Chapter 61: Feeling anxious inside

Shen Xuntie had decided to have dinner with her tonight, but Jiang Lai's strength, no matter how great, could not match that of an adult male.

Jiang Lai realized that continuing the stalemate was pointless, calmed down and agreed to him: "Okay, cooking is fine, but please first let go of my hand."

Only then did Shen Xun let go.

"There's no vegetables in the fridge; I need to go to the market to buy some, but at this time I won't find anything fresh." Jiang Lai looked at the local specialties on the floor, all sent by Dean Mom and the children, which couldn't be left lying around, so she told Shen Xun, "Take these things upstairs; I'll go to the market to buy vegetables."

Shen Xun continued to stare at her.

As if afraid she wouldn't come back.

Jiang Lai felt speechless, then bent down to pick up the things: "I'll put them upstairs first, then go buy vegetables."

Shen Xun seemed to believe her, reached out and took the things from her hand: "Together."

"Huh?" Jiang Lai doubted she had heard wrong, "What together?"

"Let's go buy vegetables together, then come back to cook." Shen Xun carried two big bags into the elevator, gesturing for Jiang Lai to come in as well.

Jiang Lai stared at him blankly, suspecting something was wrong with his mind today.

For four years, he had never said he would accompany her to buy vegetables.

In Shen Xun's view, these tasks should be what a woman ought to do.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shen Xun said, slightly puzzled.

Jiang Lai shook her head and said softly, "No."

After putting things away, Shen Xun indeed followed her downstairs, going together to the nearby market.

The day grew toward evening.

The market remained bustling, vegetables and fruits mixed with meat smells, making Shen Xun somewhat unable to accept it, especially with rotten vegetable leaves on the ground and bloody water in front of the meat stalls.

Shen Xun stepped on a rotten tomato with one foot, and his polished leather shoes became completely dirty.

He frowned: "Why not go to the mall? The vegetables in mall supermarkets are all clean and neatly packaged."

"The market is cheap, and you can bargain." Jiang Lai calmly held a bag of scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Shen Xun still furrowed his brows: "We don't need to be petty about this little..."

"You only give me three thousand a month for household expenses." Jiang Lai looked at him solemnly, "Household expenses aren't just buying vegetables and cooking; there's also the fruit you eat, toilet paper, laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo… and other seemingly small expenditures, but in reality monthly spending exceeds three thousand."

Shen Xun fell into silence.

Watching Jiang Lai skillfully bargain and pay, he felt as if something had pricked his heart.

His steps halted in place.

Jiang Lai walked up to the fish stall, and the owner immediately smiled and greeted: "It's been a while since we've seen you, Jiang Lai; have you been too busy lately?"

"Cao Shu, same as always."

"I know." Cao Shu put on his gloves and was about to get her fish, saying, "I've been keeping fresh fish aside for you every day, but since I haven't seen you lately, I've had to sell them to others."

"Cao Shu, you don't need to keep them for me anymore." Jiang Lai gazed at the fish on Cao Shu's chopping board, somewhat lost in thought, "I'm moving away."

"Ah?" Cao Shu looked regretful, smiling broadly, "Looks like I'll lose another steady customer from now on."

"Cao Shu, thank you these past years."

"It's me who should thank you, for often looking after my business." Cao Shu turned and happened to see a man in a suit and leather shoes walking this way, curiously asking Jiang Lai, "Is he your husband?"

Hearing Shen Xun's footsteps, Jiang Lai still shook her head and said, "No."

"Not really?" Cao Shu didn't doubt much; this man looked wealthy at a glance, and if Jiang Lai's husband were rich, there'd be no need for her to come to the market every day to buy vegetables and cook.

He's probably just a friend.

Jiang Lai nodded: "No."

"What no?" Shen Xun stepped closer, seeing the owner hand over a freshly prepared fish, and he took it before Jiang Lai could reach out.

Jiang Lai shook her head: "Nothing."

The two continued walking forward to buy pork ribs.

Her phone suddenly rang.

"I'll take this call." Jiang Lai turned and walked a bit to the side.

Shen Xun watched Jiang Lai's slender profile, his brows furrowing again.

When did Jiang Lai start taking calls behind his back?

Clearly before, she always took calls in front of him.

The caller was Ke Zhongying, inviting Jiang Lai to have dinner together that evening.

Jiang Lai glanced at the vegetables she and Shen Xun were carrying, her eyes flickering: "Zhongying, I'll cook dinner for you tonight, okay?"

"Really!" Ke Zhongying's voice was full of surprise, "I can, I can—give me your address and I'll come right away!"

"But, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Jiang Lai didn't expect her to agree so quickly, "You don't even know what the favor is yet."

"You wouldn't have me go commit murder or arson." Ke Zhongying trusted her completely.

This feeling of trust sent a warm current through Jiang Lai's heart, and she couldn't help but curl her lips.

Seeing her suddenly smile, Shen Xun walked over and asked warily, "Who are you on the phone with?"

Jiang Lai didn't hide it, holding up her phone screen: "With a friend."

Seeing the three characters "Ke Zhongying," Shen Xun thought of Ke Zhongyu, who always opposed him.

Jiang Lai told Ke Zhongying on the phone to hang up first, then looked at Shen Xun: "Tonight I want to invite my friend over for a meal."

"Ke Family Eldest Miss?" Shen Xun hesitated a bit.

Jiang Lai continued to ask, "May I?"

"This is the first time you've brought a friend home." Shen Xun muttered, then nodded his agreement.

Jiang Lai also said, "You can also invite friends over."

She was referring to Lin Shutong.

Shen Xun seemed not to have heard; he took out his phone and sent a message to Xie Yongsi.

Called Xie Yongsi.

What about Miss Lin?

Every time Jiang Lai mentioned Lin Shutong, Shen Xun's heart would also lift, involuntarily becoming nervous.

How did you think of her?

Isn't Miss Lin your friend? Xie Yongsi also knows her.

"She's a friend, but we don't need to call her tonight." Shen Xun said eagerly, "Let's go back."

"I still want to make a few more dishes; Chongying will try my cooking for the first time." Whenever Jiang Lai mentioned Ke Zhongying, she would naturally smile.

Shen Xun asked, "Why do you value Ke Zhongying so much? Is it because she's the Ke Family Eldest Miss? The only daughter of Ke Zhongyu?"

"Because she's my first friend." Jiang Lai looked at him earnestly, also clearly aware of his petty thought.

Shen Xun didn't believe: "You're twenty-eight, and the Ke Family Eldest Miss is only twenty-two; you're not the same age, and you don't even share the same hobbies—how could you possibly get along?"

"Who says we don't share the same hobbies?" Ke Zhongying often, like her, locks herself in the lab.

Shen Xun pursued, asking: "What shared hobbies do you have? You're married, and she's unmarried."

Jiang Lai didn't answer further, but continued buying vegetables; she didn't bargain when buying vegetables, and her manner of speaking showed a gentleness.

Not like the earlier lifeless gloom.

The difference in how she treated her husband versus her friend gave Shen Xun a strange feeling.

Sometime ago, Jiang Lai seemed to have lost her former enthusiasm for him.

This made him feel a little panicked.