Chapter 802 - 276: Where Is Jing Si? Where the Hell Did He Go?

The burning desire within him stirred restlessly, and the way he looked at Qin Mei changed.

"Get lost." Both embarrassed and annoyed, Qin Mei snatched her clothes from Jie Jingchen’s hands. She spun around, marched back into the bathroom, and shut the door with a loud BANG. Jie Jingchen even heard the CLICK of the lock.

A helpless smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He had always prided himself on his self-control, yet Qin Mei could easily tear it all down.

Inside the bathroom, Qin Mei put on her clothes and combed her dripping wet hair. Without a hairdryer, she had to rely entirely on air-drying. She was tempted to go find Teacher Tony just to get her hair done.

When she emerged, a flicker of unnatural tension crossed Jie Jingchen’s eyes. His mind was flooded with the image of what he had just seen. He violently shook his head. He told himself not to think about it anymore; the more he dwelled on it, the more he would suffer.

"Meimei, come here and eat," he urged, trying hard to suppress the wicked fire raging inside him.

She shot him a glare, picked up her bowl, and walked out of the house. This guy was far too dangerous. It was too easy for things to get out of hand indoors, but she would be safe in the courtyard. No matter how shameless Jie Jingchen could be, he still knew when to draw the line. He wouldn’t hold back inside, but out in the courtyard, he absolutely would.

She was on her guard against him. Jie Jingchen began to reflect on himself. Was he lacking in technique, or had he simply been too diligent?

His wife was eating in the courtyard while he was eating indoors. What kind of arrangement was this? Were they supposed to eat separately?

Gathering his bowl and chopsticks, he followed her out to the courtyard and sat down directly across from her. "Meimei, do I need to improve my technique?" he asked with a completely serious expression.

Qin Mei froze. A second later, she caught his underlying meaning. Her cheeks flushed red, and she gritted her teeth. "Your technique is fine. There is no need for improvement."

"Then why are you avoiding me?" On the surface, he looked anxious and uneasy, but inwardly, he was jumping with joy. His technique wasn’t the issue!

Qin Mei breathed unevenly, glaring at him. Then, she took a deep breath to calm her emotions and advised softly, "Jie Jingsi, indulging in lust is bad for your health."

So she was accusing him of being too diligent. Jie Jingchen flashed a wicked smile, his tone slow and deliberate. "Meimei, you were the one who said that there are only exhausted oxen, never ruined fields."

Qin Mei was utterly speechless. Her face twitched; she wanted nothing more than to dump her bowl of porridge over his head. Suddenly, a glint of cunning flashed in her bright, dark eyes, and the corners of her lips curled into a wanton smile. "If the ox dies of exhaustion, who will plow the field?"

The amusement instantly vanished from Jie Jingchen’s eyes, and the smile froze on his face. It was as if a poisoned needle had pierced his heart, the venom seeping into his every limb and bone.

Die of exhaustion? Him? Impossible.

Seeing his deflated expression, Qin Mei laughed even more brazenly. "Do we change to another ox to plow?"

His eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a deadly chill as he forced the words through gritted teeth. "In your dreams."

"What do you mean, dreams? This is reality. If you die of exhaustion, do you cruelly expect me to be buried in the same grave as you? Or perhaps you want me to remain a widow and have a chastity arch erected in my honor?" Qin Mei looked at him with a beaming smile.

"Eat your food." Jie Jingchen didn’t want to continue this conversation. Even if he didn’t die of exhaustion, he would end up dying from anger because of her.

Qin Mei was in an excellent mood. Even eating plain rice porridge felt appetizing. In contrast, Jie Jingchen felt deeply depressed. He took a sip of porridge, but it tasted like nothing to him. He pulled two hard-boiled eggs from his pocket. Instead of tapping them against the stone table to crack the shells, he squeezed them forcefully in his bare hand, shattering them before peeling them.

Watching his actions, Qin Mei seriously suspected that what he was crushing wasn’t an egg, but her head.

He dropped the mangled pieces of the first egg into her bowl. He then picked up the second egg, repeated the crushing motion, and was about to put it in her bowl too when she quickly covered it with her hand.

"That’s enough. I only eat one egg," she said.

He stared at her intently. "Don’t you usually eat two?"

Remembering that he always saved two eggs for her every time they had them for breakfast, she rubbed her nose sheepishly. "I usually share one with Jing Qi."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before sudden realization dawned on him. "No wonder," he muttered.

"No wonder what?" she asked.

"Why you aren’t gaining any weight," he replied.

She furrowed her brows. Would eating one extra egg really make her gain weight? That was absurd. Some people could eat and drink all they wanted without putting on a single pound, while others gained weight just by drinking cold water.

He continued to sulk while her spirits soared. After finishing their breakfast, Jie Jingchen washed the dishes in the kitchen while Qin Mei sat comfortably in a wicker chair with her legs crossed, looking thoroughly relaxed.

"Meimei, let’s go buy groceries," he called out to her.

She shot him a sidelong glance and flatly refused. "I’m not going."

"Meimei." His mood dipped even further. She wouldn’t even accompany him to buy groceries anymore. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold—it was perfect for going out.

"I can’t go," she stated.

He remained silent, staring at her with utter resentment, looking exactly like a wronged little wife.