Bella was completely numb by now.
The rest of the lunch felt like a dual physical and psychological torment to her.
Ye Jinzhi had completely transformed into a feeder. For every dish, he would pick up a piece and pause for a moment in front of Bella's tightly closed lips.
Bella watched helplessly as the food in the small porcelain dish in front of her piled higher and higher, like a colorful little mountain.
The tantalizing aroma drifted into her nose, causing her stomach to cramp in hunger.
But she could only act like an old monk in deep meditation, strictly guarding the red line of absolutely never opening her mouth.
Just as she was agonizing over whether this plate of food would eventually be thrown out to feed the pigs, she heard a deep voice asking from above:
Bella, are you full?
Ye Jinzhi stopped the silver chopsticks in his hand, tilted his head, and stared at her intently.
A few seconds later, as if he had received a satisfactory answer, a barely noticeable gentleness curled the corners of his lips:
Full? Then I will take care of the rest.
With that, he naturally took the small plate piled with leftovers from in front of Bella and slowly fed them into his own mouth.
Before long, Bella looked at the empty plate, rivers of thick tears streaming down in her heart.
[Sob sob sob X﹏X... I am so hungry!]
Calculating the time, it had been quite a while since she woke up. According to her usual biological clock, it should have been her breakfast time by now, but she could only watch helplessly as someone else enjoyed delicious food.
[Sigh, out of sight, out of mind.]
Bella really could not stand this temptation and instinctively cut off her visual nerves—she closed her eyes.
The next second, she snapped them open again. Seeing that he had turned sideways to grab a tissue, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness he did not notice.
Ye Jinzhi turned back with a wet tissue, gently cupping Bella's chin, preparing to wipe away the bit of smoked fish juice smeared on the corner of her mouth.
Bella was starving. Taking advantage of the moment the large tissue was about to cover most of her face,
and using his blind spot, she darted out the tip of her tongue with lightning speed and quickly licked her lips twice!
The unique sweet and savory taste of the smoked fish exploded on her tongue, the rich sauce mixing with the fresh sweetness of the fish.
[Hiss—! So delicious!]
The young man wiped the corners of her lips bit by bit. After wiping, Ye Jinzhi did not withdraw his hand immediately. He glanced at it; there was only a tiny bit of grease on the tissue.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, and a meaningful soft chuckle escaped his throat.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he used the same tissue to casually wipe the corner of his own mouth.
Bella was confused: What was this guy laughing at? How baffling.
But by this time, Ye Jinzhi had already turned around:
Auntie Yang, clear the table. Sister Cheng, prepare the car, I am taking Bella out for a trip.
With that, Bella's entire doll-like body was gathered into his embrace again.
The housekeeper, Sister Cheng, looked at the weather outside.
The rain had originally stopped, but at some point, it had become dense and urgent again, with muffled and massive thunderclaps exploding deep within the clouds.
She wanted to say something, but after her gaze met Ye Jinzhi's eyes, her warning seemed to freeze in her throat:
Young Master, stay safe.
As Ye Jinzhi walked, Bella's vision plunged into darkness.
Soon, the muffled thud of a car door closing could be heard.
Following a low roar from the engine, they plunged headlong into the intensifying storm that seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Raindrops battered against the bulletproof windows with a crackling sound, dragging out fragmented water streaks down the glass.
A rhythmic tapping sound echoed continuously inside the car.
Immediately after, several phone calls came in one after another.
The young man's tone when answering the phone was completely different from how he had just faced Bella and Teacher Li; it possessed the crispness and decisiveness expected of a decision-maker.
...The harvest period is set for next Monday. No matter what conditions they propose, acquire it directly at a premium. End this battle quickly.
If those old shareholders still want to flaunt their seniority, do not bother going to my dad. Just throw last year's annual report and this year's first-quarter report at them.
The Ye family never keeps useless people around.
Bella nestled in his arms, listening in stunned silence.
[Tsk, as expected of a future top-tier boss.]
She could not help but marvel inwardly.
The book described Ye Jinzhi single-handedly taking over the Ye family empire in his twenties. It turned out that this ruthless and decisive nature was already evident when he was just sixteen or seventeen.
This young man could act crazy toward a doll, but he could also wield immense power and manipulate the business world from inside a car.
Because the boss's working voice sounded too much like a lullaby, and relying on the fact that she was facing Ye Jinzhi's chest
where no one could see her face, Bella simply closed her aching eyelids secretly and fell into a brief rest.
[After all, staring into the void all the time is really tiring...]
The sound of his voice gradually faded, leaving only the occasional boom of thunder outside the window.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Bella was jolted awake.
—Dong—
[?!]
—Dong—
[A bell?]
Bella's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
[A temple?! In broad daylight, why did Ye Jinzhi bring me to a temple?]
For some reason, Bella had an ominous premonition.
At this moment, the car's speed slowly decreased.
Young Master, the rain is getting heavier. The road up the mountain is narrow and the moisture is dense. Are we still going up?
The driver's voice from the front seat revealed obvious hesitation.
Outside the window, the curtain of rain was so thick it looked like a gray wall, and the windshield wipers were swinging frantically.
Just as the driver finished speaking, a pale bolt of lightning suddenly slashed across the sky, resembling a ferocious blade.
—Rumble!!!
Immediately after, a heavy crack of thunder exploded as if directly above the car roof.
In that flashing light and shadow, Bella felt the arms holding her suddenly tighten.
Ye Jinzhi slightly lowered his eyelids, the lightning reflecting in his pupils.
A fleeting flash of madness.
Go up the mountain.
The young man's voice was very soft, not even loud enough to cover the roaring thunderstorm outside the window, yet it carried an unquestionable paranoia and determination.
But the driver clearly heard it.
The ancient temple halfway up the mountain.
Inside a meditation room named Formless.
The smoke from the burning sandalwood was originally rising straight toward the beams, but it was shattered by a gust of cold wind slipping through the window cracks.
The old abbot, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes amid the exploding thunder.
He slightly raised his withered hand, his fingertips swiftly calculating something.
As his knuckles shifted, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, finally turning into a sigh.
—Sigh.
The old abbot closed his eyes again, the prayer beads in his hand slowly rolling between his fingertips, making faint clicking sounds.
What is meant to come... will eventually come.
