LEO hummed in response. "Not particularly serious. I just can't eat random things."
He spoke as if sharing an interesting tidbit: "The only thing I'm basically not allergic to is eggs. When I first got here, I practically ate steamed eggs for a whole month."
Qi Sui lowered her eyelashes. The term "steamed eggs" reminded her of some unpleasant things.
"Did you get tested for allergens?"
LEO's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "I did. But allergens change as the environment changes."
Qi Sui agreed. "Yeah. You can only eat foods with a low allergy risk."
LEO nodded and pointed to the back seat. "I have to cook for myself."
Qi Sui turned her head in the direction he pointed. There really was a pile of ingredients on the back seat, mostly portioned into small packages, neatly stacked with plastic wrap and lunch boxes.
From the outer packaging, they were vegetables and meats with relatively stable genes.
This man.
Unexpectedly—
How should she describe it?
Guan Guan's words flashed through Qi Sui's mind. She almost blurted out without thinking:
"You're really virtuous."
Ah.
As soon as she said it, she realized something was wrong.
After a moment of silence, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat in resignation.
Let her die.
"Huh?"
LEO's tone was complicated.
He didn't sound unhappy, just a bit surprised.
"Uh..."
His voice was still thick and heavy, but he seemed in a good mood. So being called "virtuous" by Qi Sui didn't offend him; instead, he responded with novelty:
"That description... seems right."
"But just cooking for myself counts as virtuous?"
His tone was flat and frank. "Then you're also quite virtuous."
The ball was thrown back at her. But since her boss didn't seem angry at her words, Qi Sui's previously tense mood relaxed.
She pursed her lips and smiled. "Then I thank you for the compliment."
The man's gaze passed through the rearview mirror and landed on her face.
A pale, frail woman. When she smiled with pursed lips, a slight dimple appeared on her cheek. The diamond on her wedding ring was small. Her timid look was quite different from the Qi Sui in his impression.
Her smile was restrained. Her pale, pinkish-white face had few pores and sparse capillaries, so her complexion wasn't very prominent. He remembered the color of her fingertips—a fleshy pinkish white, with slender knuckles. The touch was cool and bony as it reached toward his face—
Like a thin, white, cold snake.
It made him freeze for a moment.
He felt something was off but didn't know how to say it.
"Where should I drop you off?" LEO asked.
Qi Sui said, "Just at the north of Zhongnan Street."
The rain had lessened slightly.
Qi Sui stood by the car, flashed a standard, polite smile, said goodbye to him, and turned toward home.
She lived on the 12th floor, in the largest unit in the entire complex. But the location was average—not only was it the outermost building in the community, but it was also right next to People's Square, making it inevitably noisy at night.
The deep black SUV stayed in place for a long time.
The car's owner watched the woman's figure enter the complex, then turn right into the only residential building on the right.
His slightly drooping eyelids blinked. There were bloodshot veins in his eyes. He looked up wearily. Half a minute later, the light in the right unit on the 12th floor turned on.
The SUV roared to life and drove off in the opposite direction.
...
When she finally got home and shed all her exhaustion, Qi Sui slowly pulled out her phone from her bag. Only then did she realize she had forgotten to turn off Do Not Disturb mode.
As soon as she turned it off, her phone began vibrating. More than a dozen messages popped up, interspersed with a few call logs, none of which she had answered.
Husband: ?
Husband: What do you mean?
Husband: Qi Sui, are you this impatient with me now?
Husband: [Missed Call]