Wooing my Bodyguard Wife

There was a hastily stifled gasp from the bottom of the staircase. It reached their ears easily, since their feet had stopped stomping on the stairs.

Ah, they had nosy neighbours. Sun Jingwei must have guessed that there were eavesdroppers, hence he said what he said!

Smart of him. It was a good thing that she didn't fall for those honeyed words.

Sun Jingwei was getting too good at this pretend relationship business, spewing cheesy romantic lines like he genuinely meant every word!

At least he was committed to keeping their cover, and she needed all the help she could get. She wouldn't know how to act in a normal relationship, so she has to count on him for this, even if hearing his words did strange things to Xue Ning's icy cold heart.

"Come on, you dumbass," she said, the last word slipping out too easily as a habit. She paused as Jingwei snickered quietly; should she be calling the love of her life a dumbass? What would the eavesdropping person think?

Well. It was too late to take back her words. Wouldn't it be weirder, and a lot more suspicious, if she corrected herself and said 'I mean baby'? Could she even call him with such a nickname?

"Of course, my dearest, lead the way," Jingwei replied easily, sounding like an indulgent husband humouring a grouchy wife to anyone who was listening.

Sun Jingwei was good at this.

Too good.

She turned around so he wouldn't see her slowly reddening face, half-dragging him up the flight of stairs. Jingwei's laughter echoed in the empty stairway until they finally reached her apartment.

-

"Welcome to my humble abode," Xue Ning said, opening the door to her home. It looked like exactly how she left it, with paint peeling off the walls and dust in the air.

Jingwei entered, and cautiously looked around. There was only a living room, a tiny bedroom and an even tinier kitchen.

He frowned as he looked at the living room - the couch was small and the fabric was peeling at certain parts, and there was a small coffee table that seemed to have a side shaved off.

Xue Ning either had a hobby of collecting eccentric furniture that could be displayed in a museum for modern art, or more likely, she simply snatched whatever furniture that was the cheapest and still functioning.

His heart ached for her, but she didn't notice.

"Take off your shoes and put them here," she gestured to a stack of old newspapers that were acting as her makeshift shoe rack, bending down to remove her own shoes. Jingwei eyed the worn out pair of flip flops and ragged sport shoes, and vowed to buy Xue Ning new pairs. It couldn't be safe to even walk out in these.

He bent over and removed his own shoes. Just as he was about to remove his socks, he spied the thick layer of dust on the floor.

"Do you have house slippers?" Jingwei asked hesitantly.

Xue Ning stared at him blankly, before finally laughing. "No I don't, if you're afraid of a little dust, you can just keep your socks on, but don't complain if they get wet when you use the bathroom!"

"I won't," Jingwei said, internally shuddering at the thought of wet, dusty socks.

He kept his socks on as he wandered into the kitchen, observing the plain floor tiles, the kitchen that didn't even include a proper table. The table was barely the size of a school desk, and looked like it had been stolen from someone's garbage dump, for there was graffiti on it.

He didn't know who Lu Xia and Qi Ying were, but he hoped they were still together, if not the marriage vow carved into the table would be for nothing.

It was most likely for nothing.

He continued to poke around the kitchen. There was only a small stove with a pot on it, and when he looked up at the decaying wooden kitchen cabinets, he could see an old rice cooker, a toaster and an electric kettle cramped together, along with two plates crushed to the side.

Only two plates!

The glass panel was already yellowing, but he could still see the charred edges of the toaster and how the cables seem to have seen better days.

Surely this wasn't safe? How had Xue Ning managed to live like this for so long?

He finally reached the sink. It was small, but clean, and he hurriedly washed his hands with the soap provided.

There was no hand towel for him to wipe his hands on. He sighed.

If Xue Ning insisted on moving back to this house in future, he'd triple her bonus so that she can afford a better place! Best if she decided to marry him and he'll keep her in luxury for the rest of her life. Even if they divorced, he'll make sure to give her enough alimony to live happily!

When he finally emerged from the kitchen, he found the living room empty. Instead, there was the sound of muffled cursing from what must be the bedroom. He walked in to find Xue Ning hunched over a small suitcase, cursing as she tried to zip it up. There were clothes spilling out of it.

"Need any help?" Jingwei asked.

"Yes, seeing that it's your gifts that made it so difficult to pack in the first place," she grumbled half-heartedly. "I can't fit the evening gown or high heels inside the suitcase so they are going back in the box."

"That's fine, I'll carry it," Jingwei said agreeably. "Do you have anything else you want to bring along?"

"Nah, you've seen the state of my house right?" Xue Ning gave a self-decrepitating laugh. "What  can I take from here that you do not already have? Won't my things look out of place?"

"So what?" He shrugged as he took the suitcase from her, using his much heavier bulk to shove the top down. Xue Ning took a moment to admire the flex of his arm muscles before she hurriedly zipped the suitcase. The zipper groaned in protest, but thankfully still held firm.

"If it makes my house feel more like a home to you, just bring it." Jingwei said, staring firmly into her eyes. "I want you to be comfortable when living with me."