She knew how valuable those things were in this era.
This man valued her deeply. A man like this—if she didn't make him hers, it would only show her incompetence.
She leaned against his arm, stood on tiptoe.
Her soft hand rested on Wade's chest.
She caught the scent she liked from his body.
With eyes full of emotion, she gave him a heavy, messy kiss on the cheek.
To cover her awkwardness, she said in a loud, confident voice:
"Wade, thank you. That kiss was your reward. From now on, you'll be my man."
Wade stared blankly at her, half-holding Veera in his arms.
His heart burst with joy, and now, he was covered in her scent.
And her words—be her man.
That sentence.
It surrounded him, trapped him, and he didn't want to break free.
"Really?"
There seemed to be starlight in the man's eyes, her words exciting his racing heart.
"Of course it's real. A gentleman's word cannot be taken back."
The beautiful woman raised her hand solemnly, afraid he wouldn't believe her.
She worried that if she hesitated, her long-term meal ticket would slip away.
"Then I'll take it seriously."
The man quietly looked at her. At that moment, his heart finally settled.
Even though the words weren't dripping with romance.
He took them to heart.
Wade's throat moved slightly as he swallowed hard.
He didn't want anything else now. He lowered his head, eyes fixed on the red lips he dreamed about day and night.
He wanted to kiss them, taste their sweetness.
"You better mean it."
As she spoke, her beautiful peach blossom eyes locked onto his.
Those eyes were innocent and bright, without a trace of affection—she didn't love him.
All that talk about him being her man—it was just to trick him.
The spark in Wade's heart extinguished in an instant.
He remembered those fearful eyes from before.
That fear came from deep within her.
Now he didn't dare take the gamble. He was afraid of rejection.
She must have been too hungry earlier. Not thinking clearly. This wasn't really what she wanted.
Just a moment of madness.
She was already his wife. He had patience.
One day, he would make her willingly be with him.
With her heart and eyes only for him.
"Wife, hearing you say that makes me really happy."
Wade stepped back slightly but couldn't resist reaching out. Even if Veera was only pretending, he was still happy.
He gently patted her soft hair, then quickly withdrew his hand in case she didn't like it.
Veera also took a step back, putting some distance between them.
Was he flirting with her just now?
"That's all it takes to make you happy? You should ask for more."
Veera thought, You could've kissed me back.
She waited.
Veera's beautiful eyes were full of confusion. Why didn't he kiss her?
She had no experience with this. What was the proper sequence? What would feel nice? She didn't dare make a move.
If it didn't feel good, it might ruin their harmony.
Now she regretted not studying more about this before.
"I'll never ask anything from my wife. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."
Wade answered instinctively, gazing at the girl he'd liked for so long.
Of course he wanted more—but he knew how to be content.
"Really?"
Veera didn't understand. Was it possible for someone to care so deeply and expect nothing in return?
"Mhm. As long as you're by my side, I'll feel happy."
Wade nodded firmly and said it with certainty.
Veera couldn't grasp that kind of emotion. As a genius, she had never experienced this before.
"Wade, don't worry. As long as you behave, I'll stay by your side."
Veera thought, as long as he kept his promise, she would stay with him.
"Okay, I'll behave."
Wade instinctively took Veera's hand and promised her—he would behave.
Because it was a new marriage, and there was no such thing as marriage leave in this era.
The unit gave them three days off by default.
That afternoon, both of them quietly did their own things.
But they couldn't help secretly glancing at each other.
Veera was still thinking about the feel of his hand on her head.
Being cherished felt so good.
Before, even when she found corpses in the apocalypse, she never had impure thoughts.
Why now, after just one touch, did she seem addicted?
Did this man have some kind of magic?
Veera didn't dare admit it was Wade's tenderness that hooked her. She might be getting greedy.
She had never been so carefully cared for, never had someone worry about what she liked or whether she was hungry.
It wasn't a bad feeling at all.
The next day, they were returning to her family's home, so they went to bed early.
After a whole day of testing each other, they had built a deep mutual understanding.
Each wrapped in their own blanket, clearly keeping a boundary between them, they fell asleep peacefully.
At dawn, Veera was woken by footsteps downstairs.
Her alertness from the apocalypse didn't seem to help in the 70s.
There were no zombies here, no attacks. She didn't need to fight.
She peeked at the man beside her.
He slept neatly, his blanket perfectly in place all night.
Veera closed her eyes again and, without a sound, slipped her white foot under his blanket.
They said men were most dangerous in the morning.
Today, she wanted to test the waters.
Her foot touched something firm and warm. She gently rubbed against it.
A rough hand suddenly grabbed her foot.
Wade looked over at Veera, eyes burning, staring at her face with a deep meaning.
Even though her eyes were closed, her fluttering lashes gave her away.
His mischievous little wife was just too adorable.
Since they got married, she'd become so cheeky.
He slowly stroked her soft foot, unwilling to let go.
That smooth sensation made him obsessed.
Veera felt like her foot was stepping on something soft.
The man beside her gave off a heavy warmth.
Then, he moved her foot away.
She gave a soft hum, and the man quickly released her foot.
The gentle touch stopped abruptly.
Veera opened her misty eyes, pouting and murmured to Wade:
"Wade, I had a dream just now. I stepped on a cloud—it was warm."
Wade's face instantly flushed red, his lower body tightening.
What she stepped on—he really didn't want to talk about it.
Trying to cover up his guilty conscience, he replied quickly:
"Wife, sounds like a sweet dream."
To him, being with her like this was the sweetest dream.
He had never looked forward to the night this much.
It perfectly hid all the things that weren't right.
"Wife, I'll get up first. You sleep a bit more."
After saying that, Wade got out of bed and casually pulled the blanket over Veera's foot.
Looking at her fair foot, he felt a tightness in his stomach.
From now on, he didn't think he could look at her foot the same way again. It might make him blush every time.
Watching his flustered back, Veera lay on the bed.
Feeling the texture of the sheet against her foot, her eyes were filled with laughter.
Hmm, the bed sheets in the 70s felt great!
But the pure-hearted man was even better.
They were returning to her family today, so Veera got up early too.
She opened the door and saw some things piled on the tea table in the living room.
That must be the return gifts.
She saw a radio, pressed a button on it.
Somehow, she triggered the news broadcast.
"Country Z has taken over two key cities in Country Y in a short time. The war has reached a phase of victory."
Veera frowned slightly, feeling uneasy.
"So even in this era with such fresh air, there's still war."
Her muttering was drowned out by the sound from the radio.
And it also covered a soft sigh.
Wade peeked out from the kitchen, watching Veera stand there in a daze.
She looked beautiful even when zoning out.
He came out with two bowls of porridge, some plain steamed buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
"Wife, breakfast is ready."
The He family had no rule about women cooking. Wade had made a decent breakfast.
Veera, pulled out of her thoughts, looked at the food.
She quickly put her emotions away and sat down across from Wade like a well-behaved girl.
"Wade, your breakfast is amazing."
After yesterday's lesson, she remembered something the book said—
Men respond to praise.
And she really meant it this time. She said it warmly and sincerely.
"Wife, as long as you like it. Just tell me what you want to eat in the future, and I'll make it."
The man felt a little dizzy from her praise.
He felt like he was a master chef now.
Even though the breakfast was a bit too simple.
But if his wife said it was good, that was the best compliment he could get.
Veera smiled and replied:
"I don't mind. Wade, you treat me so well, I'll treat you well too. I'll learn to cook for you."