The Spring Festival was only two days away, and Wen Yi was in no mood to do anything; she was already enjoying her brief holiday. Who knew what surprises would be waiting for her at work after the New Year?

Qin Nanshan hadn’t gone anywhere either, but he was much busier than she was. Apart from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he spent all his time in the second bedroom.

One evening, Wen Yi grew curious and made a big fuss to get his attention. Qin Nanshan finally came out, but Wen Yi was still a bit worried. “Does the new house have a separate study?” she asked.

“It does,” he replied.

“Move it to the living room,” she suggested.

Qin Nanshan didn’t quite understand. Wen Yi explained, “Don’t you remember what happened in the summer when we saved you? If, in the future, the baby is playing outside and something dangerous happens, you won’t notice anything in there.”

After a bit of thought, Qin Nanshan agreed. “I’ll have someone make the change.” He then asked, “How did you know about this incident?”

“Xixi told me,” Wen Yi replied, still curious. “When you’re doing math, can you really not hear anything?”

Qin Nanshan chuckled. “I’m not always calculating equations. There’s usually some research or administrative work, too. I have to read and write papers, and some formulas and papers are pretty complex, so it’s hard not to get fully absorbed. That day was just an exception; it doesn’t normally happen.”

“That’s not good enough. I’m not going to bet my baby’s life on an ‘exception,’” she said firmly.

“Alright, I’ll move to the living room.”

But over the next two days, Qin Nanshan started to regret this decision.

Wen Yi’s range of activity at home was limited to the living room and the master bedroom. She used the master bedroom to sleep, and the living room to eat snacks, watch TV dramas, work, play with the dog, make phone calls…

One day, Qin Nanshan came out to find the coffee table cluttered with fries, hawthorn berries from a recent shopping trip, and a half-eaten bag of cookies. He glanced at Wen Yi, lounging comfortably on the couch and chatting on the phone with someone, while the TV played an over-the-top romance drama nobody was watching. His fists clenched slightly, and he took a deep breath.

He walked over, put the snacks into a basket, wiped down the table, and turned off the TV.

Wen Yi covered the phone receiver, looking at him with innocent confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Qin Nanshan gave a slight smile, his voice calm. “Nothing, carry on.”

“Oh,” Wen Yi remembered something. “What’s for dinner? I don’t feel like eating at home. Let’s go out for hot pot!”

They’d been living together for a few days now, and she’d realized this man truly had no hobbies. He spent all his time working in the second bedroom. If it weren’t for her and the dog needing meals, he could probably stay in there from morning till night.

Too dull. It was the holidays! She had to get him outside today!

Naturally, he agreed, and Wen Yi asked the person on the phone, “We’re going for hot pot, want to come?”

Then she added, “With Qin Nanshan, of course.”

“Fine, if you don’t want to, we’ll go by ourselves,” she replied when they declined.

After hanging up, she shouted towards the second bedroom, “Get dressed, we’re going out!”

But in the end, it was the one who was in such a rush who took forever to get ready. Qin Nanshan waited almost half an hour, even managing to read a short paper in the meantime.

He could hardly remember the last time he’d had hot pot, probably at an unavoidable department gathering. He wasn’t fond of eating out, and being alone before meant he seldom had the opportunity. Now, watching Wen Yi sign up for a nail appointment while waiting in line at the hot pot restaurant, he was amazed by how competitive the hot pot business had become.

Wen Yi wanted spicy food, so she ordered one spicy pot and one tomato pot. Qin Nanshan reminded her, “Just have a taste.”

“Got it,” Wen Yi pouted. “It’s like all my freedom’s gone now that I’m going to be a mom. Poor me.”

“Freedom of person means freedom from unlawful detention; no one’s restraining you. This is just a diet adjustment,” he explained.

“…” Wen Yi pointed an unopened pair of chopsticks at the air in warning. “Qin Nanshan, shut up!”

Qin Nanshan paid no mind and offered, “Shall I prepare a dipping sauce for you?”

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

Her northern tastes leaned toward lots of sesame paste, so she mixed a bowl full with minced garlic and sesame oil. After stirring, she tasted the tip of her chopsticks and sighed with satisfaction, “So good!”

Meanwhile, the southern-flavored Qin Nanshan looked at her bowl brimming with sesame paste, visibly puzzled. She asked, “Want to try?”

“You go ahead.”

“It’s really tasty. You should step out of your comfort zone sometimes and try new things. That’s how you can appreciate the beauty of nature and society.” She looked at his right hand. “Why don’t you use your left hand?”

Qin Nanshan glanced up at her. “It’s the same.”

“It’s not! It’s just us eating here, and these days, one in ten people is left-handed.”

After a moment’s consideration, Qin Nanshan switched to his left hand, and Wen Yi smiled with satisfaction.

The dishes arrived one by one, and the tomato and spicy pots started bubbling, filling the air with a tantalizing aroma that made Wen Yi’s mouth water.

As the beef rolls cooked, Wen Yi counted down, “15, 14… 3, 2, 1, done!”

She fished out a piece, dipped it in her sauce, rinsed it off, and then thoughtfully placed it in his bowl, her face filled with anticipation. “Try it.”

Unable to refuse her hospitality, Qin Nanshan ate the beef roll covered in a thick layer of sesame paste and, after swallowing, calmly said, “You go ahead and eat; no need to serve me.”

Wen Yi didn’t see any hint of amazement on his face, so she let it go—everyone has their own tastes, and after all, she and Qin Nanshan didn’t have many shared interests.

Still, eating hot pot with him was surprisingly pleasant. In the past, when she ate hot pot during social events, she was always the one serving others, ordering the dishes the clients liked, checking if their glasses needed refilling, making sure they were enjoying themselves, and actively finding topics to discuss.

Now, she didn’t have to do any of that. Qin Nanshan handled the cooking and serving; as soon as her bowl was empty, he’d place another piece of meat in it, and the servers were attentive to refilling their water. She didn’t even need to worry about conversation—Qin Nanshan wasn’t chatty, and silence was the norm.

After eating to about 80% full, Wen Yi rubbed her belly in satisfaction, genuinely grateful for this relaxing meal. “Thanks. Did you get enough to eat?”

Qin Nanshan added the last of the greens to the pot. “Yes, it was alright.”

“Let’s come back next time, then.”

As they were talking, a server came over. “Excuse me, are you two a couple?”

“Yes, we are,” Wen Yi replied. “Why?”

Qin Nanshan glanced at her, then looked down and placed some vegetables into her bowl.

The server explained, “It’s Valentine’s Day, so if you participate in our promotion, you’ll get a free rose!”

Valentine’s Day? Wen Yi checked her phone. It really was February 14th. She smiled, realizing it had been years since she’d celebrated. “What’s the promotion?”

“You just need to take a photo here, add our location, and post it to your Moments. If you get more than 30 likes, you’ll qualify.”

Thirty likes? That would be no problem.

But just as she was about to pull out her phone, Wen Yi hesitated, a mischievous thought crossing her mind. “Qin Nanshan, you post it. It’s Valentine’s Day, and you haven’t even given me a flower.”

“Do you want a flower?”

“Of course! What girl doesn’t?”