Her goal today was to flaunt their love, to show everyone just how strong their relationship was.
The walk, which usually took a mere ten minutes, seemed exceptionally long now.
They walked arm in arm, as if time itself had slowed down.
They arrived at Fei Jin's office.
Song Qingya placed the food on his desk, and the fragrant aroma of the dishes filled the air.
"Come on, try it and see if it's good!"
Song Qingya urged with a smile.
She watched Fei Jin, her eyes full of expectation.
Suddenly, a knock came from outside the door.
A voice immediately followed.
"Brother Fei, I'm here to bring you lunch."
The sudden voice left the two people in the room stunned.
It was the voice of Wen Xiuxiu.
'Why is Wen Xiuxiu here all of a sudden?'
Song Qingya was filled with doubt.
She quickly turned her head to look at Fei Jin beside her.
He looked just as bewildered, his brows tightly furrowed.
"I didn't ask her to come over." Fei Jin's words were simple and clear.
He clearly had no idea why Wen Xiuxiu was here, much less invited her himself.
In truth, Song Qingya already knew what was going on.
After being turned away at the door last time, she knew Wen Xiuxiu wouldn't give up so easily.
The script had made it very clear: Wen Xiuxiu only began to ramp up her pursuit of the male lead after the original female lead and male lead broke up.
Although she and Fei Jin hadn't divorced yet, the timeline had already become a little muddled.
Still, everyone's actions were proceeding according to the established plot.
Wen Xiuxiu waited outside for a while but heard no response.
Finding it strange, she instinctively smoothed her hair, making sure the style she had chosen for the day was pretty enough before mustering her courage to knock on the door again.
She had just knocked a second time.
When the door opened.
Song Qingya stood in the doorway, adopting the air of the lady of the house.
The moment she saw it was Wen Xiuxiu, she immediately feigned shock, covering her mouth as she asked, "Oh my, Xiu Xiu? What brings you here?"
Wen Xiuxiu hadn't expected to run into Song Qingya here at all.
"Why are you here?" she blurted out.
"I'm here to bring my husband lunch."
Song Qingya deliberately emphasized the word "husband."
Her gaze flickered to the lunch box in Wen Xiuxiu's hands, and then she asked with a smile, "Xiu Xiu, what are you doing here at the military base? Who are you bringing lunch for?"
Anyone with an ounce of self-respect would have left by now.
But Wen Xiuxiu seemed incapable of taking a hint and showed no intention of leaving.
She was, after all, the female protagonist of this story. Even if Fei Jin was nominally Song Qingya's husband for now, she was certain that sooner or later, he would belong to her.
But for now, at least until they divorced, she had to be a little more restrained.
"I just came looking for Brother Fei. Aunt Zhou asked me to bring him lunch."
Wen Xiuxiu knew Zhou Huaihua wanted to set her up with Fei Jin, so using her as an excuse was the perfect cover.
She had been incredibly anxious ever since Fei Jin overheard her badmouthing someone last time, and she was desperate for a chance to explain herself properly.
Eager to make a good impression, Wen Xiuxiu didn't stand on ceremony. She walked straight into the room, set out her lunch box, and said urgently, "Brother Fei, training has been so tough lately. You must have lost weight. Hurry and eat."
Fei Jin disliked her overly familiar attitude and said in an icy tone, "There's no need. Qingya already brought me lunch."
"How is that possible?"
Wen Xiuxiu froze. The food on the desk did look delicious.
'Did Song Qingya really make this?'
'Even if she did, there's no way it's better than mine!'
Unwilling to give up, she opened the lid of her lunch box, setting out the dishes she'd brought as well. "Sister Qingya rarely cooks, so she must be out of practice," she coaxed. "Brother Fei, you should eat what I made. Before I left, Aunt Zhou specifically told me to make sure you finish this meal."
Song Qingya slowly sat down beside Fei Jin, a look of feigned curiosity on her face, and asked—
"Did Aunt Zhou really say that? I don't recall her ever sending food over before."
Faced with Song Qingya's question, Wen Xiuxiu, despite her nervousness, remained outwardly calm and composed.
"O-Of course it's not fake! Aunt Zhou genuinely wanted us to taste her cooking this time, so she specially prepared some dishes."
In reality, Wen Xiuxiu knew perfectly well that she was just using Zhou Huaihua's support for her as an excuse to lie.
She knew that in Zhou Huaihua's eyes, she and Fei Jin were a match made in heaven.
The methods used to achieve that goal were completely unimportant.
Wen Xiuxiu was full of confidence in her own cooking.
Especially the braised pork belly she had prepared in secret, without Zhou Huaihua's knowledge.
The aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water!
Fei Jin glanced at the two lunch boxes laid out before him. After his gaze shifted between them a few times, he unhesitatingly chose the one from Song Qingya.
"Xiu Xiu, you should just keep that for yourself. I'd rather eat what your sister-in-law made."
Hearing Fei Jin's words, Wen Xiuxiu bit her lip, looking as if she was about to burst into tears.
"Brother Fei, how could you… I'm already full, I really can't eat another bite. Aunt Zhou said that if there's anything left in this lunch box, she won't let me come home. Please, for my sake, just have a little, won't you?"
Throughout the entire exchange, Song Qingya simply watched with a smile on her face.
Only when she felt the time was right did she slowly speak up, breaking the silence.
"Xiu Xiu, while your Brother Fei doesn't want to eat this meal, I have an idea that might let you avoid wasting food and still be able to go home."
"What idea?"
"As it happens, I haven't had lunch yet. I only brought one portion for your Brother Fei. My stomach is growling something fierce right now."
Song Qingya added with a smile, "Why don't you give me that lunch you're holding? Since you can't eat it anyway. That way, we won't waste any food. What do you think?"
Wen Xiuxiu never expected such a response. She was so angry her cheeks flushed red, and she began to stammer.
"Well… this food is really greasy. Sister-in-law, you're still recovering. It's not good for you to eat something so rich."
"I'm fully recovered, and I was just craving some meat."
Song Qingya's gaze landed on the lunch box in Wen Xiuxiu's hands.
Song Qingya saw right through her little scheme and immediately countered, "You said the box has to go back empty, so what difference does it make who eats the food? Your Brother Fei and I are husband and wife, and he has no objection."
With that, she deliberately turned to Fei Jin, who was sitting beside her, and asked, "What do you think?"
Fei Jin just smiled faintly and answered crisply, "No objection."
That answer made Wen Xiuxiu's heart ache even more.
Her expression grew increasingly grim.
Song Qingya opened the lunch box to find it filled with fragrant pieces of braised pork belly. Wen Xiuxiu couldn't help but gasp.
She had made it with her own hands and hadn't even spared a single piece for herself!
Song Qingya picked up a large piece of the braised pork with her chopsticks, popped it directly into her mouth, and began to chew.
'The female protagonist's cooking skills really live up to their reputation,' she couldn't help but marvel.