Fumbling with the doorknob, the door remained stubbornly shut. Her outstretched arm bent, knocking against the door instead.
"Ziyu, open the door!"
Yelled at, Ye Ziyu was lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Three days had passed. She was anxious and restless on the island, and Di Mingjue must be going mad in the city.
But now, other than waiting for the opportune moment, there seemed to be no better solution.
The door suddenly swung open, and Ye Ziyu, her brows furrowed in impatience, looked at Gu Xiuyu standing before her. Her gaze fell upon the plate in his hand, and the spiciness of ginger and the heavenly aroma of brown sugar instantly wafted towards her.
"I thought you were asleep," Gu Xiuyu placed the tray on the bedside table. "I knocked and you didn't open it for a long time, so I used the key and came in myself."
Since he was already standing there, what was the point of saying this? Ye Ziyu turned her back to him, not forgetting to pull the blanket over her head to cover her eyes.
She didn't want to hear him say another word, much less see him.
As Gu Xiuyu held the bowl, he looked back and saw Ye Ziyu hiding her head under the blanket, trying to avoid him.
He could see it but couldn't acknowledge it. He bent down and sat on the edge of the bed, gently pulling the blanket covering her down.
"If it gets cold later, it won't warm your stomach," Gu Xiuyu coaxed softly. "Have some first, then go back to sleep."
His warm fingers landed on the skin of her shoulder. Ye Ziyu, disgusted, slapped his hand away and retorted fiercely, "Take it away, I don't need it."
Did she not need it, or did she not need what he prepared? Jealousy overflowed in Gu Xiuyu's eyes, wishing he could replace Di Mingjue in her heart in an instant.
"No matter how much you hate me, don't use your body to be stubborn. This ginger soup is brewed very well, have some more." Gu Xiuyu scooped a spoonful and reached out to feed it to Ye Ziyu.
Ye Ziyu's horizontally placed elbow lifted. Gu Xiuyu didn't have time to retract; the soup on the spoon spilled entirely onto the blanket.
The blanket absorbed the scalding soup completely. The thick batting protected Ye Ziyu from the heat.
In a hurry, Gu Xiuyu placed the bowl back on the tray and patted the wet blanket with his palm. "Is it hot?"
"Weird things always happen when I encounter you!" Ye Ziyu threw off the blanket and got out of bed. Her patience had reached its limit.
Her head was burning, while Gu Xiuyu in front of her was like still water, completely unfazed.
Ye Ziyu let out a cold snort and walked out of the room on her own.
As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into something soft.
"Madam, are you alright?" Chen Yaping asked in a flustered tone.
The word "Madam" was usually only heard from Di Mingjue. Shen Lin always respectfully called her Madam whenever he saw her.
Ye Ziyu reminisced about her normal life before, and her anger dissipated, her demeanor softening.
But looking up at the unfamiliar woman before her, all her longing for the past vanished.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Chen Yaping replied, "Madam, I am the new housekeeper. I will be serving your daily life and that of Mr. Gu."
Mr. Gu, Madam?
Ye Ziyu was enraged by these words. "Who told you to call me Madam!"
Chen Yaping was stunned by the outburst. "You and Mr. Gu are husband and wife, so calling you Madam is correct."
Should she perhaps call her Mrs. Gu?
Musing to herself, she hesitated whether to try calling her that.
"Listen to me, I am not his wife, not now, and never will be. Don't link me with that kind of person with any ridiculous Madam title." Ye Ziyu seemed to have found an outlet for her anger. All the disdain she felt towards Gu Xiuyu was vented through Chen Yaping.
Her anger was not perceived, but it deepened Chen Yaping's doubts.
If they weren't husband and wife, why were a man and a woman living alone on this deserted island? Could she be a mistress he was keeping?