Chapter 011 You Lunatic

Jiang Yao took a sip of the porridge and instinctively furrowed her brows. She took another sip, doing her best to control her expression. Lifting her eyes, she met He Yunqing’s gaze, then lowered her head and scooped up a third spoonful of porridge. She stared at it, but no matter what, she simply couldn’t swallow another bite.

Could this man be deliberately making things hard for her, just to get back at her for before? Was this his revenge?

“Ahem,” Jiang Yao set down her spoon. “Um, do you usually not cook?”

“No,” He Yunqing denied.

“Then you did this on purpose…” Jiang Yao’s voice unintentionally rose.

“Never cooked,” He Yunqing calmly added.

The words Jiang Yao had gathered up all her strength to say instantly deflated. She managed a bitter smile as her frustration drained away—so, he was using her as a guinea pig.

She gently pushed the bowl aside. “It’s… too hot. I’ll drink it later.”

He Yunqing made a gesture of indifference, turned, and left the room, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Jiang Yao settled back down and slept a while longer. By afternoon, she finally felt much better.

She climbed out of bed and pushed open the door to find He Yunqing napping on the sofa.

“Meow…” A plump, orange tabby with a limp came running over, affectionately rubbing against Jiang Yao’s legs.

She crouched down, stroking the big orange cat gently. Then she glanced toward the window, where the little kitten she’d seen in the rain was now in a cage, licking up canned food with relish.

She recalled Ye Yiyi’s words: “Holding something in your arms,” “blood on you.” She looked at the orange tabby’s lame leg and couldn’t help but smile.

“Jiang Yao, don’t imagine people to be too good, but don’t always imagine them to be too bad either.”

She whispered this to herself, then stood and turned to look at the man on the sofa.

His pajamas were a rich, chestnut brown, draped loosely over him. Unlike his usual immaculate appearance, his hair now had a messy, almost artistic beauty as it fell across his forehead.

He truly was handsome—the kind of man whose looks would draw admiring comments from anyone. His skin was a shade fairer than most, his lips naturally tinted a shade of red that many women coveted in lipstick but could never find.

Without realizing it, Jiang Yao was staring. Suddenly, her phone vibrated violently in her pocket.

Startled by the abrupt noise, she slipped, tumbling heavily onto the sofa.

There was no avoiding it—she landed directly on the man.

His body’s warmth, mingled with the crisp scent of cedar, enveloped her, and for a moment, her mind went utterly blank.

He Yunqing’s long lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. His clear, focused gaze fixed on her.

Even at such close range, it was nearly impossible to find a single flaw on his face.

They were so close Jiang Yao could almost see her own reflection in his eyes.

His gentle breath brushed against her cheek, making her blush as red as a burning sunset.

She couldn’t see her own expression, but she knew without looking it was anything but attractive.

“It’s not—it’s not what you think…” she tried to protest weakly.

“What do I think?” he asked in return.

“It’s just…”

Her phone buzzed again, frantic.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” He Yunqing cleared his throat.

“Oh—right!” Like a drowning person seizing a lifeline, Jiang Yao immediately sat up, more upright than she’d ever managed before, and answered the call.

“Jiang Yao, what’s going on with you?!” It was her boss. “I sent you to coordinate with Mr. Zhang’s assistant, and what did you do last night to offend him?”

Jiang Yao scratched her head. “Boss, if by coordinate you mean letting Mr. Zhang’s assistant take liberties with me, then I’d rather offend him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? For a small wedding planning company like ours, landing a contract with Zhang Group is already a miracle. Even if he did cross a line—well, not that he actually did—but even if he did, he wouldn’t really dare to, would he?”

The Zhang Group was among the city’s top ten enterprises. The second son was getting married, and for a company like Jiang Yao’s, this was a rare opportunity indeed.

Jiang Yao rubbed her temples, suddenly feeling a headache. “So what did he say?”

“What do you think? He’s furious and wants to switch to another company!” her boss snapped. “Listen, Jiang Yao, I don’t care how you fix this. If you don’t get it done, don’t bother coming back.”

Jiang Yao listened to the dial tone with a wry smile.

Even when she was sick and on leave, work waited for no one. And her boss would never let her rest.

She slipped the phone back into her pocket, turned to He Yunqing, and said, “I have to go. Thanks for the porridge. Next time, I’ll treat you.”

As she said it, she paused. Facing this not-quite-familiar man, she realized she’d naturally thought of a next time.

He Yunqing looked at her still-pale face, recalling what she’d said to him by Lake Fojing: “If I were that person, I’d rather never see you again.”

“That won’t be necessary.” His tone was cool as he made a distant gesture of invitation.

The sky had cleared.

Jiang Yao had barely taken a few steps from He Yunqing’s house when a Lamborghini screeched to a stop in front of her.

She instinctively took two steps back.

The door opened, and a man of about twenty-five or six stepped out. He wore a red-and-white leather jacket and large sunglasses, which he immediately removed upon seeing Jiang Yao, waving enthusiastically.

“Yao, I’m back!”

Jiang Yao glanced at him, then at the car. “You changed your car again?”

He cast a look at the vehicle. “It’s my brother’s. I snatched it.”

Cheng Yanchi had always been a lucky child.

The Cheng Group wasn’t a top-tier enterprise, but in recent years, it had done quite well. Born with a silver spoon, Cheng Yanchi had never wanted for anything.

Most importantly, he bore no burden as heir—the Cheng Group was entirely in his elder brother’s hands, leaving him free to pursue whatever he wished.

Like playing e-sports.

“I heard from Ye Yiyi that you’re sick? Why aren’t you in bed resting properly?”

Jiang Yao waved her hand. “I’m much better now.”

“What do you mean, much better? So many illnesses start out as nothing and end up serious because people don’t take care. Did you go to the hospital?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’ve already taken my medicine.”

“Knew you wouldn’t go!” Cheng Yanchi grumbled, coming up to her. Before she could react, he hoisted her onto his shoulder.

“What are you doing, Cheng Yanchi? Put me down!” Jiang Yao struggled, arms and legs flailing.

He ignored her protests, bundled her into the car, and said, “What am I doing? Taking you to the hospital!”

“Cheng Yanchi, you maniac!”