Chapter 13.1

There was a convenience store outside the neighborhood. Qin Nanshan picked up some preserved plums and hawthorn strips. Still unsure of her preferences, he grabbed one of every sour snack in the store. At checkout, he spotted the last few green skinned tangerines on the shelf by the register and tossed them all into the bag.

The cashier was secretly stunned. She never expected those fruits, which were about to be thrown out, to sell.

She was even more shocked after ringing everything up. He had bought every sour item in the store. Looking up again at the handsome, upright man, her mind was already spinning a drama about a domineering CEO coaxing his pregnant wife.

Back home, Wen Yi was still waiting in the living room. Summer was there too. When he entered, Wen Yi was holding something up, teasing Summer with it. The moment she saw him, she quickly hid it, and her expression tightened.

He changed his shoes, neatly straightening the ones she had kicked into disarray, then walked over. “I bought some snacks and fruits. See if there’s anything you can eat.”

Wen Yi glanced at the bag and muttered softly, “Why buy so much?”

“I did not know what you like.”

Wen Yi picked up a tangerine and peeled it. As soon as she did, the juice squirted out, splashing her face with sourness. She took a bite, and her brows immediately twisted into waves. “So sour, so sour.”

Qin Nanshan took the tangerine she tossed onto the table and tasted it. It was indeed unbearably sour. He handed her a hawthorn strip. “Eat this.”

Wen Yi pulled her legs up onto the sofa, glanced at him sideways, and took the hawthorn strip.

Qin Nanshan sat down on the sofa with Summer and spoke to her. “Do you only want sour things?”

“What? A highly educated intellectual like you still believes in superstitions?” Wen Yi corrected him. “According to the latest research, ‘sour for boys, spicy for girls’ applies to men. If the man eats sour foods, the Y chromosome is more active; spicy makes the X chromosome more active.”

She then asked, “Three months ago, during that time, did you prefer sour or spicy?”

Qin Nanshan casually poured her a glass of water. “I have no food restrictions. I eat everything.”

“Then do you remember what you ate those few days?”

Qin Nanshan said, “I do not remember.”

The topic ended there.

Wen Yi rummaged through the bag again, found some preserved plums, and popped one into her mouth, not planning to speak to him anymore.

But he had something to say. Qin Nanshan stroked Summer’s fur, waiting until she spat out the pit and finished her water before asking slowly, “I noticed your complexion has not been great these past two days. Are you still not used to things? Not sleeping well at night? Maybe I should sleep in the secondary bedroom.”

Wen Yi did not respond.

He continued, “We can revisit this in a couple of months when the baby is bigger. The master bedroom has my things too. If Mom and Dad come, they won’t suspect anything.”

In truth, Wen Yi had been sleeping quite well these past few days. Her bad mood had another reason, but after the initial outburst, she had calmed down. There was nothing worth mentioning, and Zhong Lan’s behavior had nothing to do with him.

Yet there was still a small sense of disappointment in her heart. Though she had not expected them to deeply understand and love each other, they could not even share basic emotions right now. She pouted. “It is you who does not want to sleep with me.”

Qin Nanshan was suddenly accused of a grave offense. “No, I am afraid of disturbing you.”

“Then your solution is to move out?”

The man paused slightly.

Wen Yi looked up at him, her voice calm. “Qin Nanshan, I did not plan to play house with you.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew still, their gazes meeting in the air.

Summer, seeing no one was petting him anymore, jumped off the sofa and left.

After a long while, Qin Nanshan’s eyes narrowed as he guessed again. “Did Auntie say something to you?”

Thinking back over the past few days, the only thing that could have upset her this much had to involve his aunt. As soon as he said it, Wen Yi shot him a glance, confirming it. “What did she say?”

Wen Yi ate another hawthorn strip and said muffledly, “She did not say anything nice. I do not want to repeat it.”

“Auntie’s personality is quite different from the rest of our family. You do not need to take her words to heart or force yourself to get along with her. I only see her once a year myself. If you do not want to go back there in the future, we simply will not. I will tell Mom and Dad. Later, I will find time to speak with Auntie privately.”

Wen Yi replied, “No need to go out of your way to talk to her. It would make it seem like I am complaining to you.”

Qin Nanshan smiled lightly inside. She had not complained outright, but she had been sulking—from the night they returned on the first day of the new year until just now. Her temper was not small.

Since it was because of his family, Qin Nanshan apologized. “I apologize on Auntie’s behalf. Her words do not represent me or Mom and Dad. They know what kind of person she is and would never let her affect our relationship.”

Wen Yi did not know how to respond. She lowered her head and murmured, “Oh.” Suddenly, all her little resentment vanished.

Qin Nanshan said gently, “It is getting late. Sleep?”

His slightly husky voice, combined with his unhurried way of speaking, made the words “sleep” sound laden with ambiguity—as if it meant something more intimate, like a man holding back his eagerness yet still having to ask.

It also sounded like a soft plea for peace. Wen Yi’s ears turned slightly red. “You go back first. I will eat a bit more.”

Qin Nanshan nodded, called Summer—who was wandering around—back to the secondary bedroom to settle him, then returned to the master bedroom.

In the previous nights, Wen Yi had always fallen asleep first and never noticed when he lay down. Sometimes she woke in the middle of the night, felt something blocking her as she turned, and her mind would blank for a moment until she caught his familiar scent and drifted off again.

Now it felt like they were back to their first night.

Her heart tightened a little. After finishing half the pack of preserved plums, she washed her hands and returned to the room.

The light was still on. Qin Nanshan was reading a book, waiting for her.

She cleared her throat lightly, walked around the foot of the bed to her usual side, lifted the covers, and lay down.

The question came immediately. “Turn off the light?”

“Mm.”

Once the light went out, the entire bedroom plunged into darkness. Wen Yi closed her eyes, then opened them, gradually adjusting to the dimness.

Outside, the wind and the hum of the air conditioner masked her breathing.

Half a minute later, the sandalwood scent beside her grew stronger. Wen Yi tensed and scooted toward the edge of the bed. “What are you doing?”

She was already sleeping close to the edge; any further and she would fall off. Qin Nanshan quickly reached out to pull her back. “What are you dodging for?”

“I…”

He was practically holding her, their breaths mingling. Wen Yi felt uncomfortable and pulled back slightly.

The man’s deep, pleasant voice carried a hint of amusement. “Did you not say this is not playing house?”

“Do not twist my meaning.”

Qin Nanshan asked, “Then what did you mean?”

“……” Wen Yi could not explain.

“My way of thinking before was a bit off. I am sorry. I do not have much experience either. If I made you unhappy, please be understanding.”

He spoke in the darkness, his tone measured. “I never intended to play house with you. It is just that the path we took into marriage skipped a lot of steps. I was thinking we could explore a way of getting along that suits us, step by step.”

Wen Yi barely heard the second half. “Did you not date before? No experience?”

Silence.

In the silence, Wen Yi heard him shift, moving away from her. Curiosity got the better of her; she turned toward him. “I heard your aunt mention it. Was your ex girlfriend named something with ‘Rou’?”

Qin Nanshan frowned. “Why would she bring that up to you for no reason?”

Confirmed!

Wen Yi’s gossip mode activated. “How did you break up? You never slept together?”

Silence again.

Wen Yi was delighted. All her messy emotions vanished completely. “So am I your first woman? Or did you have others before?”

Qin Nanshan’s voice grew heavy. “Wen Yi, do not make wild guesses.”

“I really am your first?” Wen Yi’s excitement was fully ignited. What could be more fun than gossiping about her husband’s ex? She turned on her bedside lamp and sat up. “Wow, Qin Nanshan, you are amazing. So skilled for your first time!”

The sudden light made Qin Nanshan shield his eyes. He turned to switch off the lamp, his voice icy. “Sleep.”

Wen Yi left the light off but scooted closer. “No sleep. The baby is still awake. Come on, tell me.”

“Wen Yi…”

“Please, just talk. The baby wants to know too.”

Qin Nanshan was utterly helpless and could only skirt the issue. “We were only together two months. It did not work out, so we split.”

“You finally got together—how did it not work? What a shame.”

Qin Nanshan turned to see his wife looking genuinely regretful about someone else’s romance, as if it had nothing to do with her. He was not sure what he felt. She leaned in closer. “You did not sleep together, but did you kiss? Hold hands?”

The distance closed. Qin Nanshan stared into her eyes, his gaze dark and unreadable, deeper than the night. He caught her fidgeting hand, his voice low and husky. “Wen Yi, stop asking.”

Wen Yi paused, gradually sensing a hint of danger. She pulled her hand back and shrank away. “Fine, no questions. Stingy.”

After all that bedtime chaos, Wen Yi had no extra energy left. She slept straight through until morning.

Waking up, Wen Yi sighed with relief. Thanks to his ex girlfriend—if she could not sleep tonight, she would have more questions.

…..

After breakfast, Qiao En kept calling nonstop, urging them to come out for dinner together—to act as wingmen for her blind date.

Wen Yi had nothing better to do anyway. She went to ask Qin Nanshan if he was free. He said he still had some work and would only be available in the afternoon.

Qiao En then set it for seven in the evening.

At six thirty, the two prepared to head out.

But leaving the door proved not so smooth. Wen Yi had just put on her shoes when she realized she forgot her necklace. She kicked them off again and returned to the master bedroom. Qin Nanshan waited on the side, crouching down to play with Summer in the meantime.

Five or six minutes later, she came out, glanced at the window, and suddenly remembered the clothes she had washed were not hung out to dry.

Qin Nanshan said, “We can hang them when we get back.”

“No way. They will smell.”

So he watched as she went to take the clothes out of the washing machine one by one and hung them in her designated spot.

When it came to hanging laundry, they had a tacit understanding: each claimed one corner of the balcony, never interfering with the other. Occasionally, when Qin Nanshan looked up, he would catch sight of her two small items—white, black, various shapes. He usually just glanced over without lingering.

Wen Yi hung them up quickly and hurried back.

“No rush. Take your time.”

“I am rushing.” She said while putting on her shoes, “If we are late, it will leave a bad impression.”

Qin Nanshan waited patiently and picked up her bag from the shoe cabinet to prevent another trip back.

At six fifty, they got in the car. On the way, Wen Yi asked him, “Is this classmate of yours reliable?”

Qin Nanshan thought for a moment before answering, “Zhuang Yue has good conditions in all aspects. He is smooth and articulate. He has had a few girlfriends before. As a friend, I think he is fine, but for a relationship, I cannot say for sure.”

Wen Yi rolled up her sleeves, full of fighting spirit. “Whether he is decent or not, let me size him up.”