Are You Planning to Starve Yourself?

When Lin Weiwei and Zhou Linzhe were herding the ducks, a small incident occurred.

The two of them got so absorbed in chatting that they forgot they were supposed to be watching the ducks.

When they finally came to their senses, they found that half the ducks ahead of them were gone.

"Brother Linzhe, are there fewer ducks?" Lin Weiwei thought she might have seen wrong and looked to Zhou Linzhe for confirmation.

Zhou Linzhe's expression immediately changed.

There really were fewer ducks.

The two no longer had time to chat and hurriedly began searching everywhere for the ducks.

Meanwhile, the viewers who had watched the entire thing unfold were laughing themselves silly.

[I've been wondering when they'd notice the ducks were missing. (laughing-crying)]

[Thank goodness, I thought they were never going to notice. (facepalm)]

[My young master and young miss! At this rate, you might as well let the ducks herd themselves hahaha.]

[Domestic ducks generally know their way home. When the time comes, they'll usually head back together. Though ducks do occasionally go missing.]

[Look around nearby. They probably haven't gone far.]

The ducks did not belong to them, after all, so Lin Weiwei and Zhou Linzhe were both anxious.

"Let's split up and search nearby. Don't go too far!" Zhou Linzhe said to Lin Weiwei.

"Okay!"

At a time like this, Lin Weiwei did not dare keep acting delicate.

The two began searching nearby for the lost ducks.

"Ducky! Ducky, where are you?"

"Come out, little duckies!"

Lin Weiwei called out as she searched. When the livestream viewers heard what she called them, they nearly died laughing.

[Help, hahahahaha!!!]

[No, how did she even come up with that nickname? (facepalm)]

[Does anyone seriously think calling them that is cute? (awkward laugh)]

[Isn't it cute? So cute! Little duckies, come out! Sister Weiwei is worried about you!]

[Blech~ Sorry, I couldn't hold it in (...)]

It was not just the livestream viewers who were thrown off by Lin Weiwei's nickname. When Zhou Linzhe heard it, his foot twisted, and he nearly fell flat on level ground.

Fortunately, he steadied himself. Otherwise, he would have embarrassed himself in front of the entire country.

He thought he had recovered smoothly, but in reality, every little movement had been captured clearly on camera.

The livestream viewers burst into laughter again.

Zhou Linzhe ignored Lin Weiwei and quickened his pace as he headed in another direction to search for the ducks.

Fortunately, they found all the ducks in the end. None were lost.

These ducks were used to roaming around this area and were familiar with it. They even had their own usual routes.

After returning every single duck, Lin Weiwei and Zhou Linzhe both let out a sigh of relief.

For the rest of the time, they were too afraid of losing the ducks again to chat.

The atmosphere was rather awkward.

Even the people shipping them could barely keep shipping them.

That evening, when Zhou Linzhe returned to Grandma Yu's house, he had not earned a single cent.

He had skipped lunch and was already starving.

But he had spent the entire afternoon helping Lin Weiwei instead of doing his own task, so he still had no money to pay for dinner.

When Qi Si was heading out to eat, he saw Zhou Linzhe lying on his bed after washing up, with no intention of getting up.

"You're not planning to eat again? Going on a hunger strike? Even if you're protesting, you don't have to be this cruel to yourself, do you?"

As Qi Si said this, he completely forgot that the original owner had once done the same stupid thing.

If he could not remember it, then it did not count!

The original owner had done it anyway. What did it have to do with him?

Zhou Linzhe shot him a cold glance, then turned over and faced away from Qi Si, unwilling to pay him any attention.

Qi Si could not help laughing.

"Oh? You've got quite the personality! Let's see whether you get hungry in the middle of the night!"

The moment Qi Si said that, Zhou Linzhe's fans in the livestream could no longer hold back.

[How does he have the nerve to say that? If it weren't for him, how could Second Young Master have no money for food?]

[Ahhh! I hate Qi Si! How can Qi Si be so vile?]

[He stole someone else's job and wages, yet he's standing here making snide remarks now. (eye roll)]

[I said long ago that Qi Si had character problems! I really don't understand how anyone can still like him.]

The comments fiercely condemned Qi Si. After saying those words, Qi Si pulled open the door and prepared to leave for dinner.

Just as he took one step outside, he seemed to remember something and turned back toward his bed.

He rummaged through his jacket pocket and pulled out a wrinkled ten-yuan bill.

"Here. This is the money you earned at the convenience store this afternoon. I didn't pocket your share."

After saying that, he did not care how Zhou Linzhe reacted. He tossed the money onto Zhou Linzhe, then turned and jogged out.

Food, food!

Nothing in the world was more important than eating!

The comments abruptly fell silent.

Only after a moment did a few comments slowly drift past.

[Qi Si pocketed Zhou Linzhe's wages?]

[Keep talking. Why did it suddenly get so quiet?]

[So what if he didn't pocket it? Didn't he steal Second Young Master's job?]

[Same thing I said before: if your Second Young Master hadn't made a move on Lin Weiwei, Qi Si wouldn't have had anything to threaten him with.]

Zhou Linzhe's fans were left speechless, feeling inexplicably stifled.

After Qi Si left, Zhou Linzhe picked up the ten yuan Qi Si had thrown onto him, his expression complicated.

He had not expected Qi Si to give him the money.

Before this, if ten yuan had fallen on the ground, he would not even have glanced at it.

But here, ten yuan was enough to pay for two meals.

Zhou Linzhe held the money in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.

The viewers had no idea what he was thinking. His fans urged him in the comments to go eat, but he continued lying against the bed without moving.

"Zhou Linzhe! Are you eating or not? If you're not, I'll tell Grandma Yu not to cook for you! What a waste!"

Qi Si's voice came from outside, carrying a hint of disdain.

Zhou Linzhe lifted his eyes. After a moment, he got up and headed outside.

Only when he reached the main room did he realize that Qi Si was a little liar. His meal had clearly already been served on the table.

Hearing the movement, Qi Si turned around. When he saw Zhou Linzhe come out, he raised a brow. "Oh! Miss Zhou the Second is finally willing to come out? I thought an unmarried young lady like you never left her chambers!"

The tiny bit of goodwill Zhou Linzhe had just developed toward Qi Si instantly vanished, and the veins at his temples throbbed.

"Qi Si, don't make me beat you up!" Zhou Linzhe gritted out.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"Ow!"

Before Zhou Linzhe could make a move, Grandma Yu lightly smacked Qi Si on the forehead. She chided him, "How can you talk about your little friend like that? He's a boy. You shouldn't say things like that."

Qi Si was not angry. Grinning, he said, "Grandma, I was only joking. Zhou Linzhe isn't angry either, right, Second Young Master?"

Zhou Linzhe shot him a sidelong glance and walked over to sit at the dining table.

"Child, sit down and eat! You didn't have lunch. You must be starving, right?"

Grandma Yu was about to serve Zhou Linzhe some food when Qi Si stopped her.

"Grandma, sit down and eat your own food. Don't mind him! He's such a grown man, he has hands! Besides, didn't you leave food for him in the pot at noon? He was the one who refused to eat it!"

Yu Doudou also said like a little adult, "Grandma, don't serve the brothers food. Your chopsticks have saliva on them, so they're dirty!"

Grandma Yu raised her hand and tapped Yu Doudou's forehead too. "Now you think your grandma is dirty?"

Covering his forehead, Yu Doudou said aggrievedly, "I don't think Grandma is dirty. Grandma can serve me food, but city people are particular!"

At that, Grandma Yu hesitated and put down her chopsticks.

Holding his bowl, Qi Si laughed. "You little runt, you know about that?"

"I saw it on TV! That's how they do it on TV!"

Imitating Grandma Yu, Qi Si raised his hand and tapped Yu Doudou on the forehead. "You little brat, watch less of that messy television! Study properly, understand?"

"Brother, I know! Brother, eat some meat! My grandma's braised pork is super delicious! Eat some!"

Qi Si looked at Yu Doudou, who was desperately trying to change the subject, snorted with amusement, and let him off.

"You eat too. Eat more and grow taller."

Zhou Linzhe watched Qi Si getting along so easily with Yu Doudou and chatting cheerfully with Grandma Yu, a hint of scrutiny appearing in his eyes.

Was the Qi Si in his memories really like this?