Braised pork belly sat in a white porcelain dish, glazed with caramel-colored sauce, steam rising with a rich aroma. Steamed egg with minced meat and lime water was golden and silky smooth, garnished with vibrant green scallions.
In a double-handled ceramic soup bowl, the milky-white crucian carp and tofu soup was thick, fragrant, and savory, the fish flesh visibly tender.
Lu Jingyan took off his apron and hung it nearby. “There weren’t many ingredients at home. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, just tell me, and I’ll buy it in advance.”
Shen Nanyin held her bowl, the rice inside glistening and each grain distinct. She couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
“Lu Jingyan, you’re amazing.”
The man raised an eyebrow slightly, accepting her praise.
The braised pork was fatty but not greasy. Mixing the rice with the sauce and scooping a spoonful into her mouth, Shen Nanyin squinted her eyes in contentment.
Lu Jingyan glanced at her slender wrist, his expression turning serious.
After the meal, Shen Nanyin volunteered to wash the dishes.
Lu Jingyan reached out, pulled her back, and placed her on the sofa. He then gathered the dishes and cutlery, put them in the dishwasher, and pressed the button.
“I think one dishwasher is enough for our household. What do you think?”
Shen Nanyin: “?”
Standing by the kitchen island, he took out a glass, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to her.
Casually, he asked, “Why were you unhappy this morning?”
Shen Nanyin looked puzzled. “I wasn’t unhappy.”
Lu Jingyan lowered his gaze, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table as he spoke in a deep voice. “You didn’t seem to like the things I prepared for you in the passenger seat.”
After processing his words, Shen Nanyin’s expression went blank for a moment.
“For me?”
Those were for her? She thought…
“I didn’t dislike them. I just…”
Shen Nanyin hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
“Just what?”
Her delicate brows furrowed as if troubled, her tone uncertain. “I… I thought they were your girlfriend’s. I was afraid of damaging them.”
Lu Jingyan was taken aback, almost laughing in exasperation. “Shen Nanyin, we’re married. Where would a girlfriend come from?”
Shen Nanyin blinked slowly, naturally not daring to explain why she had thought that way.
The man gave a half-smile, his tone ambiguous. “Mrs. Lu, are you trying to play open marriage with me?”
Sensing a hint of danger in his words, she quickly shook her head. “No, no, absolutely not.”
“You’d better not,” the man said leisurely.
In the study.
Shen Nanyin was working on a group assignment on her computer.
A message popped up in the class group chat about the Beijing Summit and the 2024 World Financial Forum, recommending everyone sign up as volunteers to broaden their horizons and help with future employment.
Liang Wan: [@everyone, want to go together? Remember to fill out the form.]
Shen Nanyin replied with a “received” emoji.
After submitting her assignment, a breakdown video of the three-step layup was sent to her.
After carefully studying it, Shen Nanyin was about to raise her hands to mimic the move when she suddenly felt like one of those guys who randomly shoots imaginary basketballs in the air.
So silly.
She quietly lowered her hands.
Walking out to the living room, Lu Jingyan had just placed a plate of cut fruit and a glass of milk on the dining table.
Glancing at her, he said, “Come here and replenish your energy.”
On the wooden tray, a transparent glass fruit plate with vertical patterns was divided into several small compartments, each containing a different type of fruit.
Apples, green mangoes, strawberries—a whole fruit platter.
Her gaze fell on one compartment filled with vibrant pink peach flesh. As she drank her milk, she choked on it.
Lu Jingyan frowned as he patted her back, his tone a mix of helplessness and teasing. “What’s the rush? No one’s competing with you.”
It wasn’t about competition at all.
Her face flushed red as she maintained a calm facade, but her thoughts involuntarily drifted to his long, clean hands.
How had he handled the peach earlier?
Shen Nanyin’s mind began to wander.
Would his fingers also leave pink marks from the juice?
Images automatically played in her head, but she quickly stopped them.
Help, her thoughts were really… too much.
It was all because of the “male bodhisattvas” recommended by the algorithm.
In the evening, Lu Jingyan went to the sofa as usual.
Shen Nanyin slowly moved in front of him and tentatively asked, “How about… I sleep here?”
The man raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. “You want to sleep on the sofa?”
The girl hugged her pillow and nodded seriously.
He hummed in acknowledgment, patted the remaining space, and lazily said, “Then come up.”
His tone carried an air of “since you said so, I’ll reluctantly squeeze in with you.”
Shen Nanyin froze. “…I meant, you sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
Lu Jingyan remained composed and spoke unhurriedly.
“What do you think Madam Lu’s reaction would be if she knew her precious daughter-in-law was sleeping on the sofa?”
That didn’t seem too good.
Shen Nanyin fell silent for a moment before speaking haltingly, as if having made up her mind.
“Then… then we can sleep on the bed together. Is that okay?”
In Shen Nanyin’s simple mind, since Lu Jingyan had paid a price, he naturally had to gain something from her.
He was just considerately giving her time to adjust, so she couldn’t be so oblivious.
Upon hearing her words, Lu Jingyan, who had originally intended to dissuade her, paused.
“…What did you say?”
Shen Nanyin stiffly lay down on the bed.
The lights had been turned off, and in the pitch-black, quiet room, only the man’s shallow breathing could be heard.
The warmth spreading from beside her was impossible to ignore.
Her heart was beating fast, but after a long wait, the person beside her showed no sign of movement.
Summoning her courage repeatedly, she fumbled to undo a few buttons on her chest, only to back down at the last moment.
She thought she would stay awake until dawn, but in the midst of her inner turmoil, she unknowingly fell asleep.
However, the next day, the same scene repeated itself.
She was clinging to the man again.
Sitting up with a flushed face, Lu Jingyan remained unfazed, appearing completely natural.
“Awake? I’ll go make you breakfast.”