Su Xingyuan had always been fiercely protective of Su Jian, and this time he had started a fight to protect her honor. After leaving the Su family, their bond as siblings grew even stronger. However, it seemed that this time Su Xingyuan had fallen into Zheng Mingyang's trap. Zheng Mingyang had taken Su Xingyuan's fiercely protective nature for Su Jian into account and deliberately targeted her to provoke him.
"Xingyuan..." Su Jian spoke softly, intending to express her gratitude, but Su Xingyuan cut her off with a serious expression. "Sis, don't say anything. I would rather go to jail than implicate you. I won't let you suffer or beg for help. If anyone dares to insult you, I'll take them down! I have no regrets for my actions."
Su Jian opened her mouth to respond but decided against it. Su Xingyuan was still consumed by anger, and any words she said would likely fall on deaf ears.
As they rode in a taxi, Su Xingyuan held her tightly. Su Jian looked out of the window, sighing softly. It seemed that seeking help from Su Yinian was her only option now.
...
Now that he had a clearer grasp on the situation, Jin Pingchuan declined Zheng Mingyang's invitation to stay for dinner and left with Changhe.
In the car, Changhe drove while occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep it to yourself," Changhe said with a smile.
Jin Pingchuan raised his head and asked, "How did you know? You figured it out because of Su Jian's photo on my phone and my conversation with Zheng Mingyang just now?"
Changhe chuckled. "I just happened to see Su Jian's photo on your phone. Your reaction during the conversation with Zheng Mingyang confirmed my suspicion that you were attracted to her."
Not only was he attracted to her, but they were actual husband and wife. Jin Pingchuan had no intention of revealing that fact.
Jin Pingchuan's silence was an implicit agreement with Changhe. He continued, "So, what are your plans? Will you interfere in Su Xingyuan's situation?"
"Let's observe for now," replied Jin Pingchuan.
In a normal husband-wife relationship, when one encountered a problem, they would seek help from their partner. Jin Pingchuan wanted to see if Su Jian had that awareness.
The following morning, Jin Pingchuan opened his wardrobe and found it filled with inexpensive clothes he had bought when he had asked Jiang Xu to find a house.
Once again, Changhe arrived to pick him up. After taking a look around, Changhe curiously asked, "What's with this setup? Are you pretending to be a pauper?"
"Let's go to Liang An County," Jin Pingchuan said as he opened the car door. "When you see me there, pretend not to know me."
Changhe was speechless. Jin Pingchuan was indeed pretending to be poor!
At half-past eight that morning, Jin Pingchuan stood outside the Inpatient Department of Liang An County's First Hospital. Instead of going up immediately, he called Su Jian.
Su Jian answered quickly. "Hello?"
"It's me," Jin Pingchuan said.
"Yes?"
"I'm downstairs at the hospital. Can I come up?" Jin Pingchuan asked.
Su Jian sounded a little anxious. "No need. I'll come down to find you right away."
"Alright," Jin Pingchuan replied.
Shortly after, Su Jian came downstairs. She was wearing a fitted light blue top and black jeans. Her hair was unstyled, as if she had been in a hurry. The wind blew and caught a few stray strands, adding to her beauty.
Su Jian glanced around when she reached the ground floor and felt slightly uneasy when she saw Jin Pingchuan. Jin Pingchuan was leaning against a pillar by the entrance with a smile on his face. He watched Su Jian approaching slowly. She was truly a beautiful wife. Every move she made quickened his heartbeat.
Su Jian was also nervous. At twenty-six, she was no longer a young girl who blushed with a racing heart from talking to the opposite sex. She maintained her composure during social interactions at work. Among all the men she encountered, only Su Yinian could make her blush and her heart race. However, in the presence of Jin Pingchuan, she couldn't understand why she felt an unprecedented sense of nervousness. Just looking at him was enough to make her heart race and her breathing difficult.
As she approached, Su Jian uneasily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Mr. Jin..."
"What did you call me?" Jin Pingchuan raised an eyebrow.
Su Jian was taken aback.
"It hasn't even been a day since we last saw each other, and you've already stripped me of my status as your lawful husband?" Jin Pingchuan teased.
Su Jian was speechless. Sometimes, she found it difficult to respond to Jin Pingchuan's remarks. His words often caught her off guard, making her flustered and her breathing quicken as she tried to prevent him from saying something that would make her blush. Su Jian quickly said, "Jin Pingchuan."
She felt that this form of address was reasonable. If he referred to her as Su Jian, then she could call him Jin Pingchuan. It was fair and there was nothing wrong with it.
Jin Pingchuan raised an eyebrow again, silently accepting this form of address.