Chu Jinhan let out a silent sigh.
“I heard you,” he said.
Song Yunfei finally relaxed a little. That was one thing she liked about this man—he didn’t say one thing and do another. If he promised something, he usually stuck to it. His principles were strong.
She finished her noodles in record time and went to the kitchen to wash the bowl.
By now, it was three in the morning. Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, she took a shower before returning to bed.
The next day, Chu Jinhan didn’t go out to deliver food, so he got up a little later.
When Song Yunfei woke, he was still lying there beside her.
There was a huge gap between them—practically a chasm—but one of her legs was still resting on his. Subtly, she pulled it back.
She thought to herself: I need to come up with another excuse to make us sleep separately again, or this is going to be way too awkward.
Supporting herself on her elbows, she looked at him. He was sleeping straight and soundly, and she couldn’t help but marvel at how peaceful he looked.
If it weren’t for his steady breathing, she might have thought he’d passed away peacefully.
Her gaze drifted down to his slightly bulging gray sweatpants.
Thin, loose pants… tsk. They looked… not small.
“What are you looking at?”
Chu Jinhan’s low voice came from behind. Song Yunfei snapped her gaze to the side of the bed, feigning surprise.
Pointing at the floor, she said, “I just saw a rat scuttle under the bed! You’d better come see!”
She even nudged him, acting as though it were serious.
Chu Jinhan sat up, giving her a suspicious glance before bending over to look under the bed.
“There’s nothing there.”
Song Yunfei sniffed guiltily. “Oh… maybe it ran off. You just didn’t see it. It was huge!”
Chu Jinhan studied her for a moment but didn’t call her out.
“How big?” he asked.
She held up her hands. “About this big.”
His eyebrows arched slightly. “Are you sure it’s just that big?”
“W-wait—” Song Yunfei suddenly realized what he meant, her cheeks flushing bright red. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m serious,” he said. “You said ‘rat.’ You weren’t talking about anything else, right?”
Song Yunfei twitched at the corner of her mouth and forced a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, I thought you meant the rat.”
Chu Jinhan didn’t press the matter. “How are you feeling today?”
She touched her forehead, rubbed her nose, and replied, “Much better. Just my nose feels a bit stuffy—kind of uncomfortable.”
“Then you’re not fully recovered yet.”
He got out of bed, first heating water in the kettle, then heading to the bathroom to wash up.
By the time he was done, Song Yunfei went in. Afterward, he made breakfast and tidied up.
Summer was hot, and even if no one was home, a lot of bugs would find their way inside.
The floor would be littered with tiny bug corpses. If left unchecked for a few days, it would look like a black, creepy mess.
When Song Yunfei finished washing up, he had almost finished tidying and had even made her a cup of instant cold medicine.
Touched, she accepted the cup and thanked him.
Tilting her head, she asked, “So we’re both off work today. Any plans?”
Chu Jinhan walked toward the kitchen. “No. What do you want to do?”
Song Yunfei glanced at the glaring sun outside, then had a sudden idea. “How about we go to the mall?”
He turned to glance at her. “What do you want to buy?”
“Nothing, really. We’ll just enjoy the air conditioning. It’s way too hot at home.”
“You’re still sick.”
“I’m fine!” Song Yunfei jumped up and clenched her fists, showing off her nonexistent biceps.
Chu Jinhan studied her for a moment, shook his head, and conceded—he couldn’t do anything about her antics.
After breakfast, they headed straight to the mall.
Just as they stepped out, their neighbor, Li Jiao, came out too.
“Going shopping?” she asked cheerfully.
Song Yunfei nodded. “Yes, sis-in-law. Are you working today?”
“Nope. I’m meeting two friends. Want to join?”
Li Jiao was dressed stylishly in a purple spaghetti-strap maxi dress, with a light white silk sun-protection jacket over it. Her hair curled, her makeup exquisite—she didn’t look nearly thirty.
Song Yunfei politely declined. “No, we’re just going to pick up a few things and head back.”
Li Jiao smiled. “Alright, then. Come to dinner at my place tonight.”
“Okay…”
Before Song Yunfei could finish, Chu Jinhan cut in. “No, we have plans tonight.”
Li Jiao’s smile froze for a moment but quickly recovered. “Alright, maybe next time.”
She clicked her heels and walked down the stairs.
Watching her graceful figure, Song Yunfei felt a twinge of envy.
But then she looked at Chu Jinhan. “Why didn’t you agree? Do you have some issue with Brother Wang?”
Chu Jinhan didn’t answer and went down the stairs first. “Let’s go. The sun will get stronger soon.”
Song Yunfei pouted but jogged after him.
Their e-bike took them straight to the mall. After parking, they entered the building.
The air-conditioning hit them immediately. Song Yunfei shivered from the cold.
It was still early, so plenty of seats were available. She dragged Chu Jinhan over to one, and they sat down, silently staring at each other.
Across the way was a women’s clothing store—not a top brand, but well-known.
The cheapest piece started in the thousands, but the styles were beautiful, and people went in and out frequently.
Song Yunfei could only sigh at the pretty clothes.
Noticing her staring, Chu Jinhan asked, “Do you want to try anything on?”
She scoffed. “No way, we don’t have that kind of money.”
He replied, “Money can be earned.”
“Rent’s due soon. If we spend on clothes now, we won’t have money for rent. Besides, it’s not worth spending thousands on one outfit. I’ll just buy the same style online for a hundred, three sets.”
Song Yunfei didn’t care much about fashion; as long as it was wearable, she was fine.
Chu Jinhan pursed his lips, observing a couple inside the store.
The man had an arm around his girlfriend. “Pick whichever one you like, baby. I’ll buy it for you.”
“You’re so sweet, baby.”
Soon, the man walked out carrying five or six shopping bags in one hand, arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders, chest puffed out.
Chu Jinhan turned to look at Song Yunfei. She was staring at the couple too.
He silently looked away, took out his phone, and checked their balance—223.80 yuan.
He quietly turned off the screen, clutching the phone, lashes drooping as he looked down.