chapter 4

The little quarrel was resolved by evening.

When I returned from work, a steaming hot meal was already set on the table, along with a plate of sliced fruit.

There was also a birthday cake.

He came out holding a bowl of soup, smiling nonchalantly, and said, “Perfect timing, go wash your hands and eat. I made your favorite braised fish.”

I lowered my eyes, slowly put my bag on the cabinet by the door, looked up, and smiled as well.

“Happy birthday.”

He laughed.

“Thirty-one now, an old man.”

During dinner, he casually mentioned:

“Last night I went to give Cheng Hu a talking-to and came back. I was afraid of waking you, so I slept in the next room.”

I nodded and said nothing.

When I got up after dinner, I remembered something and turned to tell him:

“I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Maybe you should sleep in the small bedroom for now?”

He was taken aback for a moment.

“Alright.”

For a while after that, life with Xu Sen returned to normal.

I was busy with interviews and onboarding for new staff at the Work Unit, and he was occupied with launching a new project at his company.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

We are both people whose rationality outweighs emotion.

Whatever we do, we weigh the pros and cons.

I thought, maybe this is the benefit of marrying a rational person.

But soon, I realized I was wrong.