Chapter 18 "Sweetie, eat some more."

Song Mingli raised an eyebrow slightly, pausing his fingertips as they probed inward.

Xiaoxue's teeth aren't sharp. Although it looks like he's biting hard, he doesn't actually have much strength left when the bite comes down. He's been working out for years and has developed thin calluses on his hands. Even a bite from a stray cat on the street would probably hurt more than this.

But he wasn't completely numb. Song Mingli maintained that posture, and the slight pain traveled from his fingertips all the way to his heart. He could even clearly feel which two little teeth Ying Shixue used to bite him and what kind of marks she would leave.

That was a feeling that was really hard to describe.

Ying Shixue slowly came to his senses, and the rationality he had temporarily lost when he bit down returned. He belatedly realized the awkward situation he had put himself in.

His eyelashes lifted and then drooped again, hesitating... Should he give in?

Just then, the area inside the jaw where it connects to the tender flesh inside the mouth was suddenly scraped lightly.

!! Ugh! Ying Shixue's pupils dilated and then contracted. For a moment, she loosened her teeth and subconsciously turned her head to the side, only to be pressed down on her shoulders and forced back into the chair.

ah!

His back touched the back of the chair, and Song Mingli pressed one hand on his shoulder, leaning down. He had just been standing next to him from the other side of the table, patting his back and checking the burn in his mouth. Now they were almost nose to nose.

The dull numbness lingered in her teeth where she had been touched. Ying Shixue stared blankly at the handsome face magnified several times in front of her, momentarily stopping her breathing.

"Young Master, your..." Aunt He appeared from around the corner of the stairwell, holding a tie clip, and looked at the scene before her without warning.

Ying Shixue suddenly pushed Song Mingli away and jumped up from her chair.

Aunt He paused for a moment before continuing, "...tie clip."

Ying Shixue straightened her slightly disheveled shirt collar, took the tie from Aunt He and hurriedly tucked it into her tie: "Thank you, Aunt He, I'm going to work now."

The door was opened and closed again. Aunt He was still standing there as if she hadn't reacted yet. Song Mingli slowly buttoned up his cuffs: "Xiaoxue burned her mouth. Next time, test the temperature of the milk before bringing it up."

Aunt He lowered her head and repeatedly said, "I was a little rushed this morning, I won't do it again next time."

"Just be more careful next time."

Even after Song Mingli left, Aunt He stood there, watching the direction the two had gone, her brows slightly furrowed.

Was that really something an older brother would do to his adopted younger brother?

SK Tower, Top Floor Office

After a busy morning at work, lunchtime finally arrived. Everyone chatted and laughed, shoving and jostling as they left the office to go downstairs for lunch. Wei Chao excitedly stretched, "Finally, lunchtime! The thing I look forward to most every day when I come to work is eating and sleeping. This morning has been exhausting..."

Zou Xinlei's face also showed a relaxed smile. She patted him and was about to say something funny when suddenly her face showed a look of fear and she shut her mouth.

An ominous premonition slowly rose in Wei Chao's heart. He glanced at the sudden, unspoken silence among his colleagues, and before turning his head, he closed his eyes as if sensing something.

Seriously? I can't believe I encountered something with such a low probability of success!

As an indispensable and extremely important department for the president, the secretariat is located very close to the president's office, almost door to door, in order to ensure timely communication and arrival. On the one hand, this is indeed advantageous, as the location has good lighting and is closest to the rest room. On the other hand, it also has an unavoidable fatal drawback.

That is, when they go out, there's a very small chance they'll run into their boss who's also coming out...

Wei Chao stiffly turned his neck and, sure enough, saw his boss who had just come out of the office.

"Haha... Boss, you're here to eat too?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wei Chao wanted to slap himself. What kind of stupid thing was that? Why would the boss come out at noon and not eat? He maintained his blank expression, but inside, tears were streaming down his face.

Did the boss hear what he just said? Heaven and earth bear witness, Wei Chao has worked diligently and conscientiously for the past eight years. He may not have achieved great things, but he's certainly put in the hard work. Although he's cursed the dreaded life of a corporate slave countless times, he's never considered quitting. Mainly because it's really hard to find a company like SK these days with such good salary and benefits, and it's a prestigious place to work...

Just as Wei Chao was racking his brains for ways to curry favor and plead for his stay, Song Mingli merely glanced at him indifferently: "Secretary Ying."

Ying... Ying Mi, huh? Wei Chao turned his head straight. Among the crowd, everyone was wearing black suits and white shirts, but Ying Shixue stood out and stood out at a glance. It wasn't just her beauty or appearance, but a unique temperament that was extremely difficult to describe and emanated from her very bones.

In that brief moment of distraction, Song Mingli spoke again: "Come here, there are a few things that need to be changed in the report you submitted last time."

The crowd's gazes shifted from amusement to sympathy and subtle condemnation. Good heavens, the boss works like an iron man, never resting or eating, while the girls are still young and growing, don't they eat either?

In response, Wei Chao said: "Hey, you didn't have this expression when the boss caught me talking badly! Just because he's young, good-looking, capable, doesn't cause trouble, and does a lot of work, you treat him differently like this?!"

If his colleagues knew what he was thinking, they would probably all shout "Yes!" However, Wei Chao also felt that it was unfair for the boss to keep him talking about work during his lunch break. He opened his mouth, wondering if he should say something, since he should at least eat first. Secretary Ying had already lowered her eyelashes and nodded in agreement.

Song Mingli's forehead twitched. Just from the expressions on his subordinates' faces, he could already tell how these people were talking about him.

Ying Shixue gently parted the crowd and walked towards the general manager's office.

The heavy ebony door closed again, shutting out all prying eyes from the outside.

This office is a typical two-story suite; the outer room is for regular meetings and business, while the inner room is more like a small lounge.

Tang Ronghan had already sorted and arranged the dishes delivered by the renowned chef of Juweizhai on the table, along with chopsticks, bowls, and spoons. Finally, she left, gently closing the door and leaving the two of them alone.

The four dishes and soup were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. The rice was plump, white, and glistening. Song Mingli gestured for him to sit down: "Try it and see if it suits your taste."

Actually, there's no such thing as whether it suits one's taste or not. Before cooking, I carefully explained to the chef what could and couldn't be added, how much saltiness and cooking time to use. Each dish was one of his most frequently eaten foods.

Ying Shixue looked at what was laid out on the table, pursed her lips, and sat down opposite him.

Neither of them mentioned the report they had just discussed revising. Song Mingli scooped a bowl of soup with a spoon and handed it to him, his movements natural and practiced as if he had done it countless times: "Drink slowly."

Ying Shixue eats very quietly, taking small bites with elegant posture, always keeping his back straight. To outsiders, he seems indifferent even when eating.

But in reality, Song Mingli knew that he had some inconspicuous but cute little habits, such as his eyes curving slightly when he ate his favorite food, avoiding hard foods when using his chopsticks because he found them difficult to chew, and secretly adding chili peppers to his bowl when the adults weren't looking.

Ying Shixue put down her chopsticks: "I'm done eating."

Song Mingli snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the little bit of rice that had just been put in his bowl, and frowned slightly: "Don't you want to eat some more?"

Ying Shixue pushed her rice bowl away slightly, indicating that she didn't want it anymore.

Song Mingli glanced at the remaining dishes on the table and understood in a few seconds.

I've been like this since I was little. I say I can't eat anymore, but actually I'm still a picky eater.

He resignedly brought over the plate of three-delicacy shrimp, carefully picking out all the diced carrots and putting them into his own bowl, then filled his bowl with vegetables and soup again.

"Sweetie, eat some more."