As soon as he finished speaking, the wind in the courtyard fell silent for a few seconds.

Zhou Zuizui was momentarily stunned. After a few seconds of looking at Shen Nan’s calm eyes, she sat back down on the small bench in silence.

Shen Nan didn’t rush her. He watched her for a few seconds, then looked away, finding a spot to sit and took out a lighter and a cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it, he glanced at Zhou Zuizui.

“I don’t mind.”

Shen Nan lowered his head, then lit the cigarette and put it in his mouth.

He had no other habits, but when he was exhausted and needed a pick-me-up, he would smoke. After completing his mission a few days ago, Shen Nan had gone back to report, taken care of most things, handed over everything to the police, and was released after a night. He hadn’t gone home but had come here urgently after receiving a phone call.

With the cigarette in hand, white smoke curling around, the smoke drifted from left to right. Zhou Zuizui inhaled the secondhand smoke, her eyes flashing slightly but remaining silent.

The two of them sat not far from each other in the courtyard, doing nothing and saying nothing, yet the atmosphere felt tense and oddly charged.

Qiu Qiu and Ai Zeyang were eavesdropping by the door.

“Do you think they’ll start arguing?” Qiu Qiu was a bit worried.

It was the first time she had seen her sister with such a grim expression, radiating coldness that made it hard to approach.

Ai Zeyang, observing, frowned. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Just as he was about to speak, the two people in the courtyard turned their heads and looked towards them.

Ai Zeyang cleared his throat, touched his nose, and led Qiu Qiu away.

After they left, Zhou Zuizui turned her hand towards Shen Nan.

“What is it?” Shen Nan raised an eyebrow, moving the cigarette out of her way.

“Give me a cigarette.”

Shen Nan: “……”

He looked down at her small, delicate, and clean hand, clearly one not accustomed to manual labor. But it wasn’t true—Zhou Zuizui did work, she just took great care in her appearance and later maintenance.

“Are you sure you want one?”

Zhou Zuizui gave him a look, and before Shen Nan could respond, she reached into his thigh pocket. When her soft hand touched his hard thigh, Shen Nan stiffened. Before he could speak, Zhou Zuizui frowned and complained, “Can’t you cooperate a bit?”

Shen Nan found it amusing that she was taking the initiative and then accusing him of not cooperating.

He paused, moved slightly to the side to cooperate with her. Zhou Zuizui smoothly took out the cigarette and lighter from his pocket, extracted a cigarette, and lit it perfectly with the lighter.

Her smoking posture and technique were even more practiced than Shen Nan’s.

Shen Nan watched, subconsciously frowning.

The two of them sat together in silence, smoking. Zhou Zuizui looked up at the open sky of the courtyard, which was always sunny with blue skies and white clouds.

She exhaled a smoke ring, feeling a bit of relief. Zhou Zuizui, sitting next to Shen Nan, spoke in a low voice, “Do you think the weather here is nice?”

“Pretty good.”

“And the scenery.”

Shen Nan lifted his eyelids to look at her. “What are you trying to say?”

“Where do you want me to go back to?”

Shen Nan glanced at her sideways and asked in a low voice, “You’re smoking even though you don’t know where to go back to?”

The only things that could trouble Zhou Zuizui to the point of smoking were just a couple of things. He didn’t know everything about his little wife, but he wasn’t entirely in the dark.

Zhou Zuizui tugged at her lips and smiled sarcastically, acknowledging it.

The two finished their cigarettes in silence. Shen Nan turned to her and said, “She’s in the hospital.”

Zhou Zuizui’s eyes flickered. She looked at Shen Nan and asked sharply, “So you’re here to take me back for the funeral?”

Shen Nan was taken aback by her question and rubbed his forehead with some helplessness. “No.”

He watched Zhou Zuizui’s cold expression for a while, then stood up with his hands in his pockets. “Think about it. Do you want to go back with me tomorrow?”

With that, Shen Nan turned and walked outside. When he reached the small door, he stopped, looked back at the silent Zhou Zuizui, and said gently, “I’ll be there when you go back.”

After he left, the courtyard became even quieter.

As soon as Shen Nan stepped outside, he ran into Ai Zeyang.

“Bro, want to grab a drink?” Ai Zeyang hooked his arm around Shen Nan’s shoulder.

Shen Nan gave him a cold look, causing Ai Zeyang’s hand to drop. He awkwardly said, “Why are you so cold? How can you be a couple like this?”

“Chui Chui” was Zhou Zuizui’s nickname, but usually no one was allowed to use it. Ai Zeyang only dared to use it privately.

Hearing this, Shen Nan raised his eyelids and coldly replied, “It’s none of your business.”

Ai Zeyang: “……”

He felt quite hurt.

He wondered how this couple could be so cold. He couldn’t understand how they interacted normally.

He looked at Shen Nan and asked, “Want to have a drink?”

Shen Nan then seriously looked at Ai Zeyang. “Are you very close with her?”

Ai Zeyang smirked, raised his eyebrows with confidence, and said, “Honestly, if it weren’t for you showing up and stealing my corner, Chui Chui would’ve been mine by now!”

Hearing this, Shen Nan sized up Ai Zeyang for a moment and sneered, “Even without me, she wouldn’t be yours.”

Ai Zeyang: “……”

Damn, that’s really harsh! He had already been hit hard by Zhou Zuizui, and now he was being hit by Zhou Zuizui’s husband. Ai Zeyang felt a pang in his heart.

He clutched his chest and looked at Shen Nan. “How about a drink, rival?”

Shen Nan smirked and, seeing how different Ai Zeyang was from Zhou Zuizui, showed a hint of interest.

“Sure.”

So, the two men sat in Zhou Zuizui’s small tavern, drinking her homemade wine and chatting amiably, completely unlike rivals.