As time passed, the storm surrounding the Zhou family gradually faded.
Hengyuan Group had been taken over, while Zhou Jianguo’s case remained tied up in court. Rumor had it that the amount of money involved was enormous, and far too many people had been implicated. It would likely take at least another year or two before everything was fully settled.
Meanwhile, Chen Yan’s life returned to a calm and steady rhythm.
Every morning, he would wake Su Qingyuan, prepare breakfast, and tidy up the house. Every evening, he waited for her to come home before making dinner.
Still, some things had quietly changed.
For example, these days, she called his name far more often in the mornings than he had to wake her up.
One morning at seven o’clock, while Chen Yan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, her voice drifted down from upstairs.
“Chen Yan! Where’s my blue dress?”
Without looking up, he called back,
“In the walk-in closet, third cabinet on the left.”
A moment later, her voice rang out again.
“Found it!”
Another change was that Su Qingyuan had suddenly developed an interest in cooking.
Although every attempt ended in complete disaster, she never seemed discouraged.
One weekend, she stubbornly insisted on making an entire meal for Chen Yan by herself.
Chen Yan sat in the living room, listening to the constant clanging coming from the kitchen, mixed with occasional cries of panic.
“Ah! The oil is splattering!”
“Why is the pot smoking?!”
“How much salt do I even put in? One spoon? Two?”
Chen Yan fought hard to keep from laughing and stayed where he was.
An hour later, Su Qingyuan finally emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of something charred beyond recognition.
She placed it proudly in front of him.
“Try it.”
Chen Yan lowered his eyes to the plate.
“What is this?”
“Braised pork,” she replied, though her tone carried obvious uncertainty.
Chen Yan picked up his chopsticks, carefully grabbed a piece, and put it into his mouth.
He chewed silently.
Su Qingyuan watched him nervously.
“How is it?”
Chen Yan paused for three whole seconds.
Then he looked up.
“Are you sure this is braised pork?”
She immediately glared at him.
“Of course it is!”
Chen Yan nodded seriously.
“If you say so, then it must be braised pork.”
She froze for a second before realizing he was teasing her.
Reaching out, she smacked him.
Chen Yan burst out laughing and quickly dodged.
She immediately chased after him, running through the entire house.
Eventually, both of them ran out of energy and collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily.
Leaning against his shoulder, she suddenly spoke softly.
“Chen Yan.”
“Hm?”
“I want to learn how to cook.”
He turned slightly to look at her.
“Why?”
She fell quiet for a moment.
“Because I want to make meals for you.”
Chen Yan lowered his gaze to her.
She stayed leaning against him, not looking up.
“You cook for me every day,” she murmured. “I want to make something for you too.”
Something in Chen Yan’s chest softened.
He reached out and gently brushed her hair.
“Alright. I’ll teach you.”
She immediately looked up, eyes sparkling.
“Really?”
“Really.”
A smile bloomed across her face.
Brighter than the sunlight pouring through the window.
From then on, every weekend, two figures could always be found in the kitchen.
One teaching.
One learning.
The student was hopelessly clumsy, while the teacher remained endlessly patient.
One time, while chopping vegetables, Su Qingyuan accidentally cut her finger.
Chen Yan immediately rushed to get the medical kit, carefully disinfecting the cut and wrapping it with a bandage.
She sat quietly, watching the focused expression on his face as he treated her wound.
Then she suddenly spoke.
“Chen Yan.”
“Hm?”
“You know… I never imagined I’d have days like this.”
Chen Yan looked up at her.
She smiled softly.
“Back then, when I lived here alone, it was always work, work, and more work. I’d just throw together whatever food I could, struggle to sleep at night, feel scared when it got dark, and feel scared whenever it rained.”
She paused briefly.
“But things are different now.”
Her gaze softened.
“There’s someone to wake me up. Someone to cook for me. Someone waiting for me to come home.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“Thank you.”
Chen Yan fell quiet for a moment.
Then he lowered his head again, carefully securing her bandage.
“You don’t have to thank me,” he said softly. “Actually, I should be thanking you too.”
She blinked in confusion.
“Thank me for what?”
Chen Yan lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“Thank you for giving me a home.”
Her eyes immediately reddened.
The next second, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
Chen Yan froze briefly before wrapping his arms around her and gently hugging her back.
Outside the window, sunlight streamed perfectly across the two of them.
It felt warm.
Unbelievably warm.