The sound of water came from the bathroom. Then, the door opened, and a fair, slender arm reached out, dangling a pair of cute strawberry panties right in front of Jiang Xia.

"Well, I’ll leave this to you."

His eye twitched. This woman really didn’t stand on ceremony with him. She could have easily washed them herself while showering, so was she really just using him as a tool? ’This is all my fault for spoiling her in the past.’

"Hurry up and shower. We’ll eat in a bit."

Looking at the bloodstain on the panties, Jiang Xia sighed. He took them to the sink, soaked them in warm water, rubbed them with lingerie soap, and then gently scrubbed them over and over until the stain was completely gone. Only then did he take them out to the balcony to hang dry.

Back in the kitchen, the microwave beeped, signaling it was done. The tomatoes simmering in the pot had already softened, so he turned off the heat, poured in the pre-beaten eggs, and gave it a quick stir with his chopsticks. The egg drop was cooked in an instant.

Two dishes and a soup, all done in less than five minutes. It was a good thing there were leftovers from yesterday in the fridge, or it wouldn’t have been this quick.

"How much longer are you going to be? It’s time to eat." Jiang Xia knocked on the bathroom door.

The hot water was still running, SPLASH. A couple of seconds later, the bathroom door opened, and a thick cloud of steam billowed out, obscuring everything inside in a white haze.

Lin Yanwan poked only her head out, carefully hiding the rest of her body behind the door.

"Um... could you get me my bath towel? It’s in the same place as at our old house—the third wardrobe in my room, hanging on a hanger. The white one." Her skin was moist and flushed from the hot shower.

She would never admit that she had subconsciously forgotten everything because she felt like they were back to the days when they lived together.

Jiang Xia looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. "You know, you should really be a little more careful in front of a guy. Haven’t you ever considered what you’d do if I suddenly lost control?"

"Tch. It’s not like I don’t know how big you are. You think I’d be scared of you?"

"Then why are you hiding? How about you open the door and we have a frank and open meeting."

"No way. This body is for my future husband to see."

"Tch, as if there’s any part of you I haven’t seen."

Jiang Xia scoffed and pursed his lips, turning to enter her bedroom. He skillfully retrieved the white bath towel, and as his gaze swept the room, it landed on the guitar hanging on her wall. Memories began to surface...

Lin Yanwan stood under the showerhead, letting the warm water cascade over her fair skin. Even though this body was still flawless, she knew in her heart that she had once belonged to the man outside.

"Got it. I’m hanging it on the doorknob. You can get it yourself." Jiang Xia’s voice pulled her from her reverie back to reality.

A few minutes later, she emerged into the living room, trailing steam, to find Jiang Xia already eating without ceremony, as casual as if he were in his own home.

He glanced up at her. Lin Yanwan was wearing a pale blue dress, her hair draped naturally over her shoulders, revealing her prominent collarbones below her long, fair neck.

"How old are you, still trying to look elegant? Don’t you know you need to stay warm when you’ve just gotten your period?" criticized Jiang ’Ex-Husband’ Xia.

"Oh."

Lin Yanwan then obediently went back to her room and changed into a sweatshirt and jeans that looked much warmer.

"Did you put on a pad?"

"I did."

"What about a heat patch?"

"I put one on."

"How many?"

"O... one." Her voice inexplicably trailed off.

He put down his chopsticks, took a heat patch out of a bag, and tore it open.

"Turn around. I’ll put it on for you."

"...Mm."

His warm palm gently rested on her waist, and they both suddenly fell silent. It wasn’t until Jiang Xia finished applying it and told her to hurry up and eat that Lin Yanwan belatedly came to her senses. There was now a new source of warmth on her lower back, continuously radiating heat.

But in an atmosphere like this, was Lin Yanwan really the only one reminded of how they used to live?

"Does Xiao Man eat lunch at school?"

"Yeah. The food at her school is pretty good. My mom picks her up every day after school."

"That’s good."

After that, they both fell silent again.

Given their current relationship, it didn’t seem appropriate to chat about family matters.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Jiang Xia glanced at the time. There were still 15 minutes before class.

"Here, take this."

After locking the door, he handed Lin Yanwan a thermos.

"It’s ginger and red date tea. I stir-fried the ginger shreds just now. If you feel any discomfort, take a sip."

"No wonder I smelled a strong scent of ginger in the air when I got out of the shower. But... thanks."

Lin Yanwan pressed the elevator button. She watched the display as the elevator slowly climbed up from the 7th floor. The building had 30 floors in total.

"We can’t wait. We’re running out of time. Let’s take the stairs."

"Okay."

The light in the stairwell was a little dim. Jiang Xia walked in front, carefully reminding her to watch her step.

"Will you be this good to your girlfriend in the future?" she asked suddenly.

Jiang Xia paused for a moment. "Isn’t that a stupid question?"

Even though she had already guessed the answer, she still felt a pang of jealousy. After all, even during the cold war after their fights, Jiang Xia’s concern for her had never waned.

"I was just asking. Who you get as a girlfriend has nothing to do with me..."

Lin Yanwan lowered her gaze, and in a moment of distraction, her foot slipped. She twisted her left ankle badly. Jiang Xia instinctively threw his arms around her, catching her before she could fall.

Her soft body felt the same as when he had held her for the first time under the big banyan tree at school. Her silky hair tumbled into his collar, and his nose caught the pleasant scent of shampoo from her freshly washed hair.

His heart gave a violent lurch, then started beating wildly. THUMP-THUMP.

Jiang Xia squeezed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to wake from the memories of his "old love." He said irritably:

"Can’t you pay more attention when you walk? I just reminded you. Lost in your thoughts and you go and twist your ankle. How is it? Does it hurt?"

"It hurts so much..."

Lin Yanwan practically melted into Jiang Xia’s arms. The pain washed over her, leaving her completely drained of strength.

’It’s all this guy’s fault!’

’Why did he have to go and talk about girlfriends!’

"It’s too narrow and dark here. I’ll carry you down on my back first, then we’ll see if your ankle is swollen."

Jiang Xia steadied himself and crouched down in front of her. Then, cupping her bottom with both hands to support her, he carried her down three flights of stairs in one go.

Lin Yanwan wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn’t sure if it was just a psychological illusion, but once she was on his back, her foot suddenly didn’t hurt as much.

Her upper body was pressed completely against his back, like a fluffy marshmallow squashed flat. With her eyes closed, she suddenly recalled that he had carried her on his back quite a few times. ’Didn’t he also carry me downstairs on our wedding day?’

’He kept saying he would carry me for a lifetime. I wonder if he still remembers that promise.’

In the quiet stairwell, the corners of her lips curled up silently into a smile.