The downstairs apartment did suffer significant damage, but only to the ceiling and walls. Large areas were soaked, and there were fallen ash stains that looked quite unsightly on the clean floor.
"See? Our house wasn't renovated for very long, and now it's like this. What are you going to do about it?!"
"I'm sorry, I'll cover all the renovation costs here. What do you think?" Chu Yi said cautiously. The other person's expression softened slightly. They exchanged glances, and finally the woman spoke.
“This will cost at least several thousand yuan. We also have to move furniture and luggage, clean, and so on. Plus, my husband has to go to work. I have to take care of all these things by myself…”
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry for causing you trouble..." Chu Yi kept apologizing, trying to quell their dissatisfaction.
"Sorry, forget it. Here's what we'll do: just give us the money, and we'll find someone to take care of it ourselves!" the other party said.
“Ah…” Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Qiao Anchen unconsciously. He looked thoughtful before speaking calmly.
"Several parts of ours have also been damaged by water. We've already contacted someone to come and repair them. We'll just have the technician come down and take a look, and he can fix them for you as well."
"We are very sorry for the trouble we have caused you. If you don't mind, we can buy you some gifts as compensation, or we can give you cash instead. What do you think...?"
The other person's expression changed several times in an instant. He wanted to say something, but his gaze fell on Qiao Anchen and then he stopped.
This man didn't seem like someone to be trifled with; he seemed to possess an innate righteousness that made people afraid to play tricks on him.
The two were somewhat resentful and unwilling. "Fine, we don't need the gifts. How much compensation do you want?"
After some final negotiation, Chu Yi settled the matter for only a few hundred yuan. She didn't have much cash on her, so she transferred it to the other party on the spot using her mobile phone.
The property management contacted a repairman to come and inspect the apartment. After the inspection, it was found that several sections of the floor in the first-floor apartment needed to be replaced. As for the ceiling downstairs, the total cost of removing it would be less than 1,000 yuan.
She was speechless when she recalled the several thousand yuan the couple had initially asked for.
"Thank you so much for your help today. Let me treat you to dinner."
“No need, I still have to go back to the procuratorate,” Qiao Anchen said in a normal tone.
"Ah... I'm so sorry." Chu Yi couldn't help but feel apologetic and touched when she thought about how busy he had been all day, hadn't even had a meal, and had to go back to work overtime.
Finally, she saw Qiao Anchen downstairs. Under the sun, there was a little sweat on his forehead.
"Go back." Qiao Anchen opened the car door, looked at her, his expression calm, but his dark eyes held a hint of gentleness, giving Chu Yi a sense of peace and security in this chaotic morning.
"Be careful, and come to me if you have any problems."
This was the last straw that broke the camel's back, because on that day, Qiao Anchen struck a nerve with Chu Yi with unparalleled precision.
All her fantasies about the future and her other half came from him.
That initial flutter of the heart, the butterflies in the stomach when we were together, and his unwavering support when I was all alone and helpless.
A sense of security is something that women find irresistible.
Many marriages lack love but succumb to the sense of security provided by the other person, especially since Chu Yi deeply loves him.
On the night Chu Yi was considering whether or not to marry Qiao Anchen, that day kept replaying in her mind, as well as the first time she saw him when she pushed open the door of that coffee shop.
She felt that this man had all good qualities; he was upright, kind, sincere, and reliable.
Marrying someone like that would definitely be a good choice.
...
The projector was set up, the room lights were dimmed, and Chu Yi returned to bed. The two lay side by side, covered with a thin air-conditioning blanket.
The picture quality is very clear, just like being in front of a big screen in a movie theater, but the atmosphere here is much warmer and more comfortable than there.
After the opening theme, the film's title appears in the center, followed by the first scene, which is set on a school campus. The female protagonist rides her bicycle through camphor trees, with sunlight fragmented and dancing on her body, creating a beautiful and refreshing scene.
Chu Yi squinted her eyes contentedly and nuzzled her head against Qiao Anchen's shoulder.
Qiao Anchen glanced at her, then turned his attention back to the movie, staring intently at it.
The first half of the film is very youthful and heartwarming, and the interactions between the male and female leads are natural and sweet. Sometimes, even Chu Yi couldn't help but put his finger to his lips and laugh out loud while watching it.
"So sweet..." She rolled around in bed, and to seek resonance, she even shook Qiao Anchen's arm.
"Isn't it sweet?!"
"Hmm?" Qiao Anchen pulled his thoughts away from the case file, came back to his senses, and glanced at the movie screen again.
"yes."
His expression and tone were too serious, more like a student answering a teacher's question than Chu Yi's casual and relaxed manner. Chu Yi pouted slightly in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything and continued to turn her head to watch the movie.
As the film progressed into its second half, the plot became increasingly dramatic, and Chu Yi was so engrossed in the story that she couldn't pay attention to talking to Qiao Anchen.
Inside, the male and female protagonists finally overcome hardships and, after many years, return to their hometowns and meet again at the place where they first met.
As the sun sets, the two stand facing each other on a path. The sky is like a tapestry, and the whole scene looks as if it has been painted with watercolors. Their faces bear the same sense of relief and smiles.
The screen freezes at this moment, and the warm end credits music begins to play, as the cast and crew list slowly slides up from the side.
Chu Yi was deeply moved, feeling both touched and wistful. She couldn't wait to find Qiao Anchen to vent her overwhelming emotions.
She sniffed, turned her head, and was just about to speak.
In the dim, warm light, Qiao Anchen was fast asleep, his face resting against the pillow, eyes closed, breathing evenly.
Chuyi: "..."
Her excitement and elation vanished in an instant, and she felt like a fool for being so moved and tearful.
Chu Yi calmly turned her head, wiped away the remaining tears in her eyes, expressionlessly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and turned off the projector.
The room fell completely silent. Qiao Anchen remained oblivious, his sleeping face serene. Chu Yi, filled with resentment, clearly tossed and turned on the bed twice, but received no response.
She paused for a moment, then reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.
In the darkness, she was so angry that she couldn't sleep. She thought to herself that before marrying someone, being honest, kind, sincere, and reliable was not enough.
If she had known from the beginning that Qiao Anchen was this kind of scoundrel, she would never have married him, even if it meant death.
The biggest change in the past two months of married life has been that Chu Yi's mindset has improved a lot.
From initially being so angry with Qiao Anchen that she didn't want to speak for two days, she can now wake up and act as if nothing happened.
Chu Yi didn't want to talk about what happened last night at all, but Qiao Anchen kept bringing up the very thing she didn't want to discuss.
When he got home from get off work, he washed his hands and was about to eat when he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, when did that movie end yesterday? I was asleep and didn't notice."
First Year of Primary School: "...Was the movie boring?"
Qiao Anchen instinctively wanted to answer yes, but his innate survival instinct made him change his mind and say something more tactful.
"No, I'm just too tired..."
Chu Yi nodded in understanding and didn't say anything more.
As Qiao Anchen ate his rice, he secretly glanced at her, but Chu Yi suddenly caught his gaze and stared back at him.
What are you doing?
“…No.” He quickly lowered his head and buried his head in his rice.
Seeing Chu Yi's expression, Qiao Anchen couldn't tell whether she was angry or not, but since she was still willing to talk to him and didn't have a stern face, she probably wasn't angry!
Qiao Anchen breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to eat in peace.
10. Chapter 10
In September, the weather gradually turned cooler, and autumn arrived in Lancheng. Chu Yi was finally able to bravely step out of the house.
On Mid-Autumn Festival, the two went to Qiao Anchen's parents' house to celebrate the holiday.
It was rare for him to have a three-day holiday, so after dinner, the two of them stayed there that night.
I was staying in Qiao Anchen's old room, which was a bit old and full of traces of time. The corners of the desk were covered with scratches, the walls were covered with faded basketball posters, and the pages of the bookshelf were yellowed.
The bed was also a 1.2-meter single bed with a checkered sheet, just like a student dormitory. Chu Yi opened the window of his room and saw the basketball court behind the lush foliage outside.
"Did you used to really like playing basketball?" Chu Yi asked. Qiao Anchen looked outside in the direction she was pointing. "Not bad. I played a lot when I was in school."
"When you were in school, was all you did all day was study, study, study?" Chu Yi asked, a little curious when he talked about the past.
She felt that, given Qiao Anchen's personality, she could basically imagine what his campus life was like.
Upon hearing Chu Yi's question, Qiao Anchen frowned and pondered for a moment, seemingly quite confused.
"Why not study when you're in school?"
"...Well, there are many other things, like secretly reading novels in class, chatting, playing games. Going out to eat and sing karaoke with classmates and friends during holidays, and so on..."
"Were you this careless in school?" Qiao Anchen looked at her with suspicion, and Chu Yi retorted.
"This is what normal campus life is like; most people go through this."
“Oh, then I don’t,” Qiao Anchen said. “I generally don’t do things that waste time.”
"..."
The casual conversation ended there. Chu Yi was bored and looked around Qiao Anchen's room when Tian Wan knocked on the door and came in, peeking out her head.
"Would you like to take a walk around the neighborhood?" she asked Chu Yi, her eyes smiling, her expression friendly and gentle.
“Every time you come here, it seems like you just have a meal and then go back. You haven’t explored the surrounding area yet, have you? Let Qiao Anchen take you around, and you can have dinner when you come back.”
After speaking, Tian Wan looked at Qiao Anchen, her expression becoming much more serious.
"Take Chu Yi for a walk around the area, but be careful."
The two went out. The afternoon heat had not yet subsided, and the sun still had residual heat. Chu Yi was wearing a floral sundress and a cardigan. Her cute, round toes peeked out from the opening of her sandals, looking tender and delicate.
Qiao Anchen held up a parasol because Chu Yitian was extremely afraid of the sun. Even the light, which was close to sunset, made her feel uncomfortable and her eyes were stinging.
The width of the umbrella forced Chu Yi to link arms with Qiao Anchen, making the two appear very close.
Of course! If it weren't for this reason, she would absolutely not want to get close to him!
The landscaping in this community is excellent. There are basketball courts, swimming pools, tree-lined paths, and many flowers that sway gently in the breeze, their petals of various colors trembling.
Chu Yi and Qiao Anchen walked slowly outside. Just as they reached the basketball court, a girl in a white dress suddenly appeared in front of them.
With her long, flowing hair, slender figure, and delicate features, she carried a small crossbody bag and wore white canvas shoes, embodying the image of a pure and innocent campus goddess.
Chu Yi had only glanced at her before looking away, but to his surprise, she stared straight at Qiao Anchen and even walked towards him.