Chapter 5: She Drank His Bowl  

Pei Yuezhou’s bedroom was filled with several people in white coats, along with professional medical equipment set up and ready.  

By all rights, Yu Zhi should have been waiting outside at this time.  

But the unconscious man was gripping her wrist tightly, his subconscious reaction—especially those furrowed brows—made Yu Zhi’s heart ache with reluctance.  

She hesitated over whether to pry his hand away.  

A doctor broke the stalemate: “It’s fine if the madam stays by his side.”  

Yu Zhi nodded and sat on the soft cushion placed beside the bed.  

During the re-suturing process, the man’s white shirt was left open, revealing his lean, muscular physique—particularly those perfectly defined abs.  

Of course, there was also that long, bloodied wound.  

It was almost too painful to look at.  

Yu Zhi had expected his injury to be severe, but she hadn’t anticipated it would be this bad.  

Regret flooded her heart—why hadn’t she stabbed him a few more times back then?  

Silently, she held his hand.  

The re-suturing didn’t take too long, but watching it firsthand made it feel like an eternity to Yu Zhi.  

Once the doctors finished, they withdrew, closing the door behind them as they gathered around Butler Li to give post-treatment instructions.  

When Assistant Xu entered, he saw Yu Zhi gazing at the man on the bed, lost in thought.  

He lowered his voice. “Madam, Master kept you confined at home these past few days to protect you from the Song Family. He went abroad because he was worried you’d be dragged into danger.”  

“I know.”  

She had never misunderstood his intentions.  

Only then did the weight in Assistant Xu’s chest finally lift.  

“It’s late, Madam. You should rest soon too.”  

Yu Zhi reached out, smoothing the furrow between the man’s brows before standing—only for her body to immediately signal exhaustion.  

**[Host Master, the side effects are kicking in. Falling asleep quickly can temporarily relieve fatigue, but it’ll take three days for the condition to fully disappear.]**  

Yu Zhi understood. Glancing at her still-captured wrist, then at Pei Yuezhou’s peaceful sleeping face, she hesitated no longer and carefully climbed into bed.  

She was a still sleeper, rarely tossing and turning, and the bed was more than spacious enough—but Yu Zhi still kept as much distance from his waist and abdomen as possible.  

Fatigued, she fell asleep quickly.  

As the anesthesia wore off, the man on the bed stirred awake in the early hours of the morning.  

The warmth in his palm made him instinctively turn his head—his gaze landing on his wife’s serene sleeping face.  

Something inside him seemed to grow wildly.  

He inched closer, then pulled her into his arms.  

Her sweet, pleasant scent diluted the harsh smell of antiseptic, soothing some of the restlessness in Pei Yuezhou’s heart. Closing his eyes, he drifted back to sleep.  

Yu Zhi wasn’t entirely surprised that she slept longer than usual—but she never expected to wake up the next afternoon.  

By then, the man was already propped up in bed, flipping through a contract.  

His voice was slightly hoarse. “Awake?”  

“Mhm…” Yu Zhi rubbed her eyes and asked what time it was.  

“Three in the afternoon.” He noticed she still seemed tired.  

At her sudden drowsiness, his expression turned inexplicably grave. Yu Zhi guessed his thoughts. “I’m fine, no need to call a doctor. I’ll sleep a bit more—wake me at six for dinner.”  

Pei Yuezhou parted his lips, but before he could speak, she was already asleep again.  

He fell silent.  

Staring at her for a few seconds.  

Then he reached out to check her temperature—no fever.

Just then, Assistant Xu entered with an iPad in hand.

“Chairman Pei. We’ve verified it—there was indeed something fishy about the sudden cancellation of the Song Family’s birthday banquet last night. Song Chuhe was stabbed.”

Hearing this, Pei Yuezhou’s hand, which had been reaching past Yu Zhi for the documents on the desk, froze mid-air. He lifted his gaze to Assistant Xu.

“What a coincidence—he was stabbed in the abdomen too.”

An outsider might think it was their people retaliating in kind.  

But knowing Chairman Pei’s temperament, it would only be payback tenfold.  

Pei Yuezhou pursed his lips slightly, lost in thought.  

“Do we know who did it?”  

Assistant Xu shook his head. “The perpetrator was clever—left no traces at all. Moreover, the Song Family seems intent on covering it up. Song Chuhe appears ready to swallow this bitter pill quietly.”  

This was highly unusual. Song Chuhe had always been one to return every slight tenfold. For him to act so magnanimous now could only mean there was something to gain.  

“Keep watching.”  

“Yes.”  

Meanwhile, at the Song residence…  

Supported by a nurse, Song Chuhe made his way to the sofa and sat down.  

The young man standing before him was a bundle of nerves, terrified he might have done something to anger his employer.  

An assistant whispered into Song Chuhe’s ear, “He’s the one who led Miss Yu Zhi to you last night.”  

Song Chuhe regarded the young man with a gentle expression. “I heard you were an outstanding student but had to drop out due to family circumstances… I’ve always valued talent. I plan to sponsor your studies abroad.”  

“W-what?” If the young man had been nervous before, he now felt as if he’d fallen into a dream—utterly surreal.  

The assistant at his side frowned and prompted, “Hurry up and thank Mr. Song.”  

Shock gave way to elation, and the young man finally snapped out of his daze, stammering, “Thank you, sir! Thank you!”  

Song Chuhe’s smile never wavered as he watched the young man leave the room in high spirits.  

But a glint of something sinister flickered in his pale gray eyes.  

He issued a calm, detached order: “Make sure it’s clean.”  

“Rest assured, sir.”  

The assistant had occasionally exchanged a few words with the young man, who had a pleasant personality. A pity, really—just unlucky.  

To have gotten tangled up with last night’s affairs…  

—  

Yu Zhi was sound asleep when Pei Yuezhou shook her awake, faintly hearing him say something about “eating porridge.”  

Grudgingly, she dragged herself up, still half-asleep, and took the bowl from his hands, burying her face in it to drink.  

The maid who had been about to hand Yu Zhi a bowl froze—had Madam just taken the one meant for the master?  

By the time Pei Yuezhou realized what had happened, his gaze had darkened as it lingered on her soft lips pressed against the rim—the same spot his own had just touched.  

But he kept a straight face, taking the other bowl from the maid without comment.  

He even casually added fish balls and greens to Yu Zhi’s bowl.  

Yu Zhi obediently finished everything, then climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.  

When she returned after washing up, she immediately burrowed back under the covers and shut her eyes, ready to sleep again.  

This left Pei Yuezhou, who had been planning to settle accounts with her, forcibly silenced.  

Butler Li, standing nearby, thought to himself: “…”  

He suspected Madam was evading consequences in a very niche way—but he had no proof.  

Pei Yuezhou propped himself up on one arm, leaning close to murmur ominously in her ear, “You’d better genuinely be sleepy, or else…”  

The only response was the steady rhythm of her breathing.  

Pei Yuezhou fell silent once more.

He glanced at his watch and said to Butler Li, “Have the family doctor come over.”

Butler Li didn’t dare delay and immediately made the call upon stepping out.

The family doctor rushed over in a flurry of urgency.

Under Pei Yuezhou’s intimidating gaze, the doctor meticulously examined Yu Zhi’s eyes, mouth, and hands, then repeatedly checked her pulse several times.

“Sir, Madam is simply exhausted. There’s no serious issue—she’ll recover her energy after resting.”

Seeing the doctor’s confident assurance, Pei Yuezhou dismissed him.

For the next two days, Yu Zhi remained in the same state. If Pei Yuezhou hadn’t insisted on waking her for meals, he might have feared she wouldn’t wake at all. During her sleep, he even summoned the doctor multiple times, but the diagnosis remained unchanged.

Fortunately, on the third day, Yu Zhi finally regained her energy.

Only then did Pei Yuezhou abandon the idea of subjecting her to a full medical examination.

The two sat at the dining table eating breakfast. Though neither spoke, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward—it carried the comfortable ease of a long-married couple.

Butler Li startled himself with this sudden thought. Of course, they should feel like an old married couple! What was he thinking?

“A Yue, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Let’s talk.”

Their voices harmonized perfectly, as if they’d rehearsed it.

Pei Yuezhou said, “You first.”

Regarding Song Chuhe, this matter needed resolution. This time, he wouldn’t yield an inch.

His gaze at Yu Zhi turned fierce, like a lone wolf lurking in darkness, exuding subtle danger.

“Once you’ve recovered, could you accompany me to visit my brother?”

Pei Yuezhou hadn’t expected her to mention Yu Heng. Momentarily stunned, he recalled the attending physician’s hopeless prognosis and suddenly couldn’t meet her eyes.

An overwhelming helplessness gripped him—how could he possibly explain this to her?

Though the Yu siblings often acted like they couldn’t stand each other, Pei Yuezhou knew Yu Zhi deeply cared for her brother.

If she learned Yu Heng might never wake again…

His Adam’s apple bobbed. After a long pause, he finally heard himself reply, “Alright.”

Tiny sparks of joy lit Yu Zhi’s eyes.

This only weighed heavier on his heart.

“A Yue, what did you want to tell me?”

Pei Yuezhou suppressed the storm in his eyes, his grip on the cutlery turning his knuckles white.

Never mind.

“Nothing… eat before it gets cold.”