Hunger

At first, Fu Nanzhi didn’t think much of it. After waking up, she simply felt refreshed and utterly comfortable, with not a single ache in her body.

In high spirits, she even hummed a little tune while showering.

But not long after she finished, a burning pain flared in her stomach, and her mouth began to water uncontrollably.

She was so hungry her vision practically turned green. As she dressed, even her own arm looked like a plump white lotus root—if not for her lingering self-control, she might have taken a bite out of it.

This was the first time she’d ever felt such ravenous hunger. The moment she finished dressing, she hurried downstairs.

Hearing Fu Nanzhi’s description, Cheng Jun assumed she was exaggerating but still smiled and slid a plate with a sandwich toward her.

"Here you go."

"Mmm!"

Fu Nanzhi grabbed a piece and stuffed the entire thing into her mouth in one go.

Shen Yi set a glass of milk in front of her and cautioned,

"Slow down, or you’ll choke..."

Fu Nanzhi’s cheeks bulged as she chewed a few times before swallowing it whole.

Without pause, she picked up the glass and gulped down half of it in one go.

The sheer intensity of her eating left Shu Yunyi momentarily stunned. Fu Nanzhi was usually refined at meals—if not outright ladylike, then at least composed. This "feral" side of her was rare.

But Fu Nanzhi didn’t stop. She grabbed another piece and shoved it into her mouth.

Shen Yi had prepared four sandwiches for breakfast, each cut into four pieces—just enough for everyone to have four bites.

It wasn’t a huge portion, but given the girls’ usual appetites, it should have been plenty. Shen Yi had even expected leftovers.

Yet Fu Nanzhi devoured everything like a storm. In less than five minutes, she’d polished off the last piece.

And she’d been the last one downstairs—Cheng Jun, who arrived first, still had two pieces left on her plate.

Only after finishing an entire sandwich did Fu Nanzhi feel slightly relieved, though her stomach still growled for more. Her eyes darted across the table, lingering on the remaining food as she licked her lips.

Cheng Jun finally realized Fu Nanzhi hadn’t been exaggerating and asked curiously,

"Nanzhi, are you still hungry?"

Fu Nanzhi patted her stomach. Despite feeling great, the hunger was bizarre.

"I’m fine now. Eating too much makes you gain weight."

But her tone lacked conviction—it was her first time with such an appetite.

Cheng Jun suppressed a laugh at the way Fu Nanzhi’s gaze kept wandering and pushed her own plate forward.

"Here, I can’t finish mine. Help me out?"

"Really? Well... if you insist."

Fu Nanzhi’s eyes lit up. After Cheng Jun nodded, she took the plate, though still hesitant.

Cheng Jun then teased, tilting her chin toward Shen Yi,

"Chef Shen, you’re slacking. Running out of food? How are you going to make it up to us if we starve?"

Shen Yi had been deep in thought. Given Fu Nanzhi’s recent injection, he was hyper-aware of any unusual behavior.

Her state reminded him of his own after boosting his stats—the body’s desperate cry for energy, hunger gnawing at sanity.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Shen Yi chuckled,

"Me? Let you starve? Never."

"Easy fix. Give me a minute, I’ll whip up more."

He stood, ready to head back to the fridge. Ingredients were plentiful; two more sandwiches would take no time.

"Wait, no need!"

Fu Nanzhi, still anchored to her old eating habits, shook her head and waved the sandwich.

"This is enough. Don’t trouble yourself."

Shu Yunyi, who had been eating slowly, set her two remaining pieces onto Fu Nanzhi’s plate.

She sipped her milk, her own stomach already signaling fullness.

"Here, take mine too."

Then, anticipating refusal, she added,

"My morning appetite’s weak. Two pieces are plenty."

Fu Nanzhi stared at the three plates before her, touched but sheepish.

"Okay, okay, this is really enough now."

"I’m not a pig—I can’t eat this much."

Shen Yi burst out laughing.

"Ha! You ate more than me. Maybe you are a little pig..."

The others joined in, laughter filling the room.

Once it died down, Shen Yi turned serious.

"Consider this breakfast a snack. Lunch will be a feast—I’ll make sure everyone’s stuffed."

He reminded them,

"Remember our three-meals deal? You’d all better come back at noon."

Shu Yunyi covered her mouth, giggling.

"Such ulterior motives. Trying to fatten us up, huh?"

"Who’d dare come back after that?"

Cheng Jun nodded.

"No problem. It’s a short drive—I can pop back anytime."

Then she added,

"Oh, one more thing."

Shen Yi turned to her.

"What’s up?"

Cheng Jun dabbed her lips before explaining,

"I booked a gardener, plus a cleaning lady and a wardrobe organizer."

"They’re coming at ten. Let the gatekeeper know to let them in."

Shen Yi felt a warm appreciation.

"Cheng Jun, you’re a lifesaver. Knew I had too much on my plate."

Cheng Jun hmphed, tossing her hair with mock arrogance.

"Don’t flatter yourself. The garden’s a mess—that’s why I called the gardener."

"And the organizer? My clothes are a disaster. I can’t be bothered to fold them all."

She pointedly left out the cleaning lady’s purpose, implying Shen Yi could focus on cooking while the housework was handled.

To Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi, she added,

"If you two need your clothes sorted, just add them to the pile."

"They charge by the hour—more people won’t change the cost."

Shu Yunyi smiled gratefully.

"That’s perfect, thank you."

"I was dreading the organization. A professional’s a blessing."

Fu Nanzhi, who’d just finished the four extra pieces, looked up.

"I’m good. Most of my stuff’s still at Peaceful Lake Residence."

"Just a few changes here—no need for sorting."

"Alright, settled then." Cheng Jun clapped and stood.

Wardrobe organizers might seem like mere folder-folk, but their services were premium—expertly arranging clothes for maximum accessibility.

Of course, this was mainly for those with overflowing closets (usually women). Shen Yi, whose entire wardrobe barely filled a drawer, had no use for them.

As the girls finished, Shen Yi gathered the plates.

"Off to work with you. I won’t see you out."

"Today’s meal was oil- and salt-free, so I’ll handle the dishes. Go on."

"Sounds good. Let’s move."

Fu Nanzhi hastily finished the remaining milk, handed the cup to Shen Yi, and the three women fluttered out together in lively chatter.

Shen Yi placed the plates and cups into the sink as the women headed off to the parking lot together.

While washing up, he watched the three cars file out one after another, each off to work. Shen Yi shook the water droplets from his hands.

With time still early and his scheduled appointments yet to arrive, he could slip out for a quick errand—stocking up on more groceries.