Chapter 150: Your waist is quite slender too!

When Qin Luo woke up again, the room was illuminated by a soft, warm, orange glow from a small lamp. Though not bright, it radiated a comforting warmth.

The curtains were drawn shut, leaving only a narrow gap. Through this slender opening, Wenren Muyue gazed out at the snow dancing across the sky.

It was snowing again!

It had stopped for a while during the afternoon, but as the night deepened and the temperature dropped, the snowfall resumed.

Hearing movement behind her, Wenren Muyue turned around and said, "You're awake."

She had changed out of her daytime attire. Now, she wore a pair of casual flax-colored trousers and a simple long-sleeved sweater with a heart-shaped neckline. Her long hair cascaded freely over her shoulders, stripping away the aloof, queen-like majesty she usually projected and giving her the approachable warmth of an ordinary woman at home.

Seeing her dressed this way, a faint, inexplicable thrill stirred in Qin Luo's heart.

In this world, probably very few men had ever seen her in such casual loungewear.

"Hungry?" Wenren Muyue walked over to Qin Luo and asked.

"Hungry," Qin Luo nodded. Having slept for most of the day without eating lunch, he was indeed feeling quite famished.

"There's congee. I'll get it for you," Wenren Muyue said, turning to walk toward the small, elegant kitchen.

"This—thank you," Qin Luo said, deeply moved, almost to the point of tears. He felt that getting stabbed earlier was completely worth it. Forget one knife, even two or three, several knives—wait, what was he thinking, treating himself like a straw doll?

Qin Luo thought of a news story he had seen on the internet a few days ago: Warren Buffett's charity dinner had sold at auction for millions of dollars. If this bowl of congee served by her own hands were put up for auction, how much would it fetch?

The congee was brought over, still warm. Whether it was because Qin Luo was ravenous or because the congee inherently possessed an exceptional flavor, a rich aroma filled the air, instantly stimulating his appetite.

However, the moment he prepared to dig in, he realized a complication.

Qin Luo's right hand was tightly wrapped in thick gauze, bundled up like a giant rice dumpling, making it completely impossible to hold a spoon. Using his left hand was not only inconvenient, but if the bowl sat on the table, bending his head down to eat would be excruciating.

"I'll help you." Seeing Qin Luo's awkwardness, Wenren Muyue picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of rice congee, and brought it to his mouth.

Qin Luo was utterly shocked!

This woman possessed a net worth in the billions, commanded boundless wealth, and came from a terrifyingly powerful background. Even when eating by herself, she probably had others feeding her. Yet now, she was going to feed him—

Would eating congee fed by this woman shorten his lifespan?

"No need. Just find me a maid or a nurse to feed me," Qin Luo declined.

"They are people too," Wenren Muyue said.

They are people too? What did that mean?

Did it mean one had to respect service industry workers and shouldn't casually order others around to feed oneself?

Then, how did her feeding him fit into this?

Was she trying to say "Don't treat me like an ordinary person," or "Don't treat me like an outsider"?

Ah, talking to people with high intelligence was always troublesome. A single simple sentence could spawn infinite possibilities.

Regardless, Miss Wenren had already placed the spoon right at his lips. What else could he do?

His only choice was to open his mouth and swallow it down in one go.

"Delicious," Qin Luo said as he swallowed. "By the way, haven't you gone to attend that banquet yet?"

"Tomorrow night," Wenren Muyue replied. Once Qin Luo finished swallowing, she scooped up another spoonful and offered it to him.

"Do you really not want to go?" Qin Luo asked, looking at her.

"Whether I want to or not has nothing to do with whether I must go," Wenren Muyue said with a trace of sorrow.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to go," Qin Luo said firmly. He detested being forced into things, and so he offered the same advice to her.

Wenren Muyue raised her gaze to look at him. Bathed in the warm, orange glow of the bedside lamp, her usually cold and peerless face appeared somewhat gentle and endearing. She raised a hand to brush aside a stray lock of hair resting on her forehead and said in a calm voice, "You are unburdened and free, but I must look after the Wenren family."

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Qin Luo let out a soft sigh and said, "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Leaving such a massive Wenren family on the shoulders of a single woman is truly unreasonable."

"This position is something I fought for myself. I can blame no one else," Wenren Muyue said candidly.

Innumerable people within the Wenren family coveted the position she currently held. However, she would never give those pretenders a chance.

Only by sitting in this position could she feel safe. Only then would she have the capacity to protect her younger brother.

"Why did you want me to accompany you to that banquet in the first place?" Qin Luo asked.

"Because you used to be my fiancé," Wenren Muyue replied. "I could use that as a pretext to refuse people whom it would otherwise be difficult to turn down."

"Am I really that useful?" Qin Luo asked, surprised to find that he made such a suitable shield.

"Yes," Wenren Muyue answered with certainty. "If I had chosen any other man, it wouldn't have fooled them. But with you—they know of your existence. That is also why Qin Zongheng sought you out."

"You knew he came looking for me?" Qin Luo asked with a smile.

"I knew."

"You must have foreseen this possibility when you rejected him, didn't you?" Qin Luo stared directly into her eyes and pressed further.

"Correct." Wenren Muyue met his gaze without the slightest intention of dodging.

"Am I nothing more than a chess piece to you?" Qin Luo asked with a cold smile.

"No."

"Not even that?"

"No. Because I never thought of you that way," Wenren Muyue explained—a rare concession for her. If anyone else had asked her such a question, she wouldn't even have bothered to glance at them.

"It was simply the inevitable progression of events. I knew that seeking you out would undoubtedly draw Qin Zongheng's attention. But I couldn't let that stop me from approaching you. After all, in my judgment, you were the most suitable candidate."

Seeing the sincerity in Wenren Muyue's eyes, Qin Luo sighed and said, "I don't provoke others, but that doesn't mean others won't provoke me. Sometimes, no matter how much you try to avoid trouble, it finds its way to your doorstep anyway. By the way, I suddenly remembered—I don't have classes tomorrow afternoon, and my evening is completely free."

Wenren Muyue paused for a moment, then said, "You should rest properly. I don't want you dragged into this."

"It's fine. It's just going out for a meal. Qin Zongheng invited me last time, but I felt that showing up with just a tiny gift while expecting a massive red envelope in return was a bit much, so I declined. If you're willing to deliver the red envelope on my behalf, I wouldn't mind tagging along with you for a stroll," Qin Luo said with a smile.

***

While Wang Jiujiu was sitting on the sofa watching television, Zhang Yiyi, with a facial mask plastered across her face, walked over carrying a platter of fruit. She dropped heavily onto the couch beside her daughter and said, "Darling, eat more fruit. It's good for your skin."

"You eat so much of it every day, and I've yet to see it make you look any better," Wang Jiujiu said, picking up a piece of apple with a toothpick and popping it into her mouth.

That was how this mother and daughter dynamic worked; if they didn't bicker for a few days, it felt like something vital was missing. Therefore, whenever Zhang Yiyi grew bored at home, she would deliberately call her daughter just to have a verbal spar.

"Hey, listen to you! Look at my skin—how old do you think I look?" Zhang Yiyi grew indignant. Wang Jiujiu had struck right at her sore spot.

"Forty or fifty, I suppose," Wang Jiujiu said, sparing her a glance.

"Bollocks! You're the one who's forty or fifty. With this skin of mine, I look at most twenty. People would even believe eighteen," Zhang Yiyi retorted.

"Hehe, sure, sure. People believe it? Only you believe it."

"Do you know what your mother's bust size was back in her prime? Only a B. And look now? This is the benefit of eating a papaya every day."

"Still a B."

"——You unfilial brat, are you asking for a spanking?" Zhang Yiyi flared up, pouncing on her daughter and reaching to tickle her ribs.

"Alright, alright! It's a D! It's a D! Happy now?" Wang Jiujiu hurriedly begged for mercy. She was most terrified of being tickled. No one knew a daughter better than her mother; every time, Zhang Yiyi struck straight at her fatal weakness.

Only then did Zhang Yiyi climb off her daughter with a look of satisfaction. "By the way, how come that young Qin from your place hasn't come over to visit lately? I've recently learned how to make a new soup. The next time he comes, I'll cook it myself."

"Thank goodness he didn't hear that. If he knew you learned a new soup, he wouldn't deign to show up even if you held a knife to his throat," Wang Jiujiu teased with a smile.

Her mother was renowned as a "Kitchen Terminator"; no matter how pristine the ingredients given to her, whatever she cooked invariably turned out capable of poisoning people.

"What do you mean by that? Was the soup I brewed last time really that bad?——I only added a little extra MSG," Zhang Yiyi said, looking deeply wounded. "Darling, I've noticed the two of you still don't seem very close. How is your relationship progressing lately?"

"It's alright," Wang Jiujiu murmured. Involuntarily, the image of that ethereal, fairy-like woman surfaced in her mind.

Who was she? And why had she come to see Teacher Qin?

Watching her daughter's thoughtful expression, Zhang Yiyi said, "If it's just 'alright', that means it's not good at all. Darling, if you like someone, you have to chase after them hard. There's no shame in that. Being reserved? What's there to be reserved about? What the hell is—bah bah bah, what her mother is reserved for? If a good man gets snatched away by someone else, what good is being reserved?"

"I know, I know," Wang Jiujiu said, covering her ears in frustration. Her mother was starting up again with her earth-shattering, mind-boggling philosophy of love.

"As long as you know. The daughter born to Zhang Yiyi only needs to crook her finger, and any man she wants will obediently deliver himself to her doorstep," Zhang Yiyi declared triumphantly.

She patted Wang Jiujiu's waist and said, "Darling, your waist is quite slim, too."

*What do you mean by "too"?"*

"Because my waist is also very slim," Zhang Yiyi said self-complacently, pinching her own petite waist.

"——"

"What kind of expression is that? What's with that look on your face?" Zhang Yiyi demanded, displeased. "Oh, by the way. Come home tomorrow night. Your mother is taking you to a banquet."