The colleague beside her looked over.
Noticing the drops of blood splattered on the floor, they hurriedly stood up. “Oh my goodness, Chi Beauty, are you alright?”
Chi Yang was almost in tears from the pain.
She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t paid attention to the knife’s edge, and before she knew it, it had cut deep into her fingertip.
Chi Yang had always been delicate since childhood—her skin would turn red from just a bit of sun in the summer. She had never been able to tolerate this kind of pain. It took her colleague a while of frantic effort to finally stop the bleeding.
The wound wasn’t small.
It was about a centimeter long and quite deep.
Her colleague looked at her worriedly. “Why don’t you go to the hospital? A cut this deep is prone to infection and scarring. For us who work on relief murals, our hands are our most precious tools.”
Chi Yang’s eyes were red, and the tip of her nose was red too.
She glanced up at the clock and saw the hour hand nearing six. Remembering that Chi Qing would be coming over for dinner after work, and realizing that the marital home had almost none of her belongings, she knew Chi Qing would worry if she discovered Chi Yang wasn’t actually living there.
Chi Yang hastily applied a band-aid, thanked her colleague, and promised she would definitely go to the hospital. Then, holding her injured finger aloft, she grabbed her bag and hurriedly left the National Museum.
But her destination wasn’t the hospital. Instead, she first returned to her own small villa, quickly packed some clothes and daily necessities, then went to her favorite restaurant to pick up some dishes she thought Chi Qing would like. Only then did she drive to Xizi Bay.
…
Xie Youci had worked overtime today.
When he pushed open the front door, he expected to be greeted by the usual cold and empty house. Instead, he was met with an unexpectedly mouthwatering aroma of food.
Xie Youci changed his shoes in the entryway.
He took off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and walked into the living room, where he saw a figure bustling around the kitchen like a Snail Maiden.
Chi Yang was wearing a small pink apron.
Holding her injured index finger aloft, she was carefully transferring the dishes she had brought back from the restaurant from the thermal containers into clean plates.
“Click—”
Hearing the sound of the door opening behind her, Chi Yang was startled. She turned around in a fluster and met Xie Youci’s lazy, indifferent eyes.
Xie Youci had no idea when he had gotten home.
Leaning casually against the tiled wall, he looked at Chi Yang with a complicated expression. “Has Mrs. Xie had a change of heart today?”
“What change of heart?” Chi Yang pouted, annoyed.
Seeing it was Xie Youci and not Chi Qing, she turned back to continue fussing with her dishes.
“Isn’t it?”
Xie Youci raised an eyebrow. “I thought Mrs. Xie had suddenly grown a conscience, realizing she shouldn’t leave me to guard an empty house alone, and had specially come back to prepare dinner for me.”
“Keep dreaming your wild dreams.”
Chi Yang snorted lightly, but she seemed to be in a good mood. Still, not wanting her rival to notice her awkward situation, she subtly tucked her injured finger away.
“Who’s preparing dinner for you? My mom is coming over later. I specially bought these dishes from the restaurant for her!”
Xie Youci raised an eyebrow in realization.
He should have known.
This female rogue, who had been obsessed with male strippers just a few days ago, couldn’t possibly have had such a sudden awakening.
But Chi Yang seemed to have no time to bother with him.
She didn’t know when Chi Qing would arrive and was afraid she wouldn’t be ready in time, so she quickened her pace.
However, this young lady had never been one to lift a finger for household chores.Even just pouring the soup into the bowl felt a bit overwhelming, fearing it might spill. She almost considered using a large ladle to scoop it out bit by bit.
Xie Youci couldn’t stand watching any longer.
He clicked his tongue lightly. “Go stand over there. Tell me what you want done, and I’ll handle it.”
Chi Yang obediently stepped aside.
She was never good at such tasks, and her hand hurt. Now that there was free labor available, why not make use of it?
Xie Youci tilted his head to look at her. “What do you need done?”
Chi Yang raised her charmingly smiling face, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “Just serve the dishes from the takeout containers, pretending they were made by the housekeeper!”
Xie Youci: “…”
He lowered his eyelids and picked up the soup to pour it. “If you had told me earlier, I would have arranged for a housekeeper to come.”
“I didn’t have time…”
Chi Yang muttered softly, glancing down at her hand. The cut on her fingertip wasn’t easy to bandage, and blood was already starting to seep out.
She had received Chi Qing’s call quite late.
Unexpectedly, this little incident had occurred, and she forgot to mention it to the male lead.
“Xie Youci.”
Chi Yang leaned in behind him. “Can you cooperate with me later? Just help me serve some food and act affectionate, so my mom won’t notice our relationship isn’t good…”
Relationship isn’t good.
Xie Youci caught this key phrase, glancing at her sideways with a sharp, cold gaze from the corner of his eye.
Chi Yang tugged at the hem of his shirt with her uninjured right hand, blinking her eyes. “Just for tonight, okay?”
Her eyes were clear and bright.
When she blinked, they sparkled like stars; when she gazed at him, they seemed to hold a pool of spring water, subtly alluring.
Xie Youci only turned his head to look at her once.
Meeting those eyes, he nearly lost himself in them but quickly averted his gaze with reason. “Considering how well you performed at the Xie family last time.”
Chi Yang instantly brightened up.
Her curved eyes seemed to bloom like a flower, her entire expression becoming even more radiant and captivating.
Xie Youci couldn’t help but glance at her again from the corner of his eye.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Damn.
Why was this heartbreaker trying to lure him again?
Xie Youci irritably pressed his tongue against the back of his teeth, completely withdrawing his gaze and refusing to look any further.
Chi Yang hummed a cheerful tune as she went to serve the dishes.
After placing her mother’s favorite osmanthus sugar lotus root on the dining table, she noticed Xie Youci also bringing out the chicken soup, a ring now adorning the ring finger of his left hand.
Chi Yang: ?
She stared in surprise at Xie Youci’s finger. “Do you always carry this old ring with you?”
After all, she hadn’t seen him go back to his room to fetch it.
Xie Youci didn’t answer, only glancing at her sideways. “Mrs. Xie asked me to help play the role of an affectionate couple. Surely you didn’t forget to bring the most important prop?”
Chi Yang had naturally brought it.
It could be said she had foresight. When she went home earlier to pack, she specifically took the diamond ring Xie Youci had bought her last time, though it seemed she had left it in the car.
“I’ll go get it,” she said, turning to head out.
Unlocking the car door with the key, Chi Yang leaned over the driver’s seat to search for the ring box, but her left index finger suddenly throbbed with pain.
“Ouch…”
Chi Yang couldn’t help but gasp sharply.She looked down at her hand; the blood that had seeped out was almost stuck to the band-aid. She found it a bit unsightly and worried that keeping it covered might cause it to fester, so she simply tore it off and tossed it into the car’s trash bin.
It should be fine to endure it for a while.
After her mother came over to have dinner with them, she could stop by the clinic on her way home to get it treated.
After putting on her wedding ring, Chi Yang returned to Xizi Bay.
The reheated dishes were laid out in the dining room. Chi Yang and Xie Youci sat side by side, both looking up at the wall clock.
Seven o’clock.
Eight o’clock.
Nine o’clock…
The food had already been reheated several times by Xie Youci.
He leaned lazily against the back of his chair, tilting his head to look at Chi Yang. “When is our mom coming over?”
“I don’t know…” Chi Yang clenched her fingers.
Her first reaction wasn’t even to correct Xie Youci’s way of addressing her mother. She only felt very hungry, and the cut on her left index finger from the carving knife was hurting more and more.
Chi Yang lowered her eyes dejectedly. “She clearly said she would come over as soon as she finished her work…”