From getting dressed to washing up and then going downstairs to sit at the table, the man did everything himself, only to realize that his feet hadn't even touched the ground.
Outside, the sky was overcast, and a snowstorm was imminent. Inside the luxurious villa, the lighting was relatively poor, even though the lights were on during the day. Under the bright lights, the white steam rose from the food on the dining table.
Just as Fang Zhi was about to pick up her chopsticks, Wang Ma walked up to her with a plate containing an exquisite ceramic bowl in both hands.
"Miss Zhizhi," Wang Ma placed the tray in front of her on the table, "Please have some of this first."
Fang Zhi glanced down and saw that the bowl contained a dark soup with a thin layer of oil and chopped scallions floating on the surface.
It looks delicious and makes me very hungry.
She glanced at Qi Shen's empty dining table, then looked at her own; the soup was only for her.
Fang Zhi looked up at Wang Ma with a puzzled expression and asked, "Wang Ma, what is this? Why doesn't my brother have it?"
"This...this..."
Wang Ma glanced at the composed and dignified man sitting quietly to the side, her face troubled, unable to give a clear answer.
Seeing Wang Ma's expression, she realized that this was what her brother had asked someone to make for her.
“It’s alright if Aunt Wang doesn’t know.” Not wanting to embarrass the old woman, and knowing her brother wouldn’t let anyone poison it, she said, “I’ll try it first.” So the girl’s delicate, soft hand took a spoonful and put it in her mouth.
The soup was very flavorful and well-seasoned.
Fang Zhi gave it a very good evaluation in his heart, just then he heard the man's gentle and soft voice.
"Eucommia ulmoides and Codonopsis pilosula pigeon soup".
After swallowing the soup, Fang Zhi looked at him. The man's handsome face showed a gentle smile as he asked her, "Was it good?"
She told the truth, "It tastes good."
"Drink more if you like it. There's more in the kitchen. I asked the kitchen to make this especially for you." Qi Shen spoke slowly and deliberately. Seeing the girl scoop up another spoonful and put it in her mouth, he added with a barely perceptible smile in his handsome eyes, "This soup is good for nourishing the kidneys and replenishing qi and blood for women."
"Cough cough." A mouthful of soup got stuck in his throat, making Fang Zhi choke and almost bring tears to his eyes.
What kind of supplement? Tonify her kidneys? Why would she need tonify her kidneys?
"How old are you? Why can't you slow down?" Qi Shen's handsome face was filled with tenderness and affection. He patted her back with one hand and used a tissue to wipe the corner of her lips with the other.
Fang Zhi's eyes reddened slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at the man who looked like a nice, gentlemanly gentleman.
He did it on purpose!
In front of all the servants!
It's because the male protagonist in her story occasionally experiences kidney weakness for a few days, much like a woman's period.
So he took revenge on her!
The little girl conveyed everything with her eyes. Qi Shen smiled, the corners of his lips curving subtly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He read through everything she wrote while she was sleeping today, and he will have plenty of time to put it into practice on her in the future.
Only then did I realize that I felt unwell after that meal.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she always felt like people around her were secretly staring at her waist...
After lunch, she wanted to go back to the bedroom, but the man called her back before she could lie in bed a little longer.
He picked her up and carried her to the study.
-
Only when you sit in a study decorated with understated elegance do you realize that you are sitting at a desk with your back to the computer.
She looked at the brand-new, thick notebook and the fountain pen in front of her, somewhat bewildered.
The man stood tall and straight beside her, and she looked up at his defined jawline.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
Qi Shen stroked the girl's soft hair with a hint of affection, his voice gentle, "Don't you like literary creation? If that kind of improper thing counts, then self-criticism counts too."
“From now on, Zhizhi will write a thorough self-criticism for writing those things until her brother is satisfied.”
"??" Fang Zhi's eyes were filled with disbelief.
She has been an exceptionally well-behaved student since starting school and has never been punished by having to write a self-criticism.
She protested in a way that wasn't really a protest: "I can't write."
Qi Shen chuckled nonchalantly, but his gentle demeanor couldn't conceal his assertiveness. "It's alright if you don't know how. Once you learn it well, Zhizhi will have another chance to go out."
Fang Zhi's last escape from Nangong left a deep impression and served as a lesson for the man, and Qi Shen was afraid she would cause trouble again.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Of course, you can only go out normally when you are at school."
Fang Zhi stared at him for half a minute.
Realizing the man was serious, and seeing no point in continuing, she quietly asked, "Isn't there a word limit?"
"No."
"Can I write this on my phone?"
“No.” Qi Shen’s thin lips curled into a lazy, slightly frivolous smile as he emphasized, “This is a self-criticism.”
Fang Zhi: "..."
-
Although he didn't say he would deprive her of those few days of free time, he did tell her when she should write her self-criticism.
In just one afternoon, the clean white paper was covered with dense writing, and I realized that my wrists were sore from writing.
She put down her pen and stretched her wrists, taking the opportunity to glance at Qi Shen, who was working across from her.
The light and shadow slanted onto his handsome, well-defined face, and the gleam of his glasses obscured the expression in his eyes.
It's said that men exude a unique charm when they're working—focus and maturity; and if they also have good looks, that effect is amplified.
Fang Zhi was momentarily dazed.
The years it took for the two of them to become a couple felt like a dream. She couldn't quite understand what her brother liked about her; it always felt unreal, yet he was constantly getting closer to her.
Moreover, when she was at Sister Lin's house, Sister Lin pointed it out to her that she wasn't actually indifferent to her brother.
It's just that she hadn't realized it before, or perhaps she had realized it but simply refused to admit it.
But feelings are feelings.
She is not a Stockholm syndrome sufferer who would enjoy that oppressive, suffocatingly heavy emotion.
She is a normal person, and if her brother's treatment of her cannot be fundamentally changed, she cannot stay.
During an afternoon in the study, Fang Zhi realized that she had wanted to tell him several times about her plans to join the National Theatre of China after the New Year, but after much deliberation, she swallowed the thought back.
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