Zhou Zhuofei and Xiao Wang entered a household goods store, which featured minimalist-style products and was quite popular among younger customers.
They made their way to the kitchenware section, where Zhou Zhuofei stopped at a display of aprons and began browsing.
She first felt the material—a sturdy, thick canvas, though smoother than usual, with oil- and water-resistant properties.
As for the designs, they all looked similar, so she turned to Xiao Wang for his opinion: "What do you think?"
Xiao Wang also ran his hand over the apron fabric. "Not bad."
"Which color do you like?"
There were three color options—black, gray, and off-white—all classic shades for the brand.
After a brief pause, Xiao Wang made his choice. "Gray."
"I thought so." Zhou Zhuofei then reached for the stack of off-white aprons. "Then I'll take the off-white one."
"You're getting one too?"
"Of course! If you have one, I need one too!"
Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t owned an apron before because she rarely cooked, and with little oil or smoke involved, she never saw the need.
But now that Xiao Wang was getting one, she had to have a matching piece.
Besides, couldn’t this be considered a couples' set?
Each took an apron, and after paying, they wrapped up their day out.
After hours of shopping and trying on clothes, Zhou Zhuofei was exhausted. She dozed off in the car on the way back and only woke up when they reached their neighborhood entrance.
Xiao Wang gently nudged her. "We're home. You can sleep more inside."
Still yawning and stretching lazily, she noticed Xiao Wang had already parked, grabbed their bags from the backseat, and was waiting by the car door for her.
Zhou Zhuofei tried to speak but yawned again. "How are you not tired at all?"
Xiao Wang chuckled at her drowsy, bleary-eyed expression. "Maybe because I sleep early at night and feel fresher during the day."
Then he couldn’t resist adding, "If you knew we were going out today, why didn’t you sleep earlier?"
"Early sleep is impossible. Don’t you think staying up late is a way to extend your lifespan?" Zhou Zhuofei declared matter-of-factly. "When everyone else is asleep and you're still awake, working or doing things, it feels like you’ve lived a few extra hours."
Xiao Wang shook his head, his tone fond but exasperated. "Nonsense."
"Hmph, I don’t care. I’m going to keep staying up. If I don’t do it now, when will I? When I’m too old to manage it?"
Back home, Xiao Wang suggested Zhou Zhuofei take a nap, but she was wide awake now and refused. Instead, she eagerly pulled out the newly bought aprons and insisted they both try them on.
"Quick, put it on! I want to see how it looks."
After changing, she checked herself in the mirror. The apron was loose and casual, giving her the vibe of someone about to brew coffee.
It was actually pretty cute.
Stepping out of the bedroom, she saw Xiao Wang tying the waist straps. She tilted her head slightly as she watched him. They’d bought the same apron, so why did it look so different on him?
Once Xiao Wang had it on, he turned and noticed Zhou Zhuofei standing a distance away, staring. "Why are you just standing there?"
"I think yours might be too small?"
"It’s fine. The fabric will probably loosen up after a while."
Zhou Zhuofei walked over for a closer look. The length was fine, but the front seemed tight, the material stretched taut across Xiao Wang’s chest, slightly distorting the logo printed there.
"That’s not the main issue…"
Was it her imagination, or had his chest muscles gotten bigger?
Then again, maybe he’d tied the waist straps too tightly, making the upper half seem cramped.
She gave him another long look. If he didn’t have a problem with it, why should she say anything?
"Never mind. If you’re comfortable, that’s all that matters. Let’s cook—what should I do?"
After days of practice, Zhou Zhuofei had gained some confidence in the kitchen and even wanted to try chopping vegetables.
But Xiao Wang, having witnessed her disastrous knife skills before, refused to let her near a blade.
So after helping with prep work, Zhou Zhuofei regretfully bowed out.
She played with the cat in the living room for a while, then remembered she still hadn’t added Su Chen as a friend. Grabbing her laptop, she logged into the gaming platform and sent him a request.
The acceptance didn’t come immediately, but Su Chen’s gaming profile was public. Curious to learn more about him, she browsed through it.
Clearly, Su Chen was a seasoned gamer.
Thinking back to the college students they’d met earlier, she’d felt young—until she compared herself to them. Reality was harsh.
As the saying went, no one stays eighteen forever, but there’s always someone who is. Time truly was merciless.
While she was still scrolling, a notification popped up in the corner: friend request accepted.
Su Chen immediately sent her a sticker as a greeting.
Zhou Zhuofei replied in kind.
[Zhou-jie, you play QAD too? Want to team up sometime?]
[If you play with me, you’ll lose. I’m terrible.]
[You’re being modest—your rank is way higher than mine!]
[Haha, well, we can play sometime, but I haven’t been on much lately.]
[No worries, I’m always online. Just hit me up whenever, and I’ll rally the squad.]
Just then, Xiao Wang called from the kitchen. "Dinner’s ready. Come eat."
Zhou Zhuofei quickly typed [Ok, going to eat] and didn’t even bother closing her laptop before rushing to answer him.
"Coming, coming!"
She hurried to the kitchen, helping Xiao Wang carry dishes and set the table.
Once everything was ready, she picked up her chopsticks—only for Xiao Wang to ask, "Not taking a photo today?"
"Uh…" She paused, then grinned. "Let’s give my friends on social media a break. It’d be cruel to keep teasing them with food they can’t eat. But mostly, I’m just hungry."
Xiao Wang laughed at her answer. "Then eat up."
As he reached for a dish, his gaze flicked to the living room, where her laptop sat open on the coffee table. He recognized the gaming platform’s chat window on the screen.
Casually, he asked, "Did you add Su Chen?"
"Yeah. Your brother’s really into gaming—his library’s huge. He even invited me to play with him."
"What game?"
"That versus one. Remember that time I lost and spent an hour ranting about my teammates?"
"I remember." Xiao Wang remembered it all too vividly.
That day, Zhou Zhuofei was happily playing a game in the bedroom when she suddenly let out a shriek. Thinking something had happened, Xiao Wang rushed in, only to find her cursing at the defeat screen before burying herself in his arms, sniffling and vowing never to play the game again.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t play this game anymore?”
Who would take such words seriously?
“Oh, sometimes you can’t trust what I say—just assume I’m being dramatic. But don’t worry, I’d never curse at your brother,” Zhou Zhuofei said, blinking playfully. “That’s my special favoritism for you!”
But her words didn’t elicit the reaction she’d hoped for. Xiao Wang offered no comment, simply adding a chopstick-ful of her favorite fish-flavored eggplant to her bowl. “Eat more.”
Fine. She’d pretend he didn’t understand the weight of her words.
Anyone who’d played competitive games knew how rare it was to have a teammate who stayed calm and never blamed others.
After dinner, they cleaned up the kitchen together. When Zhou Zhuofei returned to the living room, she noticed her laptop was still on. A glance showed Su Chen’s status had changed to “In Game.”
“Ah, the energy of youth.”
Xiao Wang walked over. “What about youth?”
She showed him the screen. “Look at your brother—shopping all afternoon, gaming all night. So much stamina.”
“And you? Not planning to play tonight?”
Zhou Zhuofei grinned sheepishly. “Of course I’ll play… after you leave. I know my priorities.”
Games were nothing compared to teasing Xiao Wang.
“Is that so?” A faint smile touched his lips as he closed her laptop and set it on the coffee table. Then, under her puzzled gaze, he pulled her into his arms.
“How about we skip the games tonight?”
She feigned ignorance. “If not games, then what? It better be fun, or I’m not interested.”
She loved riling him up, watching him fluster or evade. No vague hints—if he wanted her, he’d have to say it.
His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
Amused, she reached out and flicked it with her finger. The bony texture wasn’t her favorite—she preferred other parts.
Just as she withdrew her hand, Xiao Wang caught her fingers, his voice steady but edged with urgency. “Fun or not… that’s up to you.”
“Fine, let’s give it a try.”
She led him to the bedroom, but before she could shut the door, he pulled her close, his body radiating heat.
“Wait… the door,” Zhou Zhuofei protested softly.
Even if they were alone, what about the cat’s dignity?
Between heated kisses, somehow the door slammed shut with a bang.
She flinched in his arms but quickly relaxed under his touch.
“Scared me,” she mumbled.
“Sorry,” Xiao Wang murmured, his hands never pausing.
The mattress dipped under their weight, and the lights went out.
