Jiang Xizhi had reason to suspect that the sick Ji Han Zhuo had been possessed by something, because the man had been acting ridiculously delicate since morning.
Jiang Xizhi had finally managed to coax him into finishing breakfast, but when it came time for medicine, the man refused again.
“I’m better now, I won’t take medicine.” The man kept a straight face as he argued with Jiang Xizhi.
Yes, the fearless Lord Ji of the capital was afraid of taking medicine—more precisely, he was afraid of bitterness.
In fact, there was a reason for this. Ji Han Zhuo was a premature baby, born with a frail body. As a child, he was practically a medicine jar. Logically, he should have gotten used to it after taking so much medicine, but Ji Han Zhuo was different from others—the more he took, the more afraid he became, and the more he resisted.
When he was young, coaxing could still get some medicine into him, but as he grew older, he refused to take any medicine at all. Unfortunately, his health wasn’t particularly strong. As the only grandson of the Ji family, the entire household was deeply worried.
Later, Old Master Ji came up with an idea from who knows where and used his connections to send Ji Han Zhuo to the military for several years of training. After those years of training, Ji Han Zhuo’s health finally improved completely, but his aversion to taking medicine remained unchanged.
That’s why when Rong Ye treated Ji Han Zhuo, he rarely prescribed him medicine. He always followed the principle of using IV drips whenever possible. However, this time, because Jiang Xizhi was present, he prescribed oral medication, believing that Jiang Xizhi would definitely find a way to make him take it.
“This medicine boosts immunity. Taking it will make you less likely to get sick next time.” Jiang Xizhi explained.
The man shook his head. “My body is fine. I don’t need to boost my immunity, and I don’t need to take medicine. All medicine has some toxicity.”
Jiang Xizhi was speechless. She would rather Ji Han Zhuo be unconscious like last night—that way, she could at least force the medicine down his throat.
Nevertheless, she patiently tried again. “Your body is fine? If it’s so fine, why did you get a fever for no reason? You’re not even as strong as me, yet you still talk tough.”
Ji Han Zhuo fell silent. His body was indeed fine, except for his stomach. Last night’s fever was only because he had taken a cold shower. As for why he took a cold shower… Ji Han Zhuo shifted his gaze back to Jiang Xizhi.
Jiang Xizhi glared back at him unapologetically. “Why are you looking at me? It won’t help. You must take the medicine! If you don’t, don’t even think about touching me in the future.”
This was the first time she had been so assertive in front of him.
Ji Han Zhuo gave in. “Fine, then you feed it to me.”
Jiang Xizhi really didn’t want to waste any more time on this, so she nodded in agreement.
Almost the moment Jiang Xizhi nodded, Ji Han Zhuo curled the corner of his lips. As for how he wanted to be fed—that was up to him.
After Ji Han Zhuo agreed to take the medicine, Jiang Xizhi asked Chen Yi to bring the prepared medication. There were only two or three pills and a packet of powdered medicine. The dosage wasn’t large, but it was effective. Jiang Xizhi was certain that this wasn’t the kind of medicine ordinary people could afford—if it had been in the past, she wouldn’t even have seen such medicine.
After helping him prepare the powdered medicine, Jiang Xizhi held the water cup in one hand and brought the pills to his mouth with the other, tilting her chin to signal him to open his mouth.
Ji Han Zhuo raised an eyebrow, subtly wrapping an arm around Jiang Xizhi’s waist and pulling her closer. Then, with a meaningful tone, he said, “Not like this.”
Jiang Xizhi frowned in displeasure. Before she could react, Ji Han Zhuo bit her lip lightly. Jiang Xizhi hissed softly at the bite, her lips parting slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Ji Han Zhuo tossed the pill into her mouth, then kissed her again, rolling the pill into his own mouth before releasing her lips, drinking water, and swallowing it.
He even added, “The medicine Xi Xi fed me is so sweet.”
Not only Jiang Xizhi but even Chen Yi, who was standing nearby, was stunned. When she realized what had happened, her old face flushed red, and she immediately ran back to the kitchen.
See no evil.
But after all these years, Miss Jiang was the first person to make the young master take medicine while he was fully conscious. It seemed the young master had chosen well. If only Miss Jiang willingly liked the young master, that would be even better.
Jiang Xizhi hadn’t even processed what had happened, but the bitter taste of medicine in her mouth reminded her that Ji Han Zhuo had tricked her.
The medicine could indeed boost immunity, and taking it would only benefit her, but he had the audacity to use taking medicine as an excuse to take advantage of her. This was intolerable.
Blushing with anger, Jiang Xizhi immediately threatened, “From now on, don’t touch me, and don’t sleep with me either. I’ll go to the guest room and confine myself.”
“I made Xi Xi angry, so I’ll accompany her in confinement,” Ji Han Zhuo declared shamelessly, then handed the cup of warm water to Jiang Xizhi’s lips.
“You actually know that? But I don’t need it!” Jiang Xizhi glared at him after speaking, then took a sip of water from his hand—after all, the medicine was indeed quite bitter.
Ji Han Zhuo didn’t argue. Instead, he said leisurely, “You do need it. And look how good I am—I gave you plain water to drink, while I just drank that bitter medicine myself.”
Jiang Xizhi: “…” Thank you so much.
You’re the first person to call sweet medicine bitter.
Jiang Xizhi really didn’t want to talk to Ji Han Zhuo anymore. She pushed his hand away and turned to head upstairs for some peace and quiet.
But Ji Han Zhuo followed behind, calling out, “Xi Xi, wait for me. I’ll go into confinement with you.”
Jiang Xizhi facepalmed: Speechless—this must be what it means.
She didn’t want this secretly clingy Ji Han Zhuo. Please, heavens, give her back the steady, dignified, and aloof Master Ji from her previous life.
Jiang Xizhi quickly entered the guest room and locked the door from the inside. She thought she could have a quiet morning, but Ji Han Zhuo had a spare key, so he successfully stuck to her for half the morning.
Jiang Xizhi sat on the carpet watching variety shows, while Ji Han Zhuo held her and looked at stock prices on his tablet.
On the surface, Jiang Xizhi was watching TV, but her mind was elsewhere. She thought about many things that morning, but what she pondered most was how Ji Han Zhuo had turned into this shamelessly clingy version of himself in just one night.
Could it be that because she had altered the course of this life, the events of this lifetime were also different?
She remembered that at this time in her previous life, Ji Han Zhuo also spent every day with her, but most of the time, they were each busy with their own things, barely speaking. Ji Han Zhuo wore a stern expression every day, coldly holding his tablet to handle company matters. Their interactions were minimal, and he never called her Xi Xi.
But now—no, starting from this morning—he seemed like a completely different person.
But that couldn’t be. How could someone’s personality change so drastically overnight?
Could it be that this version of him was his truest self?
Jiang Xizhi’s head was about to burst from thinking, completely unaware of Ji Han Zhuo’s movements beside her, nor did she notice that he had been watching her for a long time.
Ji Han Zhuo waved his hand in front of Jiang Xizhi’s eyes and said calmly, “Xi Xi, what are you thinking about?”
His sharp eyes were fixed on her, as if trying to see into her heart through her gaze.
Jiang Xizhi felt uneasy under his stare and quickly replied, “I was thinking about what to eat for lunch today.”
Looking at the person before her, Jiang Xizhi had a momentary feeling that Ji Han Zhuo had returned to his old self—this was the Ji Han Zhuo she was familiar with.
Ji Han Zhuo affectionately tapped the bridge of Jiang Xizhi’s nose and said gently, “Tell the butler whatever you want to eat.”
Jiang Xizhi nodded.
In truth, Ji Han Zhuo hadn’t changed at all. When Jiang Xizhi stayed obediently by his side, he treated her well. But the moment she harbored any inappropriate thoughts, he would cruelly crush them.
He only changed because of Jiang Xizhi’s changes—the one who had truly changed was always Jiang Xizhi herself.