Could it be that he offended someone at work and was then smothered in a sack, taken to a corner, and beaten up?
Chu Yi was frightened by her own speculations. Just as she was getting into the middle of imagining things, her phone buzzed. She immediately snapped out of it and held the phone up to her eyes.
Sure enough, the number displayed was Qiao Anchen's.
Chu Yi answered the call quickly, eager to confirm his safety.
"Are you asleep?" Qiao Anchen's voice came from the other end of the line, his tone normal, but there were two soft coughs at the end of his sentence.
"Not yet." Chu Yi asked hesitantly, "Do you have a cold?"
"I have a slight cough." Qiao Anchen coughed a few more times before clearing his throat and speaking, his voice a little hoarse.
"It's been raining and a bit chilly these past few days, so please make sure to keep warm and don't wear too little clothing."
"Have you taken your medicine?" Chu Yixin's heart clenched, and her fingers unconsciously twisted and rubbed the corner of the blanket underneath.
"It's nothing, just a minor ailment. It'll be fine in a couple of days," Qiao Anchen said nonchalantly.
No one spoke again, and the air suddenly became somewhat silent. Chu Yi lowered her eyes with a downcast expression. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then spoke, as if coaxing a child, her tone very gentle and patient.
What did you do today?
"I drew the sketches, went to class, and then stayed home and didn't go anywhere else," Chu Yi answered obediently.
What did you have for dinner?
Chu Yi paused for a moment, then answered, "Mala Tang (spicy hot pot)."
Sure enough, the other side started again.
“You’ve eaten this three times this week, Chu Yi. Didn’t I tell you to eat less? It’s not just that this kind of food is unhealthy, but also that it’s unhygienic in many places.”
Chu Yi could already picture Qiao Anchen frowning deeply on the other end of the line. His voice was deep and resonant, like an elder scolding a disobedient child.
She replied dismissively, "Okay, okay."
"You always say that." Qiao Anchen was helpless and even coughed twice because he was so angry with her. Chu Yi was a little scared, worried that he would really get worse because of her.
"I really won't eat it anymore. I'll only eat it once a week at most from now on!" Chu Yi felt a little aggrieved. She was the one who got angry and moved out to give him the cold shoulder, so why was Qiao Anchen now controlling her?
Chu Yi feigned impatience and said, "That's it then, I'm hanging up."
Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then said after a few seconds, "Then take good care of yourself, go to bed early, goodnight."
"Goodnight," Chu Yi said, then couldn't help but add.
"Take good care of yourself."
She hung up the phone before Qiao Anchen could answer, then stared blankly for a while, turned over in bed, looked at the name in the call log, and couldn't help but smile.
A few days ago, Chu Yi went to the supermarket and bought half a box of apples. Because of the promotional discount, an aunt insisted on having her buy them together. Chu Yi thought it wouldn't cost much, so she bought them without hesitation.
When I got back, I realized I couldn't finish it all. Luckily, I learned how to make an Austrian apple pie in my dessert class, so I took some time to try making it.
The taste was quite good. After she finished making the tutorial and posted it on Weibo, she couldn't resist taking a few more photos with her camera, adding filters and editing them before posting them on her WeChat Moments.
Ms. Wenfang commented immediately below.
"It looks delicious."
Chu Yi immediately replied to her with his phone.
"It tastes even better!"
"Mom wants to eat too." She followed it with a crying emoji. I don't know where she picked it up from, but she likes to post exaggerated emojis every day. But it matches her personality quite well.
Chu Yi looked at her reply and thought for a moment. It had been a while since he had been home, so he decided to go back today since he had some free time.
She replied immediately.
"Then I'll bring it over to you, and we can have dinner at home tonight!"
Ms. Wenfang was clearly also playing on her phone, and soon they started chatting about tonight's dishes. The two of them started a long thread under the post, but neither of them was willing to be kind enough to message the other privately.
Finally, after finalizing the time and itinerary on WeChat Moments, Chu Yi put down her phone, changed her clothes, and prepared to go home.
After some time had passed, the two elders hadn't changed much and were still full of energy. They knew that Qiao Anchen had to work during the day, so they didn't bring him up, which saved Chu Yi from having to explain and made her feel much better.
The apple pie she brought received enthusiastic praise from the couple. Ms. Wenfang exclaimed that getting married really makes a difference; she even seemed to have the air of a virtuous wife and loving mother, which made her, as a mother, very proud.
Chu Yi nodded at her with a forced smile, without explaining why he had signed up for the dessert class.
As dinner time approached, the two asked if Qiao Anchen was free to come over that evening, and Chu Yi answered for him.
"He has to work overtime every night, he doesn't have time."
The two of them didn't say anything more.
The meal was very warm and cozy. Chu Yi had been coming home less often since getting married, so it was a rare treat for the three of them to be together like before. They had so much to talk about.
After dinner, it was getting dark, and the light became dim as the sun set. Chu Yi watched TV in the living room for a while, and was about to say goodbye and go home when it seemed like someone was knocking on the door.
Ms. Wenfang was in the kitchen, nearby, and immediately ran to open the door. After a while, she heard her call out, "Yizai, come out quickly, Anchen is here—"
Chu Yi paused as she reached for the oranges, looking up in surprise to see Qiao Anchen walk in. He was wearing dress pants and a shirt, with a thin cardigan over them. His expression was normal, but his dark eyes were fixed on her, carrying a hint of something indescribable in this situation.
Chu Yi looked up, her brows furrowed slightly, and asked him in confusion.
What are you doing here?
Qiao Anchen smiled slightly, his expression calm. After a moment, he spoke softly.
"I've come to take you home."
Author's Note: I'll be giving away 100 red envelopes in this chapter.
26. Chapter 26
Before Chu Yi could say anything, Ms. Wen Fang spoke up first.
"Oh my, look how caring An Chen is, he even came all the way to pick you up. Come on, let's go." She even picked up Chu Yi's bag from the corner of the sofa, as if she was about to see her off.
Chu Tian also exchanged pleasantries with them.
"An Chen, have you eaten?"
"I've eaten, Dad," Qiao Anchen replied gently and politely, displaying the humility of a junior to the fullest extent. Sure enough, Chu Tian's expression relaxed.
"Take more rest and don't be too busy," he said, patting Qiao Anchen on the shoulder. Qiao Anchen nodded obediently.
"I'll be more careful, thank you, Dad."
Chu Tian was very pleased, his face was almost wrinkled from smiling, and the atmosphere between the two was very harmonious. Chu Yi couldn't stand it anymore.
"Dad, we're leaving."
"Go on, go on, be careful on the road." The two escorted them to the door, and Chu Yi waved goodbye to the two elders.
"I'll come see you again next time."
"Okay, okay." The two looked at the well-matched couple standing together and said happily, "Remember to invite An Chen to come over for dinner next time."
Under the watchful eyes of his parents, Chu Yi didn't say much and just nodded perfunctorily, while Qiao Anchen readily agreed.
The two walked outside in silence, and Qiao Anchen's car was parked not far away.
Chu Yi immediately stopped and said coldly, "You can go by yourself. I'm going home."
Qiao Anchen paused as he was about to open the car door, turned to look at her, and spoke in a completely different tone than before, hesitant and stammering.
Are you still angry with me?
Chu Yi remained silent, pursing his lips and not answering.
After a moment of silence, Qiao Anchen suddenly said in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "I bought you something."
"?" Chu Yi looked surprised, then saw Qiao Anchen walk quickly to the car and open the trunk.
A large patch of blinding red almost dazzled her. Chu Yi blinked hard, afraid that she was hallucinating.
The carriage in front of me was filled with red roses, arranged in a huge heart shape. Chu Yi noticed that in the center of the huge red heart, three words were spelled out with pink roses.
sorry.
There were also some colorful ribbons, balloons, and small light bulbs scattered around, flickering and lighting up under the dimly lit residential building.
It can be as rustic as you want, and as flamboyant as you want.
Chu Yi froze for a second, unsure of how to react.
Qiao Anchen looked at her nervously. Seeing that Chu Yi was standing there motionless, he simply picked up the beautifully packaged box next to the roses and handed it to her.
"This is a gift I bought for you."
Chu Yi finally shifted her gaze from the extravagant display of roses on the car to the pink heart-shaped gift box in his hand, staring at it blankly while silently taking deep breaths to prepare herself.
"Tell me, what is it?"
Qiao Anchen became even more uneasy at her reaction. He pursed his lips and opened his mouth somewhat nervously.
At first glance, she noticed several neat rows of lipsticks inside, from a well-known international brand that she often uses. She probably bought the entire series of shades, probably dozens of them.
She was shocked. This gift was something that someone like Qiao Anchen would never give.
The whole process tonight looked like a standard template for coaxing his girlfriend that he had learned somewhere.
It looked extremely strange on him.
Chu Yi looked at it for a few seconds, tilted her head slightly, and asked him, "Where did you learn all this?"
Qiao Anchen's eyes flickered twice, he moved his lips, and his gaze involuntarily shifted away from the ground.
"I just..."
"I just searched it online."
"Oh." Chu Yi nodded, understanding.
No wonder.
"No wonder what?" Qiao Anchen asked with a hint of curiosity, like a genuinely eager student seeking knowledge and answers.
Chu Yi smiled gently.