As soon as Shen Zhiyi opened the door, she saw Pei Xu holding a bowl of instant noodles, walking toward the living room.
Hearing the sound at the door, he stopped in his tracks.
“You’re awake? You were still asleep when I went out, so I didn’t wake you.”
Shen Zhiyi had been carrying so many shopping bags, huffing and puffing as she climbed two flights of stairs, and she still hadn’t caught her breath.
“I thought you’d left.”
After waking up on the living room couch, Pei Xu had listened carefully—the house was completely silent. He accidentally knocked a water bottle off the table, and aside from the sound of it hitting the floor, the house remained quiet.
He only knew that Shen Zhiyi wasn’t home, but whether she would come back or not, Pei Xu wasn’t sure.
Part of him wanted her to return, and part of him didn’t.
If Shen Zhiyi were here, at least he’d have someone to talk to…
“How could I not come back? Didn’t we agree on it yesterday?”
Shen Zhiyi carried all the shopping bags inside, then reached out to close the door.
There was only one pair of slippers in Pei Xu’s house, so she had been walking barefoot at home yesterday.
“Don’t eat that. I’ll start cooking right away.”
After changing into slippers, Shen Zhiyi walked over to Pei Xu and snatched the instant noodles from his hands.
Feeling that the bowl was cold, she paused for a moment, then peeled back the aluminum foil lid.
“Why are you using cold water to make the noodles?”
“I haven’t learned how to use the gas stove yet, and there’s no electric kettle at home.”
Hearing Pei Xu’s explanation, Shen Zhiyi felt a pang of frustration.
“Have you been using cold water for the past few days too?”
“Yeah.”
Shen Zhiyi didn’t say anything more. She carried the bowl of cold-water noodles to the kitchen and threw it directly into the trash.
“I bought some egg tarts and croissants. If you’re really hungry, have some first. I’ll cook quickly.”
“I’m not hungry yet.”
Shen Zhiyi supported Pei Xu’s arm and guided him to the sofa.
“If you’re not hungry, why did you go make noodles?”
Shen Zhiyi thought he was just being stubborn. Was it really that hard to tell the truth?
“Cold-water noodles take time. It’s best to soak them a few hours in advance.”
Shen Zhiyi couldn’t quite explain it, but her eyes began to sting.
It would take a long time for his eyes to heal. Would he really have to eat cold-water noodles the entire time?
Shen Zhiyi didn’t dare imagine how difficult Pei Xu’s life would be if she hadn’t “changed.”
“As long as I’m here, I won’t let you eat cold-water noodles again.”
Shen Zhiyi’s voice wasn’t loud, but Pei Xu could hear a hint of determination in her tone.
His hands, resting on his lap, clenched and then relaxed.
Pei Xu did want Shen Zhiyi to stay here and keep him company, even if they argued every day. But that thought felt too selfish.
“Shen Zhiyi, you should leave.”
“Pei Xu, I find you really interesting. You keep trying to chase me away. What good does it do you to drive me off?”
Driving her away clearly offered Pei Xu no benefit, yet he still insisted on it.
“Having you live here to take care of me—cooking three meals a day, cleaning, and tidying up? You’re only in your early twenties. You deserve a better life.”
“Is that how you really feel?”
Shen Zhiyi stared at Pei Xu’s face. Even though his eyes couldn’t see, his expression couldn’t lie.
Watching Pei Xu nod calmly, Shen Zhiyi let out a soft, knowing laugh.
“You’re quite generous, offering both money and a house. Why not find me a husband while you’re at it?”
Pei Xu remained silent for a long time. Just as Shen Zhiyi thought he was getting angry, he finally spoke.
“Fine.”
Shen Zhiyi raised her fist and swung it a few times in the air.
Although Pei Xu couldn’t see, he felt a gust of wind sweep past his cheek, and upon listening carefully, he could even hear the faint rustle of fabric.
“How do you know I didn’t stay willingly? What you’ve given me is worth at least tens of millions. Isn’t it fair for me to leave only after your eyes recover?”
Worried that Pei Xu might still try to drive her away, Shen Zhiyi could only appeal to his emotions and reason with him.
“I’ll take the money and stay with you until your eyesight is restored. After that, we’ll be even. Otherwise, if I just took your money and left, I’d feel guilty.”
“Feel guilty?”
Pei Xu frowned slightly. She actually said she’d feel guilty?
Did Shen Zhiyi hit her head while vacationing abroad?
In their two years of marriage, this was the first time he had ever heard her say she’d feel guilty.
Because Shen Zhiyi had always taken whatever was offered.
If it was hers, she took it. If it wasn’t, she fought to get it.
“It’s settled then.”
Shen Zhiyi naturally understood why Pei Xu would say such things.
She was well aware of the original host’s character.
It was only reasonable for Pei Xu not to believe her.
“I left the croissants and egg tarts on the coffee table. Eat some if you’re hungry. I’ll go organize the things I bought.”
Shen Zhiyi first piled all the shopping bags in the kitchen.
If she left them scattered around, Pei Xu might trip over them while walking.
She started by taking out all the kitchen items from the shopping bags.
Cutting boards, knives, pots, pans, bowls, and dishes—she washed them all and stored them in the cabinets.
Then she neatly arranged the seasonings she bought in the seasoning area.
After a lot of hard work, Shen Zhiyi looked at the kitchen now filled with the things she had bought and nodded in satisfaction.
This finally felt a bit more like living…
“Pei Xu, I bought a new refrigerator. The delivery person might come soon to replace it.”
“Mm.”
These matters were for her to decide. Even if Shen Zhiyi didn’t replace the refrigerator, he probably wouldn’t have much use for it anyway.
“Since we’re replacing the refrigerator, I figured we might as well switch the TV to a large wall-mounted screen.”
Pei Xu:
Shen Zhiyi wasn’t discussing this with him—she was informing him.
“Why don’t you just tell me everything else you replaced?”
“You’re so clever! I also replaced the coffee table. The current one is glass, which doesn’t seem very safe. I switched it to a solid wood one.”
Fortunately, Pei Xu had only accidentally knocked over a box yesterday. What if he had lost his balance and fallen onto the glass coffee table, shattering it?
“Do as you see fit.”
“These items will be placed in their original positions, so you won’t have to readjust.”
Pei Xu’s ability to move around the house with difficulty was the result of countless falls and practice.
She replaced the old items with new ones not to inconvenience him but to make his environment safer.
Shen Zhiyi scheduled the appliance installation for two in the afternoon.
The refrigerator and coffee table were straightforward—just leave the new ones and have the old ones taken away and discarded.
But installing the wall-mounted TV required drilling holes in the wall and mounting brackets.
“Do you want to stay in your room for a while?”
Shen Zhiyi was worried the installers might accidentally bump into him.
“It’s fine…”
“What’s going on with your family? Every night there’s banging and clanging. I just lay down for my afternoon nap, and you’re already drilling again at home. How annoying.”
The installation technician ignored the voice at the door and continued drilling with the electric drill.
“Today is a workday, which falls within installation hours. Besides, installing a TV won’t take much drilling anyway. We’re all neighbors here—don’t make such a fuss.”
Seeing that the aunt at the door wouldn’t back down even when ignored, the installation technician couldn’t help but retort.