Sure enough, as soon as she heard the news, her mood improved instantly, and the earlier frustration over her deflated wallet vanished completely.
“Got it!” Cheng Fangqiu covered her forehead, which barely hurt, grinning from ear to ear. Internally, though, she mulled over his use of the word ‘others’ and couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curve up slightly.
“Do we need to buy anything else? If not, we should head back.”
Her question reminded Zhou Yinghuai of something important.
They had been eating out all the time, which wasn’t ideal—homemade food was always cleaner and healthier. Besides, she hadn’t eaten much at lunch. While part of it was because she had just woken up and had no appetite, the bigger reason was probably that the cafeteria food wasn’t great.
Zhou Yinghuai glanced at her petite frame, so thin that he could practically lift her up with one hand, and silently made up his mind: he had to make sure she gained some weight.
“We’re not heading back yet. Let’s go buy some household essentials first.”
He grabbed Cheng Fangqiu’s hand and led her toward the second floor of the department store, where they bought a good number of pots, bowls, and plates.
Remembering the issue with bathwater from the previous night, Zhou Yinghuai also picked up a new thermos. Both of them were particular about cleanliness, washing up before and after bed. One thermos at home clearly wasn’t enough. Besides, winter was coming, and they would need it even more then—better to be prepared in advance.
Cheng Fangqiu assumed he was buying a new one for their marriage and even offered suggestions, picking out a bright red one. It looked festive, had a classic design that never went out of style, and was of good quality—sturdy enough to last for years without breaking.
“I want that one too,” Cheng Fangqiu suddenly said, her eyes lighting up as she spotted a carved decorative plate. She wanted to buy two to place on the coffee table at home, perfect for holding candies and sunflower seeds when guests came over—convenient, tidy, and most importantly, beautiful!
“Alright.”
“And let’s buy four trash bins—one for the living room, one for the kitchen, one for the bedroom, and one for the bathroom.” She had noticed this issue yesterday; there was nowhere to throw away trash, so she had no choice but to leave it on the table.
“Alright.”
By the time the two of them left the department store, they were carrying bags upon bags of purchases. Fortunately, they had bought woven sacks, so everything could be packed inside and tied to the back seat of the bicycle for transport. However, this left no room for Cheng Fangqiu to sit.
“You take the things home first. I’ll eat something at the state-run restaurant and wait for you to come back and pick me up.” She hadn’t eaten much at noon, and now she was starting to feel hungry.
Zhou Yinghuai nodded. Since they were in the city center and there was a public security bureau nearby, it should be safe enough. He agreed, “Alright. Stay safe and don’t wander around. I’ll come straight to the state-run restaurant to pick you up later.”
Cheng Fangqiu nodded, watching him leave before turning to walk across the street toward the restaurant.
As she approached, she realized the state-run restaurant was quite grand—four stories tall, all belonging to the establishment. Despite it not being peak dining hours yet, the first floor was already nearly full. She glanced around briefly and, seeing that there weren’t any good private spots left, decided to head up to the second floor.
However, just as she was halfway up the stairs, she heard a sharp, hurried sound of footsteps from above.
The next moment, a tall figure stormed down the stairs at high speed. He was moving too fast—before Cheng Fangqiu could dodge, his shoulder slammed into hers, nearly sending her tumbling down the stairs.
Fortunately, Cheng Fangqiu reacted quickly, grabbing onto the man’s collar just in time. Even so, she still stumbled backward a couple of steps, dragging the man along with her. It wasn’t until her other hand managed to grip the stair railing that they both stabilized and avoided tumbling down the stairs.
She let out a long breath, her heart still pounding with fear. Placing a hand over her chest to calm herself, she glared at the man in front of her and snapped, “Are you blind or what? Watch where you’re going!”
“I could say the same—good dogs don’t block the way!” Zhao Yanchen was already fuming with anger, and nearly face-planting on the stairs just made it worse. Now, being scolded by a woman only fueled his temper further. Without hesitation, he fired back.
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu was so furious that she actually laughed. Seeing Zhao Yanchen trying to walk past her and continue downstairs, she quickly called out, “Where do you think you’re going? Apologize to me!”
Zhao Yanchen, clearly annoyed, quickened his pace. However, before he could take more than two steps, his sleeve was grabbed. He struggled to shake it off, but when he realized that using too much force might cause them both to fall down the stairs again, he reluctantly stopped resisting.
“Are you crazy, woman?” He finally exploded, turning to glare at her. But the moment he got a clear look at her face, his expression froze for two whole seconds.
She was standing above him on the stairs, looking down at him with an air of confidence. Though her outfit was fresh and simple, her features and demeanor were anything but ordinary—radiant and striking.
Her delicate oval-shaped face was adorned with a pair of charming, expressive peach blossom eyes that seemed to shimmer when she glared at him. Her small, straight nose and full, rosy lips had a softness to them, reminiscent of the first blossoms of spring—inviting and alluring.
She was stunning, breathtakingly so.
And they were standing close enough that he could catch a faint scent from her, something light and fresh that drifted around her, creeping into his senses.
Unconsciously, Zhao Yanchen swallowed.
His aunt had always bragged about the beautiful women in the art troupe she managed, saying they were the most elegant and refined girls one could find. But now, standing in front of this woman, he suddenly felt that all those so-called beauties combined couldn’t even compare to a single finger of hers.
“You’re the crazy one! I was walking perfectly fine, and you suddenly came charging down, almost knocking me over. There are so many people here—everyone saw it! And you still want to deny it?” Cheng Fangqiu was completely unafraid of his fierce expression. She refused to believe that, in a law-abiding society, he would dare hit her in broad daylight, right in front of all these witnesses.
“She’s right, I can vouch for that.”
“A grown man bumping into a young lady and then cursing at her? Shameless.”
“Trying to run after doing something wrong? Apologize already! Don’t disgrace us men!”
This was an era where people were generally warm-hearted and upright. It was normal for passersby to step in when they saw injustice. Moreover, Cheng Fangqiu’s striking appearance had already drawn attention from the moment she entered the state-run restaurant, so quite a few people had witnessed the whole scene.
As the crowd started murmuring and speaking up in her defense, Zhao Yanchen didn’t hear a single word. His attention was entirely focused on her, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, he dropped his hostility, his expression shifting as he put on a friendly smile.
“My apologies, comrade. I was in a bad mood and spoke thoughtlessly just now. Please don’t take it to heart,” he said, his voice mild as he gave her a slight bow. “You’re a generous person—just let this go, alright?”
His sudden 180-degree shift in attitude was so shocking that Cheng Fangqiu looked at him as if he were a ghost. Instinctively, she released his sleeve and took a quiet step back, wary. Even the bystanders, who had been criticizing him moments ago, fell silent for a second, surprised by his abrupt change in demeanor.
“You’re here for a meal, right? How about this—I’ll treat you to this one as my way of apologizing,” Zhao Yanchen continued, still smiling.
Cheng Fangqiu didn’t know what had prompted his sudden attitude shift, but since he had already apologized, she wasn’t the type to keep harping on about it.
“No need.” With that, she turned and continued upstairs, leaving him behind.
But to her surprise, he actually followed her.
“That won’t do. This was my fault to begin with, so of course, I have to treat you to a meal,” he insisted.
Then, without hesitation, he called over a waiter and ordered every single signature dish on the menu.
“No need.” Cheng Fangqiu repeated herself, her face now completely dark. Does this guy not understand human speech?
“Then what do you want to eat? I’ll pay.” Zhao Yanchen finally realized that his actions were irritating her, so he quickly adjusted his approach. But as he looked at her fair face, now flushed slightly red from frustration, his heart pounded uncontrollably.
Cheng Fangqiu had reached her limit. She rolled her eyes at him. “I said no! I’ll order for myself.”
With that, she found an empty seat, sat down, and looked at the red-paper menu with black ink characters on the wall. In the end, she ordered a simple bowl of Yangchun noodles.
“I’ll have the same as her. Put them together.” Zhao Yanchen pulled out his money coupons, trying to pay first.
But before he could, Cheng Fangqiu blocked him and handed over her own money to the waiter.
The waiter, having witnessed their earlier dispute, gave Zhao Yanchen a somewhat odd look before taking their separate payments and walking away.
Awkwardly, Zhao Yanchen pocketed the extra money. But instead of dampening his interest, it only made him like her even more. Every other woman he had gone out with had eagerly waited for him to pay. But this one? She was different.
She had personality. He liked that.
“What’s your name?” Zhao Yanchen asked, attempting to strike up a conversation. As he spoke, he tried to sit down in the seat to her left.
Before he could, Cheng Fangqiu stretched out her leg, blocking his way.
Undeterred, he tried to sit on her right, only to find that her bag had already claimed that spot.
After a couple of tries, even an idiot would get the hint—she clearly didn’t want him anywhere near her.
But Zhao Yanchen prided himself on his thick skin, and besides, he had been in the wrong earlier. If she wanted to give him the cold shoulder, he deserved it.
Grinding his back teeth, he endured her icy gaze and sat across from her instead.
She let out a sarcastic chuckle but didn’t bother getting up to move seats. There was no point—he’d just follow her again. She might as well see what this guy was trying to pull.
“You might not believe it, but I actually have a pretty good temper most of the time,” Zhao Yanchen said.
His eyes flickered slightly, betraying a hint of guilt. Seeing that she didn’t respond, he continued talking as if nothing had happened.
“My mother tricked me into coming here for a blind date. I work at the tax bureau, and I’m busy as hell. Finally managed to get some free time today, and she pulls this on me…”
“So, yeah—really, I apologize.”
Cheng Fangqiu listened quietly, her expression indifferent, not even sparing him a glance.
But inside, she found it laughable.
This man… how interesting. He had just rattled off a bunch of nonsense, but she could already summarize the key points he was trying to convey:
- His earlier bad temper was an exception, not the norm.
- He worked at the tax bureau—a respectable job.
- He was single and believed in free love.
And?
Did he think saying all this would make her change her mind about him? That she’d suddenly take an interest in him? That she’d be so impressed she’d throw herself at him?
How utterly self-important. Did he have a head big enough to fit the entire world inside?
Besides, when he hadn’t seen her face, he’d acted like a complete thug, venting his bad temper on a total stranger. But the moment he laid eyes on her, he suddenly turned into a clingy stray dog, switching to a soft voice and offering a half-hearted apology.
If she hadn’t been pretty, would he still be acting like this?
She seriously doubted it.
Just by using her toes to think, Cheng Fangqiu could figure out the answer.