The sky… has it always been like this?

Qi Xia slowly frowned.

Isn’t this just a normal sky?

But why does he always feel something is strange?

“Xia!” Yu Nian’an’s voice came from the kitchen. “Is stir-fried bitter melon, eggs, and ham okay?”

“Bitter melon… eggs… stir-fried ham?” Qi Xia walked out of the room step by step, slowly moving toward the kitchen.

Hearing these three words, the corners of his eyes had already moistened.

Qi Xia stood outside the kitchen, looking at that busy figure, revealing a smile of extreme bitterness and pain.

“An…”

“Ah?” Yu Nian’an turned around, as if startled. “What are you doing? How did you come up behind me without making a sound…”

In the next second, Qi Xia stepped forward and fiercely pulled the person before him into his embrace.

“Ah!”

Yu Nian’an was startled. For a moment she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to hug Qi Xia too, but her hands were covered with water from washing vegetables.

“My hands are dirty…” Yu Nian’an said softly. “Xia, did you have a nightmare?”

“I don’t remember…” Qi Xia said choking up. “But everything is fine now… I feel I’m fine…”

“No… this is the best…” Qi Xia hugged his Yu Nian’an tightly. “I’m really so afraid… I’m afraid you would walk into the kitchen and make the dishes I’m thinking of in my heart… I’m afraid you would do all the actions I like…”

Yu Nian’an clearly didn’t understand. She reached out and patted Qi Xia. “Be good, Xia… Why are you always like a child? I just have a bad memory. The only vegetables left at home are bitter melons… I thought we’d make do with a meal…”

Qi Xia was silent for a long time before slowly letting go of Yu Nian’an. His eyes were already completely red.

“Xia?” Yu Nian’an called out tentatively again. “Then can we have stir-fried eggs today?”

“Anything is fine…” Qi Xia said trembling. “Even if I have to eat bitter melon every day from now on, I’ll swallow it without hesitation.”

“You’re so strange!” Yu Nian’an laughed. “If you like eating it, then like it. If you don’t like eating it, then don’t. Why force yourself?”

“I…” Qi Xia was about to speak when he noticed the nearby walls were covered with cracks.

Countless memory fragments flashed through his mind, making him feel somewhat dazed.

When did his home… get so many cracks?

Wait… has his room always been dilapidated?

“I…” Qi Xia hesitated to speak several times, wanting to tell Yu Nian’an that he felt something was strange, but he didn’t know exactly what was odd.

At this moment, his brain seemed to be entangled by countless dark clouds. No matter what he tried to think about, it could only lead to a fog in the end.

“Be good.” Yu Nian’an said softly. “You go sit outside first. I’ll be done soon.”

Qi Xia nodded like a puppet, then walked out of the room and sat down beside the single-person dining table.

The smell in the air was very strange. It was as if something had died in the house and been left there for a long time.

“It’s time to clean the house…” Qi Xia touched the table in front of him and found that it actually had a full layer of dust on it.

The walls here had cracked, and the table and window glass were covered in dust. It seemed that he had been too lazy normally, not even cleaning.

Before long, the sound of the stove being turned off came from the kitchen, followed by the sound of the range hood being shut off. Yu Nian’an emerged carrying a plate of steaming hot stir-fried eggs.

“Xia! Let you feast your mouth!” Yu Nian’an grinned mischievously. “When I was stir-frying the eggs just now, I accidentally dropped the salt shaker into the pan… hehehe…”

Seeing the plate placed before him, Qi Xia felt somewhat incredulous.

Seeing Yu Nian’an this time… seemed somewhat different from seeing her before?

Yu Nian’an handed a pair of chopsticks that were about to rot and break to Qi Xia.

After Qi Xia took them, he picked up a piece of trembling stir-fried egg and brought it to his mouth.

Very salty.

But he still savored it carefully, then swallowed it down.

Things that are too sweet have never been life. What’s hard to swallow but has feelings that are hard to let go of—that is life.

“An… aren’t you eating?”

“I’m on a diet.” Yu Nian’an smiled. “But this thing is so unpalatable… I probably won’t eat it either… hehe.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded and picked up the plate, shoveling large mouthfuls into his mouth.

Too much salt had been put in the stir-fried eggs. Some hadn’t even been scattered while cooking. Eating them was extremely salty and bitter, accompanied by crunching sounds as they fell into his stomach. This wasn’t like a dish at all, but this was right.

She couldn’t make exactly the same taste as what was in his heart. Only this way was right.

How could Yu Nian’an’s cooking skills be as good as imagined?

While eating this plate of salty and bitter stir-fried eggs, Qi Xia’s eyes filled with tears. This was the taste of the life he imagined.

No matter how bitter what he swallowed was, Yu Nian’an had always been by his side.

Even if the days the two spent together weren’t prosperous or comfortable, at least they were happy.

Even if they were just eating a plate of sand, they would probably still show satisfied smiles.

But why… why was such a life always an extravagant hope?

When this thought emerged in his heart, Qi Xia was slightly stunned, then turned to look at Yu Nian’an.

Wait, Yu Nian’an was right beside him. How could this thought be an extravagant hope?

Qi Xia put down the plate and chopsticks, reached out to wipe his mouth, his gaze never leaving Yu Nian’an.

“Uh…” Yu Nian’an smiled. “Xia, is it too unpalatable? This is the first time I’ve seen you cry from eating something I made… I promise in the future I absolutely won’t…”

“An.” Qi Xia interrupted. “Are you happy?”

“Me?” Yu Nian’an paused slightly. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

“Do you want to be with me forever?”

“Of course!” Yu Nian’an smiled. “Haven’t we already planned our future? Later you’ll go find a more respectable job. You’re so smart, there definitely won’t be any problems! Every day I’ll polish your leather shoes for you, tie your tie properly, then make the food and wait for you to come home!”

“Is that so…” Qi Xia’s voice choked up again.

“Although we have nothing now, we can add things one by one! The first month we’ll buy a microwave first, so my Xia won’t always have to eat cold rice. The second month we’ll buy a robot vacuum, so I can be a little lazy, hehe! The third month we’ll change to a bigger refrigerator…”

As Yu Nian’an talked, she revealed a happy smile. “Xia, in the future our warm little home will be filled with all kinds of furniture. When I have time I’ll buy some decorations to arrange the house. You can’t complain about me spending money recklessly…”

“But what if I wake up…?”

In an instant, Qi Xia’s tears burst forth.

“What…?”

“An, what should I do if I wake up?” Qi Xia painfully grabbed his own hair. “Will you stand there and wait for me…?”