When she reached the convenience store entrance, a few scattered customers were still browsing the shelves inside. The middle-aged woman who had been watching short videos yesterday wasn’t in the shop.
Jiang Xianzhuo stood alone behind the checkout counter, wearing that blue uniform, head lowered as he scanned items for a customer.
His expression was focused, the lines of his profile appearing somewhat cold and sharp under the overhead lights.
Shen Zhili pushed the door open.
The wind chime above the door jingled.
Jiang Xianzhuo glanced up. The red laser from the barcode scanner trembled sharply at his fingertip before steadying again.
She said she’d come again today…
And she really did.
The turbulent emotions that surged in those narrow eyes were swiftly suppressed.
Jiang Xianzhuo resumed his aloof, distant expression, lowered his head, and continued his task.
“Welcome.”
His tone was utterly perfunctory.
Shen Zhili smiled.
She didn’t mind his attitude, walking boldly up to the counter and placing the large shopping bag she was carrying onto its surface.
“Not off work yet?”
Jiang Xianzhuo didn’t look up, his gaze glued to the red laser from the scanner as if trying to burn through that string of barcodes.
“Can’t you tell?”
Shen Zhili: “…”
Damn him, still talking like he’s trying to choke people.
But she wasn’t angry. She rummaged through the bag herself, pulled out the newly bought lunchbox, and waved it in front of him.
“Look, I bought one just like yours.”
Jiang Xianzhuo’s eyelids finally lifted slightly.
His gaze lingered on the stainless steel lunchbox in her hand for less than a second before indifferently shifting away, his hands still moving steadily.
Jiang Xianzhuo quickly scanned the last customer’s items, gave change, and said, “Take care.”
Only when the convenience store’s glass door closed again and the wind chime fell silent.
Now, the entire shop held only the two of them.
Shen Zhili seized the opportunity, slipped nimbly into the narrow space behind the checkout counter, and pulled open the bags, wanting him to see clearly.
“Brought you some late-night snacks.”
Jiang Xianzhuo glanced at the pile of items and frowned.
Green peppers, pork tenderloin, and bamboo shoots.
All raw.
“Isn’t this raw?”
“Won’t it be cooked after you stir-fry it?”
Jiang Xianzhuo: “…”
He stood before the pile of fresh ingredients, silent for a full three seconds before finally looking up at her.
“No food at your place?”
“There is.”
Shen Zhili met his gaze frankly: “But, I just like watching you cook.”
Jiang Xianzhuo’s body stilled for a moment.
Somewhere in his chest felt as if it had been bumped, not too lightly, not too heavily.
He avoided her gaze, his voice growing colder.
“I’m working.”
The implication being he had no time to play this childish, boring game with her.
But Shen Zhili acted as if she hadn’t understood his refusal at all, responding carelessly.
“I’ll help you with the cash register. It’s just scanning, right? I can learn.”
Jiang Xianzhuo’s frown deepened.
Just as he was about to say something more, his wrist was suddenly grasped by a warm hand.
The action felt so natural, as if it had been repeated a thousand times.
His body instantly stiffened, all his cold, hard words stuck in his throat.
“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll show you what’s what.”
Shen Zhili threatened fiercely, exerting force with her hand and directly pulling him out from behind the counter.
“Hurry up and cook. I barely ate anything all day, just waiting for this meal, you know?”
“If you won’t do it, I’ll do it myself. Don’t blame me if I end up burning down this convenience store.”
Jiang Xianzhuo looked at her unreasonable, domineering manner, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
His gaze uncontrollably fell on her outfit.
Today… she was wearing another pretty little dress.
The ivory-white skirt was adorned with light blue embroidery, making her appear exceptionally lovely.
So lovely that she seemed completely out of place in this shabby convenience store.
The refusal that had already been on the tip of his tongue suddenly got swallowed back down.
He silently took the bags of ingredients from her hands, walked into the pitifully small kitchen area in the break room, turned on the faucet, and began washing the ingredients.
The sound of running water echoed loudly.
The convenience store was quite considerate—perhaps because it was on the verge of closing down—as not a single customer came in for the next ten minutes or so.
Shen Zhili simply pulled up a chair and sat right at the entrance of the break room, propping her chin on one hand, openly watching him work.
The spatula danced skillfully in his long, slender hands as oil fumes rose. Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from that tiny corner.
Watching Jiang Xianzhuo’s profile blurred by the cooking fumes, Shen Zhili suddenly felt a craving.
Not the kind of craving for food brought on by its delicious smell.
But the most primal craving for his body.
In the later stages of their marriage, their intimate life had actually become particularly discordant.
The main reason for this discord was his insatiable desire to constantly have her, his energy frighteningly vigorous.
At first, she thought it might be because they had just gotten married—newlyweds in the honeymoon phase—and he was just a bit more passionate, so she endured it. After all, during the period when they were just lovers, he had been like this too.
But two years into their marriage, when Shen Zhili realized he was still acting as if he wanted to die on her, she belatedly realized she had been tricked.
Not only had he not become more restrained over time, but he had actually intensified.
And she wasn’t ready to become a mother, nor did she want to harm her body by taking long-term medication.
So, the condoms they kept at home had to be stocked in boxes and moved to the storage room…
But now, after waking up, everything had changed.
Her only sex life now was clicking “insert” in an Excel spreadsheet.
“What are you spacing out for?”
Jiang Xianzhuo’s cool voice abruptly pulled her thoughts back.
Shen Zhili snapped back to reality and realized he had stopped what he was doing at some point, packed the stir-fried dish into her new lunchbox, and was now looking at her expressionlessly.
“Finish eating and leave quickly.”
Shen Zhili beamed as she took the lunchbox and opened the lid.
Steaming hot shredded pork with green peppers, glossy and fragrant.
She picked up a bite with her chopsticks, stuffed it into her mouth, and squinted her eyes contentedly.
“Mmm… still this taste, so delicious.”
Jiang Xianzhuo didn’t respond, turning instead to clean up the messy stove.
Just as Shen Zhili was enjoying her meal, her phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
She grabbed it and glanced at the screen, where the name “Shen Yinluo” popped up.
The smile on her face instantly froze.
She put down her chopsticks, swiped the screen, and answered the call.
“Hello?”
From the other end of the line came Shen Yinluo’s cold, stern, and authoritative voice.
“Come back home.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
His tone left no room for refusal.
“There’s something we need to discuss with you at home.”
Shen Zhili’s brows furrowed.
The green pepper and shredded pork that had been bursting with flavor just moments ago now tasted like chewing wax on her tongue.
She glanced at the rice box, still more than half full, then lifted her eyes to look at the slender figure in the distance, his back turned to her as he wiped down the stove.
Jiang Xianzhuo was cleaning up the mess she had made.