Chapter 92: At a Loss

Chapter 92: At a Loss

When Fu Tinghua first saw Su He, he barely recognized her, so he didn’t approach right away.

It wasn’t until his gaze fell on the child in her arms and the one she held by the hand that he confirmed she was indeed his wife—Su He.

It had never crossed his mind that his wife could become so beautiful one day.

Just one glance at her all dressed up and glowing was enough to make his heart race and his face flush.

Fu Tinghua always thought of himself as someone who didn’t judge by appearances, but seeing Su He looking so radiant, he finally understood why men often sought out beautiful wives.

Suppressing his pounding heart, Fu Tinghua quickly stepped forward, intending to take Niu Niu from Su He’s arms so she could rest.

She must have been exhausted after traveling such a long distance with two children just to see him.

“No, no, you carry Zai Zai instead. I’ll hold Niu Niu,” Su He cut in quickly when she saw Fu Tinghua reaching for Niu Niu.

Zai Zai had also been carsick, but since she couldn’t free both hands, he had to tough it out, swaying on his feet.

Hearing this, Fu Tinghua immediately crouched down and picked up Zai Zai, then took the bag from Su He’s hand as well.

Su He followed behind Fu Tinghua as they paused at the curb and stopped.

There were many cycle rickshaws waiting for passengers outside the station. Fu Tinghua casually led Su He to one, gave an address, and soon the rickshaw took off.

As soon as the rickshaw started moving, the breeze quickly helped the two queasy children perk up a bit.

“Daddy, are we going back to the assigned housing where we used to live?” Niu Niu asked excitedly as she felt a little better.

She was referring to the company housing Fu Tinghua had been assigned before.

“No, Daddy has been given a stand-alone house with a yard now. You’ll have more freedom there,” Fu Tinghua replied, smiling as he patted his daughter’s head.

“Huh? Why not the old place?” Niu Niu’s face fell, clearly disappointed.

Hearing this, Su He couldn’t help but laugh. She pinched her daughter’s cheek and asked playfully, “What’s wrong? Isn’t a big courtyard better?”

“A big courtyard is nice, but I wanted Xie Popo, Liu Shushu, and all the other grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunties next door to see how pretty Mommy is now. Then they won’t talk behind her back anymore.”

Niu Niu’s words stunned them into silence.

Who would have thought that their usually happy-go-lucky Niu Niu would consider such things?

No wonder she had always urged Su He to wear pretty dresses—this was the reason.

“Don’t worry, they’ll see you soon. Our new house is right next to the old assigned housing,” Fu Tinghua reassured her after a moment’s hesitation.

“Yay! That’s great!” Niu Niu immediately perked up again.

Fu Tinghua shifted his gaze from his daughter to Su He’s face. The moment their eyes met, he quickly looked away again, like a shy schoolboy.

His ears went red, and he didn’t dare to look at Su He any longer.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you well before, letting people talk behind your back,” Fu Tinghua said apologetically.

Su He, who remembered everything from the original Su He’s life, knew exactly what kind of person the old Su He had been.

To be fair, Fu Tinghua wasn’t entirely to blame for the situation. The real problem was how the original Su He behaved.

She’d been a spoiled rich girl, pampered by her parents, never lifting a finger at home and downright lazy.

At first, the neighbors in the unit building just gossiped behind her back about Su He being too fat and not good enough for Fu Tinghua.

Later, it was something Su He did that made the whole building stink, which earned her widespread disdain.

Back then, Fu Tinghua was away for further studies for over two months, and Su He didn’t clean the house for those two months until the stench reached the neighbors.

Fu Tinghua had excellent interpersonal relationships at the hospital, and with his good looks, many people were appalled his wife was so unattractive and slovenly.

So, over time, people in the area grew increasingly disgusted with her and steered clear of her.

But the fact that the original Su He was hated by the entire dormitory building was partly Fu Tinghua’s fault too.

He was too cold toward the original Su He, giving her money but not an ounce of warmth.

But then again, he had been forced into the marriage, so Su He felt he couldn’t really be blamed.

"At least you know that much," Su He said with a cold snort.

Hearing her response, Fu Tinghua’s heart tightened. "It won’t happen again. I won’t let anyone bully you anymore."

"It’s fine. No one can bully me now," Su He replied with a beaming smile that left Fu Tinghua dazed, completely disoriented.

Realizing her earlier words were just teasing, Fu Tinghua relaxed.

But he still vowed to himself never to let Su He suffer again.

Once they entered the familiar area, Zai Zai and Niu Niu realized their father hadn’t lied to them.

This place really was right next to where they used to live.

But this was the private home section, while the other side was the shared facilities area.

They had actually wandered around this private home section before.

Back then, they had speculated about who lived there—never imagining they’d move in one day.

Zai Zai and Niu Niu excitedly rushed into their new home, running around happily in the yard.

The front yard was an overgrown lot, with a cement path leading to the house. Su He guessed it was likely intended as a garden plot.

She hadn’t expected the hospital to give Fu Tinghua a place like this—it seemed they truly valued him.

What Su He didn’t know was that this was also thanks to Fu Tinghua’s service record.

During his military service, Fu Tinghua had saved several high-ranking officials.

Originally, with his seniority, he wouldn’t have qualified to become the Deputy Director of the hospital, but some people were willing to pull strings for him.

"Well, don’t you have work today?" Su He asked.

"No, I took the morning off work. I knew you’d arrive this morning, so I went to meet you at the station," Fu Tinghua replied, a little sheepish.

She hadn’t expected him to be so thoughtful, and Su He was genuinely taken aback.

"I’ll go pick up groceries then and make lunch."

It's almost twelve o'clock now, and the kids must be hungry.

"Let's eat out. You've been tired all morning—Are you feeling carsick?"

Fu Tinghua looked at Su He and asked softly, then instinctively reached out to touch her forehead.

Only when his fingers made contact with the woman's soft skin did he come to his senses, quickly withdrawing his hand as if burned.

"I... I was just checking if you had a fever."

Seeing the man, who had once been so aloof and cold in appearance, now acting flustered in front of her, Su He couldn't help but let out a "pfft" laugh.

"I wasn't scolding you—why are you so nervous?" Su He asked, amused.