Perhaps it is the place where one has a home that is where one truly belongs.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Gao took her hand and walked towards a roadside stall.
"Let me tell you, this place has the best jianbing guozi in the whole northern part of the city. I have to buy one every time I come here. You have to try it!"
"Really? I really want to eat it!" Chu Yi swallowed hard, her earlier sentimentality immediately forgotten.
The two of them ran towards the uncle who sold jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes).
Back at the hotel, after a satisfying meal, Xiao Gao, who had booked a double room, took a shower and the two lay on their respective beds talking.
Just as they were getting into the conversation, Chu Yi's phone, which was lying to the side, suddenly vibrated. She picked it up and saw that Qiao Anchen had sent a video.
Chu Yi suddenly remembered that Qiao Anchen seemed to have sent her a message while they were shopping earlier, but she didn't have time to reply and then forgot about it.
I answered the phone on the first day of the lunar month, feeling a little guilty.
Qiao Anchen, dressed in pajamas, leaned against the headboard. The dim, soft light made his face look serene, as if the whole scene had been filtered.
"Back to the hotel?" He glanced behind Chu Yi and asked. Chu Yi nodded.
"Yes, I just finished showering and was about to go to sleep." She was very kind, giving him a gentle smile.
Qiao Anchen's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't pursue the matter further.
Did you have fun today?
"It was so much fun!" Chu Yi nodded emphatically, then recounted to him where they had gone and what they had done all day, her words filled with praise for Xiao Gao.
"Oh, right, let me show you her." Chu Yi reminded Xiao Gao next to her. Xiao Gao realized what Chu Yi meant, leaned in front of the screen, and waved to greet her.
"Hello, I'm Xiao Gao~"
"Hello." Qiao Anchen looked at the head that popped up on the other end, his expression tightened, and he nodded slightly seriously. Chu Yi smiled and looked back at her phone.
Why are you so serious?
"Really?" Qiao Anchen realized what was happening and relaxed a little, but he still looked unnatural.
"Yes." Chu Yi nodded without giving any face. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment and changed the subject.
Where are you planning to go tomorrow?
...
Chu Yi chatted with him for a long time, rambling on and on about a lot of ordinary things. In the end, when they had nothing more to say, she reluctantly ended the video call.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Gao immediately put down his phone and couldn't contain his excitement as he leaned over to talk to her.
"My goodness!! Xiao Chu, your husband is so handsome!"
"Even if my husband is completely clueless about romance and only takes me out for Hunan cuisine on Qixi Festival, I'd still be willing!"
"Besides, I saw you two chatting really well just now! You were reluctant to hang up the video for ages."
Chu Yi shares everything that happens in real life with Xiao Gao online, including everything from blind dates to marriage and post-marital life, which Xiao Gao basically knows.
She had initially thought Qiao Anchen was a terrible husband and had insulted him countless times behind his back to Chu Yi, but she never expected to see him in person today...
Xiao Gao felt that she really wanted a husband like that.
"It was that time we had a fight, didn't I tell you? He changed a little bit." Chu Yi gestured with her fingers, and Xiao Gao nodded knowingly.
"Oh, you've mentioned him before, but I think he looks like this..."
She paused, looking at Chu Yi with a hint of embarrassment, and said shyly, "Anything can be forgiven. Don't even mention going to eat Hunan cuisine; I'd be happy to go for hot pot on Qixi Festival..."
"..."
"Hey Chu Yi, where did you find a husband like this? Does he have any brothers, sisters, or colleagues you could introduce me to? I don't have high requirements, anyone slightly worse than him is fine... umm."
Chu Yi took out a pillow and covered her mouth, then straightened his own blanket and lay down.
Sleep well, sweet dreams. Goodnight!!!
Author's Note: I have something important to do tomorrow and will be going out. Updates will be before midnight. Early birds, please don't wait! t0t~
43. Chapter 43
After spending three days in Beicheng, Chu Yi wanted to go back, but Xiao Gao couldn't bear to see her leave and tried his best to persuade her to stay. Chu Yi stayed for another two days before heading home.
Qiao Anchen drove to the airport to pick her up. They hadn't seen each other for several days, and it felt like a long-awaited reunion.
Chu Yi sat in the passenger seat, telling him about her experiences over the past few days and showing him the local specialties she had bought.
Qiao Anchen glanced at it briefly, but didn't show much emotion.
"It looks pretty delicious."
"Yes, it's really delicious, so I bought it especially for you to try!" Chu Yi said excitedly. Qiao Anchen smiled and focused on driving.
Once home, after unpacking his luggage, Qiao Anchen had almost finished cooking dinner. It was Sunday, and he happened to be home.
After eating all sorts of random things outside for so many days, Chu Yi's appetite improved a lot when he suddenly tasted the flavors of home.
"Don't eat too much, it's hard to digest at night," Qiao Anchen reminded her. Their flight was late, and with the time spent traveling to the airport and cooking, it was already close to nine o'clock.
Chu Yi originally planned to order takeout and eat something simple, but Qiao Anchen insisted on cooking, saying that making two dishes would be quick.
"Then I'll go for a run later." Chu Yi bit into her ribs and refused to let go, finding an excuse to achieve her goal indirectly. Qiao Anchen didn't say anything, but lowered his head, which was taken as tacit agreement with her reason.
Of course, he didn't go for a run after dinner, but Chu Yi washed the dishes, and Qiao Anchen was probably handling some things in the study.
After taking a shower, she went to bed early and chatted with Xiao Gao for a while before seeing Qiao Anchen come in.
He took his pajamas to the bathroom.
Chu Yi looked thoughtful, then swiped his phone screen.
When Qiao Anchen came out, he saw Chu Yi lying in the quilt, reaching out a hand and beckoning to him.
Her little face was beaming with a bright smile, like a golden sunflower under the sun.
He smiled and walked over.
Then I heard her clear, crisp voice ring out.
"Qiao Anchen, come watch this celebrity couple reality show with me! A new episode just aired today. Aren't you watching it too?"
"..."
"...I didn't." Qiao Anchen refused to admit it no matter what. He thought the matter was over. Chu Yi hadn't mentioned it for the past few days, and Qiao Anchen believed that they had both tacitly let it go.
"Have you learned to lie to me now?" Chu Yi stared at him intently and said seriously, "Lies grow from small to big. Qiao Anchen, you can remain silent, but you can't lie to me."
Qiao Anchen: "..."
He never expected Chu Yi to react this way. Even getting angry, asking him questions, or being unreasonable would have been better than these words.
He looked away from the ground, his eyelashes trembling, before finally speaking softly.
"sorry."
"I just feel a little embarrassed."
The room was quiet, the silence spreading quietly, the night breeze stirring the curtains.
Qiao Anchen looked up at her, solemn and serious, as if he were swearing an oath under the national flag.
"This is the first and last time. I will never lie to you again."
Chu Yi stared at him for a long time with her eyes open, and finally got out of bed, sat there, and waved to him.
"come over."
Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then walked over nervously and stood in front of her. Before he could say anything, he was hugged tightly.
Chu Yi wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, closing her eyes and whispering, "I don't feel ashamed at all. I'm happy, happy that you're willing to do these things for me, even if they're a little clumsy—"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Anchen couldn't help but interrupt her.
"clumsy?"
"Otherwise what..." Chu Yi looked up at him, her eyes wide, slightly confused.
Do you think you're that great?
"..."
“Although I’m sometimes a little…unnatural, that’s the limit I can do,” Qiao Anchen said with difficulty.
Compared to the couples in the show who constantly call each other "baby" and "darling," the only person Qiao Anchen can call out is "wife."
Compared to providing meticulous care and protection, he could only do as much as he could.
Compared to the frequent romantic surprises, Qiao Anchen could only imitate about 60-70% of them, no matter how hard he tried.
All of this has already taken up too much of his mind and energy. If it has to be like this every day, Qiao Anchen doesn't know how long he can keep going.
"I don't need any surprises you prepare suddenly, nor do I need you to confess your feelings to me deliberately. I can peel shrimp myself, and I can stroll through the streets by myself. If you're busy, you don't need to message or video call me all the time—"
Chu Yi finished speaking in one breath, paused briefly, his eyes flickered, and then his voice came out with even more determination.
"All I want is for you to care more about this marriage."
She lowered her voice, speaking softly with her eyes downcast: "And also, care about me a little more."
For a long, long time, no one spoke. Qiao Anchen stared at the top of her head, his eyes swirling with emotion, lost in thought.
After a while, Chu Yi was pulled into his arms tightly, his deep voice pressing against her ear.
"Um."
After hugging for an unknown amount of time, the two finally let go. Chu Yi and Qiao Anchen stared at each other, an inexplicable tension filling the air. An unusual silence hung in the air, and neither of them spoke first.
A moment later, Chu Yi cleared his throat.
"Um, how about we watch a variety show together? I haven't seen the latest episode yet..." For some reason, the more Chu Yi talked, the more shaky she became under Qiao Anchen's piercing gaze, and the softer her voice grew.
"I'll go to sleep right after watching this..."
"Actually, I don't think that variety show is good at all," Qiao Anchen said with a serious expression.
Having spent three nights watching the entire show as study material, Qiao Anchen didn't want to see it again.
Especially considering that Chu Yi had just made it clear to him like that.