Cosmos Center.
It was a famously upscale luxury mall in the capital.
Tan Qinyin was not entirely unfamiliar with this place—she had been here twice before with Song Qinghe.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
Chu Nanyu gave a faint smile and said, “Forgot?”
He pushed open the car door and got out, gesturing for her to follow.
Tan Qinyin blinked in confusion but obediently stepped out of the car.
It wasn’t until she followed Chu Nanyu to a jewelry counter that she suddenly remembered: “Honey, are we here to replace our rings?”
Chu Nanyu nodded lightly. “Mm.”
Tan Qinyin immediately curved her eyes into crescents, linking her arm with his as they walked inside. “You should’ve said so earlier.”
Jewelry boxes were neatly arranged, displaying the selected rings.
Looking at the rings, Tan Qinyin asked, “Honey, what did our old rings look like? Should we pick the same style?”
Chu Nanyu kept his hands in his pockets, his expression neutral. “Since the old ones were lost, it’s probably bad luck. Let’s choose new ones.”
Tan Qinyin rested her chin on her hand and nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll listen to you—let’s pick new ones.”
A bright and enthusiastic salesperson served them, introducing each piece one by one. Tan Qinyin took a liking to a pair of dual-track wedding bands.
The women’s ring featured two slender, interwoven tracks, with the main diamond set at their intersection. The band curved slightly, like a gentle hand holding on. The men’s ring was a simple band of the same design, with a single small diamond set inside the inner wall.
Placed together, they formed the shape of a heart.
When asked for his opinion, Chu Nanyu said, “They’re very beautiful.”
Not only were they beautiful, but their symbolism was also lovely.
Two life paths converging because of love; holding your hand, walking through life together.
Tan Qinyin adored them.
Just as Chu Nanyu was about to pay, Tan Qinyin stopped him. “I’ll buy them.”
Chu Nanyu’s eyes flickered slightly, and the next moment, he gently pushed her hand back. “I don’t spend women’s money.”
“I’m not just any woman—I’m your wife,” Tan Qinyin lifted her face, handing her card to the salesperson. “I want to buy our wedding rings myself. Don’t you dare fight me on this, or I’ll get angry!”
Chu Nanyu pressed his lips together and fell silent, no longer insisting.
After the payment was settled, Tan Qinyin extended her bare right hand and raised an eyebrow. “Honey, put it on for me.”
Chu Nanyu’s long lashes trembled slightly. He lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and calmly picked up the ring, slowly sliding it onto the woman’s ring finger.
Tan Qinyin also picked up the men’s ring and happily slipped it onto the man’s finger. Then, she intertwined her fingers with his, her eyes sparkling. “We can’t lose them again from now on, okay?”
Chu Nanyu’s eyes deepened like whirlpools, his Adam’s apple slowly moving as he suddenly asked, “What if… one day you don’t need it anymore?”
Tan Qinyin was momentarily confused by the question. “What?”
The man’s indifferent voice spoke slowly: “Like when a performance ends, and you no longer need the prop, tossing it into the trash.”
“Nonsense!” Tan Qinyin was a bit displeased with his assumption. “Why would I throw the ring into the trash?”
“Exactly! If anyone were to throw it away, I’d be the first to pick it up!”
The salesperson beside them immediately chimed in with a smile, breaking the slightly strange atmosphere.
“Miss Tan, your husband isn’t afraid you’ll throw away the ring—he’s afraid you might one day not want him anymore.”
Tan Qinyin was taken aback for a moment, then blinked and looked at Chu Nanyu. “So that’s what you meant~”
She still held his hand, her thumb gently stroking the back of his hand, sweetly and earnestly. “I would never do that.”
Chu Nanyu’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers tightened imperceptibly around hers for a moment as he replied softly, “I know.”
After buying the rings, the two individuals who could currently be considered patients didn’t linger long at Universe Center. They headed straight home.
Old Mrs. Chu had ventured out for a rare outing to meet up with her old friends.
As the driver pulled the car into the parking lot, they passed by a Maybach driving out. With sharp eyes, Old Mrs. Chu recognized it as her grandson’s car.
Running into her grandson wasn’t too surprising, after all, this mall was one of the group’s properties.
What was surprising was that, just moments ago through the half-open car window, she had seen a girl sitting inside!
Was there a woman by her eldest grandson’s side?
Hadn’t all the previous blind dates shown no signs of progress?
Old Mrs. Chu immediately grew excited and dialed Butler Li’s number.
…
That evening.
Chu Nanyu finally had a legitimate reason to temporarily avoid sharing a room for sleep.
His fever hadn’t fully subsided yet, and he needed two more IV drips over the next couple of days to stabilize.
Tan Qinyin lay on her large bed, sharing the newly purchased rings with Song Qinghe.
“Aren’t they pretty?”
“They are!” Song Qinghe asked uncertainly, “Are these… wedding rings?”
“Yes, the previous ones were lost at some point, so we went to replace them today.”
“With Chu Nanyu?”
Tan Qinyin replied, “Yes, he went with me to buy them.”
“I see.”
Song Qinghe wore a smile, but inwardly she was shaking her head. If Lu Yanzhi saw this…
Ah.
Thinking of Lu Yanzhi, how should she handle the favor he had asked of her an hour ago?
Moving into someone else’s house for no reason was strange.
And it was Chu Nanyu’s house, no less.
But after all, Lu Yanzhi was the man Yinyin loved and her real husband.
To prevent her friend from doing anything she might regret after regaining her memory, she had to step up, tell a little white lie, and swallow her pride.
Song Qinghe wore a pained expression. “Yin, I’ve run into a bit of trouble these past couple of days.”
Tan Qinyin quickly asked, “What happened?”
“A stalker somehow got hold of my home address and has been lurking around my neighborhood,” Song Qinghe sighed heavily. “It’s gotten so bad I don’t even dare to go out.”
Tan Qinyin sat up abruptly upon hearing this. “These stalkers are going too far! What are you planning to do?”
Song Qinghe asked, “Could I stay with you for a few days to lay low?”
Tan Qinyin nodded without hesitation. “Of course! Move in tomorrow!”
“You’re the best, darling!” Song Qinghe blew her a big kiss.
“I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”
The two chatted a bit longer, and after ending the video call, Tan Qinyin went next door to find Chu Nanyu.
The room was empty, with only the faint sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
Tan Qinyin walked over and knocked on the bathroom door.
“Husband, the doctor said you shouldn’t take a bath these two days.”
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
About a minute later, the door opened.
A wave of steam rushed out.
The man’s short hair hung damp, water droplets continuously sliding down. The belt of his bathrobe was loosely tied in a hurried knot.
Tan Qinyin’s gaze immediately fell on his chest, dotted with fine droplets of water, its contours strikingly defined.
A droplet slid along his collarbone into the valley, then slowly downward, disappearing into the black bathrobe.
The woman blinked, the tips of her ears tinged with a faint warmth, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she spoke softly, “Why didn’t you listen to the doctor?”
Chu Nanyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he reached up to adjust the loose bathrobe. His voice, tinged with the moisture of the steam, was low. “I just took a quick rinse.”
Tan Qinyin tilted her little face, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, still unwilling to look away. “No, what if it gets worse?”
“Alright, I understand.”
Chu Nanyu took a towel to dry his hair. “Is there something going on?”
Only then did Tan Qinyin remember and told him about Song Qinghe coming to stay for a few days.
Chu Nanyu thought for a moment and nodded. “Just tell Uncle Li, he’ll arrange everything.”
“Mm, then I’ll head back. Remember to rest early.”
Tan Qinyin turned around, took two steps, and suddenly thought of something. She turned her head back, her gaze lingering. “You don’t wear loungewear every time, huh.”
Chu Nanyu, drying his hair: “…”
Back in her room, Tan Qinyin threw herself onto the bed, sinking into the soft blankets. She hugged her LinaBell plushie, rubbing her face against it, her lips curling uncontrollably upward.
Wow, those pectoral muscles were just too good-looking!
The muscles felt so firm and bouncy—she really wanted to reach out and touch them!
And how many abs were hidden under that bathrobe?
Come to think of it…
Had they ever… done it before?
She searched her mind but couldn’t recall anything.
They were husband and wife, so… they probably had, right?
Her mind began conjuring up all sorts of images. Tan Qinyin’s cheeks flushed red as she buried her face in the blankets.