“Hey! Come on, I was just kidding,” Shen Zhilie said. “At least finish your food!”

  He caught her by the hand and tugged at it anxiously. Ye Qianqian was hungry but just looking at Shen Zhilie’s face made her angry.

  She glared at him and demanded, “Release my hand! I refuse to eat anymore!”

  Shen Zhilie had no choice but to cajole her. He pleaded, “Your highness, please, for my sake, please eat a little.”

  When Ye Qianqian saw how he was wheedling, she harrumphed and said, “Your words were way over the line!”

  “Alright, it was my mistake,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been so forthcoming with the truth.”

  Ye Qianqian’s anger flared up again. She exclaimed, “What!”

  “Aye. Alright, alright. It was my bad. It was all my bad,” Shen Zhilie replied. “Eat up. Aren’t you hungry?”

  His expression was one of helplessness as he said, “Don’t switch on the air-conditioner. Once you’re done with your food, take your medicine and sleep a little longer.”

  “Do you think I’m a pig?” she asked.

  Shen Zhilie was dumbstruck and asked, “Are you going to eat or aren’t you?”

  Ye Qianqian was indeed hungry. When she heard that, she sat down and continued to eat.

  As the meal continued, she felt herself feeling increasing hotter. She turned to glance at Shen Zhilie and found that he wasn’t faring much better himself.

  She was ill, but he wasn’t. It was a hot day. She didn’t want him getting a heat stroke. She felt her conscience getting pricked.

  How could this guy be so stupid?

  She hadn’t even asked for him to accompany her at the table. Given that it was such a hot day, why was he torturing himself? It made her feel as if she were torturing a little kid.

  How am I to handle this?

  After some thought, Ye Qianqian finally asked, “Aren’t you feeling hot?”

  Shen Zhilie wiped the perspiration off his brow and replied, “What do you think?”

  “Switch on the air-conditioner,” Ye Qianqian said.

  “No. I’ll be making a trip back to the hospital later,” Shen Zhilie replied.

  “Isn’t it Saturday today? Do you have to work overtime?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Shen Zhilie finished the last mouthful of his porridge and said, “There’s a patient who just came back from overseas, so I have to make the trip.”

  “Oh.” Ye Qianqian gave a simple reply. She was feeling so hot.

  “The appointment was supposed to be in the morning, but you weren’t feeling well,” Shen Zhilie said. “I had to take you to the hospital. Therefore, the appointment with her had to be pushed to the afternoon.”

  His words were obviously out to claim some credit. Ye Qianqian wasn’t in a good mood. She harrumphed and chose to ignore him.

  Shen Zhilie wiped his mouth clean and said, “I’m off to the hospital now. You definitely mustn’t switch on the air-conditioner, and you have to bathe in hot water. Remember to take your medication. It’s at your bedside along with a bottle of spring water. Remember to take it.”

  “Enough, enough! Just get going!” Ye Qianqian impatiently waved him off.

  Shen Zhilie wasn’t in much of a hurry. He took his time taking a nice, cold shower before breezily heading out the door.

  Ye Qianqian washed the bowls. After wiping them dry, she placed them in the disinfecting cabinet.

  When she heard Shen Zhilie leaving the house, a strange feeling came over her. Shen Zhilie seemed to treat her pretty well. Although he occasionally nagged even more than a mother hen would, she could tell that his concern for her was genuine. Still, his tongue was seriously too sharp.

  Just as Ye Qianqian was cursing him in her head, she walked into the room and saw that spring water and medication by her bedside, just as Shen Zhilie had said.

  She took her medication and showered. She was beginning to feel fatigued. She laid on her bed. A thought suddenly occurred to her. She got up and gave her sister a call.

  Ye Youyou had been pretty busy the whole day. She was cooking when Ye Qianqian called.

  Li Jinnan was seated on the couch. When he saw Ye Qianqian’s name flash across the phone, he called out, “Your phone’s ringing! It’s Ye Qianqian!”

  “Answer it for me. Tell her that I’m busy at the moment.” As Ye Youyou spoke, she suddenly paused and asked, “When is your father coming? The food’s almost ready.”