This loveless pre-marriage seemed to have an added layer of invisible security.

She rolled over and switched to another app, sending a message to her friend Jiao En. The reply came quickly: [What’s up, Manager Wen?]

Wen Yi didn’t like texting, so she called directly. After some small talk, she got to the point. “Do you remember Qin Nanshan?”

“Of course, the genius monster.”

Wen Yi frowned. “I told you not to call him that.”

“I didn’t call him that. You asked if I remembered him, and the first thing that came to mind was that word.”

Qin Nanshan was exceptionally good at science, especially math. Ever since Wen Yi knew his name, he had scored full marks on every math test without exception.

He was indeed a genius, but he didn’t talk much. Despite his good looks, many people wanted to get close to him but ended up being rejected. Those who “failed” called him a monster, but they were afraid the term might imply bullying, so it gradually evolved into “genius monster.”

Wen Yi didn’t like this and never joined in. She had many friends back then and tried to persuade them, but some didn’t listen. Eventually, she drifted apart from those people.

Wen Yi pulled herself out of her memories and continued, “What do you think of him?”

Jiao En, being perceptive, asked, “Why are you suddenly asking about him? Did something happen between you two?”

“……”

Jiao En laughed. “You don’t like his type, do you? I remember at the graduation party when everyone was discussing their ideal partners, you said loudly enough for the whole world to hear: funny, ambitious, positive. Remember?”

Wen Yi was exasperated. “That’s still true now!”

“Then why are you asking about Qin Nanshan?”

Wen Yi felt defeated, not wanting to admit to her friend that she was giving in to reality. She stubbornly said, “Nothing, just ran into him by chance.”

Jiao En knew there must be more to it. “Dependy, are you sure you two are suitable for each other?”

She had her reasons for saying this.

Wen Yi and Qin Nanshan had completely different personalities. One was an outgoing and carefree girl, the other was an introverted boy who only focused on his studies. They were like the equator and the North Pole, with no common ground.

At the beginning of the first year of high school, the school organized a field trip to a forest park in the suburbs. Qin Nanshan was almost invisible, but when it was time to gather and leave, they realized he was missing. The teachers wanted to go back and look for him, but Wen Yi, as the class monitor, insisted on going in despite the teachers’ objections.

As night fell, the forest park became pitch black. They didn’t find him, and the teachers came out one by one. When they took attendance, Wen Yi was also missing.

The teachers called the police, and at midnight, the two missing people emerged from the other side of the park. Their faces showed no sign of panic; instead, they looked like they had formed some deep grudge, each finding the other’s presence unlucky.

Jiao En asked her what happened back then, and Wen Yi was taken aback for a moment before replying, “We probably had a fight.”

“Ah?”

Wen Yi shook her head, recalling vaguely, “But we didn’t really fight. You know, it was like punching cotton—no reaction at all.”

It was too long ago, and Wen Yi’s memories were fragmented.

Back then, she was walking into the forest with a flashlight, going deeper and deeper until she finally found him in a small pavilion. When Qin Nanshan saw her, his face darkened, and he asked why she had come. Wen Yi was angry and said that she had come to find him out of kindness, but he didn’t appreciate it.

She turned to leave, but he didn’t move, saying that wandering around could easily get them lost, and it was best to wait for someone to find them. Wen Yi was confident that since she had found him, she could definitely lead him out.

Qin Nanshan remained unmoved, and Wen Yi decided not to bother with him anymore. She started walking out, and he had no choice but to follow. As expected, they got lost in the forest again, this time without even the shelter of the small pavilion.

Wen Yi was scared, and when he complained that she shouldn’t have acted rashly, she instantly got angry. In reality, she was trying to distract herself by talking, but it ended up with her cursing and making a fuss, saying ten sentences to his one word.

That’s why Jiao En remembered that scene.

Jiao En pondered, “So it seems he can tolerate your bad temper quite well.”

Wen Yi stared at the ceiling, imagining the possible future, feeling a bit lifeless. “But it’s so boring. I’d rather he argued with me. What’s the point of living together if only one person is performing all the time?”

……

The next day at noon, Wen Yi finished her meeting and returned to the hotel to pack her luggage. Qin Nanshan sent her a message saying they would leave after lunch and that he was waiting for her in the hotel restaurant.

She could only eat light food now and didn’t eat much, so lunch was simple.

Wen Yi got into his car, a Volkswagen Passat, which was indeed a practical model.

The car was like its owner, clean and tidy, with the only miscellaneous item being a pack of tissues.

Wen Yi didn’t like flashy decorations, but a car that had been used for a while would show signs of use and have some of the owner’s frequently used items. She looked around and asked, “Did you just buy this car?”

“No, I’ve had it for two years.”

Wen Yi thought to herself that this car was so well-maintained that he probably wouldn’t need to change it for the rest of his life. She pointed to the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and asked, “Can I open this? Will there be any women’s things inside?”

Qin Nanshan glanced at her and then turned back to start the car. “You can.”

The contents of the glove compartment surprised her. Besides a reflective vest, there were actually cigarettes and a lighter!

This guy actually smoked! How unusual! Qin Nanshan was the model student.

She asked, “Do you smoke?”

The man, focused on driving, just nodded.

Wen Yi warned, “You can’t smoke in front of me. I can’t be exposed to secondhand smoke.”

“Okay.”

She couldn’t sit still, acting like a wife checking the passenger seat, or like a jealous woman causing trouble. She opened the glove compartment, adjusted the seat, looked in the mirror, and even deliberately left the compartment slightly open when she closed it.

After finally being quiet for two minutes, she felt bored again. “Let’s listen to some music.”

He had his phone connected to the car’s audio system for navigation. “You can choose.”

Wen Yi picked up his phone, and the lock screen lit up, showing the phone’s default wallpaper. The facial recognition failed, and the password screen appeared. She asked, “What’s the password?”

“123456”

“…….”

Wen Yi didn’t have a habit of prying into other people’s secrets. After unlocking the phone, she directly opened the music app and randomly selected a song from the daily recommendations.

When a piece of pure violin music started playing, Wen Yi frowned and skipped to the next song, which was pure jazz. After skipping a few more songs, Wen Yi finally connected her own phone and played her favorite music.

Seeing the woman fiddling with the music, Qin Nanshan didn’t quite understand why listening to music had to be so complicated. After a while, he reminded her, “Navigation.”

Wen Yi opened the map and set the destination to Yuting Mansion. Then, she turned off her phone and said seriously, “I don’t like that kind of music. From now on, the music for the baby’s prenatal education should be what I like.”

Qin Nanshan listened to the strong rhythm of the rock music playing through the car’s speakers and slightly furrowed his brow.

Wen Yi noticed and said unhappily, “We need to satisfy the mother first. If the mother is happy, the baby will be happy too.”

Qin Nanshan could only agree, feeling helpless.