To be honest, when Master Ji instructed him to deliver lunch, he was astonished.
Perhaps this cold-blooded creature still possessed a shred of conscience when facing his lifesaver, or maybe he felt a moment of pity for this poor amnesiac girl, allowing a brief glimpse of humanity to surface.
But when Master Ji drove off directly from the hospital entrance without a second glance, Wan Feng understood once again that his master’s softness had been fleeting.
“You’re lying.” Shu Qianzhi’s hopeful gaze swept around outside the door, and upon failing to see the person she wanted, she refused to compromise and started making a scene. “I only want to see my brother. I don’t want to eat.”
Wan Feng felt a headache coming on as he patiently tried to persuade her, but no matter what he said, Shu Qianzhi remained firm in her principle: she wouldn’t eat unless she saw Ji Zechen.
Eventually, Wan Feng ran out of options.
Shaking his head, he left the meal in the hospital room and turned to leave, giving up on further persuasion.
Having failed to see Ji Zechen despite her efforts, Shu Qianzhi pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze as she watched Wan Feng depart.
Though this was the second time she’d been abandoned, she couldn’t blame the poor assistant. After all, that man was determined not to come, and there was little Wan Feng could do.
But she naturally wouldn’t give up. She could only gamble.
She was betting that since he had loved her so deeply in their previous life, he must still feel something for her in this one.
Though this was their first meeting in this lifetime, and they were previously strangers, he had specifically ordered her favorite foods. Shu Qianzhi didn’t believe in coincidences – this could only mean that somewhere deep down, he still held feelings for her.
The more signs like this appeared, the greater her chances of success became.
“Gurgle—” Her stomach growled again, this time even louder than before.
Shu Qianzhi unconsciously glanced at the source of her temptation. Being able to smell all these delicious aromas but not being allowed to eat was pure torture.
She swallowed hard, forcing down her craving along with her saliva.
So hungry, so hungry.
Shu Qianzhi wanted to cry, but for the sake of her future, she had to endure.
…But she was really so hungry!
She wrestled with her rising impulses until evening, when Wan Feng punctually delivered dinner. To her dismay, this time it included her favorite spare ribs and fish balls – every single dish catered to her tastes.
By now, Shu Qianzhi was so hungry she felt her front and back were sticking together, but she remained steel-willed, refusing to take even one bite of food.
Wan Feng sighed quietly, cleared away the completely cold lunch, and left the room.
The steaming aromas once again filled the entire space, dealing a critical blow to Shu Qianzhi who felt she was becoming delirious from hunger.
After finally getting a second chance at life, was she really going to become a starving ghost again?
Her eyes drifted back to that sinful temptation. Those fish balls looked so delicious, she really wanted to try just one…
Just one would be enough…
…
The next second…
After confirming no one was outside the hospital room, Shu Qianzhi immediately crept stealthily out of bed, quietly dug out one fish ball from the bottom of the pile, and eagerly popped it into her mouth.
Ah! Delicious! She was alive again!
Looking at the remaining fish balls, Shu Qianzhi couldn’t resist stealing another one. Still unsatisfied, she picked up yet another…
After all, there were so many fish balls in this portion – no one would notice if she ate just a few.
After satisfying her craving for fish balls, Shu Qianzhi turned her attention to the spare ribs nearby and proceeded to eat several pieces in the same manner. She flushed all the discarded bones down the toilet, only returning contentedly after ensuring not a single trace remained.
Fortunately, her appetite was small, and this small amount was nearly enough to satisfy her. Shu Qianzhi patted her stomach as she lay back on the bed, now even the sunlight outside the window seemed brighter to her.
As long as she could have a little spare ribs and fish balls each day to keep her going, she would have enough strength to persist for another three days and nights.
…
“Master Ji, the young lady refuses to eat no matter what.”
Wan Feng stood before Ji Zechen, hesitating for a long while before finally speaking in a gentle, persuasive tone. “She hasn’t eaten for two days now. If this continues, she probably won’t be able to hold on.”
Ji Zechen leaned back in his chair, calmly flipping through the documents in front of him, though his mood was irritable and he couldn’t focus on a single word.
“She keeps insisting on seeing you, saying she won’t eat unless she sees you.” Wan Feng truly couldn’t bear it any longer and reported everything.
Thud—
The documents were ruthlessly thrown onto the desk. Wan Feng immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word. No matter how much he pitied her, he couldn’t offer any further persuasion.
“How far along is the investigation into the car accident?” Ji Zechen showed no interest in responding to Wan Feng’s concerns, calmly pulling out another document to review as he asked simply.
Wan Feng hurriedly replied, “The brake failure was indeed due to a problem with the car itself. There were no signs of tampering.”
That day, they had been on their way to a meeting when the brakes failed while passing through a sparsely populated area. At the critical moment, a red car rushed over to help them slow down, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
And the driver of that car was the very person now lying in the hospital room, crying and making a scene while asking for her brother.
Thinking of this, Ji Zechen couldn’t help but recall that face and her soft, ticklish call of “Brother.” He irritably rubbed his temples. “Have we still not uncovered her background?”
“No,” Wan Feng reported truthfully. “The car she was driving belonged to someone else, and the owner isn’t sure about her origins either. She had nothing on her that could verify her identity, so we’re still investigating.”
“Tch…” Useless.
Ji Zechen grew increasingly agitated. Ever since meeting that person, he had been enveloped in an unprecedented, inexplicable emotion that constantly surrounded him.
“Brother!”
Her soft, sticky voice suddenly seemed to appear, so clear yet so distant, as if it were right around him.
…What nonsense.
At that moment, Ji Zechen’s rationality nearly deserted him. He slammed the table and stood up abruptly, quickly disappearing from the office.
Behind him, Wan Feng was stunned for half a second. By the time he looked again, Ji Zechen was already gone, so he hurriedly followed, his mind racing with a thousand chaotic thoughts.
Hospital…
Shu Qianzhi had just stealthily popped a fish ball into her mouth when she heard what sounded like footsteps at the door the next second.
Startled, she immediately turned and hid under the covers, frantically chewing and swallowing the fish ball.
Hearing the sound of the hospital room door being pushed open, Shu Qianzhi buried herself deeper under the blankets and without thinking declared, “I won’t eat until I see my brother.”
“…” The air fell into complete silence, with no response, making one wonder if anyone was even there.
After finishing the fish ball under the covers and running her tongue over her teeth to ensure no remnants remained, Shu Qianzhi slowly poked her head out.
The moment she saw the person before her, she nearly thought hunger had conjured hallucinations.
“Brother!” Her eyes instantly sparkled like stars, brimming with laughter.
Those two simple words stirred an inexplicable itch in his heart. Ji Zechen froze momentarily, suddenly unable to comprehend why he had come here at all.
Yet as if guided by some unseen force, he responded with a quiet “Hm.”
Shu Qianzhi hid a smile and immediately rose from the hospital bed to wrap herself around Ji Zechen’s arm, rubbing against him coquettishly like a clinging vine.
“You finally came, brother! I missed you so much. I thought you’d really abandoned me.”
“Uh…” Ji Zechen’s gaze fell on the person glued to him. Though he wanted to push her away, he found himself unable.
Resigning himself, he let her cling while his expression softened imperceptibly. “I heard you refused to eat?”
Satisfied, Shu Qianzhi buried her face in his shoulder, greedily inhaling his scent. “I couldn’t eat without seeing you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ji Zechen’s face darkened again as he pressed her back onto the hospital bed, leaving only one arm for her to hold.
He then gestured to Wan Feng, who immediately brought over the lunchbox he was carrying.
The familiar aroma of her favorite spare ribs and fish balls wafted through the air. Smelling it again, Shu Qianzhi felt tears welling up.
Could she finally eat? Heaven knew how long she’d waited for this moment!!
“Eat first.” Surprisingly patient, Ji Zechen displayed a tenderness even he hadn’t known he possessed.
Yet Shu Qianzhi shamelessly shook her head, pushing her luck further. “I want you to feed me, brother.”
“Uh…” Wan Feng inwardly broke into a cold sweat for her.
He knew Master Ji’s temperament too well – reaching this point was already his utmost limit of tolerance. That this girl would repeatedly make such unreasonable requests made Wan Feng feel he might not be able to protect her much longer.
But then he witnessed the always aloof Master Ji voluntarily sit by the hospital bed, gently and carefully feeding the seemingly innocent girl.
The girl’s face glowed with happiness as she savored the moment, while Wan Feng wore an expression of utter disbelief.
This… this… was this still the same Master Ji before him??
Shu Qianzhi smiled softly, her gaze never leaving Ji Zechen, unable to get her fill of looking at him in this moment.
Who would have thought she could both see Ji Zechen and enjoy her favorite food through his every spoonful?
Could there be any greater happiness in this world?
She reached out to hook her fingers with his, leaning closer until she was pressed against him. “You’re so good to me, brother. I like you best.”