Chapter 31: Thirty-First Day as a Salted Fish
“You can’t stick this directly onto your skin,” Qin Jiaojiao’s weak voice drifted over.
Zhou Shaoli’s hand froze over the heating patch, and the room fell into complete silence.
Looking up at Zhou Shaoli sitting by the bedside, Qin Jiaojiao felt a delicate, subtle flush creep onto her face. When the pain had been at its worst earlier, her mind had been a bit foggy—she seemed to have even acted spoiled toward him.
Now that the pain had passed and her mind had cleared, she had felt someone lifting the covers and rolling up her top. Opening her eyes only to catch Zhou Shaoli about to slap the heating patch straight onto her belly, she had nearly bolted upright in alarm.
Sticking one of these things directly onto bare skin would cause thermal burns. She needed to check whether the heating patch Zhou Shaoli brought was the kind safe for direct skin contact.
As Zhou Shaoli’s gaze fell onto Qin Jiaojiao’s delicate, flushed face, he experienced a rare moment of subtle awkwardness.
He had never taken care of a girl on her period before. Worrying so much about her physical discomfort, he had lost his usual calm composure for a moment, attempting to slap the heating patch onto her belly without reading the instructions first.
Now that it was already stuck to her stomach, he had to peel it off and reapply it properly.
The two locked eyes for a few seconds before Qin Jiaojiao released her grip first, preparing to sit up and adjust it herself. “I’ll do it.”
“Don’t move.” Zhou Shaoli reached out, pressing a hand against her shoulder to keep her from sitting up. Reaching over to grab the packaging from the nightstand, he lowered his eyes to quickly scan the instructions.
Heating patches indeed couldn’t be applied directly to the skin; otherwise, the high temperature would cause burns. It had been his mistake.
“I’ll help you peel it off and reapply it. If it hurts, just say so…” His voice carried a gentle, soothing warmth.
Qin Jiaojiao let out a soft mm.
Under the bright bedroom lights, Qin Jiaojiao lay softly and limply on the bed. Her short-sleeved top was rolled up above her belly, exposing a slender waist fine enough to be enveloped by a single hand, her skin as white as snow.
Even though Zhou Shaoli had already seen her wearing a tiny bikini at the seaside, seeing her exposed belly like this now gave her a strangely uncomfortable, fluttering feeling.
Zhou Shaoli lowered his cold, handsome features, his gaze falling onto her stomach as he reached out to carefully peel the heating patch downward.
The adhesive was stuck to her skin, so he had to be exceptionally cautious, afraid of hurting her.
Feeling a slight prickling sensation on her belly accompanied by a faint itch, Qin Jiaojiao wanted to reach out to scratch it, biting her lip to endure it instead.
Time inside the bedroom seemed to stretch on endlessly. For a few brief seconds, she desperately wanted Zhou Shaoli to hurry up—she was on the verge of losing her self-control.
With gentle, meticulous movements, Zhou Shaoli peeled the heating patch away from her skin.
Both of them let out a subtle sigh of relief in their hearts.
Holding the heating patch in his hand, Zhou Shaoli’s gaze fell upon her slightly reddened stomach. His eyes darkened slightly, and he reached out to pull her top back down to cover it. “Should I stick the heating patch onto your clothes over your belly?”
“Mm.” Qin Jiaojiao reached out and pointed out a spot for him. “Right here is fine.”
Zhou Shaoli applied it for her, pulled the covers back up, and asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
Having little appetite, Qin Jiaojiao shook her head. “I want to lie down for a bit longer.”
“Then get some rest.” Zhou Shaoli stood up, left the bedroom, and went down to the villa’s kitchen.
Auntie Zhang was inside the kitchen. Seeing him enter, she asked, “Sir, did you get the heating patch stuck onto Madam?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded. “It’s taken care of.”
Auntie Zhang wore a relieved expression. “This is an old trouble of Madam’s. Once the brown sugar ginger soup is done brewing, Sir, please carry a bowl upstairs for Madam to drink. She’ll feel better after having some.”
Zhou Shaoli pondered for a few seconds before asking, “Is there a way to treat it?”
Auntie Zhang replied, “If Madam’s pain gets severe enough to need medicine, she definitely ought to get it treated.”
Zhou Shaoli asked, “Does her condition require conditioning her body?”
“The kitchen usually makes some medicinal meals to nourish Madam,” Auntie Zhang rambled on a bit more on the subject. “But Madam doesn’t like eating things with traditional medicinal herbs, complaining that they taste bad.”
Zhou Shaoli’s brows knit together slightly.
“Sir doesn’t need to worry too much,” Auntie Zhang reassured him. “Most girls have this issue. It’s normal for Madam to suffer period pain—just eat less cold foods and get plenty of rest.”
The steaming brown sugar ginger soup in the pot exhaled a sweet, rich aroma. Uncovering the lid, Auntie Zhang said, “The brown sugar ginger soup is ready. I’ll dish it out to cool down for a bit, and Sir can carry it up to Madam shortly.”
In the past, Auntie Zhang would never have dared to order Zhou Shaoli around. But now, seeing Zhou Shaoli care so much for Qin Jiaojiao, it was only natural for him to act as a doting, good husband—taking care of his wife was his responsibility after all.
With the heating patch stuck to her body, Qin Jiaojiao’s stomach felt pleasantly warm and comfortable. Picking up her phone, she checked her messages.
The production team of Romantic Lovers Season 2 had selected the filming location for the next episode. The guests would be flying to an ancient town in the Southwest region to record; any arrangements the guests needed were to be submitted to the production team in advance.
The production team notified all guests that because the recording location this time was a rural ancient town with primitive conditions, guests who wanted a comfortable stay would need to ship some of their own supplies over beforehand.
Qin Jiaojiao pondered while lying in bed. Last time at the seaside villa vacation, the production team had only provided ingredients, forbidding guests from spending their own money and forcing them to cook for themselves. Having no experience with variety shows, she and Zhou Shaoli had nearly starved to death facing that situation.
This time, the guests were assigned to live in separate cottages, and the production team might not even provide ingredients at all. If she didn’t prepare in advance—like bringing plenty of self-heating meals that only required adding water to eat—they’d be in trouble.
Opening a mobile app, Qin Jiaojiao began shopping at a nearby hypermarket. Instant noodles, ham sausages, self-heating hotpots, and self-heating rice meals—she ordered a few portions of everything.
While purchasing the items, she suddenly felt that while others were on a sweet dating show, she and Zhou Shaoli were heading out for wilderness survival. At the thought of this, a sudden burst of laughter escaped her, causing her belly to cramp up. Letting out a sharp hiss, her face scrunched up into a slightly contorted expression.
Zhou Shaoli opened the door and walked in, pausing briefly upon seeing the expression on her face.
Placing the brown sugar ginger soup on the coffee table, he asked, “Does your stomach hurt badly?”
Adjusting her facial expression, Qin Jiaojiao shook her head. “No, I’m feeling much better.”
Zhou Shaoli sat down on the sofa and said, “The brown sugar ginger soup is a bit hot. Let it sit for a moment.”
Looking at his handsome face, Qin Jiaojiao said with a sweet tone, “Okay, thank you.”
Listening to her thanks, Zhou Shaoli’s gaze dimmed slightly as he said, “It is a husband’s duty to take care of his wife.”
Qin Jiaojiao thought to herself, But we’re in a contract marriage! There’s completely no need for you to waste your energy taking care of me. What a good man—wonder who’s going to hit the jackpot with him after our divorce.
Though…
Could a man like Zhou Shaoli really fall for another woman? What would he look like when he was truly in love? Her mind wandered off a bit.
Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Shaoli retrieved his laptop from his briefcase.
After placing an order for a heap of self-heating foods, Qin Jiaojiao stopped playing on her phone, her eyes drifting toward Zhou Shaoli on the sofa.
Was he planning to work here in the bedroom instead of going to the study?
Although the sofa was soft, the coffee table was quite low—sitting up straight to work at a desk in the study was far more comfortable.
Was he working in the bedroom because he was worried about her health?
It was already seven-thirty. He seemed to have been busy taking care of her ever since he got back, so he probably hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Was he that busy with work?
Qin Jiaojiao spoke up: “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
Zhou Shaoli raised his eyes to look at her, asking, “Not yet. Are you hungry?”
“I don’t feel like eating just yet,” Qin Jiaojiao looked at him and said. “Why don’t you go eat dinner first and then head to the study to work? I’m already fine, so you don’t need to stay here watching over me. If I need anything, I’ll call Auntie Zhang.”
Having little appetite, Zhou Shaoli replied indifferently, “I’m not hungry. There are only a few minor tasks, so I can handle them right here.”
“Oh.” Qin Jiaojiao had nothing left to say.
Silence settled over the bedroom. Holding her phone, Qin Jiaojiao idly read a webnovel for a while, her gaze secretly stealing peeks at Zhou Shaoli on the sofa.
The man wore gold-rimmed glasses over his handsome face, clad in a dark suit and a dark dress shirt, his collar tied with the necktie she had bought him. His entire being exuded an aura of aristocratic elegance and steady composure.
When he worked seriously, his handsome face revealed no hint of joy or anger, cold and abstinent.
—So handsome.
After a short while, Zhou Shaoli set down his laptop and looked over at her.
Qin Jiaojiao hurriedly withdrew her gaze, pretending to read her phone.
“The brown sugar ginger soup is ready to drink,” Zhou Shaoli’s gentle voice sounded. “Do you need me to feed you?”
How could Qin Jiaojiao be so pampered as to demand he feed her? Sitting up, she threw off the covers and stepped out of bed. “No need, no need! I can drink it myself.”
Qin Jiaojiao walked over to sit on the sofa, picked up the bowl of brown sugar ginger soup from the coffee table, scooped it up with a spoon, and took small, careful sips while Zhou Shaoli watched her with concern from beside her.
Under his intent, watchful gaze, Qin Jiaojiao drank too quickly and accidentally choked. “Cough, cough…”
Taking the bowl from her hand and placing it on the coffee table, Zhou Shaoli pulled two tissues to wipe her mouth, his other hand gently patting her slender back as his voice dropped low: “Are you alright?”
“Cough…” Qin Jiaojiao’s small face flushed red from coughing. “No, I’m fine.”
Reaching out to take the tissues from his hand, she said, “I’ll do it myself.”
Zhou Shaoli handed her the tissues, smoothly withdrawing his hand from her back. “Why drink so fast?”
Two wide streams of tears flowed in Qin Jiaojiao’s heart—it was all because he was staring at her, making her involuntarily want to finish it quickly! With a sheepish face, she mumbled, “It tasted too good.”
“There’s more brown sugar ginger soup in the pot. Once you finish that, I’ll go ladle another bowl for you,” Zhou Shaoli said with a faint smile.
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head: “One bowl is enough to fill me up.”
Picking up the bowl again, she drank slowly. Zhou Shaoli withdrew his gaze and resumed handling his work beside her, though the corner of his eye remained fixed on her.
Inside the bedroom, the crisp sound of the spoon clicking against the porcelain bowl intertwined with the faint clicking of the laptop keyboard. The white incandescent light cast a gentle glow over the room, creating an atmosphere of quiet, peaceful comfort.
Finishing her soup, Qin Jiaojiao set the bowl down and leaned back against the sofa with a lazy, satisfied expression.
In the past, she used to feel deeply uncomfortable during the first two days of her period. Back then, she had been all alone with no one around to take care of her. This was her very first time experiencing what it felt like to be meticulously cared for by someone, and it felt genuinely wonderful.
Sitting beside Zhou Shaoli, Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes drifted to his laptop screen. She couldn’t understand the work he was handling, yet she simply wanted to watch quietly like this.
Zhou Shaoli worked hard to earn money, and she worked hard to spend it—truly wonderful.
Qin Jiaojiao’s thoughts built a bridge into the future, and she suddenly wondered: If she divorced Zhou Shaoli down the line and walked away with her ten billion yuan, could she take the haute couture gowns, bags, jewelry, and shoes he had bought her with her?
Zhou Shaoli probably wouldn’t be stingy enough to forbid her from taking them, right?
Looking at the man’s smooth side profile, Qin Jiaojiao began to feel conflicted. Many of the bags and jewelry in the walk-in closet were vintage collector items—one-of-a-kind luxury goods in the world that she absolutely adored.
During their contract marriage, she would definitely be a good partner. For the sake of her hard work, Zhou Shaoli should give her these marital assets, right?
Noticing the shifting expressions on her face, Zhou Shaoli asked faintly, “What’s wrong?”
Qin Jiaojiao blurted out directly, “Um, Zhou Shaoli, if our contract marriage comes to an end, can I take away those bags, jewelry, and gowns you gave me?”
Zhou Shaoli’s hands handling work froze, and he turned his head to look at her.
Seeing her conflicted expression, it turned out she was thinking about this. A faint surge of disappointment rose in his heart—he had assumed that after spending all this time together, she had developed a tiny bit of feeling for him. Looks like he had overthought things.
With an indifferent expression, Zhou Shaoli said, “You can.”
Noticing his slightly heavy mood, Qin Jiaojiao felt a chill in her heart and quickly added, “You bought those things, so you have the right to take them back. I was just asking.”
Zhou Shaoli’s tone carried an emphasized weight: “Whatever was bought for you belongs to you.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt joyful on the inside while maintaining a reserved exterior: “Actually, I don’t care that much about them anyway. We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”
Perceiving her delighted mood, the trace of bitterness in Zhou Shaoli’s heart came quickly and vanished just as fast. At least she was by his side right now.
The Qin family needed him, and Qin Jiaojiao loved expensive things—things that could effortlessly be delivered right in front of her for her enjoyment. As long as he remained the perpetual ruler of Zhuxing Group, everything was easily within reach.
Habit was a terrifying thing; he would make her gradually grow accustomed to having him around.
“Are you having dinner?” Seeing that his work seemed nearly finished, Qin Jiaojiao—having just finished her brown sugar ginger soup and feeling very happy over his previous words—decided to keep him company for a bite.
Closing his laptop, Zhou Shaoli said, “Let’s go.”
The two went down to the dining room.
Auntie Zhang beamed with joy seeing Sir and Madam coming down to dine together, hurriedly instructing the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Zhou Shaoli didn’t speak much while dining; it was mostly Qin Jiaojiao bringing up gossip on a whim, with him offering a few responses, creating a very heartwarming atmosphere.
That night, Qin Jiaojiao’s stomach stopped hurting. After taking a quick shower, she placed a blanket underneath herself out of fear of staining the bedsheets.
During their periods, most girls subconsciously feared staining their bedsheets, leading to a very calm sleeping posture. Tonight, Qin Jiaojiao slept in a well-behaved posture, without rolling into Zhou Shaoli’s arms like she usually did.
Over the next two days, Qin Jiaojiao stayed at home, eating, drinking, and playing games. She had recently met a super skilled younger kid online who carried her in games every day, boosting her rank all the way from mediocre Emerald up to Master, leaving her just one step away from Grandmaster.
Having nothing to offer in return, she could only send the kid in-game skins, buying skins for all his favorite heroes. Receiving the skins, the kid declined, telling her not to send them.
Qin Jiaojiao said: If I buy you food, you won’t give me an address, so I can only send you skins.
With the kid’s skill in the game, taking a single boosting order could earn him over ten times the price of those skins, so sending a few skins really didn’t amount to much.
The day before recording for Romantic Lovers Season 2 was set to begin.
Qin Jiaojiao had Xiaoli pack the self-heating foods she had bought into a suitcase. Having only ever packed expensive clothes and jewelry in her employer’s home, packing a whole suitcase of food for the first time was quite a novel experience for Xiaoli.
“Madam, why are you bringing so many self-heating foods?”
Qin Jiaojiao replied, “The production team wants the guests to cook for themselves. Do Zhou Shaoli and I look like people who know how to cook?”
“No,” Xiaoli laughed. “Why don’t you and President Zhou bring a personal chef along?”
“I wanted to!” Qin Jiaojiao sighed helplessly. “The production team wouldn’t allow it, saying bringing a private chef ruins the show’s balance.”
“Then for the few days of filming, are you and Sir only going to eat these?” Xiaoli felt a bit worried. “Eating too much self-heating food isn’t good for you.”
Qin Jiaojiao said, “Still better than starving to death.”
Zhou Shaoli usually enjoyed brewing tea at home, and she quite enjoyed watching him brew tea as well, so she had Xiaoli pack up the tea set to be shipped over.
With everything fully prepared, they only needed to wait for the filming to begin.
To cooperate with the production team’s filming schedule, this trip wasn’t like flying abroad to watch a fashion show; Han Xiao booked two first-class tickets for the young couple, and Driver Old Li drove them to the airport that day.
Zhou Shaoli had one black suitcase, while she had two—one white and one pink. During luggage check-in, Zhou Shaoli’s brows twitched slightly upon seeing the contents of the white suitcase.
Did she bring all the snacks from home with her?
The flight from Beijing to Nancheng took three to four hours. On the plane, Qin Jiaojiao had nothing to do, passing the time reading novels and taking a nap until they arrived.
Getting off the plane, a production team vehicle was waiting to pick them up. The videographer was the same one who had followed them at the seaside earlier, and Qin Jiaojiao raised her hand to wave a greeting.
“Hi, we meet again.”
The camera guy responded, “Miss Qin, Mr. Zhou.”
Inside the vehicle.
The cameras installed by the crew were recording. After driving for about two hours, they finally reached Nancheng Ancient Town near dusk. This time, the production team had arranged different renovated houses for the three guest couples.
The place where Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli were staying was adjacent to Jin Mingzhu and her husband’s house, reachable within a two-minute walk. Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang stayed in the largest house, which had been renovated into a new forest cottage.
Before filming, the production team had informed all guest couples that this episode’s recording would follow the same format as the seaside villa—split into two broadcast episodes focused on aiding local agriculture, featuring live streams throughout the process.
Agricultural aid live streams were a challenge for celebrities; if a stream exploded in popularity, it could boost the local economy and elevate the episode’s message. Whichever couple performed brilliantly would undoubtedly attract massive numbers of fans.
Having just arrived at Nancheng Ancient Town today, the three guest couples only needed to tidy up their lodgings and rest well, as they had done previously. The production team would arrange tomorrow’s filming schedule.
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli’s suitcases were set on the wooden porch. In the courtyard stood a massive ancient tree with lush branches, blooming with unknown purple flowers that released a faint, delightful fragrance into the air.
Returning inside the wooden house, she unzipped the suitcase containing the food. “Tada! Look what this is!”
Having already known she brought a ton of food, Zhou Shaoli feigned a look of slight surprise on his face: “Self-heating food?”
Qin Jiaojiao squatted down, looking up at him with a smile: “I brought instant noodles, ham sausages, marinated eggs, self-heating mini hotpots, and self-heating rice. Pretty smart, right?”
“Mm.” An imperceptible smile glinted in Zhou Shaoli’s eyes. “Go rest, I’ll clean up.”
Having taken a plane and a car ride, Qin Jiaojiao’s waist and back were aching, making her want to lie down right away. Hearing him offer to clean up, she felt a bit embarrassed. “Let’s clean up together.”
Zhou Shaoli said, “No need, I’ve got it.”
“Alright then.” Seeing Zhou Shaoli squat down to take out all the food items she had brought and place them in the kitchen, Qin Jiaojiao lay ungracefully on the sofa to watch him.
After placing all the self-heating foods Qin Jiaojiao bought onto the kitchen table, Zhou Shaoli zipped up the suitcase and tucked it into an inconspicuous corner.
He carried both of their suitcases up to the bedroom upstairs, hanging the clothes inside the closet. Heading back downstairs to check if Qin Jiaojiao wanted him to pack her personal undergarments, he found her fast asleep on the sofa. He retrieved a comfortable throw blanket he had brought along and gently draped it over her.
He left her personal luggage untouched.
Qin Jiaojiao slept for a short while, waking up to a mouth-watering aroma. Sniffing her nose, she recognized her favorite spicy mini hotpot.
Flipping off the blanket groggily, she half-opened her eyes and followed the scent toward the dining room.
Seeing her awake, Zhou Shaoli said, “It’ll be ready to eat in a few more minutes.”
“Smells so good.” Qin Jiaojiao pulled out a chair and sat down, propping her chin on her hands while waiting for the self-heating hotpot to finish cooking.
Zhou Shaoli picked up the beverage she had brought, poured a glass, and set it down in front of her.
The couple’s dinner tonight consisted of self-heating mini hotpots—hers was spicy beef broth, while his was tomato broth.
On the other side, Shen Xiaoshan used the ingredients provided by the production team to make braised pork ribs and stir-fried mushrooms. The two sat in their dining room having dinner.
Shen Xiaoshan brought it up casually: “Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli don’t know how to cook. Should I make another dish and invite them over to eat?”
Meng Zi’ang utterly despised seeing Zhou Shaoli. He was an illegitimate child of a wealthy family, whereas Zhou Shaoli was a legitimate heir born of pure nobility—outshining him in every single aspect. Every time he saw Zhou Shaoli, his proud self-esteem suffered a blow.
With a cold face, Meng Zi’ang said, “They’re living their own couple’s life, why should we butt in?”
He couldn’t wait for Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli’s married life to hit the rocks, watching them blame each other on camera and hopefully end up in a furious fight.
Behind the scenes, the production team staff watching the monitor screens were left utterly dumbfounded upon seeing Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli sitting at the dining table eating self-heating hotpot like they were dining on fine Western cuisine in a high-end restaurant.
This… this… you could do that?!
It was fine that the wealthy couple didn’t know how to cook; they had originally assumed one of the newlyweds would learn to cook so the crew could film some sweet cooking scenes between husband and wife. Who could have expected Qin Jiaojiao to bring a whole stash of self-heating foods to record the show?
The key issue was—one was a multi-billionaire CEO and the other a wealthy heiress, yet the two ate self-heating hotpot with such relish that the staff members watching grew hungry, wanting a portion for themselves.
Finishing her hotpot, Qin Jiaojiao noticed Zhou Shaoli repeatedly checking his phone to reply to messages. Taking the initiative to clean up the mess, she said, “You go ahead and work, I’ll clean up.”
Zhou Shaoli walked outside holding his phone, while she neatly cleared the dining table, dumped the broth, and tossed the boxes and remaining food scraps into the trash.
Once finished, she stepped outside holding her phone, walking over to sit on a long bench under the wooden house’s porch.
Beneath the century-old tree in the courtyard, Zhou Shaoli held his phone, conversing in fluent English with someone on the line. With a calm expression and a steady tone, he exuded the full aura of an elite businessman.
Ghost-driven, Qin Jiaojiao held up her phone and snapped a photo. Her phone wasn’t muted, letting out a shutter sound as she took the picture.
When Zhou Shaoli turned around, she instantly tucked her phone away with a guilty conscience, pretending to admire the courtyard scenery.
Fortunately, Zhou Shaoli merely cast a glance at her before continuing his phone conversation, his tone carrying a sharp edge of authority.
Qin Jiaojiao pulled out her phone to check the photo she had just taken. Beneath the purple blossom tree, the man’s handsome face wore a cold, detached expression, his tailored suit wrapping around his tall, slender frame, radiating a powerful, oppressive aura from head to toe.
Qin Jiaojiao thought to herself: If she were the person negotiating with him on the phone, she probably would have surrendered and admitted defeat long ago.
Leave a Reply