“Good. Go do it right away. Lie down a little longer first. Have some porridge later, then take another dose of medicine. You should be mostly better by tomorrow morning.” Lu Yao gazed at Shen Zhirou’s tousled black hair, subconsciously reaching out to ruffle it. She leaned down to kiss the corner of Shen Zhirou’s lips before rising to cook the porridge for her.
Lu Yao had originally thought she would find it a hassle, that she wouldn’t want to bother with such caretaking. But now, she felt surprisingly cheerful, her only thought being how she wished Shen Zhirou would recover quickly. It was a sensation Lu Yao had never experienced before.
In the past, doing things for others had always struck her as troublesome, as if they were disrupting her carefully laid plans and wasting her time. Yet when it came to tending to Shen Zhirou like this, Lu Yao felt none of those emotions.
She set the plain white porridge to cook in the electric pressure cooker before returning to the bedroom to keep Shen Zhirou company. Half an hour later, it was ready. Lu Yao ladled out a bowl, seasoning it lightly with some shrimp and salt, and carried it to the bedroom. Shen Zhirou sipped at it slowly, finally feeling a bit of strength return to her body.
“If you’re still feeling off tomorrow morning, just call in sick. I’ll have Jiang Chen bring lunch back for you. I’ve got a few meetings at the company in the morning,” Lu Yao said, still uneasy as she watched Shen Zhirou eat.
“We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. If it’s nothing serious, I’ll head into the office anyway. There’s no important work piling up.” With half a bowl of porridge in her stomach, Shen Zhirou already felt much restored. She kept her head down, finishing the rest.
“Alright, we’ll play it by ear then. Have some medicine after you eat—you’re still running a slight fever.” Lu Yao had checked her temperature again; just over 38 degrees wasn’t dangerously high.
“Mm.”
In no time, Shen Zhirou polished off the entire bowl. She rested for about ten or fifteen minutes, swallowed her medicine, and then burrowed back under the covers, willing herself to sleep.
Knowing Shen Zhirou was uncomfortable, Lu Yao didn’t nestle into her embrace. Instead, she simply wrapped an arm around Shen Zhirou from behind, holding her close as they drifted off together.
When Shen Zhirou woke the next morning, she was already much better. She took her temperature and found it completely normal, though she’d sweated profusely overnight. She simply headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
By the time Lu Yao stirred awake, Shen Zhirou had breakfast ready. She’d reheated the shrimp porridge from the night before and steamed a plate of little buns. The two of them ate together before parting ways to their respective companies.
Shen Zhirou’s fever had started after she’d gotten back from the supermarket on Saturday, and with her phone on silent the whole time, she’d missed a bunch of calls and WeChat messages. Now at the office with a light workload, she figured she’d slack off a bit and catch up on replies.
She opened her contacts and saw that her mother had called seven or eight times over the past couple of days. Checking WeChat, the chat with her mom had over a dozen unread messages. Shen Zhirou skimmed them, and her heart sank.
Mom: Zhirou, what are you so busy with? Why aren’t you picking up Mom’s calls?
Mom: I need to talk to you about something urgent. Come on, kid, answer the phone.
Mom: What’s going on? It’s been a whole day with no response. Fine, I’ll just say it.
Mom: Your brother saw you driving a Bentley in the parking lot. That’s over two million bucks! Your girlfriend sure treats you well. Think you could ask Lu Yao to hook your brother up with a job at her company? Something nominal, you know.
Mom: You there? We’re all family. The Ning family only has your brother as its one true heir. You’ve got to help him out, Zhirou.
Mom: You there? You there? Why aren’t you saying anything?
Mom: I don’t have Lu Yao’s contact, just her mom’s. If you don’t reply, I’ll have to ask Zhang Huichun for Lu Yao’s number.
Mom: Zhirou, we’re family—you’re not seriously going to refuse your brother this little favor, are you?
~~~
There were another seven or eight messages after that, all saying essentially the same thing: get a job lined up for Ning Lei.
Shen Zhirou’s expression grew icy. She’d been unreachable by phone and WeChat for over a day, yet her mother hadn’t asked once if she was okay, hadn’t shown the slightest concern for her well-being. Every message was just hounding her to set Ning Lei up with a job. Shen Zhirou let out a scornful laugh, realizing that everything she’d done later on had been a joke. Her mother was the same as ever—never once putting her in her heart.
The only reason she was reaching out now was because Shen Zhirou had a job, because there was something to gain from her.
Frowning, Shen Zhirou pocketed her phone and headed to the stairwell. She dialed Ning Jianfang—she absolutely did not want her mother actually calling Zhang Huichun. After all, Yaoyao’s mother already didn’t like her much; if she found out Shen Zhirou’s family was angling for Lu Yao to pull strings for a job, it would only make things worse.
The call connected quickly, and Ning Jianfang’s voice emerged from the receiver. “Zhirou, why did it take you so long to pick up? What have you been doing these past few days that’s kept you so busy?”
“I had a fever for two days and only started feeling a bit better today.” Shen Zhirou’s tone was indifferent as she leaned against the corridor wall, her brows slightly furrowed.
“Oh, a fever? You need to take good care of yourself. By the way, did you talk to Lu Yao about what I asked? She’s even letting you drive her two-million Bentley, so arranging a job for Ning Lei should be no trouble at all…”
Ning Jianfang kept chattering away on the line. It was the middle of summer, yet Shen Zhirou felt chilled to the bone, her heart aching as if it were being torn apart. She took a steadying breath and cut through her mother’s nagging. “Mom, you only asked one question about my illness before jumping straight to Ning Lei. Is he really that important to you?”
Ning Jianfang sounded embarrassed at Shen Zhirou’s pointed words. She let out an awkward laugh before pressing on. “I’m just a little anxious, that’s all. Your uncle, aunt, and little brother are coming over this Saturday. We’re all family, and they’ve come begging me. I can’t just turn them down. Besides, Lu Yao must have some influence at the company. Setting Ning Lei up with a job wouldn’t take much effort on her part.”
“Every position in a company is vital—no room for idlers or dead weight. What can Ning Lei even do? Why should Lu Yao pull strings for him? And my relationship with him is barely there to begin with. Why should I stick my neck out?” As Shen Zhirou spoke, her breathing grew heavier.
Ning Jianfang’s enthusiasm evaporated at Shen Zhirou’s refusal. She let out a light snort. “No wonder they say a married daughter is like water spilled out the door. You haven’t even wed Lu Yao yet, and already your elbow’s turning outward. What’s so hard about helping your own brother? Should we kowtow to you or something?”
“I don’t have a brother like Ning Lei. You can forget about any job arrangements for him.” Shen Zhirou’s voice turned icy.
Ning Jianfang caught the chill in her tone, and her own voice rose sharply. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Fine, if you won’t help, I will. I’m calling Lu Yao’s mother right now. She wouldn’t dare withhold her daughter’s contact from me, would she?”
With that, Ning Jianfang hung up. Exhaustion shadowed Shen Zhirou’s eyes and furrowed brow. Why was her mother so determined to pressure her over someone else’s problems? Or was she the real outsider in her mother’s eyes—far less important than Ning Lei?
Shen Zhirou sighed, steeling herself for the inevitable onslaught from Zhang Huichun. She dialed Lu Yao to give her a heads-up not to get involved with Ning Lei, but the line rang endlessly without answer. Resigned, Shen Zhirou hung up, figuring she’d discuss it with her once Lu Yao got home that evening.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, her phone rang with a call from Zhang Huichun. Before Shen Zhirou could even say hello, a barrage of accusations poured through the speaker. “Shen Zhirou, what is wrong with you? You’ve only been seeing my daughter for a few days, and already your poor relatives are sniffing around our Yaoyao? Let me make this clear: keep those paupers away from my girl. Yaoyao has a bright future ahead at the company. Even our own family hesitates to ask her for favors like that, let alone yours.”
“Auntie, it’s a misunderstanding,” Shen Zhirou said hastily. “I already turned my mom down flat. I didn’t give her Yaoyao’s number—that’s why she called you. Rest assured, I won’t let Yaoyao set Ning Lei up with anything. I’m sorry for the hassle.”
No matter how unreasonable her mother’s behavior had been, Shen Zhirou knew she had to apologize to Zhang Huichun first—though the mess had little to do with her.
“An apology doesn’t fix wasted time. Your mother’s impossible—thick-headed and relentless. I’ve always told Yaoyao to marry someone from her own class. It keeps the poor relations at bay and avoids all this bad luck.” Zhang Huichun unleashed her frustration on Shen Zhirou and hung up without another word, as if eager to shake off any contamination.
Shen Zhirou slumped against the corridor wall, her eyes growing misty. She drew in a few deep breaths and dialed Ning Jianfang back. “Mom, can you please stop making trouble for me? Lu Yao and I have only just started dating, and you’re already hitting them with demands like this. Do you want to sabotage us?”
“What do you mean, sabotage? It’s a trivial favor Lu Yao could grant with a snap of her fingers. But no, you’re over there making excuses for her family. And her mother—hardly a saint herself, talking down to us like we’re desperate social climbers begging at her door.”
Ning Jianfang’s angry voice rose even higher. “Besides, if you won’t even handle this little family matter for us, why bother dating her at all? I’m taking Ning Lei straight to Lu Yao’s company to find her. I don’t have her contact info, but the matchmaker who introduced you two certainly does.”
“Mom, don’t go! What on earth are you trying to do? Are you trying to ruin me?” Shen Zhirou felt like her scalp was about to explode. Her mother seemed like a complete stranger right now, and Shen Zhirou had no doubt she was capable of following through on every threat she’d made over the phone.
“I’m just trying to get your brother a job, that’s all. Fine, if you won’t talk to Lu Yao for me, I don’t need you to. I’ll handle it myself.” With that, Ning Jianfang decisively hung up on Shen Zhirou.
After ending the call, Ning Jianfang immediately contacted the matchmaker who had introduced Shen Zhirou to Lu Yao. She obtained Lu Yao’s phone number and workplace details, then bombarded Lu Yao with seven or eight calls in quick succession. Either the line went dead immediately or no one picked up. Ning Jianfang was already seething from her earlier clash with Zhang Huichun, and Lu Yao’s refusal to answer only fueled her rage. Without hesitation, she called Ning Lei and told him to come home and pick her up. They were going straight to the company to track Lu Yao down.
