The Spoiled Young Lady Who Married a Military Officer-Chapter 163 - 161: I Only See You as a Sister

Su Tang clapped a hand over Lu Xiao’s mouth, his eyes full of confusion.

But he always listened when his wife spoke.

Su Tang shot him a look, signaling for him to be quiet.

The two of them tiptoed to the side, peeking from behind the cover of the corner wall.

Wang Xinxin stood with her head down, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt. Her voice held a note of grievance.

"I just wanted you to go with me to the supply co-op in town. I heard they got a new batch of patterned fabric, and I want to make a new outfit."

After their life-and-death experience, Wang Xinxin felt she was starting to have feelings for Chen Zhengnian.

She didn’t like this feeling of being kept at arm’s length, so she decided to be direct.

But Chen Zhengnian, it seemed, didn’t understand what she meant.

Chen Zhengnian stood ramrod straight, his tone gentle.

"I’ve been busy the last few days and can’t get away. I’ll definitely go with you once this busy spell is over, okay?"

’There was nothing between them. If he just went shopping with her, it would get people gossiping.’

Chen Zhengnian didn’t realize that as he said this, he also felt a secret sense of anticipation.

"But that patterned fabric is selling fast. It’ll probably be gone by the time you’re not busy anymore."

Wang Xinxin’s voice tightened, sounding a little angry.

"My mom said I need to hurry up and make a new outfit. She’s taking me to meet a potential match in a little while."

The moment she said this, Chen Zhengnian’s body visibly stiffened, and the hand at his side clenched into a fist without him realizing.

He fell silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking. "A match? How old are you? What’s the rush?"

"I’m not that young. I’m twenty, and I’m desperate to get married."

Wang Xinxin looked up at him, a hint of expectation in her eyes, but her words came out in an exasperated rush.

Behind them, Su Tang held her breath and peeked at Lu Xiao.

The anger on Lu Xiao’s face was long gone, replaced by the expression of someone enjoying a good show. The corner of his mouth was even curled into a slight smile.

Chen Zhengnian was even more clueless than he was.

He, on the other hand, had understood Su Tang’s intentions right away back then.

Lu Xiao was completely unaware that back then, he hadn’t been much better than Chen Zhengnian was now.

When Su Tang kissed him, he had pretended he didn’t know what it meant.

Chen Zhengnian froze, his cheeks flushing faintly. "What nonsense are you talking about? Go home."

He started to turn, but Wang Xinxin grabbed his arm.

"Chen Zhengnian, do you hate me?"

Chen Zhengnian cut her off, his tone growing serious.

"Xinxin, you’re a good girl, but I’ve always seen you as a little sister."

His words were like a splash of cold water, instantly extinguishing the light in Wang Xinxin’s eyes.

She abruptly let go and stumbled back two steps. "A sister? So you’ve only ever thought of me as a sister..."

Chen Zhengnian watched her, his brow furrowing deeper, but he didn’t know what comforting words to say.

He was nearly ten years older than Wang Xinxin, and his home environment was suffocating.

The military compound was not as wonderful as one might imagine.

But Wang Xinxin was so free-spirited; he was afraid his world would only tie her down.

’She’s still young. Perhaps she just hasn’t met better people or seen more of the outside world.’

’If she met someone younger, more handsome, someone with more innocent energy than him, she might not be asking him this question.’

Wang Xinxin’s eyes suddenly reddened. Tears welled, swirling in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She bit her lower lip hard, her voice thick and nasal. "I’m sorry. I guess I was being presumptuous."

After saying this, she turned and ran off like a small, wounded animal, wanting only to escape this place of humiliation. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Chen Zhengnian watched her hasty retreat, his outstretched hand frozen in mid-air before finally falling limply to his side.

It felt as if something was blocking his chest, a stuffy, panicked feeling.

’I was doing it for her own good, so why do I feel so awful?’

Behind the wall, Su Tang let out a soft sigh and tugged Lu Xiao’s arm. "Let’s go."

Lu Xiao nodded, his expression complex.

He had been enjoying Chen Zhengnian’s little drama just moments before, but seeing him look so lost and dejected, he felt a sense of shared misery.

Matters of the heart truly were a tangled mess.

Chen Zhengnian thought he was doing what was best for Wang Xinxin, but in reality, all she wanted was an affirmative answer.

Young people didn’t have so many complicated thoughts. Like was like, and dislike was dislike.

Their love wasn’t mixed with too many calculations of personal gain and loss.

It was that purity that made it so desirable.

The two of them left without a sound. Before they had gone far, they saw Wang Xinxin squatting under a large tree, the sound of her sobbing carried over to them in fits and starts.

Su Tang stopped, her heart aching as she looked at her.

Lu Xiao whispered in her ear, "Let her be alone. It won’t help if we’re here."

Su Tang hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

She knew that at a time like this, any words of comfort would seem hollow and powerless. Wang Xinxin would have to be the one to slowly work through it.

When they got home, Su Tang was still preoccupied with what had happened, unable to sit still.

Seeing her like this, Lu Xiao couldn’t resist teasing her. "What, still worried about those two?"

"Don’t you think Chen Zhengnian is an idiot?"

Su Tang shot him an irritated glare. "Anyone with eyes could see what Xinxin was thinking, but he’s just playing dumb."

Lu Xiao rubbed his nose and said sheepishly, "He probably has his reasons."

Su Tang frowned. "Do you think Xinxin will just give up?"

Lu Xiao thought for a moment, then said, "Hard to say. Xinxin has been stubborn since she was a kid. I don’t think this is going to be over that easily."

And just as he’d predicted, Wang Xinxin seemed like a different person over the next few days.

She no longer went looking for Chen Zhengnian, and if they happened to meet, she would just lower her head and hurry past without so much as a hello.

This left an increasingly bad taste in Chen Zhengnian’s mouth. He always felt like something was missing.

Before, Wang Xinxin had always followed him around like a little tail, chattering nonstop.

Although he sometimes found it noisy, he now felt an unprecedented emptiness in the quiet.

One day, Chen Zhengnian went to town to run some errands. As he passed the supply co-op, he walked in as if guided by some unseen force.

He immediately saw the batch of patterned fabric displayed on the counter. The colors were bright and the patterns unique—perfect for a young woman.

He stood there looking for a long time before finally buying a bolt of the prettiest pink fabric.

After paying, he held the fabric, feeling somewhat lost.

’What am I doing? Do I intend to give this to Wang Xinxin?’

’But after what I said to her...’

Just as he was hesitating, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Chen Zhengnian turned and saw Wang Xinxin standing not far off, an empty basket in her hand. She had evidently come to the supply co-op to buy something, too.

Their eyes met. Wang Xinxin saw the patterned fabric in his hand, and her eyes flickered. She immediately lowered her head and said in a small voice, "I have to go."

"Xinxin!"

Chen Zhengnian called out to her instinctively and held out the fabric in his hand.

"This is for you."