Amnesiac Queen Chapter 39-43

Chapter 39: Sweet — I want to sleep with Dr. Ji.

♕

Ji Zhe Yan's kiss was like saké—with its mild flavor, it was intoxicating despite its languidness.

Ye Zhen Zhen felt drunk.

She leaned into Ji Zhe Yan's chest, gasping for breath hurriedly. Ji Zhe Yan's breathing was also a bit out of sorts. He drew her deeper into his embrace, pressing his chin lightly against the top of her head. "Alright, go wash up and sleep early."

Ye Zhen Zhen nestled further into his embrace discontently. "I want to sleep with Dr. Ji."

Ji Zhe Yan's eyes darkened. He had already given her a warning, so how come…she was that rea.s.sured in herself?

"Don't be troublesome." Ji Zhe Yan pressed a kiss to her forehead as compensation. "I have a s.h.i.+ft tomorrow, and I won't return in the evening. So go downstairs to eat dinner." Once he said that, he added another line, feeling slightly uneasy, "You must eat."

Ye Zhen Zhen hugged his neck and lifted her head miserably. "If Dr. Ji is not there, I'm afraid to go to sleep by myself at night."

Ji Zhe Yan did not know whether to laugh or cry at her performance. "Ye Zhen Zhen, say, how old are you this year?"

"I lost my memory, so I don't remember." Ye Zhen Zhen looked at him undauntedly.

Ji Zhe Yan m.u.f.fled a laugh and patted her head. "Okay, get up and go to bed."

"No, I want to hug some more." She tightened her grip on Ji Zhe Yan before she even finished speaking. Seeing how she stuck to him like , Ji Zhe Yan indeed had no other methods. Letting her have her way would make her spoilt sooner or later, but he was also reluctant to push her away.

"Have you hugged me for long enough? I still have work tomorrow."

Ye Zhen Zhen pouted but released Ji Zhe Yan. She smacked a kiss onto his cheek and then stood up. "Good night, Dr. Ji."

Ji Zhe Yan watched her return to her room before silently laughing. He knew that she cared about him just as much as he cared about her.

This felt really good.

♕

The next day, Ji Zhe Yan glanced down at Ye Zhen Zhen, who was sleeping like a small pig, before he left. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to call her to eat breakfast. "Zhen Zhen, get up. Breakfast is ready."

Ye Zhen Zhen mumbled randomly to herself, her eyes still tightly closed.

Ji Zhe Yan smiled and poked her face. "Eat and then go back to sleep. Runny eggs are not tasty once they are cold."

"Okay…" Ye Zhen Zhen took the opportunity to nuzzle his hand, unwilling to open her eyes.

Seeing her dawdle in bed like a kitten, Ji Zhe Yan bent over and whispered into her ear, "If you don't get out of bed, I won't kiss you."

Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes flew open. "I'm up!"

Ji Zhe Yan smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm off to work. Remember to eat something tonight, got it?"

"Got it. Dr. Ji has to be obedient and eat too." She knew, however, that Dr. Ji would be too busy to eat.

"Mn." Ji Zhe Yan kissed her cheek again and got up to leave. After Ye Zhen Zhen washed her face and rinsed her mouth, she ran to the kitchen to eat breakfast. She planned to discuss the contract with Zhou Wen today. If she could not work part-time, then she could only set aside the notion of earning money.

After was.h.i.+ng the dishes, Ye Zhen Zhen nestled into the sofa and called Zhou Wen's number. She told her Dr. Ji's suggestion, to which Zhou Wen muttered to herself for a long while in contemplation. She then replied, "Your circ.u.mstances are relatively unusual. I can allow you to work part-time, but there is no basic salary for part-timers. Your designs be designated a base fee, and you will not receive a commission percentage, regardless of the sales volume of your designed clothes."

"I understand." In fact, Zhou Wen was also taking risks with buying her designs, because if the clothes did not sell, the one undertaking the loss would be her. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"You're too polite." Zhou Wen laughed. "We're releasing our final summer designs this August, so draft some summer clothing designs to submit by the end of the month. We're beginning to prepare for fall clothing in July as well."

"Okay, I got it."

"Next time when you give me the designs, I'll give you another contract."

"Alright, I'll go draw then!"

Zhou Wen laughed again and said, "Then best of luck; I look forward to your designs."

After talking with Zhou Wen over the phone, Ye Zhen Zhen returned to her room to begin drawing. She spent the entire day sitting in front of the table, only leaving at noon to eat lunch.

Looking at the time, six o'clock, she remembered Dr. Ji's nth reminder to eat dinner. Ye Zhen Zhen estimated that it cost ten yuan to go downstairs and buy a bowl of wonton.

When she reached the door of the apartment, however, she changed her mind. She opened the refrigerator to look inside and saw a lot of ingredients. She didn't know what to make though. Flipping through the cookbooks Zhou Wen had given her previously, Ye Zhen Zhen thought that today was a good chance to practice!

She ruminated over the recipes in the cookbook before finally deciding on having her debut to be her making curry. Ye Zhen Zhen rummaged through the refrigerator for a carrot and two potatoes. She searched and searched, until at last she found a block of curry.

Her knife work was poor, with her speed being particularly slow. By the time she finished chopping up the carrot and potatoes, nearly half an hour had pa.s.sed. Fortunately, there were already pre-diced chicken; otherwise, by the time she cut that up, the sky would have already darkened.

According to the recipe, the chicken, carrots, and potatoes should be cooked together first. Ye Zhen Zhen tossed in five blocks of curry once they were more or less cooked.

When she tossed in the curry blocks, a rich aroma of spices wafted out, rapidly spreading throughout the kitchen.

She happily opened up the cookbook and saw that the last step—was to pour curry over the rice. Ye Zhen Zhen kept searching through the recipe. Rice…what rice?

This d.a.m.n cookbook, why didn't it tell her she needed to cook this in the first step?!

She scowled miserably as she began to rinse the rice. She reckoned that once the rice was cooked, the curry would have cooled, meaning she would have to warm it up again later.

Once the rice was cooked, Ye Zhen Zhen didn't immediately pour the curry on top and instead scooped up a bit to taste test. Her taste preferences were rather intense, so she felt that the flavor was just right. Dr. Ji, however, had lighter tastes than her, so wouldn't he feel that this curry was too heavy?

Ye Zhen Zhen hesitated before deciding to just accept this outcome. After mixing it with the rice, it should be fine. She got out an insulated lunch box and placed some rice inside. She then carefully poured in the curry. Since her rice measurement skills were not good, she had made too much rice. Ye Zhen Zhen glanced at the white rice left in the rice cooker and thought that she could probably use it tomorrow to practice cooking fried rice.

She quickly ate dinner and didn't even bother was.h.i.+ng her bowl, instead leaving the apartment immediately with the lunchbox. Mn, although it was already past dinnertime and too early to be considered a midnight snack, she still decided to deliver it to Dr. Ji.

When she arrived at the hospital, it was already half past eight. She stood outside the entrance and dialed Dr. Ji's number. Ji Zhe Yan had just exited the patients' ward. There were quite a lot of patients today, so he still hadn't eaten dinner. While he walked through the corridors, he couldn't help but smile as he thought about how he had been told by Ye Zhen Zhen to be obedient and eat earlier.

Just as he thought of this, Ye Zhen Zhen's call came.

"Dr. Ji, I made curry rice! Did you eat yet?! I came to look for you!" Ye Zhen Zhen sounded very excited, with even some pride clinging to her voice. For a moment, it made Ji Zhe Yan think that instead of making curry rice, she scored first on an exam.

He smiled and asked, "Where are you?"

"At the hospital entrance. Should I go to your office?"

"Alright." Ji Zhe Yan hung up and headed to his office. Ye Zhen Zhen arrived quickly, and not long after Ji Zhe Yan sat down, he heard her knock on the door.

"Dr. Ji," Ye Zhen Zhen called out to him from her position by the doorway. Ji Zhe Yan beckoned her over and had her sit down next to him.

Ye Zhen Zhen presented the lunchbox as if it was some valuable treasure. Because she was afraid that it would cool, Ye Zhen Zhen had ran the entire way over to the hospital. Luckily, the lunchbox was indeed insulated, as when Ji Zhe Yan opened the container, the contents were still steaming. Ye Zhen Zhen sighed in relief. "I already tried it, and it tastes pretty good! Try some!"

Ji Zhe Yan smiled and pierced a carrot slice, examining it. "A very, ugly carrot."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

Ji Zhe Yan set the lopsided carrot back onto the rice after he said this. Dipping it the curry, he then brought it back up to eat. "Mn, it tastes alright."

Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes brightened. Unfortunately, her smile had no time to burst forth, as she then heard Ji Zhe Yan say, "Next time, just buy curry from this brand."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

Do you think the curry cubes just jump into the pot on their own?!

Ji Zhe Yan saw her accusing look and couldn't stop himself from smiling any longer. "Okay, I'll stop teasing you. Your cooking tastes good."

Ye Zhen Zhen was finally happy. Although she knew the taste primarily depended on the curry blocks itself, she liked hearing Ji Zhe Yan praise her.

She stared at Ji Zhe Yan with a sweet smile, causing him to pause and lower his head to murmur against her lips, "Don't smile at me like that. I'll want to kiss you."

Ye Zhen Zhen smiled even sweeter after his words.

Ji Zhe Yan helplessly spooned some more curry rice and brought it up to her mouth. "Open up."

Ye Zhen Zhen obediently opened her mouth, and Ji Zhe Yan slipped the spoon inside. After Ye Zhen Zhen swallowed the spoonful of curry rice, she tugged at Ji Zhe Yan's arm and said, "Dr. Ji, it's strange; it's tastier than when I ate it earlier at home."

Ji Zhe Yan brushed his lips against her forehead. "The rice cooled a bit."

"Oh." Ye Zhen Zhen released his arm and obediently sat to the side, no longer disturbing his meal. The office was peaceful, and a glance outside the window revealed a pitch-black sky. Ye Zhen Zhen propped her chin up and appreciated the sight of Ji Zhe Yan eating with single-hearted devotion. Oh, Dr. Ji was so handsome, even when eating!

Ji Zhe Yan felt helpless under her gaze. "What are you looking at?"

Ye Zhen Zhen giggled. "Dr. Ji, you're really handsome. Ah, especially your hands; your fingers are so long. Did you play the piano before?"

The subject deviated a bit, but Ji Zhe Yan finished his last spoonful and closed the lunchbox. "For a while in my youth."

"Ah! You actually did!" Ye Zhen Zhen imagined Ji Zhe Yan playing the piano; it would definitely be a very enchanting scene. "Dr. Ji, will you play the piano for me sometime?"

Dr. Ji thought for a moment and said, "Alright, if an opportunity comes, I'll play for you."

"Great!" Ye Zhen Zhen giggled again, but inwardly, she was secretly contemplating how many designs she needed to create to buy Dr. Ji a piano.

Having no money truly…made dating difficult!

《  ♕ ♕  》

Chapter 40: A Chance Encounter — Truly a coincidence…

♕

Unknowingly, it was already the end of June. Ye Zhen Zhen had simply entered a berserk state during this month in order to raise money to buy Dr. Ji a piano. Ji Zhe Yan glanced at the clock, whose clock hand nearly at the numeral twelve, and then back at Ye Zhen Zhen's room with its lit lamp. His brows wrinkled in displeasure. "Ye Zhen Zhen, go to bed right now."

"Alright." Ye Zhen Zhen agreed but still did not put down her pen nor did her movements slow down even the tiniest bit. Ji Zhe Yan's brows furrowed deeper and directly went to the fuse box. Pa— He shut off the power.

Ye Zhen Zhen, who was now trapped in darkness: "…"

She groped around for her desk lamp, still not listening to Ji Zhe Yan. When she turned around, however, she saw said man standing behind her, a dark look in his eyes. She only had the courage to swallow and climb into bed immediately. "Good night, Dr. Ji, goodnight! Aha, I said goodnight!"1

Ji Zhe Yan: "…"

He used the dim lighting to find Ye Zhen Zhen's head and ruffled her hair messily, ruining her hairstyle. He then shut off the lamp and walked out of her room. Ye Zhen Zhen yelled at his back as if her life depended on it, "Goodnight, Dr. Ji!"

Once she heard the door close, Ye Zhen Zhen calmed down. This past half month, she had neglected sleep and food in order to draw, but her achievements have been pitiful. She had only drawn a single new summer design and three autumn ones. Not to mention a piano, even an electronic keyboard was out of reach.

"Ai." Ye Zhen Zhen sighed miserably into her blanket. Time-wise, the end of semester exam season should have just started. She could not go take the exams for Ye Zhen Zhen, yet she still felt a bit mentally uneasy. Though, even if she wanted to go, it was not certain she would even pa.s.s; this thought comforted her several times.

At least, she would preserve Ye Zhen Zhen's top student rank by not taking the exams.

She blinked and decided to listen to Dr. Ji's instructions about going to sleep. Tomorrow, she would amend her designs before seeing Zhou Wen.

Perhaps because she was extremely tired, Ye Zhen Zhen slept in till half past ten. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, wondering, Dr. Ji has the day off, so why didn't he wake me up? He normally didn't allow her to sleep in.

After going through her simple morning routine. Ye Zhen Zhen left the room and was. .h.i.t by a strong aroma of curry pervading throughout the entire living room.

"Don't tell me you don't know you are mentally ill?"

Ji Zhe Yan's voice suddenly rang out from behind her, causing Ye Zhen Zhen to look in every direction of the living room. She found him sitting on the sofa, talking on the phone.

"Regardless of whether I'm a doctor, I cannot change the fact that you are a patient."

Ye Zhen Zhen blinked. No matter who was on the other side of the call, please allow her to observe a moment of silence on his behalf. She trod softly and quietly to the sofa and took a seat, openly eavesdropping.

"I have not told her about your condition; I'm letting your primary doctor tell her."

"Naturally I trust her; at least, she graduated medical school while you are merely someone suffering from mental illness. No, I am not discriminating against the mentally ill, but I am discriminating against you."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

As a fellow patient, she suddenly felt that her past self was very blessed.

She still had not fixed her expression by the time Ji Zhe Yan set down his phone. She was convinced that the other person had lost their patience and hung up.

"Dr. Ji," Ye Zhen Zhen called out cutely. She had not seen Dr. Ji's poisonous tongue in quite a while, so she was more obedient to be safe.

When Ji Zhe Yan saw her beside him with a fawning appearance, he unconsciously smiled a bit. "The small lazy pig finally got out of bed." Ye Zhen Zhen became a bit embarra.s.sed at his words, causing Ji Zhe Yan to press a kiss to her pink cheeks—his mood excellent now. "Are you hungry? I made curry chicken. You can eat a little  to pad your stomach."

"Thanks, Dr. Ji!" Ye Zhen Zhen looped her arms around his neck and plopped a kiss onto his lips. She then cheerfully ran off to the kitchen. Once she demolished a chicken wing, Ye Zhen Zhen finally found the time to ask, "Dr. Ji, who were you just talking on the phone with?"

Ji Zhe Yan stopped prepping some ingredients and replied, "A patient."

"Is his illness severe?"

Ji Zhe Yan thought for a moment and then set down his kitchen knife. "He once acted in movies. For one role, his character had the ability to fly. When he joined the show, he really thought he could fly and jumped off the balcony."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

This was not a mentally ill person; wasn't this simply just a r.e.t.a.r.d?

She grimaced and asked in concern, "Is he okay?"

Ji Zhe Yan picked up his knife again and resumed his food preparation. "Fortunately, the balcony was not high up, and only his lower fibula fractured."

"Oh." Actors didn't have it easy either. She nibbled her second chicken wing while lamenting this. "Dr. Ji, you treated a celebrity?"

"Celebrities usually have their own private doctors, but this patient was more familiar with me…"

"Oh." Ye Zhen Zhen was just finis.h.i.+ng up with this chicken wing, so she didn't hear the evasiveness in Ji Zhe Yan's voice.

Seeing Ye Zhen Zhen hold onto the chicken wing, Ji Zhe Yan finally could not help but pat her hand. "Alright, save the rest to eat later."

Ye Zhen Zhen flattened her lips but embarra.s.sedly went to go wash her hands. She couldn't help Ji Zhe Yan with cooking, so she sent Zhou Wen a text to setup a meeting tomorrow.

That afternoon, Dr. Ji tutored her in English s, during which Ye Zhen Zhen shamelessly took advantage of to an unreasonable degree. Yet, she couldn't turn her English lessons into a movie emulation lesson, causing her to suffer greatly.

"Ye Zhen Zhen, you've been thinking for five minutes. Which tense have you finally decided upon using?"

Seeing Dr. Ji's brows once again furrow together, Ye Zhen Zhen subconsciously straightened up. "Dr. Ji, if I answer correctly, will I get a reward?"

Ji Zhe Yan smiled shallowly. "What do you want as a reward?"

Ye Zhen Zhen adopted a thinking pose. "Oh, can I kiss you?"

Ji Zhe Yan's smile did not waver. "If you reply incorrectly, what should your penalty be?"

"Then you kiss me!" She truly was very quick-witted.

Ji Zhe Yan stared at her. "I want to p.r.i.c.k you with a needle instead."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

"Alright, choose quickly."

…He was simply trying to hound her to death. Ye Zhen Zhen bowed her head to stare at the four multiple choice answers and randomly chose 『C』.

So what if he gave her a shot?! Who cared?!  

"…Although I know you guessed randomly, congratulations—it's correct. It seems that you have previously studied how to guess answers, which is a subject you should consider majoring in." Ji Zhe Yan's penetrating voice made her feel both helpless and powerless to a profound degree.

Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes brightened instantly. She plopped herself into Ji Zhe Yan's lap of her own accord. "Then I can kiss you?"

Ji Zhe Yan stifled a laugh, causing his chest to tremble slightly. Ye Zhen Zhen took advantage of his bowed head to very quickly kiss the corner of his mouth. She looked like a cat proud of itself for cheating on its spouse. "Dr. Ji, if I answer everything correctly, can we sleep together tonight?"

Ji Zhe Yan: "…"

He stared at the person on his lap for a spell and said with a completely honest tone, "I suggest you alter the requirement. Otherwise, we'll never sleep together."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

She had scored a 33 on a past test, but that did not mean her IQ was only 33!

This fact about her IQ  was confirmed, in that she went to bed alone that night. Lying alone in her bed, Ye Zhen Zhen pondered about the painful experience. It seemed that if she did not study English well, she would not have a happy life.

Perhaps she…really should listen to Dr. Ji and change the requirement. Next time, it would be…being able to finish ten chicken wings in one sitting? How about fifteen?

Nestling in her chest the beautiful desire to sleep together with Dr. Ji, Ye Zhen Zhen fell asleep dazedly. In her dream, she saw with her very own eyes Dr. Ji strip, only for her alarm to drag her back to cruel reality.

Ye Zhen Zhen sighed in despair as she sat up, ruffling her hair before getting up resignedly to wash her face and rinse her mouth. Today, she planned to give the designs to Zhou Wen. They intentionally set up a meeting in the morning because Zhou Wen had something that afternoon, so Ye Zhen Zhen could not arrive late.

Dr. Ji had already left for work, so Ye Zhen Zhen grabbed her bag after she finished eating breakfast and also took her leave. Their meeting place was still Starlight Plaza, but because today was Sat.u.r.day, the streets were especially crowded. She ran into a traffic jam when she left. When Ye Zhen Zhen looked at the time, she saw that she only had five minutes left.

Even though Zhou Wen said she was also stuck in a traffic jam, Ye Zhen Zhen still ran the rest of the way to the cafe. Ding~ling~ling~ She opened the door at the exact same time someone else was exiting, causing her to run straight into them.

The other person's strength was greater than her own, so Ye Zhen Zhen ended up stumbling back a few steps and almost fell to the ground.

"Aaahhh, sorry!" A clear, male voice rang in her ear, seemingly panicked. The man had reached out to grab her arm, steadying Ye Zhen Zhen, but the designs she had been clutching close to her chest had all fallen to the ground.

She was still wondering why this voice sounded a bit familiar, while the man had already crouched down to help pick up her fallen designs.

"I'm really sorr…"  The apology came to an abrupt stop, with an exclamation of awe replacing it almost immediately. "You designed these clothes?"

The man looked up. Their gazes met, and the two of them fell silent. The scene was strangely peaceful, though the waiter who rushed over to lend a hand was awkwardly standing there at a complete loss.

With one earbud dangling down, a pair of large, puppy-like eyes, and this familiar voice… Ye Zhen Zhen had not antic.i.p.ated ever running into Xi Cao gege again one day.

She felt that today's calendar had probably suggested that she should not leave the house.

"Ye, Ye Zhen Zhen, it's you…" Xi Cao gege stood up from the ground and handed over the tidied stack of designs back to Ye Zhen Zhen.

Ye Zhen Zhen had to admit that hearing the name 'Ye Zhen Zhen' was somewhat ear-piercing. Although she did not feel like this at all with Ji Zhe Yan, it unexpectedly made her feel a bit uneasy when other people called her this.

"I didn't expect to run into you here, truly a coincidence…" Upon seeing Ye Zhen Zhen remain silent, Xi Cao gege could only smile awkwardly.

Ye Zhen Zhen took the offered design drafts, also feeling awkward. Last time, she had given Pei Cui Cui's number to him. She had thought that the next time she saw him, he would angrily demand for her own…

In any case, she decided to first apologize, except she could not string her words together. He stepped closer and spoke up first, "Oh, that's right, those clothes just now, you designed them?"

Ye Zhen Zhen saw his brilliant, s.h.i.+ning expression and dumbly nodded. "Mn, yes…"

"Amazing!" Xi Cao gege grabbed her arm again and excitedly asked, "Can you come and be our designer?"

♕

Author's Note:

I'm sorry, I haven't posted in two days QAQ

I will make up for the missed updates. I originally wanted to do it today, but there doesn't seem to be enough time _(:з」∠)_

I can only post two today and two tomorrow QAQ

There'll be another one later. I love you all, muah~! qwq

《  ♕ ♕  》

Italics denote YZZ speaking in English.

Chapter 41: Team — So, your team's name is Fruit Ninja?

♕

"Designer?" Ye Zhen Zhen repeated this word uncertainly as she looked at Xi Cao gege with her doe eyes full of confusion.

"Mn!" Xi Cao gege nodded firmly, a look of extreme joy on his face. "Oh, that's right, I should introduce you to a few people." As if he recalled something, he tugged Ye Zhen Zhen into the cafe. Ye Zhen Zhen seized the opportunity to look around the store. Zhou Wen had yet to arrive, so she allowed him to pull her toward a window seat.

There were two others sitting at the table, a guy and a girl—neither of whom Ye Zhen Zhen recognized. The girl was single-mindedly devoted to eating her ice cream. Her hair was braided into two plaits that were pinned together with a cute rhinestone hair clip that dazzled and shone brightly in the sunlight. The guy was resting his chin in his palm and staring out the window, but as if sensing someone approach, he turned his head to look at them. He wore black-framed gla.s.ses and looked bored, yet upon seeing Ye Zhen Zhen, a puzzled look crossed his face.

"Let me introduce you guys. This is a designer I found, Ye Zhen Zhen." Xi Cao gege tugged Ye Zhen Zhen up, a look of pride on his face.

The guy expressionlessly looked at him, while the girl excitedly stood up upon seeing Ye Zhen Zhen. "Wow, you're so cute!"

Cute…Ye Zhen Zhen pursed her lips. If they were talking about being cute, then this girl with the plaited hair before her was really cute, like a doll. Ye Zhen Zhen suspected that even her eyes were fake.

Later on, she learned that this girl was wearing cosmetic contacts.

Ye Zhen Zhen withdrew her arm from Xi Cao gege's grip and smiled as she said, "I'm sorry, but can you please explain?" She was not really familiar with him and didn't even know his name.

"Ah, sorry, I'm really just too excited." Xi Cao gege smiled embarra.s.sedly and pulled out his remaining earbud. "The province is holding a model compet.i.tion. These two are students at our university's art inst.i.tute; they signed up to compete as well. However, we are lacking a designer."

Ye Zhen Zhen heard the word 'art inst.i.tute' and felt like cursing. Up until now, she had never understood why a university specializing in finance and economics had such an outlandish art inst.i.tute. She once visited their facility in curiosity. The students inside there…could only be said to have a very different style compared to the rest of the university's students.

"I just saw your designs and really like them, so I want to invite you to come be our designer." Xi Cao blinked his large eyes expectantly at her, making her want to reach out and pat his hair.

She restrained herself, however. "I'm sorry, but I might not be able to help you." Anyway, how was this related to Xi Cao gege? He was not an art inst.i.tute student.

After Xi Cao heard her refusal, his metaphysical tail immediately drooped. Nevertheless, he persevered in trying to convince her. "This compet.i.tion not only votes on the most outstanding model, it also votes on the most outstanding design. If you win the award in the province, you can earn 1.5 course credit!"

Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes flashed. If it had been her past self, 1.5 course credit would have been a very attractive reward, but now…

"I'm sorry, I'm really busy and can't help."

Ye Zhen Zhen turned to leave after she said this, but Xi Cao anxiously stared at her back and added in another bargaining chip. "First place also wins ten thousand yuan in prize money!"

Ye Zhen Zhen twirled around. "Let's talk specifics about the compet.i.tion rules."

Xi Cao: "…"

Was Ye Zhen Zhen currently short of money or something? He hadn't mentioned about how the ten thousand yuan was given to the entire team… At worst, he would just give her his share!

The next minute, Xi Cao outlined the compet.i.tion to her concisely and comprehensively. The compet.i.tion organized by the province had altogether seven universities in A City partic.i.p.ating in it, with their university simply being one of them. The preliminaries were held individually for each university, with the victorious team representing the entire university in the compet.i.tion. The city-level compet.i.tion would then submit two winners to enter the province-level compet.i.tion.

The ten thousand yuan prize money was the first place reward for the province-level compet.i.tion.

Ye Zhen Zhen immediately deflated a bit. Winning that ten thousand yuan prize money was going to be more difficult than the journey to the west.

"Right, I have not given you introductions." Xi Cao apologetically smiled at Ye Zhen Zhen before pointing at the girl with the plaited hair, saying, "This is our model, Gan Tian. You can just call her Tian Tian."

"h.e.l.lo, cutie." Gan Tian waved at Ye Zhen Zhen, her smile just as sweet as her name.

Xi Cao then pointed at the guy beside her. "This is Gan Tian's older brother, Gan Zhe."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

She absolutely did not believe someone would actually name their son 'sugarcane!'

Gan Zhe glanced at Xi Cao and then said to Ye Zhen Zhen, "I'm Gan Run Yang."

"h.e.l.lo." Ye Zhen Zhen nodded at him. This att.i.tude, neither cold nor indifferent, made her feel as if she was seeing Dr. Ji in his student days.

"Obviously, Gan Zhe suits you better." Xi Cao flashed a smile at Ye Zhen Zhen. "You can just call him Gan Zhe, we all do. He is both our team's leader and tailor, as well as a close childhood friend of mine."

Ye Zhen Zhen nodded, smiling but remaining silent. Xi Cao gege's face subtly reddened. "I don't need to introduce myself."

Ye Zhen Zhen earnestly said, "Please, you must give an introduction." She couldn't call him Xi Cao gege to his face, after all.

Across from them, Gan Tian snickered, while Xi Cao looked as if he suffered a blow. "I'm Ding Le Chen, though Gan Zhe calls me Cheng'zi."1

Ye Zhen Zhen mused, "So your team's name is Fruit Ninja?"

Pfft. Gan Tian laughed and glanced at Ye Zhen Zhen before eating her last spoonful of ice cream. Gan Run Yang continued staring out the window, lost in thought.

Ye Zhen Zhen touched her nose and asked Xi Cao, "What are you responsible for?"

"I'm in charge of…odd jobs…" Xi Cao's voice grew increasingly faint, as if he simply felt ashamed and unable to show his face at this point.

Ye Zhen Zhen didn't look down on him though. "So altogether, there's four of us?"

Xi Cao shook his head. "No, there's also the makeup artist, Mei Li. Yi? Where is Mei Li?"2

"He just sent a message saying he's lost. You had originally left to go find him." Gan Run Yang was still looking out the window as he spoke to Xi Cao with a voice as light as a feather.

"Aaahhh, I completely forgot!" Xi Cao stood up with a whoosh and dashed out of the cafe. Ye Zhen Zhen stared after his fl.u.s.tered figure, and thought  that Mei Li must be a very beautiful girl.3

When Mei Li stood in front of her, however, she discovered that Mei Li was a very beautiful…guy.

His hair was a chaotic mess. He wore a white t-s.h.i.+rt as well, which—combined with his drowsy-eyed appearance—made him look as if he had just been scooped out of a blanket coc.o.o.n.

"Why do you always make us meet up at a different place every time? I can never find you guys." Mei Li sat down next to Xi Cao and complained as he beat back a yawn.

Gan Run Yang glanced at him and said indifferently, "We meet at this cafe every single time, we're even sitting at the same table."

"Yi? Really?" Mei Li looked doubtfully around the cafe interior. "Did this place undergo renovations recently?"

Gan Run Yang didn't turn his head around and just ignored him. Xi Cao sidled close to whisper into Ye Zhen Zhen's ear, "Mei Li is really bad with directions, he'll wander off if no one is paying attention. We've become used to it. Also, he dislikes others saying he is a person with a poor sense of directions; he turns berserk."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

Would she really be able to rank first with this team? Would they really be able to win the ten thousand yuan prize money?

Ye Zhen Zhen inwardly shed tears.

"Ah, right, cutie, let me see your designs." Gan Tian winked at her and then fluttered her fake eyelashes exaggeratedly at her as if they were fans.

Gan Run Yang heard this and also turned to look at her. Ye Zhen Zhen hesitated before placing her four designs on the table.

"Wow, this skirt is so cute!" Gan Tian pointed at one of the skirt designs and excitedly looked at Gan Run Yang. "Brother, buy this for me, okay?"

Gan Run Yang ignored her directly and perused the designs on the table. He then asked Ye Zhen Zhen, "Who are you giving these designs to?"

"My friend, she runs an online clothing store."

"Mn." Gan Run Yang nodded and spoke no more.

Xi Cao moved closer to whisper into Ye Zhen Zhen's ear once more, "His lack of words indicate that he approves of you. If he had any complaints, he would ruthlessly criticize you, making you feel worthless."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

"In regards to the compet.i.tion, there's still a small part that Cheng'zi hasn't mentioned." Gan Run Yang suddenly spoke up. "The organizers require the competing teams to have three designs that are all of the same theme. For example, if you submit a qipao for the preliminary compet.i.tion, then the following two submissions for the compet.i.tions must also be a qipao design. Therefore, when you select the design theme, you have to be careful."

Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. "Have you guys thought of what theme to use?"

Gan Run Yang said, "We have a few themes prepared. In fact, we gathered today in order to choose one." He paused here and then continued, "However, after seeing your designs, I don't think we need to talk it over."

"Gan Zhe, you decided?" Not only was Xi Cao startled, so was the rest of them. They all stared at him in surprise.

Gan Run Yang nodded.

Gan Tian excitedly pressed further. "What is it?"

"Wedding dress."

The table fell silent for a moment before Gan Tian began cheering. "Awesome! The wedding dress theme won!" She had wanted to wear a wedding dress for a very long time.

Xi Cao felt disappointed. "Tian Tian fits the lolita theme better."

Mei Li smiled lazily. "After I help her with makeup, you won't think that any longer."

Gan Run Yang simply looked at Ye Zhen Zhen. "What do you think?"

Ye Zhen Zhen pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

This person was too ferocious.

Because, she had actually drawn wedding dress designs on the sly.

Probably because of her romantic relations.h.i.+p with Dr. Ji, her feminine heart had been overflowing recently. Although she was too shy to talk about marriage and such, she really was earnestly thinking about it.

If she could wear a wedding dress of her own design when she and Dr. Ji marry, then that would be the most perfect wedding.

Therefore, when she was designing these clothes, she was unknowingly influenced by these thoughts and had even cleverly embedded some wedding dress elements to the designs. She hadn't expected this guy to notice.

She sat there, hard-pressed. In his eyes, she probably looked like a love-struck fool.

"What do you think?" Gan Run Yan asked again, in the exact same tone as before.

"I think…that's excellent." Ye Zhen Zhen looked down upon feeling her face begin to burn.

"Yay!" Gan Tian cheered. "Cutie agrees too, so it pa.s.ses with a unanimous vote!"

Xi Cao: "…"

Could it be that he didn't have human rights?

The small bell above the doorway jingled. Ye Zhen Zhen turned to look; Zhou Wen had just arrived. She acknowledged her and then turned to say to the group, "I'm sorry, my friend is here. I need to go give her these designs to look over."

Gan Run Yang nodded and tidied up the designs to give to her. Just as Ye Zhen Zhen stood up, Xi Cao called out for her to stop. "Wait a minute, leave your contact details!" Once he said this, he seemed to recall something and lowered his eyes. "This time, don't leave the number of some hideously messy person."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

At this moment, far away in the her dormitory, Pei Cui Cui sneezed loudly.

♕

Author's Note:

I changed a name and then website claimed it, am feeling crushed QAQ

Therefore, I plan for Xi Cao to make Dr. Ji feel crushed

Especially expressing thanks to sponsors~

Cheng'zi = Orange These nicknames have me cracking up; to recap, Gan Tian = Sweet; Gan Zhe = Sugarcane; Cheng'zi = Orange; Mei Li = Beautiful Note that p.r.o.nouns in Chinese (He/She/It) all sound exactly the same, so even though the others are addressing Mei Li as male, Ye Zhen Zhen is interpreting their words as Mei Li being a girl, hehe.

Chapter 42: Hehe — Dividing them up over ten years, one per year

♕

Ye Zhen Zhen left behind her actual phone number and then walked over to sit down across from Zhou Wen.

"Are those your friends?" Zhou Wen asked, a bit surprised. They all dressed like university students, so they should be her cla.s.smates. She had never seen anyone be that close to Ye Zhen Zhen before though. Thinking of this, Zhou Wen frowned in annoyance. It seemed that she still considered the person in front of her to be Ye Zhen Zhen.

"They're students from the finance and economics department at university." Ye Zhen Zhen gave only a simple introduction before handing over the designs. "These are my new drawings; take a look."

"Alright." Seeing as she was unwilling to speak more, Zhou Wen didn't press further and simply took the offered drafts to look over. It had not even been a month since the last time Ye Zhen Zhen had given Zhou Wen sketches, yet her work showed clear improvement."

"These are beautiful."

Regardless of the pattern or color coordination, all of them were significantly better than the designs from last time. All the small details of the designs would cause others to be impressed. Ye Zhen Zhen's past self had merely drawn from her intuition, whereas the current clothing designs were clearly drawn with deliberation.

"Your progress is great, truly amazing" Zhou Wen was not stingy with her praise at all. She looked at the designs in her hand and gave a somewhat ambiguous smile. "Could this be the power of love?"

Ye Zhen Zhen felt her ears burn. She a.s.sumed Zhou Wen saw it as well and contemplated on what to say. "I have recently joined a design team." Although she had only attended three cla.s.ses, she had learned a lot of things.

She would not be unworthy of Dr. Ji's tuition.

Zhou Wen stared at her blankly. When she realized that Ye Zhen Zhen was explaining her own recent progress, she couldn't help but laugh. "Masters can lead one to learn the basics, but cultivation is solely up to the individual, especially in a creative industry like this. You can learn the techniques, but you can't learn inspiration." For an artwork to be good, it needed creativity first. Ye Zhen Zhen's talent was evident in her designs, and it was not something that could be acquired through studying.

This probably was what they meant when they say the patriarch bestowed food to eat.1

"I want all of these designs; name your price."

Ye Zhen Zhen was surprised. She thought the price would be according to the ¥500 set last time, so how come Zhou Wen wanted a new price quote? Zhou Wen saw that she remained silent and pondered for a moment before saying, "Will you accept ¥1000 for each design?"

Ye Zhen Zhen was stunned speechless again. Were her designs really that valuable?

"If you think that's too low…"

"No, no! I just didn't expect for you to offer such a high price…"

Zhou Wen laughed. "Actually, I'm profiting from you. These clothes will sell really well, but I'm not giving you commission."

Ye Zhen Zhen pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

Once Zhou Wen accepted the designs, she again paid Ye Zhen Zhen directly in cash like last time, all ¥4000. "Oh right, each quarter, we pick out the best-selling clothing and give an extra bonus of ¥1000 to the designer. Although you cannot receive a commission from your clothing designs, you will still be eligible for this quarterly vote."

"Really?" Ye Zhen Zhen seemed to see a large fan made of countless feathers beckoning her forward.

"Mn, this is the written contract; take a look. If there are no problems, you can sign it immediately." Zhou Wen handed over the part-time job contract, which Ye Zhen Zhen read through and felt there to be no issues. When she was about to sign it, however, she felt embarra.s.sed.

What name should she sign?!?! Must she sign it as Li Gou Dan?!

This name had already placed her on top of the pillar of disgrace! Every few days, Dr. Ji would whip her with it!

Zhou Wen also realized the issue and bowed her head in thought. She said, "If you can trust me, we can make an oral agreement. Everything according to the contract will be carried out; the business contract just won't be signed for the time being."

"Mn, no problem." Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. She originally just wanted a part-time job, so the only added benefit stated on the contract was the best-selling design bonus Zhou Wen had mentioned. Even if this wasn't given to her, she wouldn't suffer that great a loss.

Moreover, she believed Zhou Wen was a collaboration partner that she could trust.

Zhou Wen seemed to be very busy today, as she left hurriedly once the contract discussion was over. Ye Zhen Zhen finished the rest of her cup of coffee and glanced at the window seat. The Fruit Ninja table was empty now, the team having already left.

Ye Zhen Zhen paid her bill and then tucked away the ¥4000, feeling excited.

"Ye Zhen Zhen."

Just as she left the cafe, she heard someone call her from behind. Ye Zhen Zhen subconsciously pulled her bag closer to her. When she turned her head around, she saw that it was Xi Cao gege, which made her exhale slightly in relief. "You still haven't left?"

"Eh, mn…" Xi Cao gege's eyes flickered. He walked up to her. "Do you have anything to do later?"

"I'm heading home." As she had ¥4000 cash on hand, she did not feel safe. It seemed that she should ask Dr. Ji to help her set up a bank account sometime.

"Oh." Xi Cao gege's tone held a bit of disappointment. He walked around so that he was in front of her. "Why didn't you come to take the end of semester exams?"

Having such a wound be prodded at, Ye Zhen Zhen only wanted to convey her response via ellipsis.

Although the police had dug up Ye Zhen Zhen's corpse, they still hadn't declared her dead to the public; only those related to the case knew. Ye Zhen Zhen didn't want to mention this and instead asked, "How come you have so much free time when it's exam season?"

Xi Cao was startled. "Exams are already over. Summer vacation officially began yesterday."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

So it seemed that she had completely missed this term's exams.

"Oh, that's right. We have a studio on campus, so we'll be preparing for the compet.i.tion there. Remember to come," Xi Cao gege reminded her.

Ye Zhen Zhen nodded and replied, "Got it. Are you all planning to stay instead of returning home for summer vacation?"

"Ah, apart from Mei Li, we are all locals. Mei Li, he…probably can't find his way home." He had an especially hard time voicing that last line.

Ye Zhen Zhen's lips quirked. This guy had already surpa.s.sed being someone with a poor sense of direction and ascended to the philosophy category.

She was still ridiculing the guy in her mind when Xi Cao's phone rang. He fished the phone out of his pants' pocket, his brows furrowing after seeing the caller. "What's the matter with you?"

The person on the other end said something she could not hear, to which Xi Cao's brows furrowed even more. "I don't like eating tofu, so from now on, don't call me past midnight, at three o'clock, yelling at me to buy stinky tofu with you!"

He practically snarled those last few words.

Ye Zhen Zhen swallowed silently. That voice she heard on the other end sounded like Pei Cui Cui.

She watched as Xi Cao hung up, furious, and suddenly felt herself well up with sympathy for him. "I'm sorry…" She really hadn't expected Pei Cui Cui to call the guy at three in the morning to buy stinky tofu.

Xi Cao's expression s.h.i.+fted. He lowered his head and asked her, "At that time, why did you give me Pei Cui Cui's number?"

I…simply wanted to learn to be Lei Feng.2

Ye Zhen Zhen silently swallowed this thought of hers completely.

"Has she been calling you often?" Once again s.h.i.+fting the topic, Ye Zhen Zhen asked this while looking at the large dog in front of her.

At this, Xi Cao became a bit agitated. "At the very beginning, it was okay, but her face thickened even more later on. If I don't accept her calls, she'll rush over to the dormitory to call me out personally!"

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

Pei Cui Cui actually…alright.

"I truly have made things difficult for you." Ye Zhen Zhen wiped the corner of her eye. "I'll leave then. Goodbye."

Xi Cao gege didn't respond and simply watched Ye Zhen Zhen climb onto the bus, leaving him in the dust.

There definitely was something strange about this.

♕

Before Ye Zhen Zhen returned home, she went to the supermarket to buy a lot of ingredients, as she wanted to cook a banquet tonight.

She only intended to make two plates of spaghetti though.

As expected, banquets and such…it was better to wait for Dr. Ji to cook those.

Just as she sat down in a chair, she heard the door open. She ran over happily. "Dr. Ji, you're back?"

"Mn…" Ji Zhe Yan strangely avoided her gaze, only to hand her a bouquet of pink roses. "This is for you."

"Wow, such pretty flowers!" Ye Zhen Zhen threw herself forward at a slightly flushed Ji Zhe Yan, who promptly caught her.

"When I pa.s.sed by the flower shop, I saw these and thought they were pretty, so I bought them."

Ye Zhen Zhen blinked at the flowers in her hand before asking, "This doesn't happen to be something a female patient gave you, right?"

Ji Zhe Yan was startled. He then pinched her tender, pink-tinted face. "What nonsense."

Ye Zhen Zhen smiled. Only Dr. Ji would dismiss girls giving him flowers, but she liked that. She looped her arms around Ji Zhe Yan's neck and kissed him. "Thank you, Dr. Ji."

"Don't mention it." Ji Zhe Yan wrapped his arm around her waist and conveniently drew her deeper into a kiss.

During this time, Ye Zhen Zhen's vital capacity had improved greatly, but she was never Dr. Ji's match. She leaned into Ji Zhe Yan's chest, gasping for breath as she said, "Dr. Ji, I think I need to practice this every day."

Ji Zhe Yan's chest rumbled slightly. Chuckling, he dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "Didn't you say you're making a banquet? Where is it?"

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

As they sat eating pasta at the table, Ye Zhen Zhen could see faint laughter in Ji Zhe Yan's eyes. Alright, she also felt that her sliced tomatoes were a bit ugly, and her onions were sliced too big—but! But it wasn't that laughable!

"Next time, I won't cook for you!" Ye Zhen Zhen angrily twirled up pasta with her chopsticks and devoured them.

The laughter in Ji Zhe Yan's eyes intensified. He looked at Ye Zhen Zhen and asked, "Then I'll just cook for you, okay?"

"Then I want to eat ginger milk pudding, double skin milk, custard pudding, egg pudding, peach cake, matcha cake, sweet sago cream with coconut milk!" Ye Zhen Zhen recited a long list of items.

"How about adding a salad? It's calorie count is not high, plus its fresh and cool." Ji Zhe Yan smiled at her.

"So you're saying you will make them all!"

"Mn, dividing them up over ten years, one per year."

Ye Zhen Zhen: ".."

I'm ignoring you!

Not even a handful of minutes later, however, she couldn't help but talk to Dr. Ji. "Dr. Ji, today, I ran into…some cla.s.smates. They're partic.i.p.ating in a huge fas.h.i.+on compet.i.tion and invited me to design their clothes. It's being held by the province, and first place wins ten thousand yuan in prize money!"

Ji Zhe Yan nodded after listening to her report. "Mn, nice; this is a pretty good opportunity to improve yourself."

"I will do my best to seize that ten thousand yuan prize money!" Ye Zhen Zhen heroically shouted to the heavens.

Ji Zhe Yan stared at her and then shook his head, a smile on his face.

That night, after she cleaned the dishes, Ye Zhen Zhen immersed herself in drawing. If they had no designs, the team couldn't carry out any of their preparations. Ji Zhe Yan poured a gla.s.s of milk and was about to deliver it to her when a phone on the table suddenly began vibrating, its screen brightening.

Naturally, Ye Zhen Zhen had forgotten her phone on the table. Ji Zhe Yan originally intended to deliver it to her, but when she caught sight of the caller's name, he froze.

Xi Cao gege?

Why did this name sound familiar? He rifled through his memories for a moment, and then his lips quirked faintly.

Hehe.

♕

Author's Note:

Second update will be released around nine o'clock tonight!

《  ♕ ♕  》

Aka the heavens giving someone a natural gift for something Lei Feng (1940-1962), made into a model of altruism and dedication to the Party by propaganda from 1963 onwards

Chapter 43: Jealousy — Your relations.h.i.+p is really good.

♕

Bringing the phone to Ye Zhen Zhen's room, Ji Zhe Yan gently set the gla.s.s of warm milk on the table.

Ye Zhen Zhen lifted her head up and smiled at Ji Zhe Yan, saying, "Thanks, Dr. Ji."

Ji Zhe Yan curved his lips into a faint smile and then handed the phone over. "You have a text message."

"Oh!" Ye Zhen Zhen took her phone and turned on the screen. Xi Cao gege's text message was quietly resting on top.

Ye Zhen Zhen's smile stiffened, her hand frozen in place.

"Why don't you read it?" Ji Zhe Yan's voice was as soft as water, and with the elusive smile of his, such tenderness made…hearts tremble.

Ye Zhen Zhen set down the phone and gave a hollow laugh. "It shouldn't be anything important, so there's no rush."'

"He sent you a text so late at night; how can it not be important? You should read it first."

Ye Zhen Zhen's hand, which was on its way to grab the gla.s.s of milk, turned to pick up the phone instead. This time, if she did not read the message, she felt that she would only make matters worse by trying to hide it.

When Ye Zhen Zhen opened the message, she felt as if a desolate wind and chilling rain washed over her.

「I'm sorry for disturbing you so late in the evening. Are you asleep? You wouldn't happen to be still drawing, are you? Although Gan Zhe pressed on urgency, remember to get some rest. Go to sleep early. Good night. ^_^」  

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

She now felt really uneasy. Ji Zhe Yan was standing next to her, so he should be able to read every word from his angle. She carefully a.n.a.lyzed Xi Cao gege's message. It was actually very….normal…?…

Ji Zhe Yan chuckled softly, which caused Ye Zhen Zhen's heart to skip a beat. This feeling of being caught committing adultery…

"Are you not going to reply to him? He might be waiting."

Ye Zhen Zhen swallowed and said with a strained voice, "That's n-not necessary; I think he's definitely asleep. I don't want to disturb him."

"Oh." Ji Zhe Yan nodded and then said, "This person's name is very strange. His family name is Xi, and his first name is Cao, with the added suffix of gege?"

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

Why did she save his number under the name Xi Cao gege?! She should have saved it as the omnipotent 10086!1

"Is this the same Xi Cao you told me about, the one that has a puppy crush on you—that Xi Cao?"

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

G.o.d Ji, I have wronged. I'm begging you to speak normally, okay? QAQ

"Your relations.h.i.+p is really good."

Ye Zhen Zhen wanted to cry. "No, our relations.h.i.+p is not good at all!" Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. She desperately wanted to kneel down and hug Ji Zhe Yan's thigh. "He is the person doing odd jobs in the compet.i.tion team. We're not familiar with each other."

Ji Zhe Yan's eyes darkened. Hehe, no wonder she had ambiguously stated her teammates to be fellow cla.s.smates when mentioning the compet.i.tion team today. Without a guilty conscience, would she cover up something like this?

He pulled himself free of Ye Zhen Zhen's embrace and smiled indifferently as he said, "Ye Zhen Zhen, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, three days from now, and all days after for an entire year, I will not make breakfast for you."

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

She still had yet to return from her grieving state by the time Ji Zhe Yan picked up the milk from the table and left without turning back.

Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"

That gla.s.s of milk…she hadn't even drank a sip, ah!

When Ji Zhe Yan returned to his room, he drained the gla.s.s of milk in one gulp. The indescribable emotion welling up in his heart made him a bit jittery. He never knew he would loathe seeing Ye Zhen Zhen interact with another man this much, even if the other person was just a name.

…If Xi Cao gege was only a name.

He set down the gla.s.s and headed to the bathroom. He had barely restrained himself from throwing away the phone earlier, and all his patience had been exhausted. He wrinkled his brows as he stood in the shower, that message once again coming back to his mind.

What did such a familiar way of speaking to a female friend, even wis.h.i.+ng good night, mean? Furthermore, that silly smiley—it simply looked stupid instead of cute, no? If he acted like this toward everyone else, then his style was the problem! If he was only like this to Ye Zhen Zhen, then…hehe.

Ji Zhe Yan, in his heart, synchronized all his joints, vital organs, and acupuncture points.

Ye Zhen Zhen was no longer in the mood to continue drawing after Ji Zhe Yan left. At this time, her mood was not suited to drawing wedding dresses; it was more suited for drawing mourning clothes.

She miserably crawled into bed and covered herself with the blanket, dispirited internally.

… Starting tomorrow, would she really not have breakfast made for her?

Several kilometers away, Xi Cao gege rested his head on his desk, waiting…and gradually fell asleep, unable to stay up for Ye Zhen Zhen's reply.

♕

Early the next morning, Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes fluttered and flew open when she heard the door close. Last night, she had not been able to sleep well and was easily roused by the slight noise.

Dr. Ji left for work?

She sighed and sat up. She didn't know if Dr. Ji was still angry; if he ignored her later, what should she do?

She washed her face as usual and then ran to the dining room in her nightgown and slippers. On the table, there was a small gla.s.s of milk and some pieces of bread. Although it was simple and crude compared to past breakfasts, she knew Dr. Ji was reluctant to let her go hungry.

Even if it was just milk and bread, she was just as eager to eat it.

Once breakfast was dealt with, Ye Zhen Zhen went back to drawing, yet she couldn't find inspiration. She glanced at her phone and couldn't help but send Dr. Ji a text message. 「Dr. Ji, are you still angry? I really am innocent. QAQ」  

After she sent the message, it was like sinking a stone into the ocean—no response.

Ye Zhen Zhen set aside her phone sorrowfully. Dr. Ji really was angry with her. She looked at her draft designs of wedding dresses and could already make out a prototype. However, she could not put pen to paper at the moment.

Perhaps she should take a stroll to find inspiration?

Ye Zhen Zhen wrinkled her brows in thought and decided to go out to drive away her boredom. Ji Zhe Yan's apartment was in the downtown district, so Ye Zhen Zhen could just leave and window-shop. She pa.s.sed by a wedding dress store several times, yet she never could bring up enough courage to go inside by herself.

Ultimately, she went into a bookstore and bought some fas.h.i.+on magazines. She then went to the park to thumb through them. The dresses in the magazine were all common, everyday dresses; they were simply useless in helping her design wedding dresses, but perhaps she could still find inspiration. She had intentionally bought the latest 《TOMATO》 magazine, but from the first page to the last, she could not find that model called A'yao.

Ye Zhen Zhen was very disappointed. Even if she was pregnant, she could still model maternity dresses!

A sudden rainstorm broke her train of thought. In an instant, the sky had become as gloomy as Dr. Ji's expression from last night. Ye Zhen Zhen shook the raindrops off her hand and held the magazine above her head as she ran to the new slide, to escape the rain.

A child was already hiding beneath the slide, looking as much of a drowned rat as Ye Zhen Zhen.

The child tilted his head and suddenly greeted Ye Zhen Zhen. "Sister Jia Jia?" Ye Zhen Zhen wiped her hand across her forehead only to pause. She looked down at the little boy and asked somewhat hesitantly, "What did you call me?"

The little boy looked at her and then smiled, saying, "Aren't you Sister Jia Jia? I'm Dou Dou; you don't remember me?"

Ye Zhen Zhen stared at his missing front teeth and could not recall who he was. "You know me?"

The boy looked at her strangely. "Sister Jia Jia, how come you ran all the way over here? You never finished the portrait of me that you promised to give Little Dou Dou."

Ye Zhen Zhen's brows furrowed; her heart felt as if it was a taut bowstring. "You…"

"Dou Dou, found you!" Another little boy ran over with an umbrella and pointed at Dou Dou, who was hiding beneath the slide, as he said, "Next time, you should be the ghost!"

Dou Dou flattened his lips and turned to smile at Ye Zhen Zhen. "Bye, Sister Jia Jia!" He ran off after he said goodbye, yet Ye Zhen Zhen felt urgency in her heart and promptly gave chase.

Pu-tong—

Ye Zhen Zhen fell from the bench and rubbed her head, which ached terribly. She got up from her seated position on the ground.

She had actually fallen asleep in the park.

Surely it was because she didn't sleep well last night, that she had such a strange dream. Just as she thought this, the sky suddenly began to rain torrentially. Ye Zhen Zhen immediately looked like a drowned rat.

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at the nearby slide and hesitantly ran over.

There was no little boy hiding beneath. Ye Zhen Zhen unknowingly sighed in relief. The rain's power was fierce, such that people throughout the park were running all over the place to avoid the rain. The slide soon became crowded with people. Luckily, this downpour left as fast as it came. Ten minutes later, the sky was clear once more.

Ye Zhen Zhen held the magazine close to her as she left, her mind still focused on the dream she just had. When she got home, her clothes had already dried. Ye Zhen Zhen originally intended to take a shower, but she felt completely drained of energy. Furthermore, her head was still dizzy.

She sat down on the sofa and planned to rest for a bit before taking a shower. She didn't expect to dazedly fall asleep the moment she sat down.

Ji Zhe Yan returned to the sight of Ye Zhen Zhen asleep on the sofa. Although it was now summer, she would easily catch a cold sleeping like this. Ji Zhe Yan's brows furrowed. He walked over to the sofa. "Ye Zhen Zhen."

The person on the sofa did not react. Ji Zhe Yan raised his voice. "Ye Zhen Zhen, don't sleep here."

Ye Zhen Zhen still didn't react. Ji Zhe Yan bent down to carry her, but the moment his hand touched her skin, his hand instantly grasped her arm firmly. "Ye Zhen Zhen! Ye Zhen Zhen, wake up!"

Ye Zhen Zhen fuzzily heard Ji Zhe Yan call out to her and strained to open her heavy lids, only to see Ji Zhe Yan glaring down angrily at her. "Dr. Ji…" What did she do to make him so angry…

"Ye Zhen Zhen! Do you realize that you have a fever?!" The low growl resounding in her ear caused Ye Zhen Zhen to wake up instantly. So, she had a fever; no wonder she felt so unwell.

The temperature of her skin under his hand was simply scalding. Ji Zhe Yan recalled the sudden heavy rain that afternoon and tightly furrowed his brows. "Did you change clothes after running around in the rain or did you just go straight to sleep?"

"Ah…" It seemed like it, but Ye Zhen Zhen did not dare to admit it. "Dr. Ji, don't frighten others with such an expression. I think instead of having a fever, I have some incurable disease."

The hand on her arm suddenly tightened its grip even more. Ji Zhe Yan was on the verge of dying from anger due to her actions. "You're sick yet you are still in the mood to make jokes?"

Ye Zhen Zhen actually smiled. "It doesn't matter. I'm sick, and you just happen to be a doctor."

♕

Author's Note:

Second update QAQ

Although I know it's very late right now, I finally got her.

《  ♕ ♕  》

It is one of the most commonly used phone number in mainland China. Customers of China Mobile dial 10086 or send message to it for services.