The Moon Shines Upon Me - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: So Fragrant

Gu Shiwei: “Shen Yuan, do you like it when I talk to you in this tone?”

At first, Gu Shiwei’s voice was very soft, carrying a hint of beguiling charm. She intentionally emphasized the word “like.”

She elongated the final syllable with a questioning lilt, like a small hook tugging at one’s heartstrings.

Shen Yuan froze, apparently not expecting Gu Shiwei to ask such a question.

“Shen Yuan.” Gu Shiwei pinched Shen Yuan’s slender chin and slowly tilted it upward, forcing her to look directly at her. “Can you answer my question?”

The two were extremely close, their breaths seemingly intertwining. The rims of Shen Yuan’s ears slowly turned red.

Shen Yuan: “I don’t find it repulsive.”

“Good. Since you don’t find it repulsive, I’ll assume for now that you like it. I’ll be supervising you strictly from now on.”

Having said that, Gu Shiwei scooped a spoonful of seafood congee and fed it to Shen Yuan’s lips.

Shen Yuan didn’t move.

Gu Shiwei’s hand suddenly trembled: “Shen Yuan?”

“Shen Yuan, can you… not see?” Gu Shiwei stared at Shen Yuan’s hollow gaze, her brows furrowing slightly.

“Mm. I’m fine. It’ll pass in a moment.”

Shen Yuan’s hands remained placed neatly on her knees. If she hadn’t missed that spoonful of congee, no one would have been able to tell that something was wrong with her eyes.

Low blood sugar can lead to an insufficient supply of glucose to the brain; in severe cases, it can even affect the optic nerves. In fact, Shen Yuan’s vision had started to blur right after Lin Qinghuan left. By now, she could only see darkness.

“Shen Yuan, are you cold?”

Gu Shiwei suddenly sat on the sofa, squeezing into the single seat beside Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan was too thin. Her body under her shirt was frail and delicate, as if it would break with a single gust of wind. When Gu Shiwei leaned in, she felt Shen Yuan’s protruding bones pressing painfully against her.

“A little.”

Cold sweat broke out across Shen Yuan’s back and face in an instant. Trapped in darkness, even Gu Shiwei’s voice felt like it was coming from a great distance.

Gu Shiwei wrapped an arm around Shen Yuan’s shoulder, pulling her into her embrace. She increased the speed of her feeding slightly.

Gu Shiwei: “Careful, it’s hot.”

Shen Yuan: “Mm.”

After half a bowl of hot congee, Shen Yuan felt less miserable. The light slowly returned to her eyes, and the cold sweat began to evaporate.

Gu Shiwei held her a bit tighter. Having just showered, her body was still warm, radiating the fresh scent of lemon body wash. Shen Yuan’s temperature slowly rose as she nestled in Gu’s arms.

About ten minutes later, Shen Yuan blinked. Her thick eyelashes swept through the air in a heart-stirring curve. She tilted her head toward Gu Shiwei and said, “Thank you. I’m okay now.”

Gu Shiwei stared at her pale cheeks and asked worriedly, “Is there anything else feeling uncomfortable?”

Shen Yuan shook her head.

Following the low blood sugar episode, Shen Yuan lacked energy all morning. Seeing her like this, Gu Shiwei couldn’t settle down to work, so she simply took Shen Yuan to the hospital for a check-up.

Shen Yuan was initially unwilling to go, only relenting when Gu Shiwei sternly stated that this was a mandatory medical exam for new employees.

By the time all the tests were finished, it was noon. Gu Shiwei took Shen Yuan to a nearby Western restaurant. When the food arrived, Gu Shiwei specifically asked the waiter to provide Shen Yuan with a pair of chopsticks.

However, Shen Yuan didn’t even look at the chopsticks. She skillfully picked up her knife and fork and began cutting her steak.

Watching this, Gu Shiwei lowered her head thoughtfully.

“Shen Yuan, you’re so far from home. Aren’t your parents worried about you?”

Shen Yuan was from the south, and Jinghai was a long way from there. How could her parents bear to let someone so physically weak and introverted travel so far alone?

Furthermore, according to Gu Shiwei’s observations, Shen Yuan’s handling of the knife and fork was perfect. It would be difficult to be so elegant without having studied table etiquette from a young age.

Families who eat Western food frequently usually have decent financial backgrounds. What, then, had caused Shen Yuan to leave home and seek a living so far away in Jinghai?

Shen Yuan: “My biological parents are no longer around.”

Gu Shiwei’s hand stalled mid-cut.

“I’m sorry.”

Shen Yuan: “It’s okay.”

Shen Yuan’s voice was calm. She kept her head down, so Gu Shiwei couldn’t see her expression, but she could sense that Shen Yuan didn’t want to elaborate. Gu Shiwei fell silent, and they finished the rest of their steaks in silence.

After lunch, Gu Shiwei took Shen Yuan to a luxury counter to buy a smartwatch. The watch could monitor heart rate, steps, calories, and other data. After setting it up, Gu Shiwei directly synced it to her own phone.

Gu Shiwei: “Give me your hand.”

Shen Yuan reached out, and Gu Shiwei fastened the expensive-looking watch onto her wrist.

Gu Shiwei: “From now on, you must exercise for at least one hour every day. I’ll be using this watch to monitor you.”

Hearing the requirement of an hour of exercise daily, Shen Yuan felt a wave of despair, but she also understood that Gu Shiwei wasn’t trying to make things difficult it was simply because her health was so poor.

Shen Yuan: “Alright.”

In the afternoon, Gu Shiwei took Shen Yuan to buy some clothes and daily necessities. By the time they returned home, it was almost 6:00 PM. The housekeeper had prepared dinner in advance. Only after eating did Shen Yuan feel like she had truly come back to life.

Going out was so tiring. Shen Yuan wondered how Gu Shiwei managed to go running outside every day. They were roughly the same age, yet Gu Shiwei had so much more energy.

Shen Yuan sighed.

Gu Shiwei had noticed Shen Yuan’s gaze long ago. She arched an eyebrow and smiled: “Today was exhausting, so we won’t go out tonight. Shen Yuan, get some rest early. You have work tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Shen Yuan said. “You should rest early too.”

After saying goodnight, they returned to their respective rooms.

Shen Yuan handled some unread messages on her phone and recorded Gu Shiwei’s expenses on her today. After finishing her tasks, she washed up and slept straight through until dawn.

When she woke up in the morning, Shen Yuan sat on the bed clutching the quilt, dazed. It felt like she hadn’t had such a good sleep in a long time. Previously, she would wake up several times a night, or suffer from insomnia until sunrise, or toss and turn through nightmares.

Even though she had only been here for a few days, Shen Yuan seemed to have already grown accustomed to living with Gu Shiwei. Even her sleep quality had improved.

It must be because of the daily exercise, Shen Yuan thought.

After sitting for ten minutes, she got up to wash and left the room.

“You’re awake. Come have breakfast.”

Gu Shiwei was about to put the toasted bread and sausages into a warmer, but seeing Shen Yuan emerge, she placed them directly on the table. In addition to the toast, there was soy milk, shrimp dumplings, and pumpkin porridge.

Shen Yuan licked her lips and spoke with some hesitation: “Miss Gu, in the future, let’s take turns cooking.”

Gu Shiwei: “No need. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll arrange it.”

“These hands are meant for drawing. Don’t touch the grease and smoke.”

Gu Shiwei’s gaze fell upon Shen Yuan’s hands. Her fingers were long and clean, appearing slender yet strong. A very beautiful pair of hands, perfect for playing the piano.

“It’s fine.”

When Shen Yuan worked part-time before, she could lift tens of kilograms with one hand. Let alone cooking, she had done dirty and exhausting work like scrubbing dishes, sweeping, and mopping. Back then, even in winter with chilblains on her hands, she had to soak them in water to work.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Shen Yuan said: “Then can I at least do the dishes?”

Gu Shiwei, without allowing room for argument, grabbed Shen Yuan’s wrist and pressed her into her seat: “Washing dishes is a job for the dishwasher. If you do it, what is the dishwasher supposed to do? You don’t need to do anything. Just stay here with peace of mind. There’s a robot for the floor, a machine for the laundry. Just tell me what you want to eat. And don’t think about giving me money; the company can cover your expenses during this period.”

Shen Yuan: “Ah… I see…”

Was Zhaoyang really this humane? Won’t they go bankrupt like this?

“Eat quickly, it’ll get cold.”

Gu Shiwei pushed a bowl of pumpkin porridge in front of Shen Yuan. The porridge was sweet. After one bite, Shen Yuan’s eyes squinted with delight.

Although she already knew Gu Shiwei was a good cook, she was still impressed. Shen Yuan looked at Gu Shiwei, her lips pursed slightly. After hesitating for a long time, she praised: “Miss Gu, the porridge you made… is exceptionally delicious.”

Gu Shiwei was stunned. She hadn’t expected the usually taciturn Shen Yuan to take the initiative to praise her.

Gu Shiwei didn’t usually eat pumpkin porridge; she had brewed this sweet pot specifically for Shen Yuan. She had simmered it for a long time, even cutting into her morning run time. But that one “exceptionally delicious” from Shen Yuan made her feel it was all worth it.

“Then eat more.”

To not let Gu Shiwei’s kindness go to waste, Shen Yuan finished the entire bowl. Gu Shiwei used serving chopsticks to place a shrimp dumpling in Shen Yuan’s bowl. “Can you manage anything else?”

“I won’t be able to eat anything more after this dumpling.”

Shen Yuan popped the dumpling into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a little hamster eating.

Seeing this, Gu Shiwei smiled. She also put down her chopsticks and said in a good mood: “No rush. It doesn’t take long to get to Zhaoyang from here. We’ll go to the office together in a bit.”

Shen Yuan suddenly remembered that Gu Shiwei drove a sports car. She waved her hand: “I’ll just take the bus.”

“Then I’ll take the bus with you.”

Gu Shiwei put the car keys back.

Shen Yuan: “???”

In the end, Shen Yuan still ended up in Gu Shiwei’s car. However, Gu Shiwei switched to a Rolls-Royce today.

There was no way Shen Yuan would let a socialite like her follow her onto a bus. So, no matter how expensive Gu Shiwei’s car was, she could only bite the bullet and get in.

As the car door closed, Gu Shiwei suddenly leaned over.

Shen Yuan’s breath hitched. Looking at the slowly enlarging face, she felt at a loss. Gu Shiwei reached out with her long arm, pulled Shen Yuan’s seatbelt down, and buckled it with a “click.”

Just as Shen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Shiwei leaned in again. She took a deep breath and said, “Shen Yuan, you smell so good. What brand of perfume are you using?”

Shen Yuan moved slightly to the right, her fingers gripping the seatbelt tightly. She feigned calmness and said, “I’m not wearing perfume.”

“Is it the scent of the shampoo?”

Gu Shiwei leaned in a bit closer to sniff, confirming it was the scent of the newly bought shampoo. Shen Yuan’s hair was very long, with a natural curl at the ends. It was pure black, making her skin look even paler.

Gu Shiwei stared at Shen Yuan’s profile for a moment, then, as if possessed, reached out a finger and poked her cheek: “Don’t be so serious every day. You’re so good-looking, why don’t you smile?”

Shen Yuan had very little flesh on her face to begin with. When Gu Shiwei poked her, a small dimple formed. Gu Shiwei suddenly got addicted to poking and tapped a few more times. Although Shen Yuan looked cold, her cheeks were quite soft, like a marshmallow.

Beep-beep-beep.

“Irregular heart rate detected.”

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