All afternoon and into the night, Qin Yu stayed holed up in the kitchen without coming out.
“Sir, wait to add…!”
“Drain the water first!”
Bang!
Clang!
Ever since Qin Yu entered the kitchen, the entire Tanyuan estate had been anything but quiet.
The constant clatter of pots and pans echoed ceaselessly.
If someone walked in, they would see the normally violent man, his lips tightly pressed together, face cold, wearing an apron, wielding the spatula with relentless energy.
Even a faint smudge of black on his otherwise stern and sharp features made the chef standing nearby struggle to suppress laughter.
If it weren’t for the knowledge that Qin Yu could throw him to the wolves in the back mountains, he would have laughed out loud without care.
But a firm grip on his thigh kept him from doing so.
Qin Yu actually had a natural talent for cooking.
After the initial chaos, his movements became increasingly skillful.
Watching plate after plate of visually appealing dishes come out of his hands, the chef nodded in satisfaction.
When Qin Yu asked him to taste one, the chef felt particularly honored.
He… he actually got to eat a dish cooked by his master.
And it was incredibly delicious.
“Sir, you truly have a gift,” the chef said.
“It’s already excellent,” Qin Yu replied.
“Really?”
“Then Wen Wu will definitely like it too, right?”
For once, Qin Yu didn’t maintain his usual cold, unfeeling demeanor toward the chef.
Instead, his eyes held anticipation, his voice tinged with anxiety.
“Wen… cough cough…”
“Don’t worry, sir. The young lady you mentioned will definitely love it.”
Under Qin Yu’s deathly stare, the chef immediately corrected himself.
When he saw a spark of light finally appear in Qin Yu’s eyes, he exhaled in deep relief.
By the time Qin Yu left the kitchen and returned to his bedroom in the main building, it was nearly midnight.
The smell of cooking smoke made him frown in disgust, but thinking about how Wen Wu would praise him tomorrow filled him with anticipation and joy.
He hadn’t spoken to Wen Wu for 18 hours, 42 minutes, and 36 seconds.
He missed her.
Desperately.
After returning to his bedroom, Qin Yu removed his clothes and stepped into the bathroom to shower.
When his eyes fell on the pink camisole nightdress Wen Wu had worn, neatly placed on a shelf, his longing surged again.
His head began to ache.
Like a treasured object, he picked up the nightdress carefully.
Then, like a man possessed, his strong, well-defined hands clutched it and brought it to his nose.
The camellia-like scent of the fabric drifted into his senses.
Immediately, a flush spread across his handsome, sharp features.
The obsession and intensity in his eyes seemed almost tangible.
Wen Wu.
His.
His desire surged, fierce and unrelenting.
But Qin Yu couldn’t bear to use Wen Wu’s only nightdress to ease himself.
It was his only companion tonight.
He carefully folded it and placed it on a nearby cabinet.
Then he stepped into the shower.
The warm water flowed over him, soothing the edge of his near-breaking mind.
After a quick rinse, he switched the water to cold, still glancing at the pink nightdress.
His brows and eyes, dark and seductive, reflected his inner turmoil.
About an hour later, with a soft, sexy exhale, the scent of the camellia-like nightdress filled the bathroom.
Qin Yu emerged wearing only a half-length bathrobe.
Droplets traced lines along his sculpted skin.
His perfectly toned abs, broad shoulders, narrow waist — flawless.
After drying off, he lightly dried his hair and then loosened the bathrobe, slipping under the covers.
He picked up the silky nightdress from the bed and hugged it tightly.
In that posture, he resembled a forsaken consort awaiting her emperor’s favor.
The expression in his brows and eyes was filled with longing, evoking both pity and tenderness.
Burying his face in Wen Wu’s nightdress, he pulled the blanket over his head, waiting pitifully for morning.
But even as the night grew quiet, Qin Yu’s yearning for Wen Wu surged like a tide.
He had hoped hugging the nightdress would ease his restless heart, but instead, it intensified his longing.
The scent of the nightdress only made him miss the feel of Wen Wu in his arms more.
“Wen Wu…”
“Wen Wu…”
Whispered low with attachment and longing, his voice trembling and hoarse.
His face buried in the nightdress, no one could see his expression.
But the fabric he hugged gradually became damp, forming blotches like withered flowers.
This nightdress was Qin Yu’s final lifeline, preventing him from sinking entirely into the immeasurable depths of despair.
Qin Yu didn’t sleep at all that night.
He followed Wen Wu’s instructions from their phone call: obey, hold onto the nightdress, and wait.
Wait until the next morning when he could finally see his Wen Wu.
In the pitch-black night, his mind replayed their first meeting:
The girl, brows lowered, smiling gently.
Later, he had taken Wen Wu back.
And she hadn’t been terrified or resentful.
She hadn’t cursed him like everyone else had, calling him a lunatic or a pervert.
Instead, she had quietly accepted him.
She even let him embrace her.
Even kiss her.
In that moment, Qin Yu realized for the first time that the world could be good.
Because his treasure existed.
And she belonged only to him.
But now…
Thinking of this, he clutched the nightdress even tighter.
His bare skin pressed against the silky fabric.
It felt as though Wen Wu were beside him.
Ever since Wen Wu’s father had sent her back to her room and forbidden her from leaving, she had stayed quietly.
She hadn’t thrown a tantrum or demanded to go find Qin Yu.
Wen Cheng (her father) had prepared himself for his daughter to oppose him.
If she had been especially angry, he would have let her smash all his prized possessions to vent her frustration.
In fact, his earlier angry words already made him regret his outburst.
Now, seeing his daughter behaving so obediently, his regret deepened.
Wen Cheng assumed her compliance meant she didn’t like Qin Yu much.
Perhaps she was just bewitched by his face.
On that point, Wen Cheng had to admit…
Although Qin Yu was a madman, he was undeniably handsome.
Wen Cheng had always been proud of his own looks in his youth, thinking no one could compare.
But Qin Yu…
Even younger than Wen Cheng in his prime, he was undeniably more handsome.
So when Wen Wu said she wanted to be with Qin Yu, Wen Cheng assumed she was captivated by that face.
He even went to her door to lecture her about how handsome men are usually bad.
Of course, he exempted himself.
Exhausted, he eventually sat on the floor like a housekeeper, endlessly scolding her.
Finally, someone had to pull him back to his own room.
Once Wen Cheng left, Wen Wu finally exhaled in relief.
Her gentle, water-like eyes gazed at the night outside.
Her expression full of longing and worry for Qin Yu.
She didn’t know how he was now, or whether he had obeyed her and gone to sleep.
No matter what, whether starving or climbing from the balcony, she had to see him tomorrow.
Otherwise, Qin Yu’s temper would surely drive her crazy.