After obtaining Zhou Jingqian's consent without a moment's hesitation, the secondary bedroom beside the terrace garden became the exclusive room for the two rabbits.
At the last family dinner, when Su Qiu was chatting alone with Grandmother Zhou, she had asked whether Zhou Jingqian had ever kept any pets.
Grandmother Zhou said no.
After a pause, the grandmother let out a barely audible sigh. "That child Jingqian—from childhood to now, there's never been anything he truly cared about."
So Su Qiu had never been certain whether Zhou Jingqian could accept her pets—both a rabbit and a turtle, two of them.
At this moment, Su Qiu sat on the carpet, looking at the rabbit hutch that was already taking shape before her eyes, then turning to look at the man beside her who, after finishing studying the diagram, had begun the installation.
She had her answer.
Counting it up, today was their third meeting, and their relationship was still very much that of strangers.
With anyone else, Su Qiu might not have dared to ask a person she'd only met three times—and the boss of a listed company, no less—to help her install a rabbit hutch.
But the two little ones were still waiting for her to bring them over.
As their mother, she had to find them a reliable father.
The rabbit hutch was large, combining entertainment, rest, and dining areas. Just the installation tools alone came in several varieties, all sorts of them.
Su Qiu's assigned task was to quickly find and hand over the tools as Zhou Jingqian called out their names.
Su Qiu was someone who earned her living by typing on a keyboard, so she couldn't help but take an extra look at someone else's good-looking hands.
Zhou Jingqian's fingers were long and even. When he applied a bit of force to tighten a screw, the knuckles would flex into a clean, crisp arc.
A pleasure to behold.
A man at work was truly a pleasure to behold.
Suddenly, a ding went off in Su Qiu's mind—inspiration struck.
She parted her lips slightly in surprise, her gaze slowly sliding over the man's sturdy arm and landing on his profile.
Her eyes turned bright and sparkling.
Hubby, you really do bring me good luck.
She picked up her phone, opened her notes app, and lowered her head, immersing herself in recording her thoughts, completely oblivious to everything around her.
If Jian Yin and Hao Hao were present, they would spread their hands and make an expression of being long accustomed to this.
Whenever inspiration struck, no matter where she was, Su Qiu would pull out her phone and jot things down.
Su Qiu was, in fact, someone who created based on emotion. When she was relaxed and in a good mood, her thinking would become clearer along with it.
So much so that if, during their trio's outings, Su Qiu didn't pull out her phone to record something, Jian Yin and Hao Hao would instinctively ask: "Is our Teacher Su in a bad mood today?"
Sensing that the person beside him had gone too quiet.
Zhou Jingqian turned his head to look.
He saw the young woman sitting cross-legged, her lashes lowered, her fingertips dancing rapidly across the phone screen.
Her hands were very small, yet her typing speed was astonishingly fast.
Thinking of the keyboards in her study—no wonder.
Zhou Jingqian didn't know what she was doing, nor did he pry into her phone screen.
He found his tool and withdrew his gaze.
Finally done saving her inspiration, Su Qiu's brows relaxed. When she looked up, she found that the castle-style hutch had already been assembled.
Zhou Jingqian had even started the robot vacuum to clean up the debris on the tiled floor.
She stammered, "That was fast… thank you…"
"It's my duty." Zhou Jingqian's expression was as calm as ever, though a hint of teasing seemed to play at his thin lips. "After all, I'm their father."
Su Qiu looked up at him, appearing frozen in place, but in reality, she was giving Zhou Jingqian a thumbs-up in her heart.
What a fine acting prospect—his role immersion was so natural, far better than the actors who, during script readings, made her repeatedly break down the lines and still raised all sorts of questions.
They moved the rabbit hutch into the secondary bedroom for the final assembly, then placed the toys and the rabbit food cabinet inside one by one. The previously empty room was instantly filled to the brim.
Zhou Jingqian had only been back for half a day, yet many changes had already taken place in the spacious wedding home.
A wine cellar, a tea room, and even a set of strength-training equipment placed in the gym.
But these were places Su Qiu would basically never set foot in. What she truly needed to get used to were the male toiletries that had appeared in the master bedroom and the walk-in closet.
A countertop for organizing ties, a glass cabinet displaying wristwatches, men's leather belts, dress shirts, suits.
Su Qiu looked at them quietly for a good long while.
Not quite accustomed to it, but there was no physical aversion either.
Looking at it from another angle, these things, when worn on Zhou Jingqian's body, would also be on display for her.
Good-looking, with a nice physique and refined taste in dressing—she wasn't losing out.
The final change was on the big bed in the master bedroom.
The other pillow from the double-pillow set that she had previously kept tucked away in the corner of the headboard.
At this very moment, it had been placed neatly beside her pillow.
If the two of them lay down according to the positions of the pillows, they would be arm against arm, with zero distance between them.
Su Qiu stood by the bed, staring at the two pillows.
"All set?"
Zhou Jingqian's voice drifted in from outside the door. Su Qiu snapped back to reality, smoothed her clothes, and walked out with a composed expression.
Grandmother Zhou, knowing that Zhou Jingqian had returned from his business trip, called to have them come to the old residence for dinner.
As the elevator was about to reach the underground garage, Su Qiu suddenly gave her forehead a light tap. "Ah, I need to go back up for a moment."
"What's wrong?" Zhou Jingqian glanced at her forehead.
"I forgot to grab something."
"Alright, I'll wait for you in the car."
Su Qiu moved quickly, taking less than five minutes in total. As she bent down to get into the car, she saw that Zhou Jingqian now had a tablet on his lap, displaying a colorful array of data charts.
Truly a business elite.
Time must be extremely precious to him—even a few minutes were worth dedicating to work.
Zhou Jingqian put the tablet away and noticed a bracelet on Su Qiu's left wrist.
It was the welcome gift from Grandmother.
It seemed his young wife, though slow to catch on, was actually quite perceptive.
"What's wrong?"
Meeting his deep gaze, Su Qiu was puzzled.
Zhou Jingqian's gaze had already shifted from her fair, slender wrist to her bare ring finger.
As if finally realizing he had overlooked something, he asked, "What ring size do you wear?"
"…Eight."
"Do you have any requirements for the wedding ring design?"
Su Qiu said no.
Newlyweds discussing their wedding rings, yet there was not the slightest hint of romantic warmth—one asking, one answering, and yet… the exchange flowed smoothly enough.
Today's driver was still Master Li. He quickly glanced at them through the rearview mirror.
There was a stretch of silence in the car.
Until Su Qiu spotted something through the window and instinctively spoke up: "Could we pull over?"
The words had barely left her mouth when her peripheral vision caught the tablet Zhou Jingqian had used, reminding her of how precious his time was. Su Qiu quietly pressed her lips together.
Just as she was about to retract her request, Zhou Jingqian said, "Sure."
Master Li signaled and pulled over.
"I'll just go buy something and be right back."
Without waiting for Master Li to come around and open the door for her, Su Qiu got out herself, quickly crossed the commercial street walkway, and entered a bakery with a yellow croissant sign.
Before long, Su Qiu emerged from the bakery carrying a paper bag.
What returned to the car with her was also a rich aroma of caramel and baked bread.
"This place makes really good bread. Would you like to try some?" Su Qiu opened the paper bag, her tone carrying a friendly, sharing warmth.
Zhou Jingqian: "No thanks, I don't have a habit of eating in the car."
Su Qiu let out an "oh" and quietly folded the open paper bag shut.
Master Li took another quick glance at the rearview mirror and continued driving.
The car drove quietly out of the city center toward the suburbs.
No one spoke, making the aroma of bread all the more present.
Su Qiu rubbed the paper bag and tentatively asked, "Can I… have that habit?"
A faint smile curved Zhou Jingqian's thin lips. "Of course. Go ahead and eat."
They were husband and wife—this car was already their joint property, and hers as well.
She could do whatever she wanted in here.
The bakery owner was very carefree, only opening the shop whenever they felt like it.
The croissant, flaky enough to crumble, yielded a soft, layered honeycomb interior when bitten into—tender and delicious. As Su Qiu ate, she thought to herself that the owner indeed had the capital to open whenever they pleased.
Su Qiu ate carefully, gathering all the crumbs into the separate paper wrapper. When she finished, she wiped her mouth and resumed her seated position, turned sideways to look out the window.
Having been nagged by Grandmother so often, even when the old lady wasn't around, she would proactively gaze into the distance, looking at green scenery to ease her eye strain.
"Xiao Qiu!"
Grandmother Zhou sat in her wheelchair. If her legs still couldn't support her to walk on the ground, she would have already rushed forward to warmly embrace her granddaughter-in-law.
"Grandmother."
Su Qiu responded with a smile and walked over quickly.
The old lady took her hand and gently patted the back of it, the two of them—one old, one young—chatting together.
Even when Zhou Jingqian got out of the car, the old lady didn't spare him a glance.
"Jingqian, you're back."
Though Grandfather Zhou didn't manage much these days, he still occasionally kept up with his grandson's company developments.
"Come to the study and talk."
"Alright."
Zhou Jingqian had just stepped onto the stairs when he heard a clear, smiling voice from behind him.
Su Qiu lifted the paper bag in her hand. "Grandmother, remember that bakery I mentioned last time?"
"Of course I remember. Oh my, you actually bought some for me?"
"You said you love croissants, so I kept that in mind." Su Qiu then gave an embarrassed smile. "Because I love them too."
Grandmother Zhou's heart melted. She reached up and touched Su Qiu's face. "Good, good, good. How is our Qiuqiu so endearing? Then we'll eat them together in a bit."
Zhou Jingqian stopped in his tracks, watching his grandmother's spirited demeanor, and suddenly realized he hadn't been attentive enough in these matters.
At sunset, the girl bent down in that golden-orange glow, her smile pure and sincere.
Zhou Jingqian stood still.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
This scene, her smile—for the next few decades, he would be able to see them.
"Jingqian, what are you standing there in a daze for?"
"Nothing." Zhou Jingqian snapped back to attention.
The old man gave him a knowing look and said in a low voice, "I stared at your grandmother the same way back then. One careless look, and I was done for."
"…"
Zhou Jingqian: "Grandfather, it hasn't gotten to that point."
The old man let out a scoffing laugh and patted his shoulder.
Dinner was harmonious. Knowing that Su Qiu loved chicken soup, the old lady lamented that they hadn't prepared any today—only fish soup—and said she would have someone send over some free-range chickens later.
"Specially made soup for our Qiu Qiu."
After dinner, as they sat down to talk, Su Qiu was caught off guard when a jade bracelet slipped onto her right wrist.
The old lady also put a pair of gemstone earrings on her, and feeling it wasn't enough, gave her an emerald brooch as well.
The jewelry was of excellent quality, clearly worth a fortune, but the deep green of the emerald was too heavy—Su Qiu was young, her face still soft and fresh, not yet able to carry off that air of nobility.
Su Qiu remembered how her own grandmother loved buying her gold. The hearts of old ladies were all the same—they all wanted to give her what they believed was most precious, the best things they had.
Getting into the car to leave, Su Qiu leaned out the window to wave at the old lady, promising to come back for chicken soup next time.
As the car drove out of the garden, Su Qiu heard Zhou Jingqian say, "Thank you. Grandmother was very happy tonight."
At first, the thanks sounded a bit distant, but then Su Qiu understood—he genuinely wanted to thank her.
They had both been raised by Grandmother, and both held her in the highest regard.
"It's my duty."
Su Qiu threw his own words back at him.
He helped her build the rabbit hutch, and she was filial to his grandmother. Between a married couple joined by arrangement, they treated each other with mutual respect, helping one another, yet carefully observing each other's boundaries.
For instance, Su Qiu wouldn't ask why Zhou Jingqian's parents had settled in Singapore.
Or why his relationship with them was so cold.
Just as he never asked her why her mother had never once shown her face, even though she was already married.
Su Qiu was preoccupied with the script she needed to revise, her mind full of ideas, eager to put pen to paper.
When she got home, she made to head for her shower as usual, but halfway there, she suddenly remembered—times had changed.
That spacious, bright bathroom with its spa-sized bathtub was no longer hers alone.
She turned back to ask Zhou Jingqian, "Do you want to shower first?"
Zhou Jingqian: "You go first."
He let her go first, so Su Qiu headed off without hesitation.
In the living room, Zhou Jingqian called the old lady's primary physician, asking about the test results and the date for the next check-up.
The old lady's vitals were still unstable, and the date for the second surgery couldn't be set for now.
Zhou Jingqian gripped his phone, his stern brow furrowing.
But thinking of how brightly Grandmother's face had shone tonight, her complexion so good, the worry weighing on his heart eased somewhat.
Su Qiu showered quickly and dried her hair. She wore a set of light blue printed cotton pajamas—a short-sleeved top and long pants that reached her ankles.
Su Qiu poured herself a glass of water, her movements hurried. "I still have some things to take care of."
Zhou Jingqian: "Go ahead."
Half an hour later, Zhou Jingqian entered the bathroom. The steam had long dissipated, leaving only a faint trace of orange-scented body wash lingering in the air.
On the shelf, there were many toiletries—five bottles of shampoo alone, jars and bottles in a rainbow of colors.
By the mirror sat headbands, hair clips, and skincare products.
Zhou Jingqian likewise couldn't immediately get used to the presence of another person's belongings in his private space. He merely glanced over them briefly, not touching a single item.
A moment later, however, Zhou Jingqian picked up that jar of face cream. Sure enough, the lid wasn't screwed on tight.
He tightened it and put it back in place.
The man stood before the mirror, his long fingers leisurely unbuttoning his shirt, metal buttons clicking softly. He gripped one end of his belt with a single hand and pulled it free with a clean motion, then turned and twisted on the shower.
After his shower, Zhou Jingqian wore a set of dark gray pajamas, his short hair damp with moisture, falling in disheveled strands across his forehead.
The refined, polished air of the daytime had faded, revealing a hint of rugged nonchalance.
He walked out, his gaze sweeping over the two-meter-wide bed in the master bedroom, and his steps faltered for a moment.
Barring any surprises, tonight, they would be sleeping in the same bed.