13

Leng Yanmi didn't say anything, seemingly indifferent to Shi Yue's state, but the way she adjusted the car's air conditioning up by two degrees gave away her concern.

Shi Yue turned her head to look at her. Maybe it was because the lighting in the car was dim, but she felt that the dark circles under Leng Yanmi's eyes were a bit noticeable. However, the woman sitting in the driver's seat had her hair and clothes impeccably styled, showing no signs of fatigue. She seemed to be in a much better state than Shi Yue herself.

Shi Yue curled her knees up and nestled into the seat, "Auntie, you came to pick me up?"

Leng Yanmi kept her eyes on the road, answering rather absentmindedly, "I was just passing by."

"Just passing by?" Shi Yue tilted her head, staring at her without blinking, then suddenly chuckled. She wanted to tease her a bit more, but a wave of drowsiness washed over her, cutting off her words. Shi Yue half-closed her eyes and yawned deeply.

After wiping away the tears that welled up at the corners of her eyes, she forgot what she was going to say.

Leng Yanmi glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

She asked, "Want to grab something to eat?"

"Not hungry," Shi Yue said, clutching her stomach. After a moment's thought, she added, "No appetite."

To be honest, around noon, there was a moment when her stomach was so empty it felt like it was churning with acid. But after pushing through the worst of it, her body began using fat for energy, and the hunger sensation disappeared.

Now that she was away from the battlefield, her whole body relaxed, and she didn't feel particularly uncomfortable—just very tired.

"How about some porridge?" Leng Yanmi suggested to herself, "Something light."

Shi Yue didn't quite catch what she said and responded with a nasal "Mm," leaning back into the wide leather seat and closing her eyes.

She only intended to rest her eyes for a moment, but having been tense from last night until this afternoon, she fell into a deep sleep the moment she closed her eyes.

Leng Yanmi tried to wake her up after stopping at an upscale private kitchen restaurant she often visited, but eventually gave up because Shi Yue was sleeping too soundly.

She got out of the car, ordered two servings of seafood porridge from the kind-hearted lady owner, and after some thought, drove Shi Yue back to her apartment nearby. Throughout the entire process, even when Leng Yanmi carried her to the guest bed, Shi Yue remained asleep, her brows relaxed, sleeping soundly.

After laying her down, Leng Yanmi stood by the bedside, gazing at her sleeping face. The room, filled with high-end furnishings but somewhat cold, was gradually filled with a warm citrus scent—faint but with a strong presence.

A white ragdoll cat, tail perked up, walked in from the door, rubbing against Leng Yanmi's ankle and meowing non-stop.

Afraid of disturbing the sleeping girl, she picked up the white cat and left the guest room.

The ragdoll cat followed its owner. After catching a whiff of the aromatic seafood porridge on the table, it licked its lips and extended a paw toward the takeout box.

Leng Yanmi had to repeatedly shoo it off the table. In the end, she poured the seafood porridge into an electric rice cooker to keep it warm, finally curbing her cat's obsession with the porridge.

Shi Yue woke up at ten-thirty at night. She found her phone on the bedside table and, looking at the unfamiliar environment, guessed that she had been brought to Leng Yanmi's home.

She felt relaxed, even taking a stroll around the room to shake off the remnants of sleepiness.

After stretching twice, she put on some slippers and walked out.

Standing in the living room, she softly called, "Auntie," a few times, but there was no response from Leng Yanmi. Just when Shi Yue was starting to feel puzzled, she heard a voice coming from a half-closed room down the hallway and quietly walked over.

In the study, Leng Yanmi was wearing Bluetooth earphones, having a meeting on her laptop.

Seeing that she was busy, Shi Yue sensibly decided to wait in the living room until Leng Yanmi finished her work before greeting her.

But just as she turned to leave, she was stopped by Leng Yanmi's words coming from inside the room.

She was speaking to her subordinate on the other end of the meeting, "…I understand the situation, but didn't I say at the meeting this morning? We need to be more cautious with the cooperation with Changfeng. Did you redo the risk assessment?"

Shi Yue furrowed her brows outside.

This morning? What this morning?

Last night, when Leng Yanmi was helping her with Shi Nuo's analysis report, Shi Yue had felt guilty about making her stay up all night and had suggested she go to bed early while she worked on finding information and making plans herself.

But at that time, Leng Yanmi had told her she had no work scheduled for the day and that it was fine if she stayed up all night.

Although it was a workday, people in high positions like Leng Yanmi could decide their own rest schedules. Besides, Leng Yanmi was the kind to fiercely protect her people, but she didn't have a habit of lying. Shi Yue had no reason to doubt what she said and shamelessly continued to learn from her on how to counter Shi Wen's potential moves.

So, Shi Yue had always assumed that after ending their video call in the morning, when she herself went off to battle at Shi Nuo, the sleepless Leng Yanmi should be lying in a warm, soft bed catching up on sleep.

Perhaps she would sleep until the late afternoon, and then she slowly drove to the entrance of Shi Nuo to pick her up.

But now, the information she was hearing completely overturned her previous assumptions.

Inside the study, Leng Yanmi continued talking with her subordinate.

"…I had to leave the office early this afternoon, so I didn't meet with Changfeng's management. I've asked my secretary to reschedule the meeting for four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Bring your assistant along to sit in.

"I don't want any more problems with this cooperation."

Shi Yue didn't need to listen any further. She quietly left the study without disturbing those inside.

The rice cooker in the kitchen had its "Keep Warm" light on. She could guess what was inside and opened the lid, greeted by the inviting aroma of seafood porridge.

The warm scent instantly lifted her spirits. Shi Yue diverted her attention and found some high-quality ingredients in the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves to start cooking.

Soon, the non-stick pan sizzled with the sound of eggs and bacon cooking, the aroma whetting Shi Yue's appetite and attracting the fat cat that had been in the study keeping its owner company.

Seeing Shi Yue, the cat hesitated, not understanding why this person was in its owner's apartment. But the smell of food was too tempting. After watching for a while, the ragdoll tentatively walked into the kitchen, stretching its neck to peek at the stove.

Shi Yue, not holding a grudge, tore off a piece of the unseasoned cooked bacon for it.

The ragdoll cautiously took the food to the living room, only starting to eat after making sure it was at a safe distance from Shi Yue. Leaning against the counter, Shi Yue watched it eat with an amused smile.

A moment later, footsteps sounded from the other end of the living room. Leng Yanmi, having finished her meeting, appeared around the corner and met Shi Yue's gaze.

Their eyes locked for a moment. As she approached, Leng Yanmi naturally reminded, "There's seafood porridge in the pot."

Shi Yue curled her lips, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. She responded lightly, "I know."