I didn't eat much for dinner on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Several hours have passed, and my stomach feels a bit empty.
These wontons were made by Tian Wan herself. She brought them over and froze them in the refrigerator. They contain fresh shrimp and lean meat, with thin wrappers and generous fillings.
Chu Yi ate more than half a bowl, felt a little full, stood for a while, and then went back to bed.
It was almost midnight, and Chu Yi was still tossing and turning in bed. In the darkness, time passed silently. He didn't know how much time had passed, but in his half-awake state, he seemed to hear a faint noise by the door.
She didn't take it to heart, thinking she was dreaming, until a section of the bed next to her collapsed, and a warm body pressed against her, carefully pulling her into its arms from behind.
Chu Yi caught a whiff of Qiao Anchen's scent.
She suddenly opened her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Chu Yi tried to turn around, but Qiao Anchen pressed her down and immediately explained, "Don't move, I'm not going to do anything, I'll just hold you and sleep."
"I don't want to, get away from me," Chu Yi said coldly. Qiao Anchen's hand remained firmly in his grasp, his gaze seemingly fixed on her for a long time before he sighed softly.
"Chu Yi, I've thought about everything you said seriously. I'll change it slowly. Don't be sad, give me time, okay?"
Chu Yi didn't answer and remained silent for a long time. Qiao Anchen waited for a while, then hugged her tighter and whispered, "It's okay if you don't agree. Let me stay with you tonight, and you can continue to be angry with me tomorrow."
The air remained quiet, but Chu Yi did not move again. The two of them quietly nestled together, feeling each other's body temperature and presence. Slowly, all movement completely disappeared.
Chu Yi closed his eyes.
Author's Note: The next chapter will begin... pursuing my wife...
Eighty red envelopes randomly
34. Chapter 34
When Qiao Anchen woke up in the morning, Chu Yi was still half asleep. She seemed to sense something, like someone kissed her on the forehead and then whispered in her ear.
"I'm going to work."
While having breakfast, Chu Yi suddenly remembered this incident. She touched her forehead in confusion, wondering if she had just had a dream.
Around ten o'clock, Chu Yi's phone, which was on the table, suddenly vibrated. She stopped writing and took a moment to pick it up and look at it.
It was a message from Qiao Anchen.
"Are you up yet?"
Chu Yi frowned and only replied with a symbol.
"?"
They responded quickly on the other end.
What did you have for breakfast today?
Chu Yi replied with a string of ellipses.
"..."
She put down her phone, feeling uneasy and hesitant, when Qiao Anchen sent her a new message.
Open it on the first day of the lunar month.
It's a picture.
He ate breakfast in the procuratorate's canteen.
"I ate steamed buns and fried dough sticks today. The soy milk was a bit bland, but everything else was fine."
Chu Yi: "..." She squinted at it for a while, then started typing on her phone.
Why are you so free today?
Qiao Anchen: "?"
First Year: "You talk too much."
"..."
On the other end, Qiao Anchen put down his phone, looking dejected. After a moment, he sighed with a worried expression.
After finishing my work on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I turned off the internet, put down my phone, and buried myself in drawing. By the time I felt hungry, it was already noon.
She thought about ordering takeout, so she opened her phone again.
This caused a series of vibrations, with new messages constantly popping up.
They all belong to Qiao Anchen.
The topmost image.
The rice dish contained two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, along with a small bowl of tomato and egg soup.
The overall picture and composition are terrible; it's obvious that it was just a quick snapshot.
"The cafeteria has salt and pepper pork ribs and cauliflower for lunch, but they don't taste as good as yours."
"Have you got a meal yet?"
Perhaps because Chu Yi hadn't replied yet, Qiao Anchen sent her two more messages half an hour later.
"Remember to eat." He added a sentence followed by a big exclamation mark.
"Eat less spicy hot pot!"
Chuyi: "..."
She quietly exited the homepage of the Mala Tang (a type of spicy hot pot) restaurant on the food delivery app.
Finally, I ordered a very nourishing stewed pork ribs with red dates, goji berries, and yam, along with a small portion of rice and vegetables. After receiving the takeout, Chu Yi adjusted the angle and took a picture to show Qiao Anchen. When she sent it out, she also added a filter.
"knew!"
"I ate a very healthy meal today!"
There was no immediate reply, but Chu Yi didn't care. She felt that it was already good enough that she was willing to reply to Qiao Anchen, since they were still in a state of cold war.
So, several messages followed Qiao Anchen's—
"Eating so late?"
"There's not enough rice, eat more."
"It's afternoon tea time now, but we're too busy to take a break."
After reading it, Chu Yi gave a soft hum, cleanly closed her phone, and ignored him.
Qiao Anchen returned home early as usual that day. Chu Yi noticed that when they weren't arguing, Qiao Anchen used to be so busy working overtime that he was nowhere to be seen. But now, after an argument, he would leave work on time.
Thinking about it this way, she became even angrier.
The two sat down to eat together. Li Yan had left, and Chu Yi had no interest in planning the dishes, so she just cooked two simple dishes to make do, since it was just her and Qiao Anchen, and they wouldn't be able to eat much anyway.
After eating in silence for a while, Qiao Anchen suddenly spoke up: "Why didn't you reply to me today?"
"Hmm?" Chu Yi looked up, thought for a moment, and then realized what was happening.
He was referring to the last few messages this afternoon.
"I'm drawing, I don't have time," Chu Yi said casually. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then pressed on relentlessly.
"So you won't have time even after you finish drawing?"
"What are you doing?" Chu Yi stopped eating, looked up at him, and acted a bit unreasonable.
Am I obligated to reply to your messages?
Qiao Anchen was taken aback by her question. After a long while, he lowered his head and muttered softly, "But they always reply, don't they..."
"What?" Chu Yi didn't hear clearly and frowned as she asked. Qiao Anchen quickly shook his head and ate.
"nothing."
Chu Yi felt that she was an extremely spineless person, especially when it came to Qiao Anchen. Last night she was in a state of utter collapse, feeling like the sky was falling. But today, after receiving a few messages from him, she inexplicably felt less sad.
She attributed it all to time; after all, a day and a night had passed, and even the strongest emotions gradually subsided.
Chu Yi video chatted with Li Yan that evening. It was morning on his end, the sun was shining brightly, and the house was bright and cozy. He was wearing a well-fitting short-sleeved shirt, and his big eyes were dark, bright, and round.
"Sister!" he called out excitedly, and Chu Yi waved to him immediately.
"Xiaoyan, are you doing well at your aunt's house?"
“Great! Auntie’s house is beautiful.” As he spoke, he immediately switched the camera to show her what the house looked like.
Chu Yi opened her eyes wide and looked at her aunt's family. The tall man and the little girl in his arms greeted her. Her aunt picked up her little daughter and asked her to greet them.
"Sweetie, this is Sister Chu..."
Chu Yi laughed sheepishly, "You should call me Auntie now."
Li Yan could call her "sister" for fun, but Chu Yi was too embarrassed to let the three-year-old girl in front of her call her "sister."
"Auntie..." the little girl said with difficulty, her voice childish, clapping her little hands. Everyone around laughed, and the phone was brought back to Li Yan.
His face was magnified on the screen.
"My little sister is so cute," he whispered, his eyes sparkling with tiny lights. This time, Chu Yi was genuinely smiling.
"Xiaoyan is the older brother, so you have to protect your younger sister from now on, understand?"
"Mm!" He nodded, Chu Yi rested her chin on her knees, looked at him, and said softly, "Xiao Yan is also very cute. Xiao Yan, grow up smoothly and safely. If anything happens, remember to tell your sister. Your sister will always be here."
“Okay…” The child’s eyes seemed to be red again. He lowered his head and blinked hard.
"Will your sister have children in the future?" he suddenly asked, which surprised Chu Yi.
Why are you suddenly asking this?
"I overheard them talking when I went to my grandparents' house that time." The child grinned, his eyes crinkling, like a cute little angel.
"If my sister has children in the future, I will be the older brother, and I will definitely protect my younger brother and sister well."
...
Chu Yi hung up the video call, but she was still unable to calm down for a long time. She stared blankly for a while before slowly composing herself.
When the TV was turned on, Qiao Anchen had just come out of the shower. Chu Yi's gaze unconsciously fell on the screen, but she heard a slight noise not far away.