Qin Nanshan nodded, took a photo of the hot pot without adding any text, tagged the location, and posted it. Wen Yi reached out. “Let me see.”

In just a few seconds, a comment had already appeared. It was from a junior from his college friend group: “Wow, I see sister-in-law’s hand!”

Wen Yi glanced at the photo, noticing her slender, fair hand was indeed in the frame.

She replied from his account: “Good eye!”

The junior replied: “??? Sister-in-law?”

“That’s right, it’s me.”

Using Qin Nanshan’s account, she replied again, and now, all their mutual friends could see it. Likes and comments poured in, many from names unfamiliar to her, with some directly congratulating him on his “new marriage” and even a student: “Wishing Professor Qin and Mrs. Qin a lifetime of happiness and many children soon.”

The more Wen Yi read, the wider her smile grew as she continued responding with “Thank you” on his behalf.

Even Qin Xi, his younger sister, joined in: “Bro, why didn’t you invite me to hot pot with sis-in-law?!”

Wen Yi replied: “Next time, you can come along. Order whatever you like.”

Her tone was obviously different from Qin Nanshan’s, and Qin Xi replied: “Sis-in-law is the best, mwah~”

Qin Nanshan looked at her, engrossed in replying, and asked, “What’s everyone saying?”

“Your student is wishing us a lifetime of happiness and lots of children.” Wen Yi took the chance to ask, “Is being a teacher especially fulfilling?”

After his usual moment of thought, he answered precisely, “Teaching only takes up about 10% of my workload. I teach advanced calculus, a public foundational course, and it can be challenging for students in fields that lean towards the humanities.”

“But fortunately, the students are well-behaved, and there are many eager learners. Seeing them improve and achieve good grades is indeed rewarding.”

Wen Yi mused, “I bet Professor Qin’s classes are hard for most people to follow.”

Qin Nanshan chuckled softly. “You could come sit in sometime.”

“Can I?”

“Of course.”

Wen Yi made a mental note to plan for it and looked back at her phone. The post had already gotten more than enough likes. As she checked the list, one name stood out—Cheng Zhirou.

Zhirou.

Her eyes widened, curiosity piqued. Her hand, as if it had a mind of its own, hovered over the name, wanting to dig into this “gossip.”

After hesitating for half a minute, she handed the phone back and raised an eyebrow. “Your ex-girlfriend liked your post.”

They weren’t at the stage of being in love, so Wen Yi wasn’t particularly bothered by this person. She was more curious about what type of woman Qin Nanshan used to be interested in, the kind of personality and looks he was drawn to, and what regrets Zhong Lan had hinted at when talking about their breakup.

But she didn’t want to pry too much—after all, an ex-girlfriend was just an ex. She had an ex-boyfriend too. If Qin Nanshan ever tried to check her phone, she’d probably argue with him.

Wen Yi understood girls who lacked a sense of security, but she wasn’t a girl anymore. She knew her boundaries and, as long as the principles were clear, wanted to keep a safe distance between them.

As she thoughtfully chewed on her chopsticks, she considered that, although Qin Nanshan had a face that might attract attention, he didn’t have the kind of demeanor that would suggest cheating.

Of course, it might also be because he simply didn’t have feelings, so there was nothing to worry about.

Wen Yi sighed, thinking how her youthful, romantic self was long gone.

Qin Nanshan glanced at his phone, then looked back up at her, his eyes glinting with something unreadable. He opened Cheng Zhirou’s profile, deleted the contact, and said casually, “She’s deleted.”

Wen Yi was taken aback. “Why did you delete her?”

“We don’t keep in touch. Just thought it’d make you feel better.”

Wen Yi clicked her tongue twice in her mind, secretly admiring Qin Nanshan’s straightforward attitude. She couldn’t stand people who maintained ambiguous ties with their exes. To her, a relationship was just a relationship. If it’s true love, don’t break up; if it’s over, go your separate ways without causing trouble for each other and enjoy the next relationship even more.

She pouted and said, “Just so you know, my ex-boyfriend is a colleague, so I still need his contact for work communication, and I can’t delete it. But we’re absolutely clean. If I ever cheat on you… well, if we divorce, the kids are all yours.”

Qin Nanshan was slightly taken aback, finding her remark both amusing and exasperating.

Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Wen Yi added, “Think about it—if a woman is willing to give up custody, that’s a serious promise.”

Qin Nanshan stifled a laugh, his lips curving as he glanced through the steam rising from the hot pot. Wen Yi sighed softly to herself, thinking, *He really is handsome.*

No wonder so many girls in high school liked him even when they knew they didn’t have a chance. She decided she’d ask Zhao Ling in detail about how popular Qin Nanshan was in college someday.

Just then, as she was smelling the rose the server had brought over, she spotted Wei Yuan approaching, hand-in-hand with a young woman.

Wen Yi, not wanting to greet him, tried to hide her face with the rose, but Wei Yuan recognized her and stopped at their table. “Wen Yi?”

Wei Yuan glanced at the man sitting across from her, paused briefly, then smiled, “And who is this?”

Wen Yi was forced to introduce them. “Mr. Wei, this is my husband.”

As soon as she said “husband,” both men looked at her.

It was her first time calling him that, so she felt a bit shy, pursing her lips and instinctively avoiding Qin Nanshan’s gaze.

Qin Nanshan stood up and shook hands with Wei Yuan. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wei.”

“Likewise.”

The young woman next to Wei Yuan, wanting acknowledgment, spoke in a sweet voice, “Darling, who’s this?”

Wei Yuan gently patted her head. “Just a colleague,” he replied, not bothering to introduce her further, then turned to Wen Yi. “See you in a couple of days at the office, Wen Yi.”

Wen Yi sensed a hint of danger in Wei Yuan’s smile, and though she couldn’t put her finger on it, something felt off.

After they left, Wen Yi and Qin Nanshan finished their meal and paid.

While waiting by the entrance, Wen Yi’s turn for a manicure hadn’t come up yet, so she decided to forgo it.

They were in a mall, and there was a large supermarket in the basement. Thinking they could stock up on some essentials, Wen Yi followed behind Qin Nanshan as he picked out vegetables. She asked, “Aren’t you curious who that was just now?”

“You said he’s your boss.”

Wen Yi blinked, “He might have another… kind of relationship with me.”

“What kind of relationship?” Qin Nanshan asked casually, dropping a bag of garlic into the cart and continuing forward.

Suddenly losing the urge to say more, Wen Yi thought it would seem so cheap to be the one to announce, “Oh, that’s my ex.” Better to just let it go.

She watched Qin Nanshan add two onions to the cart and frowned. “No onions. I don’t like onions.”

He turned to her. “I thought you didn’t like tomatoes and carrots.”

“I don’t like onions either. Or bitter melon. Or celery…”

Qin Nanshan didn’t say anything, just placed the onions back.

Feeling a bit childish for being a picky eater as an adult, Wen Yi mumbled, “They just taste… strange.”

He nodded calmly. “It’s okay. Mom only told me about the tomatoes and carrots. I’ll keep it in mind.” He walked a few steps, then turned back and added seriously, “But later on, we can’t let the baby be as picky. Don’t tell them.”

He was thinking so far ahead—but he made a good point. Tomatoes, carrots, and onions are healthy foods, so the baby should eat them. Wen Yi giggled, “I won’t tell. You can just make a special baby meal for them, and I’ll have my own separate ‘mom meal.’”

Qin Nanshan felt a sudden pressure on his shoulders.