This was a complete misunderstanding of our innocent young gentleman.

If Zhong Xiaoqin had just looked down, she would have realized that Chen Cheng simply didn't want to waste words with her, and he was only grabbing her arm.

Chen Cheng found a random room and walked in.

He walked to the wardrobe, opened it, took out a bathrobe for Zhong Xiaoqin, and handed it to her.

"Bathrobe. Everything else is in the bathroom."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng paused for a second. "Hmm..."

"Oh, right, underwear."

Zhong Xiaoqin's face, already flushed, turned even redder.

She hurriedly waved her hands. "No need for all that trouble."

Chen Cheng ignored her and started pulling open the drawers in the wardrobe.

He actually found some underwear—colorful and in all sorts of styles.

Even with skin as thick as a city wall, Chen Cheng's face flushed slightly.

He rubbed his nose. "Ahem..."

"Anyway, you can pick out the underwear yourself."

"My assistant prepared them; they're all brand new, so don't worry about wearing them."

"I'm just not sure if they're your size."

"There should be some one-size-fits-all ones, though."

"Anyway..." As he spoke, Chen Cheng's face turned beet red. He pointed toward the bathroom. "The bathroom is over there."

"Take your time washing up, no rush. I'll head out first."

Zhong Xiaoqin was originally quite shy, but seeing Chen Cheng 'flee in a panic,' she couldn't help but giggle.

Dummy, who wears underwear after a bath late at night?

Little did she know that when a hunter is on the prowl, he sometimes disguises himself as a little white rabbit to make his prey lower its guard.

Zhong Xiaoqin turned back and looked at the dazzling array of underwear in the drawer, her face instantly turning red again.

Most of the styles in there were far too daring.

Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't help her curiosity and looked them over for a long while.

Finally, she pursed her lips and chose a style she had never worn before.

She thought about it; Chen Cheng's action of finding underwear for her was actually correct.

Since she was in someone else's home, it really wouldn't be appropriate not to wear underwear.

As for the style, it was entirely because life in her own home had been too stifling.

Not talking was one thing, but even their intimacy was scheduled and measured.

Twice a month, like the ancient distribution of grain from a granary.

Usually, she wouldn't think about it, but now that she saw these, Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't resist wanting to try them.

Anyway, she'd be wearing pajamas or a bathrobe over them, so no one else would see.

By the time Zhong Xiaoqin came out of the room, more than forty minutes had passed.

At this moment, Chen Cheng was sitting on a chair in the dining room, eating.

Zhong Xiaoqin's cat, Pikachu, was crouching by Chen Cheng's leg, nibbling on some salmon.

*Gurgle...*

Looking at the dazzling array of food on the table, Zhong Xiaoqin's little tummy let out an involuntary protest.

"Have a seat," Chen Cheng said with a smile, glancing at Zhong Xiaoqin, who was dressed in a white bathrobe.

Zhong Xiaoqin gave a faint smile and sat down across from Chen Cheng.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where did all this come from?"

"Takeout, of course," Chen Cheng laughed teasingly. "Otherwise, how could I have conjured it up in such a short time?"

"Go ahead and eat. It's from the hotel nearby. See how it tastes."

"Oh." Zhong Xiaoqin responded. She was indeed hungry, so she didn't stand on ceremony anymore; she picked up a knife and fork and began to eat.

Hmm?

Chen Cheng paused, only now noticing that Zhong Xiaoqin's hair was still soaking wet.

"Was there no hair dryer in the room?"

Zhong Xiaoqin shook her head. "I couldn't find one in the bathroom."

"It's fine. I'll just let it air dry."

Chen Cheng frowned. He didn't immediately get up to get a hair dryer, but instead went to the kitchen to get some candles.

He lit two and placed them on the table.

Zhong Xiaoqin's eyes lit up, and a smile curled onto her lips. She asked softly, "What's this for?"

"Isn't it your birthday?" Chen Cheng's lips quirked up. "You need a sense of ceremony."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng picked up the red wine on the table and poured a glass for Zhong Xiaoqin.

"Eat up, and enjoy the first day of your eighteenth year."

"Isn't it my thirtieth?" Zhong Xiaoqin asked playfully, her eyes full of mirth upon hearing this.

Chen Cheng shrugged. "Aren't you forever eighteen?"

"..."

Zhong Xiaoqin was speechless for a moment and muttered softly, "Smooth talker."

Even though she was complaining, her heart felt as if it had been dipped in honey.

Chen Cheng shook his head with a smile, ignored her comment, and turned toward the rooms.

"Where are you going?" Zhong Xiaoqin asked, watching his back.

"Just eat your food," Chen Cheng replied without looking back.

"Oh."

Zhong Xiaoqin responded and didn't think too much of it, continuing to eat.

Between the rain and the argument, it had been a long few hours; she was truly starving.

A moment later, Chen Cheng returned with a hair dryer and a power strip in his hands.

Chen Cheng looked around, found a floor socket, and plugged in the hair dryer.

This silly girl, Zhong Xiaoqin, was still stuffing her face. She thanked him when she saw the hair dryer in his hand.

"Thank you~"

Chen Cheng shook his head with a smile, walked behind her, and turned on the dryer to help her dry her hair.

When Chen Cheng's hand touched the skin on the back of her neck, Zhong Xiaoqin froze completely.

She sat there dazed, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Chen Cheng also felt her stiffness. While gently drying her hair, he said softly, "Keep eating, don't mind me."

"Girls have long hair. If you wash it and don't dry it, it holds a lot of moisture."

"You don't feel it when you're young, but when you reach a certain age, you can easily suffer from migraines."

"It'll be too late for regrets then."

"You were out in the rain today too; you shouldn't neglect yourself like this."

"..."

Listening to Chen Cheng's nagging, Zhong Xiaoqin gradually became less tense.

But she still felt that the two of them were being a bit intimate.

Especially since she was still a married woman.

Oh, wait.

I'm already getting a divorce.

So I probably don't count as a married woman anymore, right?

Zhong Xiaoqin thought to herself.

She gradually became distracted, nearly poking her nose with her steak several times.

Zhong Xiaoqin's hair wasn't long, and Chen Cheng had it dry in less than ten minutes.

Her hair was dry, but Zhong Xiaoqin's little face had turned bright red.

Chen Cheng put away the hair dryer and sat back down across from Zhong Xiaoqin.

He raised his glass. "Come, let's toast. Happy birthday to the beautiful and lovely Ms. Zhong Xiaoqin. May every year have a day like this, and every day have a moment like now."

With a crimson face, Zhong Xiaoqin raised her glass and clinked it against Chen Cheng's. "Thank you~"

Her tone and expression were soft, sweet, and reserved.

The soft and sweet speech mentioned in books was probably just like this.

After they shared a drink, they continued eating and chatting.

Chen Cheng deliberately steered the conversation.

"Why did you end up arguing when you went back?"

"I..."

At the mention of what happened earlier, Zhong Xiaoqin suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, a feeling that she just had to let out.

She picked up the red wine on the table, poured herself another glass, and took a gulp.

"When you dropped me off, my anger had actually subsided."

"But then I got home and couldn't open the door again..."

Once she started talking, Zhong Xiaoqin poured everything out like beans from a bamboo tube, recounting all of Chen the Fish-Rearer's various acts of cold violence.

Even Chen Cheng was speechless.

When he had watched the story before, he thought Zhong Xiaoqin was just a spoiled, fussy young lady.

Now, hearing the account directly from the person involved, he actually understood her a bit.

This Chen the Fish-Rearer wouldn't pay any attention to Zhong Xiaoqin except when absolutely necessary.

This feeling was completely different from the loneliness of living alone.

This was ten thousand times more terrifying than being single.

Think about it: people get married to have someone who cares for them, someone to eat with, sleep with, and... with.

But then, he or she simply doesn't say a single extra word to you at home.

It's like living with a damn corpse.

Just thinking about it makes one feel sick and uncomfortable.

It's even a bit creepy.