My Wife, So Fierce! - Chapter 19

The internal battle raged within her once more.

She felt she shouldn’t be so weak-willed, bending over for something as trivial as a bowl of congee with lean pork and century egg. But then again, this was her home, and the ingredients for this bowl of congee the rice, the eggs, all came from her own pantry. What was wrong with having a bowl?

Times had changed. Now, she was the master of this household, the one who held the reins.

With that thought, Zheng Yao quickly convinced herself. Though her expression remained cool and indifferent, she responded with a simple, “Mm.”

Yet, despite such a curt reply, Shen Baiyi seemed inexplicably delighted. Her bright, beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she pulled out a chair and said softly, “There’s more in the kitchen if you want seconds.”

What a bootlicker.

Zheng Yao lowered her gaze, though she wasn’t petty enough to voice the thought aloud.

A year had passed, and many things had changed. Her hatred for Bai Yuanzhu had gradually faded with the woman’s unexpected death. Strictly speaking, Zheng Yao didn’t actually dislike Shen Baiyi in fact, she even pitied her somewhat.

Unfortunately, she was Shen Sanguang’s daughter.

That alone meant no matter how much sympathy Zheng Yao might feel inwardly, outwardly, she wouldn’t show Shen Baiyi any warmth.

Still, she wouldn’t go out of her way to torment a girl several years her junior especially one who looked even more pitiful now than she had last year.

She sat on the chair Shen Baiyi had pulled out and took a sip of the congee.

The taste hadn’t changed, it was as delicious as ever. Zheng Yao instinctively glanced up and found Shen Baiyi still standing in front of her, staring intently. When their eyes met, the girl quickly lowered her head, her nervousness plain to see.

Zheng Yao frowned. “Why are you staring at me?”

Shen Baiyi stammered, unable to give a proper answer.

Zheng Yao wasn’t a patient person. Waving a hand dismissively, she said, “Stop hovering. I’ve left toiletries for you in the bathroom. Go wash up first, then help yourself to the congee. After eating, just watch TV quietly.”

Shen Baiyi’s voice was subdued. “Okay.”

She looked as if she had been deeply wronged, pitiful beyond words. Zheng Yao pressed her lips together, suppressing her emotions, and focused on finishing the congee.

It had been a long time since she’d had a proper breakfast.

Working from home offered freedom, but it also made it easy for her routine to slip. Especially during deadlines, she often wrote late into the night, waking up so late the next day that she could skip straight to lunch.

Gradually, she lost the habit of making breakfast.

Sometimes it was instant noodles, sometimes just a few slices of bread or nothing at all. A simple, homely meal like congee was actually quite rare for her.

Once this book was finished, maybe she should take the time to adjust her schedule and take better care of her stomach.

A bowl of warm congee later, even her stomach felt comforted.

With her hunger satisfied, Zheng Yao’s mood improved noticeably. Just as she stood to wash the bowl, a voice came from beside her: “Leave it, Sister. I’ll do it.”

Before she could react, the bowl was taken from her hands.

Shen Baiyi moved quickly, her fingers brushing against Zheng Yao’s, leaving behind a fleeting warmth.

Zheng Yao froze.

In that brief moment, Shen Baiyi had already hurried into the kitchen with the bowl.

The sudden chime of a WeChat notification from her phone made Zheng Yao glance down. It was her editor again, the deadline was today, and the other party was clearly getting anxious.

After placating the editor, Zheng Yao ignored Shen Baiyi and went back to racing against her manuscript deadline.

Once the police finished their investigation, they’d take Shen Baiyi away. She couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore.

Perhaps because she was well-fed and rested, her state of mind was better than the past few days. Inspiration kept flowing, and her typing speed picked up accordingly.

It wasn’t until her stomach started growling again that she realized it was already mealtime. But she didn’t dare stop she was more immersed than ever.

As for Shen Baiyi.

She had hands and feet, and even with amnesia, she hadn’t forgotten how to cook. Why should Zheng Yao worry about her?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a knock sounded at her door.

Zheng Yao frowned, unwilling to respond.

But the person outside was like a woodpecker, if she ignored them, the knocking just wouldn’t stop. Annoyance flared, and she abruptly stood up, shoving her chair back with a screech.

She yanked the door open, scowling. “What do you want?”

“Sister, are you still working?” Shen Baiyi looked up at her, cheeks faintly flushed, though her voice was a little hoarse. “The food’s going to get cold if you don’t eat soon.”

Zheng Yao’s irritation had nowhere to vent. She took a deep breath and said coldly, “If you’re hungry, eat by yourself. Keep making noise, and I’ll throw you out.”

The threat seemed to hit hard Shen Baiyi paled visibly.

Zheng Yao didn’t bother looking further and shut the door again.

This was the downside of having an outsider in the house.

She raked a hand through her messy hair, frustrated. After living alone for so long, having another person around was just inconvenient.

Why hadn’t the police contacted her yet?

–

By 2:30 in the afternoon, Zheng Yao realized she might pass out from hunger if she didn’t eat soon. She wrapped up her work, stretched, and finally headed out.

After her outburst at noon, Shen Baiyi hadn’t disturbed her again. The apartment was quiet, with no signs of activity.

Only when she opened the door did she see Shen Baiyi sitting on the couch, watching TV, the images flickered silently on the screen.

Zheng Yao frowned instinctively. “Is the TV broken?”

“No.” Shen Baiyi quickly scrambled up, pressing the remote a few times until sound filled the room. She smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t turn it on because I was afraid of disturbing you.”

Zheng Yao looked away.

Not listening, not listening.

Don’t think acting pitiful and considerate would soften her into letting Shen Baiyi stay.

Still, it had to be said Shen Baiyi had some skills. No matter how much Zheng Yao reminded herself not to relent, the sight of the still-warm dishes made it impossible to stay stone-hearted.

After all, it was hard to bite the hand that fed you.

Even though the ingredients were from her own kitchen, her fridge had been untouched for ages. It was impressive that Shen Baiyi had managed to scrounge up enough to prepare three dishes and a soup.

And the food looked untouched.

She turned to Shen Baiyi. “You didn’t eat?”

Her tone was much gentler this time, no longer barbed. Shen Baiyi’s eyes brightened. “I wanted to wait for you.”

“…”

Zheng Yao averted her gaze.

Don’t think waiting to eat together would make her soften.

At the dining table, the two sat facing each other.

Zheng Yao couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last cooked a proper homemade meal in her kitchen. Most of the time, she ordered takeout, and when she was too lazy even for that, she’d just make instant noodles.

Her home was never stocked with fresh vegetables only some ingredients of uncertain vintage languishing in the fridge. Yet Shen Baiyi had somehow managed to utilize them so efficiently, making every dish delicious.

Was this fair?

Zheng Yao shoveled two angry mouthfuls of rice, thinking how comparisons could be so frustrating. While she could only produce questionable culinary disasters, others could work magic in the kitchen.

Meow!

Bubu padded elegantly from its bed. Zheng Yao was about to pull her legs back to avoid getting covered in cat hair when Bubu abruptly changed direction, heading straight for Shen Baiyi.

Zheng Yao paused mid-bite.

The usually aloof Bubu was now rubbing against Shen Baiyi incessantly, emitting an unfamiliar, high-pitched mewl: “Mew~”

Zheng Yao: ???

Shen Baiyi seemed pleasantly surprised too, bending down to gently stroke Bubu’s head.

In the living room, Bubu purred contentedly.

Was this still her aloof cat?

Zheng Yao questioned her existence.

Perhaps sensing her prolonged stare, Shen Baiyi looked up, their eyes meeting.

Shen Baiyi quickly withdrew her hand, cautiously asking, “Sister, can I pet it?”

Isn’t it a bit late to ask now? Glancing at Bubu still rubbing against Shen Baiyi’s legs begging for attention, Zheng Yao deadpanned, “Pet what pet? Eat your food.”

“Oh.”

Rejected, Shen Baiyi lowered her head dejectedly, no longer looking at the cat, and quietly continued eating.

After getting no response despite persistent rubbing, Bubu impatiently pawed at Shen Baiyi’s pants.

Zheng Yao put on a stern face, adopting a parental tone: “Bubu.”

Unfortunately, Bubu wasn’t having it, tilting its head back to yowl at her completely devoid of the earlier sweet meows, sounding downright grumpy.

Zheng Yao: “…”

This was mutiny.

Suddenly realizing something, she nudged Shen Baiyi’s calf with her foot: “Go wash your hands.”

You petted the cat and then just started eating?

Shen Baiyi’s face instantly flushed crimson: “Okay.”

–

Shen Baiyi had a small appetite. While Zheng Yao finished two bowls of rice, Shen Baiyi hadn’t even eaten half a bowl.

Zheng Yao frowned: “Hurry up and eat.”

Shen Baiyi looked at her timidly: “Sister, I feel nauseous. Don’t want to eat.”

Concussion symptoms dizziness and nausea were normal. Zheng Yao pinched her brow, noticing the large white bandage wrapped around the other’s head, remembering this was an injured person.

“If you can’t eat, leave it.”

With that, she got up to clear the dishes.

Shen Baiyi scrambled up in a fluster: “I’ll do it.”

Zheng Yao glared unceremoniously and sneered: “This is my home. What do you mean you’ll do it?”

Shen Baiyi instantly deflated.

After ten minutes of cleaning up and refilling Bubu’s food and water, Zheng Yao found herself at a loss looking at the timidly standing Shen Baiyi.

Yesterday, the police had promised to quickly investigate what had happened to Shen Baiyi over the past year and arrange for someone to pick her up soon. But it was almost 3 PM now, and there was still no contact.

Had they forgotten about it?

Returning to her room, she decided to call them herself.

The call was quickly answered, but unfortunately, a major criminal case had occurred in the city today, and the bureau was swamped, with no time to deal with this matter for now.

“Miss Zheng, could you please keep her with you for a few more days? There have been a lot of incidents in the city recently, and it’s not safe for a young woman to be out on her own.”

The other end of the line seemed to get busy, and after a hurried explanation, the call was disconnected.

Zheng Yao frowned.

She opened an app to check the local news and only then realized that several cases had emerged in succession either female college students disappearing during morning runs or random stabbings in the streets by people seeking revenge on society.

The atmosphere was tense, with neighborhood group chats debating whether parents should personally pick up their children after evening self-study sessions.

If she were to kick Shen Baiyi out now, it would practically be like pushing her into a pit of fire.

Frustrated, she tossed her phone aside and took a few deep breaths, trying to come to terms with the fact that Shen Baiyi would have to stay with her for a few more days.

It wasn’t all bad, really.

For one thing, Shen Baiyi was like some kind of fairy-tale housekeeper not only did she keep the place spotless, but she also cooked for her.

And her cooking was so good.

Letting her stay a few more days could just be repayment for the time Zheng Yao had spent at the Shen family’s place.

Finally convincing herself, Zheng Yao felt refreshed and rolled up her sleeves to continue typing.

Her productivity was unusually high that afternoon, and before 8 p.m., she had already finished writing the final chapter.

Her stomach ached faintly as she sent the draft to her editor, then pressed a hand to her abdomen and stood up to head out. It was strange for it to be so late, the outside was unusually quiet.

When she opened the door, she found the space dark, with no scent of food in the air and not even a single light on.

Zheng Yao froze.

Had Shen Baiyi left?

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