Li Chuchu returned home in the afternoon and found that the food supplies at home were almost gone.
For some reason, she had been craving meat lately. Just then, she ran into Aunt Wang, who was also going grocery shopping. So she made an appointment with Aunt Wang to go to the market together.
When Shen Yanshan got home, the house was empty.
It was as if a stone had suddenly dropped in his heart. But this stone didn't fall to the ground; instead, it hit his heart heavily.
Shen Yanshan was too lazy to turn on the light. He sat on the rattan chair by the window, closing his eyes and leaning back slightly. He could still faintly smell the fragrance of late - blooming magnolias that seemed to linger in the air, the same scent that she always had.
Originally, he had planned that if she continued to be entangled with Duan Jingqi, as long as she didn't go too far, he could divorce her by agreement, leaving some dignity for both of them. This marriage had always been unclear from the start. He asked himself and felt that he had been kind and done his best.
Now he still held this thought.
If... if she really couldn't stand living with him and insisted on leaving, he might as well let her go now.
After all, there was nothing good for her by staying with him.
Shen Yanshan faced his own desires directly and was also aware of his spiritual emptiness. The path he had chosen was all - or - nothing. One wrong step and he would be smashed to pieces. Before his conscience completely faded away, he didn't want to drag a decent person into this mess.
He didn't care about the former Li Chuchu.
But for the current Li Chuchu, he... hesitated.
If one didn't make a decisive decision when it was time to, one would surely suffer. Take Zhou Xun for example, or those so - called relatives. He could just ignore them. But when it came to her, why did he become so indecisive?
Shen Yanshan forced himself to wash away those memories. He closed his eyes calmly and made a decision in his heart.
...
"The vegetables are so cheap today. Next time we should come at this time to grab them!"
Aunt Wang's excited voice came from outside.
At the same time, there was also Li Chuchu's voice. "Thanks to you, Aunt Wang, for knowing how to pick meat. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to choose and might get cheated."
Hearing this voice, Shen Yanshan's heart trembled uncontrollably.
"Oh, those people just took advantage of your youth and tried to sell you the bad meat. Next time you come with me, I guarantee you'll get good meat!"
"Hahaha."
Her voice was like a string of silver bells, floating into his ears. Shen Yanshan suddenly sat up straight.
Through the thin white veil, almost instinctively, he caught sight of Li Chuchu's slender and beautiful figure.
She had a cloth bag hanging on her arm and was wearing a floral top with a doll collar. When she bent over, her graceful and slender curves were outlined. For some reason, such an ordinary dress looked more beautiful on her than on others.
Li Chuchu pushed the door open and entered the house. She saw Shen Yanshan sitting on the rattan chair, staring straight at her.
There was no light in the room, so she couldn't see the complexity and entanglement in his eyes.
The smile on Li Chuchu's face hadn't faded. "You're back so early today."
"Yeah."
"You..." Shen Yanshan seemed to want to say something.
However, Li Chuchu was standing at the door.
The only light in the room came in from the door behind her. She was standing in the golden glow of the setting sun, smiling sweetly.
"Why didn't you turn on the light when you came back?"
Click.
The light came on.
The room was suddenly bright.
Shen Yanshan forgot what he wanted to say. His eyes were dazzled by the light, and his heart skipped a beat.
He just stared at her fixedly,
feeling the insatiable desire in his heart.
But above this desire, his remaining morality and conscience were suppressing it firmly.
Li Chuchu put the things on the table. "I bought some fresh spare ribs. I'll make spare - rib soup for dinner tonight. And stir - fry some green vegetables. How about that?"
"Okay." Shen Yanshan was silent for a moment. He walked behind her, choosing his words carefully, and asked in a low voice, "Did you go to the Lotus Steel Factory recently?"
"Yeah, I got my mom's job back. Now I'm working there."
Li Chuchu chopped the washed corn and carrots into pieces, then washed and cut the newly - bought spare ribs.
【Ding! The system has issued a task: Have a heart - to - heart talk (find out what the villain has been doing recently, his future plans, and his ideal marriage partner during the conversation). Task reward: +5 puppy - love points, +2000 money points】
Li Chuchu's hand trembled, and the knife in her hand almost fell.
"Let me do it."
Shen Yanshan quickly took the knife from Li Chuchu's hand, barely preventing it from falling to the ground.
Thump, thump, thump. In a few strokes, the hard - to - cut bones were broken into several pieces under his hands.
Shen Yanshan put the spare ribs on a plate. He tilted his head slightly towards Li Chuchu and whispered, "What should I do next?" The carefully - pulled - in distance concealed his unspoken feelings and inner struggle.
Li Chuchu was still digesting what the system had said.
What kind of bullshit task was this?
Ask her to find out the villain's plans?
And ask about his ideal marriage partner?
Wasn't this a bit too presumptuous?
Moreover, she must be the least ideal marriage partner now. Wouldn't the opposite of her be the ideal one?
This system just kept assigning tasks without caring whether the host could survive!
With Shen Yanshan's heavy suspicion and his lack of trust in her, if she really asked those questions, her death might just come earlier. Li Chuchu looked a bit aggrieved and wished she could call out the system right away to ask for clarification.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Li Chuchu's strange expression, Shen Yanshan reminded her, "Did I do something wrong?"
"Ah, no. Blanch the spare ribs with some scallions and ginger slices, then you can stew them with the corn and carrots."
Li Chuchu didn't expect that Shen Yanshan actually went out with the vegetable basket.
He was actually going to cook by himself?
It was really unbelievable.
But the most urgent thing now was to find out what was going on with the system task.
"System, system, come out quickly."
Li Chuchu called in her mind.
The system's little TV screen suddenly flashed up.
【Host, do you have any questions? (wink) (heart)】
Li Chuchu lowered her voice and said angrily, "What kind of task is this? Ask me to find out all these things? Do you want me to die? Are you treating me like a guinea pig?"
The system screen flashed and then turned back into the regular heart shape.
【No! The task is just to increase the host's understanding of the villain and deepen the bond between the host and the villain!】
If there were after - sales evaluations for the system, Li Chuchu would give this system 8.6 points, because she was really angry (1.4 points off).
"What if I can't complete the task?"
【If the task fails, the puppy - love points will be cleared, and the upgraded items will return to their initial state. The host may suffer a backlash and be sent back to the original world.】
Li Chuchu felt like having a heart attack. What kind of overbearing clause was this?
The original her was already dead. Wasn't this just a direct death sentence?
She rubbed her temples. "Fine, fine, I got it."
【Wish the host a successful completion of the task. (heart)】
Li Chuchu turned off the system and sighed. She had no choice but to bite the bullet.
By this time, Shen Yanshan had already started stewing the soup.
His broad back was standing in front of the sink. His well - defined fingers were holding a soup ladle, stirring the soup in the iron pot from time to time. His side face was cold and serious. He didn't look like he was making soup but more like he would be in the future, manipulating the stock market with ease.
For such a sharp, risky, and moody person, Li Chuchu just hoped to survive in his plot.
So how should she start the conversation?
Hey, I heard you've been a speculator lately. How's it going? What are your plans? What kind of girls do you like? I'll introduce one to you. The more Li Chuchu thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. How could she have a heart - to - heart talk with the villain like this?
Just as Li Chuchu was struggling repeatedly,
a cold voice suddenly came from above her head. "How... are you doing at the Lotus Steel Factory recently?"
Li Chuchu: ...?
She stopped and looked up stiffly.
Shen Yanshan suppressed the almost uncontrollable anger in his heart. He thought it was necessary to clarify things. He looked serious. "You still like that pretty - boy... man?"
Afraid that she didn't understand, he added a few more words. "Duan Jingqi."
This tone was so sour.
Li Chuchu couldn't hold it in anymore. What was this? Why was he stealing her lines?
What? Did he also receive a system task?
Shen Yanshan felt her silence, as if her thoughts had been exposed. His heart gradually sank to the bottom. His fingers gripping the soup ladle turned white, and his lips were pursed into a straight line. Finally, as if he couldn't bear it anymore, he forced himself to say those words:
"Li Chuchu, if you really don't want to stay here, let's divorce by agreement."