Shen Yuqing did not eat breakfast.
At noon, Song Tinghuan pan-fried a steak.
The steak looked, smelled, and tasted excellent. When cut open, the inside was a faint pink, with juices still flowing out.
When she placed it in front of Shen Yuqing, he took one look and found it difficult to look away.
“The plating isn’t very good, but—” I suppose I could make do with it.
“Then forget it.”
Song Tinghuan immediately took the plate away, not giving Shen Yuqing any chance to finish the second half of his sentence.
Shen Yuqing swallowed hard.
Forget it.
There would be other dishes later anyway.
Whatever it was, he would give her some face and take at least one bite.
Shen Yuqing sat upright in the dining room.
He waited ten minutes.
He waited thirty minutes.
He waited sixty minutes.
Wait.
He was so hungry…
Could this dish really be that complicated to prepare?
Shen Yuqing coughed lightly twice and said to Song Tinghuan, who was in the kitchen behind him: “There’s no need to prepare such a complicated lunch. A simple meal will do.”
With a lollipop she had scavenged from the refrigerator dangling from her mouth, Song Tinghuan walked over to him in surprise.
“You’re still waiting for me to cook?”
“Aren’t you cooking?”
Song Tinghuan pointed the lollipop toward the kitchen.
“I’m cleaning. You won’t eat this and won’t eat that. Such a good steak ended up benefiting me instead. I felt bad about it, so I gave the kitchen a thorough cleaning. Would you like to inspect it?”
Shen Yuqing said: “…No need.”
Song Tinghuan’s dark eyes rolled slightly.
“You’re hungry?”
Shen Yuqing: “……”
He immediately turned his wheelchair around.
“No.”
Song Tinghuan followed after him with the lollipop in her mouth.
“Don’t leave yet. It’s time for your massage today.”
A vein throbbed at Shen Yuqing’s temple.
By the time he wanted to stop her, it was already too late.
Because this was Song Tinghuan’s second time prying out the battery, and her movements were noticeably smoother.
Remove the battery.
Push the wheelchair.
Step on the brake.
Shen Yuqing closed his eyes, looking utterly defeated.
On one side was the low blood sugar caused by hunger.
On the other side was the surging frustration rising within him.
Caught between hunger and anger, even his internal organs seemed uncomfortable.
“Open your mouth.” Song Tinghuan said.
Shen Yuqing’s clenched teeth loosened instinctively. The next moment, a candy carrying the scent of oranges was stuffed into his mouth.
The fine threads of sweetness melted across his mouth, miraculously soothing all the restlessness coursing through his limbs and body.
Shen Yuqing opened his eyes, a trace of astonishment flashing through the darkness of his gaze.
Song Tinghuan smiled brightly and took the pink lollipop out of her own mouth.
“Mine is peach-flavored. Is yours good?”
Shen Yuqing never ate this kind of industrially produced candy.
Yet, with the candy in his mouth, he inexplicably rolled it around twice with the tip of his tongue.
The sweet-and-sour orange flavor stimulated his taste buds, as though he were drinking a glass of sweetened orange juice.
A very strange taste.
Very sweet.
Showing unusual generosity, Shen Yuqing gave his evaluation.
“It’s not bad.”
Song Tinghuan did not mind his attitude and continued massaging his legs.
As she worked, she said: “I found a bucket of lollipops in the refrigerator. It was hidden all the way in the back. You’d never find it without digging around. Since you don’t like sweets, Young President Shen must have hidden them there.”
While sucking on the candy, Shen Yuqing thought back.
That had probably happened a very long time ago.
Shen Heng had poor teeth since childhood. Their parents never allowed him to eat candy, so he would sneak into Shen Yuqing’s place to secretly eat it.
Then Shen Yuqing would throw both him and the candy out.
Who knew when those candies had been hidden there? Shen Yuqing never cooked for himself, so he had never discovered them.
Wait…
Shen Yuqing pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and stared at it.
Song Tinghuan looked puzzled.
“What is it?”
Shen Yuqing asked: “Did you check the expiration date before eating it?”
“No.”
Shen Yuqing tiredly closed his eyes and supported his temple with one hand.
Using the calmest tone possible, he said: “The last time Shen Heng ate candy at my house was when he was fifteen.”
Song Tinghuan immediately spat out her candy and blankly asked: “Then how old is he this year?”
“Twenty-five.”
Song Tinghuan snatched the lollipop from Shen Yuqing’s hand and threw it into the trash along with her own.
Then she hurriedly poured a cup of water and handed it to him.
“You didn’t eat much. Maybe if you rinse your mouth now, you can still spit it out.”
Shen Yuqing accepted the cup, took a sip, and handed it back.
“Forget it. It should be fine.”
Song Tinghuan looked nervous.
“Should we call a doctor over? What if eating expired food causes food poisoning?”
After all, Shen Yuqing was no longer like an ordinary person. His immune system was weak. Even the slightest disturbance could make him ill.
Song Tinghuan had no desire to work herself into killing her boss on her second day of employment.
Shen Yuqing waved a hand.
“I’m fine.”
Song Tinghuan carefully observed his expression.
“If you feel uncomfortable, you have to tell me.”
“Mm.” Shen Yuqing frowned. “You’re very noisy.”
Song Tinghuan obediently shut her mouth and continued massaging his legs.
After a while, she suddenly said: “In our family, as long as something is put in the refrigerator, it no longer has an expiration limit. There are pork legs from five years ago and salted ducks from ten years ago inside.”
Shen Yuqing still had his eyes closed.
“If you dare feed me those things, you’re dead.”
“Anything I give you will definitely be the freshest.” Song Tinghuan swore, raising three fingers toward the sky. “I guarantee it.”
After finishing the massage, Song Tinghuan reinstalled the battery.
Shen Yuqing immediately turned around and left.
“I won’t be eating dinner either.”
After throwing down those words, he went upstairs.
Song Tinghuan scratched the back of her head.
What should she do?
It seemed she had made the Boss angry.
She felt just a tiny bit discouraged.
But not enough to affect her appetite.
For dinner, she made herself a large bowl of egg fried rice with shredded seaweed and diced ham mixed in.
After eating, she went straight to bed.
Late at night, beneath a bright moon hanging high in the sky, the entire villa was silent.
The elevator on the first floor opened without warning.
The sound of wheels rolling across the floor followed.
The refrigerator door opened, and the pale white light illuminated Shen Yuqing’s hunger-stricken face.
There were plenty of ingredients inside.
Unfortunately, not a single one could fill his stomach without being cooked first.
A bowl covered with plastic wrap caught his attention.
A yellow sticky note was attached to the rim. The handwriting was elegant and attractive.
Microwave on high for one minute and thirty seconds. Deliciousness guaranteed.
The bowl had been placed exactly where Shen Yuqing could reach it with a simple stretch of his hand.
Expressionless, he took the bowl out and removed the plastic wrap.
“It’s only egg fried rice.”
Heh.
One minute and thirty seconds later.
The aroma of egg fried rice rushed toward him.
With considerable reluctance, Shen Yuqing scooped up a spoonful and tasted it.
In the darkness, his long brows lifted slightly, and a flicker of light crossed his eyes.
After contentedly eating the final grain of rice, Shen Yuqing set down the spoon in satisfaction.
Like an elegant, lazy cat.
He casually placed the bowl and utensils into the dishwasher. Seeing the sticky note and pen on the table, he wrote a line of text and stuck it onto the refrigerator door.
Then he leisurely wheeled himself upstairs to sleep.
Far away, in the headquarters building of the Changqing Group.
All the employees had gone home.
Only the lights on the top floor remained on.
Shen Heng, who was still working overtime, watched the surveillance footage with tears in his eyes.
He could not even remember how long it had been since he had seen his brother eat so much…
Then he noticed the bucket of lollipops he had hidden in the refrigerator just last month, now resting peacefully in the trash can.
At last, Shen Heng could no longer hold back his tears.
His sobbing echoed through the vast Changqing Group building in the middle of the night.
While asleep, Song Tinghuan received a bonus payment.
Though fifty yuan had been deducted.
Lollipop: 1.50 yuan.