“Do you want to go to the bathroom to cool off?”

Afterward, Sheng Sui didn’t even care about the flower tea still brewing, forcing herself to remain composed as she got down from the counter. Under the amused gaze of a certain culprit, she hastily made up the lame excuse of taking a shower and fled to the bedroom like flying.

Quickly finding change of clothes in the walk-in closet, she hurried into the bathroom and closed the door. Looking at herself in the mirror with flushed cheeks, she knew her earlier pretense had been utterly clumsy.

It was just kissing.

She and Zhou Shiyu were legally married. Between husband and wife, kissing and even more outrageous things were perfectly legitimate.

Comforting herself this way, Sheng Sui undressed and placed her clothes on the marble vanity counter. As she prepared to shower, the bathroom door was suddenly knocked.

The lead-gray rectangular door had a whole piece of frosted glass filling the middle, blurring the man’s silhouette. She could only make out that he stood sideways outside the door with something round and plump in his arms – probably Ping’An being affectionate again.

After three knocks, Zhou Shiyu’s polite inquiry sounded: “You forgot your bra on the bed. Do you need me to bring it over?”

“……”

She couldn’t carry all the change of clothes and towels at once, so Sheng Sui had first found her bra and underwear and placed them bedside before going to the walk-in closet for pajamas.

She had actually forgotten the bra.

Seeing her prolonged silence, Zhou Shiyu considerately came to her rescue again: “Wearing a bra for long periods compresses chest blood vessels. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t need to wear one at home from now on.”

The man’s tone and word choice were perfectly polite, but combined with his frivolous behavior from earlier, Sheng Sui felt this sounded strange no matter how she heard it.

Her brain racing, Sheng Sui said softly: “Please hang it on the door handle. I’ll get it myself.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Shiyu put down the clothes and left, his tall figure disappearing beyond the door. Sheng Sui breathed a long sigh of relief, waiting until the footsteps had disappeared for a while before carefully opening a crack in the door to quickly retrieve her bra.

Hot water washed away fatigue and embarrassment. Half an hour later, Sheng Sui emerged from the bathroom in fresh pajamas, shuffling in slippers to open the bedroom’s bay window for fresh air, then returning to the vanity to blow-dry her hair.

The cream-colored vanity had a round mirror design – a gentle, elegant style. The surface showed no signs of use, obviously newly purchased.

So Zhou Shiyu had thought about her moving in early on, buying the vanity in advance but never telling her.

From their brief days together, Sheng Sui could see that Zhou Shiyu had a personality that gave silently, rarely actively mentioning what he’d done for her, and when asked, would only brush it off lightly.

Only Sheng Sui could truly feel being cherished and cared for at all times.

She shouldn’t take this warmth and tolerance for granted.

Lost in thought, Sheng Sui’s movements stopped, the hair dryer blowing the same spot until it burned painfully. She hissed softly, turning off the machine to rub the back of her head.

“Let me do it.”

Zhou Shiyu appeared at the bedroom doorway at some point.

The man seemed to have some cleanliness obsession and compulsive tendencies – every time he came home, he would change into a fresh set of clothes. He strode to the vanity and took the hair dryer.

In the mirror, Sheng Sui saw Zhou Shiyu adjust the airflow to low, test the temperature with his palm, his distinctly jointed fingers lifting her cascading long hair with focused expression.

Amid the humming of the hair dryer, Sheng Sui looked down at the brand-new vanity and asked softly: “When did you buy this vanity?”

“The day we got our marriage certificate,” Zhou Shiyu’s slender fingers threaded through her soft hair. “I couldn’t think of other ways to commemorate marriage, so I bought it casually.”

Sheng Sui remembered their wedding day was White Valentine’s Day, with loving couples everywhere on the streets. While Zhou Shiyu spent his first day as a newlywed thinking about his wife moving in soon, he could only go buy a vanity alone.

For some reason, she suddenly felt heartache for him.

Momentarily forgetting they were blow-drying hair, Sheng Sui turned around to look up at him, her eyes full of seriousness: “Sir—Zhou Shiyu, I’m very serious about wanting to marry you.”

She indeed had many shortcomings, but had never thought of treating this marriage casually.

It was just that she was accustomed to calling him “Sir.” Suddenly addressing Zhou Shiyu by name felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Zhou Shiyu looked down, seeing her cheeks flushed white with pink, her faint body fragrance becoming more intense in the heat, making his dark eyes flicker.

The man slightly raised his eyebrows, bringing up old matters: “So, about what happened earlier – do you forgive me?”

So you do know you were bullying me earlier. Sheng Sui grumbled internally, lowering her gaze: “I wasn’t angry.”

She rubbed her fingertips together, her voice weakening: “…Besides, between husband and wife, it’s normal to do such things.”

As her words fell, a shadow pressed down. Sheng Sui felt invisible pressure and instinctively looked up, seeing Zhou Shiyu bent over looking at her, his dark eyes behind the lenses full of amusement.

“I was talking about kissing,” the man carefully tucked her stray hair behind her ear, his tone unhurried as he shamelessly asked, “What exactly were you referring to by ‘such things’?”

“……”

Realizing she was being teased again, Sheng Sui pressed her lips together stubbornly and asked back: “Do you always tease people like this?”

When she spoke, her cheeks puffed slightly, giving the impression of chewy, soft, milky-white dough with excellent texture.

Zhou Shiyu suppressed the urge to pinch her cheeks, pondering for a moment.

“I don’t usually talk much,” settling for second best by ruffling Sheng Sui’s hair, the man smiled slightly.

“But you’re not just anyone.”

She was the beloved he had eagerly awaited.

Following the principle of “reciprocity,” Sheng Sui felt she couldn’t always let Zhou Shiyu get up early to cook, so she deliberately set her alarm for 5:30 the next morning.

Even if Zhou Shiyu wouldn’t let her cook, she could at least help out.

With something on her mind, her sleep was naturally light. When her phone by the pillow vibrated just twice in the early morning, Sheng Sui woke from her dreams.

She had gone to sleep at ten last night, so waking early wasn’t too tiring. Silently yawning and wanting to turn over, she felt something heavy around her waist.

After being teased last night, she refused to sleep facing Zhou Shiyu anymore, finally turning her back to her husband and secretly trying to tuck her pajama top into her pants under the covers to prevent it from riding up again.

Holding her breath in the darkness, Sheng Sui was groping around when she felt the man beside her move closer, his dry, gentle large palm sliding over her arm as he half-embraced her into his arms, her back against his chest.

Zhou Shiyu told her: “If I hold you, your clothes won’t slide up.”

His hoarse voice carried a few notes of sexy drowsiness. Sheng Sui was dazed for a few seconds, and by the time she regained her senses, it was too late to resist.

“……”

The clothes indeed didn’t slide up, but she also couldn’t move. The nearly nonexistent distance meant she could even hear the man’s long, steady breathing.

Sighing helplessly, as Sheng Sui racked her brains trying to figure out how to get up, the secure back she was pressed against suddenly took a breath, as if subconsciously burying his head in her neck and shoulder.

“Awake?”

Zhou Shiyu’s voice carried the hoarse nasal tone of just waking up: “Did you sleep poorly last night?”

After speaking, he unconsciously pulled Sheng Sui a bit tighter.

Sheng Sui guessed the man’s consciousness wasn’t clear yet, but she really couldn’t ignore the intimate closeness through the fabric, her ear tips instantly burning with heat.

Being inexperienced, she had only heard that such situations shouldn’t be stimulated, and she shouldn’t turn around or move carelessly. After struggling for a long time, she could only mumble: “Do you… want to go to the bathroom to cool off?”

For a moment, the spacious bedroom only had two breathing sounds.

Two seconds later, Zhou Shiyu burst into the first muffled low laugh of the morning, his chest and shoulders trembling. Finally, his thin lips seemed to brush against her neck, asking back:

“What if I said this is my calm state?”

“……”

Instantly wide awake, Sheng Sui’s eyes widened slightly as she turned to face him, blurting out without thinking: “…Really?”

“Mm, really,” Zhou Shiyu wasn’t wearing glasses, his dark eyes full of restrained amusement with a hint of mischief. “Do you want to check?”

He started to reach for her hand.

“…No need, no need!”

Sheng Sui frantically retreated, only stopping when her back hit the bed edge, only to find Zhou Shiyu was still looking at her with a smile.

Spring morning light filtered through light-colored gauze, soft beams falling on the man’s hair and shoulders, softening the sharpness of his features and revealing a cheerful, relaxed smile.

Sheng Sui was momentarily stunned.

She had seen Zhou Shiyu smile countless times before – gentle, refined, or noble – but had never seen the man so vibrant as now.

Yes, vibrant.

As her thoughts drifted, Zhou Shiyu reached out with a long arm to pull her back, tucking Sheng Sui under the covers like wrapping a dumpling, then getting up from the bed.

Sheng Sui quickly grabbed his sleeve, her eyes uncontrollably glancing downward: “I want to help too. Can I follow you and assist?”

“If you don’t want to sleep more.”

Seeing her looking at him expectantly, Zhou Shiyu swallowed his words of persuading her to sleep more, only adding methodically after Sheng Sui released his hand satisfactorily: “And if Mrs. Zhou is curious, you can look openly.”

“We’re legally married,” the man smiled confidently, as considerate as always. “I don’t mind.”

“……”

Sheng Sui, who had originally planned to get up with him, ended up being a shrinking turtle in bed for another ten minutes.

Leaving the bedroom, Ping’An was still sleeping soundly in his nest. Sheng Sui crouched by the plush nest in the corner of the living room, rubbing the cat’s head a few times before slowly getting up and walking toward the open dining area.

At the counter, seeing Zhou Shiyu adding various ingredients to transparent containers again, Sheng Sui curiously approached: “What are we making today?”

“Low-carb spinach pancakes and matsutake shrimp steamed eggs.”

The man’s washed hands were slender and elegant. He poured weighed oats, spinach, eggs, appropriate amounts of water and fine salt into the container, using a blender to make a paste, then brushed a thin layer of oil in a flat pan and poured in the green paste to form round pancakes.

When the bottom solidified, Zhou Shiyu used a silicone spatula to flip the pancakes. After both sides were cooked, he transferred the fragrant vegetable pancakes to a white porcelain plate.

After quickly and efficiently making two pancakes, he caught sight of Sheng Sui watching him expectantly, eager to try.

Smiling, Zhou Shiyu handed her the silicone spatula, saying gently: “We need two more pancakes. Would you like to help?”

“Okay.”

She still had this much cooking skill. Sheng Sui confidently took the spatula, following his example to make pancakes.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shiyu mashed pitted avocados into paste, adding a few drops of lemon juice to prevent oxidation. He chopped onions and cherry tomatoes, stir-frying them until soft, then added minced beef and seasoning spices. Finally, he separately stir-fried scrambled eggs and shrimp marinated in cooking wine, seasoning with black pepper.

After completing all the preparations, he saw Sheng Sui still busy making pancakes and didn’t rush her, patiently waiting for her to hand over the irregularly shaped spinach pancakes.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Zhou Shiyu took the pancake shells and folded them, spreading avocado paste, scrambled eggs, and shrimp on two folded pancake shells in sequence. The remaining two shells were spread with avocado paste and special tomato meat sauce, giving Sheng Sui one of each type.

Sheng Sui noticed that her two portions were perfect round pancakes, while Zhou Shiyu ate her oddly shaped ones.

“…Should we switch?”

“It’s fine,” Zhou Shiyu put on gloves and opened the steamer, placing the beautiful matsutake shrimp egg custard in front of her. “It all goes to the same place.”

Before Sheng Sui could say more, the man had already picked up his two portions, tasting each: “Not bad.”

More than just “not bad.”

The pancake shells were soft and chewy, the shrimp fresh and juicy, the meat sauce’s sweet and sour flavors perfectly blended. Multiple tastes danced and spread on her tongue simultaneously, finally filled by the smooth matsutake egg custard in the remaining stomach space. The breakfast was incredibly satisfying.

Zhou Shiyu finished first and got up to dice mangoes at the counter.

Looking at the man’s broad shoulders and narrow waist, Sheng Sui couldn’t help but marvel: “With work so busy, where do you find time to learn cooking?”

“When studying abroad.”

Zhou Shiyu’s knuckles pressed against the knife back, his cutting speed alarmingly fast: “Didn’t want to order takeout, so learned casually.”

Speaking of the man’s studies, Sheng Sui couldn’t help falling into long contemplation. After a few seconds of recollection, she suddenly asked: “I remember you were that year’s top science student, ultimately choosing F University. Did you transfer or become an exchange student when you went abroad?”

Zhou Shiyu’s choice of F University left a particularly deep impression on Sheng Sui.

First, her current alma mater F University had once been her high school dream school. Second, Zhou Shiyu’s choice as that year’s top science student to abandon the best specialties at top universities for F University was truly incomprehensible, causing a sensation throughout high school.

The man’s cutting motion suddenly paused. Finally, he weighed the diced mangoes, carefully checking the measurements on the measuring cup after pouring in a small half cup.

“I dropped out.”

Zhou Shiyu poured the diced mangoes from the measuring cup into a new bowl, turning to place it in front of Sheng Sui: “I went to study in New York six months later.”

Involving privacy about dropping out, Sheng Sui felt she shouldn’t ask further. As she quietly ate fruit with her head down, Zhou Shiyu’s phone on the table vibrated.

It was a call from Secretary Chen, roughly about an urgent meeting that needed Zhou Shiyu to attend as soon as possible. The person was already downstairs at the apartment building, just waiting for the man to come down and get in the car.

“You go ahead and get busy. I’ll take care of the dishes.”

Sheng Sui quickly stood up, remembering today’s plans: “I didn’t go home for last birthday celebration, so I might need to go back for dinner tonight.”

“Alright, I’ll pick you up then.”

After he left, Sheng Sui cleaned up the dining table alone. The finally awakened Ping’An came to her feet with light steps, meowing softly and rubbing against her for attention.

Unable to resist the affectionate offensive, Sheng Sui remembered the cat food and treats Zhou Shiyu had brought home last night, opening the cabinet to select varieties.

The house wasn’t lacking in cat food – rather, because Zhou Shiyu had bought too much, all three storage shelves were packed full.

Sheng Sui’s hand reaching for canned food paused, suddenly feeling something was off.

Didn’t Zhou Shiyu say he was going on a business trip today? How could he still promise to pick her up tonight?

Her mother rarely invited her home for a meal.

The neglect on her birthday was indeed disheartening, but Xu Yanze’s illness came first. Moreover, Yu Xuemei later transferred money, invited her for dinner, and apologized – nothing was missing.

Undeniably, Yu Xuemei was her biological mother, the person who brought her into this world. From childhood, what Sheng Sui was told most was to have a grateful heart.

When she arrived at her stepfather’s house, the place was empty except for a table full of dishes and her mother busy in the kitchen.

“Is it cold outside? I heard it’s been getting much colder lately. You came out wearing so little – quick, drink some hot water. The food will be ready soon—”

Muttering these words, Yu Xuemei first poured a cup of hot water for Sheng Sui. Seeing her looking toward the bedroom, she explained:

“Yanze and your Uncle Xu went back to their hometown for ancestral worship this weekend. They’ll be back very late.”

I see.

The glass containing hot water was burning hot. Sheng Sui put down the cup and stopped looking around, wanting to help her mother in the kitchen, but was blocked at the door.

“No need. This meal is to celebrate your birthday – how can we make the birthday girl work?”

“That day was really too busy. When Yanze got sick, I panicked terribly. Your mother is getting old – after last year’s surgery, my body and mind aren’t what they used to be.”

“……”

Sheng Sui stood silently outside the door, looking at her mother’s already somewhat hunched and thin figure, her graying temples no longer hideable, feeling it was vastly different from the figure in her memory.

Before giving birth to her, Yu Xuemei had miscarried four times. She finally gave birth to Sheng Sui at twenty-eight, which was considered late childbearing in that backward, poor region.

Before marrying far away to Shanghai, the mother in her memory was always resilient and indestructible.

Her father was addicted to alcohol and gambling, going from spending his entire salary to depleting the family’s savings in just a few years.

Later, he could only borrow money everywhere or pawn valuable household items, robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Yu Xuemei’s dowry and Sheng Sui’s longevity lock were lost this way.

When the family truly had no money left, her mother would carry young Sheng Sui on her back every night to set up a stall in the city center pedestrian street, selling handmade small accessories.

Sheng Sui still remembered that evening when a woman about her mother’s age passed by their stall, leading a girl older than Sheng Sui.

The girl wore an exquisite doll dress, clamoring to buy several hair bands from Yu Xuemei’s stall, being very persistent.

The woman reluctantly crouched down to ask the price, then complained that Yu Xuemei was charging too much. Somehow, the two quickly got into an argument, each saying harsh words, attracting attention from people around.

Later, the woman’s husband couldn’t help but persuade: “Is it worth it over a few dozen yuan? Just give it to her – we’re not short of this money.”

“Just because she’s poor doesn’t make her right! Twenty yuan for one hair band – why doesn’t she just rob people!”

Finally, the arrogant woman took out a hundred-yuan bill from her bag, handing over the money with clean, tender hands that obviously rarely did housework or heavy labor.

The woman rolled her eyes: “My husband is right. I really don’t lack this money. No need for change – consider the extra money charity.”

The usually sharp-tongued Yu Xuemei suddenly lost her fire, clenching her hands tightly, finally accepting the bill without a word.

Ten years later, Sheng Sui still remembered that night when her mother looked down at her own dirty, cracked hands, covered with terrible bruises from beatings, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, she only said one sentence to Sheng Sui:

“Little Sui, I don’t want to be a shrew my whole life.”

“……”

“…Little Sui? What’s wrong?”

Her mother’s calling voice pulled back her drifting thoughts. Sheng Sui came back to herself, unconsciously looking at Yu Xuemei’s hands placed on the dining table.

On the table was a sumptuous meal of three dishes and a soup.

Her mother’s hands were no longer like that year, with dirt hidden even under her fingernails. Though marked by time, it was clear they were being well cared for.

Although she sometimes felt wronged, Sheng Sui always believed she had no right to blame a woman who had raised her without complaint for 14 years, whose first reaction when her father became violent was always to protect her.

No one wanted to live in a quagmire, and no one wanted to become a sinner who abandoned their child.

But before becoming a mother, Yu Xuemei had to be herself first.

Whenever she felt fate was unfair, Sheng Sui would remind herself this way.

She was approaching thirty, with a long life ahead. If she insisted on living in hatred and resentment, she would only suffer day and night, unable to free herself.

Not wanting such a life, she chose forgiveness and tolerance.

“…Why do you keep spacing out tonight?”

At the dinner table, Yu Xuemei called out again, frowning as she served Sheng Sui meat and vegetables, complaining:

“This afternoon Xiao Lang brought me preserved meat and said you’re not living with Xiao Ming anymore. What’s going on?”

“I got married and have been staying at my husband’s house these past few days.”

Sheng Sui put down her chopsticks, her tone gentle but firm: “You met him at the hospital last time – his name is Zhou Shiyu.”

Yu Xuemei didn’t react immediately. When she came to her senses, she slammed down her chopsticks with a snap: “You’ve only known each other for a few days? Marriage is such a big matter – don’t you discuss it with your mother?”

“I thought that as long as I believed he was good, we could get married.”

Reason told her to understand that her mother’s starting point was well-intentioned, but Sheng Sui couldn’t help saying: “…Rather than having mother choose who should be my marriage partner.”

“What do you mean I choose? Don’t I just hope you marry a good person and don’t repeat my mistakes?”

Yu Xuemei angrily rubbed her chest to calm herself: “Yes, I know you blame me for divorcing and remarrying, then interfering in your affairs when you grew up. But wasn’t it your father who kept all the money I sent? Everyone says I abandoned you – do you think so too?”

“……”

Both lost their appetite from then on. The dishes her mother spent an afternoon preparing were mostly left untouched. After Sheng Sui quietly finished enough carbohydrates, she silently got up to wash dishes in the kitchen.

She was wrong – she should have discussed things calmly and reasonably.

Yu Xuemei closed the door to cry in the bedroom. While washing dishes, Sheng Sui felt chest tightness and couldn’t breathe properly. Adding the counter’s low height, bending over to wash for a while caused back and waist pain.

The sink faced the window. When she straightened up to rest, Sheng Sui caught sight of an overly familiar car and figure downstairs, slightly stunned.

Under the bright moon and sparse stars, clear silver gauze scattered across the earth. The tall, slender man casually leaned against the car door, hands in pockets and head lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

—It was Zhou Shiyu.

She couldn’t be mistaken.

Sheng Sui forgot to grip the bowl in her hands, and it fell into the sink with a clear clattering sound.

Before leaving home, Zhou Shiyu had called to ask for the specific address, so finding this place was perfectly normal.

But… when exactly had he arrived?

And how long had he been waiting here for her?

For some reason, the moment she saw Zhou Shiyu’s figure, Sheng Sui’s heart no longer felt stuffy. She only urgently wanted to escape the invisible prison before her.

She didn’t even go into the bedroom to say goodbye to her mother, just rinsed the dishes twice before putting on her coat and leaving, running toward where the man had parked, taking three steps in two.

It was dinner time, with few pedestrians visible on the residential roads.

Rows of streetlights cast warm yellow light. After running around the residential building, Sheng Sui called out to the man looking at his phone about ten meters away:

“…Zhou Shiyu.”

The man looked up upon hearing his name, and the next second, strode determinedly toward Sheng Sui with long legs.

Guessing she had spotted him from the window, Zhou Shiyu didn’t ask why Sheng Sui came out early, just raised his hand to straighten her disheveled collar, saying gently:

“The weather is still cold. Don’t run so urgently next time.”

Sheng Sui obediently stood still letting him tidy her up, her watery eyes steadily gazing into his eyes behind the glasses. After a long moment, she suddenly spoke softly:

“I just had an argument with my mother.”

Zhou Shiyu guessed the reason: “Because of our marriage?”

“Mm.”

The cold spring evening wind was bleak. Though they could clearly get in the car and talk with the heater on, Sheng Sui insisted on conversing in the wind.

As if using all her remaining strength to confess her vulnerability and pain to him.

Zhou Shiyu understood clearly – she wasn’t the type to show her grievances to others, preferring to swallow even broken teeth rather than reveal weakness.

He had seen the mother-daughter confrontation at the hospital and knew this dinner could hardly go smoothly.

What was even harder was persuading her not to go.

Sheng Sui longed for family, for the parental affection she had lacked and could never completely regain.

Even Zhou Shiyu couldn’t fill this void.

Perhaps the only thing he could do was silently wait at the closest distance for her call to come home.

Zhou Shiyu took off his coat and draped it over Sheng Sui’s shoulders, his low voice becoming even gentler in the evening wind:

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t need to talk about it now.”

“…Can I not make progress today? I’d like to take a day off.”

Under the man’s gentle gaze, Sheng Sui reached up to grab Zhou Shiyu’s sleeve, lowering her eyes to say softly: “I’m sorry. I should keep my promises.”

Not expecting her to still be thinking about keeping promises at this time, Zhou Shiyu’s heart felt a complex mix of emotions as he sighed softly, still reaching out with a long arm to pull Sheng Sui into his embrace.

“Sheng Sui, don’t apologize,” his heart aching, he almost didn’t know who he was speaking to,

“…It makes my heart hurt.”