Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

Lu Zichuan, carrying heavy shopping bags in both hands, said calmly, "I'll pay for the groceries, you pay for the cooking. It's a fair trade."

"How can that be the same!"

"What's different?" Lu Zichuan glanced at her, his tone matter-of-fact. "Or are you really treating me like a male model? Trying to keep me as a sugar daddy?"

Shen Zhiyi: "...You're just being unreasonable!"

"If you really feel guilty," he said slowly, a hint of a smile in his voice, "you'll have to cook me a nice meal later to reward me."

For some reason, even though it was a perfectly normal sentence, Shen Zhiyi felt something was off.

Inappropriate images for children kept flashing through my mind uncontrollably.

She shook her head violently, forcefully banishing those chaotic thoughts, her ears turning bright red, almost bleeding. "Then, it's settled! You're only allowed to rest later; you don't need to help at all!"

After thinking for a moment, she turned around, took two steps back, held up a finger and waved it at him, her face serious: "If you dare to step into the kitchen, I will never trust you again!"

Seeing how serious she was, Lu Zichuan felt both helpless and a little sweet.

"Okay," he replied readily.

The two got into the car one after the other.

Back in the residential complex, the two walked into the apartment building side by side.

Shen Zhiyi wanted to ask, "Should we go to your place or mine?" but then she saw that Lu Zichuan was carrying all her things, so she swallowed her words.

She pressed her finger on the fingerprint lock, and with a "beep," the lock popped open.

Shen Zhiyi took the bag containing the fresh food from his hand, her fingertips brushing against his palm, and both of them paused slightly.

By the time I got back from the supermarket, almost an hour had passed.

Lu Zichuan must be hungry.

She dared not delay any longer, grabbed the bag, and hurried into the kitchen, taking out the ingredients one by one. At the same time, she turned back and shouted towards the living room, "It's a promise! No coming into the kitchen!"

Lu Zichuan gave her an "OK" sign, and Shen Zhiyi turned around, tied on her apron, and plunged into the kitchen.

Fortunately, the things she bought were all quite convenient: a stir-fried beef with green peppers and mushrooms, a bowl of pickled cabbage and pork soup, a stir-fried vegetable dish, and a plate of pan-fried steak with scallions. A simple meal was easily prepared.

She methodically washed the vegetables, cut the meat, poured the rice into the rice cooker, and pressed the cook button.

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was crisp and rhythmic, while the spatula occasionally made a soft, clattering sound.

After all the ingredients were prepared, she suddenly felt something was strange. Why was there no sound outside?

There was no television, no cell phone speakers, and you couldn't even hear footsteps.

What is Lu Zichuan doing?

Wearing an apron, she curiously peeked half her head out towards the living room.

Then she froze.

Lu Zichuan couldn't stay idle. He actually categorized all the daily necessities she bought. Laundry detergent and dish soap were grouped together and placed by the balcony door. The paper towels were neatly stacked on the corner of the dining table. Some odds and ends she had casually stuffed into the bottom of the bag were taken out one by one. Those placed in conspicuous places were put back in their original positions, while those that were inconvenient to find were neatly stacked on the coffee table for her to collect herself when she came back.

He did these things very gently, as if he were handling some kind of precision instrument, afraid of messing up her things.

The instant she looked over, Lu Zichuan was bending down and pulling a package from the bottom of the shopping bag. His slender fingers were pinching the familiar pink packaging, which he had obviously found under the restaurant paper.

Shen Zhiyi's mind went blank.

A sudden panic gripped her. She slammed the cleaver down on the cutting board, and without even untying her apron, rushed out of the kitchen. She snatched the package from his hand, burying it tightly in her chest, her voice trembling.

"Hey! Why are you going through other people's things?!"

Lu Zichuan clearly hadn't expected that she had sent him away to buy this.

A rare look of helplessness flashed across his usually calm and composed face. His hands hung at his sides, his fingertips slightly curled, as if he suddenly didn't know where to put them.

"Sorry... I just wanted to help you tidy up, I didn't mean to look at your things..."

As he spoke, a thin layer of red appeared on the base of his ears at a visible speed, spreading from his earlobes all the way down to the side of his neck, and even his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The air froze for two seconds. Shen Zhiyi, clutching the pack of sanitary napkins, felt her face burning hot. "You... if you're going to act like you have nothing to do, just watch TV or play on your phone. Don't you dare rummage through things like that again! Understand?!"

She rarely stood up for herself in front of him. Her ears were so red they were almost bleeding, and her cheeks were puffed out like a little rabbit with its fur standing on end. Yet, her fierce but cowardly appearance was so adorable that it made one's heart flutter.

Lu Zichuan's ears burned even more. He lowered his eyes and obediently nodded, "Okay, I understand."

He sat upright on the sofa like an obedient schoolboy, picked up the remote control on the coffee table, turned on the TV, and stared intently at the screen, not paying attention to a single word of what was being shown.

Shen Zhiyi made sure he had really sat down obediently before letting out a long breath, hugging the pack of sanitary napkins and crawling back into the kitchen, stuffing it into the deepest part of the cupboard, patting her chest, and then tying her apron back on.

In the living room, Lu Zichuan raised his hand to touch his still burning earlobes and silently exhaled.

He got up, walked to the water dispenser, filled a glass with cold water, and took a gulp.

The icy liquid slid down his throat, but it felt like pouring it on hot coals. Instead of quelling the heat, it made the lump in his chest even more restless.

A "hum" came from behind me, and the range hood was turned on.

Then came the sizzling sound of the vegetables hitting the pan, and the aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic bubbling in the hot oil instantly filled the air.

Lu Zichuan couldn't help but turn his head away.

Through the half-open kitchen door, he saw Shen Zhiyi wearing a pink cartoon bear apron, her long hair casually tied back, revealing her fair nape.

She stood in front of the stove, stirring green peppers and beef with a spatula in one hand, while on the other side, sauerkraut and pork soup was bubbling away.

She handled both tasks simultaneously with ease.

Occasionally, she would turn to the side to reach the spice jar, the apron strap swaying slightly behind her waist, creating a delicate and soft arc.

She was so focused on cooking.

His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze was focused intently on the heat in the pot, and his lips were unconsciously pursed, as if he were completing some important work.

Lu Zichuan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

He suddenly had a strong urge to walk over, wrap his arms around her waist from behind, rest his chin on her shoulder, and inhale the faint scent of laundry detergent in her hair.

The moment the thought popped into his head, he abruptly looked away, gulped down another mouthful of cold water, and forced himself to stare at the television screen.

The news anchor was reporting the evening weather, but he didn't hear a word she said.

He unconsciously swiped his thumb across the phone screen a few times before finally opening the chat window with Lu Ziyang.

What do you usually prepare for your sister-in-law during her period?