When the master bedroom door was pushed open again, Su Qiu had already changed into a cream-yellow linen maxi dress, her jet-black hair cascading down her shoulders, making her look exceptionally well-behaved.
With every step she took, her clear, sparkling eyes couldn't help but dart around, looking rather sneaky.
Only after confirming nothing was amiss did she continue forward, her small face feigning composure.
Passing by the wet bar, she quietly placed the glass she'd clutched into the master bedroom back where it belonged.
The swaying hem of her dress came to a stop.
Su Qiu looked up, feeling for the first time that this spacious living room had visually narrowed.
A smoke-gray shirt neatly tucked into black dress pants, the broad-shouldered, long-legged young man stood there like a tall, straight fir tree—his presence impossible to ignore.
Su Qiu's head barely reached Zhou Jingqian's shoulder line, requiring her to tilt her neck slightly to look at him.
Zhou Jingqian stood in the center of the living room, sweeping his gaze over the soft furnishings.
A bunny-head throw pillow, an irregular moss-textured rug, a vase of blue jacaranda blooms, a few orange soft candies scattered on the table, a Montblanc Muse series fountain pen, and a snack rack in the corner stuffed to the brim.
All of these were things Su Qiu had added after moving in.
It seemed his little wife had been quite comfortable in their wedding home during this time.
His busy work schedule meant he couldn't properly attend to family matters, and she, as he had expected, was independent—able to arrange her own life well on her own.
"Sorry, I startled you earlier."
Zhou Jingqian turned around, his gaze pausing briefly on her cream-yellow dress, his voice as steady as ever.
Su Qiu glanced at him, her lashes lowering slightly. "A little, yes. Could you let me know in advance next time you come back?"
Zhou Jingqian: "That was inconsiderate of me."
He hadn't expected that nearly noon would be the time she'd just gotten up.
Zhou Jingqian noticed a trace of wariness still lingering in her brows and eyes.
To avoid any misunderstanding at their first meeting after marriage, which could create unnecessary trouble in their future interactions.
He paused, softening his voice, which carried a hint of huskiness: "I sent you a message. I also informed you on the day we got our marriage certificate that I'd be back by the twenty-fifth at the latest."
"…"
Those two sentences extinguished Su Qiu's already faint intention to demand an explanation. "Actually, I'm pretty brave. I can handle being startled."
Zhou Jingqian gave a noncommittal curl of his lips.
Su Qiu returned to the master bedroom briefly, then came out with her phone.
She glanced at Zhou Jingqian, then slowly walked up to him and handed him her phone.
"Hm?" Zhou Jingqian took it.
Su Qiu said, "I forgot to save your number before. See which one is yours."
On the day they exchanged numbers, Zhou Jingqian had called her.
But that day, Su Qiu had also received several unfamiliar calls without labels.
Before she knew it, she'd forgotten which string of numbers was his.
And since they'd never had a need to call each other, she'd simply left it alone.
Su Qiu had always had a calm disposition—she wouldn't worry about things until they actually came knocking at her door.
Zhou Jingqian held Su Qiu's phone, swiping through the screen a few times before finding his number.
In her call log, besides the unfamiliar calls, there were also labeled ones—Director Qin, Producer Liu, Teacher Qiao—clearly work-related contacts.
"What should I save it as?" Zhou Jingqian asked her.
"Hubby." Su Qiu didn't hesitate.
The moment the word fell, the room fell silent for two seconds.
Su Qiu didn't see anything wrong with it, and asked him again, "Will we be calling each other more often from now on?"
Zhou Jingqian thought for a moment. "Perhaps."
That kind of thing, he couldn't say for sure, but what he could confirm was that he had no business trips scheduled for the coming month.
Even if there were, they'd only be brief two-to-three-day trips, not like this time where he'd been away for half a month.
So perhaps, starting today, their communication would become more frequent.
At the very least, next time, if he were to come home like today, he'd call her in advance.
Zhou Jingqian looked at Su Qiu.
Better yet, he'd call both the day before and the day of his return, just in case she forgot again.
Su Qiu: "Then add an 'A' before 'Hubby' so it's easier for me to find."
Zhou Jingqian: "…"
Zhou Jingqian added it, then handed the phone back to her. He glanced at the time. "Want to have break—lunch? I can order something to be delivered?"
Su Qiu nodded. She was a bit hungry. The cream-yellow headband on top of her head slipped down slightly with the motion, and she reached up to adjust it, revealing her smooth, fair face and bright, large eyes.
At home, she loved wearing pajamas and sweeping all her hair up with a headband. This time, she'd changed out of her pajamas, but the headband stayed.
After all, this kind of appearance would be the norm in his eyes from now on, so there was no need to force herself to change everything from the very start.
The newlyweds' first lunch together began with both of them being perfectly refined, neither speaking a word, only the soft clinks of chopsticks and bowls against porcelain plates.
However, whether it was because Su Qiu was too hungry or Zhou Jingqian was too good at ordering, all four dishes he'd chosen were ones she loved, and the chicken soup was delicious too.
On her fifth sip, Su Qiu forgot there was someone sitting across from her and unconsciously slurped.
She immediately froze, then quietly looked up.
At this moment, Zhou Jingqian had somehow loosened one button on his crisp shirt collar, one hand holding a bowl, the other holding chopsticks.
The cold, elite aura about him had faded somewhat, making him appear composed and approachable.
"How do you usually handle your three meals?"
He spoke first.
Su Qiu blinked. "Order takeout, or eat out." And go home to mooch off her family.
Zhou Jingqian noticed her soup bowl was nearly empty and recalled that when they dined at the Xiang family's place last time, she'd also had two bowls of chicken soup.
Zhou Jingqian, who wasn't particularly fond of soup, picked up the ladle and filled his own bowl halfway.
He took a sip. He didn't find it particularly delicious, but neither did he find it off-putting.
Zhou Jingqian suggested, "How about we hire a dedicated cook to come to the house?"
There was already a housekeeper who handled cleaning, but she didn't live in. Su Qiu preferred being alone at home, only calling the housekeeper over when needed.
Su Qiu's current work arrangement was writing scripts from home, but she'd have to join the production team by the end of next month at the latest. A hired cook wouldn't get to make many meals anyway.
She asked Zhou Jingqian, "Do you eat at home often?"
Zhou Jingqian had been about to say not often, but at her question, he looked at her. "Got it. I'll try to come back for meals from now on."
Hmm? What exactly did he get? Though, eating out at too many business dinners did get tiresome.
Su Qiu, who would have to deal with all sorts of dinner engagements once she joined the production team, nodded in agreement. "Then let's hire one."
Zhou Jingqian: "Mm. I'll have Yang Ming find someone. Once they're found, you can taste-test their cooking. If you like it, we'll keep them."
Su Qiu: "Don't you need to taste-test too?"
Zhou Jingqian: "I'm not picky. The lunch Grandmother arranged that day was pretty close to my usual taste."
Meaning what she liked, he'd probably find agreeable too.
Besides, Zhou Jingqian had been raised by his grandparents since childhood, not particularly pampered. During elementary school summer breaks, his grandfather had even taken him to stay in the countryside.
He wasn't a picky eater—except when it came to soup.
It took Su Qiu two seconds to realize that the "Grandmother" Zhou Jingqian referred to was her grandmother.
They were family now.
Su Qiu ate slowly, chewing carefully. She finished another half bowl of chicken soup before setting down her spoon.
Zhou Jingqian set down his chopsticks as well. "I'll handle the dishes."
The kitchen showed almost no signs of use. When he'd gone in earlier to get the bowls and chopsticks, he'd noticed the protective film on the dishwasher was still unpeeled.
Since he said he'd handle it, Su Qiu let him.
She got up and walked toward the living room, then paused midway and turned back. She saw Zhou Jingqian rolling up his sleeves.
The man's large hand with distinct knuckles folded the shirt cuff up twice, revealing the firm muscle of his forearm, faint veins surfacing with each movement.
As he bent to gather the dishes, his shirt collar dipped slightly, revealing his sharp, elegant collarbones.
Su Qiu's eyes widened with surprise, a glimmer of interest lighting them.
She'd assumed that with his refined, elite demeanor, he'd have a lean, slender build.
She hadn't expected that beneath that crisp shirt lay such a solid, imposing frame—quietly powerful.
The dishwasher hummed away. Zhou Jingqian emerged from the kitchen and saw Su Qiu standing by the snack shelf, seemingly trying to tidy up the overflowing snacks.
Even though her movements resembled a little hamster burrowing.
Zhou Jingqian walked over and mentioned, "My luggage will be delivered in a bit."
Su Qiu turned around. "Okay, I've left space for you. I haven't taken over your side."
"I don't have much stuff. Arrange things however you like."
"Mine isn't much either."
The moment she finished speaking, a clatter sounded behind her—three cans of tomato-flavored potato chips tumbled off the snack shelf.
And of course, they rolled right to Zhou Jingqian's feet.
Su Qiu: "…"
Zhou Jingqian bent down, picked up the chip cans, and stepped forward to place them back on the shelf.
He turned sideways, his gaze sweeping over her lowered profile. Her thick lashes were fluttering rapidly like little fans.
"The shelf is too small," Zhou Jingqian said.
Su Qiu looked up in surprise, meeting his warm gaze. After a moment, a slight curve formed at the corners of her lips.
She'd finally smiled. From the moment he'd walked in, she hadn't smiled once.
Soon, Zhou Jingqian's luggage arrived.
The walk-in closet, nearly the same size as the master bedroom, had Su Qiu using the left section while the right had always remained empty.
Zhou Jingqian walked in and immediately noticed that one door of the left wardrobe was half open, revealing a full rack of women's nightgowns.
Cotton, silk—every style imaginable.
The central air conditioning vent was directly above, and the hems of the gowns swayed gently in the breeze.
A flash of what he'd seen earlier crossed the man's dark, deep eyes.
He stepped forward with steady composure and gently closed the half-open wardrobe door.
Zhou Jingqian's various toiletries and suitcases were carried in trip after trip.
Su Qiu's plan for the afternoon was to watch a documentary. She poured a glass of water and walked into her study.
After a moment's thought, she didn't close the study door completely, but left it ajar, a crack open.
Before long, the housekeeper finished tidying up and cleaning, then left for the day.
Su Qiu remained in her study watching the documentary, occasionally jotting something down with her pen.
The house fell completely silent.
Su Qiu looked up toward the doorway.
Even with Zhou Jingqian back, they could still each go about their own business—he with his work, she with her documentaries, no interference, perfectly harmonious.
Su Qiu pried open the blinds a crack, and sunlight streamed in as thin, straight beams of light, evenly casting onto the maple wood floor of the study.
Knock, knock. A knock sounded at Su Qiu's study door.
The door was left ajar, yet Zhou Jingqian neither barged straight in nor pushed the gap open further.
Instead, he stood outside, giving a gentlemanly tap.
However, Su Qiu was completely absorbed in watching an orca flick its tail to hunt prey, with an earbud in one ear—she didn't notice the knocking at all.
It wasn't until the door was knocked again, with a bit more force, that she finally heard it.
"I'm—"
Su Qiu finally registered the sound, pulled off her earbud, and looked over: "Come in."
Zhou Jingqian pushed the door open and stepped inside. "The property management just delivered a large package. Is it something you ordered?"
Su Qiu let out a delayed "Ah," pausing for two seconds before it clicked: "Yes, I ordered that—it arrived so fast…"
She paused the documentary, stood up, and headed out first.
Zhou Jingqian's gaze swept across the study, which carried a faint scent of oranges and the fragrance of old books.
On one side, a wooden bookshelf was packed full; on the other stood a metal rack displaying numerous keyboards in all sorts of materials and colors.
He roughly estimated there were forty or fifty of them.
He'd seen people collect watches and bags, but this was the first time he'd seen someone collect this many keyboards.
With such small hands, could she even use them all?
Zhou Jingqian's gaze shifted again, landing on her desk. When he spotted the red marriage certificate spread open on it, his brow paused slightly, puzzled.
Looking further, a row of five palm-sized little objects caught his attention.
Those were… wooden fish?
For the first time, a look of unfathomable confusion appeared on the man's face—usually so refined, composed, and rarely betraying any emotion.
Was his little wife into literary creation, or Buddhist studies…
The property management had already removed the outer wooden frame of the package, leaving a cardboard box nearly half a person's height.
Zhou Jingqian walked over: "What is this?"
Su Qiu turned around, her big, watery eyes carrying a sincere question as she tilted her little face up to look at him.
"Zhou Jingqian, you've got a wife now—would you mind having two more kids?"
Zhou Jingqian's brow twitched sharply.
Half an hour later, Zhou Jingqian sat on the living room carpet, the rabbit castle den in front of him already half-assembled.