After the divorce, Mr. Gu spent every day at the crematorium.

After finishing his noodles, Chu Yao was covered in sweat.

He let out a satisfied burp and leaned back comfortably on the sofa.

Shen Yao finished her noodles and got up to take Chu Yao's bowl to the kitchen to wash it.

The rain stopped completely, and in the quiet room, the sound of running water from the kitchen faucet could be heard.

Chu Yao rested his hands on his head, his eyes fixed on the somewhat glaring incandescent light bulb on the old ceiling, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He sat up, took out his phone, and sent a WeChat message: "I'm at this woman's house now, and she cooked me a really delicious bowl of tomato and egg noodles."

A short while later, a WeChat message popped up on my phone.

"You little rascal, you're really mischievous. You even tease the doctor who saved you..."

After washing the dishes, Shen Yao wiped her hands with disposable kitchen paper towels and walked into the living room, where she saw Chu Yao looking at her and smiling.

"Sister, the noodles you cooked are delicious."

Shen Yao was taken aback, and her usually serious face showed a rare gentle smile. "Go to sleep."

After saying these words, she turned and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

Chu Yao said softly to the closed door, "Goodnight, sister."

Golden sunlight streamed through the thin curtains, illuminating the glass vase with lilies on the table and the small fish tank.

Chu Yao slowly opened his eyes, sat up, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at his surroundings.

The apartment is quite old and hardly decorated, but it's very clean and cozy.

The fish in the aquarium, the lilies, and the golden bells on the small balcony all make a tinkling sound when the wind blows in.

The kitchen door was opened.

The woman wearing an apron placed a small pot on the table, turned to the sleepy-eyed boy, and said, "There's a new toothbrush in the bathroom, but no cup for rinsing. Just make do. Come and have breakfast as soon as you're done washing up. I need to leave before 8:30."

Chu Yao glanced down at his watch. It was 7:40 in the morning. This woman was really early.

Breakfast was lean meat congee sprinkled with bright green scallions.

It felt incredibly comforting in his stomach, and Chu Yao drank several bowls in a row.

After finishing her meal, Shen Yao, as usual, quickly got up and cleared away the dishes.

After she finished washing the dishes, she told Chu Yao to leave.

"You should call a car yourself. I'll take you to the elevator."

Almost without saying a word, she walked to the living room door, opened it, and gestured for Chu Yao to leave.

Chu Yao remained still, saying, "Sister, I'll go out with you later."

Shen Yao refused outright, "No, you have to leave now."

"Wait ten minutes."

"No."

"Wait five minutes."

"No."

"Wait one minute."

"No."

The woman's rejection was so decisive that Chu Yao was a little angry. He was usually short-tempered, and he was seething inside, but he couldn't bring himself to vent his anger on her.

He got up with a dark expression and walked out of the house. Shen Yao followed behind him, closed the door behind her, and escorted him to the elevator as instructed.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, the woman pushed Chu Yao inside, a relieved smile on her face. "Be careful on the way."

Chu Yao's lips twitched violently as he blocked the elevator door with his hand. "Sister, come in. I have something to tell you."

Shen Yao frowned. "I'll stand right here. Go ahead and say it."

Seeing that the woman wasn't falling for his tricks, Chu Yao's eyes darted around. He clutched his stomach and said, "Sister, my stomach suddenly hurts so much. Could you take a look and see if my wound has been torn open again?"