"I was thinking that if you have time sometime, we could go shopping together and look at clothes."
Qiao Anchen was clearly taken aback, then pondered for a few seconds.
"I need to... check my work schedule next week. If I have time off, I'll go with you."
His expression didn't change much, and his agreement was too straightforward. Chu Yi felt a sense of unreality, emptiness, and unease deep down.
"Have you ever gone shopping with girls before?" After a while, Chu Yi couldn't help but tap on the side.
“I went there once with my mom before,” Qiao Anchen replied after a moment’s recollection.
"And then?" Chu Yi pressed.
"That's all."
"Um?"
Qiao Anchen held the chopsticks very seriously.
"She never called me again."
Chuyi: "..."
Even so, when Chu Yi came home from get off work on Friday and learned that Qiao Anchen had the next day off, she was still happy for a long time. She lay in bed thinking about it.
“We can sleep in until we naturally wake up, then go out for a stroll, and have dinner out in the evening before coming back.” She shook Qiao Anchen’s arm excitedly.
"How was it? How was it?!"
"Okay." He was browsing a news page, and nodded without even looking up, his response perfunctory.
Chu Yi followed his gaze with displeasure. The news report was about a domestic violence case in which the man beat the woman to death. This incident had been a hot topic online, and Chu Yi had heard about it before.
She let out a soft "hmm," finding it rare to have something in common to talk about.
"Isn't this a case from many years ago?" Chu Yi leaned over to take a closer look and found that the report was about the follow-up. The abusive husband had been released from prison and, through an introduction, remarried. This new wife had recently reported that she had suffered severe domestic violence.
The wounds in the picture above were shocking. Chu Yi gasped when she saw them, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Why would anyone marry such a scumbag?!"
“It’s written above.” Qiao Anchen pointed to one line in the news report, “The relatives and friends around Xu deliberately concealed the truth for him. The woman’s family lived far away and had not heard about what had happened before.”
"This is really too much...too much..." Chu Yi couldn't help but worry about the woman's safety and asked.
"Is there really no way to deal with this kind of person? Why was he able to get out and remarry so quickly? Shouldn't intentional homicide be punishable by death?!"
"The final charge in this case was abuse, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison. Xu received a two-year reduction in his sentence due to good behavior in prison."
Qiao Anchen calmly analyzed and explained to Chu Yi.
“There is a difference between domestic violence resulting in death and intentional homicide. Xu caused his ex-wife to be seriously injured and then die during the violence, not immediately. Therefore, it is not considered intentional homicide with subjective intent. In the end, the verdict was only abuse.”
"How could this be..." The legally illiterate Chu Yi's worldview was shattered, and she deeply felt the vulnerability of women in the legal arena.
"Is there nothing that can be done? Does that mean the person died in vain?" she asked sadly.
Qiao Anchen's expression was equally solemn. After a moment, he gave a slow but firm reply.
"There may be unfairness in this society, but there are always people working hard behind the scenes. I hope that in the near future, our country's laws will be more perfect and such tragedies will not happen again."
Chu Yi had to admit that she felt both sad and moved at that moment. Saddened by the case itself, and moved by what Qiao Anchen had said.
"Hopefully that day isn't too far off."
She spoke softly, and Qiao Anchen, seeing her downcast expression, reached out and ruffled her hair.
"It will happen."
Even after turning off the lights to sleep at night, Chu Yi was still thinking about this. Lying in bed, she couldn't help but ask the person next to her in the dark.
"Qiao Anchen, haven't you seen too many things like this before?"
"Hmm," he responded softly.
Will that make you sad?
"I knew how at first, but I'm used to it now," he said, adding.
"Instead of dwelling on unnecessary emotions, we should think about how to prevent the tragedy from happening again."
After hearing this, Chu Yi turned around, put her hands under her face, and faced him.
Are you always this calm?
Qiao Anchen seemed to tilt his head slightly, and his breathing came very close.
No, not exactly.
"Hmm?" Chu Yi looked at him curiously, her eyes wide, waiting for what he would say next.
After a while, Qiao Anchen turned his face back.
"She's asleep."
“…Okay.” Chu Yi pouted in extreme disappointment, turned over and lay flat on the bed, closing her eyes.
She didn't notice that it was a long time before the person next to her slowly fell asleep.
As promised, I woke up naturally. According to Qiao Anchen's biological clock, I would get up at eight o'clock in the morning. During this period, I was asked by Qiao Anchen to sleep together, so my biological clock also started to advance in the morning.
She hugged the blanket, her face pressed against the pillow, her eyes half-open, watching Qiao Anchen finish washing up and come out of the bathroom.
He didn't seem to notice she was awake. He opened the closet, found the clothes he wanted to wear, unbuttoned his pajamas, and prepared to change.
Qiao Anchen had his back to her, but Chu Yi still inevitably saw the whole thing. She didn't know why, even though a voice in her head told her she shouldn't look, her eyes were glued to the spot.
After changing, Qiao Anchen turned around and, just as he was buttoning up the first button of his shirt, his eyes met Chu Yi's.
She was still in a daze, caught off guard by being caught red-handed. Seeing Qiao Anchen's somewhat surprised expression, Chu Yi's face flushed uncontrollably.
"I didn't see anything!" She pulled the blanket up over her head, too ashamed to show her face.
After Chu Yi finished getting ready and went out, Qiao Anchen had already prepared breakfast. He was as usual, without any change. But Chu Yi's mind suddenly flashed back to the broad back, narrow waist, long legs, and shapely figure she had seen that morning...
I'm going to die, I'm going to die.
Chu Yi let out a soft breath and awkwardly made conversation.
Has the weather warmed up today?
"What's wrong?" Qiao Anchen poured her a glass of milk and asked casually.
Chu Yi chuckled twice and fanned himself with his hand.
"Hehe, I feel a bit hot."
Qiao Anchen glanced at the leaves swaying in the chilly autumn wind outside, then checked the indoor temperature, and finally cautiously drew a conclusion.
You might be…
"Um?"
"I have a sore throat."
"..."
The two went to the largest shopping mall in the vicinity, which had a complete range of brands. It had six floors and almost every brand you could think of was there. It was also the largest commercial center in Lancheng.
Chu Yi usually goes shopping here with her friends. Girls can shop all day long without feeling tired.
Qiao Anchen parked the car and went upstairs with Chu Yi.
While waiting for the elevator, she couldn't contain her excitement.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've gone shopping."
"This familiar feeling."
"I'm so excited!"
The two went up to the second floor, which was the women's clothing section. The clothes on the mannequins were so beautiful that they were dazzling. The crystal chandeliers overhead were bright, and the floor was so shiny that it reflected people's eyes.
Chu Yi linked arms with Qiao Anchen, tilted her head back, and took a deep, satisfied breath.
"It's still the same taste, still the familiar joy."
Qiao Anchen couldn't help but remind her from the side.
"You've already visited five stores."
"It's okay." Chu Yi turned around and smiled at him, her smile radiant and captivating.
"We still have a whole day to take our time and stroll around."
14. Chapter 14
Qiao Anchen remained silent.
He followed behind Chu Yi quietly and dutifully in step with her.
Upon arriving at the mall, Chu Yi felt like a fish entering the sea or a bird soaring in the sky, freely roaming the world of shopping.
The first place she went to was a brand she often buys from. This women's clothing store is affordable, with clothes that are great value for money. It's also a self-service store, so you can just take whatever you like and try it on. As a result, it's always crowded.
The first thing Qiao Anchen did upon entering was to search his surroundings, and then he discovered with despair that the shop did not have any seats for people to rest...
He glanced at the clothing brand again, confirming that it was a store he would never return to.
Chu Yi excitedly wandered among the rows of clothes, picking up this one and looking at that one, holding them up to herself and asking Qiao Anchen for his opinion.
Qiao Anchen compared the shirt and sweater in her hand, examined them for a few seconds, and then pointed to the right.
"This one, please."
"Hmm? Why?" Chu Yi looked at the sweater he was pointing to, very curious.
Qiao Anchen answered seriously.
"Sweaters are warmer."
"...I asked which one looks better!!"
Qiao Anchen paused, "These two items are completely different types."