As he spoke, Qiao Anchen touched the switch next to him, pressed it, and with a 'click', the entire living room was instantly as bright as day.
He walked in and met Chu Yi's gaze as she sat at the dining table. The two candles beside her were still burning diligently, but their bright yellow, flickering light appeared particularly pale and weak against the backdrop of the glaring light bulb above.
Chu Yi closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and exhaled.
“There’s electricity.” She answered Qiao Anchen’s question, which had already been proven by her actions, while maintaining her composure, and then explained her current foolish situation.
"I just thought it was Valentine's Day, so I did a little decorating."
"I originally only made a meal and a cake, but then I remembered that I had two candles left over from your birthday, so I used them."
Chu Yi looked at him quietly and said calmly.
"Do you need it? If not, I'll blow out the candle."
Qiao Anchen: "..."
He scratched his head, glanced at her, then walked back to the entryway and turned off the light with a 'click'.
The entire scene immediately became soft and dim, with the candlelight flickering in the wind.
"I'll still eat it," Qiao Anchen replied somewhat embarrassedly. Chu Yi didn't say anything more, but simply started serving rice and picking up her chopsticks.
The two sat facing each other and ate a few bites. Suddenly, Qiao Anchen stopped eating, took out a small box from his coat pocket, pressed his finger on it, and pushed it in front of Chu Yi.
"This is for you."
Chu Yi lowered her gaze and saw a small, square, light purple box tied with a light-colored satin ribbon bow. It was a very feminine item, and when Qiao Anchen held it in his hand, it evoked a feeling that was hard to describe.
"What is this?" She took it and opened the lid.
On the black velvet fabric are two small stud earrings, with small diamonds set into the shape of a heart, delicate and exquisite.
These small items really didn't seem like the kind of things Qiao Anchen would choose. Chu Yi couldn't imagine him picking them out at the counter, and just thinking about it made her heart race.
"Did you buy it yourself?" she couldn't help but ask, and shamefully, she was pleased with herself.
"Yes." Qiao Anchen paused, answering with a mixture of confusion and nonchalance. Chu Yi couldn't help but press, "Where did you buy it? At a department store counter?"
"I picked it out at the counter." After he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes slightly, as if he was a little embarrassed to face her. Chu Yi knew better and didn't ask any more questions, but the corners of her mouth were pursed and she couldn't help but smile a little.
After finishing her meal, Chu Yi couldn't wait to try on the earrings. She carefully held the little heart in front of the mirror and threaded it through her ear piercing until it was firmly attached to her earlobe.
Chu Yi looked at the person in the mirror, with a small heart on each side of her cheek. She shook her head happily, her smile no longer needing to be hidden.
"Does it look good?" Qiao Anchen was washing dishes outside, his shirt sleeves rolled up and wearing a plaid apron. Chu Yi leaned close to him and asked with a smile.
Qiao Anchen stopped washing the dishes and focused his gaze on her face, staring intently as if he were seriously considering her question. Chu Yi felt a little embarrassed.
Time seemed to stretch on forever, so long that she could barely hold on any longer, before she heard Qiao Anchen say softly, "Beautiful."
"I think it looks good too." Chu Yi glanced at him, then quickly looked away and ran off.
Chu Yi carefully packed the earrings and the necklace that Qiao Anchen had given her into a box. The two items looked even more dazzling and beautiful together. As she examined them, she suddenly remembered that she had never bought anything for Qiao Anchen.
She would only glance at clothes for him when she went shopping, and would only buy them if there were suitable ones or if he needed them.
Chu Yi carefully put away the necklace and earrings in her hand, considering whether she should give him a return gift or something.
Qiao Anchen lives a very simple life, owning as few items as possible. He would never buy two of the same thing, so everything he uses is a complete set with no gaps.
She pondered it for several days, giving it serious thought.
Wallet? No way, Qiao Anchen has one and he definitely won't change it.
A watch? He always seems to wear only his old Rolex; I guess he has a deep affection for it.
Clothes and belts? These don't count as gifts; I bought them for him in his daily life.
After pondering for a long time, countless ideas popped into his head, but none of them came to fruition. In the end, Chu Yi had no choice but to seek help from outside the venue, consulting Cheng Li, a man-obsessed man, and Xiao Gao, who was practically a man himself.
The three of them discussed it enthusiastically for a long time, from online information to real-life examples, personal preferences and suggestions, and finally came up with something that could be a gift and was also suitable for Qiao Anchen.
perfume!
The reason was that Qiao Anchen happened to not have any perfume, and giving this as a gift was also very special.
Because with perfume, every time he uses it, the scent lingers around him, which makes him think of the person who gave it to him all the time.
Chu Yi stared at the chat history with shining eyes, clenching her fists, almost without thinking.
"Okay! That's the one I'll go buy this afternoon!"
That being said, before setting off, Chu Yi did a lot of research online and finally made a list of the most recommended fragrances, which she then tried one by one at the counter.
After smelling all afternoon, her sense of smell was almost numb, but Chu Yi finally chose a fragrance she liked.
It's a men's fragrance from Hermès, with a unique and refreshing woody scent. It contains bergamot and cedarwood, and smells very similar to the scent worn by Joan Chen.
Chu Yi made up her mind almost immediately upon smelling it, her eyes lighting up with surprise, and went to pay without hesitation.
I asked the sales assistant at the counter to help me package it. They used a dark green box, which looked very exquisite and special.
Chu Yi was satisfied and went home with the bag.
It was Saturday, and Qiao Anchen got off work and had dinner on time. Chu Yi waited until he finished showering before sitting on the bed to give him the gift.
"I bought you something." She held the box in her hand and handed it to Qiao Anchen, pursing her lips nervously and expectantly.
"What?" Qiao Anchen stopped by the bedside, lowered his eyes and looked at the green box, then looked up at her.
"Open it and see if you like it." Chu Yi smiled sweetly at him. Qiao Anchen raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, then reached out and took it.
After seeing what was inside, he looked somewhat strange, took out the perfume, and examined it carefully in his palm.
"Do you like it?" Chu Yi became increasingly uneasy and cautiously asked, while Qiao Anchen seemed thoughtful.
"I have never used perfume."
He unscrewed the perfume cap, pressed the button on it, and with a barely audible sound, a light mist of liquid sprayed into the air, releasing a unique fragrance.
Chu Yi showed a look of enjoyment, while Qiao Anchen took a serious sniff and then frowned.
"...It smells so strong."
"..."
"So, do you like it?" Chu Yi asked, barely suppressing her disappointment, almost without any hope.
As expected.
There was a moment of silence.
"I don't really like it." Qiao Anchen rubbed his nose, put the perfume back in the box, and answered slowly and hesitantly, his eyes seeming to hold a hint of unease as he looked at her.
Okay.
Chu Yi closed the box again, put it away, and muttered to himself expressionlessly.
"In that case, let's use it as toilet freshener; we can't let it go to waste."
Author's Note: Poor girl in the first year of junior high.
Oh, right, Big Green's back home! Updates will start promptly tomorrow night at 8 PM!
46. Chapter 46
The air was quiet. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then said, "This isn't a good idea."
"Otherwise what?" Chu Yi remained expressionless. "I can't force you; if you don't like it, you don't like it."
Qiao Anchen paused again, seemingly deep in thought about a better solution. Time seemed to pass for a long time before he finally made a decision with utmost caution.
"Alright, then I'll have to do as you say."
Chuyi: "..."
She didn't say anything, but simply took the box in her hand, then leaned over and opened the cabinet under the bed, putting the perfume inside.
"It's getting late, go to sleep early." Chu Yi pulled the covers up and lay down, speaking in a flat tone. Qiao Anchen glanced at the clock, which showed 9:30, and didn't dare to say anything.
A faint fragrance lingered in the air. The two lay side by side, the lights were off, and in the darkness, their sense of smell seemed to become even more acute.
Both of them kept their eyes open but remained motionless, lying there quietly for a while. Then Qiao Anchen suddenly said, "It doesn't actually smell that bad now."
"Perfume is divided into top notes, middle notes, and base notes. The top notes are usually stronger and then gradually fade, and the scent will change."
“No wonder…” Qiao Anchen seemed to have gained some new knowledge and suddenly realized, and Chu Yi couldn’t help but explain to him again.
"The one we just sprayed has benzoin and cedarwood in its base notes. It smells very refreshing and has a calming and invigorating effect."
"You probably sprayed too much at first, so the scent is a bit strong and you're not used to it yet." After saying this, Chu Yi felt like she was being too humble, like a perfume salesperson.
She immediately tried to save face.
"I'm just giving a simple analysis; I'm not suggesting you use it. Don't misunderstand."
Qiao Anchen: "...Hmm." After a few seconds, he added another sentence.
"I didn't misunderstand."
"…good."
Chu Yi rolled over, pulled out her phone, and started playing with it. The screen's pale white glow illuminated the darkness. Qiao Anchen said quietly, "Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"
"Is there?"
"Yes, you said it was getting late and I should go to bed early."
"Oh, I suddenly realized there's still plenty of time."
"..."
Qiao Anchen watched her play, but his own activities were restricted. He couldn't very well turn on the light again, so he lay there for half a day, and finally managed to find his phone on the cabinet.
Chu Yi played for a while before remembering Qiao Anchen next to him. He turned his head and was surprised to find that Qiao Anchen was also playing on his phone.
"What are you doing?" She peeked over and saw that the screen in front of Qiao Anchen was lit up with the Baidu page, and at the very top of the search bar, a few words were clearly written.
How to properly use men's fragrance.
"Nothing." Qiao Anchen was clearly startled. He quickly turned off his phone, put it away, and hid it under the covers.
"What did you do? Why are you acting like a guilty cop if you didn't do anything?" Chu Yi said deliberately, immediately sitting up and following his hand down to snatch his phone from under the covers.