Pei Haoran finished the large bowl of beef noodles, savoring every bite. The taste was excellent, leaving him feeling satisfied both physically and mentally.
Looking up, Zhu Xiaowei in the living room looked pale and unwell. She seemed to have no appetite and only ate a little. Fortunately, she was obedient and drank water and medicine without needing to be coaxed.
"Do you still have a fever?"
Pei Haoran walked over to help her clear the dishes. Seeing her pale expression, he weighed whether or not to take her to the hospital.
"I've taken my temperature, 37 degrees is no longer a fever, just a bit of a heavy head, maybe I have a cold..."
Little Zhu spoke with a slight nasal twang, staring blankly at the man taking the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash them. Due to her habit of being subservient, she almost instinctively got up and said, "I'll do it."
Pei Haoran put on an apron and turned his head, looking at her with a somewhat complicated expression. "Don't worry, I won't break your bowls."
"I didn't mean that. It's just that the hot water in the kitchen sink is out now because of winter. You're not used to working in the kitchen..."
Little Zhu weakly explained that she used to be a nanny at his house, so how dare she let her big boss do it himself.
"As a man, I'm not afraid of cold water, am I?"
Pei Haoran wore a sullen expression, as if he found her nagging a bit annoying. "Go back to bed and lie down... Washing dishes is so simple, you stand here supervising me? Do you doubt my ability to do the job?"
"I don't."
Zhu Xiaowei mumbled back, "How could I ever doubt you?"
Look at his back, wearing a scarf, quite the picture. But he seems to have used too much dish soap; suddenly I felt a little amused.

She was used to living alone, her home was usually quiet. The last time a man had been in her kitchen was Tang Yu. Tang Yu was a good cook, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and using the tools all in one smooth motion. She had been smitten when she saw him cooking that day. Pei Haoran couldn't compare to Tang Yu at all.
But now she felt that Pei Haoran's clumsy washing of dishes made her feel even more deeply about him. Lying in bed, closing her eyes, his figure kept appearing in her mind.
It might be because she liked him, unknowingly harboring a secret affection for him for quite some time.
After taking the medicine, Zhu Xiaowei thought that she would definitely be better after a good night's sleep.
So now her brain was throbbing, and she gritted her teeth and didn't say anything.
From a young age, she had grown accustomed to being scorned by her mother and bullied by her stepfather. She was used to being strong, while other girls cried and acted spoiled, she knew that once she cried enough, she should go buy medicine to treat her wounds because no one would comfort her.
Gritting her teeth against the pain in her temples, she thought back to her ordinary childhood. The days when she was shabby and bullied, her mind growing heavy until she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
While Pei Huoran in the kitchen washed two bowls and three plates, it actually took him half an hour.
He flushed repeatedly, constantly doubting if he was clean enough. Then tragically, he got the kitchen all wet again and had to go find the mop.
The first thought that came to my mind was that Zhu Xiao Wei was really tired from doing chores every day.
Master Pei had finally finished all his fussing and went to the living room sofa to take a sip of hot tea. He looked up at the clock on the TV cabinet and found that it was already 4 am.
At three in the morning, he, a grown man, was staying in a woman's house...
His gaze turned towards the bedroom. He remained silent for three minutes, then rose to his feet.
He knew Zhu Xiaowei, that idiot, liked him, but he was afraid he couldn't give her happiness. If he dragged it on like this, he would hurt her. Besides, Guan Lei's temper could cause trouble for her again in the future.
That day, he didn't actually want to fire her; he just didn't want to cause her a peaceful life any more trouble.
Before Zhu Xiaowei's cold medicine was placed on the coffee table, he stood up in a hurry and his leg bumped into a box of medicine on the table, causing it to fall to the floor.

Pei Haoran picked it up, he casually glanced at it, and immediately noticed that the cold medicine had expired.
"Dummy Zhu Xiaowei."
He sighed and tossed the medicine in his hand into the trash. "It's been expired for half a year, and I still kept it."
Without a second thought, he walked straight into her bedroom. As his hand touched her forehead, Pei Haoran realized that this silly woman had started burning up again.
He leaned close to her ear and called out a few times, but the woman in bed only shifted uncomfortably without waking up.
Pei Haoran stood by the bed, hesitating. Should he let her sleep or violently wake her up?
The thermometer reads 38 degrees. If she continues to have a fever through the night, her already dimwitted head will become even more so.
Now, looking at her with her cheek turned away, her face flushed from the fever, and her eyes closed as she slept peacefully, he couldn't bear to wake her.
"Women are all so much trouble," he muttered under his breath.
Actually, Pei Haoran has always been very calm and efficient in handling matters. Even with his special relationship with Guan Lei in the past, he could immediately refuse or agree without hesitation. Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem like his usual character.
Finally, Pei Haoran decided to go out to the nearby drugstore to buy some new fever and cold medicine.
When he arrived, it was in a car driven by his assistant. Now, at past 4 am, trying to find a taxi wouldn't be easy. After walking around the area, he found that the 24-hour convenience store didn't sell medicine. He walked for half an hour and finally saw a large pharmacy.
When Pei Haoran returned to her apartment, it was already 5:20 in the morning.
He finished half a cup of warm water and was about to go to the bedroom to wake him up and give him medicine. Just as he reached the bedside, the light pink phone on the nightstand rang.
At first, he thought it was his phone alarm and reached out to turn it off.
He glanced at the screen, looking at the words "Mother" displayed. His mother?
The phone's ringtone kept ringing, very jarring in the silence, even a bit annoying.
Pei Haoran put the bought medicine and water cup on the bedside table, then picked up his phone and walked out of the room. His tone was very flat as he spoke first.
"Zhu Xiaowei has a bad cold and needs to rest. If anything comes up, I'll tell her when she wakes up..."
When Zhu Mu heard a man's voice, she didn't care what Pei Haoran said. She retorted loudly, "Who are you?"
Where did Xiao Zhu's phone end up in your possession at this late hour?
The woman's voice was shrill and grating. Pei Haoran frowned as he listened to her rant and rave.
She had a cold today, and I was at her house…” He held back his patience, wanting to explain things properly to her.
But when Zhu Mu on the phone heard that there was a man in her daughter's house, she immediately became agitated and started yelling.
"You're with Xiao Zhu right now, how could you two be together in the middle of the night? You must want to take advantage of my daughter! I tell you, you better get out immediately or I'll call the police!"
"My daughter has a boyfriend now, and you, some stray cat or dog, are not good enough for her! I want you to immediately break up with Xiao Zhu, or else I won't let you off!"
With a creak, the door behind her swung open.
Zhu Xiaowei became a little dazed, and in her half-sleep state, she vaguely heard her mother's familiar, sharp voice. Pei Haoran still held his phone in his right hand as he turned to look at her.
On the other end of the phone, the voice was still angrily cursing. Pei Haoran lightly touched his long fingers a few times, impatiently hung up the phone, and at the same time, he said to the woman in front of him, “I’m leaving.”

(Editor in charge：)