Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”She’s my wife. Why can’t I lean on her shoulder?” Jie Jingchen shot her a hostile glance, a menacing aura seeping from him. ”Get lost. Go cool off somewhere else.”

Xu Jiali was a little intimidated by Jie Jingchen. Normally, she would have kept her distance, but right now, she stared straight at him. ”It’s coolest next to Xiao Mei, so I’m staying right here with her.”

Xu Jiali tried to pull Jie Jingchen away, but she was no match for his strength. Gritting her teeth, she moved past him, sat down on Qin Mei’s left, and affectionately looped her arm through Qin Mei’s, resting her head on her shoulder.

Qin Mei was now a human sandwich, with Jie Jingchen leaning on her right and Xu Jiali on her left. ’Why do they both have to lean on me?’

”Xu Jiali, get away from my wife.” Jie Jingchen shoved the head resting on Qin Mei’s shoulder away.

”Jie Jingchen, I’m your elder! Have you forgotten all about respecting your elders? What a waste of an education!” Xu Jiali planted her hands on her hips, glaring furiously at Jie Jingchen.

”Meimei, let’s go back to our room.” Not wanting to deal with Xu Jiali, Jie Jingchen pulled Qin Mei to her feet.

”Xiao Mei, wait for me!” Not to be outdone, Xu Jiali scrambled up to follow, ignoring Jie Jingchen’s murderous glare as she linked her arm through Qin Mei’s again.

”We are going back to *our* room,” Jie Jingchen said, each word laced with ice. His eyes were dark and sinister.

’Xu Jiali was completely clueless, brazenly trying to steal my wife right in front of me. Even Jing Qi, who also likes to cling to Qin Mei, knows to back off when I’m around. But Xu Jiali has no sense of restraint at all.’

”I’ll go back to the room with you guys,” Xu Jiali said.

Jie Jingchen gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to kill her. ”We’re going back to our room. What are *you* following us for?”

”To chat,” Xu Jiali blurted out. Then, after a moment’s thought, she added, ”To learn acupuncture.”

”You’re too stupid to learn.” Jie Jingchen pried Xu Jiali’s hand off Qin Mei’s arm and gave her another shove.

Xu Jiali staggered back a few steps before catching her balance. She glared at Jie Jingchen, his push awakening her rebellious streak. ”I’ll learn it whether I’m capable or not!”

Qin Mei poked Jie Jingchen in the waist and whispered a reminder, ”She’s still your aunt, you know.”

Jie Jingchen caught the small hand poking his waist, his gaze softening considerably as he looked at her. ”Let’s go back to our room.”

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’It is getting late, so it’s probably time to go to bed.’

”Xiao Mei, it’s still early! Let me take you to—”

”Xu Jiali!” Jie Jingchen roared, his bewitching face contorting with rage.

Mrs. Xie and her father stopped their argument. Her mother, who had been trying to mediate between the two, also jolted in surprise. All three of them turned to look.

Xu Jiali flinched. ’Looks like I really pushed him over the edge.’

Qin Mei also jolted in fright. She looked up, stealing a glance at Jie Jingchen. His expression was terrifyingly cold, and furious flames danced in his amber eyes.

”Jie Jingsi,” Qin Mei said, her voice soft and gentle.

Qin Mei’s voice was enough to extinguish his sinister rage. He lowered his gaze to her face and gave a helpless smile, his eyes instantly filling with deep, tender affection.

Jie Jingchen raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair. ”Sorry,” he said softly. ”I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Qin Mei said nothing, her gaze shifting to Xu Jiali. The other woman had her head bowed, looking cowed. ’It seems she’s the one who was really scared by Jie Jingchen.’

Her grandfather and grandmother wouldn’t interfere in the younger generation’s squabbles. Mrs. Xie wanted to step in, but her mother stopped her.

Xu Jiali muttered sullenly, ”Why go back to your room so early?”

Xu Jiali was a night owl. When she was really letting loose, she’d stay out all night. After she graduated from college, her grandparents weren’t very strict with her. As long as they knew she was safe, they didn’t care if she came home to sleep.

”Make a baby.” Jie Jingchen tossed out the three words arrogantly. Ignoring a stunned Qin Mei, he wrapped an arm around her and led her upstairs.

Make a baby? Mrs. Xie and her mother exchanged a stunned look.

Xu Jiali lifted her head and yelled at Jie Jingchen’s retreating back, ”As if making a baby is some big deal! You just wait, I’ll definitely get pregnant before Xiao Mei does!”

Jie Jingchen ignored her. Qin Mei turned her head, wanting to remind Xu Jiali that getting pregnant out of wedlock was a bad idea. ”Auntie—”

”Ignore her,” Jie Jingchen cut in.

”Jie Jingsi, having a baby isn’t a game,” Qin Mei reminded him. Knowing Xu Jiali’s personality, she was fully capable of doing something that demeaning just to spite him.

”Her grandparents usually let her run wild and don’t interfere, but she knows the limits. She wouldn’t dare cross their bottom line,” Jie Jingchen said, his voice flat.

Qin Mei froze for a moment, and then it dawned on her. She tapped her forehead. ’How could I have forgotten about her grandparents?’