Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Following the Black Tower into the restaurant, the scene she saw almost made her pinch her palm raw again.

Hei Ta walked up behind Qi Zhimu, who had just sat down, and rested a part of her body on his head.

That place was originally a small hill with only slight undulations.

With the help of her medication, it has grown into a magnificent mountain that cannot be ignored when it comes down on you.

"Stop messing around," Qi Zhimu said helplessly.

The weight on her head was secondary; the key was that the silk camisole Black Tower wore was made of thin material, allowing her sweet fragrance to easily seep into her nasal cavity.

"This is a reward for your hard work~mUa~"

After planting a kiss on Qi Zhimu's cheek, Heita finally pulled out the chair next to him, satisfied.

Take a sip of the sweet and fresh soy milk, then pick up a small steamed bun and put it in your mouth.

Mmm~ Delicious!

After finishing his meal, he looked up and saw Ruan Mei standing at the restaurant entrance, lost in thought.

"What are you standing there for? Come and eat. It's rare for my Jimo to go out of his way for one person."

Ruan Mei remained silent.

His gaze casually swept over the black tower's chest, then over Qi Zhimu's hands.

"...Can't you guys even think of me for a second...? I..."

"What are you worried about?" A question mark appeared above Black Tower's head.

"I'm... an outsider."

When she uttered the last two words, Ruan Mei's entire face was tense, making it difficult for her to remain calm. She looked expressionless and vaguely cold.

There was a time when I thought I would say the words "I am an outsider" in front of Qi Zhimu and other women.

A certain impulse, arising from the heart, is charging towards the mind.

Ruan Mei glanced at her arm.

No...

If they find out, it will scare Amu...

"Calling me an outsider is too formal. I should be thanking you for making me and my Zhimu more satisfied with our intimate interactions."

Black Tower casually sent a message, thoughtfully followed by a combo attack.

"Thanks to you, Zhimu got to eat better food, and so did I."

"..."

Ruan Mei's vision blurred, and she felt that if she didn't do something soon, she would probably be so angry at Black Tower that she would faint on the spot.

"Ms. Ruan Mei, I'm sorry, Black Tower is just like this now, please don't take offense." Qi Zhimu gave her an apologetic look.

Meeting those gentle, deep eyes, Ruan Mei suddenly felt that she didn't need to do anything, and her emotions quickly calmed down.

She walked slowly to sit down opposite them and realized a fact.

Sure enough, she fell ill.

Very ill.

There is no cure.

Even the medicine named Qi Zhimu can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause, unless it is maintained every day.

Ruan Mei opened the pastry box and took out the pastries she had made.

"One box of pastries was specially prepared for Black Tower and was intended for afternoon consumption."

She deliberately ignored Qi Zhimu because there was no need to.

Black Tower will definitely let him taste it.

"Darling, have a taste. Although Ruan Mei's personality is worse than mine in some ways, at least her cooking skills are impeccable."

as predicted……

Hei Ta picked up a piece of steamed sugar cheese and brought it to Qi Zhimu's lips.

Ruan Mei's eyes followed Hei Ta's finger closely, and a prediction flashed through her mind.

Given the feelings Heita has shown for Qi Zhimu, will she casually put her hand into Qi Zhimu's mouth next?

Thankfully, no.

Qi Zhimu simply bit into the steamed sugar cheese and chewed it gently.

A moment later, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and his gaze unconsciously fell on Ruan Mei's face, their eyes meeting.

"Is it to your liking?"

Ruan Mei thought he had finally remembered something, and her tone carried a barely perceptible hope.

Qi Zhimu remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.

"...It has a unique flavor and is a rare find."

Ruan Mei was disappointed.

It turned out that she was only moved by the smell, not by what she wanted to see.

"Right, you two can exchange tips on pastry making..."

Black Tower, who was also stuffing a piece of steamed cheese into his mouth, mumbled as he ate, but before he could finish his sentence, his whole face froze.

A brief silence, then a sudden turn of the head—

"puff!!"

Heita spat out the pastry in his mouth and grabbed the soy milk to rinse his mouth.

Witnessing this scene, Qi Zhimu hesitated to speak.

Ruan Mei was puzzled. While Hei Ta was rinsing his mouth, she looked at Qi Zhimu.

When he noticed something on his face, he immediately grabbed a piece of pastry and tasted it.

She froze after only a couple of bites.

"...Pah! Pah! Pah! Ruan Mei, are you trying to murder me? You've prepared such awful food!"

Black Tower's expression was indescribable as he pulled out a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth.

"I can enjoy the bitter melon dishes from my hometown, but this pastry of yours is several times harder to bear than bitter melon."

"What's going on? Your skills may not be as good as his, but they weren't this good before."

Ruan Mei silently checked her resource library.

The problem isn't with the usual ingredients; it must be with the unusual ones.

Only after careful reflection did I realize the problem and understand why the steamed sugar cheese tasted so bad.

One of the main ingredients is three portions of good mood.

She is used to using her own.

However, she was in absolutely no good mood at that time.

It's just that drinking the Forget-Me-Not Plum Blossom Wine temporarily helps me forget unpleasant things.

My true feelings at that time were nothing but endless bitterness.

Silently putting away the failed steamed custard, Ruan Mei whispered the reason.

"You used the wrong ingredient; I'll compensate you with double next time."

At this moment, she looked at Qi Zhimu, and Hei Ta also looked at Qi Zhimu, each with a different feeling.

Black Tower felt both heartache and a touch of pride.

I felt sorry for him for eating such unpalatable pastries without batting an eye, and I was proud that he knew how to consider other people's feelings and didn't make a scene.

The more cultured he acted, the more face he made her look good, and the more guilty Ruan Mei would feel.

But Qi Zhimu's personality was similar to hers since childhood; they rarely spoiled each other.

He only indulged her because Ruan Mei was a genius and his business partner...

He's so considerate of me!

I love him even more now!

Ruan Mei, however, seemed rather dejected.

I wanted to do better, but I messed it up.

Amu probably felt the same way when he forced himself to swallow the bitter-tasting pastry.

But he didn't show it at all.

If it weren't for the fact that Black Tower was the one who tasted it, she would have been given plenty of face throughout the entire process.

It was clearly her fault... but Amu chose not to say it because she was concerned about certain things.

Back then, out of concern for the teacher, I chose not to explain after being put in solitary confinement and instead silently erased that memory...

But now, the object of our concern has changed.

From her becoming a teacher to the Black Tower...

The feeling of swallowing a bitter pastry is nothing compared to this.

…How can the bitterness that comes from the heart be compared to mere pastries?

Everything was her own fault.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment... Please eat..."

Ruan Mei didn't offer any further explanation, got up and left the restaurant, leaving Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei staring at each other in bewilderment.

"...Did I do something wrong?" Qi Zhimu asked tentatively.

"Stop messing around, what did you do wrong? You did a great job, love you~~ Anyway, don't worry about Ruan Mei, keep eating ours."

……

When Ruan Mei came out of the bathroom, she found that the two people who had finished eating were now in the living room.

Their actions, and the words Black Tower spoke, made her body stiffen.

Hei Ta lay on the sofa and tucked her jade-like feet into Qi Zhimu's arms.