove her insane. And now, as she looked at Song Yuanhuan, who was within arm’s reach, enduring his intoxicating gaze, a flood of complex and sour words rose to her throat but ended up as a suppressed sob. She wanted to muster a smile, but at this heartrending moment, she could only silently gaze at him—at his gaunt, stubbled, but devastatingly handsome self.

"Xiuxiu? Let’s go! What are you spacing out for?" Yuan Fangfang saw Xu Xiuxiu standing motionless and called out to her with some bewilderment, reminding her.

"Oh!" Xu Xiuxiu snapped back to reality with an "Oh," then quickly lowered her eyes to hide the tears welling up, and carefully cradled the child, ready to step out of the plastic shed.

"Xu Xiuxiu." Song Yuanhuan turned his head and blocked her path, his gaze enveloping her like a poison, lingering, and entwining freely over her body.

"Uh, you know each other?" Yuan Fangfang only then realized something was off between the two, glanced back and forth, and then belatedly saw the stoic Lieutenant Colonel Song gripping Xu Xiuxiu’s slender arm.

"Mhm." Xu Xiuxiu nodded, embarrassed and shy.

"I’ll take the child outside then, you two can talk." Yuan Fangfang suddenly understood and skillfully took the little girl from Xu Xiuxiu’s arms, leaving her an unspoken and meaningful glance.

"Be careful, don’t wake her up." Xu Xiuxiu said with a smile as she let go of the child to Yuan Fangfang.

"Don’t worry." Yuan Fangfang gave Xu Xiuxiu a reassuring look and then turned to leave with a playful excitement.

In the plastic shed, only Song Yuanhuan and Xu Xiuxiu remained standing, the atmosphere a bit odd and electric, like a numbing feeling in their chest, ticklish, as though a feather was gently gliding over the most delicate depths, both disarming and sweet.

"Why are you here?" Song Yuanhuan broke the tension by taking Xu Xiuxiu’s hand and leading her to a bench inside the shed, where he sat her down.

"The TV reported that the surrounding villages were severely afflicted by the disaster, Soup City is short-handed, and it’s not suitable to resume work for now. So, I had the construction workers come to support the military. They’re all builders, familiar with collapsed structures and the like, and they’re capable of physical labor, so they can definitely be of some help," Xu Xiuxiu explained, sitting obediently on the bench, her eyes lingering on his stubbled face.

"You’re being too willful, go back, you’re not allowed to come here." Song Yuanhuan rummaged through the shed to find some antiseptic solution and, holding a cotton swab, squatted in front of Xu Xiuxiu, his deep eyes focused on the wound on her cheek as he carefully applied the ointment.

"Why?" The coolness of the antiseptic, with a hint of sting, made Xu Xiuxiu frown and protest with a sharp intake of breath, then, puzzled and confused, questioned him. Wasn’t he supposed to welcome her with open arms, to kiss her? She hadn’t expected him to send her away.

"..." Song Yuanhuan was silent, his lips tightly pressed, the cotton swab soaked with antiseptic shifting from her cheek to her palms and the back of her hands: "It’s dangerous," he said worriedly, puffing his cheeks and gently blowing on Xu Xiuxiu’s grazed palm, seemingly trying to ease her pain, "and I can’t bear to see you doing such work. There are enough hands here, and with the workers from the construction site, it’s more than sufficient. We don’t need you."

Xu Xiuxiu was slender, her body devoid of any excess fat, her figure so ideal it was astonishing. She loved to wear light-colored clothes, which, beyond her stunning beauty, made her seem like the type of woman who should be pampered and adored by men. Coupled with her cleanliness and occasional capriciousness, Song Yuanhuan had become accustomed to her delicacy. Even when she supervised the construction sites, she was just overseeing, never needing to exert herself with any physical work. He knew her very well, and could not bear to see her in such a distressed state. Despite that, her earnest dishevelment made him want to kiss her, to kiss her until the end of time.

But as a man, he could not deny that he couldn’t stand to see her suffer.

"But I want to offer a bit of my own modest efforts, even if it’s just a little," Xu Xiuxiu said, looking at Song Yuanhuan with exceptional seriousness.

Song Yuanhuan furrowed his brows deeply, never having refused Xu Xiuxiu’s ideas and requests before. He pondered how to soothe her into abandoning this plan, but it seemed he would need to exert some effort to persuade her to give it up, "Be good." His words lacked confidence and strength, filled with a sense of helplessness.

"Mr. Song." Xu Xiuxiu reached out, took hold of the collar of his green military uniform, and cooed affectionately.

Every time she acted willful and sought something from him, she would lower her voice and call him Mr. Song, in a soft, sweet manner, her cheeks slightly downcast and slightly puffed, cute and stubborn in a way that made him want to surrender, utterly at a loss for what to do with her.

"No," Song Yuanhuan persisted.

"Mr. Song," Xu Xiuxiu might not have been sure about dealing with others, but when it came to handling Song Yuanhuan, she had long since developed her own methods and strategies. She knew what he fell for and how he would throw in the towel, overwhelmed.

Song Yuanhuan watched the coquettish Xu Xiuxiu, his eyes narrowing dangerously, his hands directly encircling her slender waist, and lifting her effortlessly onto the only wooden table in the hut. Before Xu Xiuxiu could react to her exclamation, he cupped her cheeks and forcefully, dominantly kissed her.

"Umm!" This kiss was domineering and assertive.

It seemed Song Yuanhuan wanted to kiss Xu Xiuxiu into a decline in IQ, wanted to kiss her into abandoning her ideas, continuing for a long while, continuing until Xu Xiuxiu was bewildered.

"Little Baby and Little Moon need you, Cheng Guang needs you, stay at home and be with the children, okay?" he asked, lips slightly parting from her red ones.

"I..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Yuanhuan quickly sealed her lips again, continuing to tempt her, "Xu Xiuxiu, be good, agree, don’t worry me."

"No," Xu Xiuxiu persisted.

Her lips were kissed hot, but as soon as the word of refusal came out, the next moment her lips were invaded and taken again.

This had seemingly become their unique way of interacting as husband and wife: when she was willful, she would act spoiled until he relented. When he was at a loss with her, he would kiss her like crazy, kiss her until her rationality melted away, and she went along with his ideas. But no matter the method, it was all a test of patience and tolerance. Whoever loved deeper, whoever persisted more, would win.

In most cases, it ended with Xu Xiuxiu’s victory. This bout of spousal contention was undoubtedly won by Xu Xiuxiu, triumphing through her coquettishness.

"Ouch!" Song Yuanhuan had just left her lips and was about to speak when Xu Xiuxiu preempted him by quickly regaining her composure, and then cooing plaintively.

At once, Song Yuanhuan lost his composure. This stern man, cold and unfeeling, soft only in moments shared with two women—one his wife, the other his daughter. As his wife, Xu Xiuxiu had long perfected the art of being indestructibly adamant, how could Song Yuanhuan do anything but surrender!