Bella stared intently at the perfectly ordinary sky, her fingers trembling slightly.
No, that string of green code flashing just now was too real. It definitely wasn't a hallucination caused by dizziness.
She swatted away Ye Jinzhi's hand that was resting on her forehead.
"Dizzy, my foot! I'm not some eighty-year-old grandma. How could I get that dizzy just from swinging on a swing?"
Bella gave Ye Jinzhi an annoyed eye-roll, but the more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
The swing had been perfectly steady just now, and it hadn't gone very high. After all, for safety reasons, the ropes weren't very long.
Not to mention, she was in excellent health. How could she possibly have that kind of "hallucination"?
Was it the system?
That wasn't right either. The system's interface was light blue and always appeared right in front of her. That green code just now had been so far away.
She looked up again. A gentle breeze brushed past, and the distant clouds continued to drift leisurely. Everything seemed harmonious and peaceful.
"Bella, your eyes are playing tricks on you. Do you have low blood sugar?"
As Ye Jinzhi spoke, a piece of candy appeared in his hand like magic. He naturally peeled off the wrapper, gently pressed it against her lips, and slipped the candy into her mouth.
Bella instinctively sucked on it, mumbling indistinctly:
"Mmm... this candy tastes good. It's so milky, and the best part is it's not too sweet. It doesn't hurt my throat at all."
"How is it? The cows we have at home aren't bad, right?"
Seeing her expression soften, a hint of relief flashed through Ye Jinzhi's eyes, and his tone returned to its usual gentle teasing.
Bella nodded, the confusion in her heart somewhat diluted by the milky sweetness.
She looked up again. Could it be...
Had the angle of the sunlight really been so tricky when she was swinging just now that it made her lose focus, causing her to mistake some green flying insects or the green garden below for green code?
"Alright, maybe I just saw things. Let's go, let's head back."
Bella shook her head, patted her skirt, and stood up.
"Let's go. We've been messing around for so long, let's go back."
Ye Jinzhi naturally took her hand. His palm was warm, and the real temperature radiating from his skin made Bella's last bit of doubt quietly sink to the bottom of her mind.
The corridor was entwined with rose vines, the flowers still in bloom. The air carried a faint fragrance as they slowly walked back to the main villa.
As soon as she pushed the door open, Bella sniffed hard, her eyes suddenly lighting up:
"It smells so good!"
Forgetting all about the code she was just agonizing over, she practically floated in the direction of the delicious aroma.
Ye Jinzhi watched her greedy little expression, completely cured by the thought of food, and reached out to lightly hover his hand behind her waist protectively:
"Slow down, put your slippers on first."
Heading straight for the kitchen, the first thing Bella saw upon entering was the steaming stove.
It was Klee.
She was wearing an apron and seemed to be helping out. Standing in front of the stove was a slightly older woman, constantly stirring something in an iron wok with a spatula.
Bella leaned in. The broth was bubbling, the rich fats coating the tender goose meat, mixing with the unique aroma of green beans and a secret sauce.
Seeing the two of them walk in, the woman at the stove and Klee both stopped what they were doing.
They first gave a respectful nod to Ye Jinzhi, who was half a step behind, and then their gazes fell on Bella. There was no subservient fawning in their eyes, just a polite, gentle smile directed at her.
Bella was sensible. She could tell that although the two were polite, if she kept lingering in the kitchen, she would just be in their way.
After taking a few more glances at the kitchen, she turned and retreated to the living room.
The main villa's living room had incredibly high ceilings, and the surrounding furnishings exuded a low-key luxury.
But right now, Bella was in no mood to study those things.
She sat on the sofa, looked at Ye Jinzhi who had followed her out, and suddenly asked:
"Ye Jinzhi, when do you plan on taking me home?"
The young man's footsteps paused. He stopped by the sofa, looking down at her from above, an unfathomable emotion flashing through his eyes.
"Master, if you're going to burn your bridges, you should at least wait until you've crossed the river. The goose hasn't even reached your stomach yet. Asking to go home now... seems more like you're 'fleeing in a panic', doesn't it?"
He rested his fingers on the armrest of the sofa, bent down slightly so his eyes were level with Bella's, and said with a hint of a smile in his voice:
"Weren't you just clamoring for me to gather eggs, wash the cows, catch the goose, and push you on the swing? Why are you in such a hurry to go back as soon as we get indoors? Could it be that this sofa is too hard, or is my service as your 'male servant' unsatisfactory?"
"I'm a proper young lady. I can't just stay at your house with things so unclear between us," Bella shot him a glance.
Ye Jinzhi didn't say a word. He lowered his eyes and sat down beside her.
He bowed his head, his voice husky:
"Bella, I admit... I shouldn't have lied to you last night, saying I was kicked out and pretending I didn't have a single penny to my name."
The young man's voice sounded muffled, and Bella realized something was off.
"Hey, you..."
She turned her head in confusion, just in time to catch the moment the young man lifted his face.
Oh ho! What was she seeing?
Those fox-like eyes were actually rimmed with red, sparkling with a layer of unshed tears.
He stared at her with those wet eyes, acting as if she were some heartless scoundrel who had loved and left him, while he was the pitiful victim whose feelings had been played with before being tossed aside.
Bella was completely dumbfounded. What... what kind of act was this? How did he suddenly turn himself into a tragic victim in the blink of an eye?
She narrowed her eyes. "Where did you hide the eye drops?"
The young man's carefully brewed concoction of twenty percent innocence, thirty percent brokenness, and fifty percent grievance was ruthlessly strangled in his throat by Bella's single sentence.
Ye Jinzhi: ???
His still-misty fox eyes froze. Ye Jinzhi took a deep breath, his tone carrying a hint of teeth-gritting helplessness.
"In your eyes, do I really have to rely on cheap tricks to show you my 'true feelings'?"
Bella leaned in a little closer, her large eyes scanning his face back and forth. She even looked like she wanted to reach out and flip his eyelids.
"Cut the crap! You were so obedient when I made you do chores just now, and the moment you sit on the sofa you start 'weeping like a blossom in the rain'? You change faces too fast, I can't keep up!"
She stuck out a finger, poked his cheek, and analyzed:
"Confess. Did you secretly put drops in your eyes when you were walking behind me?"
Ye Jinzhi let out a soft chuckle. He reached out and captured her offending finger, giving it a slight tug to pull them close together once again.
"You really just use people and throw them away, Master."
"This is what you call 'use and throw away'?" Bella tilted her face up. "Why don't you tell me exactly what I 'used' you for?"
"I was the one who gathered the chicken and duck eggs, I caught the goose, I pushed the swing, and even the candy in your mouth... I unwrapped and fed it to you."
She stared at his lips drawing closer and closer—they looked very kissable—and involuntarily swallowed hard, blustering with fake bravado:
"Y-you... look at yourself right now! What kind of proper male servant cries in front of his master like this?"
