20 fish

As fast as the footsteps left, they returned again. Xu Wenqi was just outside the study door holding a full glass of warm milk. She drew in a deep breath and pushed open the door softly. Intently focusing on his work, Shen Yue didn't look at Xu Wenqi until she gently placed the drink next to his laptop. Turning his head, his incomprehensible gaze fixated heavily on her. Seeing his frigid face, she gulped and showed a harmless bunny smile.

"I-I just saw you working hard and wanted to cheer you on," announced Xu Wenqi apprehensively as she made an encouraging fist.

Without waiting for his response, she fled the study in an awkward manner with his eyes still trained on her slender back. Her figure came and went as she pleased. Did she really take this place as her home? It was a long, silent moment before he retracted his lingering gaze from the door and glanced at the milk gloomily. The temperature of the person's touch had remained on the glass.

She had tried to please him.

Again.

He didn't understand her behavior. Her repeated actions that seemed to "care" for him went out of the range of expectations he had set for her. It was nothing like the character he had investigated. The only reason he could come up for her behavior was that she was acting to cover her ill-intentions towards him. In his mind, there was no alternate possibility that she would otherwise try to gain his favor. Shen Yue had to admit she was a very good actress, being able to keep the charade for so long. The surging dark currents of turmoil settled in his cold eyes reflected the deep distrust he felt from the enigma that was her.

Shen Yue didn't touch the drink.

___

Xu Wenqi ran back to her room and flung herself on the bed. She buried her head in the quilt and kicked her feet in shame.

'Every time he looks at me, it really looks like he wants to cut me to pieces!' she cried inside. 'Big Brother, I'm trying to help you ah! But instead, you want to kill me?!'

After comforting herself for a while, she suddenly realized she hadn't given him the plant yet.

'Since he's not in his room at the moment, it's the perfect time to "plant" the gift in his room.'

After laughing sillily at her pun, she hurriedly took the plant out of the bag and grabbed a small sticky note from her drawer to scribble something. Soon, she capped the pen she was writing with. Smiling at the cute words, she walked with the plant and the attached note to the door. Looking furtively left and right of the hall, she quickly walked to Shen Yue's room and placed it on his nightstand. Xu Wenqi felt that her vision was really good as the tiny Calathea plant added vivacity to the monochrome room with its emerald color. Admiring for a while, she regained her mind and exited the room promptly.

___

After walking up the stairs, Butler Wang knocked on the study door to inform Shen Yue of his arrival and walked in crisply. The eye-catching sight of the glass of milk placed where Xu Wenqi had left it startled him for a moment, rendering him to forget what he was about to say next.

'No wonder the miss asked for milk earlier. It turned out to be for Shen Yue,' thought Butler Wang with a secret smile.

Another person caring about the master truly made Butler Wang relieved. If Xu Wenqi could accompany Shen Yue forever, he would be able to retire peacefully.

Feeling someone's gaze, Shen Yue turned his head away from his laptop to look at Butler Wang.

Butler Wang came back to reality and bowed respectfully, saying, "Master, dinner is ready."

Shen Yue replied with "En" before turning back his head to close his laptop.

He stood up from his swiveling chair and followed Butler Wang down. Xu Wenqi waited for Shen Yue to sit down before starting to eat. Learning her lesson from last time, she didn't dare try to place food in his bowl. Instead, she just said some kind words to him.

"You should really pay attention to your health…" she trailed off in a small voice as she looked carefully at his reaction.

Seeing no change on his face, she continued softly, "You have to eat more to keep up your energy and strengthen your stamina. You're always working even at home…"

Shen Yue couldn't hear the rest clearly. He only selectively listened to the word "stamina" and remembered what she had said at the store. He tightened his grip on his chopsticks and suddenly interrupted her.

Through gritted teeth, he said forcefully, "According to someone, I thought my stamina was 'amazing.'"

Xu Wenqi looked blank and replied, "Ah? What? Who told you that? Even if your stamina is good now, it may not be good as you get older…"

Shen Yue's face turned very ugly with her words.

"No, my stamina will always be very 'good' just like my skills," he emphasized.

She looked slightly confused and tilted her head with innocent deer eyes as she refuted, "But, that's not true. As people age, they get weaker and they lose all their working ability. Even if they have good skills now, it doesn't mean they will have them in the future. That's why you should take care of yourself now..."

Shen Yue felt his blood pressure spiking with her use of the word "weaker." It was clear that she had misunderstood but he couldn't back down. His pride was on the line.

"I'm. Very. Big." he replied angrily with both of his hands folded into tight balls.

"Ah? Of course, you're big enough to take care of yourself…"

She hesitated before saying the next sentence in a tiny whisper.

"But I want to help you..." she said in a gentle tone.

Shen Yue only restrained his anger to look at her contemptuously.

'Hey, what's with this look?' questioned Xu Wenqi. 'Does he hate me that much?'

Facts have proven her judgment right. Shen Yue was indeed looking down at her intelligence.

'Is she a fish? No wonder she inherited the memory of one. It's really stupid,' thought Shen Yue disdainfully.

The rest of the meal ended in silence.

unimportant note:

nvm the results didn't come out today

i actually don't know when the results would come out ╥﹏╥ i thought it was today

also i cant wait to write the next chap it's going to be very :0 unless i change my mind haha