“Are you very happy?”
His voice sounded by her ear, and only then did Xiang Zhile realize that she had been carried back to the study by Yan Junnuo at some point.
She was now sitting in the chair behind the desk where he usually sat. Chu Shan wore an expression of unconcealed disdain, while Chun Chou, holding a food container, looked at her with equal awkwardness.
She generously flashed Yan Junnuo a radiant smile. “Not only am I happy to have driven away one of my husband’s rotten peach blossoms, but I could even eat several more bowls of rice because of it.”
Yan Junnuo watched her, seemingly weighing the truthfulness of her words.
Xiang Zhile met his gaze calmly and called out in an enchanting tone, “Wangye, Qieshen is hungry.”
The disdain on Chu Shan’s face deepened.
If you’re hungry, just say so—why use such a voice? Aren’t you afraid of being misunderstood?
What a pity for Chun Chou and Qiu Si, having to serve such a mistress.
Just as Chu Shan was inwardly cursing Xiang Zhile, his master’s voice suddenly sounded in front of him. “Chu Shan.”
He quickly snapped back to attention. “Wangye?”
Wangye must be annoyed by this woman and wants me to send her and Chun Chou away.
“Get out.”
“Huh?” Chu Shan couldn’t process it immediately.
Get out?
Me?
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
Oh no, oh no, the master is getting angry.
Without another word, Chu Shan immediately slipped away as if his feet were greased, almost wishing he had wings attached to his body.
Once Chu Shan left, the remaining Chun Chou hurriedly set down the food container and excused herself as well.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the study became subtle.
Faced with this hard-won alone time, Xiang Zhile suddenly perked up. “Junnuo…”
“What exactly do you want?” Yan Junnuo struggled to suppress the emotions in his heart.
This woman, time and again, came to provoke him—did she really think he had no temper?
“I want to eat with you,” Xiang Zhile said, quickly stepping forward to take the food container Chun Chou had set down and deftly stacking the documents on his desk to one side.
Was she really that eager to poison him?
The thought made Yan Junnuo’s heart sink even deeper into despair.
He spoke in a hoarse voice, “And after the meal?”
Poison him, then leave the manor to live happily ever after with Yan Beimo?
“Whatever you want to do, Junnuo, I’ll accompany you,” Xiang Zhile said as she laid out the prepared dishes one by one.
“Come quickly, or it’ll get cold,” she urged.
Yan Junnuo glanced complexly at the several small dishes on the desk.
He had to admit, she had truly put thought into this meal.
From the moment the food container was opened, the aroma of the dishes had filled the entire study, slowly stirring even his usually absent appetite.
Who would have thought that the first time she went to such lengths for him, her efforts were all directed toward poisoning him.
Even more tragic was that, seeing her so dedicated, he had no desire to walk away.
As he lost himself in these wild thoughts, a jade-like hand held out a bowl of soup to him. “Here, have a bowl of soup to warm your stomach.”
The broth was clear and shimmered with a glossy sheen. The savory fragrance of mushrooms and chicken filled his nostrils, and he couldn’t help but swallow.
“Drink it,” Xiang Zhile urged, looking at him expectantly.
Yan Junnuo mechanically took the soup bowl from her hand.
Indeed, just from the smell, he was truly hungry.
But…
She seemed so confident, and the soup really did seem no different from ordinary soup.
This foolish woman knows nothing about medicine, so the soup should be safe.
Comforting himself with this thought, he slowly struggled to bring the soup to his lips.
After taking the first sip, his eyes instantly lit up. The temperature was just right—neither cold nor scalding. The fragrance of chicken bones complemented the freshness of the caogus perfectly—light yet flavorful, savory without being greasy. It was delicious.
He had intended to take only a small taste, but he couldn’t control himself.
By the time he realized it, the bowl of soup was already empty.
Annoyed, he stared at the empty bowl in his hands, standing there uncertain whether to ask for another bowl or simply set it down and storm off.
His subtle expression didn’t escape Xiang Zhile’s notice. She immediately pulled him over to sit in the spot she had just occupied, eagerly taking his bowl to serve him a portion of rice. “You must be starving. Here, eat first, and have some more soup after the meal.”
After saying this, Xiang Zhile deftly brought over a small stool and sat down beside him.
As if aware of his lingering distrust toward her, after he had finished the soup, Xiang Zhile drank a small half-bowl of soup in front of him. Before he even picked up his chopsticks, she sampled a bit of each dish herself first.