Chapter 3

Thinking about the many outrageous things the original owner had done, Jiang Yu decided to do something to make amends.

She took out her phone and remembered the swelling on Jiang Zhe’s hand. She quickly ordered a medicinal ointment.

After placing the order, she looked out the window. The weather outside seemed cold, and she had no desire to go out.

She would just let him pick up the delivery himself.

Her neck really hurt.

After rubbing her neck, she thought about returning to her room to rest, but the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen drew her in like a little sprite teasing her taste buds.

“Maybe I should eat breakfast before resting?”

After muttering to herself, she honestly sat on the couch, waiting for someone to call her when breakfast was ready.

This morning, Jiang Zhe had made steamed buns and porridge for breakfast. She had to admit that his cooking skills were quite good. The breakfast looked even better than what you could buy outside. Though Jiang Yu felt a little nauseous due to her pregnancy, seeing what he had prepared made that nausea disappear in an instant.

The chili sauce at home was just too delicious, and during breakfast, Jiang Yu couldn’t resist taking it out to eat with her meal.

When Jiang Zhe saw her eating the chili sauce again, he couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times. Jiang Yu sensed he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

Since he didn’t say anything, Jiang Yu naturally pretended not to notice. She happily mixed the chili into her breakfast and took a bite. Ah, it was just so delicious!

After finishing her breakfast, Jiang Yu remembered she hadn’t taken a shower yet. So she went to get some clothes and headed to the bathroom. After showering, she put her clothes in the washing machine and planned to hang them up once they were done washing.

As she was pulling the clothes out of the washing machine, Jiang Zhe came out of his room. He picked up a nearby clothes hanger and took the basin from her hands, seeming ready to help her hang the clothes.

Jiang Yu glanced at the clothes in the basin and felt a bit embarrassed. She asked, “Are you going to help me hang the clothes?”

After asking, she realized the question was unnecessary.

After all, it was Jiang Zhe who had been responsible for the original owner’s laundry lately.

Usually, Jiang Yu did everything herself, so she found this person surprisingly nice.

Since she didn’t want to hang the clothes herself, she didn’t hesitate to pass the task to him and smiled at him with a look of gratitude.

“Well, thank you then!”

Jiang Zhe didn’t expect her to thank him. He glanced at her face, took a look around, and then replied coldly, “Mm.”

Jiang Yu felt he was being a bit too distant. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile on his face. She was used to smiling all the time, and someone who didn’t smile made her feel a bit uneasy.

But it was understandable that he wouldn’t smile, considering he was facing a volatile person who could explode at any moment.

Having just come into this life for a day, repairing her relationship with him would probably not be easy.

She decided to take it slow.

Even if their relationship didn’t improve much, it didn’t matter. After all, the male lead’s uncle was a snail girl^[1]A “snail girl” often refers to a character in anime, manga, or web novels who is shy, introverted, or slow to open up to others, much like a snail retreating into its shell.. As long as he did all the chores, it didn’t matter if he didn’t smile.

Jiang Zhe was quite efficient with his work. In a short while, he had already hung most of Jiang Yu’s clothes.

With nothing to do, Jiang Yu found herself wanting to escape.

Seeing him work hard for her, she felt it would be a bit rude to just run back to her room, so she stood behind Jiang Zhe and chatted with him.

The most engaging topic between them, Jiang Yu thought, had to be food.

She was curious about what the “Snail Prince” planned to cook for lunch today.

She asked, “What are you planning to make for lunch?”

Yesterday, Jiang Yu had seemed very disdainful of the dishes he made, but today she appeared genuinely interested. The stark contrast in her attitude left Jiang Zhe a bit unsure if she had truly changed or was just messing with him.

But it didn’t really matter.

He asked, “Is there anything you want to eat?”

As soon as Jiang Yu heard this, inspiration struck her.

Since he was asking her what she wanted for lunch, she wouldn’t hold back.

“Can I have spicy chicken, Mapo tofu, stir-fried beef, spicy lotus root, and spicy kimchi?”

Jiang Zhe: “…”

She chose all the spicy dishes.

Although it was said that pregnant women’s tastes could change, could it really change that quickly? In just one day, not only did her appetite seem to have returned, but she also appeared to have a strong craving for spicy food.

Jiang Zhe fell silent.

However, the cravings in Jiang Yu’s belly had already been awakened, and she was eager to eat those dishes for lunch. With a hint of pleading in her eyes, she asked, “Can I eat these?”

Jiang Zhe preferred milder flavors and thought it might not be good for her to eat so many spicy dishes. But since his research hadn’t indicated that pregnant women couldn’t eat spicy food, if she wanted it, he could indeed make it for her.

If she enjoyed the dishes he cooked, it was definitely better than if she hated them.

He agreed, “Okay.”

Hearing his agreement, Jiang Yu’s eyes instantly lit up, and she cheerfully exclaimed, “That’s great!”

Then her gaze fell on his injured hand, her tone now tinged with concern. “Is your hand okay? Did you put medicine on it? I ordered some ointment online. It should arrive tomorrow. You can pick it up then.”

Although this was something the original owner had done, she had inherited that body, so Jiang Yu felt a bit apologetic as she said, “I’m really sorry. I’ve been a bit irritable lately because of my pregnancy, but I promise it won’t happen again.”

Jiang Yu attributed the original owner’s volatile temperament to her pregnancy.

However, Jiang Zhe didn’t believe her excuses.

When she woke up that morning, seeing the man in bed wasn’t his nephew but himself had caused her to react with panic and anger, insisting that he pretend that nothing had happened the previous night.

If it weren’t for her pregnancy being discovered by her family, they wouldn’t have ended up getting married.

But Jiang Zhe didn’t mention any of this to Jiang Yu. Since he wanted to bury the past, he wouldn’t bring it up.

Jiang Zhe wasn’t one to talk much anyway.

The refrigerator at home was nearly empty. Since Jiang Yu wanted certain dishes for lunch, Jiang Zhe had to go grocery shopping.

After saying goodbye, he tidied up and prepared to leave.

Jiang Yu didn’t actually want to go out.

But she was curious about this world. After thinking it over, she said to Jiang Zhe, “Why don’t I go out with you?”

“I can help carry the groceries,” Jiang Yu said, giving him a hopeful look.

Jiang Zhe was a bit surprised that she wanted to go out with him. The temperatures had been low for the past few days, and the house was warm with the heater on, so wearing a sweater was enough. He glanced at her outfit and reminded her, “You can come, but you need to wear more clothes.”

She was pregnant, and if she caught a cold, it would be troublesome.

Jiang Yu wasn’t a child. She understood she needed to dress warmly. Although it looked really cold outside, with the wind howling and all, making her want to hide inside like a quail, her curiosity about the world ultimately won over her fear of the cold.

Jiang Yu immediately dashed back to her room, putting on her thickest coat, wrapping herself in a scarf, and switching to warm snow boots. Once she was bundled up, she stood behind Jiang Zhe with a well-behaved expression. “I’m ready, let’s go.”

To Jiang Zhe, her obedient appearance resembled that of a primary school student. He looked down at her, his long lashes fluttering slightly before he turned to the door. “Let’s go.”

Although Jiang Yu felt she was dressed warmly enough, the moment she stepped outside, a blast of cold wind hit her.

Inside, it hadn’t felt this cold at all. The living room and kitchen were warm, the air conditioning keeping every corner cozy.

When she rented a place before, she would only turn on the air conditioner in her small room, and the electricity bill was already painful enough. She couldn’t imagine how much Jiang Zhe’s bill must be with the whole house heated.

Just as they stepped out, they encountered their neighbor, Aunt Zhao, who greeted Jiang Zhe warmly.

“Xiao Jiang, taking your wife out shopping?”

Jiang Zhe replied curtly, “Mm.”

“It’s really cold outside today. Make sure you both wear enough clothes!”

Aunt Zhao’s enthusiasm didn’t thaw the pancake-like expression on Jiang Zhe’s face. He responded with his usual succinctness, “Okay.”

Aunt Zhao, already accustomed to his demeanor, smiled and went back into her home.

As the elevator doors opened, a crowd of people spilled out.

Jiang Yu noticed his already tense expression became even more rigid.

He hesitated, pulling his foot back, and then put his hands in his pockets, saying, “Let’s wait for the next elevator.”

Jiang Yu thought it was fine to squeeze in, so she rushed forward.

“It’s okay, let’s just go down this time. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait again.”

Seeing her step inside, Jiang Zhe had no choice but to follow.

The elevator was packed, and Jiang Zhe stood beside Jiang Yu, shielding her from the crowd, but his muscles were taut with tension.

Jiang Yu discreetly glanced up and noticed how pale and cold his face looked, making her a bit frightened.

She thought he was angry and felt a bit intimidated. But she didn’t quite understand why he would be unhappy. After all, she just didn’t want to wait for the elevator.

His expression looked so scary. It felt like he could explode at any moment.