Pampered By All In Different Planes

"The most suitable pairing," Wen Qingyu took the wine glass and clinked it gently with Su Zhiruan's, "I'll put the lamb slices in."

The strong aroma of the baijiu lingered, its taste spicy. The lamb slices were distributed into two pots, and since they were thinly sliced, they cooked with just a couple of swirls in the boiling soup. Su Zhiruan dipped hers in the sauce before taking a bite, and the rich flavor of the meat filled her mouth. The lamb was tender, and upon eating, it felt as though one's soul was being elevated.

Beyond the meat rolls, they continuously added a variety of hot pot ingredients – fatty beef, tripe, tofu skin, shrimp paste, fish slices, and more – assorted and comprehensive.

It was too cold, making a hot pot meal the most suitable choice.

After eating, they both felt a warmness enveloping their bodies.

The hot pot ingredients prepared by Wen Qingyu were just enough for two, so they neither wasted anything nor had leftovers.

After eating.

"I'll wash the dishes," Su Zhiruan offered eagerly, putting on an apron and readying herself by placing the plates into the sink.

Wen Qingyu, however, took out another apron and stood beside her. "Together," he said.

So, the two stood in front of the sink, washing dishes in harmony.

After completing the household chores, they cleaned up the kitchen and took off their aprons to step out together.

"There's still a bit of wine left from earlier, why not have another drink?" Su Zhiruan suggested, eyeing the almost empty wine bottle on the table, thinking it not worth saving and better off finished in one go.

Sitting on the sofa, they began to drink lightly.

With the air being so quiet, Su Zhiruan turned on the FM radio on her phone.

She had downloaded this app before, knowing that after the apocalypse, news could be disrupted by network issues, but FM radios aren't hindered by this.

Listening to the repeated messages, the national leaders were advising citizens not to panic and to stay calm at home.

"With the freezing cold, many people must have died outside," Wen Qingyu remarked while looking at the news on his phone.

The temperature had plummeted overnight. Before the apocalypse, it had still been summer, but now it had suddenly turned into a harsh winter, with the weather becoming extremely cold. People had just started to adjust to the slightly warmer temperatures of the previous days, but clearly, that wasn't the lowest it would go. Today's drastic drop in temperature had many trapped in their nightly dreams, frozen to death, never to wake up again.

"This cold snap has damaged a lot of power equipment, causing widespread outages in some places. Without electricity, there's no way to keep warm," Su Zhiruan said, glancing at the electric switch on the living room wall.

In the apocalypse, naturally, nobody was running the boilers, so the radiators at home were merely for show.

She had bought a stove, but many others were still relying on that bit of electricity to warm themselves.

At that moment, the radio also broadcasted messages of reassurance and notifications from the leaders.

[Emergency notice: Effective today, with the sudden drop in temperature, it's recommended for everyone to pair up and withstand this challenge together...]

"Ruanruan, thank you for saving me back then. Without you, I might not have made it to now," Wen Qingyu raised his glass towards her, speaking sentimentally.

With the abnormal weather, he knew that if he hadn't been saved by Su Zhiruan, he might have ended up under the snow, turned into an ice sculpture.

"It's fate," Su Zhiruan smiled at him. She pointed at the phone emitting sound, "The suggestions from above are to pair up. Looks like we're indeed facing this challenge together."

Speaking of pairing up, their gazes inadvertently met and then quickly averted.

Without planning to, both thought back to the conversation they had a few days ago about behaving like an old married couple.

On the surface, they had no particular relationship, merely partners in a sense.

But in truth, as they grew more familiar with each other and spent each day together, their interactions did increasingly resemble that of an old married couple.

Su Zhiruan saw him hesitate to speak, and she let out a hearty laugh.

"We've talked so much, and the atmosphere is just right," Su Zhiruan leaned on the couch with her glass gently swaying in hand. She glanced sideways at Wen Qingyu with the corner of her eye and said slowly, "How about we give it a try, together?"

As soon as these words left her mouth, Wen Qingyu's gaze froze, and he turned disbelievingly towards Su Zhiruan as if to discern the sincerity of her proposition.

"Huh?"

After finishing her last sip of wine, Su Zhiruan faced him openly and repeated, "You heard me right, how about we give it a try, together?"