No wonder…
"—So fake."
"..." Qiao Anchen lowered his head, silently closed the box in his hand, and stood there without saying a word or moving, as if he had tried his best to please someone and was then disliked, looking very pitiful.
At that moment, Chu Yi softened.
At least in her view, Qiao Anchen was willing to make changes for her, even if they weren't things that made her happy or surprised. But at least he was willing to do them.
Chu Yi sighed inwardly, stepped forward, took the box from his hand, and said softly, "Let's go."
"Huh?" Qiao Anchen didn't react at first.
"go home."
After Chu Yi finished speaking, he walked past him and went straight ahead. Qiao Anchen was stunned for two seconds, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face. He quickly followed.
"Yes, are we going back to our home?" After a moment, he couldn't help but confirm again. This time, Chu Yi ignored him and opened the passenger door directly.
Throughout the journey, Qiao Anchen's lips seemed to be turned up, his emotions made no attempt to conceal. Chu Yi leaned back in her seat, turned her head to look out the window, and upon closer inspection, her eyes also held a smile.
It's been almost half a month since I last came back, except for the time I came to pick up my paintbrushes. Chu Yi held the roses in her arms, looking around, but nothing had changed.
Qiao Anchen carried her suitcase in from behind. The two stopped at Chu Yi's house to pack their daily necessities. He was very thoughtful; after bringing them into the room, he even took out a clothes hanger and hung up the clothes from her suitcase.
Chu Yi quickly chimed in, "Hey, I can do that myself."
She put down the flowers in her hand, went over and started arranging them herself. Seeing Qiao Anchen standing there blankly, she couldn't help but say, "Go do what you're supposed to do."
"Oh," Qiao Anchen replied listlessly, and was about to leave when he stopped in his tracks.
"I'm fine too."
"Oh, right." Chu Yi suddenly remembered something important.
"Go and take the flowers from the car downstairs and sell them. I saw that the flower shop next to the community seems to buy them back."
Qiao Anchen: "..."
There were just too many flowers in that car. When she got out, Chu Yi only managed to carry a bunch up. Luckily, she had two vases at home that she could use to put them in. She really didn't have the energy to put the rest in.
We can't just bring them all up to dry and use them for a bath with rose petals.
Otherwise, Chu Yi wouldn't be able to think of a better way to handle it.
"You should buy less of these flashy but impractical things next time, and even if you do buy them, don't buy a whole carload. Actually..." Chu Yi wanted to say, "Actually, if you just say a few nice words to me, I'll be pretty much out of a bad mood."
But she still swallowed it.
After listening, Qiao Anchen silently agreed, "Okay."
After saying that, perhaps feeling that his attitude was not quite right, he added another sentence.
"knew."
Upon seeing his solemn expression, Chu Yi had a sudden realization and immediately emphasized.
"Of course, for important holidays and occasions, a proper sense of ritual is also necessary."
"Oh." Qiao Anchen lowered his eyes and said softly, "I'll remember."
Chu Yi couldn't bear to see him like this. Whenever Qiao Anchen showed even a slight look of disappointment, she would lose all her temper and instead feel a bittersweet feeling in her heart, as if she felt sorry for him and couldn't bear to see him like this.
She attributed her inexplicable reaction to her maternal instincts.
People online say that when you argue with your girlfriend and she tells you to get out, the best way to handle it is to go along with her and get out, but don't get too far. Just squat down next to her and look at her pitifully, awakening her maternal instincts. That way, she'll stop being angry soon.
Chu Yi felt that Qiao Anchen had mastered this move without any formal instruction, and he had used it to its fullest potential.
After selling flowers, Chu Yi had basically finished tidying up. She checked the house and found that apart from being cleaner, tidier, and less lived-in, everything else was pretty much the same.
She placed her toothbrush, cup, and towel in exactly the same position.
Qiao Anchen took a shower as soon as he got back, and after a while, he dried his hair and went to bed.
The blanket was pulled back, and the bed next to me sagged a little. The man's body temperature and breath came through, familiar and long-lost.
The two hadn't slept together for a while, and Chu Yi was surprisingly nervous. She shifted her body uncomfortably, her eyes fixed intently on her phone, but upon closer inspection, her gaze wandered.
"Chu Yi." Qiao Anchen suddenly called her from behind. Chu Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she replied casually, "Hmm?"
There was no sound for a long time. Chu Yi waited and waited, but Qiao Anchen did not speak. She turned around impatiently.
"What do you want from me?"
Qiao Anchen's face appeared before her. He pursed his lips slightly and stared at her silently.
His freshly washed hair was fluffy and soft, covering his forehead, with a few stray strands obscuring his eyebrows. Qiao Anchen had faint double eyelids, just a thin layer that extended outwards at the outer corner of his eyes, making his eye shape look particularly beautiful.
Chu Yi's gaze fell on his lips. Qiao Anchen had naturally fair skin, not excessively so, but a natural and healthy cream color. His eyebrows and eyes were extremely dark, and his lips always had a light red tinge. He had an upright and dignified expression and a handsome face.
The combination of these two is extremely attractive. At first glance, I think very few women could resist a man like this.
"I just... wanted to call you." After a moment of silence, Qiao Anchen answered, seemingly with a hint of caution. Chu Yi paused for a moment.
"Oh." She said, then turned back, and there was no more sound behind her.
After turning off the lights at night, Qiao Anchen had already lay down properly, and Chu Yi had also put away her phone, moved around under the covers, and prepared to go to sleep.
The room was quiet and dark; their breathing was barely audible, and there was no sound from the side, as if they were already asleep.
Chu Yi didn't know how long she had kept her eyes closed, but she finally felt a little sleepy and suddenly wanted to turn over.
Before going to sleep, she always felt uncomfortable if she didn't move at all. Chu Yi frowned and turned around, her face almost touching Qiao Anchen's shoulder.
Chu Yi could almost feel the warmth emanating from him. She nuzzled her head against the pillow, her brow relaxing.
Qiao Anchen had insomnia tonight.
He had been trying his best to adjust his breathing to fall asleep, but just as he was starting to see some results, Chu Yi stirred again, her shallow breaths patting his shoulder, warm and gentle.
Qiao Anchen silently endured it for a while, but couldn't bear it any longer, so he moved to the side to get a little further away from her.
He had just closed his eyes, about to fall asleep, when Chu Yi followed him again. This time she went even further, hugging him tightly and loosely draping her arms over his chest.
Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then slowly relaxed and let out a long breath.
Chu Yi is usually a restless sleeper, always chasing after him and rubbing against him. Qiao Anchen wasn't used to it at first, but after a while, he got used to it and would occasionally hold her in his arms, which actually helped him sleep better.
The girl's body smelled sweet and soft, even more comfortable than the little bear Tian Wan had given him when he was a child.
Often, the first thing Qiao Anchen does when he opens his eyes in the morning is to turn off the alarm clock, then carefully release Chu Yi, lift the covers and get out of bed.
But tonight, Qiao Anchen found it hard to bear.
Perhaps because they had been separated for too long, Qiao Anchen was initially fine, only occasionally having a fleeting thought. But once the two lay on the same bed, the desire within him surged up from every part of his body, gathering together to become an irresistible impulse.
However, Chu Yi is still angry with him. Although she has returned, Qiao Anchen can sense that Chu Yi is still somewhat unhappy, so he cannot do that.
Qiao Anchen was torn between his inner thoughts, his reason and desires pulling him back and forth, his nerves involuntarily tense. Just as he was about to force himself to fall asleep...
Chu Yi mumbled a few words, then habitually stretched out her thigh and draped it over him, even rubbing against him restlessly a couple of times.
Qiao Anchen heard a 'clang' almost clearly in his mind.
His reason snapped.
Chu Yi was awakened by the heat, a heat that seemed to emanate from his bones, spreading throughout his body, making his muscles ache, and causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
She was in a daze, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. Her neck felt wet and warm, as if a head was kissing and biting her. She frowned and couldn't help but groan softly, almost fully waking up.
“Qiao Anchen…”
"What are you doing..."
Chu Yi ran her fingers through his tousled hair, tugging at it and complaining. The next second, the kiss moved from his neck, down his chin and cheek, and captured her lips.
Her breathing quickened, and the heat made her feel dizzy.
"Chu Yi." Qiao Anchen called her name again in her ear, as if it had rolled twice through his throat, low and deep, with a certain hoarseness that was unique to him at certain times. Chu Yi's voice softened and she answered tremblingly.
"What are you doing..."
He stopped talking again, as if he just wanted to call her name. Later, Chu Yi only pushed him away symbolically twice before letting out a muffled groan with a sob in her voice.
The night became incredibly chaotic, yet utterly permissive, as if under this veil of darkness, everything spiraling out of control became perfectly natural.
Unrestrained, indulgent, passionately entwined, utterly exhausted.
When Chu Yi finally fell into a deep sleep, only one thought remained in his mind.
Indeed, abstinence shouldn't be prolonged, or things can easily go wrong.
The next time they met was in the evening of the following day. Qiao Anchen came home from get off work and found Chu Yi standing in the kitchen, tasting the chicken soup for saltiness.
He walked in, his slippers making a tiny sound as they stepped on the floor.
"Is it good?" Qiao Anchen asked from beside her. Chu Yi nodded, handed him the spoon, and brought it to his lips.
"Try it." Qiao Anchen took another sip from what she hadn't finished drinking.
"Okay," he nodded and said, "It's just right."
"Then I'm done cooking." Chu Yi said and went to get her thick gloves, but when she turned around, she bumped into Qiao Anchen's arms. He was standing very close to her, right behind her.
Caught off guard, Chu Yi let out a soft cry. Qiao Anchen reacted quickly, supporting her waist and almost pulling her whole body into his arms.
She looked up at him, and Qiao Anchen stared blankly at her, not letting go of her hand for a long time.
"Let go of me!" Chu Yi reacted first and reminded him. Qiao Anchen said "oh" and slowly let go of his hand, his expression seemingly still a little reluctant.
Chu Yi took the chicken soup out, and Qiao Anchen followed closely behind her. When Chu Yi went to get a bowl, he unconsciously followed, but then, remembering that the range hood was still on, he turned back, and Qiao Anchen followed her in like a little tail.
After this happened several times, Chu Yi noticed and couldn't help but frown and question him.
"Why are you following me? Just sit there and eat."
Qiao Anchen was stunned and got stuck.
After a moment, he realized what was happening, and looked at her with a hint of frustration, replying blankly.
"I don't know either…"
Author's Note: I, Jiang Dalv, must give my next book a shout-out to keep my writing career going! Pre-orders are really important! If you don't add it to your favorites soon, you won't see your beloved Jiang Dalv on the next rankings!
I even went to the trouble of changing the title and synopsis qwq Seriously, aren't you going to consider adding it to your favorites? [Crying while biting a handkerchief: "Youthful Feelings"]
A group of friends around her all know that He Yue's kindness to Qiu Qing'an is an almost indulgent kind of kindness without any limits.