Chapter 36: The Sensation of Lips Brushing Past
The moment her lips brushed past, Ming Fei’s eyes widened.
Beyond the requirements of the agreement, this accidental touch was far too intimate.
Like a rabbit whose tail was on fire, she quickly retreated, apologizing earnestly with a blush still lingering on her face.
“…I’m sorry, Jiejie.” She explained, “I was a little anxious, wanting to see how you were doing. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Zhu Yiqiao’s demeanor didn’t change at all. She remained aloof and indifferent, as if the joy and reluctance of the woody scent had nothing to do with her.
“Mm,” she said. “I know.”
The awkwardness dissipated somewhat. Ming Fei, now fully awake, didn’t immediately catch the strangeness of that “I know,” but subconsciously checked on Zhu Yiqiao’s condition first.
“The temporary marking, it really won’t affect Jiejie, will it?”
“Mm.”
Ming Fei asked again, “Then, does it need to be… renewed regularly?”
Other countries, besides the Independent State of Yi Meng, also had a four-day work week and a three-day weekend. This academic exchange only lasted three days, but Zhu Yiqiao had to stay one more day because of the research institute, and Ming Fei had to return with her, so they could only start their journey back on Saturday.
And in the remaining two and a half days, the effect of the temporary marking would gradually diminish until it completely disappeared.
Zhu Yiqiao replied, “Your situation is special. I will judge whether you need a renewal based on your specific condition during this time.”
Ming Fei nodded. After thanking her again, she got up, moved the quilt back to the inside of the bed, and then went into the bathroom of the master bedroom.
The room was clean and bright, the mirror on the vanity reflecting her flushed face. Ming Fei touched her cheeks, trying to cool down the redness with cold water. The fever in her body had subsided, but the blush on her face lingered. Ming Fei felt a little helpless.
Because this was her usual… characteristic.
—Whenever she blushed, it would take a while to fade.
She had gone to the hospital for a checkup before, and after ruling out any possible illnesses, the doctor told her that it was just a normal physiological phenomenon. After that, she hadn’t paid much attention to it, since she only blushed in rare situations.
With a cold, wet towel on her cheeks, Ming Fei checked the gland on the back of her neck with the mirror.
Compared to usual, her gland seemed a little fuller, and there was a bite mark on the edge.
Ming Fei stared at it for a minute, sighing inwardly because of these abnormalities, before tearing open the suppressor patch she had brought and applying it. After that, she combed her long black hair neatly, tidied herself up, and then walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
It was already four o’clock in the afternoon.
Ming Fei had only eaten a piece of bread for lunch. After her fever subsided, she felt… quite hungry.
Zhu Yiqiao was sitting on the sofa in the right side of the living room, working on documents. Ming Fei glanced at her and silently entered a command into the service robot.
After receiving the command, the robot moved to the side of the sofa and beeped.
Zhu Yiqiao looked up and saw the message on the robot’s display screen.
[I plan to make a big dinner. Jiejie, do you have any plans tonight? Are you going to continue working on official business at the hotel, or go out to a banquet? ^^]
After reading the message, Zhu Yiqiao looked sideways at Ming Fei, who was standing by the dining table. Perhaps because Ming Fei’s work was related to robots, she didn’t find this way of communication strange.
She closed the document, took off her white gloves, and walked towards Ming Fei.
“It’s immoral to make a patient cook.” She stopped in front of Ming Fei. “I’ll make dinner.”
Ming Fei insisted, “That wasn’t a cold or fever, just a premonition of a heat cycle. Does that count as being sick?”
Zhu Yiqiao: “The premonition is only one of the reasons. Your fever is also partly caused by a cold.”
Just as she finished speaking, Ming Fei coughed, the dryness in her throat not worsening, but still present.
Instantly, her argument lost all credibility.
Zhu Yiqiao turned and walked towards the kitchen: “There are fewer things a patient can eat, so you probably won’t be able to enjoy a big dinner.”
“It’s okay, I’m not picky. Jiejie, just make whatever you want.”
Ming Fei followed closely behind her. Just as she was about to enter the kitchen to help, Zhu Yiqiao closed the door. A question mark floated above Ming Fei’s head. The small robot, a step or two behind her, suddenly dinged.
She turned around and saw the message Zhu Yiqiao had preset.
[A new rule has been added to the agreement: During Party B’s illness, entering the kitchen and cooking is prohibited.]
[If violated, Party B will bear the consequences.]
Ming Fei stood frozen in place, stunned.
…What did this mean?
Did Zhu Yiqiao think that after getting sick, she would turn into a kitchen killer, making disastrous food and poisoning her?
Or was this an unusual way of implicitly expressing… care or concern?
Either way, Ming Fei smiled after she reacted.
Her eyes crinkled with laughter, the small dimple on her right cheek faintly visible, and her mood brightened.
Since Party A, who had the right to amend the contract, had added a new rule that must be followed, Ming Fei, who had diligently studied “How to Be a Perfect Party B,” could only obey and stay away from the kitchen, sitting at the dining table and reading a new book.
She was reading “Illustrated Handbook of Plants of the New Century.” After reading for twenty minutes, she got up to pour herself a glass of warm water.
When she came back, there was a new push notification in the reading frame.
Ming Fei clicked on it and glanced—
Fei-colored Yiqiao: A Story of Love at First Sight
Ming Illuminates Yiqiao: The Cold Colonel Falls for the Bunny Teacher
…
In addition, there were real-time barrage comments popping up next to the book covers.
[Hahaha, this is so well-written, I love it, please write more QWQ]
[SOS! What is this good stuff? I’m devouring it! Thank you to the authors!]
[I’m swooning, I declare Chief Judge Zhu and Teacher Ming the best CP of the year in the Independent State of Yi Meng!]
Ming Fei almost choked on her water and quickly closed the push notifications.
She coughed, not understanding why there were such things in the public e-book library. She just wanted to be a mushroom growing in the forest, far away from the hustle and bustle. So, after closing the notifications, she even hid her account.
The robot beside her, sensing her abnormality, automatically switched to care mode.
The robot’s voice in this mode was very cartoonish: “Hello, esteemed guest. Would you like Tulip to call your partner for you?”
Ming Fei shook her head: “No, thank you.”
The glass door of the kitchen had good sound insulation. Zhu Yiqiao, noticing this from the corner of her eye, looked sideways at the person sitting at the dining table.
Their eyes met, and Ming Fei subconsciously raised her phone, telling Zhu Yiqiao that she was just reading.
Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze lingered for only a few seconds before moving away.
Dinner was light and nutritious.
In addition to the plain porridge essential for patients and three delicious-looking dishes, there was also a small bowl of stewed pear soup for cough relief.
After a satisfying meal, Ming Fei looked at the small bowl of pear soup on the table, unsure if it was for her, since it was well-known that Chief Judge Zhu liked pears.
The service robot took the dishes and bowls into the kitchen. Ming Fei thought for a moment and, to avoid being presumptuous, swallowed her question.
She stood up to leave, but Zhu Yiqiao’s words stopped her in her tracks.
“Aren’t you going to drink it?”
Ming Fei sat back down: “Jiejie, is this for me?”
“Mm.”
Ming Fei didn’t know which word to use to accurately describe how she felt at this moment.
Because before this, no one had ever done this for her when she was sick.
Her precious daughter, Ming Zaozao, would certainly feel sorry for her, even take care of her, but she was still a child under two and a half years old, and her abilities were limited.
And before transmigrating, although the government had assigned a doctor to the orphanage, that beta doctor had a worse temper than someone much older and was always skipping work. Besides, a common cold like this would usually get better in four or five days. Even if the dormitory manager noticed, they wouldn’t care, let alone go out of their way to buy her medicine.
Therefore, whenever she was sick, she would silently endure it.
Tonight’s dinner and this bowl of pear soup, as well as all the help Zhu Yiqiao had given her this afternoon, made her feel even more grateful to Zhu Yiqiao, even lessening some of her awe and adding a natural sense of closeness.
Ming Fei finished the pear soup without a word, then looked up at Zhu Yiqiao with a smile.
She praised generously, “It’s very delicious, Jiejie.”
Then, she added, “When my cold is better, I’ll make whatever Jiejie wants to eat.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “Mm.”
Ming Fei asked, “Is tomorrow’s banquet still on?”
After the attack at St. Gesali, Taiya had tightened security in the urban area, determined to catch the remaining culprits lurking in the shadows. In addition, the King of Taiya had ordered the cancellation of some public events, including the banquet for public officials.
Zhu Yiqiao said, “It’s canceled.”
Ming Fei nodded and asked again, “Then, if there’s nothing else, can I go to the Abisaro Library?”
The Abisaro Library was the largest and oldest library in the world after the new century. It contained many books that weren’t available in the Independent State of Yi Meng, and Ming Fei had wanted to visit it again before coming here. But the Abisaro Library was located in the remote suburbs, far from their hotel, and she needed to be available to attend events with Zhu Yiqiao, so she hadn’t mentioned it.
She looked at Zhu Yiqiao intently, her eyes filled with anticipation, hope, and a lingering smile.
For some reason, Zhu Yiqiao remembered what Lan Lubai had said.
“—After changing my view of Teacher Xiao Fei, I think she is more like some kind of gentle canine, gentle but not lacking in strength.”
What was she thinking at that time?
She was thinking about their first meeting, when Ming Fei faced her gun, her eyes filled with shock and awe, but never showing weakness or lowering her head, even confronting her and frowning, refusing her orders.
Like a gentle canine?
Like a timid and cute rabbit?
Zhu Yiqiao couldn’t give an answer, but she knew that at this moment, her gaze was fixed on Ming Fei.
So, she replied, “Yes, we’ll go together.”
On Friday morning, the weather in Taiya finally cleared up.
At 8:30 am, Ming Fei, bundled up warmly, took Zhu Yiqiao’s hovercar to the Ivy League school. She was wearing a scarf and gloves, her face completely covered by a mask. When she got out of the car and said goodbye to Zhu Yiqiao, her almond eyes curved into crescents with a smile.
The hovercar left the school gate, and Ming Fei unlocked an automatic electric car at the entrance, driving all the way to the lab.
After arriving at their destination, her colleagues curiously asked her why she was wearing a mask. After learning that she had a cold, they immediately told her to go back to the hotel and rest.
“Xiao Fei, go back and rest,” Professor Qin said. “It’s so uncomfortable to have a cold, and you even came all the way here.”
“Right.” Teacher Wen agreed. “We can just send you the timed access link to the lab later.”
Ming Fei said softly, “It’s okay, I took medicine yesterday and I’m much better now. Let’s go, Director An is here.”
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Director An of the Ivy League school’s Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Research Institute was leading the way, followed by four professors specializing in various fields.
Everyone exchanged greetings as usual.
Ming Fei walked at the end on the right side. She wasn’t wearing glasses today, making her look even younger. Standing with the three Ivy League students behind her, she didn’t look out of place.
She pretended not to notice the students’ gazes, her eyes sweeping over the paintings in the lab. After entering the exhibition area on the first floor, her attention was immediately drawn to a bionic robot.
The researchers in the institute all had their own areas of expertise. She specialized in robot bionics, but her focus was on animals and plants, not humans.
The bionic humanoid robot in front of her, which hadn’t yet officially passed testing, was perfect in every detail. But it was still a little short of being truly lifelike.
Ming Fei listened attentively to the introduction and analysis by the Ivy League professors, taking notes in her notebook whenever she heard something worth recording, as serious as a student in class.
After visiting the entire lab, more than two hours had passed.
As they were leaving, Ming Fei’s notebook was filled with six pages of notes, her neat handwriting flowing smoothly.
Her colleagues all knew that she had a cold and wasn’t feeling well. After explaining to the Ivy League professors, they asked her to go back to the hotel early for lunch and rest, not participating in the afternoon summary meeting.
Ming Fei hadn’t originally intended to leave, but thinking that summary meetings were usually long and boring, more like speeches by leaders than discussions of professional experience, she instantly lost interest in participating.
So, after thanking her colleagues, she unlocked a self-driving car and returned to the hotel.
She cooked herself a simple vegetable porridge. Half an hour after finishing lunch, she took her cold medicine.
The sun was shining brightly outside. She went back to her bedroom and slept for a while. When she woke up, she received a call from Zhu Yiqiao.
“Where are you?”
Ming Fei rubbed her eyes: “At the hotel.”
“Mm.” Zhu Yiqiao asked her, “Do you want to go to the Abisaro Library now?”
Ming Fei’s sleepiness instantly vanished: “Jiejie, are you free now?”
“I’m almost at the hotel.”
Ming Fei made an appointment with her: “Then I’ll come down immediately.”
“Come down in five minutes,” Zhu Yiqiao said.
“Okay, see you later, Jiejie.”
Zhu Yiqiao hung up the phone and looked up, meeting her friend’s teasing gaze.
“Chief Judge Zhu has learned to be considerate so quickly?”
Lan Lubai smiled: “Even specifically telling her not to come down early and catch a chill.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “That’s not it.”
There was another person in the back of the hovercar.
She had red hair and green eyes, and was wearing red faux fur, with red boots inlaid with rubies on her feet. In addition, she was covered in glittering gemstone accessories, except for a pair of differently colored black diamond earrings.
At first glance, she looked like a red fox in the snow.
The corners of her lips curled up, her voice as soft as water: “I love collecting artwork, and I adore beauties with black hair and black eyes.”
“Especially those younger than me.”
She smiled, her fingertips conjuring a red rose out of thin air, followed by a pink rose, a white double-petaled lily, and a light purple bellflower.
Lan Lubai, seemingly accustomed to such a sight, even watched with amusement.
But when she conjured a red hibiscus, Lan Lubai immediately said, “Stop talking, use your ability to get rid of this flower!!!”
The corners of the woman’s lips curled up, and she snapped her fingers lightly.
Instantly, all the flowers in the car dispersed into petals, vanishing into thin air before they could fall to the ground.
She continued, “Although I can’t compare to Chief Judge Zhu’s extraordinary abilities, I am also extremely wealthy.”
“And I’m even better at growing, appreciating, and cherishing flowers.”
The lingering floral fragrance filled the air, and she asked with a smile, “If Chief Judge Zhu doesn’t like her, could I have her after the agreement expires?”
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