Chapter 54: I'm Warning You, Don't Come In

Xu Su'an gently flicked the center of her brow. "Qiao Xu, four years ago I had the engagement ring ready, and I had even prepared the entire proposal process."

He had even rehearsed how he would propose several times with his classmates and friends.

Yet, what arrived before the proposal was a breakup.

Qiao Xu was holding the dog while Xu Su'an pushed the shopping cart. "Do you want to eat broccoli?"

Qiao Xu looked at the cream strawberries in the refrigerator and decided against it.

She already had psychological trauma when it came to strawberries.

After buying the groceries, Xu Su'an carried the bags while Qiao Xu held an ice cream cone.

Upon returning to the residential complex, Xu Su'an carried the items up to his apartment.

"Go take a shower before you come over to eat."

When Qiao Xu unlocked the door holding the dog, her mother was sitting on the sofa watching television.

The meal on the table from an hour ago had also been completely cleaned up.

"You're back."

"Mm."

Qiao Xu put the dog down and was about to head to her room for a shower when her mother called out to her.

"Xuxu, Mom has something to say to you."

Qiao Xu set the dog down. "Mom, there's really no rush about marriage. I will get married, just not right now."

Her mother said, "I have no intention of rushing you. I just wanted to tell you that my health is almost fully recovered, and in a few days, I'll be heading back to my hometown."

Qiao Xu froze for a moment, a trace of panic flashing across the depths of her eyes. "Mom, stay for a little longer. I worry about you being all alone in the hometown."

"What is there to worry about? There are so many neighbors, I have company."

"Staying here feels like being cut off from the world."

Qiao Xu gave a soft "oh" in response. "Then wait until the weekend when I'm off, and Xu Su'an and I will take you back together."

"Alright."

Qiao Xu went back to her room to take a shower and came out with her hair still damp.

"Xuxu, with a partner like Xiao An, you will never find anyone better than him in this lifetime. Listen to Mom, cherish him well."

Knowing that she was heading next door, her mother told her to leave the dog behind so she could watch it.

Wearing her house slippers, Qiao Xu walked next door, where the kitchen still carried the scent of cream and cheese.

The man's black shirt was pulled out from his dress trousers, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, with a tiny speck of cream splashed on his clothes.

Qiao Xu walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Xu Su'an paused, and a whole package of spaghetti spilled entirely into the pot. "Hungry? It'll be ready in a moment. I made chilled broccoli, eat a little bit to pad your stomach first."

"Xu Su'an."

Xu Su'an turned off the stove, turned around, and lifted her up to sit on the adjacent counter.

"Darling, don't have any psychological pressure about getting married. I've only set my heart on you anyway, so whether we marry early or late, it's still you."

"I'm waiting for the day you tell me you want to marry me."

"I've had the household registration booklet ready for a long time. The moment you say you want to get married, I'll have someone open the office for us to work overtime on our days off."

Qiao Xu wrapped her arms around his neck. "During these past few years, there were so many nights when I missed you."

Just as her voice trailed off, Xu Su'an lowered his head and captured her soft lips in a kiss.

Having just showered, Qiao Xu's hair was still wet, and droplets of water dampened her pajamas.

The curves that shouldn't have been prominent were now obvious enough to be utterly soul-stirring.

"Mmm——"

"Qiaoqiao~"

"You..."

After a long while, the man spoke with a hoarse voice, his eyes laced with bloodshot veins. "Wife, you are too much."

Qiao Xu lightly bit her lower lip. "I'm too much?"

"Mmm, seducing me."

Xu Su'an picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen. "Wait for me here obediently, otherwise, what gets cooked next won't be food."

Qiao Xu tugged at the neckline of her pajamas. "I didn't even do anything. I just said a few words from the heart and you get like this."

"You are so useless."

Xu Su'an went to the bathroom to get a clean towel and dried her hair until it was half-dry.

"I'm warning you, don't come in."

"Don't look for trouble~"

Xu Su'an pressed a heavy kiss to her lips before heading back into the kitchen.

He suddenly regretted having an open-concept kitchen without even a door.

He looked down and glanced at the tent he had just pitched in his trousers.

With a look of despair, he dumped the overcooked, soggy spaghetti into the trash can and retrieved a fresh package from the cabinet.

Qiao Xu ate more than half of the plate of chilled broccoli on the dining table before pausing her chopsticks.

An extra-large portion of cream cheese shrimp pasta was placed before her, along with a glass of strawberry soda.

"Did you eat earlier?"

She had left in a huff, and she didn't believe he could still have an appetite.

"No."

"My wife got angry and ran off, how could I have the mood to eat?"

"You eat first, I'll finish whatever you leave behind."

Qiao Xu: ......

"Can't you just make two portions?" Did he really have to eat her leftovers?

He just had to eat what she didn't finish, right?

"I'll blow-dry your hair, you eat first."

Xu Su'an went to fetch the hair dryer, and while Qiao Xu ate her pasta, he meticulously dried her hair.

By the time her hair was dry, she was also full.

More than half of the pasta remained, while the chilled broccoli was completely gone.

Qiao Xu took two sips of the soda to clear away the richness. "I'm full."

Xu Su'an pulled out the chair next to her, sat down, and picked up the fork she had just laid aside to continue eating.

"President Xu, didn't that overseas project make a profit recently? Why are you still so stingy?"

Xu Su'an's movements as he ate the pasta were unhurried. "I need to save my money to marry my wife. As for filling one's stomach, anything edible will do."

Qiao Xu scrolled through Weibo and pushed the glass of soda toward him.

Eating something this sweet at night was very cloying.

Besides, Xu Su'an didn't even like sweet things to begin with.

"Xu Su'an."

"Mm?"

"Does the tattoo on the inside of your arm hurt?"

Xu Su'an raised an eyebrow. "What, do you want to get one too?"

Qiao Xu nodded. "A little, it's quite pretty, I like it a lot."

Xu Su'an took a sip of water, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. "Wanting it is useless, it hurts terribly."

"And it hurts for an hour or two."

Qiao Xu pulled his left arm over and took a photo. "I'm going to modify it and get one that's different from yours."

After finishing his meal, Xu Su'an cleaned up the kitchen and saw Qiao Xu sitting on the sofa using a tablet to AI-generate a pattern similar to his tattoo.

Only, it wasn't quite as good-looking as the one on his hand.

Xu Su'an glanced at it, picked her up to sit on his lap, and exited the AI application.

"What do you want to draw? I'll draw it for you."

Xu Su'an took the smart stylus from her hand and opened a drawing app.

Qiao Xu directed Xu Su'an from the side: a lion, a little lamb, and purple violets, keeping the original elements.

Only the placement was different.

The lion was in the center, the little lamb leaned against the back of the lion, and the violets formed a floral wreath around them.

Qiao Xu saved a screenshot of the digital drawing. "Right here, President Xu is truly multi-talented."

Xu Su'an opened another page and imported the picture. "The colors can be adjusted here. You work on it first, I'm going to take a shower."

There was going to be a fierce battle shortly, so taking a shower now would save some time.

After Qiao Xu faithfully restored the complete drawing using the exact colors from the tattoo on Xu Su'an's arm, she searched on her phone for a highly-rated tattoo studio.

When Xu Su'an came out of the shower, he had a white bath towel wrapped around his waist, and droplets of water from the tips of his hair slid down his cheek to rest in his collarbone.

"Darling, let's digest our meal."

"Mmm..."

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