【That’s way too short.】
“Too short? I think it’s still pretty big.”
With that, she took off her clothes and slipped on the shirt.
Su Youtian lowered her head for a look. The hem of the shirt barely covered her little butt, while her fair, slender legs were fully exposed in the air.
She took a deep breath. Beneath the shirt, her full curves rose and fell softly, stretching the fabric tightly against her figure.
【Tsk tsk tsk, this is unbearable to look at.】
She pulled out a pair of pants from below and slipped them on with one leg.
The System cried out:
【…Why are you wearing pants?!】
Su Youtian was shocked. “Why can’t I wear pants?!”
The System stammered a little, seemingly unable to understand her logic. “Then why did you pick the shortest shirt?”
Su Youtian answered matter-of-factly, “Because short ones look better!”
【…I really shouldn’t expect anything from your emotional intelligence.】
After putting on the pants, Su Youtian thought over the System’s strange reaction and suddenly understood.
“Ohhh, you thought I was going for the boyfriend-shirt look?”
【This was such a good opportunity!】
Su Youtian adjusted her hair. “I’m not the kind of woman who says no while secretly being honest with her body. Why would I seduce him?”
【…Are you sure you’re not?】
“Of course not. I’m not looking to die, okay? If I fall for the male lead, I’ll get tortured to death.”
【Heh, you heartless scumbag. You fantasize about him and then toss him aside!】
Su Youtian shrank her neck, then stubbornly lifted her chin.
“If you’re so obsessed with shipping people together, then next time I’ll write a male lead who’s gentle and deeply affectionate, completely devoted, devastatingly charming, richer than a nation, more handsome than Pan An, perfect in every way, and can go seven rounds a night. Then transmigrate me as the heroine, thanks.”
【Heh, women.】
Outside the room, Yuan Wei called out, “Dinner’s ready!”
Su Youtian answered and was just about to head out when she noticed a ring box sitting by the bedside.
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her little claw-like hand instinctively reaching toward it.
“Is there a ring inside? Whose is it? Yuan Wei’s, or his mother’s?”
【What do you think?】
Su Youtian knew it definitely wasn’t Yuan Wei’s mother’s. Back in those days, Yuan Wei’s father had only cared about her beauty. There was no way he would have given her a ring symbolizing loyalty and eternity.
So the box belonged to the male lead.
“Maybe it’s not a ring. Maybe it’s coins? Keys? Or a necklace?”
【No need to guess. I scanned it already. It’s a ring.】
As if burned, Su Youtian immediately snatched her hand back.
【What, not looking anymore?】
She shook her head. “If it’s placed by the bedside, then it’s probably something very important. I shouldn’t touch it without permission.”
Yuan Wei called for her again, and Su Youtian opened the door and walked out.
Outside, Yuan Wei tugged off his apron and carried out a huge basin of noodles.
Su Youtian was stunned. “That’s such a huge bowl. Are you feeding pigs or something?”
Yuan Wei said nothing. He scooped himself a bowl of noodles, then pushed the entire basin toward Su Youtian.
Su Youtian: “…What exactly do you mean by this?”
Yuan Wei: “Eat.”
Su Youtian sneered. So he really was treating her like a pig.
Twenty minutes later, she put down the empty basin, leaned back on the sofa with her stomach sticking out, and burped contentedly.
“So delicious.”
【Where’s your dignity?!】
Su Youtian wiped her mouth. “Gone.”
The noodles Yuan Wei made were downright addictive. The flavor and texture matched her tastes perfectly. Holding her stomach, she mournfully thought that Yuan Wei was basically a parasite living inside her digestive tract.
The System sighed in disappointment.
Yuan Wei stood up and picked up the now-empty basin that only had soup left inside. Just as he was about to head into the kitchen, Su Youtian stretched out a hand.
“Leave it to me. You’re still injured, I can’t let you keep taking care of me.”
After saying that, she struggled upright, only to collapse back onto the sofa like a stranded whale.
Under the light, Yuan Wei’s expression softened slightly.
“No need.”
With that, he quickly carried the dishes away.
【You let an injured patient cook for you and clean up afterward too? Where’s your conscience?】
Su Youtian struggled back to her feet. “I ate it together with the noodles.”
Then she shuffled into the kitchen anyway and helped Yuan Wei wash the dishes.
The two stood very close together, their arms brushing against each other now and then. Su Youtian awkwardly shrank her neck.
There were only two pairs of chopsticks, yet she washed them slowly and carefully. Turning her head slightly, she looked at Yuan Wei’s focused expression. Whether it was work or daily tasks, he treated everything seriously.
Even squeezed into this tiny kitchen, Yuan Wei approached dishwashing with the same solemnity as work.
She couldn’t even imagine what he would be like in the future when he became a powerful CEO.
Surrounded by wealth, attended by drivers and servants everywhere, would he still personally work in the kitchen like he did today?
Would he still be this Yuan Wei, someone who seemed cold on the surface but was actually gentle inside?
Su Youtian pressed her lips together. Watching warm water flow over Yuan Wei’s long, well-defined fingers, she finally asked the question she’d wanted to ask all along.
“You… why are you so nice to me?”
The sound of running water stopped.
Yuan Wei turned his head slightly, his brows lowering.
“Why ask that?”
Su Youtian rubbed her fingers together in the water.
“I… dumped you, hit you, and insulted you. But you never get angry, and you even cooked for me.”
The more she spoke, the more she felt like an absolute scumbag.
Could Yuan Wei really tolerate her because he truly loved Sheng Xia that much?
She scratched her head, feeling an odd sensation in her chest, like a needle pricking her briefly before disappearing when she tried to catch it.
Yuan Wei fell silent for a moment. Then he took a towel and draped it over Su Youtian’s claw-like hands, wrapping them in his palms as he gently rubbed them dry.
“You’ll understand someday.”
Separated by only a soft layer of fabric, her hands being rubbed between his palms made Su Youtian feel as though they no longer belonged to her. Uncomfortably, she wiggled her fingers.
“But I want to know now.”
Yuan Wei’s movements paused. Looking down at Su Youtian, something flickered faintly within his pale eyes.
He said, “It’s not that I’m not angry. I’m afraid that if I hit you, you’ll become even dumber.”
“Hey!”
Yuan Wei lowered her hands and pushed lightly against her back.
“Go on, get some sleep.”
Su Youtian asked in confusion, “You’re not chasing me home anymore?”
Yuan Wei replied, “I don’t feel at ease. You sleep in the bedroom, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
Su Youtian hurriedly refused. “My guilt level is already about to explode. I can’t steal your bed too. Either I sleep on the sofa, or I leave right now.”
Unable to argue with her, Yuan Wei could only take out the thickest blanket from the cabinet and carry it over to the sofa for her.
“Be careful at night. Don’t roll around everywhere, and don’t ride the blanket.”
Su Youtian declared that she slept very ladylike.
The corner of Yuan Wei’s lips curled up faintly, then he placed a cup of warm water on the coffee table.
“Sleep early. Don’t play on your phone.”
Su Youtian muttered unhappily, “I’m not a child.”
After Yuan Wei returned to the bedroom, Su Youtian quietly whispered to the System, “System, I feel like something’s not right.”
【What isn’t right?】
“This Yuan Wei is kind of strange.”
【Because he doesn’t beat you up?】
Su Youtian clicked her tongue. “I’m serious. In the novel, to create that intense angsty romance, I made the male lead’s life really tragic. Because of his background, he became cynical and overly sensitive. Then after becoming a CEO, he turned arrogant and self-centered. That’s why he ended up having so many conflicts and misunderstandings with the heroine. But this Yuan Wei is different. He doesn’t have any of those traits at all. He’s strong, patient, and still loves life. I don’t believe he could do the things that hurt Sheng Xia.”
The System replied:
【Emmmm……】
Su Youtian narrowed her eyes. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
【It means you’ve finally noticed…】
Su Youtian gritted her teeth. “Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
【So far I still haven’t figured out the reason. I’ll give you an answer after I contact my superiors.】
Su Youtian scratched her hair. “Sigh, if Yuan Wei really started out like this and later became that kind of person, then I seriously committed a terrible sin.”
【Enough with the this and that, hurry up and sleep.】
“Oh.”
Su Youtian originally thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but after her mind blanked out for three seconds, she immediately drifted off.
Yuan Wei’s blanket was soft and carried the scent of sunshine. The pillow was soft too, and the pillowcase seemed newly changed. Even the smell of laundry detergent wasn’t irritating.
In her dream, she dreamed she was lying in a flower field, happily taking a nap. Then she felt the temperature in the dream getting too warm, so she stretched one leg out from under the blanket.
Half-asleep, she felt a soft sigh brush past her ear. Then her arm and leg were gently tucked back beneath the blanket.
She hummed unhappily.
Warm fingers lightly brushed the tip of her nose before pulling away.
The next morning, Su Youtian woke up groggily and discovered that nobody was home anymore. A bowl and chopsticks sat covered on the table. When she lifted the cover, the thick porridge inside was still warm.
Yuan Wei had already gone to the construction site early in the morning.
Even though the wounds on his body hurt badly and he was running a slight fever, none of it seemed like much to him.
Back when he was in prison, he had suffered injuries far worse than this, yet he still completed heavy labor tasks just like everyone else.
In order to behave well and get released earlier, he had wished he could split himself into eight people.
Compared to back then, his current workload was only one-third as much.
Yuan Wei wore long sleeves, the clothes covering his injuries completely. But the bruises at the corner of his mouth and eyes were still visible.
As soon as he arrived at the construction site, the workers around him frowned when they saw him.
He pressed a thumb lightly against the bruise at the corner of his mouth and walked forward without caring.
From far away, Jiao Xing came over to greet him.
“Little Yuan, why are you only getting here now? Yo, you’re injured? What happened, got into a fight?”
Yuan Wei said nothing. Just as he was about to shoulder a bag of cement, Jiao Xing stopped him.
“Don’t work yet. The foreman wants to see you.”
Yuan Wei’s expression sharpened slightly. He set down the cement and headed toward the office.
Jiao Xing followed closely behind with a cup in hand.
“What did you do this time? The foreman came looking for you first thing in the morning, and he doesn’t seem too happy. If you can lower your head, then lower it. Don’t clash with him, alright?”
Yuan Wei nodded.
Calling it an office was generous. It was really just a crude cement room.
The foreman had an even bigger belly than Jiao Xing. His greasy hair was combed neatly, though in a place like a construction site, some dust was unavoidable.
Yuan Wei knocked on the door.
The foreman immediately put down his phone and pulled a long face.
“Did you offend somebody?”