007

When Meng Zhiling saw Jiang Huali looking over, he lifted the thermos in his hand and explained, "The porridge that the housekeeper cooked was brought to you since you're sick."

This was half true and half false. He had called home that afternoon to ask his aunt to cook the porridge, because he was worried that Jiang Huali would oversleep and forget to eat dinner.

With a gentle smile on his face, Meng Zhiling handed over the thermos.

They seemed to genuinely just happen to be passing by.

but--

Jiang Huali frowned. "How did you know which room I was in?"

She only mentioned casually which hotel she was staying at, but never gave her room number. How did he know?

Meng Zhiling seemed to be stunned for a moment before he reacted. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was worried about you, so I asked Li Huan."

His expression seemed very sincere.

Li Huan knew her room number. Jiang Huali nodded, her expression unreadable. She took the thermos and said, "Thank you."

Meng Zhiling chuckled softly, her face appearing gentle in the warm light of the corridor.

He said, "Then I'll go back first."

Jiang Huali hesitated for a moment and asked, "Why don't you come in and sit for a while before you leave?"

Meng Zhiling asked, "Won't this bother you?"

Jiang Huali shook her head and said, "I'll just have some porridge then."

So Meng Zhiling didn't refuse again.

The two sat down in the small living room. Jiang Huali opened the thermos, and a fragrant aroma of rice immediately wafted out. It contained ingredients such as shredded meat, carrots, and corn, making it a very common homemade porridge.

Jiang Huali didn't have much of an appetite because she was sick, but the aroma of the hot food made her feel a little hungry.

Jiang Huali took out a bowl and divided the porridge into portions. The porridge was still piping hot. She drank it slowly. After finishing half a bowl of porridge, the warmth soothed her stomach and relieved her sore and dry throat a little.

She scooped some more porridge from the thermos, blowing on it to cool it down as she said, "The porridge is delicious. Have you had dinner?"

Meng Zhiling nodded and replied, "I've already eaten."

He asked, "How are you feeling now? Do you have a fever?"

Jiang Huali raised her hand and touched her forehead, saying, "There might still be a little bit left."

She sweated a lot while sleeping, and felt a little better after waking up, but her body temperature had not yet returned to normal.

As soon as she lowered her hand, Meng Zhiling, who was sitting opposite her, said softly, "I'm sorry for the offense." Then he placed the back of his hand on her forehead with a very light touch, like a light feather that gently brushed past and quickly fell away.

She heard the other person say, "It still feels a bit hot to the touch. Do you have a thermometer?"

Jiang Huali looked at the hand. The palm was large, the bones were beautiful yet strong, and the nails were neatly trimmed. It was a pair of hands that hand fetishists would love.

She blinked and said, "Yes, it's in the first-aid kit in the cabinet."

As she spoke, she pointed to the cabinet next to her.

In fact, Jiang Huali could find out her body temperature simply by asking the system, but since Meng Zhiling was still there, she could only use the normal method.

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhiling got up, opened the cabinet door, took out the first-aid kit, found the mercury thermometer inside, and placed it on the table.

"Eat your food first, and we'll take your temperature again later."

Jiang Huali nodded.

The small light sphere system had disappeared by this time, but Jiang Huali didn't pay much attention, guessing it had gone to watch TV again.

After Jiang Huali finished drinking the porridge, she took her temperature again, which was 37.5°C.

She drank another packet of cold medicine. Although she felt a little better than in the afternoon, her throat was still uncomfortable, her head was still a little dizzy, and she didn't have much energy.

After Jiang Huali washed the thermos clean, she returned it to Meng Zhiling. It was almost ten o'clock. Meng Zhiling took the thermos and said, "I should go now."

Jiang Huali nodded, and the two walked towards the door.

After Meng Zhiling left, he stood at the doorway, turned back, and said gently, "Good night."

"good evening."

Meng Zhiling carried the thermos down the elevator. Liu Yuan was already waiting in the car. The driver had to leave early tonight, so Meng Zhiling, as the assistant, had to work overtime.

But what can you do when the boss pays so much?

Meng Zhiling got into the car and said calmly, "Back to Yuanshan Villa."

His expression returned to its usual calm, and the gentleness he had just shown in front of Jiang Huali vanished instantly.

Liu Yuan: "Okay, boss."

He slowly started the car, but in his heart he wondered if his boss was like this when he was pursuing Miss Jiang.

Liu Yuan has been by Meng Zhiling's side for quite a long time. Meng Zhiling is twenty-seven years old this year. After returning to China at the age of twenty-three, he took over the family business from his father. Liu Yuan became his special assistant at that time.

In Liu Yuan's view, his boss has always been a cold person with an extremely regular lifestyle and meticulous work attitude. Of course, he also has very few close friends and family members.

Only in front of his family would Meng Zhiling show a gentleness that was different from how he treated others.

Liu Yuan was amazed, thinking that the iron tree had finally blossomed after a thousand years. Miss Jiang seemed to be only twenty-one years old this year, very young, while the boss was a full six years older than her.

They say there's a generation gap every three years, but fortunately his boss is quite wealthy, with top-notch looks and physique, giving him an advantage over those clueless young men.

Meng Zhiling had no idea what his assistant was thinking. He had his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair, his mind filled with the image of Jiang Huali opening the door.

Its eyes were red, as was its nose, and its whole body looked wet, much like a cat.

It's the kind of cat that seems easy to handle, but will suddenly swat you with its claws at any time.

He initially offered to pick her up and drop her off in the rain out of kindness, but it was only after hearing her voice during the audition that he realized it matched the voice of the person in his dream, which sparked his interest in investigating.

He doesn't know when it started, but he often has the same dream. The scenes in the dream are chaotic, but the only constant is the people in the dream.

Do people keep dreaming about people they've never met?

Meng Zhiling didn't believe in ghosts or gods. He had seen a doctor, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong and just told him to adjust his mindset.

As they spent more time together, the flutter in his heart became more and more obvious. He couldn't quite describe the feeling; it was like... the joy of something lost and then found again.

It was as if he had pierced through layers of time and finally found his lost treasure.

So he took the initiative to approach, like a hypocrite with ulterior motives, using a high-sounding excuse to cover up the net he had quietly cast.

Even though he was always the one taking the initiative, he seemed to have become a fish lying in her palm, his life or death, his joy or sorrow, all in her hands.

Meng Zhiling opened his eyes and looked out the window. The traffic and people were slowly receding, the night flowed like water, and the streetlights on both sides quietly emitted their light.