Everything is voluntary and willing

  What's wrong with this little thing again? Yoo-jun is just a kid, she was just joking around, what's she doing getting involved in the commotion?

  Gu Bei Chen was choked with rage, but since his mother-in-law was still there, he didn't dare to lose his temper. He silently got up and gave his seat to her, then obediently went to cook dinner.

  Watching Dad leave, Xiao Xiao eagerly stood in front of Mommy and squeezed onto a chair with her. She proudly showed off to Grandma, "As long as Daddy is here, everything will be taken care of, Mommy and I don't have to do anything."

  The little demon only knew how to show off, but forgot that the study door was still open. Her voice was so loud that Gu Bei Chen thought it would be hard not to hear her.

  What can be done even if heard? Gu Bei Chen had long been resigned to his fate, smiling and learning from example. With such a good 'teacher' leading by example, how could she not learn from him?

  Four people chatted across computer screens, and only Yang Suxuan was relatively calm and rational, "Don't lead the way at home, it sounds weird."

  "It's okay, it's more intimate this way. Besides, he also knows I'm just joking with him and won't take it seriously." But Ye Shanshan didn't think so.

  "I told you, Beichen is too spoiled by you, and now that you're his wife, why are you still acting like a child?" Yang Sulan rarely took her son-in-law's side, "He's been through hardships and loneliness in the army, since he's here, you should take good care of him, how can you order him around for everything?"

  "It was him who didn't let me take action." Mom suddenly changed her stance, and Ye Shanshan was a bit unaccustomed to it.

  "Oh, he doesn't let you lift a finger, so you can just give orders to others at will? I don't know who it was, but the other day they were asking me for help, saying they didn't know what to do for him. Now that a good opportunity is right in front of you, you're actually acting like a spoiled princess, is that even reasonable?" Don't be fooled by Yang Sulan's gentle tone when she usually speaks, but when she scolds someone, it's really intimidating.

  "Alright, I'll go help out. Let Xiaoxiao keep you company, and I'll be back after dinner." And with that, Ye Shanshan was 'driven' out of the conversation by her mom, trudging to the kitchen with her head hung low.

  Although she walked very slowly and her footsteps were extremely light, Gu Bei Chen felt her approaching. However, a certain leader still had a small fire in his heart and was too lazy to pay attention to her.

  As she walked closer, Ye Shanshan immediately put on a smile and affectionately took his arm, "Want me to help?"

  He was about to chop vegetables when she grabbed his arm. Was she trying to help or cause trouble? "How did you get out so quickly?"

  "My mom drove me out and scolded me." He asked this way, Ye Shanshan felt more and more wronged, her mouth pouting high.

  "Oh, what have you done wrong? Your mother-in-law has always been the most fond of you, how could she bear to scold you?" Hearing that his wife had been scolded by her mother, Gu Bei Chen's mood suddenly became very good. This tone, no matter how one listened to it, sounded like gloating."

  What kind of psychology is this? As soon as someone scolds others, they feel happy, isn't that too unkind?

  "She said I don't know how to take care of you, running all the way here and not serving you well, and giving orders to you. And she also said... You've spoiled me rotten." It sounds like a complaint, but someone's smile on their face can't be hidden no matter what. Mom wasn't wrong, he really did spoil her too much.

  Gu Bei Chen's hand suddenly paused, and he looked down at the small white hand on his left arm, slightly stunned. After regaining composure, a faint smile of resignation and gratitude flashed across his face. "You can tell my mother-in-law that I'm doing all this willingly."

  It's really hard for him, his left hand was pulled, and the action of cutting vegetables is still so skilled. Indeed, when he's in a good mood, everything goes smoothly.

  "It's because you're so willing that she thinks I'm not considerate enough." Ye Shanshan had no intention of letting go, completely unaware of the kind of test this disturbance was for her husband. "You're so good to me, I have to be good to you too."

  Gu Beichen suddenly put down the kitchen knife, turned around abruptly and asked seriously: "So... can I ask you not to call me leader from now on?"

  "What... what's the direct connection between these two things?" The topic had changed too quickly, Ye Shanshan reacted slowly and asked back foolishly.

  Gu Bei Chen raised an eyebrow in doubt, "You keep saying you want to treat me well, yet you won't even agree to such a small request?"

  "So many people call you that, Yu Jun has called you that before, why can't I?" Ye Shan Shan just couldn't understand why he took the title so seriously.

  "You are my wife, no one else is." Hmm, this answer is indeed unbeatable.

  Ye Shanshan was speechless, stunned for a moment, and abruptly pulled her hand away from his left arm, "If you don't want to call me, then don't, how petty!"

  It sounds like she compromised, but somehow it feels like she was forced?

  Gu Bei Chen wasn't a fool and naturally also detected the reluctance in her tone, "You go ask around the neighborhood, see whose wife would call their husband 'leader'!"

  Ye Shanshan had already compromised, but she didn't expect him to make such a request. For a moment, her anger surged up, "Indeed, there is still a generation gap! You don't even understand what romance is? Whether it's husband or leader, it's just a title, why are you being so serious about it!"

  After finishing, Ye Shanshan still muttered two sentences in her heart: It's not that you're too serious when you're training, which makes people unconsciously bring in the leader's identity, and occasionally calling out to him is nothing.

  "Generation gap?" Gu Bei Chen's heart sank, and he unconsciously took two steps back, almost bumping into the kitchen counter.

  He just knew that the objective facts of existence, no matter how hard he tried, could not be made up for. The huge age gap between them was not just a number, but also contained many differences in thinking and concepts. What she called "romance", he really didn't understand.

  "Alright, you want to call it quits, then do so if that's what makes you happy." After a brief moment of daze, Gu Bei Chen quickly adjusted himself. To maintain a long-lasting marital relationship, someone had to make concessions and take a step back; he had already gained so much, so what was the harm in making a small sacrifice?

  It's just a name, as she said, there's no need to take it seriously, if she likes it, let her call it that way.

  Ye Shanshan was crouching in front of the refrigerator, sorting and arranging the vegetables and fruits neatly. The refrigerator wasn't completely silent, and his voice wasn't very loud either. She seemed to have not heard him clearly, and only responded with a distracted "oh" after a while.

  On the surface, this topic seems to have ended. However, some things will still affect the emotions of those involved even if they are no longer mentioned.

  After arranging the vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator neatly, Ye Shanshan suddenly thought of something very important. In the past 15 minutes, the leader, no, should be her husband, didn't seem to have said a word.

  Something's not quite right... He... Can't be angry, can he?

  Ye Shanshan was just about to say something when Gu Beichen's phone suddenly rang. He took a glance at the number on the screen, then decisively picked up the phone and walked out onto the small balcony outside to answer it.

  The phone call didn't last very long, but after hanging up, Gu Bei Chen's face was noticeably darker than before.

  "The vegetables are already washed, cut and ready to cook. You can decide how to cook them. I have an urgent matter to attend to, I'll go back to the study room." After saying that, Gu Bei Chen didn't wait for Shanshan's response and strode towards the study room with big steps.

  About two minutes later, Xiao was also driven out of the study room. "Mommy, what's wrong with Daddy? His face looks very serious."

  "Let's not disturb him about work matters. Alright, go back to your room and get a book to read." Upon hearing Xiaoxiao say this, Ye Shanshan felt even more uneasy in her heart. Although he seemed to be going to deal with work matters, she always felt that his expression suddenly becoming so serious was not just because of something as simple as work matters.

  She must have said something wrong earlier and made him angry.

  After recalling what she had said, Ye Shanshan quickly narrowed down the scope to only two possible answers: one, she shouldn't have said he lacked a sense of humor; two, she shouldn't have said there was a generation gap between them.

  What's even more infuriating is that she said these two sentences together. It can be imagined how depressed he was at that time.

  Woe is me, what to do. She's also innocent, if he's really unhappy, he should just say it out loud, if she's in the wrong, she'll definitely own up to it and change. But he's already made a habit of indulging her, even when he's been wronged, he doesn't let her know, hiding alone and seething with anger, in the end, he's the one who's stifled, and she's not feeling good either.

  The more she thought about it, the more confused her mind became. Ye Shanshan could only repeatedly remind herself to calm down and then find something to shift her attention.

  Ye Shanshan was always efficient in doing things, after a busy period, she quickly stir-fried three dishes, now only the soup is left simmering on low heat. By this time, it's already completely dark outside, just right for dinner.

  But he was still in the study and hadn't come out. Calculating the time, he had been inside for forty-five minutes without coming out once. As it was almost six thirty, no matter how urgent the matter was, he should have come out to greet him before continuing.

  "Mom, I'm hungry. Can we eat first?" At lunchtime, Xiaoxiao was only thinking about playing and didn't eat much. Now that she smelled the delicious food, her appetite suddenly came back.

  "Wait a bit longer, the soup isn't ready yet, and... your dad is still busy, we have to wait for him to come out and eat together." Ye Shanshan had a completely distracted expression, staring blankly in the direction of the study while speaking.

  "I'll go call him." Hunger was the greatest, and laughter couldn't care about so much, saying as he rushed to the study.

  Ye Shanshan didn't chase after him to stop him. She thought, let Xiaoxiao go call him and take a look at his expression on his face to see if it has eased up a bit.

  Hehe, soon came back, "Mommy, Daddy said let's eat first."

  "Did he say why?" Ye Shanshan originally thought that even if he wasn't done yet, at least he would come out with Xiaoxiao to tell her something, but unexpectedly he still refused to see her.

  Alas, this matter is so urgent that I haven't even had time to eat lunch.

  "It's just that things haven't been settled yet." After all, kids are still kids, no matter how much they think about it, they can't possibly ask about adults' work matters. "I'm really starving, let's eat first."

  "I'll serve you rice first, but the soup will take a little while longer."

  "Mommy also comes to eat together." The little girl still has a conscience and always remembers her dear mommy.

  "I'm not hungry yet." Not being hungry was just an excuse, the fact is that I didn't have the heart to eat.

  Laughing and eating slowly, it took more than half an hour to finish a bowl of rice, and now still slowly drinking soup.

  It's already past seven, and the door of the study is still tightly closed. Ye Shanshan has walked back and forth in the corridor outside the study four or five times, but she doesn't have the courage to raise her hand and knock on the door.

  In the dining room, Xiao Xiao, who had finished drinking her soup, urged again, "Mommy, the dishes are getting cold, why hasn't Daddy finished yet?"

  "I don't know either." Ye Shanshan's face was wooden, her heart already a tangled mess.

  Just as she finished saying that, the study door suddenly opened. "What are you doing standing at the door of the study?" It had been over an hour, his eyebrows were still furrowed, and his voice was also unusually low.

  "Wait... wait for you to eat." Facing a stranger, Ye Shanshan looked a bit confused.

  "Didn't you and Xiao Xiao eat first?" Little fool, won't you be waiting at the door all this time?

  "I can't eat without you." Ye Shanshan said quietly, hanging her head in shame like a wronged wife, and then she couldn't help but sneak a peek at him to see what expression he had on his face.

  "Was it because of my serious expression that scared you?" It had been a long time since Gu Bei Chen saw her with such a cautious expression, and it wasn't hard to guess this.

  Ye Shanshan first shook her head instinctively, and after a moment, she nodded slightly, "You don't even care about people, I'm so scared."

  "Fool, didn't I tell you? I have something very urgent to attend to." Gu Bei Chen was amused by her anxious and flustered expression. The phone call earlier had indeed been very urgent, and he had only been thinking about getting the emergency plan done as quickly as possible, so his emotions were somewhat on edge. Because of his anxiety, some things were easily overlooked, and his little wife's thoughts were sensitive, seeing his serious expression, couldn't help but think wildly.

  It seems that from now on, no matter what happens, I have to report to her clearly first.

  "I'm not afraid of that." Ye Shanshan suddenly took two steps forward, walking to a place close enough to him, and suddenly raised her head. Her bright big eyes showed a misty water vapor, "I... I just made a mistake earlier, I'm afraid you'll be angry with me."

  Gu Bei Chen was confused by these two words, "When did I get angry?"

  Ye Shanshan's eyes widened in shock, as if she had been hit on the head with a mallet, "Really not?"

  Gu Bei Chen slightly curled up the corners of his lips, and a thin layer of smile gradually spread across his face. "What's going on in that little brain of yours? Why do you always come up with these inexplicable ideas?" Little silly girl, which eye did you see me getting angry with?

  "When you were chopping vegetables, you didn't say a word for a while, and it wasn't until after you left that I realized what was going on. Originally, I wanted to quickly explain and apologize to you, but...you went in there for so long without coming out. I thought...you didn't want to see me..." The mist in Ye Shanshan's eyes grew thicker and thicker, and soon it would condense into tears and fall."

  Silly girl, she was actually scared to tears by her own inexplicable wild thoughts.

  Little silly girl, when did your eyelids become so thin? You shed tears at the slightest movement. Yesterday in the mountains it was because of excitement, but what's the reason this time?

  The little ghost was in the living room, occasionally poking her head out to take a peek. Gu Bei Chen was afraid of being discovered, so he casually pulled Shanshan into the study and quickly closed the door with his foot. His two hands were like giant pincers, tightly embracing her in his arms.

  "Okay, stop crying now, or Laughter will see it and won't let up." The little devil is clever and has many thoughts, if he mistakenly thinks his beloved mommy was bullied, this matter will be hard to settle.

  "You're really...not angry at all?" Ye Shanshan made a great effort to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, and still wanted to confirm once more.

  "Does that little fingernail count or not?" In order to make her mood relax as soon as possible, Gu Bei Chen could only try his best to tease her with a playful tone.

  "I knew it," he said. For some reason, after hearing him say that, Ye Shanshan felt more at ease. Those two sentences of his were quite hurtful, and it was normal for him to be angry, which made her feel a little less guilty.

  "Even if I am, it's not that I'm angry with you, I'm angry with myself." Why wasn't I born a few years earlier? Even if the age gap is only in single digits, at least I would be considered part of the post-80s generation, and the generation gap between us wouldn't be so wide, right?

  Ye Shanshan blinked her big, wet eyes in confusion, "You didn't do anything wrong, why are you getting angry with yourself?"

  "I'm dull and uninteresting, I don't know how to cater to your lifestyle, isn't that wrong?" Knowing that this word might touch the wound in her heart, Gu Bei Chen still said it without hesitation.

  Some things are better said clearly than bottled up inside. Sometimes, the person who says the wrong thing also needs to vent.

  It turned out that Gu Beichen's bold venture was successful, and he took the initiative to speak up, and Ye Shanshan followed his lead, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that."

  "What you said is right, I grew up in a serious family atmosphere from a young age, and later joined the army, receiving over a decade of regular military training. Many times, I was almost isolated from the outside world, and as a result, I missed out on many things. The romance you speak of, I really don't understand. If it weren't for meeting you, I probably would have never experienced the taste of love and being loved in this lifetime. You've given me so much, how could I possibly be angry with you?" Gu Bei Chen spoke sincerely and earnestly, always being so open and unrestrained in front of her. Because he knew that even if he had shortcomings, she would tolerate and understand him.

  Ugh, she had just managed to hold back her tears and he goes and says something that long to stimulate her tear glands. What to do? If she starts crying, her eyes will definitely turn red and Xiao Xiao will notice for sure.

  "Don't cry!" Feeling the tears welling up in her eyes again, Gu Bei Chen hastily gave an order.

  "It's all your fault." People say that holding back tears can also lead to illness, Ye Shanshan couldn't care about so much anymore, and burst into loud sobs, crying her heart out.

  Forget it, let her cry if she wants to. Venting will make her feel better, and if Laughter really pursues the matter, he can only acknowledge his guilt of bullying his wife with a stiff upper lip.

  At this time, the little princess of their family was standing outside the door, with her ear tightly attached to the door, listening intently to the movements inside. Faintly, she seemed to hear her mother's low sobbing voice, and the little girl became anxious, finally unable to bear it and knocked on the door, "Mommy, what's wrong? Is Daddy scolding you again?"

  "No." Ye Shanshan hastily wiped away her tears and took a few deep breaths before turning around to open the door. "Don't guess randomly, Dad didn't scold me, he just said a lot of nice things to comfort me, I was momentarily moved, that's why I cried."

  Is that so? But, Dad's face was very serious and solemn just now, not at all like the look of someone trying to coax a smile. Xiaoxiao looked up at him with a mixture of trust and doubt, scrutinizing his face carefully, "Dad, are you always this serious when you're trying to coax people? No wonder you couldn't make Mommy laugh, but instead made her cry."

  Pfft...

  Ye Shanshan, with tears still on her eyelashes, couldn't help but let out a light laugh, and although she had been with Xiaoxiao day and night for so long, she was still struck by the little devil's quick wit.

  Hehe, making Mommy laugh is still something little Si Tian is best at.

  "You don't understand, being serious is what makes it more sincere." But Gu Bei Chen's ability to withstand the storm was stronger, and he easily dealt with the little devil's cunning questions.

  Laughing speechlessly, she decisively dropped the topic. "Dad and Mom, let's go eat quickly, or the soup will get cold."

  "Go ahead." Gu Bei Chen said as he pushed Song Song into the bathroom, "Go wash your face and use a cold towel to apply some pressure on your eyes. I'll go heat up the dishes."

  It's rare for me to cook once yesterday, but in the end I still have to serve him.

  Forget it, at most, just wait a moment and return it in another way, anyway, won't let him suffer a loss.

  It has to be said that after experiencing the passion of the hot spring in the afternoon, Ye Shanshan's thoughts became more and more discordant.

  While eating, Ye Shanshan couldn't help but ask what emergency had just occurred, which could make the calm and composed him frown, it shouldn't be a small matter.

  "Tomorrow, a major leader is coming to B City for inspection. There's a problem with the security work over there, so I might have to go to the city personally tomorrow. Bring Xiao Xiao along and come with me. After we're done, I'll take you guys around to buy some New Year's goods." As he mentioned this, Gu Bei Chen's expression turned serious again. This was another unexpected temporary task, and the original plan had to be changed accordingly. His wife and child came all the way to see him, but he couldn't even give them a full day, which made him feel a bit guilty.

  "If you're busy, it's okay if I and Xiaoxiao stay here." Yeshanshan had mentally prepared for this, as she always prioritized his work above all else.

  "It's okay, I'm just helping to confirm the deployment situation on site, and there should still be time in the afternoon. How can I put it, when I'm not around, who do you want to be your tour guide and bodyguard? Pei Yun or Fang Yi?" Since they were unfamiliar with the place, Gu Bei Chen would definitely not feel at ease letting them act alone.

  "I want Uncle Fang!" Xiaoxiao is a typical member of the Appearance Association, and naturally she would choose someone young and handsome.

  Ye Shanshan didn't express her opinion, she just pursed her lips and smiled foolishly. If she had to choose between Director Pei and Comrade Xiaofang, she would also be more inclined to choose the latter, just like Xiao Xiao.

  "You two stop being foolish, does Fang Yi want to talk about it or not?" The candidate was listed by himself, others made the choice, but a certain leader is not happy, look at his tone, how can he have a feeling of sour grapes?

  Of course, Gu Beichen's worries were unfounded. He made a phone call, explained his intentions, and Little Fang agreed almost without any consideration, "When should I go over?"

  Kid, why so impatient? Would pretending to be polite kill you?

  "Be here at 8 o'clock sharp, no waiting if late."

  "Yes, I guarantee that I won't be late." Even through the phone, one could clearly feel Comrade Xiaofang's excitement and eagerness.

  Gu Bei Chen was too lazy to talk nonsense with him, said a sentence "that's it" and quickly hung up the phone.

  Ye Shanshan had just finished giving Xiao Xiao a bath and was returning to the room when she saw a certain leader with a dark face, "Who made you angry again?"

  "I'm fine, don't guess randomly!" Beichen didn't dare say that he was intimidated by Fang Wei, and abruptly changed the subject, "How about Xiao Xiao?"

  "I'm going to sleep." Originally, she said it was good to sleep with Xiao Jie tonight, but in order to make up for her husband, Ye Shanshan could only break her promise and say a lot of good things before convincing the little ghost to sleep alone.

  "Didn't you say to bring her back for two more nights?" After a satisfying meal at the hot spring in the afternoon, Gu Bei Chen seemed content and didn't appear to have any intention of continuing his 'assault'.

  "Then go and carry her over, as long as you don't mind, she'll be over the moon!" Ye Shanshan glared at him with a bad temper, quickly dodged around him, and fell onto the bed, hugging the pillow and sulking. Damn it, he usually reacted so quickly, but this time he actually pretended to be stupid!

  Gu Bei Chen finally reacted and understood her good intentions, "I'm stupid, let's just hold each other tonight and forget about everything else."

  This guy is really something, when he's slow it makes people want to punch him, and when he's direct it makes people want to smash tofu...

  Gu Bei Chen quickly finished his shower and rushed back, as soon as he entered the door, he hurriedly stripped off his clothes.

  Ye Shanshan, who was originally facing away from the door, happened to turn around to take out her phone and check her messages, but unexpectedly saw a handsome man with a bare back.

  "The heating here is not as good as at home, wearing so little and you're not even afraid of freezing!" Ye Shanshan awkwardly turned her head away, half complaining and half reminding.

  "It's okay, I'll warm up with some exercise." Gu Bei Chen suddenly turned into a hungry wolf and casually turned off the ceiling light.

  "Slow down, your shirt buttons are almost torn off!" Ye Shanshan was speechless at someone's haste and struggled to dodge.

  I'm so annoyed, I've already eaten once this afternoon and you're still in such a hurry, don't you know there's something called cultivating emotions?

  Gu Beichen completely ignored his little wife's protest and lowered his head to kiss her.

  Ye Shanshan could only helplessly hum a sound and followed him.

  The rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. Someone laughed with satisfaction, "Do you still have the energy to talk?"

  Hmph, I'm too lazy to bother with you. Every time it's always back and forth, at first you solemnly promised to be gentler, but what happened in the end?

  He knew that with his own personality, he could stir up a lot of trouble...

  What's even more detestable is that he himself is insatiably greedy, yet he shamelessly accuses her of being too sweet and alluring.

  Before falling asleep, Ye Shanshan made a silent decision: from now on, she would never take the initiative to do anything again. Tomorrow night, she must sleep with Xiaoxiao together!

  But she forgot one very important thing: men are carnivores, the hungrier they get, the more ferocious they become. What about tomorrow night?

  The sweet result of a night is completely not wanting to move after opening eyes the next morning.

  Wait a bit, still have to rush out early, continuing like this is not the way, Gu Bei Chen can only accompany with a smiling face and soft words: "Why don't I go heat up some water for you to take a bath?" His voice was extremely gentle, yet full of endless doting and pampering.

  Ye Shanshan also felt it naturally, but still had a little discomfort in her heart. She lifted her leg and kicked him with one foot. "Get out!" Hum, now you know it hurts, why did you do it earlier!

  Someone who was kicked to the ground laughed with a curved eyebrow and eyes, "Your calf is quite agile, it seems like nothing's wrong."

  "I'm not that fragile!" Stimulated by his words, Ye Shanshan suddenly gained energy, quickly lifted the quilt, and then tragically found that only one button of her pajamas was still hanging on.

  Looking at his little wife with one hand grasping the collar and the other covering her body, Gu Bei Chen handed her a robe to put on, suggesting in a soft voice, "How about... going to the city today to buy two sets of button-free pajamas?"

  "No!" Ye Shanshan quickly refused, "Don't even think about unzipping it, just tear it directly, or it might be even worse than now!"

  Gu Bei Chen knew he was wrong and didn't dare say more, carefully helping her prepare the clothes she would change into later.

  Ye Shanshan was most afraid of seeing him with this humble and obedient expression, when receiving the clothes, she forced a smile on her face, "If you were gentle like this every moment, it would be great."

  "Next time it's your turn." Gu Bei Chen suddenly threw out this sentence, and before a certain slow-witted little woman could react, he decisively escaped the scene.

  Is it you?

  What does this mean?