Chen Qing had no idea that the Traitorous Shizun had thought so much. Seeing her remaining silent, Chen Qing felt a bit helpless.
She had indeed bullied her a bit too harshly this time. Who told this Traitorous Shizun to always stir up trouble with other women?
If she didn’t properly discipline her once, who knew if she’d be deceived by some ill-intentioned wicked woman the moment she stepped out.
Thinking of the Traitorous Shizun’s foolish personality—being sold off and even counting the money for the seller—Chen Qing’s helplessness turned into a headache.
Such a temperament had its pros and cons. The advantage was that no matter what little schemes or emotions the Traitorous Shizun harbored, they couldn’t escape Chen Qing’s eyes.
The downside was that she was far too easily deceived and needed constant protection.
With that in mind, Chen Qing pinched the soft flesh on Su Mu’s belly.
Even if this silly Traitorous Shizun didn’t want to pay her any attention right now, the fact that Su Mu was quietly enduring her hunger without saying a word made Chen Qing a little angry.
Her body wasn’t all that healthy to begin with, and now she wasn’t even taking proper care of it.
“Mm, I’m hungry.”
Pinched so hard by Chen Qing, Su Mu—who had originally planned to ignore her sullenly—could only answer honestly.
She had already braced herself to be ordered to get up and cook, but unexpectedly, not only did Chen Qing not tell her to do so, she climbed out of bed herself instead.
After tucking Su Mu in properly and instructing her a few times to stay covered and not catch a chill, Chen Qing headed to the kitchen alone.
Su Mu poked her little head out from under the covers and watched Chen Qing’s retreating back with puzzlement in her eyes.
“System, what scheme is this Villain playing? Why is she suddenly being so nice to me?”
Su Mu’s suspicious words prompted the System, which had been playing dead in silence, to start pondering.
It could tell that although this Villain was merciless with her words and when bullying the Host, she was actually quite gentle toward this silly Host at other times.
Clearly, the Villain’s feelings toward the Host had quietly changed, now intermingled with many other emotions amid her desire for revenge.
It wasn’t surprising for the Villain to feel this way. If it itself were faced with such a silly and dazed Host, it would be hard to truly burn her with the flames of vengeance.
However, the experience of betrayal in her previous life was still a knot in the Villain’s heart. As long as that knot remained, hatred would forever suppress Chen Qing’s other feelings toward Su Mu.
Fortunately, this Silly Shizun was extremely slow when it came to emotional matters, leaving the System some room to maneuver.
【Host, this is just the Villain giving you a little compensation after bullying you.】
“Compensation?”
The System’s words only deepened the suspicion in Su Mu’s already doubtful gaze.
With such a vicious personality, how could this Villain possibly compensate her? It would already be good if she didn’t hold a sword to Su Mu’s neck.
“System, it looks like you still don’t understand this Villain. No worries—watch my battles of wits and courage with her more in the future, and you’ll get it eventually.”
Su Mu’s words instantly choked the System, which had been about to start its manipulations.
For some reason, hearing Su Mu’s response made it feel a sudden doubt about itself.
Could it be that this Host truly hadn’t noticed the Villain’s different feelings toward her at all?
But seeing Su Mu still racking her brains over how Chen Qing might sabotage her later, the System was instantly filled with speechless frustration.
It turned out it didn’t need to manipulate this silly and dazed Host at all—the Host was already imagining the Villain’s wicked deeds on her own.
Su Mu had no idea that her reaction had unwittingly shattered one of the System’s career aspirations.
She was wracking her brains, thinking about how to defend herself if Chen Qing tried to sabotage her later.
After pondering for a long while, Chen Qing had already brought the hot meal to the bedside. Su Mu was utterly despondent.
If Chen Qing wanted to sabotage her, there was simply no way to defend against it.
The gap in strength between her and Chen Qing was right there. Even with a bit of cleverness, she simply couldn’t outmatch her.
“What are you thinking about? Eat.”
Seeing Su Mu lost so deeply in thought, Chen Qing picked up her chopsticks and lightly knocked her forehead.
It wasn’t hard, but it snapped Su Mu out of her thoughts for the moment.
The aroma of the food also made her hunger even more pronounced.
Since she couldn’t defend herself anyway, she might as well just accept it.
Whether she defended or not, the outcome would be the same. Su Mu picked up her chopsticks and shoved the food from the plate into her mouth.
Seeing Su Mu eat so hurriedly, Chen Qing was about to tell her to wash her hands first, but given her current state, she could only give up helplessly.
“Mmm, so tasty!”
Su Mu’s eating habits were the complete opposite of her cold and aloof appearance.
Her two red sandalwood chopsticks flew rapidly through the white rice, scooping it up before clamping a piece of stir-fried vegetable into her mouth.
Sticky grains of rice clung to the corner of Su Mu’s mouth. Chen Qing helplessly halted Su Mu’s scooping motions.
With her cheeks puffed out, Su Mu’s clear, watery eyes stared blankly at Chen Qing.
She hadn’t even swallowed the food in her mouth yet—why stop her halfway through eating?
Chen Qing extended her slender fingers and gently wiped the rice grains from the corner of Su Mu’s mouth.
“Don’t eat so fast. It’s bad for your stomach, and I won’t snatch it from you anyway.”
“No problem, my stomach can handle it.”
Once Chen Qing stopped speaking to her in that cold tone, a hint of relaxation entered Su Mu’s voice.
Seeing Su Mu casually rub her belly, Chen Qing tapped her on the head with her palm.
“Eat slower—just eat slower. No more eating so fast, and don’t make these gestures in front of others in the future.”
Though Su Mu’s actions were a bit rough, the impression they gave was entirely different depending on the person.
Su Mu came across more like a carefree, otherworldly female sword immortal rather than some greasy middle-aged uncle.
Under Chen Qing’s forceful command, Su Mu finally slowed her eating down.
Of course, this “slow” was only relative to her previous pace—it was still nowhere near as refined and elegant as Chen Qing’s.
“I’m full.”
Su Mu set down her bowl and chopsticks, lying contentedly on the bed.
No more forcing herself to endure an empty stomach—the sensation of being full was truly wonderful.
Seeing Su Mu’s jade-smooth and delicate little feet exposed so brazenly without any cover, Chen Qing felt an urge to tease her.
This Traitorous Shizun didn’t seem to fully grasp the allure of her own body. She needed a good scare.
“You need proper exercise after eating to help digestion.”
With that, Chen Qing’s gaze roamed freely over Su Mu’s bare feet.
Su Mu, who had been relaxed until now, stiffened up. Sure enough, this meal wasn’t as simple as she’d thought.
Of course she knew what “exercise” Chen Qing meant, but after bullying her so harshly just now, she wanted to go again after a meal? This person was too terrifying!
If she kept falling into her hands and got bullied like this every day…
Imagining that grim future, Su Mu’s heart died right then and there.
But unwilling to go down without a final struggle, Su Mu made one last desperate plea.
“I already ate slowly like you told me to. Why do I still need to exercise?”
To Su Mu’s surprise, this desperate struggle actually worked this time.
