When Qiao Anchen came home that evening, Chu Yi had just finished her bath and was curled up in bed playing with her phone. He walked in and asked,

“Feeling any better?”

Chu Yi, still lying down, didn’t even lift her head. “Mm…”

“Have you taken your temperature?”

“No… I don’t think I have a fever.” Chu Yi was in low spirits, lacking her usual energy. Qiao Anchen thought she was still feeling unwell and didn’t want to talk, so he prepared to go wash up.

“Oh, right.” He suddenly remembered something, stopping in his tracks to look at her.

“Have you been drinking hot water?”

Chu Yi: “……”

“Yes.” She held back her frustration and tried to answer calmly. Qiao Anchen didn’t notice anything unusual, nodded, and walked into the bathroom.

After starting work, Qiao Anchen had become incredibly busy, leaving early and coming home late every day.

Chu Yi had sulked for two days, but he hadn’t noticed at all. He continued as usual, and if Chu Yi was indifferent, he wouldn’t say anything. After a few days, Chu Yi’s mood improved on its own.

Time seemed to be a good thing, gradually processing and dissolving her immense dissatisfaction until it disappeared completely.

Their relationship returned to normal. On Qiao Anchen’s first weekend back at work, he had only half a day off. He napped in the room and woke up in the late afternoon.

Recently, Chu Yi had been learning to cook online. Since Qiao Anchen was so busy, though he mostly ate at the cafeteria, there were still one or two days when he didn’t work overtime. She felt too embarrassed to ask him to cook or order takeout.

In reality, it was more about being considerate.

When Qiao Anchen came out, he saw that the dining table was already set with two dishes and a soup—simple home-style dishes: braised chicken wings, minced meat and eggplant, and century egg and ham soup with pea shoots.

The dishes were brightly colored and looked very appetizing. Qiao Anchen looked at Chu Yi with a hint of curiosity.

“When did you learn to cook?”

“Just recently,” Chu Yi said, putting the chopsticks and bowl on the table, trying to sound casual.

“Cooking isn’t that difficult.”

Qiao Anchen smiled and nodded in agreement. “It’s not difficult, but it’s rare.”

“Try it quickly,” Chu Yi urged, handing him the chopsticks. Qiao Anchen accepted with a nod.

“Alright.”

People who cook well generally don’t think others’ cooking is particularly impressive, but at that moment, Qiao Anchen found the food incredibly delicious. He looked at Chu Yi and nodded in approval.

“It’s very delicious.”

Chu Yi smiled, serving him more. “Then eat more.”

—

Another work week passed.

Chu Yi and Qiao Anchen only saw each other in the evenings. She had considered whether to wake up early, but that terrifying thought was immediately dismissed.

There didn’t seem to be much difference between before and after marriage; life went on as usual. Most of the time, she was still alone at home.

The biggest change was probably that she went from having no sex life to having one…

On Friday, Chu Yi met Cheng Li at a dessert shop.

This soufflé was her favorite; meeting Cheng Li was secondary. Eating was the main event.

As Chu Yi leisurely finished a strawberry-filled soft soufflé, Cheng Li arrived fashionably late. She entered with glossy, beautiful long curly hair, a tight dress, high heels, and a handbag.

She sat down across from Chu Yi, and they looked like an older sister and a younger sister.

However, the very definite fact was that Cheng Li was actually the same age as her and a close dormitory buddy from university.

“Sis, how’s married life been lately?” Cheng Li flicked her hair, her exquisite red lips curling into a teasing smile, with a glint of mockery in her eyes.

“It’s alright,” Chu Yi replied with a nod.

“You can rest assured. I’ve personally verified that Qiao Anchen isn’t a marriage scammer, and I haven’t tragically become a ‘same-wife.’”

Chu Yi had eagerly shared the news with Cheng Li right after meeting Qiao Anchen, her mood full of joy and excitement. Cheng Li had poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

“No… calm down for a moment…” Cheng Li struggled to find the right words and finally managed to say.

“A man as outstanding as him needing a matchmaking arrangement and you just happened to meet him—it’s such a small probability!”

“Darling! You should check carefully. What if he’s gay and tricked you into marriage—”

Chu Yi had frozen immediately, and although she had scolded Cheng Li on the spot, she had quickly arranged to meet with Qiao Anchen after the conversation.

Speaking of which, Chu Yi had been the one to initiate their first hand-holding and kissing.

The reason was that she wanted to find out if Qiao Anchen’s sexual orientation was normal…

“Oh, it seems pretty good~” Cheng Li said after hearing her story, leaning in to tease her by lifting her chin. Chu Yi pushed her hand away.

“But marriage isn’t as great as I imagined.” Chu Yi said somewhat dejectedly, lowering her head to poke at the remaining cream on her plate with a spoon.