Qin Zhen was stunned for a second, thinking to himself that if he couldn’t finish it, he could just put it back in the pot.
However, seeing Shen Jin’an lowering his gaze with ambiguous emotions, he remembered what he had said the other day about not being fierce. Although Shen Jin’an’s tone was still harsh, at least they were no longer at each other’s throats.
So Qin Zhen nodded and replied, “Then you eat first, and whatever you can’t finish, give it to me.”
This remark seemed to touch a nerve in Shen Jin’an. The two transparent glass bead-like pupils in his eyes swept a glance at Qin Zhen, flashing an unnoticeable glint before he said nothing more and gracefully and reservedly ate half a bowl of rice.
Hearing was one thing, but action was another.
When Qin Zhen finished inhaling his own meal in large mouthfuls, Shen Jin’an was still quietly staring at the half bowl of rice in front of him. His fingers moved under the table several times, but in the end, he couldn’t quite bring himself to push the bowl over.
“What are you spacing out for?” Qin Zhen glanced at him, naturally taking the bowl and chopsticks from in front of him without a shred of hesitation or disgust, polishing off the remaining rice in just a couple of bites.
Watching the other person use the chopsticks he had just used, the back of Shen Jin’an’s ears suddenly turned slightly red, and a trace of unnaturalness surfaced on his face. The words he wanted to ask wouldn’t come out, and after a moment of holding back, he blurted out, “Are you that hungry?”
Qin Zhen frowned. “What?”
Shen Jin’an pressed his lips together and stayed silent.
He had originally wanted to thank the other person, but by the time it reached his lips, it had turned into a slightly sarcastic implication.
Perhaps, after all, he was incapable of communicating normally with others.
The two sat face to face for two minutes. Shen Jin’an put on an extremely aloof expression, muttered a brief “nothing,” and then stood up, walking around the dining table toward the sofa.
Before he had taken two steps, Qin Zhen grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back.
Shen Jin’an’s wrists were slender and white, and his entire face possessed not a single flaw. When he was young, he had large eyes and was often mistaken for a little girl. At several banquets, other adults had even mistaken him for a little princess, insisting that he and their own son get betrothed.
It got to the point where young Shen Jin’an had his hair shaved shorter and shorter each time, and at his sixth birthday party, he cried and made a fuss until his parents announced to everyone that he was a thorough little man.
Back then, how had his parents responded to him? To this day, Shen Jin’an could no longer clearly remember.
He only knew that everyone in the family held him in the palm of their hands. No matter who upset him, the end result was always the other person coming to apologize, and whether he accepted it depended entirely on his mood.
Ever since he was small, everyone around him kept saying that the Shen family’s only precious son would grow up to be a spoiled young master who ran amok in Huishi, someone nobody dared to provoke.
Yet only Shen Jin’an knew that despite being doted on, the elders’ discipline and teachings toward him far surpassed those of ordinary people.
With an expression of mixed emotions, he closed his eyes, wanting to yank his wrist out of Qin Zhen’s grip, only to hear Qin Zhen slowly explain to him, “I’m not hungry.”
His low, deep voice carried a trace of helplessness.
Shen Jin’an froze, turning his head to look at him.
Qin Zhen slowly loosened his grip. “I’m not hungry, but every single grain of rice is hard-earned. Next time, I’ll scoop a bit less rice for you. Don’t forget you promised me to eat and sleep well.”
The lingering heat at his wrist sparked an odd wave of irritation in Shen Jin’an’s heart.
Unable to comprehend why Qin Zhen cared about such things so much, he furrowed his pretty brows, his expression unnatural as he said, “I don’t forget things I’ve promised.”
With that, he picked up the oversized-button elderly phone and sat back down on the sofa.
Qin Zhen nodded. “Good to know.”
If this had happened a week ago, Qin Zhen could never have imagined that he would suddenly die on that night, only to be reborn and faced with Shen Jin’an and a mountain of messy troubles.
Fortunately, after a few days of development, their relationship had clearly improved quite a bit compared to before. Shen Jin’an’s dagger hadn’t been pulled out for two days now.
As Qin Zhen idly browsed his phone, he pondered his next counter-strategy.
Over the past two days, he had practically scoured his computer and phone for every piece of information on Shen Jin’an, but apart from Shen Jin’an’s birth date and a general overview of the Shen Group, everything else was completely blank.
Before Shen Jin’an departed in his previous life, he had looked at him with a detached and distant gaze to say goodbye.
Qin Zhen always felt that something was hidden behind that look, but because Shen Jin’an had far too many subordinates, he hadn’t bothered to look deeply into it when he went to see him off, and afterwards, the two of them never saw each other again.
Trying to dig out something from behind that expression now had become tricky and powerless.
Without knowing the root cause, how could there be any talk of redemption? It was utter nonsense.
Around 9:00 PM, he happened to see the bank deposit notification on his phone showing a transfer of thirty thousand yuan.
At the same time, he received a message from Mu Xiaoxiao: [Qin Zhen, how have you been these past two days?]
But that message was quickly recalled, and she sent another one instead: [I helped you get your salary! No need to thank me!]
Qin Zhen raised an eyebrow, not bothering to ask why she had recalled the message, and simply replied: [This much? Wasn’t my salary supposed to be 8k?]
Mu Xiaoxiao: [You were practically forced out; how could it just be one month’s salary? This is the compensation I helped you squeeze out! How is it? Touched, aren’t you?!]
Qin Zhen: [Thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.]
Mu Xiaoxiao: [I told you not to thank me! But treating me to a meal is definitely fine. Make sure you remember once you’ve promised! Don’t keep standing me up like you used to. I’m definitely going to order expensive food!]
Qin Zhen smiled, typed a brief “Mhm,” and didn’t reply further.
Switching phone screens, he first transferred the money back to the friend who had lent it to him earlier, then sent a sum to his family, leaving ten thousand yuan for himself and Shen Jin’an to use.
The next evening, Qin Zhen went shopping at the supermarket according to his plan.
He single-handedly bagged the trash and grabbed his car keys. Before heading out, he turned around with a sudden thought, looking at the person on the sofa. “Aren’t you going out?”
He had never seen anyone who could be this much of a homebody, staying indoors for four straight days without stepping foot outside.
Qin Zhen had no idea how deeply accustomed Shen Jin’an was to isolation, and how he had even feared seeing people at one point.
Back then, he hid in every corner of the house, feeling as though even a suddenly appearing tiny flying insect had the power to end his life.
The footsteps of the maid bringing food would draw near, while he dared only hug his knees timidly, hiding behind the door to murmur apologies over and over again. Truly sorry.
Shen Jin’an uttered a soft “mhm” and continued fiddling with his elderly phone, but after only tapping the screen twice, he was abruptly hauled up by Qin Zhen.
“Let’s go out for a walk. Cooped up at home tinkering with that senior-citizen phone all day, don’t you feel miserable?”
Qin Zhen slapped a black baseball cap onto Shen Jin’an’s head, dragged him all the way down the elevator, and straight over to his clunker.
“Get in the car. I’ll take you to the supermarket to buy some food, pick whatever you like.”
During the Friday dinner rush, the large supermarket near the apartment was bustling with people. Many office workers, finally having some free time, were out buying fresh ingredients and snacks to welcome the weekend.
The shouting of discounted produce echoed through the air.
Shen Jin’an pulled his hat brim down lower and lower, trying his best to block out the surrounding clamor. He was profoundly unaccustomed to being in crowded environments.
Yet Qin Zhen deliberately squeezed into the thickest crowds, browsing every single category of vegetables, fruits, and meats without skipping one.
“Which one do you like? Beef or chicken?” Qin Zhen held up two packages in his hands. His exceptionally handsome and alluring appearance caused several young girls nearby to cast sideways glances, whispering among themselves.
Shen Jin’an shot a sidelong glance, his jawline tense and his cold, stern face full of impatience. “Whatever. Just hurry up and buy it.”