Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Yu He flipped through the menu from front to back, not spotting a single spicy dish. Glancing at Li Jing’s expression, he started to suspect that Fu Yunzheng was bluffing him, hesitatingly saying, “But… there isn’t a single spicy dish on this menu.”

Fu Yunzheng's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, “I’ve been sick for a long time, and they won’t let me eat it.”

Yu He: “......”

All the attendants present: “......”

“Is it not allowed to eat spicy food when you're sick?” Yu He was somewhat skeptical. A lumbar spine injury is technically a physical trauma, so what does it have to do with eating spicy food?

From a young age, Fu Yunzheng knew that when one tells a lie, they need a hundred lies to cover it up.

Unfortunately, he had already reflexively told the first one. There was no turning back now; he could only continue to weave his web of deception.

Fu Yunzheng deflected blame wildly: “The doctors can’t cure my leg properly, so they resort to these trivial matters to seem more competent.”

Yu He believed him.

Indeed, no matter what illness one has when visiting a doctor, doctors tend to habitually advise against consuming greasy, spicy, raw, or cold food, as well as seafood and other indigestible items.

External injuries also involve wound healing. Even if the skin heals, the bones and marrow might not have fully recovered. Fu Yunzheng, sitting in a wheelchair, experienced reduced intestinal movement, so it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for the doctor to give such advice.

“Then let’s not eat it.” Yu He closed the menu and said to Aunt Zhou, “Could you please add a braised shrimp for me?”

“You order.” Fu Yunzheng unintentionally adopted a commanding tone, quickly adjusting back to a casual demeanor, “Consider it my treat.”

Yu He: “......”

Although it was just a fleeting moment of domineering exposure, Yu He felt intimidated by that brief assertion of authority, as if someone had struck a drumstick right against his chest.

Yu He suggested, “How about boiled sliced beef?”

Fu Yunzheng remained silent, simply looking at Yu He quietly.

Even though they were sitting in a spacious and brightly lit luxurious restaurant, Yu He felt as if he were in an interrogation room at a police station.

The person across from him had far more patience than Yu He, silently staring at him, not rushing him, just waiting for Yu He to spit out the truth.

Under Fu Yunzheng’s invisible interrogation, Yu He swallowed and added, “There’s also Sichuan spicy diced chicken, and make the shrimp spicy as well.”

Satisfied with the answer, Fu Yunzheng nodded approvingly and instructed the kitchen, “Go ahead and prepare it.”

Aunt Zhou asked Yu He if he had any dietary restrictions. Yu He honestly replied, “I don’t eat carrots.”

“What about onions, garlic, and cilantro?” Aunt Zhou asked.

Yu He responded, “All of those are fine.”

Fu Yunzheng’s chopsticks paused slightly, and Yu He immediately corrected himself with the truth: “I eat dishes flavored with onions but not the onions themselves, I eat cooked garlic but not raw, and I don’t eat cilantro.”

Fu Yunzheng glanced at Yu He with a slight surprise.

Yu He thought Fu Yunzheng might not understand what ‘eating the flavor but not the ingredient itself’ meant, and was just about to further explain.

Unexpectedly, Aunt Zhou understood and said, “So the onions can be used for flavoring, but there should be no onion leaves in the dish, correct?”

Yu He was not so perfectionist: “It’s okay if they appear; I can pick them out myself.”

Aunt Zhou smiled and said, “There’s no need for you to trouble yourself. In the kitchen, we can fry the onions to infuse their flavor and then remove them. We prepare Mr. Fu’s dishes in the same way; it’s not a hassle.”

This time, it was Yu He’s turn to be surprised.

Observing the dishes on the table, he realized that indeed there were no green onion garnishes visible.

Could it be that Fu Yunzheng, like himself, can accept the flavor of onions, but doesn’t actually eat them?

What a coincidence this is.

Fifteen minutes later, the three Sichuan dishes were all laid out on the dining table. Fu Yunzhang, seeming to know that Yu He would not eat well with the servant standing by, not only took the initiative to send the attendant away but also explicitly stated that if Yu He felt uncomfortable sitting with him, he could go back to his room to eat.

Li Jing paused as she turned to leave, thinking to herself that it was quite impolite and disrespectful to take food upstairs to eat.

Yu He thought the same.

"It's not customary for a guest to leave the host in the dining room and go back to their bedroom to eat alone. Even ordinary households don't handle things this way," he said, looking at Fu Yunzhang. "This doesn't seem right, does it?"

Fu Yunzhang didn’t take it to heart and retorted, “What’s wrong with that?”

Yu He thought for a moment. He had many unspoken reasons: his relationship with Fu Yunzhang, his current status, and what Li Jing had said to him.

But in the end, Yu He didn’t voice any of these thoughts.

He simply said, “The bedroom is for sleeping.”

Fu Yunzhang did not argue with Yu He about the nature and purpose of the room.

He calmly told him, “Yu He, our family doesn’t have so many rules.”

Fu Yunzhang’s indulgence gave Yu He an illusion, making him feel like he could really do whatever he wanted at Fu's house.

However, although they were close, he had only known Fu Yunzhang for a day, whereas Li Jing had been working at Fu's house for over a decade. Yu He wouldn’t tell Fu Yunzhang about the rules Li Jing mentioned to suppress him.

The three new dishes added to the table were all very delicious, and Yu He ate two bowls of rice. He ate very elegantly, picking up the tender green rape from under the red oil with his chopsticks precisely from the spicy soup.

The rape was green and fresh. As Yu He opened his mouth to take a bite, even though he covered his lips and chewed slowly, Fu Yunzhang could still hear the sound of him chewing the rape.

Crunch, crunch.

Just like a little rabbit.

Seeing Yu He eating so heartily, Fu Yunzhang couldn’t help but eat half a bowl more rice himself.

However, he didn’t touch the spicy dishes at all.

After the meal, when it’s easiest to feel sleepy and also the time for Fu Yunzhang’s nap, Yu He went upstairs with him. Fu Yunzhang saw that Yu He was sleepy and promised, “Go back to your room to sleep. From now on, no one will knock on your door.”

Yu He yawned, his eyes moist, feeling extremely touched in his heart.

He had never seen a boss as considerate of his subordinates as Fu Yunzhang!

Fu Yunzhang saw right through Li Jing’s attempts to make things difficult for Yu He. Without needing any explanation from him, he keenly and precisely addressed the issue, resolving the problem before Yu He had to muster the courage to speak up.

Crouching down to eye level with Fu Yunzhang, Yu He sincerely said, “Boss, you are truly a good person.”

Fu Yunzhang broke into a serene smile.

Fu Yunzhang was handsome, and although he appeared somewhat frail with a pale purple tinge to his lips, making him seem slightly gloomy when he was stern, his smile was like the clear skies after the first snow of spring, bright and beautiful.

He said to Yu He, “I want you to be well-rested, just so you won’t have any excuses to slack off. Does that make me a good person?”

What “work” Yu He was slacking off from was something both of them were well aware of.

Remembering the passion from the previous night, Yu He felt a ticklish sensation in his heart and flirtatiously said, “I am more than happy to serve you.”

Fu Yunzhang’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and while he maintained a calm demeanor, his fingers unconsciously played with the tassels on the blanket, saying, “No rush, there will be time for you to serve.”

The two parted ways in the hallway. When Yu He returned to his room, he drew the curtains closed and went straight to bed.

When he woke up again, the bedroom was completely dark, and Yu He heard the sound of something being dragged along the hallway.

Was it a meal cart?

Had he slept through dinner time?

Yu He checked his phone; it was twenty-one o’clock.

It was a bit late for dinner, yet a bit early for a midnight snack.

So, what was making that noise outside his door?

When Yu He opened his room door, he saw two servants pushing a heart monitor, heading towards the next room.

The elevator doors opened once again, and two more servants, pushing some equipment unfamiliar to Yu He, walked out. They even made a point to bow and greet him, “Young Master Yu.”

“What’s going on?” Yu He was a bit bewildered.

It looked as if they were moving an emergency room next door. Could it be that Fu Yunzhang was sick?

The servant answered in a low voice, “Mr. Fu has a fever.”

Leaving these six words behind, the servant bowed slightly towards Yu He, then proceeded to push the equipment into the next room.

The wheels at the base of the equipment rolled across the floor, producing a muffled rumbling sound, and a faint smell of alcohol lingered in the hallway.

This atmosphere was peculiar, causing Yu He to suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of unreality. It took him a good while to snap back to reality.

Right, what did the servant just say?

Fu Yunzhang has a fever?