This voice was too distinctive. There was almost no need for confirmation; Pei Zhen must have been awake.
"Yes, Boss, Madam, I was disrespectful."
The man called Hei Ying shuddered and imdiately took two steps back. His previously unbridled expression vanished, his daring dissipating. He lowered his head in confusion, bowed slightly towards Xu Si, then quickly turned and left the top floor.
Xu Si watched him leave and, without hesitation, closed the door, then let out a sigh of relief.
Realizing that Pei Zhen seed to be awake, her breath hitched again instantly.
Her light footsteps beca sowhat heavy. She sat on the sofa, hesitating for a mont, before slowly making her way back to the bedroom.
The dim bronze desk lamp had been extinguished at so unknown ti; fine dust leaped in the searchlight from outside the window.
The bedroom had returned to darkness.
"Pei Zhen, are you awake?"
The breeze lifted the window screen. Xu Si walked step by step to the bedside and reached out to touch the bulging satin quilt. She pressed down slightly but found an empty hollow; there was no one inside.
She looked up again. The sprawling bed was immaculate, without any trace of a living being.
How could she lose such a large, living person?
Xu Si knitted her brows in alarm, her dark eyes scanning the surroundings. Her nostrils seed to catch a faint whiff of sandalwood, but she couldn’t pinpoint where the fragrance was coming from.
Then, she heard the sound of water. Xu Si turned abruptly, looking towards its source. The man had just walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe. His deanor was noble, yet the dark Scepter had now beco a crutch as he dragged his heavy footsteps slowly back to the bed.
His gray eyes vividly reflected Xu Si’s silhouette.
Their gazes t and entangled.
A familiar dizziness surged once again. In front of her, the man’s form wavered before he collapsed back into the soft quilt.
Like a self-injury ploy.
Xu Si, however, couldn’t care less about that and hurried over to support him. "You even took a bath? Don’t you know that with such injuries, you shouldn’t touch water?"
He coughed lightly a few tis, his shimring gray eyes staring intently at Xu Si. His voice no longer carried the depth it had before, tinged with a triumphant smirk.
"I washed my hands and face. I was sweaty; it felt dirty."
Xu Si smiled softly. "Your fastidiousness is getting more serious."
Pei Zhen, calm and composed, exerted a great deal of effort to raise his slender hand towards her, attempting to brush away the hair the wind had tousled.
Seeing her flinch slightly, a pang struck his heart. He leisurely tapped the tip of her nose and at last closed his tired eyes. "I’m sleepy. So, are you going to leave, or stay and sleep with ?"
Just a second ago, he was like a world-destroying tyrant.
Now, he abruptly resembled a lion sinking into slumber.
The warmth of his fingertip lingered on her nose, slightly burning.
"No need. You rest well."
Xu Si blinked. Her cool voice was on the verge of breaking, yet she maintained her composure as she picked up the gun and turned to leave the room.
She hadn’t intended to stay any longer anyway.
Just now, after checking the description on the dicine bottle, she knew his ntal self-control was already impressive to have woken up midway after being injected with such a potent, fast-acting sedative.
If they continued talking, he might faint again at any mont.
Before leaving, Xu Si removed the gemstone necklace from her neck and placed it beside his pillow as a reward. She also poured him a glass of hot water.
Unless absolutely necessary, she never easily went back on her word.
In the vast, empty silence of the night, the man reached out, his fingertip touching a cold facet of the gemstone.
He looked up, his gaze falling on the glint of blue light.
He replayed their conversation in his mind.
Gripping the sapphire, which still held a lingering scent, his lips curved into an expression that was hard to tell if it was a smile or a grimace.
「That night.」
Lying on the large bed in the guest room, which now felt familiar, her old habit of being unable to sleep in unfamiliar beds flared up. She tossed and turned, finding it difficult to fall asleep.
The thicker the fog of confusion, the clearer her mind beca.
The night was nearing its end, yet she still had too many questions she wanted clear answers to.
What exactly happened on the day of the shipwreck? Why did Pei Zhen have such a deep obsession with her, even using the word "love"?
Xu Si rubbed her temples.
Recalling Pei Zhen’s words urging her to stay, her own resolve to leave never wavered.
She still had to leave.
If it weren’t for the foreign currency, she wouldn’t have co to this godforsaken place.
Hong Kong Island was her territory. Protecting the vast family estate and ensuring its continued prosperity was her life’s goal.
What if, after they talked things through, Pei Zhen still wouldn’t let her leave?
She felt she needed to devise a backup plan now, even if it ant resorting to any ans necessary: subduing him, using him, manipulating his affection for her.
So things just couldn’t be settled fairly.
The one who falls in love first is always at a disadvantage.
「The next day.」
As the first rays of dawn lit the mansion, Xu Si was already up. She asked a servant to lead her to the kitchen, where she joined the private chef in kneading dough and seasoning minced at.
Her slender, nimble fingertips kneaded and pressed the soft, white dough, shaping a dozen wontons that were far from delicate—in fact, they could even be described as ugly.
Under the private chef’s astonished gaze, Xu Si raised a hand to her flushed cheeks, falling into a sowhat embarrassed silence.
Since she was already here and planned to escape later, she figured she should treat Pei Zhen a little better beforehand. Make him happy, hoping he might show her so rcy in the future.
But who could be happy eating such ugly wontons first thing in the morning?
The atmosphere beca very stiff.
In the completely silent kitchen, Xu Si shifted the wooden tray slightly and patiently asked, "Is there another way to make these?"
It couldn’t be helped. Xu Si’s hands might look agile, but they were rather clumsy. Her tea ceremony skills, for instance, were only passable after her childhood tutor had rapped her knuckles countless tis with a thin stick.
Back then, her mother had even comforted her: "Little Asi is smart. It’s okay if her hands aren’t skillful; she can use her mind to help with the family accounts."
Now, she patiently awaited the private chef’s reply, only to receive a timid response:
"Boss’s wife... no, Madam, wontons are already the simplest breakfast dish among ho-style cooking."
This kitchen, equipped for both Chinese and Western cuisine, was never used for such ordinary food.
Xu Si’s fair hand paused, a hint of confusion still in her eyes.
After a long mont, she touched her flour-dusted ear, her voice now tinged with more persistence. "Alright, let’s continue. Teach again. I’ll learn seriously."
Only when a bowl of round, presentable wontons was finally made did Xu Si quickly untie the apron around her waist.
She said softly, "When Fei Yi wakes up later, cook these for him. Soone who is sick should eat sothing light."
The private chef took the apron, nodding understandingly. "Yes, Madam. You’ve worked hard."
"You’ve also worked hard teaching such an untalented student like ," Xu Si replied with well-bred courtesy.
She thodically wiped her hands, not idling for a mont, then picked up a flower basket and led a group of people towards their next destination.
The climate in the Underground City changed rapidly: humid and chilly, then sweltering and suffocating.
Apart from snow, any kind of weather could arrive erratically, allowing all sorts of plants the possibility to grow here.
That morning, when she woke up, a servant had casually ntioned that many berries were growing in the forest on the outskirts. If she had nothing to do and was interested, she could go pick so for fun.
Usually, they wouldn’t say such things.
It was all because of her status as the "Boss’s wife." The servants were privately trying to figure out what a young lady from a powerful family might like. Even the Boss had overheard their discussions.
They respected her just as they respected Pei Zhen, wanting her, new as she was to this place, to experience the beautiful side of the Underground City.
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