First, then, love.

Under the table.

The God of War lay obediently at He Zheng's feet.

It smelled the aroma of meat, its amber eyes stared intently at the table, and it made clear swallowing sounds as saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth and landed on the marble floor tiles.

But it dared not move. Its owner's legs were right next to it, and without a command, it could not get on the table even if it was drooling with desire.

On the dining table.

The princess moved with graceful cat-like steps, flitting between the dishes.

Its tail stood high, brushing against the back of He Zheng's hand holding chopsticks, arrogantly surveying its territory.

It lowered its head and sniffed around the plate of stir-fried beef with green peppers.

He sneezed in disgust, shook his head, and turned to leave.

Even cats won't eat it.

He Zheng didn't even lift his eyelids. He picked up a thick slice of beef, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed it.

He didn't find it unpalatable; the special police brigade had eaten raw meat during field training exercises, so this was considered good.

"He Zheng." Shu Yao put down her chopsticks, her voice crisp and clear, tinged with obvious dissatisfaction.

"Is this a pork chop or shredded meat? It's so tough."

She pointed at the dish and nitpicked without any hesitation.

He Zheng paused in his eating.

He swallowed the rice in his mouth and glanced at the bits of meat she had spat out on her plate.

He didn't get angry, and he didn't argue back.

I picked up my water glass, took a sip, and moistened my throat.

"My knife skills are lacking; I cut it too thick." He said calmly, with an air of matter-of-fact composure.

He put down his water glass and looked at her.

"I'll learn to cook according to the recipe tomorrow."

Shu Yao was stunned.

All the complaints I had prepared were choked back down by his words.

This man has an iron temper, but he's quicker than anyone else to admit his mistakes, and his attitude is so upright that no one can find fault with him.

She had nothing to say, so she could only pick up the bowl and silently drink the tomato and egg soup that was otherwise normal.

Their cohabitation progressed amidst these bumps and frictions, but gradually got back on track.

*

10 PM.

Shu Yao sat on the bedroom carpet, tidying up her clothes.

After tidying up the kitchen, He Zheng took his change of clothes and went into the master bedroom's bathroom.

I sweated a lot during my morning exercise this morning, and I was drenched in sweat again at the police station this afternoon.

He was sticky all over, smelling of gunpowder and sweat.

Close the bathroom door.

He ripped off his black T-shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket.

Take off your trousers.

The naked body was exposed to bright lights, the muscle lines cold and hard.

He pushed open the glass door of the shower room and went inside.

Turn on the shower, and warm water cascades down, flowing down my short hair, across my cheeks, across my broad chest, gathering in the grooves of my abdominal muscles, and finally splashing onto the floor tiles.

He reached out to touch the spot where he usually kept the soap.

empty.

There was nothing in that transparent plastic soap dish.

He wiped the water off his face and opened his eyes.

I remembered.

When he returned in the afternoon, the God of War had a yellow object in his mouth, with white foam all over his face.

He pried open the dog's mouth and saw that it was his soap, which the dog had chewed into tiny pieces, but thankfully it hadn't swallowed it.

But it can't be used anymore.

He casually swept it into the trash can.

There's no spare at home.

He Zheng ran his fingers through his hair, his gaze passing through the glass door and landing on the washbasin outside.

The left side of the sink was filled with Shu Yao's things: colorful glass bottles and tubes of all sizes.

He didn't recognize what they were; they were all crooked English letters.

He pushed open the glass door and walked out naked.

My gaze swept over the bottles and jars.

My gaze finally settled on a white hose in the far corner.

That tube was the largest, looked to have the most capacity, and had simple, elegant packaging.

Straight men have very simple logic.

This tube is so big, it must be either shampoo or shower gel.

He reached out and took it, prying open the lid with one hand.

He spread his large palm out and squeezed hard.

The white paste was squeezed out of the tube, a large blob.

The originally round and bulging tube instantly deflated by more than half.

He Zheng put the hose back in its original place.

He clasped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously.

The cream has a smooth texture and a sophisticated rose scent that isn't overpowering.

He pressed his hands directly onto his head and began to rub them roughly.

The foam becomes rich, dense, and delicate instantly, and it foams up extremely quickly.

He washed his hair haphazardly and wiped his body down as well.

It washes very clean and is easy to rinse.

It smells so good.

It smells so good it's almost pungent.

When the showerhead is turned off, the sound of water stops.

He Zheng took a white dry towel, draped it over his head, and casually wiped his wet hair.

Push open the shower room door and walk out.

She had a bath towel wrapped around her waist.

*

Ten minutes later.

Shu Yao, wearing a silk nightgown, pushed open the bathroom door, preparing to wash up in the evening.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and the mirror was covered with a layer of white mist.

The air was filled with a rose fragrance that she knew very well.

The flavor is very rich.

Shu Yao sniffed.

This smell is from her face wash.

It costs 2,800 yuan per tube and contains precious rose essential oil.

She usually only squeezes out a pea-sized amount of face wash each time she washes her face, so why does the whole room smell like this now, so strong it's like a bottle of perfume has been spilled?

She walked to the sink, reached out, and took the face wash.

My fingers just pinched the white tube.

Shu Yao was stunned; something felt off.

The once full and rounded tube is now light and flimsy.

Upon closer inspection, the tube was deeply dented and dented in the middle.

She squeezed the bottom hard.

Most of the ointment had vanished.

Shu Yao's eyes widened suddenly, and a loud "buzz" went through her mind.

She stared in disbelief at the face wash in her hand, her fingers beginning to tremble.

Was it chewed by a dog? Or scratched by a cat?

She carefully inspected the hose; it was intact and showed no signs of damage.

A surge of evil fire, accompanied by the pain of a bleeding heart, shot up the spine straight to the top of the head.

Two thousand eight hundred! She just opened the store less than a week ago, and she already has two thousand eight hundred!

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, gripped the empty tube in her hand, and whirled around, ready to rush out and confront the person responsible.

Just then, He Zheng walked in.

He changed into a pair of loose gray sweatpants for his lower body, but his upper body was still bare. He was holding a white towel and wiping his wet short hair, with water droplets running down his neck.

His deep black eyes swept over Shu Yao's face, which was flushed with anger, and then over the white tube she was clutching tightly in her hand.

He put down the towel he was using to dry his hair and casually draped it around his neck.

His expression was calm, his tone casual, and he showed no sign of guilt.

"Your shampoo lathers up pretty quickly."