The next afternoon, around 4 PM, Yan An was soaking in a small pond within a spiritual barrier, holding her phone. She sighed occasionally as she glanced at the screen, then sighed again.

On the screen was the chat from her conversation with Qi Yan the night before:

Y: Address: Liuye District, Building 16

AnAn Wants Money: Got it!

Y: Do you want me to have someone pick you up?

AnAn Wants Money: No, no, I’ll come on my own~

Y: Alright, I’ll be home by five. Let’s make it six tomorrow evening?

AnAn Wants Money: Okay. [ok.jpg]

End of conversation.

The Liuye District he mentioned was a famously exclusive villa neighborhood, home to the rich and powerful. Even someone like her, who’d spent the past three years raising children behind a barrier, knew of it.

Qi Yan didn’t use to live there. When they got married, he’d just entered the entertainment industry. He was broke and barely getting started.

They’d lived in a rented apartment back then. But now… things were different.

Yan An gave her head a shake and climbed out of the lake.

It was time to get moving, or she’d be late. She still needed to buy lemons and bitter melon for him.

She combed her hair using the lake’s surface as a mirror, then turned to the two children playing with the rooster. “Mengmeng, Kuku, Mommy’s going out for a bit.”

She had already explained it to them the night before, so the kids just nodded obediently. “Okay. Bye, Mommy.”

Yan An stepped past the barrier and headed into town to buy the produce.

After three years living in this area, she knew the streets like the back of her hand.

It was an older part of the city, full of weathered buildings and winding cobblestone alleys. The residents were mostly elderly folks in their seventies and eighties, young office workers saving on rent, or idle, small-time gangsters with nothing better to do.

It was a place where all kinds of people crossed paths. But most importantly, it had a market nearby.

And not just any market. One that sold vegetables and fruit.

And it was cheap. Very affordable.

Even though Yan An had nearly three hundred thousand yuan in her bank account, she still had four unsprouted seeds left. So it only made sense to save wherever she could.

She went from stall to stall comparing prices and finally picked the cheapest option. A pound of lemons. A pound of bitter gourd. Two plastic bags swinging from her hands as she made her way to the subway, transferred to a bus, and arrived at the villa ten minutes before six.

Qi Yan had already informed the guard, so she passed through smoothly and made it to the front door. Then, she rang the bell.

At that moment, Qi Yan was standing in the backyard, staring at a patch of withered money plants.

He’d planted the batch Yan An gave him as soon as he got home the day before.

There had been another set of money plants in the pond before, ones he liked. But the difference was night and day. Compared to the vibrant, lush batch from Nanmu Village, his old plants looked like sad weeds.

So he’d yanked the old ones out, tossed them into the soil in the backyard, and carefully planted the new ones.

The pond water was perfect, slightly green, full of slow-moving fish drifting lazily through the current.

A hardy plant like the money plant should’ve thrived here.

And yet, they’d all withered.

The lush leaves had turned limp and yellow, shriveled until they barely held their shape.

Not even twenty-four hours had passed.

What went wrong?

Frustration and confusion clouded Qi Yan’s eyes.

The air in the backyard felt suddenly stifling. Even the fish froze in place, drifting downward as if frightened, trembling near the bottom of the pond.

Just then, Yan An arrived.

Qi Yan took a breath, pushed down his irritation, and went to open the door.

As it swung open, he was greeted by Yan An’s smiling face.

She held up the two plastic bags. “Mr. Qi, I brought the lemons and bitter gourd, just like I promised.”

Qi Yan’s gaze lingered on her face.

For a moment, he could’ve sworn he saw the lakeside money plants reflected in her expression; lush, round, brimming with vitality. Just looking at her soothed something in his chest.

The tension slowly eased from his body. He let go of the door handle. “Come in.”

Yan An scratched her head, stepped inside, and casually set the bags down. Then immediately started admiring the villa.

The living room was clean and spacious, the furnishings clearly expensive and carefully chosen.

She glanced at Qi Yan walking ahead of her, then when he wasn’t looking, she reached out to gently touch a piece of porcelain on display.

That kind of antique… probably worth a fortune. Maybe even enough to help a seed sprout.

“Yan An.”

His voice came out of nowhere. She hadn’t even noticed he’d turned around. His dark eyes were locked on her.

Startled, she jerked her hand back, thinking he’d caught her in the act. “I was just… touching it for a second…”

“Come with me.” Qi Yan turned and walked toward the backyard.

Yan An trailed after him, completely puzzled.

Why did this feel like she was being called in for a disciplinary meeting?

But as soon as she laid eyes on the wilted money plants in the pond, she more or less figured it out.

Honestly, she’d expected this. She knew this would happen. If they hadn’t withered, she would’ve cloned them into a thousand generations by now. Why would she need to dual cultivate with Qi Yan, exhaust herself to produce six seeds, and work so hard to make money to help them sprout?

She grumbled about it in her head, but outwardly, her expression was one of pure shock. Before Qi Yan could say a word, she rushed forward, crouched by the pond, and stared down at the plants. 

“What happened? Why are they wilted? Mr. Qi, did you forget to put them in water last night? You left them in the bag, didn’t you? In this heat, they’d cook themselves!”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “What a shame… I worked so hard yesterday afternoon gathering those by the lake.”

Qi Yan frowned slightly. “I planted them last night. They were fine this morning…”

“Then what happened?” Yan An asked, clutching the edge of the pond and tilting her head up at him, genuinely puzzled. “Is it a problem with the water?”

Qi Yan stared down at her and for some reason, couldn’t shake the strange thought that she belonged in that pond.

Qi Yan gently rubbed his temples. “The fish are still alive.”

Yan An shrugged innocently. “Then I have no idea what happened.” She glanced toward the pond. “So… what now? Should I scoop out the withered leaves?”

She actually wanted to do just that, scoop them out and bury them. After all, every plant longed to return to the earth, even if, technically, these were just her hair.

Qi Yan said, “I’ll have someone take care of it. Come inside.”

With that, he turned and walked off.

He’d been planning to ask her what went wrong. After all, she’d picked the money plants from the lake. But judging by her reaction, it seemed she was just as clueless as he was.

Yan An wasn’t ready to let it go. “Mr. Qi, how about I scoop them out and bury them myself?” she offered. Her eyes drifted to the backyard, scanning for a good spot to lay her “hair” to rest.

That’s when she spotted something in the corner, not far off, just lying there. A bunch of old money plant leaves, tossed carelessly to the side.

They looked like they’d been baking in the sun all day, dried out and limp, but still hanging on. Her kind was resilient; with a little care, they’d bounce back.

But if they stayed out there any longer, they really would shrivel up for good.

Who’s the heartless jerk who did this to my kin?!

Then it hit her, of course. Her ex-husband.

He probably tossed them aside to make space for her “hair,” and now her poor, innocent kin had suffered for it.

Guilt flooded her chest. She couldn’t just ignore them.

“Mr. Qi, were those your old money plants?” she asked. “They’re still salvageable. I can replant them for you, if you want.”

Qi Yan glanced over where she pointed. “No need. I’ll have someone replace them with new ones.”

Yan An looked at him like he’d just committed a felony. “Why replace them? What about them? They’ll die out there!”

Her tone shifted, firm, upset, completely different from her usual cheerful self. Her expression turned serious, and it made Qi Yan feel… uncomfortable.

It reminded him of the feeling he’d had earlier, when he saw the withered leaves, something vaguely unpleasant and hard to explain.

Over the years, he’d replaced the money plants in the pond over and over. He liked them when he liked them. When he didn’t, he’d throw them away, let them dry out or freeze. He never gave it a second thought.

He’d never felt guilt. Never had empathy for anything, really.

Still, if she cared that much…

“Then don’t replace them,” he said lightly.

Yan An blinked in surprise, then smiled again. “Then I’ll replant them, okay?”

Qi Yan gave a small nod. “Up to you. Just come inside when you’re done.”

“Got it!” She flashed him an OK sign and got right to work.

She scooped the withered leaves from the pond, rolled them together gently, and buried them in the dirt, returning them to the earth.

Then she carefully picked up the dry money plants from the corner and placed them back into the pond.

Stroking their brittle leaves, she whispered, “There you go. Rest up and recover, okay? You’ll be back to full strength soon.”

When Yan An finally returned to the villa, she was stunned to see Qi Yan in the kitchen cooking.

Back when they were married, he always cooked when he was home.

And she still remembered just how awful his cooking had been. It was so bad, she’d sworn off all human food for a while. It wasn’t until she started doing variety shows that her taste slowly recovered.

It had been three years. Maybe he’d improved. Still, better safe than sorry. She figured she should say something, then make a clean exit.

No way was she staying for dinner. That would be tragic.

With that in mind, she hurried to the kitchen door, peeked in, and called out, “Mr. Qi?”

Qi Yan tilted his head slightly at her, questioning, but didn’t stop what he was doing. Watching him cook was like watching a martial artist, every movement fluid, precise, and steady.

When he flipped the wok, a burst of flames rose into the air. Yan An’s eyes widened. Whatever she’d planned to say completely vanished.

And then the aroma hit her, rich and savory, flooding the kitchen.

Suddenly, she was starving.

Wait, what?

This was not what she’d expected. From the looks of it, his cooking might actually be amazing now.

Just two days ago, she’d watched Wen Yang cook, and even he hadn’t looked this professional.

And Wen Yang’s food had tasted great… so if Qi Yan was even better than him…

Has he really improved this much in three years?

Before she could wrap her head around it, Qi Yan plated a dish, tidied up, and carried it out of the kitchen.

Still standing in the doorway, Yan An stared at the dish in his hands, braised pork. It looked incredible. And the smell? Even better.

Her stomach growled, and before she could stop herself, she swallowed hard.

Then she realized what she’d just done and quickly stepped aside, her face flushing.

Qi Yan chuckled softly. “What, are you hungry?”

Yan An blinked, then ducked her head shyly, saying nothing.

“Go sit at the table. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She hesitated, then smiled sweetly. “Okay!”

Just one meal, she told herself. I’ll leave right after.

At the table, Yan An clutched her chopsticks, eyes sparkling as she looked at the spread before her, three dishes and a soup.

Braised pork. Stir-fried pork with green peppers. Sautéed bitter gourd. Tomato egg soup.^[1]Braised pork Stir-fried pork with green peppers Sauteed bitter gourd tomato egg soup

Every dish was beautifully done; vibrant, fragrant, perfectly cooked.

But Qi Yan was still in the kitchen, so she held back.

Soon, he returned with two bowls of rice. When he caught the look on her face, he couldn’t help but smile.

He handed her a bowl and sat down across from her. “Go ahead.”

Yan An gave him a sideways glance. “Then I’m digging in?”

He nodded, pouring her a glass of cooled boiled water.

No longer holding back, Yan An expertly bypassed the bitter guord and went straight for the braised pork.

She popped a piece into her mouth… and three seconds later, it took all her willpower and the fear of disappointing her ex-husband… not to spit it right back out.

Who was going to tell her why his braised pork was still… so, so, so sour?!

So sour her cheeks went numb.

Qi Yan picked up a piece himself and, calm as ever, popped it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, swallowed, and continued eating it with white rice like nothing was wrong.

Then he looked at her. Noticing her weird expression, he furrowed his brows. A memory from three years ago surfaced.

 “What’s wrong? Did you get a piece with too much fat again?”

Yan An clamped her mouth shut. She had no words. All she could do was nod along with his assumption.

Three years ago, the first time she’d tasted his “acid-braised” pork, she couldn’t stop herself from spitting it out. But when Qi Yan asked her about it, she’d been too embarrassed to tell the truth and afraid her reaction might give her away, so she just claimed she didn’t like fatty meat.

But this wasn’t about fat or no fat. The flavor was just plain weird! Why did he eat it like it was totally normal?

Lowering her head, Yan An shoveled white rice into her mouth to help choke down the braised pork. Somehow, she managed to swallow it.

Then she quickly grabbed her glass and took a big gulp of water.

Qi Yan glanced at the dish. He’d used only lean cuts today, just to suit her taste.

He shook his head and, thinking she might still be hungry, picked out a piece of fish for her.
“Then have some fish.”

Yan An: “…”

No. Just no.

If the braised pork still tasted like it did three years ago, the fish probably hadn’t changed either.

His fish was so salty. The first time she ate it, she’d been up half the night chugging water. She woke up so many times to hydrate, she ended up disturbing him and got pulled into dual cultivation as punishment. The next morning, her entire plant-body felt like jelly.

Why? Why had three years gone by, his cooking skills looked incredible… but the taste was exactly the same?!

Yan An met his gaze, glanced down at the fish in her bowl, and hesitated before quietly setting down her chopsticks.

Back then, she’d thought it was her problem. So she never said a word and kept deflecting with excuses. “I’m dieting,” or “I’m not hungry.”

But now, she knew for sure, it wasn’t her.

Trying to be tactful, Yan An asked,
“Mr. Qi, have your friends never tried your cooking before?”

Qi Yan paused, set down his chopsticks, and looked at her.
“No.”

He didn’t cook for just anyone. So far, the only person who’d ever tasted his cooking… was her.

Yan An hesitated, then pressed her lips together and carefully asked,
“Then… do you think your cooking tastes good?”

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and studied her.
“It’s decent. Why? You don’t like it?”

There was weight in his gaze, like her answer might decide the fate of the world. Yan An’s heart trembled. It felt like if she told the truth, she might be sacrificed to the heavens.

She wavered. Maybe it was better to let this “beautiful misunderstanding” continue. No need to crush his ego.

So she nodded vaguely.

Qi Yan narrowed his eyes.
“Then why don’t you like it?”

Yan An jerked her head up.

Wait, what?! Didn’t she just say she did like it?

Crap. She was supposed to shake her head!

She quickly started shaking her head.

Qi Yan stared at her.
“So do you like it or not?”

Yan An forced a smile.
“I… I do…”

He gave a cold little smirk.
“Then finish the whole meal.”

Her expressions, her tone, her half-hearted attitude, if Qi Yan couldn’t tell something was off, he wouldn’t be Qi Yan.

Yan An’s little plant heart nearly withered on the spot. She tried to wiggle out of it.
“…Can I not? I’m, uh… dieting…”

Qi Yan’s expression didn’t budge. His perfect face held the faintest hint of ice.

She gave up and dropped her head. In a tiny voice, she whispered,
“Mr. Qi… your cooking… actually tastes a little bit… weird…”

Qi Yan: “What’s weird about it?”

He personally thought it was fine, similar to food he ate outside. He was curious now. What was she trying to pull?

Yan An pointed at the braised pork.
“This is super sour.”

Then she pointed at the fish.
“That one’s probably really salty.”

And the tomato egg soup?
“Too sweet.”

 The bitter gourd?
“Just… really, really bitter.”

So bitter it made her question the meaning of life. Honestly, even her bitter gourd babies tasted sweeter than his stir-fry.

Qi Yan’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t say anything. He picked up his chopsticks and, in front of her, calmly sampled every dish.

Then he put them down and looked at her, eyes dark.
“You really think that?”

Yan An nodded with all the determination of someone heading to the gallows. Worried he wouldn’t believe her, she nodded again.

He frowned.
“Three years ago…”

“I thought the same thing three years ago,” she cut in. “I just didn’t dare say it.”

Back then, she’d thought her taste buds were broken.

Qi Yan’s gaze shifted. There was something almost pensive behind his eyes. He tapped his fingers lightly against the table, then said suddenly,
“I’ll have my assistant book a doctor. We’ll go in for a checkup tomorrow.”

Yan An: “!!!”

Why would she need to see a doctor?! It wasn’t her problem, it was his!

Before she could stop him, Qi Yan had already pulled out his phone to make the call.

Yan An shot forward, hands on the table, reaching out to snatch it from him.

Qi Yan raised the phone high, looking slightly exasperated.
“Yan An, if there’s something wrong with your body, you need to get it checked out.”

Yan An was about to combust. Her whole grassy self practically shook with outrage.

She stood up straight, stomped her foot, and shouted,
“Qi Yan! My taste buds are fine! You’re the one with the problem! You should be the one seeing a doctor! If you don’t believe me, call your assistant and have him try your cooking!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the room went dead silent.

Yan An stood there, panting. Qi Yan’s face was stormy, and she instantly deflated like a popped balloon.

Her voice shrank.
“I’m telling the truth… You can ask someone else…”

She risked a peek at him.

Qi Yan was still sitting there, staring at her, his expression dark and unreadable.

Yan An decided it was probably time to flee.

But just then. Ding! His phone lit up with a message.

Qi Yan glanced down at his phone.

A message from his assistant popped up:
“Mr. Qi, I looked into it thoroughly… there’s no one named Yan An living in the Changqing Community.”

He lifted his gaze to look at her.

Sensing something wasn’t right, Yan An quickly tried to make an exit.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out…”

Qi Yan stood.

“I’ll walk you home. You live in the Changqing Community, right?”

She froze, then immediately waved her hands.

 “No, no, that’s okay! I can get back on my own.”

Qi Yan gave her a long look, but didn’t press. He simply walked her to the door.

As they passed through the living room, he casually gestured at a pile of toys on the sofa, model cars, Barbie dolls, and all sorts of kid stuff.

“Oh, right. You should take these with you, Yan An.”

She blinked and followed his gesture.

Her eyes lit up.

She’d noticed those toys when she first walked in. Back then, she’d thought that once she had some money, she’d love to buy things like that for the kids back home.

And now he was just… giving them to her?

Wait… hold on.

Why was he giving them to her?

Did he never actually buy her hospital mix-up excuse? Was he still convinced she had a child, and now trying to bait her into slipping up?

Whew, any slower and she might’ve walked right into his trap.

She cleared her throat and put on a puzzled expression.
“Uh… aren’t those just kids’ toys? I don’t have any children at home, and I don’t play with them myself either. It wouldn’t really make sense for me to take them.”

Qi Yan’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Fair enough. I’ll just have the cleaning lady toss them out, then.”

Yan An felt a pang in her heart.
“If you didn’t want them, why’d you buy them in the first place?”

Qi Yan gave a light laugh.
“Why would I buy those? A sponsor sent them over. They’ve just been sitting there, taking up space.”

“Ohhh,” Yan An murmured, her eyes flicking around. After a moment of hesitation, she offered,
“Well, in that case… I could throw them out for you.”

She even added, all casual-like,
“It’s on my way anyway. No need to trouble the cleaning lady.”

Qi Yan’s smile deepened, tinged with amusement.
“Alright then. I’ll leave it to you.”

He walked over to the sofa, packed up the toys, and handed the bags to her.

And so, Yan An left his villa lugging two oversized bags of toys.

To keep up appearances, she even stopped by the neighborhood recycling station, pacing around the sorting bins and muttering to herself,
“Ugh… what category do toys even go in? You know what, forget it… I’ll just take them back and sort them myself.”

With that, she turned and hustled away.