In the past, Shen Mengyu only needed to shed a few tears for Si Hanche to soften.
But this time, he coldly tossed out the words “Rest well in the hospital” before turning and leaving the ward.
On the way back, Old Mrs. Si wanted to ask Yan Zheng why she could hear her thoughts and how she knew Shen Mengyu’s secrets.
But she found her mouth seemed glued shut—she couldn’t open it at all!
Though she didn’t understand what was happening, if it hadn’t been for Zheng’s timely exposure of Shen Mengyu’s true nature, the third son might have foolishly gone ahead and blinded Ming Yan, and by then it would have been too late to fix anything.
So Zheng was truly their family’s benefactor!
She couldn’t tell anyone about this; she had to protect Zheng at all costs.
The car passed through the Manor Ranch, spanning tens of thousands of square meters, and came to a stop in front of the Si family’s old residence—a majestic, deep-gray castle-style architectural complex.
Although Old Master Si had passed away many years ago, the old lady was still alive, and the Si family had never divided the estate.
It was just that her father-in-law stayed year-round at the research institute working on development, while her mother-in-law accompanied their youngest sister, who had suddenly become mentally impaired years ago, receiving treatment in another city.
The second sister, who had just been crowned Best Actress, was filming in Hengdian. The third son was so busy he practically lived at the hospital. The fourth son, who was blind, remained with his military unit and never came home. As for the fifth son, in pursuit of inspiration for his compositions, he was elusive and nearly impossible to track down.
Usually, only she and Si Yueting lived in the old residence.
That afternoon, Yan Zheng had bought fish at the market. Si Yueting assumed she would, as usual, spend over two hours in the kitchen meticulously preparing his favorite dish—the intricate, skillfully cut Squirrel Fish.
At the dinner table, he—who never ate spicy food—stared at the crimson, spicy broth, his furrowed brows tight enough to crush an ant.
“What is this?”
“Spicy fish! Savory, fragrant, and numbing—it’s absolutely divine!”
Yan Zheng gestured animatedly with her small hands, then eagerly picked up a piece of fish and placed it in the old lady’s bowl.
“Grandma, try it.”
Old Mrs. Si’s hometown palate was centered on spicy and numbing flavors. In her youth, her in-laws and husband couldn’t stand the pungent smell of spice, so their household had never cooked a single spicy dish.
Later, her children and grandchildren also avoided spicy food. She had spent her whole life adapting to others’ tastes and had long grown accustomed to it.
She had almost forgotten what spice even tasted like.
“You know I don’t eat spicy food.”
In the past, even a slight frown from Si Yueting would make Yan Zheng anxiously ask what was wrong with the meal and promise to adjust next time.
“If you don’t like it, just eat something else!”
[Why does this guy have to talk so much during a meal? Doesn’t he know I have to put down my chopsticks to gesture, and it’s slowing me down from eating?]
[Who said fish can only be cooked the way he likes it? And who decided that everything I eat has to cater to Si Yueting’s tastes? Don’t they say couples should compromise for each other? Why doesn’t Si Yueting try compromising for once and taste something I like?]
Si Yueting clenched his chopsticks.
No one had ever dared to suggest he should be the one to compromise!
Seeing Yan Zheng—who had always prioritized Si Yueting in everything and was used to obeying him—suddenly stop indulging him, Old Mrs. Si secretly smiled to herself.
“Zheng is right. If you don’t like the fish, have some soup instead. I’ve noticed how hard you’ve been working lately, Eldest—you’ve lost weight. This soup has been simmering all afternoon, specially made to nourish you.”
A servant brought out a white porcelain bowl from the kitchen.
Even with ginger slices added, the soup couldn’t mask its gamey smell. Si Yueting frowned.
“What kind of soup is this?”
“I’ve already told you it’s tonic soup, you should drink it quickly! The effect won’t be as good once it cools down.”
Si Yueting didn’t dare refuse the soup Old Mrs. Si had prepared.
However, having missed out on what he actually wanted to eat and being forced to drink a bowl of unpleasant soup, he instantly lost his appetite and decided to return to his study upstairs to work.
While waiting for the elevator, he overheard Old Mrs. Si quietly urging Yan Zheng to hurry and have a child with him, saying that only with a child could she secure his heart.
Si Yueting’s jaw tightened, his dark eyes flickering with a cold gleam.
After a satisfying dinner, Old Mrs. Si surprisingly ate two bowls of rice.
As Yan Zheng leaned back in her chair to digest, a servant came forward to report,
“Madam, the water supply at home has been cut off.”
Old Mrs. Si instructed someone to fetch two buckets of water from the well in the garden, boil it, and deliver it to Si Yueting’s room.
“Zheng, my dear, the eldest must take a shower every night before bed. As his wife, you’ll have to help him wipe down tonight.”
“Alright, Grandma.”
Although Yan Zheng agreed verbally, she knew full well that Si Yueting wouldn’t let her get close, let alone allow her to wipe him down.
When she went upstairs, Yan Zheng saw the two buckets of water placed by the door and wondered why the servant hadn’t carried them directly into the bathroom.
Noticing the bathroom light was on and the door was open, she picked up the buckets and went straight in.
Si Yueting, now changed into a dark blue sleeping robe, sat in his wheelchair. His deep, unfathomable eyes resembled a mist-shrouded ravine at night, and when they fell upon her at the doorway, they seemed to carry a faint spark.
Perhaps it was the lighting, but the man’s stern face appeared unusually flushed.
“The water’s cut off at home. They just boiled some water downstairs, so you’ll have to make do with a wipe-down tonight.”
After taking a towel from the rack, Yan Zheng gestured cooperatively with her small hand,
“I’ll leave now then.”
“Wait.”
Si Yueting’s voice was unusually hoarse,
“Help me take off my clothes.”
She instinctively wanted to retort, “Don’t you have hands?”
But then she thought, in all her years, she had never seen a naked man!
And here was one she could see for free—why pass up such an opportunity?
Summoning her courage, Yan Zheng pulled open the front of his robe. His wheat-colored pectoral muscles were taut like drumheads, and the enticing deep V-shape made her silently swallow.
Who would have thought that beneath Si Yueting’s usual aloof, ascetic appearance in shirts lay such a robust, muscular physique.
The wild tension broke through the crisp scent of pine on him, and her ears suddenly turned red.
By the time she managed to pull the sleeves of the robe from his thick, log-like arms, Yan Zheng was sweating on her back.
[Lying there like a dead fish, can’t even move on your own?]
“Ahem.”
Si Yueting suddenly choked.
As Yan Zheng busied herself untying the robe’s sash, her pale pink nail accidentally scraped across his well-defined abs with his body’s tremor.
A blood vessel in Si Yueting’s lower abdomen throbbed, his dark eyes burning like fire.
Completely unaware of the change in his body, Yan Zheng clicked her tongue in admiration:
[I have to admit, Si Yueting not only has a handsome face but also an incredible body! If his company ever goes bankrupt, he’d definitely be the top choice for rich women if he worked as a host in a nightclub!]
This woman actually compared him to a nightclub host!
Before he could react, he heard her sigh regretfully in her heart,
“I’ve heard that top-tier male escorts all have special skills. Some last exceptionally long—seven times a night. Others have exceptionally skilled tongues that can write all 26 letters. Someone like Si Yueting, who excels at neither, can only let you grope his abs a couple times to satisfy your cravings.”
Wave after wave of heat coursing through her body made Si Yueting grip the wheelchair armrests tightly.
How would a country woman like her know what special skills top escorts at nightclubs possess?
Just as Yan Zheng finished helping him undress and was about to leave, the man’s large hand clamped around her wrist.
“Just two touches—is that enough to satisfy Mrs. Si’s cravings?”
Yan Zheng froze.
Had her inner lust been that obvious just now?
Si Yueting tightened his grip and pulled her into his embrace.
“First you made me drink that tonic soup, then you deliberately cut off the water… After going through all this trouble… Wasn’t Mrs. Si just trying to seize the opportunity to have a child with me?”