After Losing My Memory, I Became My Adoptive Brother’s Caged Bird - Chapter 4

The commission was exactly double the market rate. When Kimberly signed the contract, she thought she had stumbled upon an incredible bargain. It was only after she read through the lengthy, tedious annex that she realized this generous compensation would not be easily earned.

However, because the pay was so substantial, she automatically viewed the eccentric regulations through a lens of reasonableness. These rules ranged from specific culinary bans, such as forbidding Tomato and Scrambled Eggs in Chinese dishes, to the requirement that all onion, ginger, and garlic must exist only in liquid form. Most peculiar of all was the rule that absolutely no items originating from Nanshui City could appear in the house. Kimberly told herself that these were just the quirks of the rich.

Today marked the second week of her employment. Her job was simple: prepare three meals and leave immediately after finishing.

As was her routine, she prepared to depart after completing breakfast. At the door, she brushed past a newspaper deliveryman. He was a new face, not the usual person. The man seemed exceptionally stiff as he carried the newspapers inside, and his eyes darted about nervously. He gave her a strained smile when they made eye contact.

Kimberly returned the smile and walked past. After a few steps, she suddenly knit her brows. On the front page of the newspaper she had just glimpsed, there seemed to be Chinese characters. This was a stark contrast to the purely German or English periodicals she had seen over the past two weeks.

It was not her place to ask. She shook her head, tossing the suspicion to the back of her mind.

Chen Jiaojiao woke up later than usual today. Normally at this time, he would be jogging around the lakeside with Meng Jin. However, having stayed up late reading the night before, he felt exhausted and decided to indulge in a bit of laziness.

In the cavernous living room, only a few servants were quietly cleaning. He walked downstairs slowly, feeling quite refreshed, and sat on the sofa to wait for Meng Jin to return so they could eat breakfast together.

Chen Jiaojiao habitually picked up the newspaper on the table. Although search engines were beginning to take off, he had always preferred the texture of ink and print, enjoying the tactile sensation of paper beneath his fingertips.

He skillfully flipped past the local news section. When his gaze landed on the international page, two familiar Chinese characters, Shanghai, crashed into his vision unexpectedly.

Just then, familiar footsteps sounded from outside.

Meng Jin pushed the door open. It was his day off, and he was dressed in a gray tracksuit. Having just finished his morning run, the tips of his hair were damp with sweat, and a few black strands fell casually over his forehead. He radiated a lingering, vigorous sense of pheromones.

This was a far cry from his usual suit and tie appearance. The loungewear and messy hair added a touch of gentleness and youthful energy to Meng Jin, which momentarily dazed Chen Jiaojiao. He stared at him blankly.

“What are you looking at?” Meng Jin’s voice was husky from the exercise. His gaze fell upon the newspaper in Chen Jiaojiao’s hands. Upon seeing the domestic news report, a flash of icy, profound darkness crossed his eyes. With a slight smile, he unobtrusively pulled the newspaper from Chen Jiaojiao’s grasp. “Next time, you can eat first. You do not need to wait for me.”

Chen Jiaojiao snapped back to reality. His fingertips unconsciously brushed the tip of his nose as he tried to hide his momentary lapse in composure. A subtle heat climbed to his earlobes. Under the weight of this slight embarrassment, the matter of the newspaper was lightly set aside.

Today’s breakfast was a simple white person meal. At the long dining table, he and Meng Jin sat opposite each other. The only sound was the occasional clink of cutlery against porcelain.

As Chen Jiaojiao took small sips of milk, a smooth, peeled hard-boiled egg suddenly appeared before him. He instinctively darted his tongue out, quickly licking away the ring of milk around his lips before whispering, “Thank you.”

Meng Jin’s gaze darkened. Unlike Chen Jiaojiao’s sluggish eating pace, Meng Jin ate quickly today, though his movements remained impeccably elegant. After finishing his meal, he intended to head upstairs. Just as he pushed back his chair, he met Chen Jiaojiao’s hesitant expression.

He raised an eyebrow and sat back down. The matter of the newspaper could wait; there was no rush.

“Eating too fast is bad for your stomach,” Chen Jiaojiao said, swallowing a piece of egg white. He used his fork to poke the remaining yolk into two halves, his brow slightly furrowed with a worry he had not noticed himself.

Meng Jin rested his chin on one hand, unable to hide the smile in his eyes. He agreed readily. “Alright. I will not do it again.”

Chen Jiaojiao nodded, then became somewhat fidgety. He gave a light cough, shifted his gaze toward the window, and spoke in a voice that was almost inaudible. “Then today, can I not eat the egg yolk?”

He pursed his lips and added softly, “It really does not taste good.”

To Meng Jin, this sounded like nothing less than acting like a spoiled child. He remembered the old Jiaojiao, who would only swallow the yolk with a bitter face and quickly take a sip of milk to wash away the taste. At this thought, the smile in Meng Jin’s eyes deepened. He knew how to express his own opinions now, and that was good.

Besides, there were plenty of nutritional supplements to replace eggs. It did not matter if he did not eat them. He reached out with his long arm and forked the yolk into his own mouth.

Chen Jiaojiao froze. A blush slowly flooded his entire face. “You, you, you, I, I have already eaten from that.”

Meng Jin stood up. As he passed Chen Jiaojiao, he reached out and ruffled his hair, saying airily, “I do not find you distasteful.”

That was not the point at all. It was not about whether he found it distasteful; it was, it was…

Once everyone else had left, Chen Jiaojiao put down his knife and fork and covered his face with both hands. Internally, he was screaming. He could not finish his thought; he just felt very awkward.

But then again, they were boyfriends. Perhaps they had done even more intimate things. At that thought, his face, which had just cooled down, heated up again. He told himself to stop thinking and stop his brain.

At this moment, Meng Jin was upstairs, leaning his hands on the railing and looking down at Chen Jiaojiao. He could not be more satisfied; it felt as if his heart were filled with cotton candy. Everything was wonderful.

A look of absolute determination flashed in his eyes. He had changed his mind. This time, he wanted Jiaojiao to fall in love with him willingly. He thought to himself, “Jiaojiao, did you not always say that because I am your brother, you cannot love me? But that is gone now. All the obstacles preventing you from loving me no longer exist. Can you love me now?”

After dealing with the newspaper, Meng Jin went to his room to take a cold shower while feeling thoroughly satisfied. By the time he emerged, Chen Jiaojiao had already entered the study and would not be out for a while.

The study was exceptionally soundproof; one could not hear even a clap of thunder from inside.

He casually stretched his wrists, his eyes filling with coldness and authority. After a brief phone call, the butler, Lester, was already standing in the side parlor.

Lester had just finished his leave and had rushed over immediately after receiving the call. Fine beads of sweat stood on his forehead, and a sense of foreboding grew heavier in his heart. When he stepped into the side parlor and his sharp eyes caught the newspaper with Chinese characters placed conspicuously on the wooden table, his heart sank.

Meng Jin stood by the window with his back to him. His voice was calm, without a single ripple, yet it struck Lester’s heart with force. “Lester, did I not clearly state that any newspapers or periodicals containing Chinese should not appear before him?”

Lester’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. He knew his employer too well; the calmer the tone, the greater the storm.

“Sir,” he lowered his head, his voice dry with tension. “This was a grave dereliction of duty on my part. Hans, who was responsible for screening the periodicals this morning, took emergency leave. The temporary replacement was unaware of this special regulation.”

Meng Jin turned around slowly, wearing a faint, mocking smile. “Unaware of the regulation?”

He repeated the words without any change in pitch, yet the air grew several degrees colder. “Lester, I employed you to ensure there are no accidents in this house, not to have you explain to me why an accident occurred.”

He did not raise his voice, but every word carried a massive weight that crushed Lester’s heart.

“Yes, sir. It was my failure. I will accept any punishment.” Lester bowed his waist even lower, not daring to offer any excuse. He knew that any evasion now would only make the consequences worse.

Meng Jin walked to the table and tapped the newspaper lightly with his slender fingers.

“The temporary worker and Hans, pay them their wages and have them leave immediately.” As he issued the command, his gaze remained icy. “As for you, Lester…”

He paused, watching the butler’s body tighten instantly. “This is the first time, and it will be the last. If any other forbidden items appear anywhere in this villa, you understand the consequences.”

Lester took a deep breath, feeling a wave of lingering fear. He did not want to lose this high-paying job. “I understand.”

“Leave.” Meng Jin turned his back again and looked out the window, his voice unreadable.

Lester felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. Holding his breath, he exited the side parlor soundlessly.

Only when Meng Jin was alone did the coldness in his eyes gradually get replaced by a deeper, more complex emotion. He had to ensure that before Jiaojiao fell in love with him, anything that might awaken Jiaojiao’s past was kept strictly away.

Meanwhile, in the study, as Chen Jiaojiao was looking through his professional books, he suddenly remembered he had not finished the newspaper. Moreover, it was the first time he had seen a domestic report. When he saw the word “Shanghai,” he felt an inexplicable sense of warmth and wanted to finish reading it.

He put down his book and walked downstairs. His eyes carefully scanned the long wooden table in the living room. It was empty.

Chen Jiaojiao knit his brows slightly. He clearly remembered leaving it there after breakfast.

A soft, muffled sound came from the side parlor, like a rubber stopper. He looked up and noticed the light was on in the parlor, which was usually unoccupied. He followed the sound and saw Meng Jin standing by the wine cabinet, pouring himself a glass of red wine.

Hearing the familiar footsteps, the remaining coldness in Meng Jin’s eyes instantly melted away. He naturally took out another crystal glass and slowly poured red wine into it. His voice was so tender it could practically drip with sweetness. “Why have you come down?”

“I am looking for the newspaper.” Chen Jiaojiao approached, though his attention was caught by the red wine. He still remembered the purpose of coming downstairs and asked with curiosity, “The one from this morning, did you see it?”

Meng Jin pushed the wine glass toward him without so much as a twitch of his eyebrow. His tone was casual. “The servants probably cleared it away. If you want to read it, I will have them bring more copies tomorrow.”

He changed the subject, looking up at Chen Jiaojiao. He tapped his fingertip lightly against the rim of the glass, creating a pleasant sound. His voice was coaxing. “Would you like to try some?”

As expected, Chen Jiaojiao’s attention was diverted. The slight regret over the newspaper was immediately forgotten, and his eyes lit up. “Can I?”

Meng Jin chuckled and could not resist reaching out to tap the tip of his nose. His voice was deep. “Of course.”

He watched Chen Jiaojiao carefully lift the wine glass and take a sip like a cautious kitten. The unfamiliar taste made him knit his brows slightly, yet he could not help but take another sip.

He did not know that if he took just one more step forward, he would see the shredded remains of the newspaper in the trash can, which was the very newspaper he had been looking for.