Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 116: Mischievous Demon King

The conversation drifted aimlessly, eventually turning to her mother, family matters, and memories from her childhood.

These old stories brought a pang of bitterness to Fei Jin’s heart, and his chest tightened.

He felt both pained for her and unwilling to see her suffer, so he subconsciously tightened his arms, holding her securely in his embrace.

He whispered, "Qingya, you don’t have to force yourself to deal with things you don’t want to face."

"I know."

After she spoke, she looked up at him seriously and nodded.

"I came home this time to make a clean break."

She couldn’t let her parents and her brother, Yaozu, take advantage of her for nothing.

A smile still played on her lips.

"Ajin, don’t worry. From now on, neither of us will let ourselves be taken advantage of in the slightest. We really won’t."

Fei Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

「A good while later.」

In the darkness, the light suddenly flickered on for a moment.

Song Qingya was now sitting by the bathroom sink.

She had her head down, wiping her hands with a warm, damp towel, her cheeks still faintly flushed.

Even the skin behind her ears was flushed.

After their intimate moments, the bond between them seemed to have deepened.

Not long after lying down, just as she was closing her eyes and about to drift off to sleep, she let out an inadvertent, "Ah!"

Fei Jin shot up almost as a reflex, propping himself up and leaning over to look at the side of her face.

"What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable? Does it hurt somewhere?"

"It’s nothing, don’t be so nervous. I think I was just in an awkward position, kind of curled up."

Song Qingya smiled gently, her eyes holding a reassuring look as she spoke.

"See? I think the baby just kicked me. Come and feel."

"Really?"

The moment he heard that, an excited expression lit up his face.

He carefully placed his palm on her belly.

"Do you feel it?"

She asked, tilting her head.

"It really is moving. Quite the active little one."

Song Qingya gently placed her hand on her slightly showing lower abdomen.

She turned her head to look at Fei Jin, a faint smile on her face.

"Being lively is a good thing, but it always picks when I’m trying to sleep to bother me. This little one is definitely going to be a rascal. I’m in for it in the future."

"A little rowdiness is fine. That’s just how kids are."

Fei Jin moved a little closer, resting his hand on her shoulder and gazing at her with gentle eyes.

His tone was soft.

"So you’d like it even if we have a little terror?"

Song Qingya looked up at him, the corners of her lips turning up.

"You know I usually can’t stand kids who can’t sit still for a second."

"Yes. I’d love that."

Fei Jin answered without a shred of hesitation.

He then added,

"No matter whose child it is. As long as it’s yours, I will love it from the bottom of my heart."

"No, no! Take that back! I meant that I want a smart and cute baby, definitely not a little troublemaker! That doesn’t count!"

She pouted in dissatisfaction, but her eyes were filled with joy, and a blush colored her cheeks.

Seeing her petulant yet charming expression, Fei Jin’s eyes crinkled with a smile as his gaze fell upon her lips.

Those lips were still slightly swollen from their recent kisses.

He felt another urge to kiss her.

He suppressed the restless feelings stirring in his heart.

Song Qingya was chattering on about her dreams for the child, painting all sorts of beautiful pictures of the future.

Her lips were captured in a kiss again, and she once more found herself in a tender embrace.

She froze for a moment, then let out a soft hum and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mm... be gentle. The walls in this house are thin."

She murmured, pulling back a little shyly as a blush rose on her face.

"I know what I’m doing."

Fei Jin whispered close to her ear.

While some were happy, others were naturally upset.

「In another room in the same house.」

An oil lamp was still lit, its dim yellow light casting flickering shadows of people on the wall.

The few people in the room hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully all night.

They waved large, heavy cattail fans back and forth, trying to dispel the sweltering air.

But even so, they were covered in sweat from the heat, feeling damp and sticky all over.

Sun Zhenhai had hardly ever truly suffered a day in his life.

He had always been the spoiled child of the family.

But today, this dissatisfaction finally erupted completely.

He suddenly raised his hand and violently threw the fan he’d been gently waving to the side with a loud THWACK.

"I’ve really had enough!"

He practically roared.

"First, you made me give my only room with an electric light to Song Qingya, and I could barely tolerate that! But now? You’ve even moved the fan from my room for her to use!"

His voice had become strained.

"And now you want to take the money I need to get married and give it to that woman? On what grounds? Dad, Mom, what the hell is wrong with you? Has your brain turned to mush, or are you just completely senile?!"

The room fell silent for a moment.

"We’re not crazy."

His father, Sun Qiang, finally spoke in a low voice.

"Do you think I’m happy about this?"

"Do you think I enjoy having to grovel and scrape and put on a fake smile every day? Your mother and I are doing this for your sake! If you had any ability of your own, if you went out and found a decent job, did something respectable, and brought a girlfriend home for us to meet... would we be going through all this trouble and worrying about this every single day?"

Sun Zhenhai was stunned for a moment, unable to speak.

And just then, his mother, Yang Yunhua, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

"Have you guys noticed... since Qingya came back to Liuchang Town, she’s been a completely different person."

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.

She looked at the two men before her, her gaze gradually turning grave.

"Do you think... maybe she’s not the same person she was before? Could it be... could some unclean thing have possessed her? The Qingya we have now... is she really my daughter?"

"Woman, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Sun Qiang looked at Yang Yunhua, his eyes filled with displeasure.

"Mom, how can you say something like that? It’s one thing to say it among ourselves, but if outsiders hear you talking about superstitions, our family’s reputation will be ruined. How am I supposed to join the army then?"

’If people really started calling us superstitious, not only would I not be able to join the army, we wouldn’t be able to show our faces in the village.’

They had never considered such a possibility.

Although there had been a strange atmosphere in the house, they had never paid it any mind.

Yang Yunhua quickly covered her mouth and said regretfully, "It’s my fault, all my fault... It’s just that the girl has gotten so sharp-tongued lately, I can’t help but let my imagination run wild."

As she spoke, she shook her head repeatedly, a flash of alarm in her eyes.

’If Song Qingya’s way of speaking hadn’t changed so much recently, I wouldn’t have blurted something like that out.’

"Alright, enough of this idle chatter."

Sun Qiang cut Yang Yunhua off, his expression growing darker. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He knew this was no time for wild speculation.

The most important thing right now was to deal with the matter of the bride price.

"He said he’d scrape the bride price money together by tomorrow. He’s not really going to give it to them, is he?"

"And what choice do we have?"

Sun Qiang snorted coldly.