A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Cheng Tianxun gave her an envelope.

He opened it, and inside was a check for 100,000 silver dollars.

A decent mansion, less than four thousand dollars, including the land.

Therefore, when he gave Qin Yan 100,000 silver dollars last time, Qin Yan felt that she could never spend it all in her lifetime, and she really didn't have that much energy to spend money.

Truly expensive items are priceless and unavailable for purchase. Unless you're a spoiled brat like Xiang Linchuan, who knows about the various "black markets."

He gave her another one.

Qin Yan retorted, "I don't need it!"

"As pocket money."

"Even if you give it to my cousin, it will take him a long time to spend it all. If you give it to me, I can't afford it. I gave him 100,000 silver dollars last time," Qin Yan said.

He added, "Your garrison and army both require money; new weapons are expensive. You also have many trusted men to support; money can buy people's hearts."

"I have my own plans for buying weapons and winning hearts and minds. This is for my wife," Cheng Tianxun said.

He added, "I'm also buying your heart. Qin Yan, you were very angry yesterday. You wouldn't have acted unless you were extremely angry. You were also afraid."

Qin Yan: "..."

"That little thing is nothing but a trinket; it can't quell the anger and fear in your heart," Cheng Tianxun added. "This money is your protection. If you get angry, use it to hire a few top assassins to kill me."

He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and gently kissed it. "Don't get your hands dirty."

Qin Yan: "..."

He placed the check in her other hand, gently wrapped it up, and said, "Keep it safe."

"It was wrong of me to resort to violence."

"You had a legitimate reason for attacking; I provoked them first. In war, whoever provokes it is responsible," Cheng Tianxun said.

Qin Yan had many options to respond to.

But she could hear the genuine apology in Cheng Tianxun's words.

He felt very guilty.

He feared that a rift might form between him and Qin Yan. Perhaps in his heart, Qin Yan was a particularly cold and indifferent woman, and her anger couldn't be dispelled by minor squabbles.

He needs to give more.

Qin Yan accepted his offer of peace: "Alright, thank you."

Cheng Tianxun hugged her shoulders tightly.

He seemed to want to kiss her, but he held back.

The plan was to go out for Ningbo cuisine that day to make up for missing the day before, but the military governor's adjutant arrived in the late afternoon.

Cheng Tianxun immediately went up to the third floor.

This might be related to the time of departure for the patrol, which is top secret, so Qin Yan didn't ask.

I probably won't be able to go out for dinner today; I'm breaking my promise again.

She knew he was leaving in a couple of days. After Cheng Tianxun went upstairs, he called a few of his trusted men, but he didn't eat dinner.

When the time came, Qin Yan ate first.

Just after 7 p.m., Qin Yan finished her dinner, took a short walk on the path near the entrance, and returned. Cheng Tianxun, dressed neatly, came downstairs and said to Qin Yan, "I'm going out for a bit."

Qin Yan was slightly taken aback.

After a moment of stunned silence, she realized that it was time to depart.

"Okay," Qin Yan said, "I'm going upstairs to sleep now, I won't wait for you."

Cheng Tianxun nodded.

The couple passed each other on the stairs. Cheng Tianxun suddenly raised his hand and touched her hair; Qin Yan noticed that one of the buttons on his shirt was not fastened properly.

She said, "I'll fix it for you."

She buttoned his coat back up.

The lights on the stairs were dim. Qin Yan looked up slightly and saw his bright and tender eyes. She thought he was going to kiss her.

She didn't dodge.

Cheng Tianxun simply patted her shoulder and said, "You should get some rest."

He strode away.

Qin Yan didn't sleep much that night.

Her cold had subsided, her lower abdomen was no longer aching, and the bed was quite warm, but she unexpectedly suffered from insomnia—probably because she had slept too long during her midday nap.

She recalled the scene on the stairs.

She felt that Cheng Tianxun wanted to kiss her.

She straightened his clothes, her hand gently brushing across his chest. His eyes darkened, and his breathing became heavier.

Perhaps the two had just made up after a fight, and he didn't want to upset Qin Yan, so he held back.

The maids downstairs and the adjutants at the door were all there, and the two of them stood in a conspicuous place; Qin Yan was also a person who "clearly distinguished between right and wrong," and did not like excessive intimacy outside the master bedroom.

He probably considered so many things in a moment before giving up the idea of ​​kissing her.

"Actually, I should kiss him," Qin Yan thought.

She knew what he was thinking at the time, and she didn't mind.

She could first suggest that their relationship could cross some boundaries, since they are already quite familiar with each other.

"What about Cheng Tianxun? Does he actually not want to take things further?"

Last time, he forgot Qin Yan's name. After Qin Yan got angry, he made it clear when he apologized that the two of them should stay where they were and not move, continuing to be perfunctory about this marriage.

Once you leave the bedroom, avoid getting into any complicated entanglements.

It hasn't been long since the last time.

"But politics are always changing, and today's newspapers can't be exactly the same as they were half a month ago. People are probably even more changeable," Qin Yan thought again.

Is Cheng Tianxun still thinking the same as he did a few months ago?

If the two people have a good relationship, Qin Yan can ask him, and it won't matter even if he's wrong.

Unfortunately, every few days something would happen between them, causing their hard-won relationship to deteriorate considerably.

"Marriage seems to be quite complicated."

Getting along with people is not simple in itself and requires great wisdom.

These thoughts became clearer and clearer in her mind the more she thought about them.

Qin Yan was surprised to find that the bed felt a little empty and a little too big, and the room was unusually quiet.

The last time Cheng Tianxun left, she didn't feel this way. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, feeling much lighter.

Qin Yan only slept for three hours that day. When it was dawn, she got up and washed up.

When she arrived at the newspaper office, Ling Manyun immediately came over: "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better."

"Your face is very pale," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yan took out her lipstick: "I didn't sleep well, I'm going to touch up my makeup."

Qin Yan was busy in the morning and wanted to drink coffee.

During her lunch break, Ling Manyun also had time to talk to Qin Yan about work.

Recent abnormal fluctuations in bond and gold prices have prompted the public to wait for newspapers to speculate on the reasons, with each newspaper's editor racking their brains to obtain inside information.

Qin Yan is the most likely person to know the inside story.

"Is the decree on disarmament in the North about to be telegraphed to the whole country soon?" Ling Manyun asked.

Qin Yan: "Wouldn't sending a telegram just give the south an excuse to attack across the Yangtze River? Joint military training is a statement that we will never agree to troop reductions."

"What's the point of peace talks if there's no disarmament? If the North wants to restore its rule, does it want to be a local emperor? Of course, an emperor needs to unify the whole country to have prestige," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yan then said, "This is the reason for the fluctuations in bond and gold prices."

"No wonder several large bond companies absconded with the money before the Lunar New Year; they knew a lot of inside information," Ling Manyun said.

When they got to this point in their conversation, they inevitably started talking about the Du family.

"The Nancheng Daily has hardly any fresh content lately, and its sales have dropped again," Ling Manyun said. "I heard that Du Zhuojun is cursing you everywhere, saying that you ruined her and attacked her newspaper."

Where did you hear that from?

"Lin Zi called and told me," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yan: "..."

Du Zhuojun's newspaper is in a more serious predicament than Qin Yan imagined.

Qin Yan thought she could hold on for half a year, but who knew that in less than two months, she would be in danger of ceasing publication.

"Where's Qi Sheng? Didn't he publish any articles this time?" Qin Yan asked.

Ling Manyun: "It seems he resigned."

Qin Yan was unaware of this matter.

Why did you resign?