Chapter 3: Change (3)

Cheng Yanyu relaxed his shoulder a bit. “Let’s eat.”

He turned to look at her. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Wen Yang smiled, her eyes curving with joy, her neck delicate and fair. She raised her head and said, “I could tell you were working by the way you looked, so I didn’t bother you.”

“Did you go eat alone?”

“With Yu Qing.”

Cheng Yanyu nodded and went back to tending to her wound.

Once the wound was taken care of, Wen Yang sat up and picked up her laptop. “Let me show you the sunset photos I took yesterday. This house of ours is perfect for photography.”

Cheng Yanyu glanced over.

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Cheng Yanyu looked at her eyes, nodded, and replied, “Yes.”

Wen Yang pouted. “Alright then, I’ll skip the filter.”

She thought that with the filter, the colors looked richer. Cheng Yanyu had always chosen the one she liked before, but today he chose the original photo. Wen Yang glanced at the time on the bottom of the screen, then moved the laptop aside. She picked up her phone and nestled into Cheng Yanyu’s arms, looking up at him.

“I’ve already decided what to make for lunch, but I need to buy a few ingredients. Should we go out to buy them, or just order online?”

Cheng Yanyu wrapped his arm around her and looked down at her. “Do you want to go out, or order online?”

Wen Yang smiled as she looked into his eyes. “Let’s go out to buy them. The supermarket downstairs will do; the market is too far, and I’m too lazy to walk.”

“Okay.”

He agreed.

Wen Yang’s eyes sparkled as she stood up from his embrace. “Then I’ll change clothes. Are you going to change?”

“I won’t.”

Wen Yang smiled and walked into the master bedroom. She picked out a light-colored dress and put it on. The back needed a bow tie, so Wen Yang tied it as she walked out of the room. It was a new dress she had bought, and she was eager to show it to Cheng Yanyu. When she looked up, she saw him standing in the living room, looking at his phone. She finished tying the bow, let go of the dress, and stood there with a bright smile.

Cheng Yanyu finished with his phone and looked up, smiling. “All done? Let’s go.”

He reached his hand out to her, and Wen Yang instinctively walked over and placed her hand in his. As they reached the entrance, Wen Yang suddenly tugged on his hand. “Did you not notice that I’m wearing a new dress?”

Cheng Yanyu only realized then. He looked down at her dress and smiled. “When did you buy it?”

“Yesterday, at COCO.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Cheng Yanyu nodded and complimented her.

Wen Yang felt a little unsatisfied that he only complimented her. In the past, he would have been much more excited, his eyes would light up, and he would hug her tightly. But today, he only complimented her. Cheng Yanyu finished changing his shoes, then came back and took her hand again. Wen Yang, now wearing high heels, allowed him to guide her out. The tension she felt earlier slowly dissolved as they walked together. Wen Yang wasn’t someone who gets angry easily.

They entered the elevator, and Wen Yang bit her lip, still holding onto his hand.

When more people entered the elevator, he pulled her slightly closer, and the small mood she had quickly faded. Their apartment was on a high floor, so it took a while to reach the ground. Wen Yang adjusted her stance and linked her arm with his.

Cheng Yanyu led her against the wall, lost in thought.

The supermarket was just outside their neighborhood.

It was crowded because several nearby residential buildings sent people to the same supermarket. Wen Yang asked Cheng Yanyu to push the cart while she went to the meat section. Cheng Yanyu took the meat she handed him.

The phone on the cart vibrated. Cheng Yanyu immediately swiped the screen to check.

Wen Yang turned to hand him some beef, only to see that he was still looking at his phone. She paused for a moment and asked softly, “Is it work? Should I not have asked you to stay with me today?”

Cheng Yanyu immediately turned off his phone, looking up at her.

She was wearing a light apricot-colored dress, and her fair skin stood out even more. The black straps of the dress revealed a little bit of skin. Even though they had been together for three years and married for two, she still had that youthful, fresh feeling from their college days. Cheng Yanyu tightly gripped his phone and shook his head. “It’s nothing. I was just waiting for an email. It hasn’t come yet, and I won’t wait for it anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Yang’s expression softened, and she smiled. “Maybe it’ll come this evening.”

Cheng Yanyu smiled back.

He kept his phone with the shopping cart, and didn’t open it to check again until after they paid and returned home.

Wen Yang was a good cook.

She prepared some vegetables from her mother-in-law and beef meatballs sent by her own mother, making four dishes and a soup. The best way to eat the beef meatballs was with her mother-in-law’s sauce, which Cheng Yanyu loved the most.

The couple ate casually, chatting as they ate.

The island counter was lit with warm lights, creating a cozy atmosphere. Wen Yang sipped her soup, her skin flushing slightly from the warmth, looking beautiful.

When they were dating, Cheng Yanyu and Wen Yang were both homebodies. They both liked reading magazines, and they had gone through every magazine available in the market. After they got married, Cheng Yanyu became busy, but he often found time to spend with Wen Yang. Sometimes he would watch dramas with her, sometimes he would take her running or hiking. Most of the time, when they were together, they loved staying at home.

Young and passionate couple.

After taking a shower that evening, Wen Yang slipped into bed while Cheng Yanyu was not in the room. She quickly changed into a spaghetti strap nightgown and snuggled under the covers. Later, they played a few rounds of Werewolf, and Wen Yang was pinned on the sofa by Cheng Yanyu several times. Wen Yang, being shy, blushed a few times. It had been several days since they had been intimate.

Now, lying in bed.

Wen Yang was scrolling through her phone when she happened to check and realized it was her ovulation period. She couldn’t help but recall what Zhu Yun had advised her—her family was somewhat the opposite. Cheng Yanyu’s mother didn’t want to put pressure on Wen Yang, so she hardly ever urged her, while her own mother, Zhu Yun, kept encouraging her. Perhaps it was the idea of having a child soon, so she could help take care of it. Wen Yang didn’t mind at all.

She also wanted a soft and cute child.

The lights in the living room were still on.

After the werewolf game, the mood seemed to settle. Cheng Yanyu glanced at his phone on the coffee table, picked it up, and unlocked it. There was nothing new in WeChat, it was quiet.

In his work group chat, there were several documents waiting for his approval.

Cheng Yanyu decided to grab his laptop and placed it on the coffee table to handle the work. The rough sketch for the jewelry exhibition had come in. Cheng Yanyu picked up his phone again, but when he opened WeChat, he put it down without clicking on the message from that particular contact. After dealing with work, more than half an hour passed. Cheng Yanyu shut down the laptop and stood up to head back to the bedroom.

The bedroom was faintly scented with some aromatherapy, the atmosphere was intimate.

Cheng Yanyu paused slightly in his steps, grabbed his pajamas, and turned toward the bathroom. Wen Yang was lying on her side, holding her phone, patiently waiting. Though she didn’t know what he was doing outside, she almost got up to find him. But then he came in, bringing a rush of warmth to her face. She helplessly buried her face in the pillow as her heart rate increased.

The only sound in the room was the soft hum of the air conditioner, making the room cool, but Wen Yang felt warm, particularly because of her own heat. The straps of her nightgown slipped slightly. It was so quiet that the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard.

The frosted bathroom door was enveloped in mist, waves of steam, making time seem to slow down. Wen Yang only moved when she felt her body shift, and finally, the bathroom door opened, releasing the heat from inside.

A figure appeared at the edge of the bed.

Cheng Yanyu smelled the faint sweet fragrance in the air. He removed the towel from his head and casually tossed it aside, lifting the covers to lie down. Wen Yang’s pale shoulders flashed by as the blanket fell, then was pulled back up.

Cheng Yanyu reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. When the light went out, Wen Yang’s breathing stopped for a moment. She opened her eyes in the dark, then closed them again. Normally, they didn’t engage in intimacy in the dark, but occasionally, they tried it for a new experience. Now, with the light out, the room fell into complete silence, so still it felt lifeless.

Wen Yang bit her lip.

She knew that there was no hope for tonight.

She had worked herself up to this point, but she couldn’t bring herself to take the initiative, especially given how obvious his disinterest had been.

The bed shifted slightly as Cheng Yanyu moved, his arm reaching over to pull her into an embrace. Wen Yang’s downcast mood lifted a little, and she turned around, resting her head on his arm as he propped it up for her. Wen Yang snuggled into his chest, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

Lying against his warm chest, Wen Yang couldn’t say a word. She closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of their shared body wash, and fell asleep.

---

The next day.

Wen Yang woke up late, propping herself up against the headboard, watching as Cheng Yanyu finished brushing up and started putting on his shirt. He was buttoning up his white shirt in front of the mirror, ready to put on a suit.

When a man wears a suit, it’s the start of maturity.

Cheng Yanyu picked out a black tie, and just before he was about to tie it, he turned his head and saw Wen Yang was awake. They exchanged glances, and Cheng Yanyu smiled slightly, raising his eyebrows. “Awake?”

Wen Yang snapped out of her thoughts and smiled back. “Mhm.”

She lifted the blanket and got out of bed, walking towards him in her slippers. The hem of her beautiful black slip dress brushed over her pale thighs. She stepped forward and grabbed his tie. “Let me tie it for you.”

“You woke up late today. You didn’t have breakfast, so go out and buy something yourself.” Wen Yang’s voice was soft, her features clear and beautiful.

Cheng Yanyu looked down at her and said, “It’s fine.”

He glanced at her fingers, noticing she wasn’t very skilled at tying a tie. Cheng Yanyu rarely wore formal clothes, and the first time she tied his tie was at their wedding. The emcee had asked the bride to tie the groom’s tie, and Wen Yang fumbled through it, causing the crowd to laugh.

At that time, Cheng Yanyu had told her not to worry about learning this skill, as he didn’t wear ties often.

Wen Yang had listened to him, and since being together, she had always been laid-back with him.

The tie wasn’t tied properly, slightly crooked. Cheng Yanyu took it from her and adjusted it casually. “I’m going to the office now.”

Wen Yang took a step back and nodded. Cheng Yanyu picked up his jacket and headed for the door. Wen Yang saw him off but didn’t walk him all the way out. Cheng Yanyu draped the jacket over his arm, changed his shoes, and looked up at her.

Wen Yang stood by the door, her eyes curved into a smile.

“Leaving now,” Cheng Yanyu said softly.

Wen Yang replied with a soft “Mm,” and Cheng Yanyu opened the door, adjusting his tie with one hand while still holding his jacket.

Bang.

The door closed.

Wen Yang turned to the bathroom, taking off her slip dress and changing into casual clothes. In this ordinary, warm morning, the events of the previous night were put behind them.

After freshening up, Wen Yang poured herself a glass of warm water. She walked to the island counter and saw half a corn cob and some buns in the pot. Cheng Yanyu had woken up earlier than she expected and even made breakfast.

There was another pot with warm milk. Wen Yang poured out the milk, took the buns and corn, and sat at the island counter to eat.

Cheng Yanyu didn’t come home for dinner.

Wen Yang took care of it herself. After dinner, she picked up her phone to play a few more rounds of Werewolf. By coincidence, she ended up in the same team as yesterday. After the game, she went to bed.

For the next two days, Cheng Yanyu didn’t come home at night, staying late at work. Wen Yang sometimes waited for him, sometimes didn’t, perhaps the jewelry project was truly that important.

The kitchen faucet in the house broke, so Wen Yang ordered a new one online. After dinner, she opened the package, intending to wait for Cheng Yanyu to come home and install it, but not knowing when he would be back, Wen Yang decided to install it herself. She plugged it in, and just as the plug was in place—

Zzzzzzt—there was a loud bang.

Sparks flew, and Wen Yang was startled, retreating several steps. Then another loud bang— the room fell into darkness. Wen Yang stood still for a while.

Her heart raced with panic and confusion. Instinctively, she moved toward the island counter, then grabbed her phone from the living room. The whole house was pitch black, the power completely cut off.

Only light from the balcony filtered in.

Wen Yang grabbed her phone, her fingers trembling slightly, and sent Cheng Yanyu a message.

Wen Yang: The circuit shorted out at home. When will you be back?

He didn’t reply.

---

It won’t take long for her to discover his cheating. She’s a bit naive but she’s not dense nor dumb.

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