Chi Ye had previously thought that having the ability to read minds was utterly ridiculous. Wouldn't that mean anyone standing in front of him couldn't hide a single secret?
Then the person whose thoughts he could hear turned out to be Shen Zhiyi. A month had passed, and he still couldn't figure her out.
Mind reading seemed like a useless exercise. When used on Shen Zhiyi, it was practically worthless, because her mind was just like the expression on her face: there was nothing there.
So much so that he had forgotten he even had the ability to read minds.
His gaze fell on Shen Zhiyi. The Housekeeper's figure flickered in and out of view in the kitchen, where he was cheerfully humming as he cooked.
Shen Zhiyi looked up at him, and Chi Ye realized there was still something different. Right now, she was like a cat-a languid cat with an aloof air.
She merely looked over without speaking, yet strangely, for the first time, Chi Ye felt as though this villa had taken on something tangible.
Like a real home.
The Housekeeper's booming voice shattered the atmosphere. Standing in the kitchen doorway, he shouted,
"Young master, you're back!"
Chi Ye frowned slightly and replied, "Didn't you tell me to come home early? Why ask when you already know?"
The Housekeeper wasn't annoyed. Grinning, he ducked back into the kitchen to busy himself again. Chi Ye strolled into the living room and chose a seat neither too close to nor too far from her.
He glanced sideways at her. "Have you been doing all right these past few days?"
Without taking her eyes off the television, Shen Zhiyi answered, "Mm."
As brief as ever, and still somewhat perfunctory. But Chi Ye was used to her being like this. A sudden change would have been frightening.
The air around them grew a little strained. They hadn't seen each other for a week, and despite living under the same roof, they barely exchanged a word.
"I heard from the Housekeeper that you want to leave?"
Only after hearing his question did Shen Zhiyi sit a little straighter and nod as she answered,
"Yes. Sorry for imposing on you these past few days."
He leaned slightly toward her and asked,
"Why? From what I understand, something happened to your house. It shouldn't be fit to live in anymore."
Chi Ye shouldn't have known about the problem with her house. It seemed he had sent someone to investigate during this time. She wasn't surprised, though, and waited a moment before answering him.
"I'll stay at a hotel and find someone to take care of the house. I'll definitely repay you for helping me. Whatever you ask."
His eyes flickered, and he felt a little guilty meeting her gaze. Shen Zhiyi knew his purpose. Yet why was it so hard for him to say it? It was as though his only reason for doing all this had been to get Shen Zhiyi to cooperate with him.
"Shen Zhiyi, you're just leaving like that? And were you planning to leave without even telling me to my face? If the Housekeeper hadn't stopped you, I wouldn't even know where to find you now.
"Besides, you're eating my food, drinking my drinks, and you have the Housekeeper waiting on you. You don't have to lift a finger.
"With conditions this good, you're still just leaving? And you even refused to cooperate with me. I..."
"I'll agree to cooperate with you." Her cool voice cut Chi Ye off before he could finish.
Chi Ye had only wanted to complain and vent a little. He blinked several times before he registered what Shen Zhiyi had just said.
She had agreed.
He was happy at first, but then felt a little sad all on his own. It felt as though this cooperation had been bought with his life. Still, he raised his head and said rather smugly,
"See? I told you you'd agree. I don't give up halfway. I, Chi Ye, have never done that sort of thing."
"As long as you don't regret it," Shen Zhiyi added blandly. That was her only aim. Since Chi Ye needed it, she would agree. She wasn't so ungrateful.
Realizing that Shen Zhiyi had spoken an unprecedented number of words today, he really wanted to celebrate with confetti cannons. What a rare sight this was.
"Since you've agreed to cooperate with me, I certainly won't treat you poorly. And I already told you, we have to pretend to be a couple.
"Since we're a couple, living together isn't unreasonable, right? This way, you don't need to move out. Just stay here. It'll be more convincing. Madam Ye is sharp. If you move away, she definitely won't believe me."
Chi Ye launched into an analysis, starting with how many years Madam Ye had spent watching melodramatic TV shows, then moving on to how much she loved gossip. Besides, she had a keen eye for this sort of thing.
If Shen Zhiyi didn't live here, their lie would be exposed in minutes. Living together was the sensible choice now. When Madam Ye returned, she would find traces of Shen Zhiyi living in this house.
He wouldn't need to say much at all; Madam Ye would spot the key detail herself. That way, once their cooperation ended, it would make sense for him to get dumped.
Shen Zhiyi left the arrangements to him. Since she had agreed, she would calmly accept her fate.
The villain was even more enthusiastic than she was. Could she say no?
With one major matter settled, Chi Ye was visibly in much higher spirits. The Housekeeper felt that humming alone wasn't much fun, so he even switched on the little speaker while stir-frying, enjoying himself in the kitchen.
Before going upstairs, Chi Ye called to the Housekeeper in the kitchen,
"Housekeeper, decant that red wine for me. We're celebrating tonight."
The Housekeeper's spatula hand shook, and he added too much salt. He stood there pondering for a moment, then scooped it out with a spoon. Looking at the half spoonful of salt, he took a wineglass out of the cupboard.
He casually tipped the salt into it. It was the young master's fault, so the young master should bear the consequences. It couldn't go to waste.
Perhaps red wine with salt would get sweeter the more one drank, leaving an endless aftertaste. Who knew?
After doing all this, his conscience was clear. Every Housekeeper who endured humiliation and hardship had to do something to fight back. Otherwise, how could he be happy at work?
Shen Zhiyi continued watching television, the corners of her mouth curving faintly. Another burst of laughter came from the television, and he watched with rapt attention.
At the dinner table, the moment Chi Ye took a sip of red wine, he turned his head and spat it out. Fortunately, he turned quickly enough, or tonight's meal would certainly have suffered.
Shen Zhiyi looked up at him and blinked.
Is the wine poisoned?
Chi Ye wiped his mouth with a napkin. With no time to respond to Shen Zhiyi's thoughts, he turned toward the door and shouted,
"Housekeeper, who told you to put salt in the red wine?!"
Shen Zhiyi's gaze fell on the wineglass. She reached out and quietly moved it a little farther away, then began eating her meal with peace of mind.
The Housekeeper had slipped away quickly, but he hoped the young master would put in a strong performance tonight. He had better not let down the turtle soup the Housekeeper had specially prepared. It had simmered for several hours.
Chi Ye picked up a ladle and began serving the soup. Looking at it, he frowned slightly and muttered,
"There's nothing in this soup. Are we sure the Housekeeper made soup?"
Despite his words, he ladled out a bowl and placed it in front of Shen Zhiyi, then served himself another.
He took a tentative sip. It tasted quite good. Reassured, he said to Shen Zhiyi,
"There's nothing wrong with the soup. He was probably just getting back at me by putting salt in the red wine, that's all. Go ahead and eat."
Since the soup tasted good, most of it ended up in Chi Ye's stomach as he vowed to wash away the taste of that salted red wine.
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