Chapter 40: Avoidance
Su He experienced the most nerve-wracking day since crossing over into this world. Logically, the ones who should know the original Su He best would be her parents, yet under Fu Tinghua's searching gaze, Su He felt as though she had been completely seen through.
To make matters worse, the Fu family kept praising her in front of Fu Tinghua one after another, telling him about how she planted Fire Durian saplings and sold malt candy. Listening from the side, Su He was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl in a hole.
Finally, after dinner, when the family had caught up enough, Su He was ready to take the two children back for their bath and bedtime. Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention to her, she said to Fu Tinghua, "Are you staying here tonight? I'll take Zai Zai and Niu Niu back first."
Fu Tinghua looked at her with surprise, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Aren't you going to ask me to come back with you?"
Su He... Honestly, she really wished she could stay as far away from Fu Tinghua as possible, but that would be out of character.
"I just thought you might not be used to staying there. Besides, mom and dad still keep a room for you here," Su He replied awkwardly.
"I grew up in the countryside. I've lived in places worse than that house—what's there to be unused to? But you—weren't you the one who never wanted to return to the countryside?" Fu Tinghua asked sharply, catching Su He off guard.
"Something happened, and I had to move back. I'll explain it to you when I have time," Su He said vaguely.
"No need to wait. I'll go back with you now," Fu Tinghua said, standing up to say goodbye to the rest of the Fu family.
Su He... She desperately wanted to say no, but she couldn't.
On the way back, Su He said, "Zai Zai and Niu Niu sleep with me now. The room they used to sleep in was too damp."
Hearing this, Fu Tinghua stopped walking and turned to look at Su He. "So?"
Su He realized she really wasn't suited to dealing with people who see too much.
"So, I'll prepare Zai Zai and Niu Niu's room for you later. You can sleep there," Su He said directly.
She had the original Su He's memories—so what if her personality was different? She was Su He now. Even if Fu Tinghua noticed something, she could just play dumb.
Besides, now that she wasn't fawning over him anymore, shouldn't he be happy about it?
Though Su He wasn't fawning over him, Fu Tinghua found her behavior more and more odd. Still, he kept it to himself.
"Mm, fine," Fu Tinghua replied flatly.
But the two children sensed something was off. Niu Niu, straightforward as ever, immediately asked, "Daddy, aren't you sleeping with us?"
Su He felt awkward—these kids really had no filter.
"The bed's too small. Four people can't fit," Su He explained to Niu Niu.
"Our bed is huge! Niu Niu and Gege can roll around and there's still space!" Niu Niu argued.
Su He was about to respond when Fu Tinghua spoke up.
"Listen to your mom."
His tone was gentle, but there was an undeniable firmness in it that made Niu Niu not dare argue further.
Zai Zai glanced between his mom and dad, sensing something strange between them.
When they returned to their own home, Fu Tinghua surveyed the clean front and back yards, as well as the neatly organized house, and his gaze toward Su He became even more intense.
Under his scrutiny, Su He struggled to stay calm.
While heating bathwater for the children, Fu Tinghua stuck close to Su He, helping with every task.
It may look simple, but you have to admit that housework is really tedious.
"You've worked hard," Fu Tinghua suddenly said as they put the kids to bed and tidied up the bathroom.
He had been too prejudiced against Su He before. He had always known how difficult it must have been for her—a woman who used to live comfortably—to raise two children alone.
But he had just not had time. He hadn't deliberately avoided coming home to Su He; he simply didn't have time.
Fu Tinghua was currently the chief surgeon at the People's Hospital where he worked. He was in demand for surgeries, so he truly didn't have spare time.
"It's my job," Su He replied flatly.
Though, regarding their marriage, it was indeed the former Su He's fault.
One could say she had wrecked Fu Tinghua's life.
As a star student and an exceptionally skilled surgeon, even the hospital director had once wanted to set his daughter up with Fu Tinghua. It was clear that, without the former Su He, Fu Tinghua's future would have been bright.
In fact, the former Su He's actions had not only wrecked Fu Tinghua's later years but also her own.
Insisting on marrying someone who didn't love her—now that she possessed the former Su He's memories, she understood what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back.
But in the end, the former Su He had only been into Fu Tinghua for his looks.
Because she had always been heavy and considered herself ugly, she had low self-esteem.
Their only time together had been when the former Su He drugged him.
After that, when she became pregnant, they obviously didn't sleep together again.
Later, after the children were born, Fu Tinghua grew busier and rarely came home. Even when he did, he never stayed the night, so there was no intimacy between them.
Thus, despite being married for so long, they had never actually shared a bed.
It was precisely because of this that the former Su He had gone to her father, asking him to speak to Fu Tinghua.
But how could Su Shiming possibly bring up such a private matter between husband and wife? Su He thought the former Su He must have lost it—even cutting off her own parents over it.
"Hot water's ready. You can shower first. I'll go fix up your bed," Su He said, turning to leave, but Fu Tinghua stopped her.
"I'll do it myself later," Fu Tinghua said.
"Let me handle it. You just got back from the border and must be exhausted," Su He replied before heading off to make the bed, ignoring any further objections.
Watching her walk away, Fu Tinghua's gaze grew complicated.
Fortunately, after accumulating enough points earlier, Su He had traded for spare bedsheets in her space. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any clean sheets for Fu Tinghua now.
New sheets had a distinct smell, so she couldn't give him those—he was sharp and would surely ask questions.
Once the bed was made, Su He finally felt the room looked decent.
The only downside was the poor lighting—the window was too small.
When Fu Tinghua finished showering and drying his hair, he walked toward his room, towel in hand, and ran into Su He, who had just finished making his bed.
"Your bed is ready. You should rest now," Su He said, trying to slip away.
"Wait. Don't you have anything to say to me?" Fu Tinghua raised an eyebrow.
Su He: "...Can't this wait?"