CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: ON THE VERGE OF TEARS

By noon, Ling Tianyou still hadn’t spoken a word to Gu Ningyue.

He just sat quietly at the table, as if those documents would never be finished, with his back to her.

The assistant set the meal, quietly saying to Gu Ningyue, "It’s time to call President Ling over for lunch!"

Gu Ningyue shook her head like a rattle, "You go! I don’t dare."

The assistant showed a bitter expression, "I don’t dare either."

President Ling was clearly angry, and he wasn’t foolish enough to risk it by approaching now.

Gu Ningyue hesitated for a moment and then her gaze landed on Ji Qianqian, "Qianqian, go call brother over for lunch."

Ji Qianqian beamed like a flower at the assistant, "Brother, time to eat!"

"..." Gu Ningyue was stunned, tugging Ji Qianqian’s hand, leading her to look at Ling Tianyou, "Good Qianqian, go call that brother over for lunch!"

Ji Qianqian shook her head, "Sister, that’s not a brother, that’s an uncle."

Gu Ningyue was silent for a moment, whatever, it’s fine!

"Qianqian... go call him over for lunch."

Ji Qianqian kept shaking her head, "No, don’t want to. Uncle looks so scary today, Qianqian doesn’t want to go over!"

Gu Ningyue couldn’t help but sigh deeply, even Ji Qianqian, with the mental age of a five- or six-year-old, didn’t dare to go; what was she to do?

After thinking for a while and with the assistant’s persuasion, Gu Ningyue finally gathered the courage to approach Ling Tianyou’s desk, "Tianyou, it’s time to eat. You can work again in the afternoon!"

Ling Tianyou showed no movement, continuing to write something without pause.

Gu Ningyue turned her head to glance at Ji Qianqian and the assistant, the two of them had imploring looks, as if saying ’You can do it.’

"Honey~ please stop being angry, okay?" Gu Ningyue used her most cutesy voice, and as soon as she said the words, she felt like she’d been struck by lightning, "Even if you’re angry with me, you can’t starve yourself, right? After all, you..."

Ling Tianyou paused with his pen, suddenly turning his head, "After all I what? Keep going."

Gu Ningyue looked obsequious, "I meant, after all, you’ve been very tired lately, you can’t keep skipping meals."

Ling Tianyou sneered, "Oh? Is that so?"

Gu Ningyue hurriedly nodded, "Of course. Come eat! Just look, your assistant worked hard to get so much food, it would be a shame not to eat it!"

Ling Tianyou gave a glance at the already prepared meal table, then finally put down his pen and stood, as if he had thought of something.

Gu Ningyue breathed a sigh of relief. Once Ling Tianyou washed his hands and sat down together, she reached out and placed some vegetables into his bowl, "You should eat more!"

Ji Qianqian looked at the open TV screen, "Yes, uncle! You need to be full to have the energy to be angry!"

Gu Ningyue: "...Who taught you to say that?"

Ji Qianqian pointed to the TV on the wall, "The brother on the screen said so."

Gu Ningyue rolled her eyes, while Ling Tianyou unexpectedly let out a light chuckle, "That’s right."

Gu Ningyue was silent, struggling to lift the spoon to her mouth.

These past two days when they ate, Ling Tianyou was always feeding her, and in this scenario, she certainly didn’t dare to expect that luxury again.

Seeing her clumsy appearance, Ling Tianyou put down his bowl and chopsticks, "Give it here!"

Gu Ningyue was startled, "You don’t want me to eat it?"

"..." Ling Tianyou suddenly felt Gu Ningyue might be the silly one, "I’m going to feed you."

Gu Ningyue blankly handed her bowl to Ling Tianyou, who added a few pieces of sautéed onions to it, then brought the spoon to her mouth.

Gu Ningyue frowned, "I don’t like onions."

Ling Tianyou narrowed his eyes slightly, "Oh? You don’t like them?"

In her mind, Gu Ningyue wrestled with herself for a while before forcing out a smile uglier than crying, "I like them!"

Ling Tianyou withdrew the spoon, "But I just clearly heard you say you don’t like onions. They heard it too!"

Gu Ningyue turned to look at the assistant and Ji Qianqian, who both tacitly looked down at their food, not daring to make eye contact with her.

"They didn’t say anything, they mustn’t have heard." Gu Ningyue still held onto a glimmer of hope.

Ling Tianyou put down the bowl in his hand, "So, did you hear it or not?"

The assistant hurriedly nodded, "Heard it, heard it."

Ji Qianqian, perhaps caught by contagion, also nodded vigorously.

Gu Ningyue was on the verge of tears, these people were ruthless!

With his arms crossed, Ling Tianyou looked at her, "You said you didn’t like it earlier, and now you say you do. Should I understand that as you playing with me?"

Gu Ningyue knew he was making a fuss over nothing, but in this situation, only a fool would directly confront him, "Of course not, I truly don’t like onions, but as long as it’s you giving me food, I love it all!"

The assistant internally gave Gu Ningyue a thumbs up, she really was adept at shooting herself in the foot.

Sure enough, Ling Tianyou picked up the bowl and spoon again, added some foie gras that Gu Ningyue wouldn’t normally touch, "You love everything I give you, you said it!"

Looking at the spoon being extended towards her, Gu Ningyue took a deep breath, almost swallowing it without chewing.

Watching her swallow her anger, Ling Tianyou pressed his lips into a straight line.

By the time she finished the bowl, Gu Ningyue nearly felt like crying with bitterness.

No wonder Chi Xingtong was so straightforward, immediately asking for a hundred thousand.

Now she understood why, had she known this would be the result, she wouldn’t have been greedy and agreed to help Chi Xingtong!

For such a little bit, to offend her biggest financial backer was not worth it!

Most importantly, her financial backer is rather—sly!

"Full?" Ling Tianyou deliberately asked her, "Do you want some more?"

Gu Ningyue quickly shook her head, "No, no, I’m full. You should eat too! It’ll get cold soon."

Eating another bowl might make her want to jump off a building, it was too difficult!

Fortunately, Ling Tianyou left her be and went on to eat himself.

Gu Ningyue took Ji Qianqian to watch TV on the side, feeling her stomach churn with discomfort.

After some time, Gu Ningyue couldn’t help but go to the restroom and throw up before finally feeling relieved.

When she came out, Ji Qianqian suddenly hugged her waist and asked, "Sister, do you have a little baby too now?"

Gu Ningyue glanced at the scenes on TV, suddenly deciding that it might be better to let Ji Qianqian watch fewer romance dramas in the future.

See, even a simpleton had picked it up, how could that be right.

"No. I’m just... too full," Gu Ningyue’s words halted as she saw Ling Tianyou’s threatening expression, and she quickly changed her tune.

Ji Qianqian nodded half-understandingly, "So sister really loves onions!"

Gu Ningyue: "..." Sorry, she genuinely didn’t.

But she didn’t dare to say it.

Ling Tianyou, eating his meal, revealed a smile.

It seemed only at times like these did Gu Ningyue learn to behave!