Chapter 40 - Starved (1)

That evening.

Gu Shishi got off of work on time and was picked up Siyi.

As soon as she walked into the mansion, she noticed that it was even quieter than usual.

Once it was after 7 PM, nobody else dare to walk around the mansion or speak loudly.

Gu Shishi didn't give that too much thought but ran straight into the small dining room and was ready for dinner!

Even though there was an extra portion of lunch today, that wasn't enough for all the ladies at the art center.

She only got a small piece of steak in the end, which was only worth 30 minutes!

[Remaining Life Balance: 46 hours 23 minutes and 13 seconds.]

From 6 PM yesterday to 6 PM today, she had consumed an entire day of life!

Gu Shishi put her hand over her stomach painfully.

On top of that, Uncle Chef wasn't even there today. It was a somewhat familiar maid waiting there for her.

"Miss Gu, Mr. Huo hasn't had dinner yet. Do you think I can trouble you to bring that to him?"

The maid seemed a little worried, she was begging her with her fingers laced together.

"You are Master's fiancée. He will be even happier getting dinner from you."

Gu Shishi looked worried.

Nobody dared to cross him when Huo Sishen was in a bad mood.

Was he in a bad mood because she had carelessly held his hand today?

To the point that he didn't even have an appetite for dinner? The maid seems so frightened; did he throw a fit after he had gone home?

The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was her fault!

"Okay, I will go!"

The meal tray on the table was all ready.

There were a few small side dishes, steamed rice, and a glass of cold milk.

Gu Shishi picked up the bone China tray and hastily headed upstairs.

When she was just one step away from Huo Sishen's room, her eyelids twitched all of a sudden!

Her foot paused in midair.

Wait a minute!

She seemed to recall that the boss did not like cold milk in the original novel?

Something about a bad experience from his childhood?

It was mentioned in the novel that his ex-fiancee tried to kiss up to him and brought him milk before bed one time. She ended up having the milk poured all over her by the furious Huo Sishen. She left pitifully after he had berated her.

Goosebumps began to creep up the back of Gu Shishi's neck.

With one hand carrying the dinner tray, and the other holding onto the nicely-carved banister, she stiffly turned around, "Um..."

She wanted to confirm with the maid, only to find that there was nobody downstairs anymore!

"Where did she go?" Gu Shishi's mouth dropped open.

The face of the maid suddenly flashed past her eyes.

And she felt a chill running down her spine.

She had seen this maid before...

Maids in this mansion has very specific areas of responsibilities and hours.

This maid was never part of the dining area team!

Gu Shishi thought about it for a little while before a face appeared in her mind hazily and overlapped with that of the maid!

This was the maid that the novel's Gu Shishi paid off, but then turned around and sold her out!

"Tssss....."

Gu Shishi grimaced.

She was setting her up?

She wanted her to bring milk to Huo Sishen intentionally so he'd have ill feelings toward her?

Was it because the closet incident never took place, so she didn't know that Gu Shishi already knew about the betrayal?!

"No way. Must retreat!"

She couldn't deliver this to Huo Sishen. This was a trap!

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Chapter 41 - Starved (2)

Lo and behold, a door to a second-floor room right in front of her cracked open.

Gu Shishi whipped around immediately.

"Why are you making all that noise?" The coarse voice was filled with impatience.

Gu Shishi turned around and saw the tall Huo Sishen, standing by the door with a frown and an indolent look and a light grey robe over his shoulders.

In his right hand, there was a glass of red wine.

His cold eyes looked at Gu Shishi, who was still half way up the stairs.

His dimmed gaze slowly fell on the dinner tray in his hand, then zoomed in the glass of milk.

Gu Shishi's hand shuddered and almost drop the milk onto the floor!

"Oh oh oh oh.... Good evening, Mr. Huo...."

"I.... was just about to have dinner... this is my dinner. Mmhmm!"

With her shaking hand, she pointed at the milk on the dinner tray.

Huo Sishen lifted his brows slightly.

Gu Shishi gulped.

Did the boss buy it?

Or was he already unhappy?

She gritted her teeth, picked up the milk on the tray, and chugged it all down!

Her only option now is to destroy the evidence!

And, quickly, a magnetic voice that brought her back to reality rang, "Go back to your room."

Huo Sishen was half frowning.

He looked at the rim of milk moustache left on the girl's upper lip with his dark eyes and paused for a little.

"Don't eat in the hallway. It's not hygienic."

Gu Shishi let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay. I will return to my room immediately!"

Dodged a bullet. She seemed to not have angered the boss today?

Oh yay!

"Let me bring dinner up to you in a minute~"

Huo Sishen's black eyes paused for a second.

He turned around, then stopped again.

".... There's no need. I have already eaten at work."

Gu Shishi let out a cry.

It was a trap!

Deliver dinner to the boss? The maid was trying to set her up!

Luckily, she paid a lot of attention when she was reading the novel, so she was able to recall this particular detail and not be tricked.

"Wait." Surprisingly, Huo Sishen was still standing at the door.

"Eh?" Gu Shishi looked up with the dinner tray still in her hand.

Quickly, the man walked inside his room only to walk back out with a familiar-looking suit.

FOOM!

And a suit jacket fell from the land and landed on one of her shoulders.

"Throw it out!"

That was the same jacket that he put on her. He didn't want it back when she returned it.

Then the other day after he fell asleep, she had put it over him... Now, he wanted it thrown out again?

[Ding! Received a gift from the husband: Custom-made high-end suit from the US (black) x1. Original price: $120,475. Used with defects: $2,394.]

[Remaining Life Balance: 4 days 11 hours.]

BAM!

And just like that, the room door was slammed shut again.

Gu Shishi: "!"

Half a second later, Gu Shishi put her hands on her face and screamed softly, "The tsundere boss is soooo cute!"

He had increased her blood bar again!

With the suit in her left hand and the dinner tray on the right. She grinned like a mouse with oil.

Recharged again!

"Ohhh, this suit... smells sooo good!"

This treasure just doubled her 2-day remaining life!

Gu Shishi was short of burying her face into the suit.

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Chapter 42 - Starved (3)

She took a closer look at the jacket and quickly felt her heart bled as she looked at the sleeve.

"How did the button fall off? Had I known, I would have asked for a needle and thread and fixed."

Now it was greatly discounted because of that.

How much more would she have gotten if it wasn't for that button? Perhaps she would have full 5 days!

What a bummer!

Had she known that the boss would want it thrown away and give it to her and that the system would consider that a gift....

She would have had it dry cleaned and ironed so that a wrinkle couldn't be seen!

It didn't matter how much money she'd have to spend!

"From now on, I'd treat every single item that belongs to the boss with utmost care!"

Gu Shishi couldn't help but mutter.

She went into her room with everything. As she was eating, she made a note in her notebook that she always carried around with her.

Rule #1: Do not anger the boss. Must appease him.

Rule #2: Treat anything that belongs to the boss with great care, much like they are my own life!

Once she has finished writing that down, she ate as quickly as a hamster.

She ate the entrees and appetizers on the dinner tray.

When she was done eating, she called out the system and checked.

[Doting of the Male Lead: LV1, 20% progress to LV2

Acknowledge of Others: LV1, 50% progress to LV2]

Both of the criteria had advanced without her knowing?

Gu Shishi squinted and, as she looked carefully, she saw another footnote.

"Eh, I have received fondness from Huo Sishen 3 times today? Morning, afternoon, and evening.... Isn't that the same as the number of times that I have seen him today?"

How did that happen?

Didn't the boss berate her every time? The more he berated her, the fonder he was of her?

Was he really that much of a tsundere??

"Acknowledgement from others, she had received fondness from Ling Xiaomei, store manager Liu Li, and three other girls from the art center."

Was it because she had helped Ling Xiaomei out, shared her lunch with everyone, or was it because they were convinced by her painting skills?

She had received the fondness from 5 different individuals and she was still 50% away from LV2.

At this rate, she would need the fondness from at least 5 more individuals...

Gu Shishi rubbed her chin, "Do I need to go and conquer my other colleagues or students? Or perhaps the maids at the mansion?"

Having given that some thought, she didn't think she had any better options.

And then there was that maid earlier. She must find a chance to figure out what was going on!

She was deep in thought when she heard a sudden, crisp DING sound from the system.

[Ding! The system had detected the host's profound experience in painting and art appreciation!]

[The system will update in 5 minutes...]

Gu Shishi' eyes widened.

***

After the sun had set, a shadow quietly made a call from a corner of the mansion.

Quickly, a surprised voice came from the other end of the phone.

"What?! She didn't bring it to him but drank it herself? And she ate all the food?!"

"Is she starting to suspect you?"

"You don't think so? Exactly how hungry was she then? Has she not eaten in the past several hundred years?!"

___

Words from the Author:

Boss Huo: Showing off her milk-drinking skill in front of me intentionally? Woman, I'm onto you!

Siyi: ???