Chapter 221: Contentment
Yu Nian'an closed the door and led Qi Xia to the sofa, helping him sit down slowly.
But Qi Xia seemed bewitched, staring at Yu Nian'an without stopping.
"Xia, what's wrong with you?" Yu Nian'an held Qi Xia's hands. "If something's going on, you need to tell me. Don't make me worry."
"I'm fine." Qi Xia shook his head. "I've never felt this good in my entire life."
"You're always like this." Yu Nian'an sighed and sat down beside Qi Xia. This small single sofa could only allow the two of them to snuggle together. "You like to keep everything bottled up inside. Over time, it'll cause problems. So tell me, what really happened?"
"I... I had a very, very terrible nightmare." Qi Xia's eyes darkened.
"A terrible nightmare?" Yu Nian'an touched Qi Xia's face with some concern. "Did you dream of monsters and ghosts? Or a deranged murderer?"
"To me, none of those count as nightmares." Qi Xia shook his head. "An, I dreamed I lost you."
"Pfft." Yu Nian'an was amused by Qi Xia. "Lost me? Then why didn't you go find me?"
"I did look." Qi Xia slowly covered his forehead, feeling an unbearable ache in his heart. "I couldn't find you... I threw myself into the Avici Hell, endured countless horrors, but I didn't know where to look for you..."
"Alright, alright..." Yu Nian'an hugged Qi Xia with some concern, feeling that he was truly exhausted. "Don't let your imagination run wild. I'm right here. I haven't gone anywhere."
Qi Xia closed his eyes, nestling in Yu Nian'an's arms, feeling as if his entire world had returned.
He didn't know if it was good fortune, but he had actually managed to ask the "End of Eternity" to give Yu Nian'an back to him.
As long as Yu Nian'an was here, he could even stand against an almighty god.
"Xia, are you hungry?" Yu Nian'an asked.
"I..."
Qi Xia hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, but the moment he saw Yu Nian'an's eyes, he felt everything was fine. He didn't need to eat at all.
"Let me make you something to eat." Yu Nian'an patted Qi Xia's head like she was taking care of a child. "Wait for me a moment, okay?"
Yu Nian'an stood up, took the apron hanging on the wall, and went into the kitchen.
Seeing Yu Nian'an leave his sight, Qi Xia felt a bit panicked. He quickly followed her into the kitchen.
Yu Nian'an was indeed there. She was in the kitchen, not gone anywhere.
She was just about to wash some vegetables.
"What's wrong...?" Yu Nian'an asked. "Afraid I'll poison you?"
"No, not at all..." Qi Xia shook his head. "I'm just afraid I've gone crazy. I'm afraid the you right now is just my hallucination."
Hearing this, Yu Nian'an frowned.
She put down the vegetables, walked over, and angrily pinched Qi Xia's arm.
It hurt, but Qi Xia smiled.
"You stupid Xia, does it hurt or not?!" Yu Nian'an asked, pretending to be angry.
"It hurts." Qi Xia nodded.
"Would a hallucination be able to pinch you that hard?" Yu Nian'an pouted and turned around. "If you're not going to help me cook, then don't make a mess here. Go wait outside!"
But how could Qi Xia bear to leave?
He just wanted to stay quietly by Yu Nian'an's side.
Seeing Qi Xia like this, Yu Nian'an could only shake her head and say, "Xia, how about this? Guess what delicious food I'm going to make for you. If you guess right, I'll let you stay in the kitchen."
Qi Xia's mind was completely filled with Yu Nian'an; he couldn't care less about what food she was making.
Without thinking, he casually said, "Bean sprouts and braised eggplant."
Yu Nian'an paused briefly as she was washing the vegetables, then turned around in disbelief. "I'm clearly washing scallions. How did you guess bean sprouts and braised eggplant?"
"Uh..." Qi Xia forced a wry smile. "It can only mean we're soulmates."
...
Yu Nian'an brought out two small dishes, and Qi Xia wolfed them down clean.
Whether it was because he had eaten too many cans from the "End of Eternity" or because Yu Nian'an's cooking was just that good, Qi Xia felt he had never tasted anything so delicious.
Yu Nian'an didn't use vinegar for her bean sprouts; instead, she added chili and scallions.
She didn't use dark soy sauce for the braised eggplant; she preferred to add a few spoonfuls of sugar.
These two small tweaks completely captured Qi Xia's palate.
He felt that he and Yu Nian'an were truly a perfect match. Even though Yu Nian'an was making these two dishes for the first time, they happened to be exactly to his taste.
After finishing the meal, Qi Xia gradually began to feel uneasy.
He knew that no matter how happy the present life was, it was still within the "earthquake countdown."
Tomorrow at noon, that cataclysmic earthquake would still come, shattering everything he had.
Where on earth could he flee to escape the "End of Eternity"?
The moment he thought of the "End of Eternity," those bizarre and absurd scenes surfaced in his mind again.
What had become of the massacre at "Heaven's Gate"?
Had Qiao Jiajing and Li Xiangling followed his advice and survived?
Yes, at least they had lived until the tenth day.
Were they now, in their own time, fulfilling their final wishes?
"Knock, knock, knock." A gentle voice called out from beside him.
Qi Xia paused, then turned his head to see Yu Nian'an grinning mischievously. He smiled back and asked, "Who's at the door?"
"So Qi Xia is home after all!" Yu Nian'an "hmphed." "He didn't even wash the dishes after eating. I thought Qi Xia wasn't home!"
"I'm sorry."
Qi Xia smiled contentedly. He was already satisfied.
If his life could be like this forever, he would be satisfied.
He decided that from this moment on, every time he entered the "End of Eternity," he would kill himself immediately.
To hell with the "three thousand six hundred Dao," "escaping," "Extreme Dao," and "Heaven's Gate."
He was willing to be trapped in this day forever.
Such a life was more than enough for him.
Qi Xia finished washing the dishes and glanced inadvertently toward the bedroom. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he froze.
He walked over and slowly pushed open the door, then stood there dumbfounded.
There was still no bed.
All that met his eyes was a table and a chair.
His eyes slowly widened, and his head began to ache.
What the hell? Where was the bed?!
This room was supposed to be Yu Nian'an's, but there was no place for her to sleep.
Qi Xia hurriedly turned around and saw Yu Nian'an wiping the table in the living room.
She hadn't disappeared, but there was no bed in the room.
A feeling of dissonance slowly kindled in his heart.
"Oh, right!" Yu Nian'an walked over slowly, smiling apologetically. "Xia, I made a mistake. Promise you won't laugh at me, okay?"
"Wh-what mistake?"
"Well, didn't I buy a bed online a few days ago?" Yu Nian'an touched her head. "The tracking said it would arrive today, so this morning I called a junk collector to take away our old bed... But then there was a problem with the delivery, and they said it won't come until tomorrow... So tonight we'll have to sleep on the floor, hehe..."
Hearing this, Qi Xia let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"S-so that's how it is?!" He showed a relieved smile. "It's okay, An... If it's only that... it's okay..."