“What did you say?!” Pei Yanqiu suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with shock.
His mother’s illness had always been a closely guarded secret, known only to the higher-ups at the club.
Although Lin Jiayan was on good terms with him, their relationship hadn’t reached the point of sharing such personal family matters.
How did he know about his mother?
Lin Jiayan quickly explained, “It’s not like I was prying—I just happened to overhear it.”
“I heard someone went to see Auntie yesterday. Is she alright?”
…
Pei Yanqiu couldn’t process anything else after that. His mind was filled with the thought that the investor had actually gone to see his mother.
No wonder his mother had suddenly dismissed the caregiver yesterday and insisted on leaving the hospital to return home!
When Pei Yanqiu headed home, his steps felt heavy and unsteady.
Fortunately, he had already gotten up early in the morning to buy groceries from the small vegetable stall downstairs, so he didn’t need to make an extra trip to the market.
Checking the time, Shen Xingyao should be back soon. He pushed his worries aside and started cooking.
Shen Xingyao returned home carrying bags of groceries and ran into the neighbor, a middle-aged woman from Northeast China, on the stairs.
The woman glanced at her overflowing shopping bags and exclaimed, “Oh my, girl, you sure know how to spend!”
Living in an old neighborhood yet splurging like this—young people these days just don’t know how to manage money.
Money is something you have to save up, or else you’ll end up renting for the rest of your life!
The original owner of this body had never gotten along with the neighbors and had already argued with this woman twice.
It was no surprise the woman didn’t have anything nice to say. Shen Xingyao didn’t take it to heart and instead smiled and greeted her.
The woman was startled, her face turning pale as if she’d seen a ghost. She jumped aside and watched Shen Xingyao head home.
Only after Shen Xingyao closed the door did the woman snap out of it, thinking to herself, This girl is actually quite pretty when she’s not wearing makeup or cursing.
Unaware that she had left the neighbor utterly bewildered, Shen Xingyao tossed her bags onto the sofa as soon as she got home and took a deep breath.
“Wow! That smells amazing!” she exclaimed dramatically. “It’s the aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs!”
She dashed into the kitchen, where the sweet and sour scent grew even stronger.
Pei Yanqiu was preoccupied with his worries but didn’t want her to share his anxiety, so he forced a slight smile. “You’re back. Let’s set the table and eat.”
The only table in the living room had already been cleaned by him, so they could sit down for lunch.
Shen Xingyao carried out the sweet and sour pork ribs and stir-fried cabbage, while Pei Yanqiu poured the seaweed egg drop soup from the pot into a large bowl and brought it out as well.
Two dishes and a soup, steaming hot in this small room, created a cozy and warm atmosphere.
In her previous life, when Shen Xingyao had been slaving away at the company, she often felt how unfair the world was.
Despite her capabilities, she had to fight alone against male colleagues who had the support of their entire families.
Just thinking about how those male colleagues did less work than her at the office but could still act like kings at home, with a woman taking care of all their needs—food, clothing, and shelter.
She had never experienced a single day of such a life!
And now, she was actually getting to enjoy it?
Shen Xingyao was deeply moved and hurriedly pledged her loyalty. “Pei Yanqiu, don’t worry. I’ve landed a variety show and will start filming next week. Once it’s done, we’ll have money.”
One of the perks of working with a big company was the fast payment. According to Xiao Yu, the payment would arrive within a week after filming.
I have no idea what Pei Yanqiu went through during this period in the original book, but it was briefly mentioned in passing and was quite heartbreaking.
Shen Xingyao couldn’t help with much else, but having a bit of money now was definitely much better than in the original book.
Pei Yanqiu didn’t expect her to not only not complain about the food but also say such things. He was stunned and didn’t know how to respond.
In Shen Xingyao’s presence, aside from when she gave him money, she had hardly ever shown him a friendly face.
Who could have imagined such a day would come?
But he was clumsy with words, especially when others were kind to him, and he simply didn’t know how to react.
He could only force a smile and say, “Thank you~”
Thank you?
Was this sarcasm?
Shen Xingyao, nibbling on a spare rib, felt a bit guilty. Considering what the original owner had done, it was already generous of Pei Yanqiu not to hold her accountable and kick her out.
For a moment, neither of them had anything to say, and they finished lunch in silence.
Pei Yanqiu, preoccupied with his thoughts, barely ate anything. Shen Xingyao, on the other hand, ate until she was full and content, leaning back on the sofa.
Like a diligent house elf, Pei Yanqiu busily cleared the dishes and washed them in the kitchen.
Is this the kind of comfortable life the men at the company used to live?
Shen Xingyao felt a bit teary-eyed and even more embarrassed.
When Pei Yanqiu finished cleaning the kitchen and came out, Shen Xingyao handed him the outfit she had picked out for him: “The company gave me a clothing allowance, so I bought you a set too. Try it on and see how it looks?”
She had already imagined him wearing this outfit in her mind, and it had made her drool uncontrollably.
Now she couldn’t wait to see him put it on. How tempting would that be?
Pei Yanqiu pointed at himself in surprise. “For me?”
When he took the clothes from Shen Xingyao’s hands, it still felt unreal.
After all, aside from his mother, no one had ever bought him clothes growing up.
“Yes, go try them on quickly!” Shen Xingyao pushed him into the room, urging him to change.
Although the heating in their rundown apartment wasn’t very effective, the temperature during the day was much higher than at night thanks to the sun.
When Pei Yanqiu came out wearing the deep V-neck suit, Shen Xingyao was practically blinded.
Hiss~~
That Adam’s apple~
Those collarbones~~
That faintly visible chest muscle
Shen Xingyao’s nose felt a bit itchy. She reached up to touch it.
Blood!
She was having a nosebleed!
Before Pei Yanqiu could ask how she was doing, he saw a blurry figure dart into the bathroom.
“Xingyao, what’s wrong?”
Shen Xingyao felt like crying but was too embarrassed. She could only make an excuse: “N-nothing, just a bit of a stomachache~”
“It’ll take a while. If you have something to do, you can go ahead!”
Pei Yanqiu was a bit disappointed. After all, he thought the outfit looked quite good and hadn’t even given Shen Xingyao a proper look.
But since the young lady wasn’t feeling well, he couldn’t just wait outside the bathroom door for her to come out. So, he changed back into his clothes and left to continue seeking investments for the afternoon.
Shen Xingyao hid in the bathroom, splashing cold water on her forehead. Only when she heard Pei Yanqiu leave did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Goodness!
If he found out she had been so tempted that her nose bled, she would be utterly humiliated.
After finally stopping the bleeding, Shen Xingyao came out, tidied up the clothes, and didn’t feel like staying home anymore.
But she didn’t need to report to the company, and there was nowhere else to go. She couldn’t just wander the streets in such cold weather either.
This way, she could go to the hospital—patients always needed company—and also check on how the new caregiver was doing.
When she arrived at the ward, there was no sound inside. She knocked and entered, only to see Mother Pei lying in bed, her face deathly pale.
“Auntie? What’s wrong?”