Chapter 91 - 091 Gentle Touch

Words : 1592 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

After a busy half-night, seeing Zhao Xinfang take his medicine and then fall into a drowsy sleep, everyone finally felt relieved. Du Heng was utterly exhausted; his eyelids were already battling to stay open. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, only getting three hours of sleep in the car during the day, and now it was already past midnight. His body was at its limit; he hadn’t stayed up this late in years. He could handle it when he was in school, but now that he was older, staying up late was no longer his forte. Most importantly, staying up late damaged the kidneys! Originally, the plan was for him to sleep with Zhao Xinfang, but given his current state, his mother-in-law suggested he sleep with his father-in-law, while she and her daughter took care of Zhao Xinfang. Du Heng thought of his father-in-law’s somber and reticent nature; if they were to sleep in the same bed, there would be nothing to talk about. Not talking and just sleeping would be too awkward. He’d be better off just sleeping with Zhao Xinfang. "Auntie, I’ll just sleep here," Du Heng offered. "If anything happens, I can get up immediately." This excuse felt perfect to him. His mother-in-law hesitated. Everything that happened today was somewhat embarrassing, and she felt sorry for having him look after Zhao Xinfang at night. Wang Shuqiu suddenly chimed in, "Mom, he’s right. Let him sleep here. If something happens, I can call him and he can help." With both Shuqiu and Du Heng in agreement, his mother-in-law reluctantly gave in, not wanting to go against her future son-in-law’s request. When it was just the three of them left in the room, Wang Shuqiu looked at Du Heng apologetically and said, "I’m so sorry about today. We must have made a fool of ourselves in front of you." Du Heng took off his coat and pulled the blanket over himself. "What are you talking about? I thought you were particularly impressive today. Shuqiu, I didn’t realize you had such a fierce side to you." Wang Shuqiu blushed, recalling her shrew-like behavior, and whispered, "Take off your pants as well, or they’ll be wrinkled when you get up tomorrow, and it won’t be comfortable to sleep in them." Du Heng also wanted to take them off, but considering the situation, it wasn’t convenient, and he felt too embarrassed. "Nevermind, if they do get wrinkled, you can iron them for me tomorrow." "Suit yourself," Wang Shuqiu replied. She paused, still feeling sorry about what happened that night, feeling she had wronged Du Heng. What should have been a smooth first meeting with her parents had turned into an ordeal for him. "About today..." "Enough, you’re being tiresome. I’m your boyfriend, aren’t I? Who do you take me for? Why are you being so overly formal with me?" Du Heng knew what Wang Shuqiu was going to say and decisively interrupted her. However, if he were to say there was something that unsettled him about the evening, there definitely was. But it wasn’t Wang Shuqiu or Zhao Xinfang; it was her parents. His father-in-law, for instance. Although he’d only spent a brief afternoon with him, Du Heng found it hard to describe the man. Was he honest? He certainly seemed honest. So honest that he hadn’t so much as breathed a word of dissent all evening. According to Wang Shuqiu, for so many years, he had completely subsidized his wife’s younger brother’s family, not objecting to anything, not saying a word, just breaking his back with hard labor. Was that something a normal person would do? He seemed like a victim, but in reality, he was the biggest problem. If he had just said one word, things wouldn’t have gotten to this stage. As for his mother-in-law, she was another one who left him speechless. To subsidize her own younger brother so boundlessly—that was something he had only ever heard of before. The last time he’d encountered such a situation was when watching the TV series "All Is Well." But comparing him, his father-in-law was even worse than Su Daqiang. Su Daqiang might not have been assertive at home, but at least he would say a few words. His own father-in-law... sigh! As for his mother-in-law, it wasn’t that she had a bad heart; she couldn’t be completely equated with Zhao Meilan. Zhao Meilan was thoroughly misogynistic, even preventing her own daughter from getting an education. But his mother-in-law was different. Not only had she put Wang Shuqiu through university, but she had also raised her well. What’s more, she had even raised Zhao Xinfang, her own brother’s son, very well. Yet, her bottomless devotion to her own brother was enough to make one grind their teeth in frustration. Simply put, she was a pushover with no principles. As for Wang Shuqiu’s uncle and aunt, they were another story altogether—utterly contemptible. At least the uncle and aunt in the TV drama had some humanity, but these two had none. They hadn’t cared for Zhao Xinfang since he was little. And the way they looked at Zhao Xinfang tonight—could parents even have such expressions? ’Trash’ wasn’t even a strong enough word to describe their vile characters. Wang Shuqiu was warmed by Du Heng’s words. She had thought that the events of the evening would surely leave Du Heng with a bad impression. She had even braced herself for a breakup. A mother with no bottom line, a father who shirked responsibility, a younger brother-figure with mental health issues, and then such a scene tonight, exposing all the complicated family dynamics... Du Heng was well-off; he wouldn’t have trouble finding a girlfriend. If he were to react badly, or even suggest breaking up, Wang Shuqiu wouldn’t have been surprised. Yet, she hadn’t expected Du Heng to be so kind and understanding. At that moment, Wang Shuqiu fell completely and utterly in love with Du Heng. If, after they went back, Du Heng still didn’t mention breaking up, even if his attitude towards her soured a little, she wouldn’t have a single complaint. Seeing Wang Shuqiu’s subdued mood, Du Heng guessed she was still worried about the evening’s events. Trying to make conversation, he asked, "So, what’s really going on with Fangfang?" "You probably gathered some of it. Fangfang is my uncle and aunt’s second child, just a year younger than my own younger brother. When he was little, we’d see him throwing things or hitting himself, and we just thought he had a bad temper, that it was his personality, so we didn’t think much of it. When he was in preschool, his teacher suggested taking him to the hospital, suspecting it wasn’t just his personality but perhaps a psychological issue." Wang Shuqiu sighed. "The check-up revealed a problem. They called it some kind of hyperactivity or agitation disorder... anyway, it was a mental illness. We asked the doctor if it could be cured and how much it would cost. The doctor couldn’t say for sure; there were no guarantees, it was all up to fate. As for the cost, that was also uncertain. Unexpectedly, my uncle and aunt were so cruel. They took Fangfang home, dumped him there, and stopped caring for him. They didn’t let him go to school and just let him do whatever he pleased." She sounded a little angry again but quickly suppressed it. "Even when Fangfang had an episode and fell from a height, they wouldn’t care, even saying things like, ’Why isn’t he dead yet?’ My mom couldn’t stand it anymore, so she took Fangfang in to raise him." "My dad..." Du Heng listened intently, but he was so overwhelmingly sleepy that he drifted off without even realizing when his eyes had closed. 「When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.」 Zhao Xinfang was back to being the sunny, cheerful young man he usually was, and he had already washed up. "Brother-in-law, you were really out like a light! And you snore too! How does my sister put up with you?" "Don’t talk nonsense! Be careful, or your sister will sue you for slander. We haven’t even lived together yet." Seeing Zhao Xinfang was all right, Du Heng joked back cheerfully, reaching for his clothes beside him and starting to dress. Zhao Xinfang scoffed. "Yeah, right, keep pretending. When I woke up this morning, I saw it plain as day: my sister was snuggled up in your arms, sleeping." "You must have been seeing things." Du Heng hadn’t expected Wang Shuqiu to be so daring, nor had he thought he himself would sleep so soundly as to be oblivious to everything. After getting dressed and folding the quilt, Du Heng got off the bed and put on his shoes. "You’re up just in time. My sister’s almost done with lunch. Go wash up and get ready; it’s time to eat." "Lunch? What time is it?" "Eleven o’clock." As they talked and walked towards the main room, Du Heng noticed Zhao Xinfang limping slightly. "Fangfang, does your leg hurt?" "A little. The calf on my left leg is aching." "Does it hurt anywhere else?" "No, just my back is a little sore." Du Heng nodded. "You need to take the medicine I prescribed on time. During the day, get out more and move around. At night, before sleeping, have Uncle give you a full-body massage, or apply a hot towel. And don’t sleep on a cold bed." "I know, Brother-in-law."

Chapter 91 - 091 Gentle Touch

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