Who Should Be Compensated

Hearing these words, a surge of irritation flared up in Tao Ming's heart, bringing every thought she had previously forced down rushing to the surface!

Properly make up for it?
Make up for whom?
For Ruomeng?
For Lingyu?
Or for Xiaoyao?

Ever since she regained consciousness, she always felt that Su Nanxing's gaze carried profound depth, as if he were trying to see someone else through her face. Even though those people were her past selves, since she had reincarnated once again, the past should be left in the past.

Feeling displeased, Tao Ming turned her face slightly away. Su Nanxing's kiss landed on the corner of her lips. "I don't think you need to make up for anything to me. Let's go."

With that, Tao Ming broke free from Su Nanxing's embrace, lifted her foot, and walked out of the alley.

Su Nanxing stood frozen in place. Tao Ming had never acted like this before. Had she just avoided him? And left him behind? What was going on here? Everything had been fine just a moment ago; why did her attitude suddenly change? Which thing had he said wrong?

Watching Tao Ming reach the end of the alley and about to turn the corner, Su Nanxing finally snapped out of his daze and hurried after her, taking her hand. Fortunately, Tao Ming did not pull her hand away, allowing him to lead her toward the Qin residence.

For the next few days, Tao Ming obediently stayed inside the Qin residence and went nowhere. She spent her days playing with Ruanruan and Nuonuo, occasionally chatting with Tao Sisi and the Seventh Prince. At night, Tao Ming slept between the two little ones. After coaxing them to sleep, she would drift off as well.

Su Nanxing lay on his side at the edge of the bed, looking at Tao Ming sandwiched between the two little ones, feeling utterly frustrated. Ever since Su Nanxing remembered those past lives, images of various women would pop up in his mind from time to time. He eagerly wanted to merge with Tao Ming, using this to confirm that Tao Ming was indeed the person from the very depths of his memories.

Because Tao Ming had been bedridden recovering from her illness, Su Nanxing naturally had been unwilling to hurt her. Every morning he would wake up and take Tao Ming's pulse, and recently he had confirmed that her body had fully recovered. Watching her period come and go, Su Nanxing felt an itch of anticipation.

However, Tao Ming deliberately avoided him. Even though they shared the same room, Tao Ming constantly stayed with the two little ones, giving Su Nanxing zero opportunity to be alone with her. Intimacy was out of the question; sometimes Su Nanxing couldn't even exchange a few sentences with Tao Ming all day long.

Two more days passed in this manner. One evening, taking advantage of the time Tao Ming was bathing, Su Nanxing first coaxed the two little ones to sleep and moved them to the inner side of the bed, thinking to himself that now let's see where Tao Ming could run.

Meanwhile, sitting in her wooden tub, Tao Ming looked down at her lower abdomen in a slight daze, feeling as though she had forgotten something. She traced her fingers lightly over her lower abdomen. The scar left by her cesarean section had faded to a very pale color, a thin line that went completely unnoticed unless one looked closely.

Remembering the day she gave birth to Ruanruan, when she was wheeled out of the operating room on a stretcher and Su Nanxing rushed over with eyes full of tears, Tao Ming quietly curved the corners of her mouth.

After finishing her bath, Tao Ming looked at the two sleeping little ones and the large expanse of empty bed left behind, knowing full well what Su Nanxing was planning. Yet, until he figured out why she was ignoring him, any plans he had were completely useless.

Tao Ming rolled her eyes, turned onto her side to sleep, and presented her back to the outer side of the bed.

Su Nanxing quickly finished washing up, lay down right behind Tao Ming, and pressed closely against her. His hand wandered along the curves of her body, and he leaned close to her ear to whisper, "Wife..."

Tao Ming's whole body stiffened. She closed her eyes tightly and pretended to be asleep.

Sensing Tao Ming's stiffness, Su Nanxing shifted his arm, wrapped her in his embrace, and waited quietly. Realizing Su Nanxing made no further moves, Tao Ming gradually relaxed her mind, and her body softened as well.

Feeling Tao Ming relax, Su Nanxing lightly kissed the back of her neck. "Wife... Wife..."

Tao Ming trembled, a rash of tiny goosebumps breaking out all over her body as she stiffened once again.

Su Nanxing turned Tao Ming around so they were face-to-face, and asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"

Tao Ming kept her eyes closed, fully immersed in her grand strategy of feigning sleep.

Seeing Tao Ming feigning sleep and ignoring him, Su Nanxing covered her lips with his own to taste them thoroughly. Her soft and tender lips parted slightly as Su Nanxing traced the shape of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. Realizing she was still playing possum, he took her hand and guided it toward himself.

Tao Ming was just trying to figure out how to roll over without a trace to dodge Su Nanxing's kisses when she felt her hand being pulled toward a familiar place. The next instant, her hand felt as scorching as fire, causing her to involuntarily twitch.

Su Nanxing held Tao Ming's hand, slowly moving it while murmuring softly in her ear, "Wife... Wife..."

Tao Ming opened her eyes, pulled her hand back, and pushed Su Nanxing away.

Su Nanxing hugged Tao Ming tightly. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Tao Ming pushed him away again, gritted her teeth, and asked, "Who am I in your eyes?"

Su Nanxing froze for a second, then answered eagerly, "You're my wife, of course." With that, he pulled Tao Ming back into his arms and pinned her beneath him.

Tao Ming pushed against Su Nanxing with all her might. Fire burned in his eyes as he used his right hand to pin her hands above her head, scattering light kisses all over her face while forcefully parting her legs with his knees.

Tao Ming coldly dropped a single sentence: "Are you sure you want to force this?"

It was like a basin of freezing water dumped over his head in the dead of winter. Su Nanxing instantly sobered up. He released her right hand, collapsed powerlessly onto Tao Ming's body, buried his face in the pillow, and muttered in a muffled voice, "Wife..."

Tao Ming asked again, "Who am I in your eyes?"

Su Nanxing remained silent for a moment, then answered honestly, "You are Tao Ming, you are Ruomeng, you are Xiaoyao, you are Xiaoguai, and you are also many other women with different names."

Tao Ming let out an "hmph" and continued to ask, "Which one of them do you want me to replace?"

Su Nanxing raised his head and replied anxiously, "I didn't mean that, I don't, I..."

Meeting Tao Ming's gaze, the rest of Su Nanxing's words cut off abruptly.

Tao Ming pushed him off her body, pulled the quilt over herself, and tucked it in. "Sleep. Talk to me after you've figured it out."

Su Nanxing lay quietly in bed, staring wide-eyed and thinking for the entire night, only drifting into a hazy sleep near dawn.

When he woke up, he learned that Tao Ming had already taken the two little ones out to stroll through the markets.

Hurriedly rushing out of the Qin residence, Su Nanxing wandered aimlessly down the bustling streets searching for the three of them.

Just as he turned a corner, a petite woman crashed directly into his arms. Su Nanxing hastily pushed her away from him, and seeing that she was about to tumble, reached out to grab her by the arm. A palm-sized delicate face reflected in Su Nanxing's eyes. He stood dumbfounded, two words slipping from his lips: "Ruomeng?"

The woman panicked, shook off Su Nanxing's hand, and darted past him, running down the way he had just come.

A moment later, several men chased after her. One of them cursed loudly, "I spent good money to buy her, don't let her run!"

Su Nanxing stepped aside to let the men pass, thinking to himself: *How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Want me to play the hero saving the damsel? Not a chance.*

Su Nanxing lifted his feet to resume his search for Tao Ming. After walking another two blocks, he spotted Tao Ming's exclusive carriage parked in front of a small snack shop in the distance, figuring she had most likely taken the two little ones inside to buy treats.

He quickened his pace. Just as he was within a few meters of the snack shop, a woman suddenly bolted out from a side alley, threw her arms around Su Nanxing's waist, and cried tearfully, "Husband, please don't leave Meng'er behind."

Su Nanxing lifted her up, looking at her face which bore a striking resemblance to Ruomeng's. He couldn't help feeling somewhat dazed, and his grip unconsciously loosened.

Seeing that he had let go, the woman threw herself back into Su Nanxing's arms, clinging tightly to his waist and sobbing, "Husband, Meng'er knows she was wrong. Please don't leave Meng'er."