Shang Chenzhou held her hands and rubbed them together for a while before leading her into the subway station.
Inside the subway it was not so cold.
By this time the evening rush had passed. The subway was not crowded and there were still plenty of empty seats.
The two of them sat next to each other, still holding hands.
Fang Xihe quietly pulled her hand back.
Shang Chenzhou glanced at her but said nothing.
Across from them sat a young couple.
The girl leaned on the boy’s shoulder, smiling sweetly, and the two of them chatted and laughed.
Fang Xihe turned her head slightly to look at the man beside her.
Shang Chenzhou remained silent, staring at the advertisement screen above.
The two of them were quiet the entire way.
Back at the apartment, Shang Chenzhou said, “You go first.”
Fang Xihe did not hesitate and quickly took her clothes to the bathroom.
She finished washing and came out, and only then did Shang Chenzhou go in.
She hid under the covers and opened a novel to read.
The author had updated ten chapters after several days.
Before she finished reading, the blanket was lifted slightly as the mattress shifted.
Shang Chenzhou lay down.
He turned his head and looked at her, “Sleeping?”
Fang Xihe no longer misunderstood. When Shang Chenzhou said sleeping, he meant just sleeping.
She said, “Do not worry about me, turn off the light.”
Shang Chenzhou turned off the light.
Fang Xihe dimmed her screen, finished reading the rest of the novel, and then watched videos for a while.
Her eyes felt very dry.
She put her phone away, adjusted the blanket, and closed her eyes.
The next evening, Fang Xihe had to work overtime again.
When leaving the industrial park after work, she saw Shang Chenzhou again.
After borrowing a bike, Shang Chenzhou took a pair of fluffy gloves from his pocket, opened the packaging, and put them on her hands.
Fang Xihe stared at the overly cute gloves, a smile appearing on her lips.
“Where did you buy these?”
“Supermarket near the company, this was the only pair left.”
“On sale?”
“Half price.”
“That is a good deal.”
In this season, winter items were all on discount.
Shang Chenzhou then took out a mask and put it on Fang Xihe, covering her nose and mouth.
His hands, clearly jointed, moved across her face.
She could distinctly smell the fresh scent of laundry detergent on him.
Clean and sunny.
It made her want to rely on him.
She felt her heart racing, a little flustered.
To ease the strange atmosphere, Fang Xihe smiled and asked, “How many more things can you pull out of your pockets?”
Shang Chenzhou stepped back slightly, speaking in a low voice, “Nothing else.”
With the mask and gloves, Fang Xihe did not feel as cold while riding.
She glanced at the man riding beside her.
He had no protective gear.
His gaze was steady, his back straight.
He gave off an inexplicable sense of safety.
That night they lay in bed.
Fang Xihe spoke first, “Shang Chenzhou, are you asleep?”
A low and magnetic voice came from beside her.
“No.”
Fang Xihe turned her head, “Tell me about your family.”
Shang Chenzhou also turned to look at her.
Their eyes met in the darkness.
“Why do you suddenly want to know about my family?”
Fang Xihe found an excuse, “We are married. Is it too much to want to know about your family?”
Shang Chenzhou was silent for a moment, “Not too much.”
He turned his head to look at the ceiling and spoke slowly.
“My family is just my mother and me. My mother lives in Lincheng now.”
“And your father?”
Fang Xihe knew about his father and asked deliberately.
Shang Chenzhou paused for a long moment before answering, “I have never met my father. My mother said he died.”
Fang Xihe remembered that in the novel, the mother and father of the male lead were once a couple in love.
They were separated by the grandfather, and the mother ran away while pregnant.
The father never married.
At this point in time, the father had already passed away.
Later, the grandfather would find out that a grandson existed, the male lead.
A year later, the male lead would be brought back to the wealthy family to inherit the huge estate.
The mother loved the father very much and gave the child the father’s surname Shang.
Raising a child alone is impressive.
Fang Xihe could not tell Shang Chenzhou any of this yet. He would think she was crazy.
She tried asking, “If one day you found out you were a wealthy young master with lots of money, what would you do?”
Shang Chenzhou turned his gaze on her.
The light was dim and Fang Xihe did not notice the gloom in his eyes.
After a long while he said, “If you regret marrying me, I will agree to divorce. You can choose again.”
“But there is no such possibility.”
Fang Xihe pressed her hand to her forehead.
He misunderstood.
“I did not mean that, I was just asking.”
Shang Chenzhou spoke in a low voice, “It is okay to say your true thoughts.”
“Shang Chenzhou, I really did not mean that. Do not overthink.”
Shang Chenzhou turned away and ignored her.
Fang Xihe scratched her head in frustration.
She wished she had not asked.
Earlier, Chen Feng had come to the company gate and caused a scene. Shang Chenzhou did not mention it again but surely minded.
Then he heard what Zhang Junhua said.
Now with her question, there was no way to explain it.
Shang Chenzhou would definitely think she looked down on him for being poor and regretted marrying him.
Even though she had no feelings for him, she did not want a divorce now.
She had to wait until Shang Chenzhou returned to the wealthy family and met the female lead to get a large sum of money before she could leave.
Working to death could not achieve financial freedom.
She just had to hold on, wait for Shang Chenzhou to return to the wealthy family, and then she could retire with money.
She poked Shang Chenzhou’s back, hard and firm.
“Shang Chenzhou.”
The man did not respond.
Fang Xihe lay down awkwardly.
She thought Shang Chenzhou was just sulking and would be fine in a few days.
The next day after work she returned home.
Shang Chenzhou had prepared a table full of dishes for her.
Seeing her enter, he said, “Wash your hands and eat.”
Fang Xihe looked at the table with fish and meat and asked in surprise, “Is there a special occasion today?”
Shang Chenzhou said, “Two weeks married.”
Fang Xihe was silent.
She did not expect him to be so romantic, celebrating a two-week marriage anniversary.
She went to wash her hands and returned to sit down.
“Shang Chenzhou, who taught you to cook? The food is delicious.”
Shang Chenzhou looked at her, thinking of his mother’s not-so-great cooking skills.
“Probably from my father.”
He had never met his father, but his mother said he was a good and excellent man.
Fang Xihe tilted her head, recalling the chasing-wife novel. There was little mention of the male lead’s father, so she did not know his cooking skills were good.
When Fang Xihe had nearly finished eating, Shang Chenzhou said, “We will go file for divorce tomorrow.”
Fang Xihe was silent.