Lin Zhixia felt even more touched by Mother Xie’s kindness.

As a result, Mother Xie kept picking out the meatiest chicken pieces and placing them into Lin Zhixia’s bowl. She moved so quickly that Lin Zhixia didn’t even have time to stop her.

What had originally been a bowl with only a drumstick and plenty of empty space was soon piled high with chicken until there wasn’t a single gap left.

In contrast, the large pot of chicken on the table, which had originally been full, was now reduced to less than half. Most of what remained were bony carcass pieces, chicken necks, blood curd, and giblets.

Lin Zhixia couldn’t help but laugh.

The reason she had given one of the drumsticks to Xie Qingshu wasn’t just because she had seen the younger girl’s tearful expression.

More importantly, she didn’t actually like drumsticks very much. The meat was thick, making it difficult for the flavor to penetrate, so she found it rather bland.

Just as she was about to move some chicken out of her bowl, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached over from her left and placed two chicken wings into it.

Looking up, she met Xie Qingshu’s awkward expression.

Apparently not expecting Lin Zhixia to look at her, Xie Qingshu immediately lowered her head and muttered proudly,

“H-Here. You can have them.”

Lin Zhixia fell silent.

Looking at the mountain of chicken piled in her bowl, then at the Xie family members quietly eating the bony scraps, giblets, and blood curd left in their own bowls, a wave of warmth flooded her heart.

The fear and uneasiness she had carried ever since arriving in this unfamiliar world finally began to fade.

At that moment, Lin Zhixia suddenly felt like crying.

Her heart wasn’t made of stone.

Over the past two days, she had clearly felt the Xie family’s kindness.

They had set aside past grievances and tried to find a way for her to remain in the city.

They had trusted her completely and handed over all the family’s remaining money and ration coupons.

Whenever there was something good to eat, they always prioritized her.

And in front of outsiders, they defended her without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, her eyes reddening, Lin Zhixia divided up the chicken in her bowl.

Mother Xie.

Father Xie.

Xie Jingheng.

Xie Qingshu.

No one was left out.

In the end, everyone had roughly the same amount of chicken in their bowl.

“Zhixia, you don’t need to give us any. Eat it yourself,” Mother Xie protested. “There’s still food in the pot. We’ll eat that.”

Smiling, Lin Zhixia replied,

“Mom, you made so many delicious dishes today. I want to try the others too.”

“Then eat the chicken first and the rest afterward,” Mother Xie insisted, guarding her bowl to stop Lin Zhixia from adding more chicken to it.

Looking helpless, Lin Zhixia said,

“Mom, do you think my stomach is a bottomless pit? If I eat all this, I’ll be too full to sleep tonight.”

“Please help me out and finish some of it for me.”

Since Mother Xie was sitting on her right, Lin Zhixia grabbed her arm and spoke in a spoiled, affectionate tone.

Taking advantage of the distraction, she quickly transferred more chicken into Mother Xie’s bowl.

“You child.”

Mother Xie smiled helplessly.

Yet inside, her heart felt warmer than ever.

Silently, she made up her mind to treat Lin Zhixia even better in the future.

Throughout the meal, Xie Jingheng quietly observed everything Lin Zhixia did.

Under the table, his left hand tightened into a fist.

A trace of guilt rose in his heart.

Compared to her obedient and considerate behavior, he much preferred the carefree smile she usually wore.

He found himself thinking about ways to earn money once they moved to the countryside.

At the very least, he wanted Lin Zhixia to be able to eat whatever she wanted.

Because she was in the late stages of pregnancy, Lin Zhixia had to get up several times every night to use the bathroom.

Usually, the moment she started to sit up, Xie Jingheng would get out of bed first and turn on the light.

After she returned and climbed back into bed, he would get up again and switch it off.

Tonight, however, she had drunk too much water.

Only about an hour after falling asleep, she woke up with an urgent need to use the bathroom.

Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up.

After waiting for a moment, she realized Xie Jingheng hadn’t gotten up to turn on the light.

Feeling around in the darkness, she prepared to climb out of bed herself.

Worried about stepping on him, she reached toward where he usually slept so she could avoid him.

But her hand met empty bedding.

Xie Jingheng wasn’t in bed.

At this hour, where could he have gone?

Still half asleep and too tired to think much about it, Lin Zhixia yawned, carefully made her way to the edge of the bed, turned on the light, and slowly headed toward the bathroom while supporting her belly.

She switched on lights as she went.

When she reached the bathroom, the door was slightly ajar and the light inside was already on.

Thinking she must have forgotten to turn it off before bed, she casually pushed the door open.

“Ah!”

The moment she saw what was inside, she froze.

All traces of sleep vanished instantly.

Under the bright bathroom light, Xie Jingheng stood there completely naked, breathing heavily as beads of sweat rolled down his body.

They slid from his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, across his collarbones, over his broad chest and well-defined abdominal muscles…

Lin Zhixia’s eyes widened.

Without meaning to, her gaze swept from head to toe, taking in every detail.

Only when she met his dark eyes did she finally snap back to reality.

Immediately, she stepped backward and stammered,

“I—I didn’t know you were in here. Y-you can continue. I’ll go back to the room.”

But before she could escape, a hot hand suddenly gripped her arm.

The next instant, the world spun.

She found herself pressed against the cold, damp bathroom tiles.

“Hiss! That’s cold!”

Her voice came out soft and breathless.

Xie Jingheng’s breathing grew even heavier.

Then he moved closer, pressing his body against hers.

Just as she was about to struggle, she suddenly froze.

At the same time, he lowered his head against her neck.

His hot breath brushed repeatedly against her sensitive ear.

Startled back to her senses, Lin Zhixia asked in panic,

“W-What are you doing?”

“It feels awful… Help me, alright?”

As he spoke, Xie Jingheng raised his head.

In his dark eyes was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of yearning.

His black hair was completely soaked with sweat, plastered against his scalp.

The small beauty mark near the corner of his eye stood out clearly.

He looked almost like a seductive spirit emerging from the darkness.

Exactly her type.

Lin Zhixia swallowed nervously.

Should she help him?

Her gaze began drifting downward on its own.

Her heart pounded loudly from nervousness.

Just as—

Knock. Knock.

A worried voice came from outside the bathroom.

“Zhixia, are you alright?”

Mother Xie had been awakened by Lin Zhixia’s earlier cry.

The sudden interruption startled Lin Zhixia.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Xie Jingheng, clutching tightly at his waist.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and tried to sound calm.

“Mom, I’m fine…”

Then she suddenly sucked in a breath.

Lowering her head in disbelief, she remembered that Mother Xie was still standing outside.

Yet he actually dared to… dared to…!