“Although I’ve signed, you’re a good person. Don’t be so sad all the time, try to be happier.”
Li Jiao watched Song Li Sheng clutching the pen in his hand, his dazed expression looking rather pitiful.
But she felt she didn’t belong here anymore.
It was somewhat awkward.
So after throwing out these words, she stood up and went upstairs.
Just as she reached her bedroom door, Li Jiao paused and looked down through the railing.
Song Li Sheng was leaning his head back wearily, one hand resting on his forehead, his gaze still fixed vacantly on the ceiling.
This time their eyes didn’t meet.
Li Jiao couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling.
She thought Song Li Sheng’s figure looked particularly frail, lonely and isolated.
Even though he always wore a gentle smile on his face.
Yet he could exude such lifeless energy.
But, given their current relationship… Li Jiao could only silently close the door.
Her impression of Song Li Sheng had completely transformed into: a small white flower deeply mired in mud, yet still stubbornly trying to display its beautiful petals to the world – both resilient and pitiful.
But Song Li Sheng knew that he was rotten to the core.
His efforts to bloom were merely to infect others’ breath with his decaying scent.
That was all.
The sound of the door closing brought Song Li Sheng back to reality. He tossed the documents aside and tapped his phone screen lightly.
The screen lit up – it was 9:40 in the morning.
He suddenly remembered that Li Jiao probably hadn’t eaten breakfast yet…
After all, she had just come downstairs when he stopped her, and after signing, she had hurried directly back to her bedroom.
Song Li Sheng thought that since she had been so cooperative with him, preparing breakfast for her seemed quite reasonable…
Right?
“Don’t worry, everything’s really fine.”
Li Jiao typed furiously on her keyboard while handling her mother’s nagging concerns on speakerphone.
Since staying in this body had become her reality, she needed to make some plans.
She was quite interested in the original owner’s celebrity status and didn’t plan to abandon it outright – she could play along for now.
Of course, she also needed to properly manage “Gardenia Star.” And using this entertainment company as a starting point, she would wrest more power from Li Yichen.
After all, as the esteemed Daughter of Duke, Li Jiao absolutely wouldn’t tolerate being ordered around by some mere man.
Even if that person was her nominal father.
That was unacceptable.
Absolutely unacceptable!
“Alright then, just remember to tell me if anything comes up,” Li’s Mother continued from the other end of the line.
“Okay, okay,” Li Jiao responded compliantly.
She kept her eyes on the computer screen, carefully reading the email reply from her agent… or rather, her former agent now.
The small agency the original owner had signed with had one advantage – compared to “Gardenia Star,” it was tiny.
Knowing they couldn’t accommodate someone of Li Jiao’s stature, when she initiated the contract termination, they practically wanted to throw this hot potato out with great ceremony, even waiving the termination fee.
Although they had been initially very satisfied with Li Jiao’s qualifications, otherwise they wouldn’t have signed her.
But no matter how talented the artist, they didn’t dare risk offending the industry leader by pouring resources into her.
They could only freeze her out while silently paying her salary with tears in their eyes.
Now that they could terminate peacefully, it was truly cause for popping champagne right then and there.
While Li Jiao was replying to her former agent’s email, Li’s Mother, seeing that she wasn’t interested in further conversation, hung up the phone.
After painstakingly typing out the content with single-finger pecking, she finally pressed “Enter” to send it.
She relaxed and leaned back, sinking into the large bed.
However… feeling her empty stomach, Li Jiao could only remain silent for a few seconds before slowly getting up, preparing to find food herself.
“Knock knock.”
Before she could sluggishly make her way to the door, Song Li Sheng knocked.
“You probably haven’t eaten anything, right? I prepared breakfast for you. Would you like some?”
As the door opened, he wore a warm smile and asked considerately.
He seemed like a completely different person compared to his gloomy demeanor earlier.
“Of course!” Li Jiao immediately nodded.
It seemed that even without A Mo, someone would still bring her food when she was hungry. How nice.
But when she saw the table laden with food, she couldn’t help but feel astonished.
“Did you make all this?”
Such a lavish spread was rare even in the Duke’s mansion, especially for breakfast.
“I ordered it. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got a variety,” Song Li Sheng explained.
Li Jiao nodded. The details didn’t matter—a takeout-ordering “Snail Prince” was still a Snail Prince.
She happily sat down and, unusually thoughtful, even pulled out a chair for Song Li Sheng.
Song Li Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise at her gesture but quietly took the seat beside her.
He watched as she quickly yet elegantly sampled xiaolongbao, shaomai, youtiao, bread, and thick egg toast, while drinking soy milk and doufuhua.
Of course, Li Jiao wasn’t a big eater—she only tasted a bit of each, eating more of what she found delicious.
Song Li Sheng subtly observed her reactions to each food while calmly chewing his bread.
Naturally, he noticed her grimace and turn away to spit out the black coffee after one sip.
Song Li Sheng’s lips twitched involuntarily.
When Li Jiao glanced over, he quickly lowered his gaze, focusing on chewing his food.
Li Jiao had turned because she sensed a faint gaze, only to find the person diagonally across from her intently studying his bread.
Was it her imagination?
She puzzled for a moment, swallowed the sugary, oily bite in her mouth, and soon noticed the tired marks under Song Li Sheng’s eyes.
“Your eye bags are so noticeable.”
“What?” Song Li Sheng clearly didn’t understand what “eye bags” meant.
“Eye bags,” Li Jiao repeated. Seeing his continued confusion, she suddenly wondered—did modern people not use this term?
But… how did modern people describe this again?
She couldn’t recall immediately.
So she straightened up, reached out her arm, and gently pressed the dark area under Song Li Sheng’s eyes.
“Right here, the dark circles are very obvious.”
Feeling the soft touch under his eyes, Song Li Sheng held his breath involuntarily. He glanced at Li Jiao’s dark eyes, then quickly shifted his gaze to her slender finger.
Though she extended her index finger, from this angle, he could also see the sparkling diamond ring resting quietly on her ring finger.
The tips of his ears, hidden by his hair, flushed bright red, and the ring finger wearing his own diamond ring tightened slightly.
But Li Jiao asked with a normal expression, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
“N-No.”
Song Li Sheng leaned back, awkwardly increasing the distance between them. “It’s the same as usual.”
Just like before, I didn’t sleep well.
“Oh.” Seeing his resistance to her touch, Li Jiao withdrew her finger and didn’t ask further about what “just like before” meant. She just awkwardly scratched the side of her nose.
She almost forgot they weren’t a proper married couple.
Still, her little husband was acting rather strange.
He had been so proactive during yesterday’s wedding, yet today he was pitifully asking her to sign some agreement.
He had taken the initiative to prepare breakfast for her, yet she couldn’t even touch his face.
Men were truly hard to understand.
Especially modern men.
Seeing Li Jiao withdraw her hand, Song Li Sheng watched as she used the same finger that had just touched his face to pick up her chopsticks again and bring food to her mouth.
Only now, her gaze was no longer fixed on him.
Song Li Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found there was nothing to say.
A faint discomfort stirred in his heart, though there was no reason for it.
At that moment, he and Li Jiao both found themselves thinking the same thing—they were acting strangely.
Another cup of bitter coffee slid down his throat.
He thought to himself, it must be because he had been too tired lately.