The room wasn’t big, and the decoration style was reminiscent of the 1990s—retro and minimalistic. The living room was more crowded than she expected, filled mostly with books. The coffee table and corners of the sofa were piled with them, but they were stacked neatly, even the corners of the books were aligned, as if someone had OCD.

On the top was a book with a cover full of English she couldn’t understand, accompanied by several geometric shapes; it seemed to be a textbook from his major. 

Curious, she flipped through a few pages and saw dense notes written all over, which made her head spin. Wen Yi quickly closed the book, and Qin Nanshan said, “That’s a calculus book.”

Wen Yi was surprised. “Does your school use English textbooks for calculus?”

“No, I’m reading it.”

When their eyes met, Wen Yi noticed a faint smile hidden in the corners of his eyes, as if mixed with either pride or disdain. Her self-esteem kicked in, and she lifted her chin. “What’s with that look? You know I’m bad at math.”

He nodded, “I know.”

Wen Yi pouted, “Okay, okay, I know you’re impressive, Professor Qin.” 

Her grades could only be considered average, and she was particularly terrible at science subjects. In every math exam, he was always at the top, while she was among the last few.

But even so, the students from A University High School were still outstanding. Unfortunately, Wen Yi didn’t perform well on the college entrance exam; otherwise, she could have enrolled in some liberal arts programs at A University.

Qin Nanshan’s smile faded. “I usually work in the guest bedroom, but now that it’s been cleared out to be a bedroom, I’ll put these books in the living room for now and move them later.”

“You sleep in the guest bedroom?”

“Yes.”

“No way,” Wen Yi firmly rejected.

Qin Nanshan was confused. “Wen Yi, our situation…”

Wen Yi interrupted, “Don’t underestimate how aware the child is. In two months, he’ll be conscious of things. How sad would it be for him to know that his parents sleep apart? It will leave a shadow.”

“……”

“And what about your parents, my mom, or relatives who might come over at any time? How would we explain that? Would we say the couple isn’t getting along and sleeps in separate beds? No, you have to sleep with me.”

The words coming from her felt like a female bandit forcing a decent man into sharing a bed. Wen Yi realized belatedly, “Don’t get me wrong; I’m just thinking about the child and the family.” Honestly, she didn’t have any ulterior motives.

Qin Nanshan didn’t leave any room for disagreement.

The brief silence was awkward, and Wen Yi looked toward the balcony.

On the balcony, there were some plants that looked like succulents, cacti, and aloe—lush and green. Qin Nanshan followed her gaze and automatically explained, “These were all planted by my mom; they’re easy to take care of.”

Wen Yi smiled; they indeed seemed easy to care for since there were no leaves to worry about.

She shifted her gaze upward and saw clothes drying on the balcony, with a pair of underwear sandwiched between white shirts. It wasn’t obvious but was eye-catching. Qin Nanshan noticed and cleared his throat a couple of times.

Wen Yi felt a bit embarrassed but brushed it off with thick skin. “What’s the big deal? You’ll see mine there later.” Then she added, “I won’t help you with laundry; you can wash them yourself after your shower.”

He acknowledged her and turned to get some water from the kitchen.

Wen Yi sneakily glanced at the balcony again. Tsk, black underwear, and quite large.

She followed him into the kitchen. It wasn’t big; after squeezing past the refrigerator, there was only enough space for two people. He poured her warm water into a disposable cup. Wen Yi leaned against the kitchen door with the cup in her hands, once again confirming that Qin Nanshan had OCD.

The kitchen was as clean and tidy as his car, showing no signs of use, yet it was more equipped than her mother’s kitchen. The knife rack was neatly arranged with a cleaver, a slicing knife, a fruit knife, and scissors. Looking at that, Wen Yi felt her mother’s large Chinese kitchen knife was a bit inadequate.

Next to the stove, the spice rack had various seasonings neatly arranged in small square compartments, all uniformly placed.

It seemed that every piece of furniture, from the frying pan to the dishcloth, had a designated, unobstructed spot in his home.

Wen Yi took a sip of water and asked him, “Do you often cook?”

“Occasionally, when I’m not busy.”

Wen Yi felt it was necessary to clarify things for him to lower his expectations, to avoid disappointing him if he hoped for too much. “Qin Nanshan, I can’t cook, but if you do, I can wash the dishes for you. I don’t have time to do the chores, but don’t worry; I’ll keep my personal hygiene in check.”

“If you’re also busy, we can hire a cleaning lady to come in every few days.”

Qin Nanshan pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.

There would definitely be friction living together. She wanted to say more, but just then, a large dog ran out of the bedroom. Wen Yi was so startled that she forgot about their relationship. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder like a nimble koala.

Then she shouted loudly, “A dog! Why do you have a dog?!”

Qin Nanshan didn’t expect this scene. The person in his arms was not light, and he took a couple of steps back, feeling a bit at a loss.

Worried she might fall, he tried to reach back and support her waist, but his hand hovered halfway, hesitating for a few seconds before finally settling in place.

The atmosphere was awkward; he tilted his head to avoid her hot breath spraying onto his neck.

But on his side, the woman tightened her grip even more, squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe, her breathing becoming heavier.

Wen Yi didn’t think as much as he did; her heart was solely focused on the dog, “You have to get it away!”

He gestured, and the dog, named Summer, obediently squatted down, wagging its tail and looking at its new friend.

Qin Nanshan patiently reassured her, “This is Summer; don’t be afraid. It won’t bite.”

Wen Yi still clung tightly, terrified he would abandon her. Her voice trembled as she said, “But it’s so big!”

The Wen family never kept pets, and Wen Yi had never been bitten by a dog. She was just naturally afraid of large animals. Summer was huge, probably around a hundred pounds, which was indeed frightening, especially with the dog bite incidents that occasionally appeared online. Wen Yi would always keep her distance from dogs.

She peered out, and Summer immediately barked happily, scaring Wen Yi back into his embrace.

“Ah, ah, ah! Qin Nanshan! You can only choose one of us: me or the dog!!”