Dish

By the time they got home, it was already evening. Besides, Ye Shuang had only come back after having dinner out with Chen Qin.

Ye Shuang had plans to go to school the next day. For one thing, there were a lot of things to take care of at the start of term. For another, Chen Qin was leaving the country tomorrow. Work at the company had been fairly quiet lately, and with the two fishes as his secret weapons, Ye Shuang didn’t need to go in.

That night, Ye Shuang and Chen Qin slept together. Though his memories hadn’t returned, Ye Shuang had realized that he had fallen in love with this gentle woman all over again. Memories might fade, but the imprint left on his soul had made it easy for him to accept Chen Qin back into his life.

The night passed in silence, with nothing but movement.

…

When he woke the next morning, Ye Shuang glanced at the sleeping Chen Qin beside him, then checked the time. Perhaps because they’d stayed up so late, he’d already slept past his usual wake-up time.

His gaze settled on his wife’s shoulder, then drifted a little lower. They’d slept with the lights off, so all he’d been able to make out was the faint outline of her breasts in the moonlight filtering through the curtains and the glow from outside, along with Chen Qin’s back.

Ye Shuang fell silent for a moment and looked at his palm, as though recalling the feeling of gripping and pinching her last night.

It felt as if they’d done it many times before. He even knew exactly where to touch. Was that some kind of muscle memory?

Ye Shuang wasn’t sure. He should get up, anyway.

But when he came out after washing his face, he found Chen Qin sitting up, still half-asleep. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked thoroughly content. “That was such a good night’s sleep. It’s been ages since I got what I needed.”

When she saw Ye Shuang, she immediately reached out. “Hubby! Come give me a hug!”

Ye Shuang smiled and went over, letting Chen Qin pull him into her arms. Since neither of them was wearing anything, he could feel the warmth of her skin—and the refreshing sensation of her freshly washed face.

Chen Qin had been about to kiss him, but then remembered she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet. She made a little sound, pursed her lips, and got up to brush them.

Perhaps because it was daytime, Ye Shuang couldn’t help watching her as she walked away.

After washing up, Chen Qin changed into a simple, smart outfit and lightly tousled her long, wavy hair. She thought for a moment. “Hmm… Ye, should I get a different hairstyle?”

“A different hairstyle?” Ye Shuang had seen old photos of Chen Qin, so he knew that she’d kept her hair long and straight until college. Maybe she’d started wearing it with a slight wave to look more mature when she took on the family business.

“Hey, what kind of hairstyle do you like?” Chen Qin asked with a grin.

“Me?” Ye Shuang didn’t have any particular preference. If anything, he thought every hairstyle had its own appeal.

“What are you thinking of getting?” Ye Shuang asked.

“I’m thinking of going short.” Chen Qin considered it, then pointed to her hair.

“Why?”

“I’m married now. Wouldn’t it be a bit much to dress up so glamorously every day?” Chen Qin said. She loved accessorizing with beautiful jewelry, luxurious gems, and haute couture, but after getting married, she’d started keeping a lower profile.

“Do what you love,” Ye Shuang said with a smile. “I don’t think anyone minds seeing their wife sparkle.”

Chen Qin paused, then shyly played with her hair, like a bashful girl. “You think so?”

Seeing her act so shy, Ye Shuang could hardly imagine how bold and forward she’d been last night. The contrast was quite something.

When they left the room, Bai Yuyou and the others had already made breakfast. With Alice now living with them, and Taozi dropping by now and then, the table was especially full.

“Morning!”

“Morning.”

After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, Chen Qin looked at the spread and exclaimed, “That’s a lot! Did you make all this?”

“Mm.” Bai Yuyou nodded. Maybe she hadn’t finished getting ready yet, because the cowlick on top of her head stuck straight up like a question mark, and she looked as though she hadn’t slept enough.

“Yu You, were you up early today?” Ye Shuang asked, noticing her hair.

“I redesigned the poster last night,” Bai Yuyou said. They still hadn’t solved the club recruitment problem, so she’d gone back and improved the poster.

“Has anyone applied?”

“Some people have, but a few had the wrong idea,” Tang Keke said with a sigh. “Two guys came by earlier. When we asked why they wanted to join the club, they said it was because of Senior Bai Yuyou.”

“Well, that’s not surprising when she’s so beautiful,” Ye Shuang said with a smile.

“They were so rude! We’re the Light Music Club, but they called us the Listening Club. They couldn’t even remember the club’s name!” Tang Keke puffed up angrily at the thought.

“So, are you short on members?” Alice asked from her seat in the corner, still replying to her fans’ messages. “If you are, I could take center stage.”

“You haven’t even graduated yet, and you’re not a student at Yinshan Academy,” Tang Keke said. “If you want to enroll, start with the affiliated elementary school.”

“Huh? You think I’m an elementary schooler?!” Alice bristled at that.

Maybe it was because Bobo wasn’t around, but Alice seemed even more like a puffed-up orange cat than usual. She even stood on her chair to make herself look taller and more imposing. “Listen, I’ve taught myself college-level coursework!”

“Seriously?” Tang Keke asked, clearly unconvinced.

“Hmph. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and quiz me.”

“What’s the hundredth digit of pi?” Tang Keke asked with a mischievous grin.

“Nine.” Alice answered without hesitation. Keke’s eyes widened. “Did you guess?”

“Hmph, Keke, you’re such a rookie!” Alice looked even more pleased with herself. None of this simple stuff could stump her. Although she hardly ever went to school outside of her idol activities, she studied all sorts of subjects on her own, and Bobo was a perfectly capable tutor, too.

Watching Alice and Keke bicker, Ye Shuang found it rather cute. Then Chen Qin leaned closer and said quietly,

“Ye, should we hire a housekeeper?”

“A housekeeper?”

“Yeah. There are so many of us at home. We could hire someone to cook every day.” Chen Qin pointed at the little tuft of hair atop Bai Yuyou’s head, swaying faintly. “Look, even Yu You hasn’t been sleeping well.”

“Hmm...” Hearing Chen Qin say that, Ye Shuang began to give it some serious thought.