Qiao Anchen thought she was tired, so he considerately didn’t enter the room to disturb her. Instead, he rested on the sofa, reading a book. As the sun moved from directly overhead to the western sky, casting slanted rays into the living room, he glanced at the time. It was almost dinner time.

On weekdays, it was usually Chu Yi who cooked. Without much thought, Qiao Anchen put down his book, rolled up his sleeves, and headed to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he found plenty of ingredients. He took out a green zucchini, tomatoes, and a few other items. With the kitchen window open, the scent of roses wafted in. Qiao Anchen stood at the cutting board, his knife rhythmically chopping the vegetables, neatly slicing the zucchini into even strips.

Meanwhile, Chu Yi was still in the other room, on the phone, venting to Cheng Li. Hearing her best friend’s uncontrollable laughter on the other end, Chu Yi stared at the ceiling with an indifferent expression.

“Oh my, this is killing me. I must say, your husband is one of a kind. There probably isn’t another one like him in the world—hahaha!”

“I’m used to it now. If he suddenly offered to go out and have fun with me, that would be strange…” Chu Yi tugged at the corner of the blanket, her face showing unmistakable disappointment.

Cheng Li fell silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. “Ah, Yizai, when you think about it, other than being a bit dense, your husband isn’t all that bad. Nowadays, it seems like straightforward guys are in fashion, judging by all the complaints online.”

“You’re not the only one suffering. Besides, there are good things about straightforward men too!”

“…You weren’t saying that earlier.”

Cheng Li quickly backtracked, “I was just exaggerating for effect.”

“…Alright.” 

They continued chatting about all sorts of things until much time had passed. When the call finally ended, Chu Yi noticed it was already past five. She quickly got out of bed and slipped on her slippers.

To her surprise, dinner was already prepared. Qiao Anchen was just placing the last dish on the table. When he saw Chu Yi, he removed his apron. 

“Awake? I was just about to call you.”

“I wasn’t asleep,” Chu Yi grumbled as she walked over, eyeing the dishes for the evening.

The vibrant mix of colors from the balanced array of meat and vegetables looked absolutely appetizing, making her subconsciously swallow. Glancing at Qiao Anchen, her expression softened considerably.

“What did you do this afternoon?”

“Read a bit,” Qiao Anchen replied, pulling out a chair and handing her the clean utensils.

“I figured,” she murmured.

They sat across from each other, making small talk while eating. Suddenly, Chu Yi remembered something. “By the way, it’s supposed to get colder soon. Do you want to buy some new clothes, shoes, or socks?”

Qiao Anchen always managed his own wardrobe, keeping his clothes separate from hers. His section was almost entirely filled with shirts and suits, with barely any other styles in sight.

“No need,” came the expected refusal. Qiao Anchen replied calmly, “Most of last year’s clothes are still good to wear.”

“Oh.” Chu Yi lowered her eyes, poking at her food with her chopsticks.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone shopping. I’d like to buy a few new outfits for autumn.”

Qiao Anchen paused in his eating, then looked up at her, pondering for a few seconds. “I have a card here. You can use it.”

“It’s my salary card.”

Since their marriage, they had kept their finances separate, though Qiao Anchen took care of the major household expenses like utilities. He often worked overtime, so Chu Yi didn’t spend much on groceries, mostly using her own money.

Qiao Anchen had offered to share finances once or twice, but Chu Yi had declined, thinking there wasn’t much expense involved and feeling a bit embarrassed to use his money…

At this moment, Chu Yi hadn’t expected him to make such an offer, and despite all she’d been through, her heart still clenched a bit.

“My money is enough,” she decided to be straightforward. Being subtle with Qiao Anchen never seemed to work.

“I was hoping that if you had time, we could go shopping together sometime.”

Qiao Anchen was visibly taken aback. After thinking it over for a few seconds, he replied, “I’ll have to check my schedule next week. If I’m off, I’ll go with you.”

His expression didn’t change much, and he agreed so readily that it left Chu Yi feeling somewhat unreal, empty, and a bit detached.

“Have you ever gone shopping with a girl before?” After a while, Chu Yi couldn’t help but probe.

“I went once with my mom,” Qiao Anchen recalled.

“And after that?” Chu Yi pressed.

“After that, no more.”

“Hmm?”

Qiao Anchen held his chopsticks, his expression serious. “She never asked me again.”

Chu Yi: “…”

Despite this, when Friday evening arrived and Qiao Anchen mentioned he had the next day off, Chu Yi was thrilled for quite a while. Lying in bed, she began planning excitedly.

“We could sleep in, then go out and shop a bit, and maybe have dinner out before coming back.” She shook Qiao Anchen’s arm enthusiastically. “How about it?”

“Sounds good,” he replied absentmindedly, his eyes still glued to a news article, nodding perfunctorily.

Unhappy with his lack of attention, Chu Yi followed his gaze. The news was about a domestic violence case where the husband had beaten his wife to death. It had once been a hot topic online, and Chu Yi had heard of it.

She made a sound of interest, feeling she had found a rare common topic.

“Wasn’t this case from years ago?” Chu Yi leaned in for a closer look and realized this was a follow-up report. The abusive husband had been released from prison and, after being introduced to a new wife by others, had recently been reported for severe domestic violence again.

The graphic images of injuries made Chu Yi wince, her face full of disbelief.