“What book are you reading?” Chu Yi moved closer, climbed onto the bed, lifted the quilt, and snuggled up beside him, blinking as she asked.

“It’s a foreign book about law,” Qiao Anchen replied, adjusting his glasses slightly without lifting his gaze from the book.

“Oh,” Chu Yi responded, turning over to take out her phone and begin her nightly internet browsing.

Time passed slowly, and in the quiet of the night, even the passage of time seemed to become peaceful. The occasional sound of pages turning could be heard. The two of them were each engrossed in their own activities, not speaking to one another.

This was pretty much their daily routine after marriage—calm, natural, and respectful of each other’s space.

As the night deepened, Qiao Anchen asked her a question and then turned off the bedside lamp. The room went dark in an instant. The quilt rustled beside her as he prepared to sleep.

Chu Yi glanced at the time in the upper-right corner of her phone—11:30 PM.

A bit earlier than usual, probably because he was tired from work.

The phone’s glow was faint, so Chu Yi deliberately dimmed the brightness. Her eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment as she stared at the screen but quickly refocused.

Marriage was probably supposed to be like this—hardly filled with constant, inseparable intimacy.

That night, Chu Yi stayed up late. By the time she placed her phone on the bedside table, it was already 2 AM. Her eyes were a little sore and tired, but her mind was still particularly alert.

She moved slightly, turning her head to look at the person beside her. In the darkness, she could only make out a vague silhouette, and his breathing was steady.

Chu Yi moved a little closer to him, stopping just short of touching Qiao Anchen’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, the room was already bright with daylight. Chu Yi squinted as she reached for her phone, fumbling until she managed to grab it and press a button. Unsurprisingly, the screen showed 10:30 AM. She closed it again and buried her face back into the pillow.

After a few seconds, Chu Yi reached over to feel the space beside her. As expected, it was cold. Qiao Anchen had already been at work for hours.

That day, Qiao Anchen returned home after dark as usual. Chu Yi, wanting to chat with him more, had specially washed a plate of fruit—plump, juicy grapes.

Qiao Anchen glanced at the plate, picked up two grapes, popped them into his mouth, and nodded in approval.

“They taste good.”

“I bought them specially today,” Chu Yi said with a smile. Qiao Anchen’s expression softened a bit as he nodded and then walked past her into the bedroom.

Chu Yi watched his back, her lips parted as if to say something, but she ended up sighing softly and tightened her grip on the fruit plate.

She waited until Qiao Anchen finished his shower before she turned on the home projector and asked if he wanted to watch a movie together. Qiao Anchen frowned slightly and declined without hesitation.

“I’d like to read for a bit.”

“Okay…” Chu Yi lowered her head and turned off the equipment.

“Aren’t you going to watch it?” Qiao Anchen paused as he lifted the quilt, turning his head to look at her in confusion. Chu Yi was silent for a moment.

“I don’t want to watch it alone.”

She emphasized this tactfully. Qiao Anchen acknowledged with an “Oh,” nodded, and picked up the book he had been reading the night before from the bedside table, continuing to read with a focused and serious expression.

Chu Yi: “…”

When Qiao Anchen read, she usually wouldn’t disturb him. Chu Yi quietly browsed her phone, barely making a sound as she shifted her position.

They lay together, but without any interaction. She felt as though she were living with a roommate, sharing each other’s company in solitude.

After reading for a while, Qiao Anchen turned off the light. Today, he had come home earlier than the day before, and it was just 11 PM.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” he asked softly with his eyes closed. Chu Yi murmured back.

“I don’t sleep this early.”

“Don’t stay up late every night,” Qiao Anchen advised in his usual way. Chu Yi let the words pass by, not taking them to heart at all.

It was advice that could be given to any young person.

“Don’t stay up late, don’t stay up late.”

But the nights that needed to be stayed up were still spent that way, and no one could change that.

The faint light from her phone was enough to dispel some of the darkness in the room. The air had a faint fragrance—a mix of shampoo, body wash, and other scents.

It was subtle and not unpleasant.

Qiao Anchen closed his eyes, and an image of Chu Yi standing in front of him earlier flashed through his mind.

It had been raining a lot recently, so several of her pajamas hadn’t dried yet. She was wearing a large T-shirt that barely covered her thighs, revealing pale skin.

He swallowed, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

It was sudden, and Chu Yi was momentarily stunned before she turned off her phone and looked at him.

“What are you doing?”

The room was completely dark. The dim light from the balcony curtains faintly illuminated their faces. Qiao Anchen leaned in, his warm lips meeting hers.

“It’s still early,” he murmured as he kissed her, his hand sliding under her shirt. Chu Yi understood, her wrist going limp as the phone slipped from her hand, and she instinctively clung to his shoulder.

“Okay,” she mumbled, letting him continue.

After a while, the room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing, the sheets shifting with their movements. When everything finally quieted down, the room was still for a long time until there was a soft click as the bedside lamp was turned on.

Both of them were slightly sweaty, still clinging to each other. Chu Yi, held in his arms, thought that there was indeed a difference between this and living with a roommate. No roommate would do these things.