Marriage Concerto (Small Thing Called Love) Chapter 40

LOL that Popeye reference thooo. I wonder if kids these days still know who he is.

Translator: pwip

Chapter 40: I will take responsibility for you

In that split second, Ding Meng suddenly erupted with superhuman strength, just like Popeye after eating spinach. She lifted up her knee and smacked Qiao Yichen right in the stomach.

"Oof!" Qiao Yichen let out a m.u.f.fled groan before collapsing by Ding Meng on the couch as if he had used up the last of what little energy he had.

After surviving the ordeal, Ding Meng took several big gulps of air and pushed aside the person who was laying on top of her.

Qiao Yichen's eyes were shut tightly, and he didn't show any signs of waking up. Ding Meng climbed off the couch and straightened her clothing. Fortunately, she had put on a jacket when she had come out. Otherwise, wouldn't he have seen everything just now?!

…Although he hadn't seen anything, it seemed like everywhere worth touching had been touched.

Ding Meng's anger didn't abate easily. At first, she wanted to kick him a bit, but ultimately she reached a hand out to feel the temperature of his forehead.

It was still very warm.

She went to get some ice from the kitchen to made a simple ice pack and placed it on his forehead. Then, she went into his room to bring out his blanket and laid it over him.

She didn't have the strength to move a man who was a hundred eighty something centimeters back into his room. She would have to let him suffer a bit and sleep on the couch tonight.

After completing her arrangements, Ding Meng was also exhausted and couldn't wait to return to her room to sleep. Who would have imagined that right when she stood up, she realized that Qiao Yichen had tenaciously grabbed onto her sleeve at some point.

Ding Meng, "…"

She looked down and stared at the sleeping Qiao Yichen for a moment. Then, she skillfully slipped out of the jacket she was wearing over her pajamas.

Since he liked sleeves so much, she would leave the entire jacket for him.

She was really too kind and generous.

Wearing a strappy nightgown, she quickly ran back to her room, making sure to lock the door.

Since Qiao Yichen was feverish, she didn't dare fall asleep too deeply. Halfway through the night, she even got up to change his ice pack. When she saw that his temperature had pretty much fallen back down, she was finally able to sleep peacefully through the rest of her night.

The next morning, Qiao Yichen was the first to wake up.

As he dazedly realized that he had fallen asleep on the living room couch, he casually lifted his hand to realize that he was holding onto Ding Meng's jacket.

Qiao Yichen, "…"

Hold on, don't panic! Think carefully about what happened last night!

He remembered that last afternoon, he had felt very unwell after getting soaked in the rain. However, he had been been determined to complete the master recording so he hadn't paid it much attention. He had returned home very late last night, and it seemed like he had chatted with Ding Meng for a moment, but what about after that?

The image of him calling Ding Meng wifey and pressing her down on the couch to forcefully kiss her flashed through his mind.

Qiao Yichen, "…"

Had he actually been such a beast and done *that* with Ding Meng…

No way! How could he have done something so shameless?!

…Although, he was a pretty shameless person.

Knowing how shameless he could be, Qiao Yichen began to panic for real this time. If he had actually done something to DIng Meng last night…then he wouldn't be lying here right now in one piece.

But the jacket in his hands…

To fill in the blanks, his mind had already concocted an image of himself forcefully tearing open Ding Meng's clothes.

With a fiercely beating heart, Qiao Yichen willed himself to calm down and walk over to knock on DIng Meng's door.

No signs of movement came from inside. Qiao Yichen panicked again. Had she already packed up her things and left? It would be normal for someone to pack up and leave after something like that happened…no! Don't jump to conclusions so quickly! If something had actually happened, how could he not be able to tell at all?!

Was it because the fever had dulled his senses?

Wasn't that a little too unfortunate…

No! What are you thinking, Qiao Yichen!

Qiao Yichen felt like he was going insane.

He knocked on Ding Meng's door again. If there were still no signs of movement, he was ready to enter forcefully.

This time, some movement finally stirred within. Qiao Yichen rejoiced and let out a breath of relief. The sound of slippers clapping on the floor gradually approached the door, and the door opened with a click.

Ding Meng was wearing her nightgown, and her long black hair fell rather chaotically over her body. She looked rather dispirited and downcast.

Qiao Yichen had just relaxed, but now he became nervous again. Had he ravaged her into…this sort of an appearance last night?

He didn't dare imagine.

"You…" He searched for the words, but was too embarra.s.sed to bring up his indecent crimes, "Last night…"

"Don't even mention last night to me!" As she said that, she felt like exploding.

Qiao Yichen, "…"

He was finished. Something had definitely happened for her to have such an intense reaction.

Ding Meng noticed that he was holding her jacket in his hand and s.n.a.t.c.hed it back, "Shameless!"

Qiao Yichen, "…"

So he really had torn her clothes open!!

He had always believed that he was good at suppressing that side of him, but that was unexpectedly not the case.

"I'm sorry…" Aside from apologizing, he didn't know what else to say. He was actually really curious about how far they had gone, but if he straightforwardly asked "Last night, was I unable to stop myself from doing it with you?", wouldn't he be killed on the spot?"

How could he tactfully ask this question?

After thinking for a long time, he said one line, "I will take responsibility for you."

Ding Meng, "…"

Take responsibility my a.s.s! He wishes!

"Who cares if you take responsibility?!" Ding Meng stepped back and slammed the door shut.

Only then did Qiao Yichen realize that her voice sounded a little hoa.r.s.e. Could it be that last night was too intense…?

He felt like kneeling down in the middle of the hallway.

"We've already reached this stage. I'm not a man if I don't take responsibility!" He began to persistently knock on Ding Meng's door again.

Ding Meng changed and washed her face. Finally, she couldn't deal with his knocking anymore, "Why don't you go become a monk? Everyday you can knock on wooden fish to your heart's content!"

Through the door, Qiao Yichen responded, "I have a wife to hold. Wouldn't I be a fool to I run off to be a monk?"

Ding Meng, "…"

She suddenly opened the door and stared at Qiao Yichen, "How could you be this shameless!"

After pa.s.sing through his initial stages of panic, Qiao Yichen had already calmed down a bit. If they had really slept together, then he would definitely not agree to divorcing Ding Meng. Since things had turned out like this, they might as well get a head start on acting like a normal husband and wife towards each other, "I said that, since we're already reached this stage, I'll definitely take responsibility."

Ding Meng blew up, "What is this stage you're talking about?"

Qiao Yichen muttered to himself for a bit and his ears became red, "That is…the crossing of physical boundaries."

Ding Meng, "…"

She recalled that deep and pa.s.sionate French kiss from last night and her face immediately flushed, "You…"

Profanities were already incapable of describing her current emotions, so she raised her foot and ruthlessly kicked Qiao Yichen in the stomach.

Qiao Yichen covered his stomach with both his hands and slowly crouched down in the hallway.

Even though he had suffered a kick, she still hadn't denied anything. It looked like last night the two of them had really tangled on the couch?

The two finished their breakfasts while immersed in their own thoughts and then left for work separately.

In Qiao Yichen's opinion, since he had already confirmed their status, he didn't want to continue sneaking around and hiding their relations.h.i.+p. However, when he thought of how Ding Meng's singing career had only just began, he realized this wasn't a good time to announce their marriage. Therefore, he could only endure silently.

Today, Ding Meng needed to record the guitar version of You Wanted to Break Up Today, and in the afternoon she was scheduled to film the MV for I'm Here. Her workday was packed, but Ding Meng wasn't feeling too great.

She had started to feel dizzy right after getting out of bed and her throat wasn't feeling very comfortable. She suspected that she might have caught a cold from Qiao Yichen, but work was so busy. Right now she couldn't ask for leave so she had no other options but to work through it.

When Qiao Yichen arrived at the recording studio, he was still contemplating about what really happened last night.

"If a man and a woman slept together, is it possible to not feel anything at all"

"Pu——!" The sound technician Qiao Yichen had asked was taken by surprise and he sprayed out the soymilk that had just entered his mouth.

Qiao Yichen swept a glance across the equipment. Nice, such skillful spraying. Not a single drop landed on the equipment.

The sound technician coughed a couple times before regaining his breath. He lifted his head and gave Qiao Yichen a complicated look, "Great Qiao, what did you say just now?"

Qiao Yichen spoke, "Even if that man wasn't completely conscious, it's not possible that he wouldn't be able to feel anything at all right?"

The sound technician, "…"

Apparently, he hadn't misheard just now. Qiao dada was really asking him earnestly about BDSM.

However, they were both men. Even though he had never discussed this sort of topic with the seemingly abstinent Qiao Yichen before, he had often talked about this with other people in private. He didn't even need to think before responding, "It's impossible to not feel anything at all."

Qiao Yichen nodded, "I thought that as well."

The sound technician's desire to gossip had been completely ignited, "Great Qiao, don't tell me you…"

Qiao Yichen shot him a look and the sound technician sighed as he continued drinking his soy milk.

Qiao Yichen continued to a.n.a.lyze the case. Aside from the fact that he hadn't felt anything at all, there were still many questionable aspects about the matter. For example, who had cleaned up the scene?

It's not as if Ding Meng would have cleaned up after he had….her.

"Qiao dada, Ding Meng just fainted. Manager Jiang asked me to come and tell you that recording will have to be postponed."

The voice of Jiang Man's a.s.sistant interrupted Qiao Yichen's train of thought. He immediately furrowed his eyebrows and walked out, "What happened to Ding Meng?"

"She has a fever, and she's still in a daze right now. Manager Jiang is really angry."

Qiao Yichen's eyebrows furrowed even more tightly. Jiang Man was such a workaholic. She would definitely think that Ding Meng was causing work delays by getting a fever at this time. He quickly walked over to Jiang Man's office where Ding Meng was currently sleeping.

Qiao Yichen walked over and felt her forehead. It was very hot. He looked up at Jiang Man, "Have you given her medicine yet?"

"I gave her fever reducing medicine." Jiang Man's mood was indeed poor. The release date of the new song was fast approaching. Ding Meng's illness would cause delays. "I knew something was wrong with her voice when she came today. How will she record songs with this voice? Rookies are all like this. They don't understand that taking care of themselves is also one of their job responsibilities."

Qiao Yichen spoke, "Then we'll shoot the MV first. We can wait for her to recuperate before recording the song. In any case, that song can be recorded in a morning's time."

Jiang Man laughed as she glanced at him, "Just a morning? Those are your words, Great Producer Qiao."

"Yeah, those are my words." Qiao Yichen picked Ding Meng up from the couch and walked out. Jiang Man stood up from her chair, "What are you doing?"

Qiao Yichen replied, "I'm going to put her in my office so she doesn't get in your way."