Can't afford to pay for the takeout? Stunning CEO: Then pay with your body!

"Go home."

I'm hungry.

Zhang Yan's voice was like a basin of perfectly warm water poured over Nie Qingcheng's volcano, which was about to erupt.

The menacing aura emanating from her, which had almost frozen the entire alleyway, dissipated at a visible speed.

The warm touch of his hand, which held her wrist, felt like a sturdy anchor, slowly pulling her back to the human world from the depths of her raging fury.

Nie Qingcheng looked at him, her own reflection shimmering in his clear pupils.

She suddenly realized that her earlier act of wanting to uproot the Zhao family was somewhat ridiculous.

He was perfectly fine.

He felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his fur standing on end, claws bared, ready to tear the whole world apart.

"it is good."

All those words were ultimately reduced to a single character.

Nie Qingcheng relaxed her tense jaw, letting Zhang Yan lead her, and turned to walk towards the black Maybach.

She didn't look back at the wriggling trash on the ground again.

Linda immediately understood, made a gesture towards the wall of people behind her, and then quickly followed.

In the alley.

The twenty bodyguards in black retreated back into the car like a tide.

The engines roared again, and the five Maybachs silently turned around and sped away.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation and a heavy atmosphere of despair.

……

On the way back to Genting Manor, the carriage was unusually quiet.

Nie Qingcheng leaned back in the soft leather seat, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids.

She didn't speak, but her clenched fists betrayed the fact that her emotions were not completely calm.

Zhang Yan remained silent.

He simply changed the position of the hand that had been holding his since they entered the alley, so that their fingers were now intertwined.

His palms were dry and warm, with distinct knuckles, exuding a reassuring power.

Nie Qingcheng's clenched fist slowly loosened.

She turned her hand around and gripped his hand even tighter.

By the time we returned to the manor, it was completely dark.

Zhang Yan released her hand and walked straight to the kitchen.

As he walked, he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up his sleeves to his forearms.

Nie Qingcheng stood in the entrance hall, watching him walk into his "territory" with practiced ease, and the last trace of gloom in her heart vanished.

She changed out of the high heels that were making her feet hurt, and followed him barefoot.

"What do you want to eat?" Zhang Yan opened the refrigerator, which was filled with a wide variety of ingredients.

"casual."

Nie Qingcheng leaned against the kitchen door frame, arms crossed, and quietly watched him.

Watch him select ingredients, watch him wash vegetables, watch him tie on the apron I bought for him.

That feeling was wonderful.

It was as if the bloodshed and turmoil of the outside world were shut out by this door.

Here, there is only the aroma of food and the down-to-earth, everyday atmosphere brought by this man.

Zhang Yan moved quickly, washing and chopping vegetables with fluid, effortless movements.

As he turned on the tap to rinse the foam off his hands, he suddenly paused.

His gaze fell on the back of his left hand.

There was a very thin, almost negligible red scratch there.

It must have been caught on someone's zipper in the chaos of the alley earlier.

The skin was slightly broken, but not even a drop of blood seeped out.

Zhang Yan didn't take it seriously and prepared to continue rinsing.

"Don't move!"

A sharp, trembling scream rang out behind him.

The next second, Nie Qingcheng rushed over and grabbed his wrist with astonishing force.

Her face was deathly pale.

His beautiful fox-like eyes widened, staring intently at the small scratch, as if he saw not a wound, but a giant abyss python devouring his life.

"How did this happen?!" Her voice trembled. "When did this happen?!"

Zhang Yan was somewhat bewildered by her expression of utter despair.

"Maybe... I accidentally brushed it just now."

"An accident?!" Nie Qingcheng's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, filled with barely suppressed fear and anger. "You call this an accident?!"

Without saying a word, she pushed Zhang Yan out of the kitchen.

"Sit still! Don't move! Don't get it wet!"

She rushed up to the second floor like a gust of wind, and a few seconds later, she rushed back down like a gust of wind.

In his hands, he held a first-aid kit comparable to military-grade equipment.

With a "snap," the box was opened.

Iodine, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, cotton swabs, gauze, bandages... a table full of various sizes of adhesive bandages.

The scene was so dramatic that anyone who didn't know better would think an amputation was about to be performed on the spot.

Zhang Yan: ? ?

Nie Qingcheng took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She pulled out two cotton swabs, dipped them in iodine, but the hand that usually signed contracts worth hundreds of millions was now trembling uncontrollably.

I couldn't get the cotton swab right on that tiny wound no matter how many times I tried.

"I'll do it."

Zhang Yan was both amused and exasperated.

"Shut up!"

Nie Qingcheng let out a low growl, her eyes reddening.

She simply threw away the cotton swab, picked it up with her hand, held her breath, and carefully, as if handling a rare treasure, gently applied the ointment to the scratch.

A cool sensation came through.

Looking at her nervous expression, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead, Zhang Yan felt a deep softening in his heart.

Disinfection complete.

Nie Qingcheng picked up a brand new roll of gauze and began wrapping it around his hand, round and round.

Zhang Yan: "...Actually, one Band-Aid is enough."

Nie Qingcheng ignored him and continued to pester him.

One minute later.

Zhang Yan looked at his left hand, which was bandaged up like a white rice dumpling, and was completely speechless.

With such an exaggerated shape, it's probably impossible to even hold a doorknob, let alone cook.

"alright."

Nie Qingcheng finally tied a beautiful bow and let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had just completed an extremely difficult surgery that lasted more than ten hours.

She didn't let go immediately.

Instead, he carefully held the "zongzi" in both hands and brought it to his lips.

Then, he lowered his head.

Gently, I blew on the thick gauze.

The warm air, carrying her unique sweet fragrance, brushed against the back of Zhang Yan's hand.

"Does it still hurt?"

She looked up, her eyes, misty with tears, filled with undisguised heartache and lingering fear.

For a moment, Zhang Yan's heart skipped a beat.

The living room was quiet, with only the sound of their intertwined breathing remaining.

The light shone down on her head, casting a halo around her soft hair.

She looked up, while he looked down.

The two were very close.

Their breaths were audible, their noses almost touching.

This time, there were no ladders, no torrential rain, and no unexpected events.

Something was quietly fermenting in the air, becoming viscous and scalding hot.

Nie Qingcheng looked at him, at the small, flustered reflection of herself in his clear pupils.

She suddenly smiled.

That smile carried a hint of cunning, a hint of relief, and a hint of reckless impulse.

She held his hand and pulled him a little closer to her with a slight force.

Then, she slightly raised her chin and leaned closer.

A soft, warm touch was precisely imprinted on Zhang Yan's lips.

It's very light.

It's very soft.

With a slight tremor and a cloyingly sweet aroma.

Instantly separate.

Nie Qingcheng stepped back slightly, her flushed cheeks breathtakingly beautiful under the lamplight.

She looked at Zhang Yan, who was completely frozen in place, her eyes sparkling, and her beauty mark under her eye was so alluring it could bewitch.

"This is a reward."

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of triumphant laughter.

"As a reward for... taking good care of yourself."