Shen Zhiyi and Pei Xu had lived in the old, run-down apartment for over two months.
During this time, Zheng Shuyuan occasionally came to check on Pei Xu.
Zhou Sisi had never returned since she left that one time.
Shen Zhiyi and Pei Xu had gone to the hospital for two follow-up check-ups, but the results remained unchanged.
For now, there was no good solution—only conservative treatment.
The only change might be that Shen Zhiyi had become a small-time food blogger with tens of thousands of followers after posting several videos in a row.
There were even businesses reaching out to her for promotions, but Shen Zhiyi felt it wasn’t the right time yet, so she turned them all down.
Still, the earnings from her more popular videos were quite substantial.
“Pei Xu, when I get famous, I’ll support you, okay?”
“How much would you give me a month?”
Pei Xu set his laptop aside.
“Two thousand a month, not a penny more.”
“Am I only worth two thousand?”
“It’s not that you’re only worth two thousand—it’s that I’m only willing to give you two thousand. Anything more would exceed my budget.”
Shen Zhiyi handed Pei Xu the passion fruit lemon tea she had made for the video shoot, telling him to finish it.
He had been holding his laptop and listening to stock market news for quite a while, so he was probably tired.
“Lately, you’ve been giving me extra snacks quite often.”
“Yeah, you should eat a bit more.”
It was made for the video shoot, and it would be a waste not to eat it afterward.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“As a girl, of course I’m afraid of gaining weight. If I get fat, I won’t be pretty anymore.”
Shen Zhiyi could already guess what Pei Xu would say next—something like, “You’re not fat, and you’d look good even if you gained a little weight.”
But Pei Xu’s response took her by surprise.
“You’re afraid of gaining weight, but I’m not?”
Shen Zhiyi: ??
“After dinner, we can go downstairs for a walk to help digest.”
During his time living with Shen Zhiyi, Pei Xu had adjusted to a very healthy routine.
Actually, he didn’t need to make a special effort—his current routine wasn’t too different from before he lost his sight.
It was just that right after losing his sight, he suddenly had a lot of free time with nothing to do. Apart from sleeping, he spent most of his time lost in thought, which threw his routine into disarray.
“Let me see what to make for dinner tonight.”
Shen Zhiyi’s menu depended on what ingredients were in the fridge.
“Spicy shrimp, stir-fried mixed vegetables, mushroom soup, and a small stir-fried chicken dish. Any objections to tonight’s menu, Pei Xu?”
“None. I’ll help you peel the yam.”
Pei Xu took the initiative to enter the kitchen and put on gloves.
Watching him sit on a small stool, yam in hand, ready to get to work, Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just think you’re being a bit too enthusiastic.”
Pei Xu continued working without pause, and in no time, he had peeled the yam clean.
“How can I not be enthusiastic? Didn’t you say I’m your free laborer?”
“I only said that in passing—I never actually treated you like a laborer.”
After all, she was on the path to redemption and didn’t want to tarnish her reputation again.
It had taken her two and a half months to finally make some progress in changing Pei Xu’s opinion of her.
“Want to go for a walk downstairs after dinner?”
“Sure.”
This time, Pei Xu didn’t refuse but agreed readily.
Shen Zhiyi smiled, and even her cooking speed picked up a little.
“Next time, can I try learning how to chop vegetables?”
“You want to learn how to chop vegetables? Why?”
Shen Zhiyi felt their division of labor was already clear enough. Why would Pei Xu suddenly want to learn how to chop vegetables?
He can’t see, so holding a knife is dangerous.
“Not just cutting vegetables, but stir-frying and cooking rice—I should try to learn them all slowly.”
Shen Zhiyi forgot about the vegetables stir-frying in the pan and stood there staring at Pei Xu for a long time.
“Pei Xu, do you… still want to drive me away?”
Or perhaps, in his heart, she was only here temporarily, and before long, she would abandon him alone again.
“Whether you stay here or choose to leave, I still need to learn these things.”
Seeing Pei Xu so determined, Shen Zhiyi remained silent for a while.
In the end, it was Pei Xu who broke the silence first.
“The vegetables in the pan seem to be burning.”
Shen Zhiyi turned to look at the pan. The vegetables hadn’t been stirred for too long and were already a bit charred.
Shen Zhiyi threw the vegetables away and cooked them again.
But a cook’s mood can affect the taste of the food.
The stir-fried mixed vegetables had too much salt, and the mushroom soup had no flavor at all…
Shen Zhiyi took two bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Pei Xu, however, seemed unaffected, picking up his chopsticks and eating bite after bite.
“Don’t you think the food I made today is terrible?”
Seeing no change in Pei Xu’s expression, Shen Zhiyi even began to wonder if his sense of taste was off.
“It’s delicious.”
“If it’s so delicious, you can eat it all yourself. Finish every last bite.”
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head to look at her phone. Feeling somewhat annoyed, she tapped on it aimlessly.
But she was quite good at cheering herself up. Before Pei Xu even finished his meal, she had already managed to soothe her own temper.
Pei Xu couldn’t see anymore, and back when they were married, the original owner had been so difficult.
If spending two months here with him could make Pei Xu resolve all his emotional knots, wouldn’t that be too easy?
Thinking this, Shen Zhiyi let out a sigh and added some salt to the bowl of mushroom soup.
“Try it. The soup should taste just right now.”
Shen Zhiyi stirred the soup with a spoon.
“Willing to talk to me now?”
Pei Xu had thought she would stay angry and not speak to him for days.
“I managed to cheer myself up. I’m so easygoing—how could I stay angry for long? Drink your soup.”
Hearing the lightness in her tone, Pei Xu didn’t rush to drink the soup after finding the bowl beside him.
“You didn’t add anything to the soup, did you?”
“Yes, I did.”
She added some salt and pepper.
“Poisoned it?”
“I’m not that petty.”
Shen Zhiyi took the bowl from Pei Xu’s hands, leaned close to his ear, and took a sip of the soup.
“Hear that?”
She handed the bowl back to Pei Xu.
Expressionless, he picked up the spoon and drank the soup in the bowl sip by sip.
“Let’s go for a walk downstairs first. We can wash the dishes when we come back.”
“I’ll wash them before going down.”
Pei Xu tied on an apron, turned on the faucet, and began washing the dishes.
After finishing, he didn’t forget to tidy up the kitchen.
Pei Xu was blind and couldn’t see where the dirt was, so he chose to wipe things down a few extra times.
Shen Zhiyi felt it wouldn’t be long before he could live here alone without any problems.
When that time came, would Pei Xu still need her?
With this thought, Shen Zhiyi felt a tiny bit of disappointment.
But for her, it wasn’t a big deal.
If Pei Xu could live well on his own, she wouldn’t continue trying to clear her name.
There was still money in the bank card, and she owned two properties under her name.
Pei Xu could live his life, and she could live hers.
Thinking this way, Shen Zhiyi felt much more at ease.
She had never been one to dwell on things internally; once she had figured something out, she wouldn’t continue to dwell on it.