Chapter 009: If You Don't Eat, You Feed

Xu Chaomu rubbed against his body, her big eyes fixated unwaveringly on his face, thinking how even in anger, he was so good-looking that she couldn't help… wanting to kiss him!

Just as she was about to extend her "poisonous claws" toward him, Shen Chi pushed her away with a "smack", and Xu Chaomu tumbled to the ground!

"Shen Chi, that's a low blow!" Xu Chaomu fumed indignantly.

Shen Chi knew that dealing with the likes of this girl, one had to resort to brute force!

"That's right, I'm playing dirty, what can you do about it?" Shen Chi looked down condescendingly at Xu Chaomu prostrated on the ground.

"Shen Chi, you're shameless! Are you even a man!" Xu Chaomu's heart roared with a thousand alpacas.

"If I'm not a man, are you?" Shen Chi raised an eyebrow.

"You... I won't stoop to your level, there will be other days, just you wait, if you dare not run away!"

"You'd better not cry in front of me!" Shen Chi said coldly.

Xu Chaomu was startled, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes, "It's just the sand, it's gotten in my eyes!"

"If you want to cry, cry your fill today! If I see you cry again in the future, you can just get out of the Shen Family!"

Shen Chi threw a big pack of tissues in front of Xu Chaomu, who was so frightened that she swallowed back her tears.

"Take your medicine and get back in bed!"

Shen Chi threw the medicine onto her, and Xu Chaomu, not daring to breathe heavily, obediently crawled back onto the bed, covering herself with the blanket, and lied down again.

No one had told her that Shen Chi could be this terrifying when he was angry.

However... huh, all reactionaries are but paper tigers. Once she recovered, she would see who was more formidable.

After Xu Chaomu got back into bed, Shen Chi left.

Seeing him gone, Xu Chaomu picked up the tablet; such bitter medicine, only a fool would take it, and she was no fool.

She hid the medicine and, feeling triumphantly proud, continued to lie down.

But as soon as she thought of the nightmare she'd had, a wave of discomfort surged in her heart. She really, really missed her mother…

Her nose tingled, and she began to sob softly.

Then the sobbing slowly grew louder and uncontrollable.

Downstairs in the living room, Shen Cexian had breakfast and left for the group. When Shen Chi came down, only his mother was sitting by the dining table, slicing bread with an air of calm detachment.

"Achi, sit." Zhou Ran passed him a glass of milk.

"Dad's gone?" Shen Chi sat opposite Zhou Ran.

"He left early." Zhou Ran was nonchalant, "I heard Chaomu has a fever?"

"Hmm, the doctor came and said it's no big issue; she's up and active."

"Oh, that's good." Not a ripple showed in Zhou Ran's eyes.

"Mom, forgive my impertinence, but when you brought Xu Chaomu back, it wasn't out of affection, was it?"

"I simply thought your father had too much money. Adopting a child was just a whim, nothing more." Zhou Ran's face remained expressionless.

"Really? There are so many more well-behaved and obedient kids than Xu Chaomu at the C City orphanage. You can't even count them on ten fingers, yet you specifically chose Xu Chaomu? I remember, you don't seem to like troublesome kids."

Zhou Ran still showed no expression, but a faint cold smile crossed her lips. Her entire demeanor was like a tranquil orchid in a secluded valley, imperturbable.

"You don't need to understand." Zhou Ran spoke indifferently.

"I just hope you don't inflict any unfairness on this orphaned child!"

"Fairness? I can be fair to anyone, but who has ever been fair to me?"

Sorrow and grievance flickered in Zhou Ran's eyes as she lowered her head and slowly spread strawberry jam over her bread.

Shen Chi said no more, silently continuing his breakfast.

"Achi, your eldest sister said she'll return to the country in a few days. It's been a while since you and your sister have seen each other," Zhou Ran said in her usual light tone.

"Yes, I know."

After finishing his breakfast, Shen Chi called the servants and picked out a piece of cheesecake and a glass of milk to be sent to Xu Chaomu.

Soaking her pillow with tears, Xu Chaomu was in her room; she hated crying, yet tears were such a bothersome thing—whenever she thought of her mother, they just wouldn't stop falling.

Just at that moment, the door was knocked on, and she hurriedly wiped away her tears.

The servant placed the breakfast on Xu Chaomu's table, "Miss Xu, here is your breakfast."

"Is it from Brother Shen Chi?" Xu Chaomu smiled.

"No, it's from the madam," the servant replied expressionlessly.

"Oh!" The sparkle in Xu Chaomu's eyes vanished instantly, and she retreated back under the covers.

The servant closed the door and left, coming and going in a hurry.

The breakfast, which was surely delicious and unlike anything she'd ever had before, now failed to tempt her appetite. She thought she must be feverish, lacking any desire to eat.

She stayed under the covers, her body burning hot, unable to do anything but throw the covers off.

After tossing and turning several times, exhausted by the struggle, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

When Shen Chi entered, he saw Xu Chaomu sprawled across the bed asleep, with tear streaks on her cheeks and the untouched meal on the table.

He frowned as he walked over, picked up the blanket from the floor, and threw it over her.

It was the first time he had ever tucked someone in; he must have owed her from a past life.

But his movements were too rough, and Xu Chaomu's eyes suddenly snapped open. She said with annoyance, "Brother Shen Chi, don't you know how to take care of a girl? I was finally asleep, and you woke me up."

Shen Chi's mouth twitched slightly, "Why didn't you eat your breakfast?"

"If I don't want to eat, I just don't want to eat. How many whys do you need, are you a walking 'why' encyclopedia?" Xu Chaomu murmured.

He said one thing, and she retorted with three!

"The medicine?"

"I took it," Xu Chaomu lied.

"Is that so?"

Shen Chi bent down, pushed away Xu Chaomu's pillow, and there, lying quietly underneath, were two white medicine tablets.

He picked up one and silently looked at Xu Chaomu.

Xu Chaomu felt so unnerved by his gaze that she quickly scooted away.

"Xu Chaomu, you don't even have the skill to lie convincingly; how dare you lie?" Shen Chi scoffed.

"Brother Shen Chi, I was wrong, I know I was wrong!" Xu Chaomu wiped at her eye, though she actually touched nothing.

"What exactly did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have hidden it under the pillow; I should have thrown it out the window..." Xu Chaomu continued to lower her head "wiping tears."

"I see you are unrepentant. Come here and swallow it yourself!" Shen Chi commanded.

"I won't swallow it; you feed me!" Xu Chaomu persisted, ever provocative.

She refused to believe she couldn't outdo him, wondering whether his wisdom was an inch higher, or her cunning an ell taller.

Shen Chi let out a cold laugh, yanking her over brutally. One hand held her arm while the other aggressively pinched her chin and shoved the pill into her mouth.

The bitterness of the pill contorted Xu Chaomu's face into a myriad of colors, looking as if she had been injured.

Just as she was about to spit it out, Shen Chi said coldly, "Swallow it!"

Without water, how could she possibly swallow? Damn Shen Chi to hell!

"Will you dare to lie again next time?" Shen Chi observed her small face with a cold gaze.

With the pill in her mouth, Xu Chaomu shook her little head like a rattle-drum.

"There's one more. Shall I feed you?" Shen Chi held her jaw.

On the brink of tears from the bitterness, Xu Chaomu found herself unable to spit out the pill or swallow it.

She shook her head again, adamantly refusing.

Only then did Shen Chi let her go, sitting aside calmly watching her.

Xu Chaomu grabbed some boiled water from the table and gulped a few mouthfuls, finally swallowing the pill, though the bitter taste lingered in her mouth.

The man was too cruel; Xu Chaomu could only lament her own lack of prowess.