Chapter 23: A Marriage Without Love or Intimacy (2)

"I have some business at the company, I will likely be back late tonight," Leng Mohan said with uncharacteristic gentleness. "Ye Ye has cooked some porridge downstairs; remember to drink it."

Lin Yan was slightly stunned. He had often gone out late in the past, but he had never once bothered to tell her. Why did he go out of his way to inform her this time?

She did not understand; she had never understood what Leng Mohan was thinking.

Without waiting for Lin Yan to respond, Leng Mohan turned and walked out.

Lin Yan stared at his retreating figure for a moment, lost in thought. When she looked back at her computer, she saw a message sent by "Soaring Across a Thousand Miles" in the dialog box.

Soaring Across a Thousand Miles: Yanyan, I'm sorry, I cannot approve this manuscript of yours this time. You need to revise it, or perhaps think about it more carefully. In truth, many marriages exist without love. Naturally, sex is inevitable, or perhaps you could revise this relationship of yours that lacks both love and intimacy?

Looking at these words, Lin Yan had to admit that Soaring Across a Thousand Miles was right. There were indeed many marriages devoid of love, such as her own with Leng Mohan.

Yet, they had somehow managed to maintain this marriage for two years. She did not know if it would continue, but at the very least, neither of them had considered divorce until now.

Lost in thought, she typed four words into the dialog box: "I will think about it."

As Leng Mohan walked downstairs, he saw Ye Ye carrying a white porcelain bowl, about to head upstairs. The white bowl in her fair hands possessed a strange, striking beauty, like a scene from an advertisement. Sometimes, when a commercial finished, he wouldn't even know what it was promoting—just as, at this moment, he could not tell if it was the hands that were beautiful or the bowl that was exquisite.

"Brother Mohan, are you heading out?" Ye Ye asked with a radiant smile, her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, full of charm.

"Yes," Leng Mohan nodded faintly. He took two more steps down before adding, "Yanyan is busy. Just leave the porridge; she will come down to eat it later."

With that, he lingered no longer and walked swiftly out the door.

The smile instantly vanished from Ye Ye's face. Annoyed, she set the porcelain bowl heavily onto the living room coffee table, sat on the sofa, picked up a fruit knife, and began to peel an apple with intense focus.

Lin Yan, having left her computer on, ran a hand through her still-damp hair as she walked downstairs. She felt she truly needed to reconsider the ending of her story.

Seeing Lin Yan descend, Ye Ye put on a bright smile and asked, "Sister Lin Yan, are you finished with your work? Come and have some porridge."

As she spoke, she held up the half-peeled apple in her hand. "Would you like some apple?"

Lin Yan stared at the apple in her hand for a long time. More than half of it was peeled, and the long strip of apple skin hung from her hand, unbroken from the start to where she was currently peeling.

She recalled that Leng Mohan was also quite skilled at peeling apples; he, too, could peel an entire fruit without the skin ever breaking.

"I won't have any," Lin Yan shook her head, adding with sincere praise, "You peel them very well."

Ye Ye giggled, then said casually, "Brother Mohan is very good at it too. He taught me how to do it himself."

Lin Yan said nothing more, merely nodding faintly, though a wave of revulsion washed over her. "Brother Mohan"—it sounded just like a term of endearment from a Korean drama.

Lost in these thoughts, she picked up the porridge and began to drink. "You make good porridge, too."

"Thank you."

Ye Ye shot Lin Yan a look that was neither a smile nor a frown, then fell silent and continued peeling the apple. This time, however, she applied too much pressure; the apple skin snapped and fell to the floor.