75: Chapter 75 I might catch colds more often in the future

At 6:30 PM, Jiang Fan stood at the door of Shen Nian's apartment, carrying two bags of groceries.

Zhou Yutong opened the door.

Seeing what he was holding, her eyes widened into perfect circles.

"Brother Fan, you can cook?"

"I can." Jiang Fan changed his shoes and walked to the kitchen, placing the bags on the counter. He glanced back at her. "But I only bought enough for two people."

The excitement on Zhou Yutong's face froze halfway.

"Two people?"

"Yeah."

"Which two people?"

Jiang Fan ignored her and started taking things out of the bags.

Cabbage, tofu, pork ribs, corn, and yam—all relatively light foods.

Zhou Yutong leaned in, poking her head around the kitchen doorframe.

"Brother Fan, I haven't had dinner yet today."

"There's a fast-food restaurant downstairs."

"How could a boxed meal from a fast-food place taste as good as your cooking? Even though I haven't tried it yet, I have a hunch."

She didn't budge, her feet nailed to the kitchen doorway, refusing to leave no matter what.

Shen Nian came out of the bedroom, wearing gray loungewear, her hair tied loosely behind her head.

Her complexion was even better than in the morning, with a healthy flush on her cheeks.

"Let her stay," Shen Nian said.

Jiang Fan looked back at Zhou Yutong.

Zhou Yutong nodded frantically, pressing her palms together in a prayer-like gesture.

"Fine," Jiang Fan said, pulling a head of broccoli out of the bag. "It's just a matter of stir-frying one more dish."

Zhou Yutong jumped on the spot. "Yay!"

"Right," Jiang Fan said, wiping his hands. "Li Cheng told me you're going to Star City with us."

Zhou Yutong straightened up instantly, folding her hands in front of her, her expression switching to report mode.

"Brother Fan, I guarantee I'll take good care of Sister Nian the whole time and definitely won't cause you any—"

"I've agreed. I also have a gift for you."

Zhou Yutong's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Brother Fan."

Jiang Fan pulled something out of his pants pocket and placed it in her palm.

Zhou Yutong looked down at the "artifact" in her hand, her expression cycling through excitement, confusion, and bewilderment.

"W-what is this?"

"A phone. Use this for the days we're in Star City. Take it back and get familiar with it. Practice if you're slow at typing."

Zhou Yutong held up the old Nokia phone, its black-and-white screen reflecting the light.

Standing in the living room, Shen Nian saw this scene and covered her mouth with one hand.

Her shoulders shook twice.

Finally, she couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.

Zhou Yutong looked back at Shen Nian, then down at the old phone in her hand.

"Sister Nian, you're still laughing."

Shen Nian waved her hand, bent over with laughter.

"Brother Fan, this thing can't even install WeChat, right?"

"It can make calls and send texts. That's enough."

"But... but my Moments..."

"Your Moments are a ticking time bomb." Jiang Fan turned on the faucet to wash the vegetables without turning his head.

Zhou Yutong opened her mouth, then swallowed her words.

She tucked the Nokia into her pocket and went to sit obediently in the living room.

Jiang Fan stood at the stove.

As for cooking, as a thirty-five-year-old bachelor in his past life, he had managed to master a few signature dishes.

He chopped the pork ribs into uniform pieces and cut the yam into chunks, his movements quite efficient.

He heated the wok and poured in oil.

When the aroma wafted out, Zhou Yutong's nose twitched.

"So fragrant—"

Forty minutes later, three dishes and one soup were set on the table.

Stir-fried broccoli with shrimp, braised cabbage with tofu, stir-fried celery with cashews, plus a pot of pork rib, yam, and corn soup.

The presentation wasn't stunning, but the smell told you the taste wouldn't be bad.

Zhou Yutong was the first to use her chopsticks, picking up a piece of rib and popping it into her mouth.

The moment she bit down, her eyes widened.

"Delicious! Brother Fan, you've hidden your cooking skills too well!"

She said, chewing the rib indistinctly, her chopsticks already reaching for a second piece.

"Slow down." Jiang Fan placed a rib into Shen Nian's bowl. "I didn't buy enough for you in the first place."

"But it's really delicious—" Zhou Yutong's mouth was stuffed, making it hard for her to speak clearly.

Shen Nian noticed the plate of stir-fried celery with cashews.

She picked up a cashew and put it in her mouth.

Zhou Yutong's gaze darted quickly between Shen Nian and that dish.

She remembered—Sister Nian loved cashews; only she and Li Cheng knew that.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan was looking down, drinking soup, his expression normal.

"Eat less." Jiang Fan frowned at the speed at which Zhou Yutong was shoveling food.

"I took care of Sister Nian all day. Even if I have no merit, I have put in the effort. You can't treat me like this," Zhou Yutong said righteously.

Shen Nian ate the ribs in small bites, not participating in their bickering.

She chewed quietly, and it didn't hurt much when she swallowed.

Jiang Fan put down his chopsticks.

"Sister Nian is better. You don't need to come over tomorrow; go to work."

Zhou Yutong almost spat out the food in her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Her throat is basically better; she doesn't need anyone to watch over her. You still have work to finish, so don't keep running over here."

Zhou Yutong turned to look at Shen Nian.

Shen Nian nodded. "He's right. You go back to work."

Zhou Yutong pouted but didn't argue back.

Instead, she picked up food even faster—clearly adopting the attitude of "since I'm not allowed to come tomorrow, I'll eat as much as I can tonight."

The meal lasted until past eight o'clock.

After cleaning up the dishes, Zhou Yutong dilly-dallied as she changed her shoes and stood at the door for a long time.

"Brother Fan, Sister Nian, I'm leaving now."

"Mm."

"Sister Nian, get some rest early."

"Got it."

"Brother Fan, you too—"

"Get out."

The door closed.

The sound of Zhou Yutong's footsteps gradually faded in the hallway.

The room became quiet.

Shen Nian turned on the small light in the living room and turned off the main light, making the whole room much softer.

She went to the kitchen to pour two glasses of warm water, brought them back, kept one for herself, and placed the other on the coffee table in front of Jiang Fan.

The two sat on the sofa, holding their water glasses.

Shen Nian took a small sip, swallowed, and checked her throat.

It didn't hurt at all.

What surprised her even more was something else.

Her sleep had also improved.

No nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night with heart palpitations.

The persistent fatigue and weakness during the day had also faded a lot.

It had been a year; she had almost forgotten what it felt like to have such a relaxed body.

She tilted her head, her peripheral vision sweeping over Jiang Fan.

He was leaning on the sofa drinking water, his posture relaxed, one arm resting on the back of the sofa.

Her gaze followed his forearm down, landing on the patek philippe on his wrist.

She paused for a second.

She had seen this watch online; it cost over a million.

Shen Nian withdrew her gaze.

"Um..." She spoke, her voice a few degrees softer than normal.

"Yeah?"

Shen Nian's fingers started twisting the hem of her loungewear again.

"Tonight... do you want to... again..."

She got halfway through, but the remaining words wouldn't come out no matter how hard she tried.

Both hands grabbed the hem, twisting it back and forth.

Jiang Fan turned his head to look at her.

"Again, what?"

Shen Nian stared at her knees, her lips moving twice.

"Consolidate a bit more."

She turned her face to the other side, leaving only a bright red ear facing him.

The living room was quiet for four seconds.

Jiang Fan put down his water glass.

"Are you sure it's consolidation?"

"Of course it's consolidation!" Shen Nian's voice went up half a pitch. "The stability in the high-pitched range isn't enough yet! What if I get on stage and my voice cracks halfway through—"

She bit her lip, stood up from the sofa, and grabbed Jiang Fan's wrist.

"Let's go."

Jiang Fan was pulled up from the sofa by her and followed her into the bedroom.

The door closed.

Shen Nian's hand reached for the light switch on the wall, her fingertips just touching it.

Jiang Fan pressed his hand over hers.

"It was too dark last time. I couldn't see anything."

Shen Nian didn't speak, turning her face away.

Her fingers rested on the buttons of her loungewear.

"Don't look at me."

"Then where should I look?"

"Look... look at the wall."

Jiang Fan turned around, standing facing the wall.

Behind him came the sound of fabric falling to the floor.

Very light.

Then the rustling sound of the bedsheets being pulled back.

"Okay."

Jiang Fan turned back.

Shen Nian was huddled under the covers, only her face showing.

The light hit her profile, completely different from the feeling in the darkness last night.

She stared at him for two seconds.

When Jiang Fan reached out to pull off his T-shirt, those eyes followed his movement downward for a moment.

Then she closed them quickly.

Jiang Fan lifted a corner of the quilt.

Shen Nian shrank back, her back pressed against the other side of the bed.

"Stop shrinking."

"I'm not shrinking."

Jiang Fan reached out and pulled her toward him.

Her shoulder hit his chest, and she gasped the moment their skin touched.

Jiang Fan lowered his head.

She had her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling violently.

"Open your eyes."

Shen Nian shook her head.

"Shen Nian."

She bit her lower lip and slowly opened her eyes into a slit.

In the light, their gazes collided.

Her fingers moved from Jiang Fan's chest and climbed onto his shoulders.

One hour later.

Shen Nian lay on top of Jiang Fan, her breathing not yet fully steady, her back rising and falling slightly.

Jiang Fan had one hand on her lower back, his thumb unconsciously drawing circles in the dimple of her waist.

Shen Nian raised her head.

"That healing thing you mentioned... is it effective every time?"

"Yeah."

"Then what if I catch a cold in the future?"

"That works too."

Shen Nian buried her face back in, mumbling something.

Jiang Fan didn't hear clearly.

"What did you say?"

"I said—then I might catch colds often in the future."