Chapter 147: A Bowl of Sliced Fish Congee

Seeing that Jiang Yao did not reply, He Yunqing reached out and gently felt her forehead.

The cool-tempered hand touched Jiang Yao's forehead, bringing her to her senses a bit.

"I... caught a fever and passed out?"

"What do you think?" He Yunqing glanced at her. "Don't you know how sick you were? You were still pushing yourself to work. Is money more important, or is your life?"

As if remembering something, Jiang Yao abruptly sat up from the bed. "You... you didn't take me to the hospital, did you? You didn't run any unnecessary tests, right?"

In case any detailed examinations were done, her brain condition would probably become impossible to hide.

"I originally wanted to take you to the hospital, but the emergency room was too busy at that time, so I had a doctor friend of mine come over to examine you first." He Yunqing poured a glass of water and handed it to Jiang Yao while speaking. "You're on an IV drip for now. If you still feel uncomfortable today, we'll go to the hospital for checks later."

Jiang Yao took the cup, took a large gulp, and shook her head repeatedly. "No, no need. I feel much better, nothing is uncomfortable anymore."

He Yunqing narrowed his eyes, looking at her with a probing gaze. "You seem very afraid of getting checked out?"

Jiang Yao finished the water in the cup in one breath. "Of course, drawing blood, taking X-rays, checking this and that, the result is always the same anyway."

"Result?"

"Oh, I mean, there was nothing wrong with me in the first place, so checking won't reveal anything anyway. Why put myself through that torture?" Jiang Yao pushed He Yunqing. "Um... I'm hungry."

He Yunqing gave her a helpless look. "Wait here."

Seeing He Yunqing walk out the door, Jiang Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps due to his talent as an outstanding actor, He Yunqing possessed a keen insight into everything. If he kept asking, her secret would likely be exposed.

Before long, the bedroom door was pushed open again.

He Yunqing walked in holding a bowl of porridge.

"Porridge again?" Jiang Yao pursed her lips, the scene of He Yunqing cooking porridge for her the last time she had a fever still vividly fresh in her mind.

The taste of that porridge... was truly hard to compliment.

"Have a taste." He Yunqing sat down. "The fish for this sliced fish congee was a live fish bought from the market just this morning. It's quite fresh."

Jiang Yao looked at He Yunqing's fair and clean hands. "You personally prepped a live fish?"

"Mm."

Jiang Yao pouted. No matter how she looked at it, the man's hands did not resemble hands that handled living creatures. He Yunqing always appeared entirely detached from worldly affairs, and even his hands looked immaculate.

The fish he prepared... could it even be eaten? After all, he couldn't even cook plain porridge without making it taste awful.

He Yunqing frowned slightly as he looked at Jiang Yao's tightly pursed lips and skeptical expression.

Then, he made a decision.

"Come, I'll feed you."

Jiang Yao's cheeks twitched slightly. *Sigh*, she couldn't just bluntly say she didn't want to eat because she despised his cooking...

Seeing that He Yunqing had already scooped a spoonful of porridge, gently blew on it to cool it, and brought it to her lips, Jiang Yao hardened her heart. *Eat it is.* Since someone went through the trouble with good intentions, she had to save face. As long as it didn't kill her, it was fine.

With that thought, she opened her mouth, took a bite with an "ah" sound, and prepared to swallow it straight down.

"Slow down," the man cautioned.

Before she had even swallowed, Jiang Yao froze. This taste...

"Can I have another bite?"

He Yunqing smiled faintly. "This whole bowl is yours."

Jiang Yao never expected that the porridge He Yunqing made this time would taste so delicious—it was easily the best-tasting porridge she had eaten in recent memory.

Seeing her eat three large spoonfuls in a row without saying a word, the man asked softly, "Is it really that good?"

Jiang Yao nodded repeatedly. "I originally thought..."

"Thought what? Thought it would taste terrible?"

Jiang Yao stuck out her tongue. "You said that, I didn't."

"The porridge I made before tasted pretty bad, didn't it?"

"So you knew!" Jiang Yao rubbed her head and began speaking her mind bluntly. "You have no idea how awful your porridge was back then. I wanted to throw up on the first bite, and tears almost came out. Let's put it this way: if you gave the porridge you cooked before to Sister Wang in the countryside to feed her pigs, even the pigs probably wouldn't eat it."

Jiang Yao rambled on endlessly, but when she looked back up at He Yunqing, she found his face had tightened.

"I'm sorry." Jiang Yao hurriedly shut her mouth.

He Yunqing put down the porridge bowl. "It's fine. That's why I specifically learned how to cook porridge."

He Yunqing seemed to learn everything faster than others, spending less time and performing better than anyone else.

"Actually, you didn't need to go out of your way to learn this," Jiang Yao said, now full and lying back down. "Neither your family nor you lack money. Wouldn't it be easier to just hire a chef? Your precious time should be spent on more important things."

He Yunqing, who had been getting medicine for Jiang Yao, paused his hands upon hearing her words.

"Isn't cooking porridge for the person you like important?"

"Huh?" Due to her fever, Jiang Yao's mind was still hazy, and even her ears didn't seem to work well. "What did you say?"

He Yunqing smiled and continued holding the capsules. "I learned to cook porridge when I decided I wanted to be with someone. I hoped she could drink the porridge I made for her every morning."

Jiang Yao silently bit her lip.

She knew who He Yunqing was referring to when he spoke of the person he decided to be with.

It was just that everything had already become a thing of the past, and past things no longer needed to be brought up.

She smiled, feigning a nonchalant attitude, and joked, "Are you planning to become a house-husband?"

He Yunqing smiled as well. Turning his back so she couldn't see, he quietly put away all his emotions, turned back, and handed the medicine to Jiang Yao. "Take these and lie down for a good sleep. I'll have someone call in sick to the company for you."

Jiang Yao obediently took the medicine and handed the water glass back to He Yunqing.

"How are things... over at the Cheng family?" He Yunqing looked at her and finally asked.

Thinking of Cheng Yanchi, Jiang Yao's gaze dimmed.

Remembering how high-spirited Cheng Yanchi used to be, only to lose everything almost overnight, and wondering how many more hardships of life he would have to face next, Jiang Yao felt her heart ache.

"Not good," Jiang Yao answered honestly. "However, I will accompany him through it."

He Yunqing nodded, a bitter trace hidden behind the forced smile on his lips.

This was an answer he had anticipated long ago. Given Jiang Yao's personality, she would never abandon Cheng Yanchi at a time like this.

She would undoubtedly stay by his side with all her heart to the very end.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

He Yunqing answered the call; it was from Elder Jin.

"Put Nana on the phone."

He Yunqing was startled. "She didn't come home last night?"