No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

"It's a minor fracture, not too serious. I'll have a cast on for half a month, then rest for another half month and it'll be fine."

"During this period, be sure to increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D, avoid spicy foods, and keep your food away from water..."

The two sat in the department of the University Hospital of Victoria Harbour. Shi Qiao nodded like a chick pecking at rice, nodding for every sentence the doctor said.

When Pei Jingnian left the hospital, he had a thick cast on his arm.

Shi Qiao walked ahead, and he followed sheepishly behind. Their shadows drew semicircles on the ground, occasionally overlapping.

Suddenly, Shi Qiao stopped and stretched out her right hand behind her.

She didn't look at Pei Jingnian. "Hurry up, I ordered takeout. If we get back at this speed, it'll probably be cold."

She leaned back a little more, her ears burning, signaling Pei Jingnian to quickly take her hand.

The cool fingers slid down her palm and into the gaps between her fingers, and they interlocked.

Shi Qiao then looked up. Pei Jingnian hung his head in frustration, his bangs obscuring his dark eyes. He used his left hand to exert a little force, bending down to completely envelop her.

"I thought you didn't want me anymore, honey."

"Why would I... abandon you because of something like this?" Shi Qiao gently patted him. "I'm just annoyed that you're so taciturn."

"And... I'm angry at myself."

I'm angry at myself for not noticing sooner.

"Were you..." she choked back a few words, then finally managed to utter the next sentence, "...uncomfortable the first time you squatted in the corner?"

Pei Jingnian's pupils contracted and contracted slightly, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and he couldn't answer immediately.

It seems so.

"So...did you lie last night too? Did you actually not have any other time to rest, but you did it so you could be with me...?"

"No, don't overthink it." Pei Jingnian replied quickly, gently touching her head with his nose.

"I can't rest well when I can't see you."

"I used to sneak home whenever I had a longer break."

Shi Qiao froze, "Every time?"

Pei Jingnian said earnestly, "Yes, I feel especially at ease when I'm by my wife's side."

His eyes drooped at the corners. "So seeing you actually satisfies my selfish desires."

"This morning, when I was preparing to rest in the lab, I saw that I was still a little worried about my group members. I didn't want to repeat the same mistake, so I kept a closer eye on them for a while."

His eyebrows curved slightly. "It's my own fault for not allocating my rest time properly."

"I won't be so stubborn next time. I'll talk to my wife when I encounter problems."

"I'll be a good girl, honey, don't be angry."

A textbook example of admitting one's mistake.

He turned his head and hailed a taxi.

"Okay, let's go home."

*

After returning home, Shi Qiao, as usual, unpacked the takeout and put it on a plate.

She ordered pineapple ribs with less oil and salt, crucian carp and tofu soup, and—

Old Mom's Pig Trotters.

Shi Qiao had eaten this dish before in the Sichuan and Chongqing area, and it left a deep impression on her.

She was initially quite averse to this part of her body, always feeling it was strange, but after trying it once, her opinion completely changed.

The pork trotters are stewed in clear broth until the meat and bones are almost hanging off the bone, and they are paired with chewy broad beans. You can tear off a small piece and dip it in the special chili sauce, then eat a bite of meat and a bite of rice.

It's so fragrant and numbing.

The remaining broth can be used to cook pea shoots, a local favorite; they can be eaten after a short blanching.

Since this was takeout, Shi Qiao could only ask the restaurant to pack the blanched pea shoots into a separate serving.

She rested her chin on her hand and kept piling food onto Pei Jingnian's plate, saying, "Eat more, it'll help you recover."

Before long, Pei Jingnian's bowls were piled up into a small mountain.

Shi Qiao then pushed a whole pig's trotter in front of Pei Jingnian, saying, "You are what you eat."

Pei Jingnian: ?

At this moment, Shi Qiao was still pondering whether to order another serving of pork knuckle.

After the meal, Pei Jingnian explained the situation to Professor Williams.

Professor Williams replied to emails very quickly. Being a native English speaker, he was able to extract a small amount of useful information from the numerous greetings such as "My God," "Poor Mr. Pei," and "May God protect you."

For the next two weeks or so, Pei Jingnian can stay away from the lab, rest properly, and just look at the experimental reports and data.

"Could it be considered a blessing in disguise?" Pei Jingnian asked with a smile.

Shi Qiao tapped the corner of Pei Jingnian's smiling lips, "You've actually turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise. You should rest well during this time."

She coughed lightly, embarrassed. "I'll try my best to take care of you."

Pei Jingnian hooked his arm around Shi Qiao's waist, buried his head in her chest, and inhaled her scent, his brows completely relaxed.

"My wife takes good care of me; I'm truly blessed."

He found the sweetest spot, took a small bite through her clothes with his canine teeth, lazily lifted his eyes, and squinted at her.

"Honey, I want to kiss you."

Shi Qiao sensed something was wrong and immediately created a safe distance, pushing his head away with one hand.

"Pei Jingnian, I said, 'You should rest well during this time!'" She repeated her words, clenching her teeth, "Rest well, both physically and mentally."

Pei Jingnian froze, a slight frown forming between his brows. "Wife, you don't mean...?"

"Yes, it's forbidden." Shi Qiao picked up a sofa cushion and hugged it to her chest. "The doctor said to rest."

"Besides, you're already a patient, can't you think about healthy things for a moment?"

"I can do it easily with one hand..."

*Smack!* Shi Qiao couldn't hold back and threw the cushion in her hand at Pei Jingnian's face.

If all else fails, I can still...

Shi Qiao's lips twitched, and she straddled Pei Jingnian, hitting this guy whose brain was full of yellow paste with a pillow.

After a while, she finally got off Pei Jingnian, panting. "Can't you put something healthy and nutritious in your head?"

Pei Jingnian lay on the sofa, tilting his head to the side and gazing longingly at Shi Qiao.

"Honey, can you really resist eating the cake when you see it?"

Shi Qiao sat cross-legged between the coffee table and the sofa. "What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"Of course I'll eat it. Bread and cake can't survive more than three seconds in my hands."

Pei Jingnian reached out and gently twirled her smooth hair.

"So, so am I."

"I can't resist eating when my wife is in front of me."

Shi Qiao was stunned for a moment, and the blood in her ear, like ivy, quickly spread all over her entire ear.

She threw the cushion at Pei Jingnian's stomach again, yelling, "Get out of here!!"

"I've been hanging around in front of you for so many years, why didn't you eat?"

Pei Jingnian fell silent. Shi Qiao turned her head and saw him seriously resting his chin on his hand, pondering the question.

His eyes shifted, and his gaze suddenly met Shi Qiao's. He wanted to tease her, "You want to eat it? I've always wanted to eat it."

"But...the main problem is that it's too much torture, isn't it?"

Shi Qiao, holding a pillow again, straddled Pei Jingnian, declaring, "Today I'm going to act on behalf of Heaven! I'll give your brain a good cleaning!"

She kept pressing down on it, muttering curses under her breath.

Suddenly, Shi Qiao felt like she was on a roller coaster, as Pei Jingnian pulled her into his arms with one hand.

She lay gently against the man's chest, the powerful drumming sound piercing her chest cavity and striking her eardrums.

Pei Jingnian raised his eyes slightly but didn't dare to look at her. He tilted his head back and sank into the soft cushions of the sofa, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and his ears were still flushed.

He gasped, trying to calm his heaving chest.

Sorry, honey, I have sensitive skin.

He's always like this, spouting crude jokes without hesitation, yet at certain moments he reveals a shyness that shouldn't be on his face.

Her complexion seemed to turn into mist, which also stained Shi Qiao's cheeks red. She quickly withdrew her hand and sat two body lengths away from Pei Jingnian, burying her head completely and not daring to look.

Pervert.

"By the way, wife." Pei Jing coughed lightly, making Shi Qiao look up again.

"What? Spit it out." Shi Qiao only showed one eye, her face flushed.

Pei Jingnian propped himself up from the sofa. "The plaster cast can't get wet. How am I supposed to take a shower later?"

good question.

His phoenix eyes were full of mischief as he leaned closer to Shi Qiao and obediently rested his head against the crook of her neck.

"My wife said she'd take care of me, right?"

"Then, thank you for your trouble, my wife."

Shi Qiao: ?

Shi Qiao: !

-

We're doing well now, we got seven chapters revised, hahaha, those chapters were still under review and I was working myself to the bone revising them.

The next chapter will be a bit late today, as I'm going to have to outwit and outmaneuver Shenhe!

So, hey there (earnestly.jpg), keep up with me and catch up on the updates! Otherwise, all that'll be left are scraps of meat! ˶ˊᜊˋ˶

Fasten your seatbelts, follow me, and we're off again!

By the way, if you can't see any chapter, feel free to tag me quickly and I'll try to fix it!