Xia Jiao felt Wen Chongyue’s heartbeat, gentle and strong.

She paused for two seconds before withdrawing her hand.

The debate about “conscience” came to a halt for now, leaving Wen Chongyue feeling a bit helpless. He teased her, saying, “So in your heart, am I just a sex-hungry wolf?”

As Xia Jiao unpacked the lunchbox Wen Chongyue had brought, his words caught her off guard, making her cheeks flush. After a long moment, she quietly replied, “…because you said it’s very important.”

Wen Chongyue rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, revealing a muscular arm with prominent veins, which added a hidden maturity that contrasted with the scratches left by Xia Jiao’s fingernails.

Xia Jiao quickly averted her gaze.

Wen Chongyue took out the small containers of food one by one: soybean-stewed pig trotters, celery with cashews, radish cakes, and red bean and chestnut porridge. He arranged them neatly on the strawberry-patterned tablecloth spread out in front of Xia Jiao.

“I spoke with the landlord,” Wen Chongyue said. “You can move in with me this weekend. He will refund your deposit and the remaining rent for the next few days.”

Xia Jiao was taken aback. “He is so easy to talk to?”

The red beans were cooked until soft, and the chestnuts were fragrant. She felt very hungry and quickly finished a small bowl.

Wen Chongyue pushed his untouched bowl toward Xia Jiao, taking away the bowl of porridge that still had a little left in front of her. He added, “He is indeed easy to talk to.”

Xia Jiao still found it hard to believe.

In the past year and a half, she had moved three times in Beijing. Her current landlord was the most troublesome, often making things difficult for others. Previously, during a dispute over water bills, she had tried to communicate with the landlord but ended up crying.

How could Wen Chongyue have resolved it so easily?

Xia Jiao withdrew her gaze, picked up the food in her bowl with chopsticks, and heard Wen Chongyue say, “I’m going to Suzhou in a few days.”

Xia Jiao raised her eyes, looking at him intently.

“It’s for work,” Wen Chongyue explained. “Don’t worry, I’ll only be gone for a week and will be back with you soon.”

Xia Jiao nodded, accidentally crushing a small piece of soft chestnut with her chopsticks.

She knew that Wen Chongyue was the executive vice president of a company, but she wasn’t clear about his specific work responsibilities. She remembered that his work was IT-related. Xia Jiao thought people in this industry often worked overtime, yet she didn’t expect Wen Chongyue to actually have plenty of personal time. However, she could understand occasional business trips.

This weekend, Wen Chongyue organized all of Xia Jiao’s things and moved them to his home.

In this house, he had an independent dressing room—yes, he didn’t wear T-shirts, plaid shirts, or jeans when he worked. His closet was full of shirts. Although most were black, white, or gray, they were neatly arranged from light to dark based on whether they were patterned or solid.

In comparison, Xia Jiao had far fewer clothes.

Besides a few outfits for work and casual occasions, her total wardrobe was not even half the size of Wen Chongyue’s collection of shirts.

Due to the nature of her job, Xia Jiao had to pay attention to her clothing while at work. Although the company offered internal purchases for employees to buy clothes and bags at a discount, her department did not have this benefit. She didn’t have any particularly close friends either. Some items had been chosen for her by her good friend Jiang Wanju, using her own purchasing quota.

But it wasn’t much. After all, Xia Jiao couldn’t easily afford a sweatshirt that cost twenty or thirty thousand yuan.

Normally, pajamas and soft, loose T-shirts that had been worn for two or three years were her go-to clothing when she stayed home or played games.

Wen Chongyue was surprised at how many pajamas Xia Jiao owned. He pulled them out one by one from the packing box. He had folded everything himself, so they were not wrinkled and could be hung up easily.

Xia Jiao was responsible for handing him the hangers.

When Wen Chongyue picked up a nightgown covered in duckling patterns, Xia Jiao explained, “I bought this when I was a senior in college.”

Wen Chongyue praised, “Very lively.”

Next, he held up a nightgown with a fluffy bunny tail and a bunny ear hat.

Xia Jiao said, “Well… I saw it in a niche brand store when I was visiting a comic convention.”

Wen Chongyue commented, “Novel and interesting.”

Then he held up a pure cotton T-shirt with a paper figure of Xia Jiao’s wife printed on it, depicting her upper body with clearly defined muscles.

Xia Jiao was startled, quickly stepping forward to take the pajamas away. She rolled them up and hugged them to her chest. “I’ll do it! I can manage on my own!”

Wen Chongyue didn’t insist. He gave her the space and went to sort out other things.

Xia Jiao spent half an hour organizing her clothes. When she emerged from the dressing room, she saw Wen Chongyue watering the flowers on the balcony. She paused to watch for a moment before telling him seriously, “You can’t water the flowers like this.”

Wen Chongyue stopped, and Xia Jiao naturally took the kettle from him. “Monstera loves water and can tolerate waterlogging, so it needs to be watered thoroughly. You can’t just sprinkle a little bit like this…”

Xia Jiao enjoyed talking about flowers and plants. She spoke earnestly about the care tips, and Wen Chongyue listened silently for a while. When she paused, she looked up to find him smiling at her.

“Did I say something wrong?” Xia Jiao asked uneasily. “Isn’t this how you take care of them?”

Wen Chongyue shook his head. “You’re right; I’m not good at taking care of these plants.”

Xia Jiao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little embarrassed. “Actually, my grandfather likes to grow flowers, and I learned a bit from him.”

Wen Chongyue praised, “You’re amazing.”

Xia Jiao didn’t think of herself as amazing at all.

In her heart, Wen Chongyue was the truly remarkable one.

He is unwavering in his routine. Unless he is not having fun, he goes to bed at eleven p.m. and wakes up promptly at seven a.m. the next day. Except during her menstrual period, he exercises once in the morning and once in the evening. If Xia Jiao was too sleepy, she could use her hands and feet to do it for him. He didn’t mind. Wen Chongyue possesses incredible physical strength and energy. Xia Jiao has seen him when he communicates with his subordinates over the phone; his tone is gentle, and his words are sharp. However, when he is with her, he always smiles warmly. At home, he also keeps the promises he made earlier, taking on some household chores and cooking.

The morning sun filtered gently through the window as Xia Jiao struggled with the silk garments, their wrinkles betraying her lack of skill in handling delicate fabrics. Weng Chongyue, always attentive, smoothed out her silk dress with the steam from an iron, ensuring each wrinkle was banished. He then turned to the cotton shirts, which had also succumbed to improper hanging, and ironed them back to a pristine state before hanging them neatly.

In the kitchen, he utilized Xia Jiao’s neglected electric grill to whip up delicious rice pizzas and crepes, carefully separating the vegetables and meats for freezing.

On Sunday morning, Weng Chongyue went for a jog in the nearby park, returning with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Xia Jiao found two clear glass vases, delighted as she trimmed the stems diagonally and made small cuts at the bottom to arrange the flowers.

Weng Chongyue stacked two layers of filter paper and, after pouring hot water through, added ground coffee beans. He slowly poured boiling water from a kettle over them, brewing her first cup of morning coffee.

The white peonies looked like snow, their faint fragrance mingling with the light scent of the willows. Through the slanting branches, Xia Jiao saw Weng Chongyue placing the brewed coffee on a wooden tray.

The toaster chimed, and Weng Chongyue set the boiled eggs in cold water to cool, the heat causing tiny droplets to splash. He then retrieved them, placing the eggs alongside slices of avocado.

The combined scents of cream cheese, maple syrup, and condensed milk wafted through the air, wrapping around the freshness of the vegetables.

It was their first weekend as a married couple living together.

Everything appeared perfect.

Xia Jiao carefully snipped the damaged ends of the peonies.

Deep down, she understood that Weng Chongyue did not love her.

— If it had been someone else he had gone on a blind date with, someone he thought was a better match, he might have treated them just as well.

— If she had gone on a blind date with someone else, someone she found more acceptable, perhaps she would have tried to develop a relationship with him, too.

Xia Jiao took a deep breath, placing the peonies into the willows, the freshly cut stems softly sinking into the water, creating delicate ripples against the glass.

But life doesn’t have “what ifs.”

There are no “if onlys” or “had it been different.”

On that day, Xia Jiao and Weng Chongyue met, he needed a wife to accompany him, and she needed someone to pull her out of her stagnant life.

They were a perfect partnership, both avoiding the word love.

The night before Wen Chongyue went on a business trip, he was obviously more aggressive than usual, and so was his attack. Xia Jiao could not hold on any longer, and begged for mercy, her tears almost soaking the entire pillow, but begging for mercy did not soften Wen Chongyue’s heart, and she suspected that her thigh bone would be broken.

Xia Jiao even felt fortunate to be alive.

She had intended to see him off in the morning, but the thought of getting up early was unappealing. Weng Chongyue gently touched her reddened palm, leaning down to whisper, “Get some good rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Xia Jiao groggily replied.

Aside from that, she felt her current married life met her initial expectations.

While Weng Chongyue was away, she attempted to wake up early to prepare simple sandwiches and milk with cereal for breakfast. She made an effort to put down her phone and sleep by eleven, resisting the urge to open her reading apps.

Before leaving, Weng Chongyue prepared the cereal and yogurt, instructing her on how much fruit yogurt to add. He ensured fresh fruits would be delivered daily at nine from a designated vendor, leaving Xia Jiao only to sign for them and eat.

However, work continued to stagnate, especially regarding new project proposals, with her several ideas being entirely rejected. The director had a short temper, often ranting in the departmental chat about his frustrations.

Faced with a difficult client, every rejection from them sent the director into a fury, and he would unleash his anger on his subordinates.

Xia Jiao, unfortunately, was always the first target.

For several consecutive nights, she found herself crying in secret, trying to maintain a composed facade during video calls with her family.

During Xia Jiao’s absence, Weng Chongyue called every night before bed, but their conversations were sparse, mostly consisting of him asking questions and her answering.

They maintained a basic level of politeness. Rather than a marriage, it felt more like a contractual obligation, two people respecting each other’s space.

Among her colleagues, only she and another single woman remained unmarried. Xia Jiao didn’t disclose her rushed marriage, fearing the complications that would come with explanations.

At a new round of social gatherings, Xia Jiao and the other single woman were taken out for drinks.

This time, the client was exceptionally challenging—a tough nut to crack. To make matters worse, one of the male negotiators had previously pursued Xia Jiao fervently in college. His tactics had been so disgraceful that she had reported him to the police at her friends’ urging.

Enemies often meet in a narrow circle, and Xia Jiao was not sure whether the other party did it on purpose.

That evening, he exuded an air of superiority, as if he could act out a scene from “Don’t Underestimate the Poor Youngster,” constantly glancing at Xia Jiao with a mocking smile and slyly encouraging her to drink.

It seemed as if seeing her make a fool of herself would bring him satisfaction.

The director had intentionally brought along two inexperienced young women, now watching as they were forced to drink, only occasionally stepping in to feign concern while spending the rest of the time conversing with others.

Xia Jiao’s stomach churned, but refusing to drink was not an option. The director’s sharp gaze felt like a knife, and she had no choice but to accept. Halfway through, she couldn’t hold back and rushed to the restroom, retching for what felt like an eternity. Her stomach was empty, save for a few scraps of food.

She barely had anything to eat.

After taking a moment to recover, Xia Jiao forced herself to rinse her mouth, carefully wiping away the tears caused by her physiological reaction, reapplying her lipstick and dusting her cheeks with powder.

Once she had composed herself, Xia Jiao stepped out of the restroom. The alcohol had made her slightly dizzy, and she felt unsteady as she walked.

As she turned a corner, she accidentally bumped into someone. The other person was unharmed, but Xia Jiao found herself awkwardly half-seated on the floor, repeatedly apologizing.

The person naturally bent down, extending their hands in a supportive gesture. “How did you get this drunk?”

As the alcohol began to take effect, Xia Jiao listened to the familiar voice but couldn’t quite recognize it at first.

The person’s demeanor was so intimate, almost as if they were about to lift her up. Fearful of drawing attention, Xia Jiao, already anxious, felt her heart race as she nearly considered jumping out the window to escape.

She evaded the person’s attempt to help her up and summoned her courage to politely say, “Thank you, but please stay away from me, my husband is very jealous.”

She heard the person chuckle softly.

Then, they leaned down and gently ruffled her hair, speaking in a warm and gentle tone. “Jiao Jiao, after not seeing you for seven days, you can’t recognize your jealous husband?”