Due to Pei Shi’s attitude, Bai Tao’s “de-greenification” plan ultimately came to a halt. After renovating Pei Shi’s office, she didn’t bother with their home anymore. Bai Tao was quite satisfied with this, considering the villa’s large yard full of green plants. Just weeding alone would take several days and nights, not to mention their beloved little peach tree, whose leaves were also green!

Still, Bai Tao felt a bit guilty about her past behavior, which might have resembled infidelity. Although Pei Shi seemed to trust her, she wasn’t completely sure about what she had been up to in the past five years. To save their marriage and strengthen their relationship, and to reciprocate Pei Shi’s trust, Bai Tao decided to start by bringing warmth into their marriage.

What makes a man feel the love the most? It must be the meals his wife cooks for him every day! To win a man’s heart, you must first satisfy his stomach. The daily ritual of delicious home-cooked meals embodies simple happiness and warm affection.

Although they had a housekeeper, Bai Tao generously relieved her of dinner duties and decided to cook herself. Having never cooked before, Bai Tao found the entire process, from buying ingredients to cleaning, chopping, and cooking, quite interesting. She also had some ulterior motives. Even though Pei Shi didn’t seem to mind, she still had some psychological shadow regarding green, so she avoided green leafy vegetables as much as possible when buying ingredients.

Despite having never cooked before, Bai Tao worked hard for love. She watched almost all cooking tutorials and videos available, determined to impress Pei Shi, who had seen all kinds of gourmet food, with her high-difficulty dishes.

Unfortunately, while Bai Tao was enthusiastic about cooking, Pei Shi was suffering. After eating dark cuisine like cheese eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers stuffed with beef balls, stir-fried carrots with enoki mushrooms and yams, and tomato mashed potatoes for a month, Pei Shi finally found an opportunity to save his stomach as his birthday approached.

“I want to eat out on my birthday,” he said.

Bai Tao, who had seen Pei Shi’s upcoming birthday in her planner, already had plans. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ve got several new recipes lined up, like eggplant cake, curry-flavored okra cookies, and wasabi potatoes. I was planning to cook for you on your birthday!”

Before she could finish, Pei Shi, with pursed lips, interrupted her. “No need. I don’t want you to suffer cooking on my birthday. I don’t want you to work hard; let’s just have a simple meal at a restaurant.”

Although his words were sweet, his voice was a bit dry and unnatural. Bai Tao found it amusing. Although Pei Shi was shrewd in business, he was simply silly when in love. In front of the one he loved, all his scheming and sophistication collapsed, leaving a simple, goofy man. Look at him now!

Though she wanted to showcase her cooking skills on Pei Shi’s birthday, Bai Tao was ultimately persuaded by him, especially since she had another big surprise planned for him.

A huge surprise!

Just thinking about this surprise made Bai Tao’s adrenaline surge. She had meticulously planned this gift, preparing mentally for a long time…

Despite loving him to the point of humility, Bai Tao believed that Pei Shi would feel her overwhelming love upon seeing the gift.

As Pei Shi’s birthday drew near, Bai Tao became increasingly restless, especially after receiving a message from the pet store informing her that the custom gift box had arrived. Her anxiety peaked. But for the man who loved her the most in the world, she decided to go all out. Bai Tao decided to endure humiliation, face her fears, and transcend her limits to give Pei Shi a dog!

For a perfect birthday celebration, Bai Tao had rented out the venue and arranged for Pei Shi’s favorite violin performance. The atmosphere was wonderful, and even the usually stern Pei Shi appeared quite relaxed during dinner. He even looked at the simple vegetable salad with something akin to affection.

Who could gaze lovingly at a few leaves? Only someone dining with his beloved wife on his birthday!

Feeling sweet inside, Bai Tao announced, “Honey, I have a birthday gift for you that you’ll absolutely love!”

Pei Shi immediately looked up, pausing before asking in a slightly stiff voice, “Is it eggplant cake or okra cookies?”

Look how excited he was!

Bai Tao couldn’t help but giggle. “Honey, you’re so funny. You said you didn’t want me to work hard cooking, yet you’re looking forward to the dishes I mentioned. But no, tonight’s gift isn’t those.”

Pei Shi sounded relieved, almost as if he had escaped a disaster. “Good… as long as it’s not those.”

Bai Tao chuckled proudly. “Am I not thoughtful? Of course, I prepared something else for your birthday.”

Pei Shi pursed his lips and smiled slightly, his voice calm. “Yes, very thoughtful.”

Silly man! Bai Tao felt a sweet surge in her heart. Men were so easy to fool. It was just a birthday gift, after all!

Seeing Pei Shi’s clueless expression, Bai Tao felt that giving only one birthday gift wouldn’t suffice. She immediately looked at Pei Shi and assured him on the spot, “Honey, even though I didn’t prepare eggplant cake and okra cookies tonight, since you’re so keen on them, I’ll definitely make them for you tomorrow! I don’t have much pressure to submit any illustrations for the next week, so I’ll cook these delicious meals for you every day! Don’t worry!”

Perhaps thinking she was just paying lip service, Pei Shi’s face didn’t show any happiness after hearing this. He even stopped smiling and responded without much expectation, “Okay, thank you, honey.”

He clearly didn’t believe her.

Bai Tao wanted to explain, but since it was Pei Shi’s birthday, there was no need to introduce such an interlude. Moreover, the best trust is demonstrated through actions. In the coming week, as long as she developed these gourmet dishes daily, Pei Shi would naturally realize she wasn’t just making empty promises. Bai Tao always kept her word!

Bai Tao looked up and saw Pei Shi quietly and elegantly dining. Although he didn’t have any special expressions, his serene face was enough to move her. Often, it’s not the unique moments that touch people, but ordinary fragments of life like this. Pei Shi didn’t say anything special, and they weren’t in a particularly romantic or dramatic setting. Yet, these plain details and moments made Bai Tao feel deeply touched, even thinking it was worth all her efforts today for Pei Shi!

She remembered Pei Shi’s birthday five years ago, when she ran wildly with a megaphone in his yard and got kicked out unceremoniously by him. Five years later, on the same day, she had become his beloved wife, sharing all the fragments of life with him.

Time is truly a fascinating thing.

Bai Tao’s heart raced, and she felt a sense of pride. Who would have thought Pei Shi would love her so much?

The gift was scheduled to arrive at 8:30 PM. The package was large, wrapped in pink paper with peach elements, and tied with a big bow. Bai Tao had custom-ordered this gift box with ventilation holes to ensure airflow, so the puppy inside would be fine.

At that moment, Pei Shi had just finished his meal and stepped away from the table to take a phone call.

Bai Tao thought the timing was perfect. She pushed the gift box to the table and prepared to watch Pei Shi’s surprised expression when he opened it.

Wouldn’t this man be moved to tears?

Bai Tao was considerate enough to clear the area in advance, ensuring privacy if Pei Shi got emotional. She had even prepared tissues to lovingly wipe his tears.

Tonight, it seemed Pei Shi was destined to shed tears of love.

But Bai Tao never expected her perfect plan to come to an abrupt halt.

The unexpected happened within a minute. Pei Shi’s call seemed to drag on, and the “gift” inside the box couldn’t stay still any longer. After a couple of barks, it started bumping against the box. Whether due to poor quality or some impact during transit, the box soon toppled over, and before Bai Tao could react, the puppy had tumbled out.

The newly freed Labrador puppy, though still young, wasn’t small. It excitedly wagged its tail and jumped on Bai Tao, who froze, almost unable to breathe.

Her therapist had said she had overcome her fear of dogs!

But with no one around for help and Pei Shi not present, Bai Tao was left to fend off the enthusiastic puppy alone. She tried to dodge several times, but couldn’t shake it off.

Seeing the dog made Bai Tao’s mind go blank. She could only think of getting away from it, but the restaurant was spacious with no hiding spots. In her panic, Bai Tao ran around the restaurant twice before climbing onto the table in fear. Yet, the dog still followed her. Desperate, Bai Tao had a sudden idea upon seeing the empty gift box—if she couldn’t put the dog in the box, she could hide in it herself!

If the dog wouldn’t leave, she would!

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Bai Tao thought her stealthy escape into the box went unnoticed, but it wasn’t so in Pei Shi’s eyes. He witnessed her entire clumsy escape until she hid inside the box.

Due to a junior programmer’s mistake causing a temporary database outage, Pei Shi had to coordinate with the tech team for repairs, which extended the call. By the time he finished, nearly fifteen minutes had passed.

Feeling apologetic, Pei Shi returned to the restaurant, but before he could utter any comforting words to Bai Tao, he realized she wasn’t at the table.

She was standing on the table!

Wearing ten-centimeter heels! She seemed to be fending off something under the table with a fork for self-defense…

This commotion naturally drew the attention of the waitstaff. Pei Shi saw a few waiters approaching, equally stunned by the scene. No one could understand why the previously elegant Bai Tao had suddenly jumped onto the table.