The shattered medicine bowl, and Bai Luoluo’s eyes full of pure terror, felt like a sharp thorn, driving deep into Lei Li’s heart.
After that night, the atmosphere in the room became strangely tense.
Lei Li didn’t force her anymore, nor did he bring up the medicine again.
He simply cleaned up the broken shards from the floor, dragged over a small wooden stool, and sat by the door, smoking cigarette after cigarette in silence.
He didn’t leave.
Whether it was because the commander’s order hadn’t been lifted or because of that flicker of doubt in his mind, he wanted to stay and see how things would unfold.
Bai Luoluo curled up on the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, leaving only her eyes exposed, cautiously watching the towering, silent figure at the doorway.
The two of them were only a few meters apart, yet it felt as if an impassable chasm lay between them.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were Lei Li inhaling and exhaling smoke, and the occasional rustle of wind outside the window.
This cold war lasted the entire day.
It wasn’t until the next morning that things began to change.
“Gurgle—”
A thunderous rumbling from her stomach broke the morning silence.
Bai Luoluo clutched her belly and sat up on the bed.
Hungry.
An unprecedented hunger swept through her, as if it could devour every organ in her body.
She hadn’t eaten all day yesterday, and combined with her weak body, hunger was normal.
But this was different from before.
It wasn’t just the emptiness of her stomach—it felt like seven or eight mouths were shouting at once from deep within her soul: “Feed us!”
[Ding! To protect fetal development, the system has forcibly activated ‘Energy Harvest Mode’.]
[Host’s appetite will dramatically increase for the next period. Please ensure sufficient nutritional intake.]
The system’s alert sounded in her mind.
Bai Luoluo didn’t care about the mode. She only knew one thing—she was about to starve to death!
Just then, the voice of the guard, Xiao Zhang, came from the doorway:
“Commander, here’s Sister-in-law’s breakfast.”
Lei Li stubbed out his cigarette, walked over, and took the familiar aluminum lunchbox from the small window.
He returned to the room and placed it on the table, his tone still cold and hard:
“Eat.”
After saying that, he didn’t look at her again. He sat back down on the small stool by the door, resuming his silent watch.
Previously, Bai Luoluo wouldn’t have even glanced at that lunchbox.
But now, the faint aroma of rice porridge drifting from the box was the most heavenly scent in the world to her.
She threw off the blanket and, almost using both hands and feet, scrambled off the bed and rushed to the table.
She opened the lunchbox.
Inside were plain rice porridge, two black wheat buns, and a small dish of pickles.
Bai Luoluo’s eyes lit up.
She grabbed a spoon without caring that it was hot and scooped a large spoonful of porridge into her mouth.
Delicious!
So delicious!
Though the porridge had little flavor, the earthy aroma of the grains made her so happy she almost cried.
She ate as if devouring the world, leaving the bowl empty in a few mouthfuls.
Then came the two black wheat buns, each bigger than her fists.
She grabbed one and bit into it with gusto, cheeks puffed out like a little hamster stealing food.
Lei Li, sitting by the door, listened to the exaggerated chewing and swallowing sounds coming from behind him, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
He glanced over—and froze.
The woman who had barely survived yesterday, for whom even taking a sip of medicine seemed life-threatening, was now holding a bun bigger than her face, eating with crumbs all over her mouth.
There was not a trace of the elegance of a wealthy young lady.
She looked… like a starving refugee who hadn’t eaten in days.
Confusion clouded Lei Li’s eyes.
What on earth was this woman up to now?
Soon, she finished the two buns and even licked the pickle dish clean.
Bai Luoluo smacked her lips, still unsatisfied.
She was still hungry.
This little bit of food barely scratched the surface.
Her gaze inevitably drifted to Lei Li’s lunchbox on the corner of the table.
Lei Li noticed her eyes on it, looked over, and then back at her.
Their eyes met.
Bai Luoluo’s gaze shone with the purest, most primal hunger for food, sparkling like a puppy seeing a bone.
That strange feeling returned to Lei Li’s chest.
Instinctively, he asked, “Not full yet?”
Bai Luoluo nodded subconsciously.
Lei Li remained silent.
He looked at the empty lunchbox and then at her still-flat belly.
After a few moments, he stood up, walked to the table, and pushed his own lunchbox toward her.
“Eat.”
Bai Luoluo’s eyes instantly widened, disbelief written all over her face.
He… he was actually giving her his food?
Had the sun risen in the west?
But her hunger quickly overcame reason.
She didn’t hesitate to say, “Thank you,” and eagerly opened Lei Li’s lunchbox.
His breakfast was more plentiful: in addition to the buns and porridge, there was a boiled egg.
Bai Luoluo’s eyes practically went green at the sight of the egg.
She quickly peeled the shells in a few swift motions and popped the eggs into her mouth, swallowing them whole.
Lei Li watched her like this, the corner of his mouth twitching.
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, studying her with the gaze of someone observing a rare and curious creature.
“Are you a reincarnated glutton?”
He couldn’t help but tease her.
But this time, his words lacked the sharpness and anger from before; instead, there was a hint of… curiosity, even he hadn’t realized it.
Bai Luoluo was too busy devouring the two buns to answer him. Her mouth was so full, she didn’t even have time to respond.
Right now, her mind was consumed by one thought: Eat! Eat! Eat!
After finishing Lei Li’s breakfast as well, Bai Luoluo finally felt something in her stomach, and the fiery, burning hunger eased slightly.
But she knew this was only temporary.
She could feel her body was like a bottomless pit, needing a constant stream of energy to fill it.
This bizarre change completely baffled Lei Li.
He began to doubt whether that Doctor Sun’s diagnosis was really correct.
What “rich girl disease”?
Is there a rich girl disease where someone can eat more than a pig?
A disease where someone who was as delicate as Lin Daiyu yesterday could single-handedly devour a Westerner’s portion of breakfast the next day?