After they finished with the vegetables, they headed to the snack aisle. Wen Yi’s eyes sparkled, but Qin Nanshan didn’t let her go overboard. “There are still plenty of snacks under the coffee table at home. Finish those first, so we don’t waste anything.”

Wen Yi thought for a moment and found a reason, “We’ll be back at work in a couple of days. I won’t have time to go shopping then, and work is so stressful! I need snacks to cope.”

“Besides, if I suddenly crave something sweet or sour in the middle of the night, you’d still have to go buy it.”

Qin Nanshan sighed internally, then turned toward the snack section.

Wen Yi was delighted and filled the cart to the brim once again.

After paying, Qin Nanshan pushed the cart towards the parking lot, but he stopped in front of a flower shop along the way. Since it was Valentine’s Day, the shop was busy, with only a few roses left in the buckets out front.

Turning to her with a soft expression, he asked, “Would you like a flower?”

Wen Yi shook her head.

She didn’t really like flowers—she liked surprises.

………

After showering, Qin Nanshan went into the guest room, while Xia Tian (the dog) stayed with her in the living room, watching TV and munching on snacks.

Xia Tian was truly an obedient dog. Wen Yi had never seen such a well-behaved one—quiet, not destructive, and very understanding. Once, when she was too lazy to get the remote, she absentmindedly instructed the dog, and it actually trotted over and brought it to her.

She opened a bag of beef jerky and secretly gave Xia Tian a piece. “Sorry about earlier for misunderstanding you.”

Xia Tian happily gobbled it up.

“What did you just feed him?”

The sudden voice from behind startled them. Wen Yi quickly tried to hide the evidence, smiling, “I didn’t give him anything.”

Qin Nanshan looked at the opened beef jerky on the table and Xia Tian’s still-chewing mouth, then advised, “Xia Tian has a sensitive stomach, so beef could cause digestion issues. Best not to give him that again.”

“Oh…”

Qin Nanshan called Xia Tian over, and the dog ran to him instantly, wagging its tail joyfully as he scratched under its chin.

For a second, Wen Yi felt like Xia Tian was the “official” partner, and she was just the hidden sidepiece. He was even scolding her for it. She touched her stomach and pretended to sniffle. “Baby, you’re going to have a tough life with us.”

But Qin Nanshan didn’t seem to notice her melodrama. He found the dog leash, got ready to head out, and asked, “I’m taking Xia Tian for a walk. Want to come?”

Touching her belly again, Wen Yi felt a burst of motivation. For the baby, she had to win some attention!

“Yes!”

After the New Year, temperatures had started to rise, and tonight was pleasant, with a touch of warmth still lingering in the evening air around eight or nine. She wore a light down jacket over her thermal lounge pants and her big fluffy slippers—hardly a stylish look.

About fifty meters out, Wen Yi realized a harsh truth: Xia Tian was more popular than she was.

The neighborhood grandpas and grandmas greeted Xia Tian first with comments like, “Oh, Xia Tian’s gotten chubbier!” or “It’s been a while, Xia Tian!” Only after that did they talk to Qin Nanshan, asking things like, “Professor Qin, when does your semester start?” or “Professor Qin, my grandson scored 600 on his mock exam; can he get into A University?”

Only at the end did they notice Wen Yi trailing behind him. “And who’s this?”

Qin Nanshan introduced her. “My wife.”

The grandpas and grandmas looked surprised. “Professor Qin, when did you get married?”

Wen Yi warmly linked arms with him, both to declare her place and to charm them with the local dialect. “We just got married recently. Thank you for taking care of my husband before this. We’ll treat you all to a meal soon.”

Seeing her sweet face and hearing her soft local accent, the grandpas and grandmas warmed up to her. “What do you do, young lady?”

“I work for a foreign company that collaborates with a lot of hospitals, so if you need anything, feel free to reach out.”

The elders were even more pleased. “Wonderful, wonderful.”

Once they left, Wen Yi released his arm without hesitation. Qin Nanshan glanced at her, a subtle smile curving at the corner of his eyes in the dim light.

Next, it was the kids. They greeted the serious man first before crouching down to play with Xia Tian. Qin Nanshan let go of the leash, and the kids led Xia Tian off, completely ignoring Wen Yi.

Feeling slightly defeated, she muttered, “Everyone loves Xia Tian.”

Qin Nanshan noticed her expression and chuckled lightly. “Xia Tian’s lived here for years and is older than some of these kids. They’re naturally close to him. If you stay here a few years, no one will notice us.”

Her eyes brightened. “So, once we move into the new house, Xia Tian and I will both be new to the neighborhood!”

Qin Nanshan, not quite following her logic, asked directly, “Are you jealous of Xia Tian?”

“Of course not! Why would I be jealous of a dog?”

Okay, maybe she was a little competitive, wanting to win his attention. But this wasn’t jealousy! She didn’t even like him, so jealousy wouldn’t fit.

Joking aside, Wen Yi understood Xia Tian’s place in his life. After ten years together, the dog was family.

They kept walking, and she noted the neighborhood was clean and well-kept, even if the facilities were older. Passing by families out for evening strolls, Wen Yi suddenly wanted to call her mom, Wen Hongyu.

Even though she hadn’t been home much before, being married somehow made things feel subtly different, and she found herself missing her mom a little.

Mrs. Wen picked up, full of her usual sarcasm, “What are you calling this late?”

“Just missed you. What are you up to?”

“Taking a bath, getting ready for bed.”

Wen Yi teased, “Oh, no date tonight?”

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’m hanging up.”

Quickly stopping her, Wen Yi said, “Mom, don’t forget the annual health checkup after the New Year. It’s still at the affiliated hospital. I’ll pick up the results afterward.”

“I know, I know, nagging. Anything else?”

“Nothing much. Just out walking the dog with your son-in-law.”

Her mom’s tone changed instantly, becoming softer. “Xiao Qin is there, too?”

Qin Nanshan took the phone. “Hi, Mom, I’m here.”

Her mother was much warmer with him than she’d been with her, launching into a long chat mostly centered on Wen Yi—asking if she’d been feeling uncomfortable, reminding him about her prenatal appointments, and urging him to make sure she ate on time. The two of them talked for a solid twenty minutes.

When he finally handed the phone back, Wen Yi was holding Xia Tian’s leash. She sighed, a bit envious. “Such a chatty pair. Xia Tian and I are nearly frozen.”

Qin Nanshan pocketed his phone, taking the leash back with a gentle smile. “Let’s go home.”

At eleven, after he finished his work, Qin Nanshan came back to the bedroom. Wen Yi hadn’t slept and had some questions she wanted him to answer.

When he pulled back the covers and lay down, she asked, “Did you really delete your ex-girlfriend’s contact?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why? Can you really just delete someone you used to like?”

Unexpectedly, Qin Nanshan’s logic was sharper than hers. He countered, “By that logic, does keeping your ex-boyfriend’s contact mean you still like him?”

Wen Yi was at a loss. “Of course not.”

“So, whether or not you keep a contact doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

Feeling like he’d cornered her, she gave up on that question and moved on. “What if one day I, the dog, and the baby all fall into the water at the same time? Who would you save first?”

Once again, he found her childishness amusing. “That situation won’t happen.”

“Why not? What if I was out by the lake with the stroller, and Xia Tian got startled and jumped in with the stroller? I’d rush to save them, and then—bam!—all three of us are in the water.”

Qin Nanshan’s smile faded, his tone slightly stern. “Wen Yi, let’s not imagine things like that.”

Wen Yi realized the bad taste of her hypothetical—was she jinxing them? She quickly brushed it off. “It’s just a ‘what if.’”

“There is no ‘what if.’ I would save all of you.”

His tone was serious and unwavering, and his face was devoid of any trace of humor. Wen Yi found herself believing him.

He looked over at her, his gaze steady. “Xia Tian knows how to swim. He could save the baby. I’d save you.”

“Oh…”

Wen Yi turned away, curling up in the blanket. Well, her little act of dramatics had gotten her an answer.

Then, he added matter-of-factly, “Once the baby is born, you can all take swimming lessons together.”

“…”