"You… what are you doing here?"
In contrast to Ye Jiuting's panic, Li Yueqian was calm, offering her a faint smile.
"Hello. I'm the chef Mr. Chu called for."
Ye Jiuting let out a sigh of relief, stepping aside to let Li Yueqian in.
She quietly wiped the sweat from her palms on her clothes.
She'd been worrying about how to meet Li Yueqian, and now the opportunity had landed right in her lap.
Li Yueqian entered the house, needing no guidance from Ye Jiuting, and walked straight into the kitchen.
She opened the fridge and took out ingredients. "Mr. Chu likes tomato scrambled eggs, but no tomatoes…"
She smoothly listed Chu Yuan's preferences, with no intention of teaching Ye Jiuting to cook.
"I'll demonstrate once. You watch from the side. Learn what you can."
Ye Jiuting stood by, trying to help several times but never getting a chance to join in.
When the meal was ready and Li Yueqian was about to leave, she lowered her voice to whisper in Ye Jiuting's ear:
"That ribbon of yours sold for 80,000. 50,000 went to connections, and 30,000 is mine. You have no objections, right?"
"No."
"Don't be late that day. No one will wait for you."
"I won't be late."
As Li Yueqian left, Chu Yuan happened to come out of his room.
She nodded to him respectfully. "Mr. Gambling God. Your maid is not very skilled in the kitchen. It may take some time to teach her to cook. Please allow me to come back tonight."
Chu Yuan nodded in approval.
Ye Jiuting saw Li Yueqian off, then returned to the dining room to find Chu Yuan sitting there, not touching his food.
She hurried to his side, bending over. "Mr. Chu, would you like soup first, or the meal?"
Chu Yuan said, "Which dish did you make?"
Ye Jiuting felt like a useless waste again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't make any of them. It wasn't on purpose. I couldn't find a way to help."
Chu Yuan lifted his eyes to stare at her, his gaze still gentle and forgiving. "It's okay. I'll teach you myself."
He stood up, took her hand, and led her to the kitchen.
He took out fresh beef and tomatoes. "Let's make tomato beef soup. Can you cut vegetables?"
"I can." Ye Jiuting finally had something she could do.
She picked up the knife and neatly cut the vegetables into uniform pieces, arranging them perfectly on the plate.
"You did very well." Chu Yuan never hesitated to praise her.
"Now, light the stove and heat the pan. Add oil…"
Even with Chu Yuan personally guiding her, Ye Jiuting still fumbled around clumsily.
Chu Yuan stood behind her, wrapping his hands over hers to teach her step by step.
He kept a careful distance, not pressing fully against her, but when she flipped the pan, her body would lean back.
She would bump into his strong chest, her bottom brushing against his lower abdomen.
For a split second, both of them froze.
"Are you seducing me?"
Chu Yuan's eyes held amusement, not anger.
"No, I accidentally touched you. I'm sorry."
Ye Jiuting felt his body stirring beneath her, and dared not move a muscle for fear of brushing against him again.
Chu Yuan chuckled softly. "It's okay. I allow you to seduce me."
"Mr. Chu, I…" Ye Jiuting wanted to sink into the floor, unable to explain what was happening.
"Continue cooking." Chu Yuan's hand slid from her wrist to her slender waist. "Don't be so tense. Until you fully accept me, I won't touch you."
His words implied he would touch her later.
Ye Jiuting's heart raced, her mind replaying the wildness of that night — like they could never get enough, like they'd go on until they dropped.
But there would be no "later" for them. She was leaving in three days.
Thinking of all Chu Yuan had done for her, Ye Jiuting felt guilty.
So she poured all her focus into cooking.
Under Chu Yuan's guidance, the meal finally turned out barely edible.
That night, Ye Jiuting made up Chu Yuan's bed, tucking him in after he got in. "Mr. Chu, good night."
Chu Yuan said, "Bedtime story."
Ye Jiuting sat by the bed and began to speak in a soft, gentle voice.
"Snow White lived happily ever after with the seven dwarves…"
When she finished, Chu Yuan's breathing had deepened into sleep.
Ye Jiuting reached over to turn off the bedside lamp, slipped out quietly, and found a guest room to sleep in.
She lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She wanted to find out how Mr. Zhou had died, to see his body again.
But she had no clearance.
Her personal luggage was probably seized by Enzo as evidence.
Maybe she could use Chu Yuan's phone to contact her family?
Ye Jiuting opened the door and went out, finding Chu Yuan's phone on the round table in the living room.
It was locked with a passcode, which she couldn't break.
Making an emergency call should still work, though.
If the coast guard arrived, she could still get off the ship.
She dialed the number. It rang once, then cut off.
She tried several more times, with the same result.
She had to put the phone down and go back to bed.
As soon as she closed her eyes, the doorbell rang.
In the silent night, the bell sounded as urgent and menacing as a death knell.
Ye Jiuting came out and saw Chu Yuan also emerging from his room.
His phone, which he'd left on the table, was vibrating.
He picked it up and ordered, "Open the door."
Ye Jiuting went to open it, and saw Wang Zhenghang standing outside with his men.
Wang Zhenghang walked straight in, not glancing at anyone else.
Ye Jiuting turned back to see Chu Yuan toss his phone onto the sofa, saying to Wang Zhenghang:
"It was me who made the call."
Wang Zhenghang shot a glance at Ye Jiuting. "Someone who breaks the rules — even if she's a goddess — is still a disaster waiting to happen."
Ye Jiuting's heart skipped a beat. She knew she'd messed up badly.
Before she could react, someone tackled her from behind, slamming her onto the floor.
Her body hit the thick carpet, and the pain was so intense she couldn't move.
When the worst of the pain finally passed, she looked up at Chu Yuan.
He sat on the sofa with an unreadable expression, legs crossed elegantly, his emotions hidden behind a calm mask.
Ye Jiuting couldn't tell how he felt about this, so she explained urgently:
"Mr. Chu, I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to find out the truth about Mr. Zhou's death."
Wang Zhenghang said: "Then you can go to Country H to investigate. Enzo's people had a death. It's only right you cooperate."
With that, he ordered his men: "Take this killer lady to Mr. Enzo. Tell him Mr. Chu has accepted his terms. We can discuss cooperation in earnest now."
The bodyguards immediately dragged Ye Jiuting up from the floor, grabbing her by the scruff of the neck like a chick and hauling her toward the door.
Their strength was overwhelming; she couldn't break free.
In desperation, she grabbed one bodyguard's hand, pushed herself up, and bit down hard on his arm.
The bodyguard yelped and let go. Ye Jiuting scrambled on all fours to throw herself at Chu Yuan's feet, clinging to his legs.
"Mr. Chu, I was wrong. I didn't know it was this serious. Please forgive me just this once. I won't make a mistake again."
Chu Yuan looked down at the woman at his feet.
Her eyes were wide with panic and fear, like a delicate work of art that would shatter at the slightest touch.
The scent of orchids filled the air, purifying all filth.
The beast deep in his soul lay dormant because of it.
She was a delicate orchid, yet possessed an unyielding, rebellious soul.
"You say you're willing to be my maid, yet you try to run away again and again. You always apologize to me, but you never change. How can I trust you?"