"Did she leave?"
In the kitchen, Chen Shi asked softly.
"What, did you not want her to leave?" Cynthia turned her head and teased him.
Chen Shi said nothing, quietly washing the dishes.
Cynthia wasn't bothered. She continued, "She's just like me. Her eyes hold a burning, pure love for you."
"When I was a girl, all I could think about was how to make things better for you."
"How could I bear to tear you away from the happiness you'd always dreamed of?"
The corners of Chen Shi's mouth lifted slightly. "You already liked me that much when you were a girl?"
Cynthia feigned a sigh. "Ah, I was young and foolish. You tricked me out of all the love in my heart, little by little."
"You'd better treat me well from now on, or when you're old, I'll have Xiao Xi pull out your oxygen tube."
Chen Shi put away the clean dishes and cutlery, then wiped his hands, letting the subject drop.
"What about Xiao Xi? Is she asleep?"
"Yes. I put her on the couch. Carry her to bed in a bit."
Chen Shi nodded, then suddenly remembered something and smiled. "You probably don't know this yet, but Florges made Xiao Xi a little nest in her garden. Xiao Xi loves it. She said she wants to take all her naps there from now on."
"That's all because you spoil her. She has a perfectly good bed, but she insists on sleeping outside." The mere mention of it irritated Cynthia, and she couldn't help complaining.
Several times, she hadn't even been able to find where Xiao Xi was sleeping, nearly scaring her to death.
Chen Shi chuckled and gently wrapped his arms around his wife from behind.
His palms rested over her folded hands, his chin