A graceful figure approached him, prompting Ye Zhengchen to sit up straight, his gaze following her. She wore a dignified black dress, but her thin makeup could not conceal her paleness. Her absent-minded eyes reflected exhaustion, causing a dull ache in his heart.
Had she looked this haggard yesterday, he wouldn’t have been able to take action! He momentarily distracted himself and accidentally pressed the horn. She turned back at the sound, offering a brief glance in his direction.
He vaguely recalled a warm winter moment.
A girl in a light pink nightgown stood on the balcony, her skin like snow and her features striking. Beneath the nightgown, her delicate figure was subtly visible as she stretched her arms, smiling in the sunlight.
“Little one!” he called.
She turned back, leaving him with the sweetest smile. “Senior brother, good morning!”
That old love filled him with unforgettable memories, including his impulsive invasion of her body and the overwhelming pleasure that consumed him. He vividly remembered her arching back, biting her lip, black hair scattered on the seat, tears sliding down her cheeks. Yet, what he recalled most clearly was her sweet smile and warm greeting: “Senior brother, good morning!”
“Dr. Ye, I won’t disturb you from treating patients. Please!” I gestured for him to continue without the need for small talk.
Ye Zhengchen checked his watch. “It’s about time. Let’s have lunch together.”
“Okay!” I replied innocently. “I made plans with Qin Xue.”
“Never mind then! I’ll go back to the lab for coffee.”
“Coffee isn’t good for your stomach!” I sighed, unable to suppress my concern.
“Forget it, I’ll give you the lunch box I brought; it’s in the refrigerator on the second floor of the research room.”
His eyes sparkled with joy. “What about you?”
“I don’t want to eat leftovers. I’ll go to the cafeteria and have a big meal!”
“Thanks!”
…
Sitting alone in the cafeteria, with a bowl of noodle soup in front of me, I missed the mapo tofu and kung pao chicken I had made early that morning.
I picked up a few noodles and chewed them angrily, muttering, “Damn Ye Zhengchen, shameless Ye Zhengchen, playboy Ye Zhengchen…”
A pink lunch box was placed in front of me.
Then an even more familiar person sat down across from me. “You’re chewing me up just for a lunch box?”
I sprayed out the noodles in my mouth.
He handed me a glass of water.
I quickly took a gulp. “How did you get here?”
“Qin Xue just found me.”
“What did she want?”
He didn’t answer. “Wait a moment, I’ll buy you a big meal.”
Soon, my favorite fried chicken, grilled fish, curry beef rice, and sushi covered the table.
He laughed and patted my head. “Be good, eat slowly, chew slowly, curse slowly! Don’t choke!”
Oh God, are you asleep?
In the afternoon, I went directly to the convenience store for a six-hour shift to make up for yesterday.
Enduring until late night, the clock pointed to 11:55.
With only five minutes left, I contemplated dragging my stiff legs home alone in the dark night, but I’d rather stand for another six hours.
Four Asahi beers were placed on the counter. I smiled politely at the customer: “Welcome!”
Seeing the man’s handsome face made my smile expand. “Senior brother?!”
“I happened to be passing by and was a bit thirsty,” he said, paying and casually opening a bottle. He leaned against the counter and took a sip. “When do you get off work?”
“Midnight.” At that moment, Li Kai came in to take over the shift and glanced at Ye Zhengchen with a look of dislike.
Ye Zhengchen pretended not to notice and continued talking: “What a coincidence? I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Thanks!” I took out the grilled chicken wings he had been eyeing and handed them to him: “I made these. Take them and try them!”
He accepted them and walked out.
I changed clothes and let down my hair, walking out of the convenience store.
He sat in a navy blue sports car, beckoning to me.
“Changed cars again?”
“Yes!”
The other day you said my car was ugly, and the more I looked at it, the uglier it became.
“Stop finding excuses for your extravagance.”
He raised an eyebrow, unperturbed.
There weren’t many cars on the street, and he drove slowly. I curled up in the comfortable leather seat, my legs sore and numb from standing for six hours. I closed my eyes, wanting to breathe in his fresh mint scent and sleep.
My head hurts, and I have no strength to argue any longer. I look out the window, pressing my hands against my forehead.
The car moves forward on a quiet street, passing row after row of Japanese-style villas. Each house has carefully cultivated fresh flowers.
It’s early spring, with various flower fragrances mixing together, rich and overwhelming. I’ve begun to long for a home like this, far from the city’s noise.
Soft yellow light shines through the window curtains, illuminating the door where her husband returns home. Unfortunately, such a house is too luxurious for us; I couldn’t buy it even by selling myself!
At a street corner, he parks the car, moves my hands away, and gently massages my temples.
Truly worthy of being Professor Tanaka’s prized student, his massage technique is extraordinary, with perfect pressure and precision on the acupoints. My tense nerves gradually relax under his soothing touch as I stretch out my body. “Thank you!”
As he massages, his hands move downward, pressing lightly and heavily on my cervical vertebrae, shoulder blades, and back. Knowing he’s taking advantage, I still can’t help but enjoy his superior technique. “Let me take care of you,” he says.
“You’ve always been taking care of me,” I reply, aware that he passes by the convenience store at midnight with intentions he doesn’t understand.
He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close, and whispers near my ear, “Don’t believe what others say, trust your own feelings.”
Moonlight filters through dappled leaves; an expensive sports car glows with ice-blue light. A devastatingly handsome man full of tender feelings creates a harmonious atmosphere. I should blush shyly in his arms and ask, “Can you promise to love me forever?” But I’m not that sentimental.
I give him a fierce glare and push him away: “I feel like you’re about to unleash your beast-like nature and abandon my body in the wilderness.”
He grinds his teeth in anger. “I should give your senses a comprehensive examination!”
“I’ll consider your suggestion, Dr. Ye!” I say. “It’s late, I’m going home.”
At this midnight hour, an empty street is certainly not a wise choice for romantic conversations!
He parks the car beneath my apartment building, and we go upstairs together. At my door, as I open it, he’s still not giving up, “sincerely” requesting: “These chicken wings have gone cold, could you heat them up for me?”
“Go heat them in your microwave.”
“My microwave is broken.”
“Then use the oven.”
“That’s broken too!”
I doubt that his oven and microwave, unused for eight hundred years, are actually broken. Yet, I’m weakly seduced by his expectant eyes and say helplessly: “Come in.”
And just like that, I’ve invited the wolf into my home.
I asked a particularly stupid question: “What do you want to do?!”
“To prevent anyone from taking advantage of my absence, I’ve decided to cook raw rice into cooked rice…”
“The rice cooker is over there!” I pointed towards it.
He shook his head, grabbing my wrists and placing them behind my back. “Once I’ve cooked you thoroughly, I’ll claim you as my own. This way, I won’t have to worry about food, drink, or having someone to sleep with for the rest of my life…”
Could this pervert not speak so directly? Would it kill him to be more subtle?
“You won’t have to worry about food or drink in prison either.”
