Chapter 23
Silence fell over the villa. The kitchen staff exchanged glances.
They had lost count of how many times the family had been rushed to the hospital in the past couple of months. And this time, Madam’s condition seemed far more serious. Terrifying.
Even stranger, the young master and his… partner had been sitting silently in the dining room for a long time.
What were they doing? Playing statues?
Gu Chi hadn’t realized it at first, but Wen Linyu’s continued silence made him nervous.
His expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he panicked. He hadn’t made amends yet, hadn’t regained his standing in his little apprentice’s eyes, and hadn’t—
“I was wrong,” he blurted out.
Wen Linyu: “…” He hadn’t even said anything yet. And his teacher was apologizing to him?
How should he respond? Saying “it’s okay” seemed too easy. Easily gained, easily lost.
He didn’t want his teacher’s fleeting interest.
Seeing Wen Linyu’s continued silence, Gu Chi’s anxiety grew: “I was really wrong.”
He paced around Wen Linyu, desperate for his forgiveness. He had no experience with apologizing. No one had ever dared to demand it from him before.
“A teacher can’t be wrong,” Wen Linyu replied softly, his head lowered.
Gu Chi, unable to see his expression, was filled with guilt, wanting to punish himself. How could he, the most trusted teacher, hurt his apprentice?
Then, Wen Linyu said: “I haven’t learned well enough.”
He was responding to Gu Chi’s earlier comment about being soft-hearted. Gu Chi misinterpreted his meaning, assuming Wen Linyu felt he was being blamed: “I wasn’t blaming you.”
998 clicked its tongue: “Idiot! He’s saying he needs more guidance! Can’t you even understand that?”
That useless expert! Didn’t teach him anything about real relationships! Serves him right for being scammed!
“What expert?” Wen Linyu asked.
The system, not wanting to cover for Gu Chi, spilled the beans about the paid consultation.
Wen Linyu was both angry and pleased.
Angry that someone had scammed his teacher, and pleased that his teacher’s concern wasn’t just a whim. If it were, why would he care about his feelings, why would he try so hard to make amends?
A smile touched Wen Linyu’s lips.
Gu Chi, seeing him smile, relaxed. He wasn’t angry? But then he realized his relief was premature.
Why wasn’t he angry? Just because he was his teacher?
A strange, unfamiliar feeling, almost like jealousy, gnawed at him.
“Wen Linyu, aren’t you angry?” he asked.
Wen Linyu was startled. It was the first time Gu Chi had addressed him so informally, so intimately. He used to call him “little weakling.”
A smile reached his eyes: “Why would I be angry?”
He truly wasn’t angry.
But Gu Chi was dissatisfied. Why wasn’t he angry? Was he just going to be this obedient, accepting everything he did?
“Wen Linyu, you can be angry. You have the right to be angry with me,” Gu Chi said.
Wen Linyu paused, understanding dawning. He wasn’t supposed to treat him like a deity, accepting everything without question. He could be angry, he could express any emotion, negative or positive.
He could be himself, with all his flaws and emotions, just as Gu Chi had taught him, a living, breathing person, not just an obedient apprentice.
His teacher was truly wonderful.
But if he were to be honest, he was slightly angry, angry that Gu Chi had concealed his identity for so long, even after coming to his world, causing him to resent him.
He gave Gu Chi a pointed look.
Gu Chi was finally satisfied.
998 was speechless. This guy definitely had some masochistic tendencies! Happy when scolded, unhappy when treated kindly. What a pervert!
With the misunderstanding cleared, Gu Chi felt a sense of relief. Even if Wen Linyu was angry with him, it was an honest emotion. Thinking back, what had he been doing?
He had been played!
He was furious! He had been scammed! With Wen Linyu present, he couldn’t lose face, so he suppressed his anger, grinding his teeth.
That damn expert! He wouldn’t forget this!
He wasn’t stupid. That scammer thought a verbal promise was enough? He would make him pay tonight!
Lin Wanshow was hospitalized, and the rest of the family wouldn’t be back for a while.
Wen Linyu stayed home, taking Gu Chi to the vast forest behind the villa to plant vegetables.
Gu Chi, showing a sincere desire to make amends, diligently followed Wen Linyu’s instructions. The task wasn’t physically demanding for him, but the novelty of manual labor was… interesting.
They weren’t planting ordinary vegetables, but spiritual plants from Gu Chi’s interspatial ring, plants not found in Wen Linyu’s world.
When Gu Chi opened his interspatial pouch, revealing still-warm dishes, Wen Linyu realized he had also brought his favorite food.
Not just cooked dishes, but also seeds.
Wen Linyu struggled to suppress his smile. How could he not love his teacher?
Although he was a bit dense, and a bit foolish.
After working all morning, Wen Linyu invited Gu Chi to join him in the kitchen for lunch.
Gu Chi suspected he was being mocked, recalling his disastrous attempt at cooking breakfast. And he had actually believed that scammer and served it to Wen Linyu.
The thought made him angry. He had already embarrassed himself in front of his little apprentice!
Just you wait, scammer! Tonight, you’ll beg for death!
Wen Linyu glanced back at him, puzzled by his murderous expression. He still couldn’t understand him sometimes. Was he traumatized by his cooking failure?
But he wasn’t asking him to cook. He simply wanted to prepare a few dishes they both enjoyed, to be shared between them.
Thankfully, despite his unreadable expression, Gu Chi didn’t refuse, quietly assisting as Wen Linyu prepared lunch.
They ate alone in the empty dining room.
Gu Chi, enjoying the meal Wen Linyu had prepared, was filled with both happiness and resentment towards that damned scammer!
That night, as the relationship expert slept soundly, a dark figure appeared by his bed, a voice like a demonic whisper echoing through the room: “Still sleeping?”
