My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

"Really not!" Su Ming nodded frantically, his eyes darting away.

Qiu Tong stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled.

She let go of his hand, lay back down on the bed, and glared at him: "Then why did you say 'I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang'? I just asked you to massage my lower abdomen for me, I have menstrual cramps again."

She cradled her lower abdomen in her hands, her brow furrowing again, and let out a soft groan: "I gave you a bath earlier, and the cold water made it hurt again. What do you think I wanted to do? Sleep with you?"

Su Ming felt ashamed and embarrassed by her words, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

Yes, my cousin's wife only asked him to rub her stomach, but he was thinking about all sorts of random things. Isn't that judging a gentleman by one's own petty standards?

He bit his lip and lowered his head: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry, it's my fault, I misunderstood you."

Qiu Tong glared at him, her tone slightly reproachful: "You bastard, your cousin-in-law has spoiled you for nothing. Now that you know you're wrong, what are you still standing there for? Sit down and give me a good massage."

Su Ming hummed in agreement and sat down again on the edge of the bed.

This time he didn't hesitate and naturally placed his hand on her lower abdomen, beginning to massage her carefully.

His palms pressed against her warm skin, and through the thin silk, he could feel her breath, and the gentle rise and fall of her abdomen with each breath. But he stopped thinking about anything else and focused on massaging her, his pressure even and his rhythm gentle.

Qiu Tong closed her eyes, and the pain on her face gradually faded, replaced by relaxation and contentment. Her breathing became steady, and she occasionally let out a satisfied sigh.

"Mmm...that feels so good..." she murmured softly, "Your hands are so warm..."

Su Ming didn't reply, but continued to rub.

The bedroom fell silent again. The lamplight was still soft, the air conditioner was still cool, and the faint fragrance still lingered in the air.

But at this moment, Su Ming felt unusually calm.

He thought that perhaps this was what his cousin-in-law needed—not all those other random things, but simply someone who could put her at ease, a pair of warm hands, and genuine care.

As for the rest, none of that matters.

Su Ming placed his hand on Qiu Tong's lower abdomen, the warmth from his palm reassuring him. He massaged it carefully, in circles, with even pressure and a gentle rhythm. Qiu Tong closed her eyes, appearing to be enjoying it.

"Mmm...so comfortable...so comfortable..." she murmured softly, her voice as soft as cotton candy, which was surprisingly pleasant to hear.

Hearing that voice, Su Ming felt incredibly happy. He thought to himself, "Finally, the misunderstanding is cleared up. I'm just glad my cousin-in-law isn't angry."

After massaging for about ten minutes, Qiu Tong suddenly opened her eyes and reached out to press his hand down.

"Okay," she said.

Su Ming stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

Qiu Tong's expression changed slightly. Her previously languid and content face now held a hint of coldness. She sat up, adjusted the straps of her nightgown, and stared at the bedside lamp, her voice flat and emotionless:

"You can sleep on the sofa tonight. Don't come to the room to sleep."

Su Ming was taken aback.

"what?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Qiu Tong glanced at him, her tone indifferent. "Go sleep outside."

Su Ming opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing her aloof expression, he swallowed the words back.

He grunted in agreement, stood up, picked up his pillow and the thin blanket, and silently left the bedroom.

The bedroom door closed gently behind him.

Su Ming stood in the living room, looking at the tightly closed door, feeling a sense of inexplicable confusion.

Weren't things fine just a moment ago? Why did you suddenly turn on me?

He sighed, threw the pillow onto the sofa, and lay down.

The bamboo mat felt slightly cool against my skin at first, but it was quickly soaked through by the sweltering heat. There was no air conditioning in the living room, only the old-fashioned fan creaking and turning on the coffee table, blowing out lukewarm air that smelled of heat from the motor. Instead of relieving the heat, it felt like blowing hot air.

Su Ming turned over, staring at the dim light on the ceiling, feeling incredibly regretful.

You idiot, look what happened! Who told you to have such wild thoughts and then say them out loud? Now you don't even have a room to sleep in.

It used to be so comfortable with the air conditioning on! Now, I'm stuck in a sauna in the living room all by myself.

He grew increasingly frustrated, lightly slapped himself, and muttered, "Serves you right for being so talkative! Serves you right for overthinking! You deserve it!"

After berating himself, he stared at the bedroom door for a long time, wondering: Why was his cousin-in-law angry? Was it because he mentioned Jiang Jian? Or because she saw through his little scheme?

I couldn't figure it out after thinking about it for a long time, and finally, feeling hot and tired, I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Su Ming was awakened by the glaring sunlight outside the window.

He sat up abruptly and looked at the clock on the wall—7:35.

"Holy crap! I'm going to be late!"

He hurriedly got up and found the dining table empty and the kitchen silent. His cousin-in-law hadn't gotten up to make breakfast.

Without thinking twice, Su Ming rushed into the bathroom, quickly washed up, put on his clothes, and ran out the door.

"Bang!"

The sound of the door closing echoed in the hallway.

In the bedroom, Qiu Tong had actually been awake for a while.

She lay in bed, listening to the sounds outside. Hearing hurried footsteps and the door open and close, she suddenly sat up.

After hesitating for a second, she jumped off the bed barefoot and ran to the balcony.

She pushed open the balcony window and leaned out to look down.

The morning sunlight was a bit too bright, so she squinted as she searched for that familiar figure in the crowd downstairs.

Soon, she saw him—Su Ming was running out of the apartment building, his left hand still bandaged, making his running a little unsteady, but he was still fast. He ran past the small garden, past the big banyan tree, and quickly disappeared around the street corner.

Qiu Tong stood on the balcony, gazing in the direction he had disappeared, her hand resting on the window frame, a blush rising on her face.

She gently bit her lip and whispered to herself, "My cousin-in-law doesn't want to neglect you... but if this continues, something bad might really happen..."

After saying that, she gave a bitter laugh, shook her head, as if trying to comfort herself: "He's still a child... Am I overthinking things?"

A morning breeze blew, ruffling her long hair. She stood on the balcony for a while before turning back inside and lying down on the bed.

But when she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with images from last night. Su Ming sat on the edge of the bed, his hand on her lower abdomen. His serious expression, his warm palm, and his handsome appearance... well, this guy is indeed quite handsome, and he's got a good physique too, with six-pack abs...

The more she thought about it, the redder she became. She immediately pressed her hand to her chest and shook her head to stop: No, he's still a child, I can't think like that.

She turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and let out a muffled sigh.

Su Ming wasn't in much better shape either. He was walking briskly down the street in the industrial area, still thinking about what happened last night. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off—his cousin-in-law's expression and tone clearly indicated that she was angry.

And she was really angry.

He raised his hand and slapped himself again, muttering under his breath, "Damn it! How could I have such thoughts about my cousin's wife!"

Passersby turned their heads and looked at him as if he were crazy.

Su Ming blushed and quickened his pace.

No way, it's really hard for a lone man and woman to live together every day. At this age, full of youthful vigor, who could resist such a beautiful and sexy cousin-in-law every day?

Or... should I find a girlfriend soon?

But girlfriends aren't so easy to find, are they? Hmm, Yang Tian is nice, but no way, she's an HR lady and so pretty, how could she possibly be interested in him! How about Tian Jing? This girl is a little chubby, chubby is good, chubby is lucky for husbands, they say chubby girls are more comfortable sleeping with men...

"Hey! Su Ming!"

A clear female voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting Su Ming's reverie.

He turned his head and froze. What a stroke of luck! The slightly plump and comfortable Tian Jing wasn't there, but the sexy and beautiful Yang Tian was.