Jiang Guo’an silently made the bed with the sheets and duvet cover. When he stepped out of his room, the living room was empty, and the door to Su Banxia’s room was tightly shut.

He walked into the kitchen and found the stove spotless, the dishes and utensils neatly arranged on the cutting board. On the floor were a few cabbages, some potatoes, and a bunch of green onions with dried outer skins.

Jiang Guo’an reached out and touched the stove—it was cold to the touch, indicating that Su Banxia hadn’t cooked at all.

He took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves, and washed his hands by the sink. Then, he kneaded dough and set it aside to rest.

He sliced a few cabbage leaves and one potato, drizzled a little oil into the wok, and once the oil was hot, he stir-fried some chopped green onions until fragrant. He added the cabbage and potato slices, seasoned them with spices and soy sauce, and stir-fried everything briefly before adding water to let it simmer.

While waiting for the water to boil, he kneaded the dough until it was smooth and elastic—the dough, his hands, and the bowl all clean and non-sticky.

He placed the dough on the cutting board, rolled it out to a medium thickness, and cut it into three-centimeter-wide strips.

When the water in the wok came to a boil, he draped the dough strips over his wrist, pinched off small pieces with his fingertips, and with both hands working in coordination, he dropped the dough pieces into the boiling water. His movements were fluid and practiced.

When the stewed dough slices were ready, he sprinkled chopped green onions on top—it looked quite appetizing.

Without hesitation, he ladled out two bowls of stewed dough slices and placed them on the table. After setting out the chopsticks, he hesitated for a moment before walking to Su Banxia’s door.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

“Food’s ready.”

Su Banxia, lying in bed, had been tossing and turning unable to sleep, listening to the sounds of chopping and cooking coming from the kitchen.

Whether it was because she was hungry or not, the aroma of the food had drifted into her room, making her stomach growl incessantly.

At the sound of knocking, her heart skipped a beat—she was afraid he might burst in.

Fortunately, he remained outside the door.

Su Banxia said, “No thanks, I’ve already eaten.”

Jiang Guo’an frowned outside the door. He was about to turn and leave but paused and added, “Then I’ll leave your bowl on the cutting board.”

He sat at the table to eat, occasionally glancing up at Su Banxia’s closed door.

He couldn’t understand why Su Banxia had suddenly changed.

After finishing his bowl of stewed dough slices, he looked at the other bowl still sitting on the table and suddenly felt restless and irritable.

Forget it, he thought. Let’s just make do for now and see how things go.

Later, Jiang Guo’an placed the second bowl of stewed dough slices on the cutting board. After washing the dishes, he went to the bathroom to wash up and was surprised to find it spotless, with everything neatly arranged from largest to smallest.

Jiang Guo’an paused mid-step, suddenly feeling that Su Banxia wasn’t entirely without merit.

At the very least, when she wasn’t gambling, if she was willing to settle down and live peacefully at home, they could still make things work.

The moment he caught himself thinking this, he mentally slammed on the brakes.

Stop right there—what if this woman is just putting on an act?

He must not soften his heart.

After washing up, he tidied the bathroom and went to his room. Lying in bed, he realized how much more comfortable it was to be home.

Truly, a golden nest or a silver nest was nowhere near as good as his own humble home.

Jiang Guo’an lay in bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the bulb overhead. Thinking about Su Banxia’s bewildering behavior over the past few days, he couldn’t help but sigh.

If only she could always be like this—he would never have brought up divorce.

But now that things had escalated between them, it really seemed impossible to continue.

Still, she had shown significant changes over the past couple of days. Since they had agreed to divorce a month later, why not try coexisting like this for now?

What if there was a turnaround?

With this thought, Jiang Guo’an felt much more at ease.

Perhaps he had been too exhausted lately, because within minutes, he was fast asleep.

Su Banxia had gone to bed on an empty stomach and spent the night dreaming of food.

Early the next morning, before the drill horn sounded, she was awakened by hunger.

Forgetting that Jiang Guo’an had returned the previous night, she slipped on her slippers and shuffled sleepily toward the bathroom.

As soon as she opened the door, she heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. Her half-squinted eyes met Jiang Guo’an’s startled expression. She blinked slowly, her gaze drifting downward.

When she realized where the sound was coming from, a deafening scream erupted in the bathroom.

“Ah—!”

Su Banxia quickly covered her eyes and turned her back to Jiang Guo’an.

“Y-you… why didn’t you close the door while using the bathroom?!”

Jiang Guo’an hurriedly pulled up his shorts and flushed the overhead water tank.

“How was I supposed to know you’d be awake at this hour?”

Back when they lived under the same roof, she had never been an early riser.

Having been seen completely exposed, Jiang Guo’an’s face flushed crimson all the way to his neck.

She was the one who got an eyeful—why was she acting so disgusted?

Su Banxia was mortified. Instantly wide awake, she scrambled back to her room as if her feet were greased.

She leaned against the door inside her room, her heart still racing.

Oh my god, what had she just seen?

Her cheeks burned fiercely.

In the bathroom, Jiang Guo’an ruffled his hair in frustration.

He would have to be more careful from now on.

He took a cold shower, quickly returned to his room to get dressed, and left for morning drills.

Su Banxia had never even been in a relationship in her previous life. Now, after witnessing such a scene, she buried her head under the blankets and thumped her forehead several times in embarrassment.

Several minutes later, when she finally heard silence outside, she tiptoed out of her room to use the bathroom.

She still felt somewhat uneasy—it seemed she needed to find a place to live as soon as possible.

After quickly washing up, she returned to her room to get dressed.

From now on, she would have to be more careful about how she dressed. A man and a woman living alone together—what if things got out of hand and they ended up doing something inappropriate? If that happened, this divorce might never happen.

It took Su Banxia half an hour to calm down. She had assumed Jiang Guo’an wouldn’t return after leaving for drills.

Unexpectedly, half an hour later, he returned carrying breakfast.

As the door opened, the two exchanged an awkward glance. Jiang Guo’an cleared his throat and placed the lunchbox he was carrying on the table.

“I brought breakfast back. Take your time eating.”

Su Banxia’s cheeks flushed slightly. Truth be told, this guy was quite responsible and genuinely decent.

Even though they were in the midst of a divorce, he had still given her the grain ration book and coupons, and he was even using his allowance to help pay off her debts.

In this day and age, how many men like him could you find?

What’s more, the saying went, “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen,” yet he knew how to cook.

Just as Su Banxia was thinking this, the scandalous scene from this morning flashed through her mind.

Feeling guilty, she muttered, “Thank you.”

Jiang Guo’an paused. She had said “thank you” several times over the past few days, but he still wasn’t quite used to it.

“Well… if you have nothing to do, try not to go out.”

He didn’t want her to face pointing fingers and gossip outside—though he kept that last part to himself.

Su Banxia pouted. Was he trying to say she shouldn’t go out to avoid being chased down by debt collectors?

Staring at her toes, she mumbled, “I’ve paid off all my debts. No one’s going to chase me around anymore.”

Jiang Guo’an glanced at her. For some reason, she seemed much more agreeable than before.

Seeing that it was almost time, he said, “I’m heading to the training ground now.”

After he left, Su Banxia opened the lunchbox. Inside was a white steamed bun, a boiled egg, a serving of spicy and sour cabbage, and a bowl of millet porridge.

Her heart softened at the sight.

Even though he insisted on divorce, to be blunt, in the nearly year since she (the original host) had come to the compound with him, he had never let her go hungry. Almost all of his allowance had gone toward paying off her debts.

Sigh, this guy really had it tough.

It was just a pity he hadn’t met the right person.