"What is this?"
Zhou Mingchen used a fork to lift a chunk of charred solid, asking.
"It's... bacon." Xia Lu looked up at him, her eyes filled with timidity.
"And this?"
"Muffins."
"Muffins?"
Zhou Mingchen looked at the yellowish-white, fragrant circular objects on the plate. He cut one with a knife, the undercooked batter sticking to the blade, impossible to shake off.
Xia Lu inwardly cried out in dismay and pushed the fried egg towards him, "Why don't you try this first?"
She had been splattered with hot oil several times while frying the egg, and the back of her hand was still red.
"I don't eat well-done fried eggs."
"Ah..." Xia Lu timidly withdrew her hand, continuously twisting her fingers.
Zhou Mingchen surveyed the dining table and finally reached for the salad, which, being uncooked, seemed the safest.
"What did you put in this?" He chewed, sensing something was amiss.
"Salad dressing... and mayonnaise..."
Zhou Mingchen finally put down his knife and fork, and picked up his phone, "Qiu Cheng, help me bring back the previous cook, Zhang Ma, to the villa as soon as possible."
Xia Lu bit her lower lip, knowing well that her attempt at breakfast had utterly failed and a reprimand was inevitable.
"You are truly incompetent at many things." Zhou Mingchen picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth as he walked towards the living room, "Cleaning shouldn't require any teaching, right?"
"No need, no need, I can clean..." Xia Lu hurriedly followed him, "It just takes some time."
"You need not worry about that, you have lots of time. Starting today, you'll stay at home and not go out unless necessary," Zhou Mingchen instructed, then turned to go upstairs.
"What?" Xia Lu stared at him, "But I still have things to do."
"Such as?"
"I've just graduated, I need to quickly find a job and I also need to visit Luo Fan at the hospital," she paused, "And I haven't yet told my mom about us getting married."
Zhou Mingchen turned and walked towards her.
"You don't need a job. Your job is to be my wife, Zhou Mingchen," he looked into Xia Lu's eyes, "And starting today, you can no longer visit Luo Fan at the hospital. As for your mother, I'll handle it."
"You didn't say this before."
"What did I say before?"
"You only said that I couldn't visit the hospital before the wedding, not..."
Xia Lu hadn't finished speaking when Zhou Mingchen interrupted her.
"You're still bargaining with me." Thinking this, he lowered his head and touched his neck, initially not expecting that Xia Lu, the woman he chose, could be so naive and pure.
"Now that you are my wife, every move you make could be under public scrutiny. If you want to attract all sorts of troublemakers to my place like yesterday, you can continue doing whatever you please. After all, I can't keep you trapped at home. However," he reached out and lifted Xia Lu's chin, drawing near, "my patience has its limits."
"Decide for yourself."
Watching Zhou Mingchen's retreating back, Xia Lu touched her chest, unsure why every time she spoke with him, her heart felt like it was about to leap out. This terrifying man was now her bona fide husband, recognized by the state!
"Director Zhou, Zhang Ma is here." Qiu Cheng entered the hall, followed by a woman in her fifties.
"Hmm." Zhou Mingchen put down the laptop in his hand and walked towards Zhang Ma.
"We'll continue to trouble you in the future."
"Not a problem, that's what my job is," Zhang Ma said kindly, smiling, "Starting today?"
"Hmm, we can start now." Zhou Mingchen nodded, looking at Qiu Cheng, "Come with me."
As Qiu Cheng passed by the study, he saw Xia Lu vigorously wiping the desk inside.
"Mr. Zhou, for such heavy work, I could find someone to do it. Why trouble Miss Xia?"
Zhou Mingchen sat down on the sofa, "What Miss Xia? She's now Mrs. Zhou."
"I was wrong, Mrs. Zhou."
"No need to find someone. She was just bored at home and wanted to find something to do herself."
Zhou Mingchen picked up the document on the table, "Give this document to my mother. She knows how to handle it."
"The lady?" Qiu Cheng was surprised. "Doesn't the lady live in..." Before he could finish, he stopped himself.
"You talk too much. If I could deliver it myself, what would I need you for?"
In the dining room.
"Aunt Zhang, is there anything I can help you with?" Xia Lu approached proactively to help.
Aunt Zhang sized her up, "No need, you continue with your cleaning, I'll handle the cooking. We each have our tasks, no need to help each other, no need to delay each other."
Her tone was icy, leaving Xia Lu confused.
"Well, if you need anything, just let me know. I'll figure out a way to help you."
Aunt Zhang turned again to glance at her, "Help me? I've served Mr. Zhou for many years. You've just arrived. Don't be a nuisance and cause trouble, that'll be good enough. Don't expect to be of help, just go and do your work. There's nothing here for you."
Even a cook held such an attitude toward her, Xia Lu suddenly felt a wave of grievance.
Indeed, when one's status is low, anyone could stomp on them.
"You said you've served him for many years; didn't he live here before?"
"Don't play dumb," Aunt Zhang said grumpily, "If he had always lived here, why would you come over to clean? Mr. Zhou used to live in a downtown apartment, and I've always been responsible for his daily meals there, but last week, I don't know why, they dismissed me, and today they asked me to come back to work."
"Ohh." Xia Lu nodded.
Aunt Zhang saw her still standing there, showing no sign of leaving.
"Why are you still stupidly standing here? Have you finished cleaning? If Mr. Zhou sees us chatting here later, he will have opinions. If you want to slack off, don't drag me into it."
Only then did Xia Lu realize that she still had such a big house to clean.
"Aunt Zhang, then I'll go clean now. We'll chat another time if we're free."
Watching her walk away, Aunt Zhang's face was filled with disdain, "Pfft... still trying to get cozy with me~"
"Dingdong! Dingdong!"
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Zhou Mingchen looked down at his watch, not even ten in the morning yet. Who would come this early to find him?
"Mr. Zhou, it seems someone has come outside." Seeing that he hadn't made a move to get up, Qiu Cheng reminded him.
"No need to remind me. I'm not deaf."
"Then you..."
"This early in the morning, uninvited guests are definitely not welcome. Don't bother with them."
"Then I'll go deliver the document now." After saying this, Qiu Cheng prepared to leave.
"Are you stupid?" Zhou Mingchen quickly stood up, "If you go out now, won't the people outside just come in?"
Before he finished speaking, a familiar voice was already coming from the hallway.