The crybaby nanny was bullied and cried again by her yandere husband.

Shang Yu scoffed.

"If I really wanted to kick you out, do you think you'd still be standing here crying?"

Although the words were harsh, they indirectly told him that she didn't intend to send him away.

Looking at Lin Zhao's tear-streaked face and pitiful appearance, his irritation lessened considerably.

Except at the beginning, in the last few days, he never tried to get rid of him.

Seeing this person's eyes light up with happiness, then suddenly tremble with fear and even cry, makes me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Shang Yu released his arm, grabbed a tissue, and awkwardly wiped his face.

"Wipe yourself clean, you look awful from crying."

Lin Zhao was taken aback by him, and stood there blankly letting him do as he pleased, but her tears did gradually stop.

After wiping away most of the tears from the person's face, Shang Yu sat back down in his seat.

Shang Yu glanced at Lin Zhao, who was still standing there motionless, and lost his patience.

"You like standing on a wooden stake so much? Didn't you hear me tell you to sit down and eat?"

"But sir, you..." Lin Zhao was still hesitating.

Shang Yu glanced at him, his tone curt.

"My germaphobia isn't so severe that I can't even stand eating a meal together, especially since it's your cooking, which is much cleaner than what you eat outside."

He paused, then added in a lower voice.

"Besides, with a table full of food, how long do you expect me to eat all by myself?"

Having said all that, Lin Zhao didn't dare to refuse anymore and slowly moved forward. Fortunately, the master didn't urge him any further.

It took Lin Zhao more than a minute to walk a distance of three steps.

Finally, he sat down quietly.

There was always a spare set of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and Shang Yu naturally pushed that set of bowls and chopsticks over.

"Have a meal."

He only said those two words, and then didn't say another word.

Lin Zhao initially dared not touch her chopsticks, but she also dared not refuse to eat. She could only tentatively pick up a few pieces of food that Shang Yu had not touched.

Seeing that Shang Yu didn't react much, she became bolder and began to tentatively pick up the food she wanted to eat.

I ate a few bites and felt so good that I forgot all my fears.

I was completely immersed in the delicious food.

Despite his slender appearance, Lin Zhao has a big appetite. He can finish two bowls of rice in one meal without gaining weight.

When he was a child, his mother, the hospital director, took him to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said it was a problem with his gut microbiota and nothing serious.

Lin Zhao liked to mix rice with vegetables. She would take a big bite of rice and a bite of vegetables, and the feeling of satisfaction was just wonderful.

Shang Yu only ate a little over half a bowl of rice before he didn't want to eat anymore. He wiped his mouth and just sat there watching Lin Zhao eat.

As I watched, I gradually frowned. Why pour the soup over the rice?

That's a really weird way to eat it.

Shang Yu tapped the edge of the table twice with his slender fingertips. Lin Zhao was about to put the spoon, which was dipped in braised sauce, into her mouth when she was startled by the sound and her hand trembled. The silver spoon clinked against the porcelain bowl.

"Are you worried about not having enough to eat tonight and want to take some home?"

Shang Yu's gaze swept over Lin Zhao's cheek, as well as the soup and rice grains that had splashed onto her collar.

Looks like I'll have to get you a baby scarf tomorrow.

Lin Zhao's ear tips turned visibly red, and she frantically tried to grab a tissue to wipe them.

The chair was easily pulled with considerable force, causing Lin Zhao to lose his balance and lean forward.

Shang Yu held a clean tissue between his fingers and leaned down slightly, awkwardly wiping the stains off his cheek.

The two were very close, almost chair to chair, and his slender fingertips occasionally brushed against his skin unintentionally.

Lin Zhao was tense all over, not daring to move at all. She felt as if the places that were touched were on fire, and the tips of her ears were so red that they were about to bleed.

The moment Shang Yu looked up, he met Lin Zhao's flushed cheeks. His hand holding the tissue paused, and his gaze fell heavily on Lin Zhao's lips.

Seemingly nervous and slightly surprised, Lin Zhao's lips were slightly parted.

Because he had just eaten, his lips had a faint, moist sheen, like the candied tomatoes he had just eaten, with a beautiful rosy hue.

I wonder if it tastes as sweet as tomatoes...

Shang Yu's Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously for a moment. Realizing what he was thinking, he sat up abruptly and pushed the tissue box over.

"Wipe it yourself."

He coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness. He only wanted to help him wipe the stain, but the atmosphere inexplicably became ambiguous and sticky.

Lin Zhao blinked in confusion, completely unaware of the current atmosphere. She only felt that her teacher was far away from her, and even breathing became easier.

He took a tissue, wiped his cheeks, and then wiped his collar.

A polite thank you.

"Thank you, sir."

Shang Yu did not reply.

Lin Zhao then looked at the food in front of her.

"Can I continue eating?"

"Um."

Shang Yu responded casually, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Zhao's lips as she ate.

His lips are small, but when he eats, he likes to take big bites, making his cheeks bulge out like a little squirrel, which is incredibly cute.

He didn't know what he had eaten, but some soup dripped from the corner of his lips, and he immediately stuck out his tongue to lick it away.

His tongue was so small and so red, even redder than his lips.

With a soft "smack," Shang Yu slammed his hand on the table and stood up from his chair. Lin Zhao was startled and looked up.

Shang Yu looked over, but unconsciously his gaze fell on Shang Yu's lips. Shang Yu turned his head away uncomfortably.

"It's okay, you keep eating, I'm done."

After saying that, he strode towards the second floor and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Lin Zhao shook his head, somewhat puzzled, but didn't think much of it and continued eating.

Food tastes best when it's fresh out of the pot.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In his study on the second floor, Shang Yu, attempting to numb himself with work, shut down his computer after making the nth typo.

I went back to my room.

The villa has central air conditioning, maintaining a constant temperature 24 hours a day, making it warm in winter and cool in summer.

But for some reason today, Shang Yu just felt hot, a heat emanating from within.

He turned and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

The moment the cold water was poured over his head, the scene from earlier flashed through Shang Yu's mind again.

Her bright red tongue gently licked the corner of her lips as she ate her food in big mouthfuls. Despite her tiny mouth, she could eat so much in one bite.

If it were...would he be able to eat it?

Thinking of this, Shang Yu looked down and felt like he was going crazy.

He was easily aroused by a male nanny.

He has always thought that desire is a troublesome thing.

The ensuing love affairs and conflicts of interest are far too complicated.

Therefore, he has always been restrained and self-controlled, never allowing himself to be controlled by such primal impulses.

But it had to be Lin Zhao.

That seemingly clean-cut and naive young nanny.

A simple, unintentional gesture easily disrupted his composure, which he had maintained for many years.

"Bang, bang, bang," a knocking sound suddenly came from the doorway.

"Sir, you forgot your phone."