She took a few sips of soup, then picked up her chopsticks to sample the noodles Shen An had made.
Unusually, she had a real appetite.
“Mm, I’ve been thinking—this feels like our first dinner together since starting to live under the same roof. Could you maybe not pull that sour face all the time?”
She’d barely eaten a few bites when his light voice came again.
Xu Yijing chewed and swallowed her noodles elegantly before squinting at him. “You’re only staying here temporarily. It’s not like we’re living together. Don’t mix up the concepts.”
“Well, we’re at least temporary roommates, right?” Shen An chuckled.
Xu Yijing rolled her eyes and ignored him.
“Oh, I get it now.” Shen An’s sudden exclamation made Xu Yijing frown in confusion as she looked at him.
“I’ve been living here for a month now, but your attitude’s always been flat—no expressions, no emotional swings. You act just like a robot.”
“But people aren’t machines.”
“So there’s only one explanation: you just don’t like smiling.” Shen An concluded.
“You’re so boring. What’s the point in obsessing over this?” Xu Yijing said coolly.
“It matters. Actually, I’ve been wanting to tell you: I don’t like facing a sourpuss every day.” Shen An lowered his head, tapped his chopsticks against the carrots she’d pushed aside, and pointed. “Also, no being picky.”
Xu Yijing: …
The tiny bit of goodwill she’d just felt toward him snuffed out in an instant.
She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
Xu Yijing could only sigh helplessly. “Do you always have to be so nosy?”
Shen An snorted, looking a bit disdainful. “You think I want to bother with you?”
“I’m just keeping the promise I made to your mother to take good care of you.”
Xu Yijing laughed in anger and said coldly, “Don’t go waving a chicken feather like it’s an imperial edict.”
Shen An shrugged indifferently. “Suit yourself. I’ve said what I needed to. If your stomach acts up again, don’t come crying to me.”
“Rest assured, I won’t trouble you—and I hope you won’t interfere with me either!”
Xu Yijing shot back coldly.
“Good.”
Shen An nodded in satisfaction, then turned around and grabbed his own chopsticks.
Slurp~
Slurp~
Xu Yijing pursed her lips and quietly glanced at the egg soup on the other side.
Looking at the half-empty bowl, his earlier words echoed unbidden in her mind: “Carrots are great—packed with vitamin C, good for the gut, especially for you.”
A thought quietly surfaced in her heart.
Could it be… he’d made it especially for her?
But didn’t want to say it outright?
Who puts carrots in regular noodle soup? And he hardly touched this egg soup.
Whatever.
Xu Yijing sighed inwardly. Whether he did or not, it didn’t matter.
She still needed to find a way to get him to move out.
After a moment’s contemplation, she decided to eat first.
Xu Yijing picked up another slice of meat, then added a small piece of carrot, and ate it with some noodles.
She had to admit, his noodle-cooking skills were genuinely impressive. Had he honed them on his own?
Or taken classes at some culinary school?
Could his real identity not be a doctor at all, but more like an all-purpose housekeeper from her family?
Had her mother sent him purely to look after her?
But she didn’t need that kind of care.
No—definitely a spy!
Don’t waver. He’s a spy her mother sent.
Even as she chewed, Xu Yijing’s thoughts weren’t entirely on the food before her. Instead, her imagination ran wilder.
Shen An finished first and took his bowl back to the kitchen.
Xu Yijing ate a bit slower but didn’t dawdle too long.
She polished off every last noodle and egg, leaving only the broth.
Once done, she simply left the bowls on the table and rubbed her stomach.
Phew~
She’d recovered a good deal of her strength.
Xu Yijing tried standing on her own—the weakness was gone, and she rose steadily.
Then she headed toward her room.
Shen An happened to come out just then. He glanced at the table and raised an eyebrow. “Hold on, don’t rush off like that.”
“You’re not planning to just leave and make me clean up after you, are you?”
Xu Yijing halted abruptly and turned, bewildered. “What do you mean?”
Shen An chuckled. “You’ve really lived like a princess, haven’t you? Never even washed a dish?”
Xu Yijing turned her head slightly, her lips pursing ever so slightly.
Yeah, she really hadn’t.
The phrase “ten fingers never touching the spring water” described her perfectly.
From childhood to now, she’d never set foot in a kitchen. Servants handled everything at home, and even living alone, she ordered takeout instead of cooking. For cleaning, she hired housekeeping services regularly.
Xu Yijing almost never lifted a finger herself.
But…
She was still injured.
Her elbow and knee wounds still stung faintly.
Shen An tsked with a teasing smile. “Talk about spoiled. Must be nice being rich.”
With that, he sauntered toward the sofa, as if about to tidy up for her.
Xu Yijing bristled at the jab, especially since he’d called her out to her face.
Her pride flared up, and she lifted her head sharply. “No need to trouble yourself.”
Xu Yijing stormed back in a huff and shoved Shen An aside.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Shen An stumbled back, grumbling inwardly, “Recovered your strength that fast? And with some real force behind it, too.”
“Wash the dishes!”
“I don’t think you can handle it alone. Need my help?”
“No need!” Xu Yijing said coldly.
“Then…” Shen An said, a bit uneasy. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Heh.”
Pretending to care now? As if I’d fall for that!!
Xu Yijing truly despised him at that moment.
Even so, she had no clue how to deal with clearing the table.
Standing in front of it, she sneaked a glance, figuring Shen An wouldn’t really just stand by and watch.
But then… where was he?
Shen An had already flopped back onto the sofa, on the far side where he wouldn’t cross paths with Xu Yijing’s line of sight.
He crossed his legs, grabbed the remote, and got ready to watch TV.
Xu Yijing laughed out of sheer fury. This was the first time she’d ever met someone like him!
Was this his idea of taking care of her?
Fine. I can do this perfectly well on my own! Don’t need your help anyway!
That stubborn streak of hers flared up in an instant. Even though she’d never done it before, she gritted her teeth and dove in.
She examined the dishes carefully for a moment, frowning.
Whatever. Just toss them all out and take the bowls to the kitchen to wash. Easy!
With that thought, Xu Yijing slowly picked one up.
Shen An lounged on the sofa, watching TV in comfort.
He seemed utterly unconcerned, but his attention kept drifting toward Xu Yijing every now and then.
Just a few bowls. How hard could it be? Anyone with hands could manage.
Thanks to the client’s commission, he didn’t have to worry about her kicking him out just yet.
But now that the cards were on the table, he had no reason to hold back.
In that case, it was time to properly train Xu Yijing out of that cold, prickly personality of hers.
Think about it: waking up to a funeral face every morning, not even getting a greeting in return. It was torture.
Zhao Li’s intention was for him to take good care of her and help heal her condition anyway.
So wasn’t this kind of “care” just another form of healing?
Tch. Perfectly logical.
Shen An narrowed his eyes and kept lounging comfortably.
But he had underestimated just how hopeless Xu Yijing was in the kitchen.
Not long after he lay down, a series of clattering crashes echoed from the kitchen.
Hm?
What broke?
Shen An shot to his feet and hurried to the kitchen.
The floor was slick with water and littered with shattered porcelain shards. Xu Yijing stood frozen nearby, her pale fingers tinged with faint streaks of blood.
A drop from her fingertip hit the sink’s edge, mixing swiftly into the full basin of water.
Great. Not only had she botched it, but she’d hurt herself—and in a new spot, no less.
Shen An frowned and stepped up beside her. “I told you to be careful, but looks like you didn’t take it seriously.”
Xu Yijing kept her face icy, annoyance and grievance swirling in her chest. Her eyes reddened involuntarily.
She pressed her lips tight, saying nothing, holding onto her stubborn pride.
I don’t need your fake kindness!
she thought, feeling deeply wronged.
But Shen An’s next words nearly made her explode with rage.
“I told you to watch it. Those bowls and plates look pretty expensive.”
“Good thing only one broke.”
Shen An showed no concern for her injury, instead gazing heartbrokenly at the fragments on the floor.
Xu Yijing: ?
She stood behind him, her sharp features frozen like a statue, the habitual indifference in her eyes turning to solid ice.
She reached into the sink, grabbed another plate, and right in front of Shen An, smashed it onto the floor.
Bang!
The crisp shattering rang out clearly, startling even Shen An.
A flying shard grazed his ankle, drawing blood.
He turned, meeting Xu Yijing’s icy glare, and frowned softly. “You got a grudge against them or something?”
Xu Yijing lifted her chin proudly. “These are my things. I can do whatever I want with them.”
“Doesn’t matter how expensive they are. No need for you to worry!”
With that, she snatched up another bowl—a clean one she’d already washed—and spitefully hurled it down.
Crash.
It shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the kitchen.
“It’s not about the money,” Shen An said, frowning as he advanced on Xu Yijing step by step. His sudden pressure bore down on her instantly.
She instinctively backed away, her anger gradually giving way to grievance.
“You…”
Xu Yijing grew tense. Provoking him right now didn’t seem wise.
And she’d probably gone too far herself. Now that she’d calmed down a bit, it felt reckless.
But wasn’t she worth more than some stupid dishes?
Bang!
He pressed forward; she retreated.
Until Xu Yijing had nowhere left to go, shrinking into the corner with her eyes squeezed shut in fear. Deep down, she wondered: Was he really going to hit her?
But in the next instant, her hand was seized, followed by a tug. Caught off guard, she collided straight into his chest.
The utterly foreign warmth blasted Xu Yijing’s mind blank.
In her panic and confusion, her delicate brows shot up as she prepared to scold him for his presumption—only for his low voice to cut her off.
“I said be careful. You don’t want to end up in the hospital, do you?”
His gaze swept to the shards lurking in the corner. If Xu Yijing kept shrinking back, her bare feet might get sliced open.
Oh, this whole family was something else. None of them liked wearing shoes, huh?
Shen An only now noticed she’d come in barefoot to handle the dishes.
Xu Yijing followed his gaze to the sharp fragments and paled in fright.
Shen An didn’t take advantage. After steadying her, he tapped her forehead with a fond, teasing air. “Washing dishes might mean slipping and dropping one by accident, but how’d you manage to cut yourself?”
Xu Yijing blinked, caught off guard. He moved so naturally that she almost felt like it was no big deal.
Pouting, she murmured, “I… I was trying to pick it up at first.”
“And then?”
Shen An rubbed his temple with a sigh. “I thought I was making a fuss over nothing at first—you seem like a normal person—but now I see your mom was right. You can barely handle washing dishes…”
“Have you really never done chores like this?”
Perhaps it was the lingering shock, or maybe they were standing too close.
Xu Yijing’s anger had mostly faded. She mumbled, “No.”
“Never, from childhood till now?”
“No.”
“Whoa. Without delivery apps, how would you even survive?” Shen An wiped his face in exasperation. “Fine. Looks like I’m stuck as your nanny…”
He patted her shoulder gently. “Go find some bandages first and patch up your fingers, elbow, and knee.”
“Leave this to me.”
“Oh…”
Xu Yijing’s emotions were a tangled mess. She nodded dazedly and slipped away carefully.
At the kitchen doorway, she paused and turned back. “Actually…”
“Hm?”
“Actually, I… I didn’t mean to.” Xu Yijing’s eyes darted, avoiding his gaze.
Shen An waved it off. “Just hurry and tend to those cuts. Any later, and they might heal on their own.”
Tch! Annoying jerk!
Xu Yijing cursed him inwardly.
But this time, she left with some reluctance.
In a daze, she glanced back once more and saw Shen An bent over, meticulously picking up the shards.
She couldn’t see his face, only his back.
In that moment, Xu Yijing’s already complicated feelings grew even more tangled, like a million threads knotted together with no end in sight.
How… how did things…
end up like this out of nowhere?
