Morning Longing for Warmth – Chapter 2

Rules

Once you enter the Wei family’s door, you follow the Wei family’s rules.

If talking about the Wei family, besides Su Ziyan, no one else would dare to joke with Third Miss like this. Su Ziyan’s family has been the Wei family’s private doctors since his grandfather’s generation, and the two families have maintained good relations. Su Ziyan and Third Miss are the same age, growing up together as childhood sweethearts (“青梅竹馬” – literally “green plums and bamboo horses,” referring to childhood friends who grow up together), with deep feelings. So when Wei Hui heard his teasing, she just gave him a cold glance without saying anything.

            

Su Ziyan gladly accepted her “cold violence” (“冷暴力” – refers to giving someone the cold shoulder or silent treatment), after all, he was used to it. If Wei Hui had actually responded to him just now, he would have found that abnormal.

In the living room, servants stood in small groups, all curiously looking at the thin girl. Even the butler took a few extra glances, but no one dared to make a sound. In the surrounding silence, Wei Hui lifted her cup, took a sip of water, and asked, “How is it?”

After examining, Su Ziyan said, “Just superficial wounds, nothing serious.” He then said to the girl, “Come to my hospital tomorrow morning for a detailed examination, and get some scar-removal medicine to apply. It wouldn’t be good to leave scars on this face.”

            

The girl timidly replied, “Thank you.”

After speaking, she looked up at Su Ziyan, hesitation visible in her beautiful eyes, as if wanting to say something. Su Ziyan understood: “You don’t know where my hospital is, right?”

“Let Third Miss take you there.”

            

Wei Hui, who had been clearly arranged for this task, put down her cup and turned to look at Su Ziyan with a cold and indifferent expression, her gaze like water, carrying a hint of frost. Behind her, Pei Tian said, “Tomorrow there’s an important company meeting, Third Miss can’t get away.”

“Pei Tian,” Wei Hui’s red lips parted slightly, “you take her.”

Pei Tian bowed his head: “Alright.”

            

After hearing their conversation, the girl gathered her courage to look at the woman on the sofa. Even in casual clothes, Wei Hui maintained an imposing presence. Her features were somewhat deep-set, with a dignified bone structure. Perhaps because she rarely smiled, when her eyes were downcast, one could sense a sharp edge. When she wasn’t looking at anyone, there was just a low pressure around her that made others breathe cautiously. When she did look at someone—her eyes were like blades, capable of piercing through all pretenses, effortlessly seeing the secrets in others’ hearts.

She was currently being stared at by Wei Hui.

The girl lowered her head, wringing her hands together until her fingertips turned white. Wei Hui watched her sideways for a while before hearing Su Ziyan say, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

            

Pei Tian stepped forward: “Mr. Su, let me see you out.”

Wei Hui stood up: “I’ll see him out.”

After saying this, she turned her head: “Aunt Zhang, prepare dinner.”

            

Aunt Zhang immediately responded with an “Ai”, and the servants bustled about. Su Ziyan picked up his first-aid kit and walked out of the living room, with Wei Hui following. When they reached the garden, Su Ziyan finally stopped: “Where did this child come from?”

What he said in the living room was just a joke. Having known Wei Hui for so many years, he understood her best. While anyone else might keep a secret lover, she of all people wouldn’t. Let alone keeping a secret lover, in twenty-five or twenty-six years, no one had ever gotten close to her. So suddenly bringing back a child was very puzzling.

Wei Hui stood beside him, the gentle breeze blowing strands of her hair against her slender neck, making her skin appear even more delicate and fair. She spoke softly: “I just went to the Wang family.”

            

“Wang family?” Su Ziyan asked, “Which Wang family?”

“Wang Yongshun.”

Su Ziyan turned his head to look at her: “You’re not also setting your sights on that abandoned building project, are you?”

            

There was an abandoned building in the western suburbs. A few years ago, the developer ran away when the housing project was half-built, leaving it empty. In recent years, the eastern suburbs became the focus of development, leaving the western suburbs neglected. The abandoned building had been sitting there for several years. Early this year, it was said that Wang Yongshun had acquired it. Nobody paid much attention, as Wang Yongshun’s company was only established a few years ago and wasn’t prominent in the industry. No one expected that in March, an announcement would come that Jiang City was planning to build a commercial street, a government-supported project, right next to the abandoned building, just across the street.

This news caught everyone off guard, immediately silencing those who had mocked Wang Yongshun. Of course, this also meant more people became interested in the abandoned building.

Wei Hui was one of them.

            

However, she was using an indirect approach, first drawing in Wang Yongshun, then slowly closing the net.

Seeing her silence, Su Ziyan shook his head helplessly: “I won’t interfere with your other affairs, just take care of your health.”

Wei Hui responded indifferently: “I know.”

            

Su Ziyan nodded at her words and walked toward his car. Before getting in, he hit the steering wheel and laughed, realizing she had deflected the conversation again.

Indeed, when she didn’t want to say something, no one could pry open her mouth to get an answer.

After seeing Su Ziyan off, Wei Hui sat down on a bench in the garden. Red clouds appeared on the horizon, and a cool breeze blew across her plain face, adding to her sharp and fierce appearance. Pei Tian, standing several meters away, felt a chill in his heart seeing Wei Hui like this. He quickly walked over to stand beside her and respectfully said: “Third Miss, we’ve investigated.”

            

Wei Hui turned her head slightly, the cold wind lifting the hair at her temples, brushing against her long neck. She pushed back her hair: “Speak.”

Pei Tian lowered his head and said: “She’s an orphan, grew up with an elderly woman who worked as a servant, attended school for a few years. After the old woman passed away, she was—” he paused: “she was sent to several households.”

“A habitual thief. This time she was caught red-handed by Shen Suqing stealing a ring, that’s why…”

            

Wei Hui nodded slightly, frowning as she recalled Su Ziyan’s earlier mention of the word ‘child.’ She asked: “Is she of legal age?”

Pei Tian: “Just became an adult.”

Wei Hui remained silent, and Pei Tian couldn’t read her thoughts. After a while, the seated person stood up: “Let’s go back.”

            

Pei Tian stood behind her, watching as she entered the house.

The sky gradually darkened, but inside the house was brightly lit, with everything exposed under the bright lights, including the girl’s unease. She remained seated on the sofa, her hands wringing together, with visible white marks on the back of her hands where her nails had dug in, quite deep and pale.

As soon as Wei Hui entered the house, Aunt Zhang said, “Third Miss, dinner is ready.”

            

She raised her eyes to look at the girl sitting on the sofa and said, “Come eat.”

The girl was startled by these words, immediately looking up at her, but quickly lowering her head again when meeting Wei Hui’s sharp gaze. Wei Hui had little patience: “Are you not eating?”

“I am.” Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, her expression uneasy.

            

Wei Hui sat down across from her at the dining table. Aunt Zhang, unsure of the girl’s status, dared not be negligent and treated her with careful courtesy. Wei Hui took a sip of warm water and asked, “What’s your name?”

The girl’s hand holding the chopsticks paused, and she glanced at Wei Hui: “Grandmother called me Shiyi (Eleven).”

Her clean, fair forehead was covered with gauze, her pretty face pale, making her black pupils appear even more clear and bright. Her eyelashes were thick, long, and curled, and her nervous demeanor added a touch of vulnerability. Especially when her eyes looked at Wei Hui with panic, she appeared like a frightened rabbit, her demeanor delicate and moving, likely to evoke sympathy in observers.

            

Of course, this didn’t include Wei Hui, who swept her sharp eyes over the girl and asked, “Shiyi?”

Shiyi nodded, reluctantly putting down her chopsticks, and respectfully replied, “I don’t have a name. Grandmother took me home in the eleventh year, so she called me Shiyi.”

Her pronunciation was fairly clear.

            

Wei Hui responded with a neutral “mm”: “Continue eating.”

Shiyi glanced at her, and seeing that she really meant for her to eat, picked up her chopsticks again. She tentatively reached for the nearest dish, quickly withdrawing, then started wolfing down rice. Wei Hui, noticing her small gesture, said, “Take whatever you want to eat.”

Seemingly surprised by these words, Shiyi choked on her rice. She coughed several times, her previously pale face flushing red, and her black eyes becoming watery and bright.

            

“S-sorry,” Shiyi covered her mouth, still unable to suppress her urge to cough, but with Wei Hui sitting across from her, she didn’t dare, forcing herself to hold it in until her face turned completely red. Wei Hui gave her a light glance and said casually, “Don’t hold it in.”

Only then did Shiyi allow herself to cough violently while covering her mouth.

The servants in the dining room exchanged glances, and even Aunt Zhang looked at Shiyi with suspicion.

            

Shiyi became increasingly embarrassed under their gazes, her earlobes turning blood red, appearing even more ill at ease, not daring to look up at Wei Hui.

Wei Hui noticed her discomfort and turned to Aunt Zhang: “Everyone may leave.”

Aunt Zhang, seeing that Wei Hui had barely eaten, asked: “Third Miss, are you not hungry? Shall I get you some soup?”

            

Wei Hui waved her hand: “Leave.”

Her voice was cool and decisive, brooking no argument. Aunt Zhang could only signal to the others with her eyes, and soon only Wei Hui and Shiyi remained in the dining room. Wei Hui said, “Continue eating.”

Without all those prying eyes, Shiyi seemed somewhat more relaxed. The burning heat in her cheeks subsided, and when she looked at Wei Hui again, her eyes showed less fear and more gratitude. She picked up her chopsticks again and ate silently with her head down.

            

Wei Hui watched her actions and asked, “Is it good?”

Shiyi paused her eating, looked up at Wei Hui, and replied in a timid voice: “Yes, it’s good.”

Perhaps because she was eating hurriedly, she hadn’t noticed a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth, making her look somewhat comical. Wei Hui, who normally couldn’t tolerate others being untidy, watched for a few seconds and unexpectedly gave a slight smile, her lips curving in a small arc, her expression losing its cool indifference and becoming strikingly beautiful.

            

This small change in expression left Shiyi staring in a daze before she hurriedly lowered her head and continued eating.

Before dinner was finished, Wei Hui left the dining room due to a phone call. Shiyi sat on her stool, watching Wei Hui standing by the window in the distance. From behind, she had a tall figure with narrow shoulders and a slim waist, her long hair loosely tied back, the ends resting at her neck, swaying slightly with her movements.

She slowly put down her chopsticks.

            

Long after the meal, Wei Hui was still on the phone, and Shiyi remained seated on her stool. The entire dining room was so quiet that she could only hear her own heartbeat, pounding up to her throat (“砰砰砰直竄到嗓子口” – describing intense nervousness). She reached into the pocket of her new clothes, tightly gripping a ring, not noticing how it was painfully pressing into her fingertips.

After what seemed like forever, Wei Hui finished her call and returned to the dining room. Shiyi immediately stood up, head lowered, and said: “Third Miss, I’m, I’m finished eating.”

Wei Hui nodded indifferently and walked out. When they reached the living room, she said to Aunt Zhang, who was standing nearby: “Prepare a guest room for her.”

            

Aunt Zhang responded: “Yes.”

Behind them, Shiyi listened to the arrangements being made for her, looking distressed. She had followed Wei Hui into the house prepared to be a servant, but she hadn’t expected Wei Hui to arrange for a doctor to treat her wounds, let her eat at the dining table, and now give her a guest room. This made her even more uneasy. Seeing Wei Hui about to leave, Shiyi’s body reacted faster than her mind, grabbing the edge of Wei Hui’s clothes, quite forcefully.

Wei Hui stopped, looking down at the fingers clutching her clothes – slender and long, and unlike at the Wang house, these hands appeared even more fair after being washed clean of blood.

            

But she was still very displeased.

Shiyi clearly sensed her change in mood and immediately withdrew her hand. The color drained from her pretty face, turning extremely pale. She looked up, meeting Wei Hui’s stern eyes, swallowed, and instead of asking what she wanted to, said: “Third Miss, thank you.”

Wei Hui’s jaw was tense, her voice cold: “I don’t like having to throw away two sets of clothes in one day.”

            

“Since you’ve entered the Wei family’s door, you must follow the Wei family’s rules.”

Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly: “Aunt Zhang, teach her the rules.”

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The author has something to say:

            

Little Sweetie: What rules?

Third Miss: No rules.

Little Sweetie: …

            

Just got news that comments aren’t showing on the front end, but the backend turtle system can see them. So hurry up if you want to secretly express your love! Haha, joking aside, I can see your comments in the backend, and I’ll randomly send red packets. Hope everyone comments more, love you all.

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