After Breaking Up, I Married the Dying Tycoon in a Flash
Chapter 49: Dare Not Hope for More

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Dare Not Hope for More

"Bian Yue’s hand was injured, and she just had the gauze removed this morning. The wound is not fully healed yet, so let’s just eat something light at home today." Shen Jinci asked Bian Yue, "Is that okay?"

Bian Yue is not picky about food, so she said it was fine.

And so, the dinner suddenly became a meal for three.

Zhuang Jie Ning smiled and said she had learned a lot of life skills abroad, including cooking. She wanted to cook herself to show Bian Yue and Shen Jinci her culinary skills.

Bian Yue kindly asked, "Won’t this be too tiring for you?"

"Not at all, I’m not that delicate," Zhuang Jie Ning replied with a smile, looking at Shen Jinci, her heartbeat racing.

Such an exquisitely noble face that could sway the hearts of all women.

Zhuang Jie Ning calmed her beating heart, her voice soft and clear: "I hope Mr. Shen will honor me by enjoying a few extra bites later."

Finally, Shen Jinci turned his gaze to Zhuang Jie Ning.

Zhuang Jie Ning felt as if her heart would stop beating.

Holding her breath and blushing, she saw Shen Jinci nod faintly towards her.

"Then we will be troubling Miss Zhuang."

He remembered her name so quickly!

Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes shone even brighter, her voice crisp: "It’s no trouble at all, as long as Mr. Shen likes it, it won’t be hard."

The only oblivious person was Bian Yue.

After Zhuang Jie Ning left for the kitchen, Shen Jinci held Bian Yue’s wrist, looking at the wound on her palm.

"It’s almost healed. Today I..." Bian Yue’s voice halted, leaving her sentence unfinished.

Shen Jinci gently touched the scab on her wound, his eyes indifferent: "What happened today?"

...Today, I didn’t feel any pain in my hand when I was hitting Shen Zhaoli.

Bian Yue coughed softly, "It’s nothing, I’ll go see what Jie Ning is doing."

Shen Jinci held Bian Yue’s hand firmly, saying, "I remember you don’t like cooking."

"I don’t, but I still have to learn it," Bian Yue joked, "Doesn’t Mr. Shen want a wife who can grace a hall and also serve in the kitchen?"

"Bian Yue, one shouldn’t be too greedy in life."

His tone was dispassionate, and Bian Yue’s eyes slightly widened, as if understanding but also not.

Shen Jinci blew on her scabbed palm, still finding the scar to be striking.

He frowned for a long time before half-seriously saying: "For someone like me whose days are numbered, to have a wife is already more than I could ask for; I dare not hope you would cook."

"Then may I dare to hope that you will cook?" Bian Yue pushed further with her question.

Shen Jinci raised his eyebrows with a smile, looking at Bian Yue.

He said, "Sure."

During dinner, a table full of delicious dishes was set. Bian Yue sat next to Shen Jinci, with Zhuang Jie Ning sitting opposite them.

One of the meals, the red wine-braised oxtails, was prepared by Zhuang Jie Ning.

Zhuang Jie Ning put down her glass of red wine, stood up, and smilingly picked up a piece to put in Bian Yue’s bowl, "Try my cooking, how is it?"

Bian Yue took a bite, and indeed, it tasted very good.

"Delicious."

"As long as it’s delicious," Zhuang Jie Ning sat down with a smile, looking expectantly at Shen Jinci, "Mr. Shen, would you like to try?"

Shen Jinci saw the anticipation in Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes, that kind of urgency.

"I don’t like greasy food," the man said, dropping his eyelids with an indifferent expression.

Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes showed a flicker of disappointment, but she quickly resumed her smile: "As long as Bian Yue likes it, that’s good! I made it especially for Bian Yue after all."

She was smart, knowing who could be her pillar among the three present.

After eating half an oxtail, Bian Yue felt somewhat full, but since Zhuang Jie Ning just mentioned she made it especially for her, not finishing it all would seem impolite.

Bian Yue picked up the oxtail, uncertain what to do.

"Can’t eat anymore?" Shen Jinci asked with a light voice.

Bian Yue nodded her head, murmuring, "There’s too much; eating too much makes it a bit greasy, but..."

But this was a dish Zhuang Jie Ning had made with great effort, so it seemed wrong to just throw it away.

For Zhuang Jie Ning, coming down to the kitchen was already stooping from her high status.

Zhuang Jie Ning noticed Bian Yue’s predicament and was about to mediate when Shen Jinci picked up the half-eaten oxtail from Bian Yue’s hand and placed it in his own bowl.

Just a second ago, the man who claimed he didn’t eat greasy food was now unflinchingly eating the meat left by Bian Yue.

Bian Yue was astonished, "You... you don’t like to eat it, do you?"

"It’s not good to waste," Shen Jinci said indifferently.

Zhuang Jie Ning’s face paled as she listened to their conversation.

Why, after so long, was she still living in Bian Yue’s shadow?

Zhuang Jie Ning remembered her first encounter with Bian Yue at Xiangjiang Girls’ High School.

That year, Zhuang Jie Ning was in her second year of high school when the news that the Li Family’s adopted daughter would be enrolling shook the entire school.

"I heard that Li Sihe will personally bring her here," someone whispered in conversation.

"Personally? Is she that important?"

"That’s the Bian Family’s orphan; her value surpasses all of us! Didn’t you know? Before the Bian family couple died, they transferred all their assets to Bian Yue’s name!"

"No wonder she was adopted by the Li Family; it must be because she’s rich!"

Another girl looked hesitant and uneasy, saying, "But I heard that it was Li Sihe who specifically asked his father, Li Tingmo, to allow the Bian Family orphan to enter the Li Family’s home."

Secret stories of top-tier wealthy families; everyone loves to listen.

Zhuang Jie Ning used to be the center of attention at school.

Her background was second only to the Bian, Li, and Shen families, and being the pampered youngest girl at home and in junior high, she was the one everyone paid attention to.

But in that moment, Zhuang Jie Ning had a premonition that if this girl named Bian Yue appeared, she would no longer be as dazzling at Xiangjiang Girls’ High as she had been before.

Indeed, things unfolded just as Zhuang Jie Ning had anticipated.

Li Sihe personally brought Bian Yue to school, and that dream lover of countless young girls debonairly stepped out of the car, opened the door for Bian Yue, took her hand, and entered the dean’s office, telling every teacher and leader, "This is my sister, Bian Yue, please take good care of her."

No one dared to not give face to the Crown Prince of the Li Family.

All the teachers nodded and agreed without a word of dissent.

Bian Yue’s entrance was sensational.

Shattering the glorious pride of those past years.

And now, the scene was repeating itself.

Zhuang Jie Ning truly didn’t understand what Shen Jinci saw in Bian Yue.

The meal ended uneventfully and without much to-do.

Bian Yue had a bit to drink and fell asleep on Shen Jinci’s shoulder after dinner.

The man’s eyes were tender and gentle, softly caressing Bian Yue’s flushed face, asking her if she was tired.

Bian Yue said she was a little, then added, "Shen Jinci, I want to go up and sleep."

Then Shen Jinci carried Bian Yue and headed upstairs.

Zhuang Jie Ning sat upright with a gentle demeanor.

She heard Bian Yue say to Shen Jinci, "Wait for you to come down later, take Jie Ning home. It’s late, you have to watch her get into the car."

"Okay."

A peculiar light flowed in Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes, and something in her heart began to stir.

When Shen Jinci returned downstairs, Zhuang Jie Ning was also in a slight drunken state, her cheeks rosy.

She propped her chin with her hand, sitting lopsidedly at the dining table, smiling provocatively at Shen Jinci.

She drew out her words, "Mr. Shen, I have a bit of a headache, could you take me home?"