The banquet eventually came to a satisfying conclusion. Whether the others understood what Grace Gu was playing, the thunderous applause was undeniable.
After bidding farewell to Shirley Chu, Grace Gu returned to the Ziyuan Villa with Julian Bai. As soon as they entered, before they could even settle down, Julian Bai's phone rang.
He looked at the caller ID, and his face slightly darkened. Nonetheless, he pressed the answer button. Grace didn't hear much, but at the beginning, since the call was on speakerphone, she did catch a part of the conversation.
"Has your wings grown, and you want to fly now?" It was a loud and forceful voice, showing signs of age.
Julian Bai didn't say much after picking up the call. Perhaps the other person asked something, as they heard Julian Bai calmly respond, "It's simply their own fault; no one else can be blamed."
"Alright, when I have time to visit Huadu, I'll explain all these things to you in detail."
Hearing another comment from the other side, Julian Bai glanced at Grace Gu and frowned. He then said, "She doesn't have time."
Seeing him hang up with a furrowed brow, Grace Gu wisely didn't ask too many questions, instead preparing to head upstairs.
Julian Bai frowned slightly, "Where are you going?"
Noticing his sour expression, Grace Gu didn't want to argue over something small and replied, "Just changing my clothes."
As she wrapped her delicate figure in a simple outfit, he lightly nodded. So the two of them ascended the stairs without another word.
When Grace Gu finished changing, Julian Bai had just emerged from the bathroom. He looked at her simple attire and briefly closed his eyes, softly saying, "I'm hungry."
Grace Gu paused in fixing her hair. Hadn't they just attended a banquet? How could he already be hungry so soon?
"I'll check if Aunt Lin is awake." She glanced at the clock on the wall—still only ten o'clock. Aunt Lin should still be awake at this hour.
"You go," Julian Bai ordered.
Hearing the commanding tone, Grace Gu's face darkened a bit. Could he stop making her do everything like this? It felt as though her life was at his mercy.
After some thought, she reluctantly nodded. After all, he was the "golden master," right? Just as she was about to ask what he wanted to eat, Julian Bai answered, "Just a bowl of noodles will do."
Grace Gu wasn't sure how to react to this statement. Should she thank him for his consideration or curse him for tormenting her?
Why did she have to cook a bowl of noodles?
Seeing her standing still, filled with unspoken resentment, Julian Bai shot her a glance. "I can do it if you don't want to."
With that, Grace Gu quickly made her way downstairs. Could she really eat food he made? The last time he cooked for her, he prepared a bowl of "noodle porridge" that she could never forget, something so awful that she nearly vomited. She definitely didn't want to endure that again.
Hearing her hurried footsteps down the stairs, a faint smile appeared in Julian Bai's sharp eyes. A little rabbit trying to act like the big bad wolf, but her skills were still too shallow.
Standing by the kitchen door with arms crossed, Julian Bai leisurely watched her. As Grace Gu stirred the noodles, she seemed to push the chopsticks in with a bit too much force, causing some splashes. Only then did she stop.
Julian Bai, unfazed by her apparent unwillingness, reminded, "The noodles are getting soggy."
Grace Gu shot him a glance. Clearly, he knew exactly when noodles would turn into porridge. Why did he make that disgusting mess the last time? Couldn't he remember how much she suffered?
Noticing the deep look in her eyes, Julian Bai seemed to realize something and lightly reminded, "Hurry up, I'm starving.
"
Then he walked to the rectangular dining table. Grace Gu finished serving the noodles and followed him out with the bowl.
It was a simple dish, just two poached eggs with a few small sides. Julian Bai picked up his chopsticks without saying anything about the food. He wasn't someone used to luxury, having suffered his own share of hardship. When he was hungry, he sometimes went days without a single grain of rice.
Watching him eat with gusto, Grace Gu couldn't help but feel that her food really did taste good. Yet, deep down, she couldn't help but criticize herself—how delicious could such a simple meal be?
But seeing him devouring it with such fervor, it didn't seem like he was pretending. She looked at him, unable to suppress her sigh. This person who usually looked so aristocratic now seemed more like a beggar who hadn't eaten for a long time.
As Grace Gu daydreamed, Julian Bai suddenly put his bowl in front of her. "Staring at me like this means you're hungry."
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced at her with a sideways look. "I've said before, as long as I have food, you won't go hungry. Eat."
Grace Gu looked at the bowl now filled only with broth, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react.
Could he really be serious? Did he expect her to eat his leftovers? The thought made her want to collapse.
"Are you disgusted by me?" He looked at her with a dangerous gaze. "If you say a word, I'll show you how to properly write the word 'Master.'"
Grace Gu ground her teeth. She had never been in such a pathetic situation before. She had suffered and endured, but she had never been reduced to eating someone else's leftovers.
"Still disgusted?" Julian Bai pressed, getting closer, his warm breath brushing against her flushed face.
He didn't wait for her to refuse and pushed the bowl a little closer. "Come on, we've never had boundaries between us, right? Don't tell me you want to take things to the next level tonight, where I'm in you, and you're in me?"
Grace Gu's heart sank further, and she couldn't help but think—could he be any more shameless? This was nothing short of a blatant threat.