The boss lady stayed in Zhao Ziqiang’s room, nagging him about the bathroom and various other trivial matters related to the schedule. Once she saw that Zhao Ziqiang had finished tidying up and was ready to sleep, she finally went back to her room.

Zhao Ziqiang was exhausted; he didn’t have the time to think about anything and fell asleep immediately.

Qian Wang had a rather strange week. He felt like he was always in a half-awake state. With school on winter break, Sun Kan came to visit him every day. The kid was very well-behaved, sneaking in early in the morning and quietly heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. However, the result was just as disastrous as Zhao Ziqiang’s first attempt. Every time Qian Wang finished eating, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would need to spend a few more years waiting for the kid to improve his cooking skills.

After that close call, they didn’t take any further steps. Every morning, after preparing breakfast, Sun Kan would sneak into the bedroom to give a light kiss to the still-sleeping Qian Wang, then patiently work to wake him up from his deep slumber. They were as innocent as children just discovering the meaning of love.

For Sun Kan, this was already enough to make him feel satisfied. The lazy, relaxed aura that Qian Wang exuded at home, along with his different moods and habits compared to the outside world, made Sun Kan even more infatuated. A sense of pride, as if he had struck a great deal of luck, arose within him.

Qian Wang, on the other hand, had actually become increasingly irritable in the past few days and no longer bothered to hide it in front of Sun Kan. He felt that Sun Kan’s presence filled every corner of the house, making everything feel out of place.

In the past, Zhao Ziqiang would cook in his usual casual homewear, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, humming a tune, and feeling completely at ease. But now, Sun Kan wore a blue checkered apron with lace trim, flustered yet delicate like a newlywed bride, not to mention the barely edible dishes he managed to make.

Despite this, Qian Wang still graciously ate what was served, although his appetite seemed to have significantly decreased. The two didn’t have a nightlife; Qian Wang, feeling awkward, was unsure why he didn’t want anyone else to sleep in that bed with him. Sun Kan, too shy to bring it up, would simply cook in the afternoons and then sit with Qian Wang to watch television before honestly tidying up and heading home.

On the third day of officially working at the small restaurant, Zhao Ziqiang realized his protective amulet was missing. After work, he grabbed his bath supplies and followed the landlady’s directions to the public bathhouse. After undressing, he noticed that the jade Buddha he had been wearing around his neck for many years was gone. Since he had worn it for so long, he hadn’t even noticed it was missing until now.

As Zhao Ziqiang absentmindedly showered, he kept pondering. After thinking it over, he realized the jade pendant must have been left by the shower at Qian Wang’s place. With the reason figured out, he sighed. Despite repeatedly telling himself that their paths had no connection, he still couldn’t avoid all kinds of troublesome mess.

After taking a shower, he put on a new thick wool hat, mask, gloves, and scarf, fully covered, and walked back to the place he had lived for seven years, carrying his bath basket. Feeling it was too much trouble, he didn’t return to the shop. The couple trusted him enough to give him the key, so he wasn’t worried about returning late and finding the door locked.

He huffed and puffed his way up the stairs, silently calculating that it was time to replace his down jacket as he pressed the doorbell. This was the first time he had rung this doorbell himself, and the novelty made him feel a rush of excitement. Listening to the sound of slippers shuffling inside felt strange, as if he were an outsider. He quietly thought to himself, “It seems like there’s someone else in there.”

Qian Wang opened the door, and upon seeing the person at the doorstep, he stood silently, as if frozen. It felt like a lost puppy returning on its own. On the sofa, there was another person. Upon seeing Zhao Ziqiang, the surprise on the other person’s face was clear—it was Lao Wang.

They both thought Zhao Ziqiang was just being stubborn. When they saw him standing there perfectly fine at the door, they both let out a sigh of relief. However, Qian Wang’s expression remained stern.

“Finally decided to come back,” he said.

Zhao Ziqiang was taken aback by those words, almost wanting to laugh. So, in other people’s eyes, his determination to leave was just seen as a childish tantrum.

He smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth, and said, “No, I came to take a shower.” As he raised the basket in his hand, Qian Wang’s relaxed expression froze. Zhao Ziqiang’s first public sarcasm directed at him made Qian Wang feel more embarrassed than if his wife had run off.

“You’re not done throwing a tantrum yet!”

Lao Wang stepped in to ease the tension. “Yeah… Come on, Xiao Zhao, let’s talk this out properly.”

“I am talking properly! I came… to retrieve something I left behind.”

After saying that, he walked in without a sideways glance. Qian Wang’s mind raced as he recalled that after Zhao Ziqiang left, he had gone around the house several times, and all that was left of his things were his green checkered bedsheets, a bottle of herbal shower gel, and the cotton hat he had bought for him.

Zhao Ziqiang nonchalantly carried his basket toward the bathroom, not bothering to change his shoes. The floor was already covered in muddy footprints, so he didn’t think twice about it; it seemed the kid was someone who didn’t clean up after himself.

He entered the bathroom and shut the door. Sure enough, the jade Buddha was hanging on the hook behind the bathroom door. He grabbed his belongings and quickly stepped outside, moving like a gust of wind.

As he passed by Qian Wang, he flicked the items in his hand to indicate they were his. Qian Wang truly believed Zhao Ziqiang had just come for a shower, and even after Zhao Ziqiang left, he stood there dazed, failing to register that someone had actually been there. Lao Wang shook his head in disbelief, even regretting having told Zhao Ziqiang the truth back then.

The Jade Buddha was bought when Zhao had just graduated from university during a visit to the temple with his mom. He had eagerly planned to give it to Qian Wang, but Qian Wang wasn’t interested. He bluntly said it didn’t matter who wore it. At the time, Zhao had foolishly thought Qian Wang was being romantic, but now, looking back, he realized that Qian Wang had simply not cared.

When Zhao Ziqiang returned to the restaurant, he found Sun Yan sitting at the door, waiting for him with her gaze fixed outside. This sight warmed his heart, and he pulled the girl upstairs. They exchanged goodnights, and as he watched the sweet-smiling girl walk toward her room, he found himself daydreaming about how nice it would be to have a daughter of his own.

After stripping off his clothes and climbing into bed, his mind was in a jumble. He was unexpectedly surprised not to see Sun Kan at Qian Wang’s place; he had thought they were already living together. Yet, there was no trace of Sun Kan even in the bathroom. For some reason, this thought made him feel oddly pleased, and he quickly hardened his expression, giving himself a hard punch.

“Still so shameless, huh?”