"Hello?"
"Still shopping?" Qiao Anchen asked on the other end of the line.
"No, I'm on my way home." Chu Yi remained indifferent.
"one person?"
Cheng Li drove me there.
"Oh," Qiao Anchen replied casually, then seemed to remember something.
"Did you buy a lot of things? Should I come pick you up?"
Chu Yi paused for a moment, his tone unconsciously softening.
"Then you can wait for me at the entrance of the community. Cheng Li doesn't need to drive in anymore."
The two hung up after exchanging only a few words. Cheng Li overheard the conversation and understood what had happened.
"Is he urging you to go home?"
"No, they just asked me when I'm coming back."
"uh-huh?"
"He asked if I had bought a lot of things and was coming to pick me up." Chu Yi coughed lightly, but the upturned corners of her mouth couldn't be hidden.
"Tsk tsk tsk, women are indeed fickle." Cheng Li rolled her eyes.
"One second she was saying she wanted to be with me forever, and the next second she was kidnapped by some other man."
"Cheng Li!" Even after knowing her for so many years, Chu Yi still sometimes can't stand her sharp tongue.
She pretended to hit her.
"Alright, alright, stop fooling around, I'm driving." She quickly moved aside, and Chu Yi snorted and turned to look out the window.
The scenery on both sides changed rapidly, and the car soon stopped at the entrance of the residential area. A familiar figure was already standing under the streetlight.
Cheng Li stopped the car and looked at her teasingly.
"Your man is waiting for you, and he's quite punctual."
Chu Yi ignored her. Qiao Anchen had already seen the two of them and walked over. She opened the car door, her expression still a little unnatural because of Cheng Li's words "your man" earlier.
"That's all I bought, it's all here." Chu Yi opened the back seat and separated her and Cheng Li's pile of spoils, which Qiao Anchen bent down and carried out with both hands.
He looked at Cheng Li in the driver's seat and nodded slightly to her as a greeting.
The two had met several times at the wedding, as Cheng Li was Chu Yi's bridesmaid, but given Qiao Anchen's personality, they barely exchanged a few words throughout the entire event.
Cheng Li nodded in return, and finally looked at Chu Yi.
"They're gone."
"Be careful on the road," Chu Yi said to her. Cheng Li waved without turning her head, and the car quickly disappeared from sight.
Only she and Qiao Anchen remained at the entrance of the residential area. The night was quiet, and the warm yellow streetlights shone silently on the ground.
Chu Yi turned around and spoke to the person next to him.
"Let's go too."
"Okay." Qiao Anchen carried bags in both hands, full of heavy items, while Chu Yi carried two small items.
A long and a short shadow fell at their feet, and Chu Yi asked a question.
"Did you have meal?"
"I've eaten. What about you?" Qiao Anchen turned to look at her.
"Me too."
The two exchanged dinner recipes and chatted about trivial matters. On their way home, the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
After a whole day of shopping, although she was a little tired, Chu Yi was still very happy to organize her day's achievements after taking a shower.
She took the clothes out of the bag one by one and put them in the closet.
Qiao Anchen was lying in bed. He looked up while reading and saw her movements, so he couldn't help but speak.
Is shopping really that fun?
"Of course!" Chu Yi replied immediately, his face beaming.
Qiao Anchen nodded without saying anything, then turned his gaze back to the book. After a moment, as if suddenly remembering something, he said something casually.
"Then you can ask Cheng Li to go out with you more often next time. She can accompany you from morning till night."
Chuyi: "..."
Her good mood vanished instantly. She discovered that Qiao Anchen always had a knack for infuriating people, which was quite impressive.
Chu Yi paused for a moment, then continued, gritting his teeth.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't ask you to go shopping with me again next time!"
Qiao Anchen was a little confused. He didn't know why Chu Yi was angry again. After thinking about it, he decided to give up and silently read his book, waiting for her unhappiness to pass.
Although no one had told him, the months of marriage and time spent together had given Qiao Anchen a vague sense of something.
For example, sometimes Chu Yi will suddenly get angry. If you just stay silent, she will be fine again after a while.
Qiao Anchen nodded to himself, pleased with his own wisdom.
15. Chapter 15
Chu Yi was very likable from a young age. When she was in kindergarten, all the children in her class loved to play with her, and they would always bring her the best food and toys first.
Because when she was little, she was not only very cute, with a rosy face and big, dark, glassy eyes, but she also had a very gentle temperament, was generous and kind, and was obedient and well-behaved.
This personality trait has accompanied her throughout her life and remains unchanged to this day. Many things that others cannot tolerate, she can simply endure and let go of.
In college, there were six of them in one dormitory. Cheng Li arrived the latest, and by then everyone had almost gotten to know each other.
They were all fresh out of high school, a group of girls with plain hair, long black hair, and no makeup. When Cheng Li pushed open the door, she was wearing a short skirt and high heels, with big wavy hair, delicate eyeliner, and a complete makeup look, plus the strong scent of perfume that wafted over.
More importantly, there was a boy beside her, attentively helping her pull her suitcase.
This scene was deeply etched in everyone's mind. Not long after the start of the semester, Cheng Li had several different boys around her. In addition, she often stayed outside, so the girls in the dormitory rarely played with her.
Once the initial impression was bad, it was hard to reverse it. Then something else happened: a girl in the dorm suddenly confessed to Cheng Li because of her boyfriend. This immediately strained their relationship, and the others started to isolate her.
I deliberately ignored her at gatherings, didn't include her in the breakfast I brought, and immediately stopped chatting whenever I saw her.
It almost reached the level of passive-aggressive behavior.
However, Cheng Li seemed completely unconcerned, still going her own way with her chin held high like a proud and fearless queen.
Only the first-year students would occasionally exchange a few words with her, usually as well-intentioned reminders.
The next day, remember to be on time for attendance if it's someone's class that will be called.
What homework was assigned today?
The school will experience water and power outages in the evening, so please prepare in advance.
Most of the time, Chu Yi was with the girls in her dormitory. Everyone treated her very well, like a little sister. Perhaps it was because Chu Yi was short and looked young, and she was also cute and adorable, which made her very likable.
The change in her relationship with Cheng Li occurred on a deserted evening. She had caught a cold on the first day of the Lunar New Year and was staying in the dormitory. Originally, she was alone, but then Cheng Li came in. She didn't seem to notice anyone was there and immediately lay down on her bed and cried loudly.
Chu Yi was woken up from her sleep. She peeked out and, after seeing it was her, hesitated for a long time before carefully handing over a piece of paper.
"Don't cry..."
Cheng Li's crying stopped abruptly. After seeing who it was, she took the tissue from her and vigorously wiped her snot and tears.
It wasn't until the first day of the Lunar New Year that Chu Yi learned that Cheng Li had broken up with her boyfriend of three years. The two had actually been in a cold war, and those boys were all brought in by Cheng Li to deliberately provoke him, but in the end, it still ended like this.
After that incident, Cheng Li started frequently asking her to hang out, which greatly upset the other girls in the dorm. They even got angry with Chu Yi. The girl who had been hurt by her crush reacted the most strongly, declaring that she would break off all ties with her.
Chu Yi wasn't angry; he remained good-natured, saving seats for them in class and fetching hot water after class. He even took notes for the exams to share with everyone.
No one can stay angry anymore.
Moreover, she has one particularly good quality: she doesn't hold grudges. There was once a girl in her class with a terrible temper who scolded her on the spot because of a misunderstanding, but when she found out the truth later, she couldn't bring herself to apologize.
Not long after, the girl needed Chu Yi's help again. She hesitated for a long time and was prepared to be humiliated when she tentatively asked. Unexpectedly, Chu Yi agreed without much thought.
Therefore, she is known for her good temper, so even if she is so angry with Qiao Anchen that she is speechless, she can adjust herself in no time.
Qiao Anchen's feeling on this point was correct.
—As long as she keeps quiet, she will get better after a while.
But he didn't know that if an illness is left untreated for a long time, it will accumulate and eventually explode.
After mid-September, Qiao Anchen got busy again, and the two basically returned to 'roommate mode,' barely exchanging a few words each day.
Occasionally, Chu Yi would want to chat with him at night, but Qiao Anchen would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His daily work had already taken a toll on his mind, and he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.
Before we knew it, the National Day holiday was here.
October 1st is a very special day because it is Qiao Anchen's birthday, and he celebrates his birthday with his motherland.
Tian Wan told her about this, and Chu Yi was surprised when she found out, but also found it a little funny.
It's hard to imagine anyone celebrating their birthday on National Day. As the national flag is slowly raised, cannons roar, and a grand and orderly military parade unfolds, various advanced weapons and the nation's strength are displayed to everyone on this day, celebrating the motherland's birthday.
And how would someone who shares the same birthday feel watching all of this?
Indifferent, accustomed to it, or perhaps even proud of it?
Chu Yi thought Qiao Anchen would definitely be the first one.
On the day before National Day, the last working day of the long holiday, Qiao Anchen went out of town on official business and wouldn't be back until the next day.
He said he would be busy until very late, the exact time was uncertain, but it was in a remote mountainous area, and the journey alone would take three or four hours, so he would probably get home after dark.
Chu Yi is a kind-hearted girl who repays evil with good. Even though Qiao Anchen has hurt her countless times, Chu Yi feels that on this special day, we should show some care to the hardworking people.
The next day, she got up early and cleaned the house. The entire living room, bedroom, and kitchen were spotless and radiant with a clean scent under the sunlight.
Then, on the first day of the lunar month, he went out and went to the largest shopping supermarket in the vicinity.