People were the same. Before they had met again, Wen Yi’s impression of Qin Nanshan was that he was rigid and serious, without preferences or passion, like a stagnant pool in a dense forest—throw a stone in, and the surface wouldn’t even ripple.

But after a few months of getting to know him, she discovered that beneath his dull exterior, there were many qualities that were rare in modern people—steadfastness, responsibility, self-discipline, emotional balance, and of course, his superficial good looks and physique. All these qualities were hidden beneath his outwardly reserved personality.

Wen Yi gradually began to feel that Qin Nanshan was like a long-aged, well-preserved liquor, needing careful attention to truly appreciate its flavor.

Her gaze was too direct, and Qin Nanshan looked up to meet her eyes. Time seemed to slow down, and the air around them seemed to thicken with the presence of alcohol particles, making them both feel intoxicated without even drinking.

Wen Yi slowly withdrew her gaze, her ears turning slightly red. “Let’s eat.”

If she stared too long, she might actually get drunk.

…

After breakfast, Wen Yi returned to her work. Qin Nanshan told her to go to the guest room, but she refused, preferring to stay at the dining table.

She would stay there until Qin Nanshan…

He stepped out and saw the table piled with snacks, and the woman sitting cross-legged on the chair. He didn’t say anything.

The whole day passed, and they exchanged fewer than ten words.

Outside, the branches and grass quietly sprouted with the spring warmth, while inside, everything was as still as falling snow, only occasionally interrupted by the soft clicking of keyboard keys or the rustling of pages turning.

Xia Youyou woke up, then slept again, moving between the living room, dining room, and occasionally sneaking into the guest room. From the crack of the door, Qin Nanshan saw her biting the end of a pen, focused on her computer.

As the sun set, the old, low-rise neighborhood basked in the last rays of sunlight, with the golden light slanting from the balcony all the way to Wen Yi’s feet. Xia Youyou, who had appeared from nowhere, chased the light around, playing.

Wen Yi put down her pen, leaned back in her chair to relax, and rubbed her belly, muttering to herself, “Baby, your mom is working so hard to earn money for your formula.”

Then she turned around and yelled, “Qin Nanshan, your daughter is hungry!”

The good father, Qin Nanshan, suggested they go out to eat, but the lazy mother, Wen Yi, didn’t want to. “It’s a waste of time to go out. I still have class tonight.”

The good father compromised, went out to buy groceries, and even bought food for the next day. After returning, he diligently cooked for the lazy mother. The lazy mother, having snacked too much, barely touched her bowl of rice. The good father, stern-faced, said, “Don’t eat too many snacks.”

The lazy mother, feeling soft after being fed, smiled and agreed, then watched as he packed all the snacks from the coffee table into a bag and placed them in the guest room. The lazy mother became an angry mother. “Qin Nanshan, how could you do this!”

The good father remained unmoved, his face expressionless. “From now on, you’ll have to get my permission to eat anything.”

“No way! I bought those.”

He was firm, turned around, and went into the room.

The angry mother, once he turned away, quickly became the petty mother, lowering her head to talk to the little guest. “Baby, your dad is being too much. Don’t be filial to him when you grow up—just be good to mom, got it?”

After a long day of studying, Wen Yi finished her class at 10 p.m. and went to take a shower. At 10:30, she came out with a facial mask on, and Qin Nanshan was already leaning against the bed’s headboard, reading, wearing a pair of thin-framed glasses.

She often saw him wearing glasses at home, but rarely outside. Wen Yi asked, “How much is your myopia?”

“Two or three hundred degrees.”

“Is it congenital or developed later?”

“Later.”

“That’s good, no hereditary risk of nearsightedness for our daughter.” She was feeling a bit proud, but before she could fully enjoy it, Qin Nanshan seemed to see through her thoughts and poured cold water on her. “Both my parents and grandparents are nearsighted, so there’s still a risk.”

Wen Yi deflated, “What should we do then?”

“It’s okay. If she starts developing nearsightedness later, just correct it during her studies. It won’t get too bad.”

“Like you?”

“Yeah.”

Wen Yi relaxed again.

After finishing the mask, she washed her face and returned to the bed, which was already warm. Qin Nanshan asked in his usual calm tone, “Turn off the light?”

“Wait a minute.” Wen Yi was feeling hormonal and restless, wanting to do something tonight while there was still time. She quietly said, “Qin Nanshan, I think the baby kicked me just now when I was showering.”

Qin Nanshan froze for a moment, then began to explain seriously, “Fetal movement usually starts around 20 weeks. Your pregnancy is still early, so it’s unlikely to feel any kicks yet. It might have been a false sensation.”

“…” Wen Yi almost rolled her eyes. If he kept acting like this, the filter she’d so carefully placed over him would disappear. She argued, “Really? But it didn’t feel like a false sensation. Maybe the baby is just more active?”

“You’re only 17 weeks pregnant. The baby’s still small.”

Wen Yi wasn’t lying. She really did feel something like a small butterfly fluttering inside her belly. It was light, but she could still feel it. She had been excited about it and even turned off the shower to focus on the sensation, but it didn’t happen again. 

She knew it might not have been real fetal movement, but she was sure of the sensation of that flutter. She wanted to share it with him, but he only focused on correcting the facts.

Feeling a bit upset, Wen Yi thought, “If you don’t believe it, then I won’t tell you next time!”

She pulled the blanket over her and angrily turned to face the other side, ready to sleep. When she closed her eyes, she realized the light was too bright, so she turned off the bedside lamp with a snap, plunging the room into darkness.

Qin Nanshan stared at her back for a moment, then, dull to the situation, reached for his phone and opened a search engine.

After scrolling through a few articles, he saw one that said: [Expecting mothers usually feel fetal movement at 20 weeks, but some can feel slight movements as early as 16 weeks.]

Suddenly, Qin Nanshan felt guilty. He called softly, “Wen Yi?”

The woman next to him pulled the blanket over her ears, blocking any communication.

He sighed helplessly, turned on the light, crossed the invisible line, and gently asked, “How did the baby move?”

The angry mother was furious, “Didn’t you say it was a false sensation? Well, it’s a false sensation. I misheard.”

“It’s my fault, sorry.” Qin Nanshan, lacking experience in comforting, stumbled over his words. “The fetal movement is usually very slight. It’s the baby stretching, and normally you wouldn’t feel it. If the movement was more pronounced, I didn’t do enough research. I’m sorry.”

“Hmph!”

“How did the baby move? Tell me.”

“It didn’t move.”

She was lying with her back to him, and he didn’t want to force anything. He got out of bed and walked around to her side.

His movements were light, and Wen Yi, startled by the sudden appearance of him squatting beside her, moved back slightly. “What are you doing?”

Qin Nanshan’s voice was warm and gentle, rising like the spring temperature: “Is the baby still moving?”

He half-squatted beside the bed, his gaze at eye level. Wen Yi, captivated by his handsome face and the tenderness in his voice, forgot she was still mad. “It stopped moving…”

“How did it move earlier?”

“It was like a little butterfly fluttering…” Wen Yi thought for a moment and added, “It was also like a little fish swimming, blowing bubbles.”

He smiled, the corner of his lips lifting. “Seems like she’s very active.”

Wen Yi felt heat rise in her chest and bit her lip. “Do you want to feel it?”

Qin Nanshan froze again, but this time, he didn’t correct her earlier contradiction. He carefully reached into the blanket, his hand slowly moving, his gaze never leaving her.

The air was electric, both hot and intense.

Wen Yi’s ears turned red, and she avoided his gaze.

But it wasn’t enough. She lowered her eyes and whispered, “You can’t feel it through the clothes.”