Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  When she heard Qin Qitong arrange a meeting between her and the man’s parent, she was so stunned and anxious her mind went blank and she did not know what to say.

  “Sister Pei Ge? Sister Pei Ge? Hello, are you still there?” The girl was beginning to think that the call got disconnected after a long silence ensued from the other end.

  Recovering from her initial shock, she finally registered that the girl had been incessantly calling for her.

  “I can hear you,” she answered weakly.

  “Oh! Then, Sister Pei Ge, are you free this weekend? Let’s go—” Before she could finish issuing her invitation, Pei Ge rejected her firmly!

  “No, Qitong, I’m not free this weekend! Neither am I free the week after that nor the following one!” she exclaimed with extreme agitation, clasping the phone tightly to her ear.

  The girl was stunned silly by her reply.

  “Qitong, I’m in the middle of something and can’t speak further so I’ll be hanging up now! I’ll talk to you some other time!” The moment these words left her mouth, she quickly cut the call before the girl could react.

  For a long while, Qin Qitong was unable to react as she listened to the monotonous sound of the phone’s dial tone.

  “What’s wrong with Sister Pei Ge? Why is she so agitated? It’s just having desserts this weekend……” The innocent her was clueless on what the other was going crazy about.

  Pei Ge heaved a sigh of relief after ending the call.

  At this time, what mood did she have left to read some books?

  She could not wait for the man to arrive to clarify this situation.

  Thinking of this, she moved to give the man a call but her fingers paused midway.

  “No, I can’t let him know of my agitation!” She pursed her lips. She was just so casual with him earlier. It would be embarrassing to call him with so much angst now!

  In any case, this matter should be left for him to resolve. He did hire her, after all, so he should be responsible for all this. Why did she have to worry?!

  “Don’t be nervous; don’t be nervous! Calm down, Pei Ge……” She took a deep breath in hopes of calming herself.

  However, all she could think of was that man’s mother wanting to meet her.

  She was tortured by this thought from morning to afternoon.

  Hence, by the time the man arrived at Bauhinia Court and walked into the kitchen, she was already in a terrible state of inattentiveness that she almost cut herself.

  “Be careful!” He shouted at her when he saw that a knife was about to descend on her fingers.

  His sudden yell caused her to jolt her hand out of harm’s way.

  “Ziming, when did you arrive?” she asked. Confusion was written all over her face as she watched him approach.

  Instead of replying to her question, he gave her a sullen look.

  She felt her hair stand on end under his intense stare. With her forehead knitted, she asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? How frightening.”


  He stopped in front of her.

  He gave her a cold look through narrowed eyes; his piercing black orbs revealed an unspeakable fury.

  “Do you, silly woman, know how dangerous that was?!”


  The man shouted at her again as she was shifting her weight from one foot to another and contemplating on how to hide from the sight of his smoldering eyes.

  Her whole body stiffened at his shout.

  “What danger?” She asked this question as she regained her composure.

  “What danger?” He narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. “If I didn’t come in time, your hand would be bleeding now from a knife cut!”


  He had never once lost his cool from fear and anxiety before today.

  He was not even this scared when he had a brush with death in that kidnapping incident when he was a child. Even when that person left, he remained unperturbed. This was truly the first time that he felt such emotions.

  It was in this very moment that he, Ji Ziming, finally understood the nature of his feelings for this woman, Pei Ge. It was so special he could not bear to see her in danger or in pain.

  “You’re forbidden from cooking starting today!” he blurted out.

  She widened her eyes at the man before her.

  “You said before to cook, and now you say not to; what exactly do you want?” She frowned and, being the dense person that she was, was unable to detect his concern for her.

  Frightened by his sudden display of anger, she did not even consider the possibility of him getting mad because she had almost hurt herself.

  “Don’t cook next time; I’ll cancel your cooking lesson.” He told her this once his anger subsided.

  “No, I like the cooking class; don’t cancel it.” She shook her head to refuse his order.

  Of all the classes he had arranged for her, this was the one that she least hated and rather enjoyed.

  Learning how to cook and tasting her mentor’s cooking were things the foodie her did not mind doing at all!

  In fact, that was the highlight of her day!

  “Cancel,” he stated firmly, totally ignoring her plea.

  She pursed her lips in depression.

  “Whatever you say boss. Besides, those teachers are hired by you,” she muttered.

  When he saw how unhappy she was, the egotistical him hesitated for a moment.

  Before he could piece his thoughts together, her next words caused all his hesitation to dissipate.

  “What happens to my lunch after Teacher Qin leaves, then?” She blinked at him with puppy-dog eyes.

  What would she eat when her culinary teacher was gone? Cooking lesson usually took place close to lunchtime, so after the lesson, there was always food ready. If the cooking lesson was canceled, then how would she settle lunch?

  Would she cook on her own? It would not be as tasty and would be a hassle, though.

  “.……” The man, who was having second thoughts about abolishing that cooking class, was momentarily made speechless by her question.

  “.…… You won’t starve to death.” He found her exasperating yet amusing. He discovered that, each time he faced her, he would have emotions he never had before.

  “Oh,” she reluctantly said, “but…… my culinary teacher’s cooking is really delicious.”


  “Mhm.” He glanced at her briefly, and though he was still expressionless, he was actually happily plotting inside.

  When she saw that he was deep in thought, she pursed her lips and returned to cutting the vegetables.

  Hearing the sound of chopping, he returned to the present.

  The sight of her chopping vegetables again without a care for his advice provoked his anger once more.

  “Pei Ge, didn’t I tell you not to cook?!” he thundered.

  She was startled by his loud voice once more.

  However, this time, she was not so lucky.

  “Ahhh!” she cried out in pain.

  The kitchen knife had sliced through the skin of her middle finger. Following this, blood oozed from the fresh cut and trickled down the green veggies.

  Seeing the blood and hearing her pain-filled whimper, his face visibly paled.

  In his eyes was a trace of panic and desperation that he himself did not notice.

  “I told you not to cook!” he snapped with much displeasure. He then grabbed her finger to inspect the cut.

  His displeased tone had a strong hint of panic and heartache.

  Detecting the displeasure in his voice as he held her finger, she immediately felt wronged.

  “What! If you didn’t yell at me, this wouldn’t happen! It’s all your fault!” She glared at him crossly.

  He blamed himself even more upon hearing that.

  Although he had such thoughts, his face did not give them away.

  Other than his face paling and his eyes showing panic, no telltale sign of his thoughts was on his winsome face. It even looked as if he were wearing a mask.

  He was never the type to wear his heart on his sleeve; thus, no matter what kind of circumstance he was in, his face would stay coldly indifferent, preventing others from getting a read of him.

  “.……” He could neither give a reply nor show a proper reaction.

  His upbringing taught him never to reveal his thoughts to others, while his pride prevented him from apologizing to people.

  As such, he could only hold her injured finger, but despite how gentle he was with his actions, her anger did not diminish.

  “Let go!” She was angry and disappointed at his continued silence.

  She mistook it for him not liking her.

  “.…… No.” He frowned.

  “Let go of my hand, Ji Ziming! I need to wrap my wound!” She rolled her eyes at him.

  Even when she said that, he still refused to let go.

  “I’ll have my doctor come over,” he gently said.

  “.…… Have your doctor come over?” She felt wry. “It’s just a small wound; why the need to summon your doctor here? I can clean it and wrap it with a plaster myself!”


  “How is that a small wound?” His frown deepened.

  “.…… How can I not know my hand? It’s just a graze; it’s nothing serious.” She rolled her eyes at him again.

  “No. I’ll call the doctor over.” Although it was just a small wound to her, the bleeding finger was a very serious matter to him!

  In the end, she could only watch the man summon his private doctor and…… describe her wound as one of great urgency.

  He made her injury sound as if it were an incurable disease.

  When the private doctor surnamed Yue rushed in with the medical kit, beads of sweat could be seen rolling down his forehead.

  It seemed that the doctor had run all the way into the villa after alighting from his car.

  “CEO Ji, who is the patient?” he asked between his pants.

  “I am.”


  “Her.”


  The two replied at the same time.

  The doctor glanced at her doubtfully.

  “She is the patient? Where is the wound, then?” The doctor clearly did not expect her to be his patient.

  This could truly not be blamed on the doctor, though. Her wound was as she had described: not serious.

  More importantly, when the man had the doctor come over, he only mentioned that someone was injured and did not clarify that it was a cut on the finger.

  “Here.” With a hint of worry in his eyes, he brought her injured finger up for the doctor to inspect.

  The doctor put on his glasses and inspected her finger seriously. In the end, he was left feeling exasperated.