After Wen Yi finished her drink and looked up, she saw Xu Lang serving Wen Hongyu a piece of meat. Wen Hongyu gave a shy smile, and after finishing the meat, she delicately served Xu Lang some vegetables. The two of them exchanged care and attention, the atmosphere incredibly intimate, with pink bubbles seemingly floating above Wen Hongyu’s head.

Wen Yi felt even more complicated inside.

It wasn’t just anyone across from her—it was her mom… She…

She hadn’t even dated yet, but her mom was already sweetly involved in a relationship.

Wen Yi tugged on the sleeve of the man next to her. Qin Nanshan leaned in, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Yi pointed to a dish on the table, “I want that piece of meat.”

Qin Nanshan naturally served it into her bowl. Wen Yi looked at the meat, then glanced at the clingy couple across from them. She felt no sweetness at all. She sighed inwardly, thinking, *What have I gotten myself into with this marriage?*

As the couple continued feeding each other, Wen Yi couldn’t take it anymore. She also served Qin Nanshan some vegetables and said in a deliberately playful tone, “Honey, this is delicious, you should try it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Nanshan turned to look at her, his usually calm black eyes filled with surprise. When he caught her playful gesture, he quickly understood and couldn’t help but laugh. How had he never noticed before that Wen Yi could sometimes be so childish?

He responded softly, “Thanks, wife.”

Now it was Wen Yi’s turn to be shocked. Her almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. Then she leaned closer to him and whispered, “Don’t call me that!”

Qin Nanshan smiled and continued to serve her more food, “Okay.”

Wen Yi turned her head back, quietly calming herself. *Wife… that’s such a strange term. I really can’t get used to it.*

By the time the meal ended at 8:30 PM, they parted ways at the restaurant entrance. Wen Yi looped her arm around Qin Nanshan’s shoulder, gazing downward. With their thoughts aligned, her left hand reached down to hold his hand, and her right arm wrapped around his, leaning nearly fully against him in an affectionate gesture.

Now Wen Hongyu couldn’t say their marriage was in a bad state.

Wen Yi said, “Mom, we’re leaving. We’ll come back another time.”

Wen Hongyu was eager for them to leave, “Go on, go on.”

It was a long walk from the restaurant to the parking lot.

On the way, Wen Yi asked, “What do you think of my mom’s boyfriend?”

Qin Nanshan kept his gaze ahead, “He’s good. He’s from a wealthy family and has a kind personality. He seems to be good to your mom.”

“Has there been any scam involved with these late-life romances lately? I’m always worried my mom will get scammed, or worse, get too attached. If they end up married, doesn’t that mean I’ll have a stepdad when I’m almost thirty?”

Qin Nanshan glanced at her, laughing quietly, “Scam isn’t likely, but we do need to watch her, stay in touch more.”

“I think so too,” Wen Yi said, then seriously asked, “Qin Nanshan, what do you think about my mom dating?”

“It’s normal. People have emotional needs at every age. Your mom has been single for so many years, she deserves a companion.”

Wen Yi was somewhat satisfied with his answer. She also felt relieved that Zhong Lan wasn’t his mom, but if she was, she wouldn’t marry him.

The two walked all the way to the parking lot, but when they stopped, Wen Yi asked, “Why are we stopping? Our car isn’t here yet.”

Qin Nanshan lowered his gaze. Wen Yi followed his eyes and saw that he had finally let go of her hand. He awkwardly explained, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just worried my mom will think too much.”

Qin Nanshan’s eyes flickered, and his hand, still holding hers, tightened slightly. “I understand,” he said.

Including that “wife.”

He took a step forward, and Wen Yi’s gaze moved from his straight back to his hand hanging at his side. She then extended her own palm and looked at it, secretly curling her lips in a smile.

The feeling of his hand was good, broad and strong, warm and completely enveloping hers. Next time, she would find an opportunity to hold his hand again.

She sighed again. Her career had hit a setback, and now her mom was showing off her affection in front of her. She had to find a way to regain some face in the realm of romance, right?

Wen’s mother was right, Qin Nanshan wasn’t her hospital client; he was the man in her bed. What’s the big deal about holding hands? They even had a child together.

Although Qin Nanshan’s personality wasn’t great, Wen Yi was generally satisfied with his physicality. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a rash mistake back then.

Qin Nanshan turned around and called, “Wen Yi?”

Hmm… his voice was pleasant, not a young man’s clipped tone, nor a middle-aged man’s husky voice. It was like the crisp sound of snow falling from a branch after a snowy night—clear, clean, warm, and mellow.

She remembered that one night, his voice, tinged with desire, softly called her name, making her bones feel weak.

She kind of… wanted to hear it again.

At some point, the man had reached her side, towering over her, and with no gentleness at all, asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Wen Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shook off the messy thoughts in her head.

…

When they got home, Wen Yi’s earlier romantic thoughts were gone. She quickly went to the master bedroom, pulled out her laptop, and brought it to the dining table.

She had never worked in human resources before, so everything had to start from scratch. Last night, she had spent 4480 yuan to sign up for a training course, which would officially start at 9 PM tonight. After all that had happened with her mom and her boyfriend, she almost forgot about it.

By the time she entered, the live stream had already been going for 15 minutes. Wen Yi hurriedly took out her notebook and started taking notes seriously.

Standing behind her, Qin Nanshan saw the text at the top of the screen and understood what was going on. “You should study in the guest bedroom.”

The live stream was muted, and Wen Yi waved her hand. “No need. It’s just an hour tonight, I’ll go inside so I don’t disturb you.”

Qin Nanshan didn’t insist. He turned around and messaged the soft furnishing company for their new house, asking them to add another set of tables and chairs.

At 9:30, Qin Nanshan came out to get some water. Wen Yi was still in class, her attention fully focused.

At 10:00, after finishing work, he was ready to take a shower but went to the balcony first. He didn’t see his clothes, paused for a moment, and looked toward the living room. It seemed the woman had finished the class and opened another one, continuing to study seriously.

He finally found his clothes in the wardrobe, mixed in with a bunch of skirts, women’s sleepwear, and pajama pants.

At 11:00, Wen Yi still hadn’t returned, so he came out to check.

The living room light was off, but one corner of the dining room was still lit. The woman’s figure was bathed in a faint light, and Summer, the dog, was asleep at her feet, its tail occasionally wagging. In just a month, this big dog had changed owners.

Qin Nanshan leaned against the bedroom door, his gaze focused, his heart calm.