The flash of red disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.
From the corner of her eye, Wen Lan saw the man meticulously remove every last fish bone from a piece of fish belly before placing it into the little girl’s bowl.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Wen Wu opened her mouth and swallowed it in one big bite.
She was especially happy today.
Her chubby little face was glowing, and her smiling eyes curved into crescents.
Lu Zhixing gave a quiet hum in acknowledgment.
Just as Wen Lan thought the man would finally begin eating, he picked up another piece of fish and placed it onto the empty plate in front of him.
Her lips parted slightly.
She wanted to tell him to eat some himself.
Throughout the entire meal, the man had spent nearly all his attention taking care of the little girl, barely touching his own food.
But remembering that she still knew absolutely nothing about this household, she ultimately chose to remain silent.
Lowering her head, Wen Lan took a bite of rice.
The dishes the man had prepared were all light and delicately seasoned.
Was it because he was deliberately accommodating her illness?
Or did he simply prefer a lighter diet?
She quietly pondered the question.
Then, all of a sudden, a piece of snowy white fish appeared in her bowl.
The bones had clearly all been painstakingly removed.
The tender fish gave off a fresh, delicate aroma as it rested atop her white rice.
“Wife, please eat.”
The man’s voice was as warm and gentle as flowing jade.
Unable to help herself, Wen Lan looked at her principal husband.
Graceful.
Virtuous.
Refined and courteous.
He was the very image of the ideal husband every woman in this world would want.
Aside from the slight flaw on his face, everything he had done since they met perfectly matched every expectation of an exemplary husband.
Wen Lan recalled the television dramas where husbands personally attended to their wives during meals.
She did not stop him when he offered her another serving of vegetables.
“Thank you… Husband.”
Lowering her eyes, Wen Lan thanked him softly.
She decided that, for the time being, it was best to simply go along with things.
This time, however, she clearly saw the injury on the pale pads of his fingers.
They were already swollen and reddened.
It looked like a burn.
Looking at the table filled with food, then at the man’s obviously delicate hands, Wen Lan let out a silent sigh.
Lu Zhixing withdrew the serving chopsticks.
Though his ordinary features were not especially striking even beneath the candlelight, the faint flush of red on the cupid’s bow of his pale lips added a touch of unexpected beauty to his face.
Seeing that the little girl had nearly finished eating, he handed her the warm milk beside him.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Wen Wu thanked him softly in her childish voice, her little tummy now round and full.
Only then did Lu Zhixing finally pick up his own chopsticks and eat a few bites.
His gaze, however, casually drifted toward the dishes that his wife had eaten from moments earlier.
The meal left Wen Lan somewhat distracted.
On the surface, though, they looked every bit like a harmonious and loving family.
After dinner, Wen Lan watched the man rise to his feet.
Her heart tensed slightly.
If he intended to clear away the dishes himself, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from helping.
He had been the one who cooked the entire meal.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to enjoy the fruits of his labor while doing nothing.
If she translated it into the logic of her original world…
It would be like a wife working hard to prepare an entire table of dishes while also taking care of both a young child and her husband.
Then, after all that, she would still have to clean everything up herself…
Wen Lan suddenly felt like she was being a bit of a scumbag.
Fortunately, Uncle Xiao arrived.
He still wore his usual kindly expression.
When the man looked at him, his own expression softened even more than usual.
“Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Xiao.”
Lu Zhixing walked around the long dining table and picked up the little girl.
Uncle Xiao smiled warmly and waved a hand dismissively.
“What are you thanking me for, Zhixing? I practically raised you myself. Really now, don’t stand on ceremony with your Uncle Xiao.”
The smile in Lu Zhixing’s eyes deepened slightly, though he offered no protest.
Listening from nearby, Wen Lan hadn’t expected to learn the man’s full name so quickly.
His surname was Lu.
His given name was Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing.
Wen Lan silently repeated the name to herself.
Suddenly, a few fragmented memories flashed through her mind.
In complete darkness, someone seemed to whisper softly beside her ear in a childish voice.
“My name is Lu Zhi…”
“Wife?”
Wen Lan suddenly came back to her senses.
Looking at the man before her, she felt a dull ache in her head. It took her quite a while to recover before she calmly asked,
“What is it?”
“You should be resting now.”
From the way he said it, it sounded as though her health was poor enough that she needed regular recuperation.
Wen Lan nodded and watched as the man carried the little girl upstairs.
She quietly let out a sigh of relief.
The room he entered wasn’t hers.
After greeting Uncle Xiao, Wen Lan returned to her own room.
The first thing she did was take a shower.
After washing up, she stood by the window, absentmindedly gazing at the little garden below.
It seemed that, in the past, she had known her principal husband.
But why did that man treat her with such… formality and distance?
As though they were familiar strangers.
Lost in thought, Wen Lan suddenly heard a knock at the door.
One light knock, followed by two firmer ones.
It was remarkably refined.
“Wife, are you asleep?”
Wen Lan turned around.
After a moment’s thought, she walked over and opened the door.
The man outside had obviously just finished bathing.
A cool, damp freshness drifted from him.
Wen Lan caught the scent of the same body wash she herself used.
For some reason, she felt her face growing warm.
Fortunately, the hallway lighting was dim.
She was certain the man hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Lowering her gaze, she looked at the dazzlingly fair neck exposed beneath the overlapping collar of his black pajamas.
After a moment, she asked,
“What is it?… Zhixing.”
That should be his name.
Lu Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing felt his heart shudder violently.
Even the fingertips hidden inside his sleeves dug deeply into his own palm.
It had been a very, very long time since he had heard his wife call his name.
Yet the moment she spoke, he knew.
She was still herself.
She had never changed.
Only she could make the very core of his heart burn so fiercely that he completely lost control.
“Wife… good evening.”
Wen Lan thought the man’s voice had trembled slightly.
Or perhaps she had imagined it.
This body was exceptionally tall.
Even when the man looked straight ahead, from her perspective it seemed as though he were lowering his head.
She couldn’t clearly see his expression, so she couldn’t be certain of her guess.
“Good evening.”
Wen Lan could only return the greeting.
Lu Zhixing slowly extended his hand.
Resting in his palm was a neatly folded square of white medicine paper, just large enough to cover his entire hand.
He looked up at the woman standing before him, striving to maintain his composure.
“Wife, it’s time for your medicine.”
Wen Lan: …
So her principal husband had come all the way here in the middle of the night just to make sure she took her medicine…
Looking at the quietly stubborn man, Wen Lan truly didn’t want to take it.
The medicine was genuinely bitter.
“There’s strawberry candy.”
As though performing a magic trick, the man placed a colorful candy on top of the white medicine paper.
His voice was like a gentle spring breeze, instantly sweeping away the heaviness in Wen Lan’s heart.
Staring at the pill beneath the candy, Wen Lan finally reached out and accepted it.
“Thank you.”
The instant the medicine paper left his hand, Lu Zhixing withdrew it and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Wen Lan caught hold of him.
His entire body stiffened in an instant.
Noticing his reaction, Wen Lan suddenly found herself at a loss.
Her hand rested on his shoulder.
Taking it away felt awkward.
Leaving it there felt even more awkward.
His shoulder seemed almost burning hot beneath her palm.
In truth, she had only remembered noticing the injury on his fingertips during dinner.
Steadying herself, Wen Lan spoke anyway.
“I have some burn ointment here. Would you like…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the tall, slender man actually ran away.
Wen Lan remained standing there, her hand still suspended in midair, completely stunned.
Was she really that frightening?