Chapter 782 They Genuinely Care About You
Seemingly thinking of something, Aunt Liu smiled at the mention of An Xia.
Bai Jingshu simply nodded, "Sure."
At that, Aunt Liu sighed and glanced into the room, asking, "Is she doing okay?"
"She suffered some superficial injuries, but now, she's out cold from exhaustion and hunger."
"That child, I told her to eat something earlier, but she insisted that she wasn't hungry." Aunt Liu couldn't help but frown.
Bai Jingshu had asked Aunt Liu to make some food for An Xia when they had just arrived home, but the young woman didn't touch any of it and insisted that she wasn't hungry.
Now, it was evident that she was indeed famished; she was just enduring it. However, she didn't have to behave like that.
After telling him to look after An Xia, Aunt Liu left.
While Bai Jingshu carried the tray inside, An Xia, who was on the verge of falling asleep, woke up after smelling the aroma of chicken congee.
Aunt Liu had prepared a simple meal: a bowl of chicken congee, a plate of greens, and soft pastries.
An Xia's sense of smell became especially sensitive as she was famished at this point.
At that, she climbed out from under the blanket only to feel rather chilly. She looked down in response, only to find herself stark naked.
She grabbed the blanket at once and wrapped herself tightly. Her mind had cleared up a little as well at this point, and she glared angrily at Bai Jingshu. "Why didn't you dress me?"
Meanwhile, Bai Jingshu was busy taking the food from the tray and placing it on the table. Upon hearing her complaint, he looked up at her and defended himself, "I hadn't had the time."
An Xia's face turned crimson when she remembered that he had just bathed her, but very quickly, she was distracted by the fact that her hair was dry. At that, she asked, "Why didn't you wash my hair?"
In response, Bai Jingshu glanced at her and said, "How about I help you eat your meal as well?"
"Bai Jingshu!" An Xia threw a pillow at him.
However, he smiled, for he knew his new wife was merely throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment.
He wasn't angry at all. Thinking of her hunger, he decided not to tease her anymore. He found her some pajamas, sat down by the bed, and went to pull her blanket.
"Y-Y-You…" An Xia stuttered, freaking out. He's not going to dress me, is he?!
Seeing that she stuttered and was unable to form a coherent sentence for a long time, Bai Jingshu decisively pulled back the blanket and helped her dress.
When he finally looked down to check on An Xia, he found her face as red as a ripe tomato, making him unable to resist kissing her on the cheek.
Then, he picked her up and said to her as though coaxing a child, "Time to eat!"
Has he gone mad?! An Xia mused.
After sitting down, An Xia awkwardly said, "I can sit by myself…"
The thing was… she had nothing but pajamas on.
She didn't dare to tell Bai Jingshu she wanted to put on underwear. Ultimately, she decided to get it herself later, as for now, food.
Bai Jingshu kept her on his lap and in his arms. She genuinely couldn't accept being in this position.
"Alright." Bai Jingshu didn't make things difficult for her and placed her in the chair before sitting across from her, riveting his gaze on the young woman.
Feeling much more at ease, An Xia began eating heartily.
She looked up inadvertently, and having suddenly thought of something, she asked him, "Have you eaten?"
Bai Jingshu shook his head. "Not yet."
He barely ate anything from the moment she was kidnapped. Even now, he didn't feel hungry. Instead, his heart was filled, content at the fact that his beloved was now eating before his eyes, unharmed.
He used to scoff at those who were content with love alone, but now, he was one of them.
As long as An Xia was by his side, right in front of him, he felt content. Hunger and cold seemed to fade away.
Of course, An Xia was oblivious to his nonsensical thoughts, and she didn't pay him any more attention either, wholly focused on filling her stomach.
After she finished eating, Bai Jingshu started clearing the plates.
"You go to sleep first. I'll take these dishes downstairs," he said and then left with the tray in his hands.
His tall and straight figure disappeared outside the door. After the door "thumped" shut, An Xia finally came back to her senses.
She sneaked into the wardrobe and found some underwear to put on before returning to bed.
Alas, she found it difficult to fall asleep when she closed her eyes.
She thought Bai Jingshu would return soon, but he still had yet to return after she waited for a while.
She thought about going out to find him, but she was afraid of running into other members of the Bai family and making things awkward. So, she could only wait.
…
After taking the dishes to the kitchen, Bai Jingshu paused when he passed Bai Yeqi's room. He raised his hand and hesitated for a moment before making up his mind and knocking on the door.
No one responded from inside, so Bai Jingshu spoke up. "It's me."
Soon, shuffling footsteps that sounded rather lethargic came from inside the room, and Bai Yeqi appeared from behind the door after a while.
His face was beyond pasty, and his voice was somewhat hoarse, "What is it?"
Bai Jingshu averted his gaze and looked elsewhere. "You didn't have to say those things earlier."
Bai Yeqi smiled, but a hint of bitterness laced it. "I didn't say them because of you. I just wanted to express myself. Get them off my chest. Do you get it?"
Bai Jingshu said no more when he saw how his half-brother was behaving. He simply hummed a response and turned to leave.
The next second, he heard Bai Yeqi say, "I envy you. Dad and Yunan seem to feel indebted to you, and they genuinely care about you."
Bai Jingshu looked back at him and spoke slightly mockingly. "Does Dad not treat you well?"
"What kind of person do you think Shu Yanian is, and what do you think she has done? Do you think Dad hasn't looked into her, given his character?"
Bai Jingshu was slightly taken aback.
His half-brother was right. Bai Mingxu might not be a qualified husband, but he was certainly a powerful leader.
He acted decisively and efficiently.
He must've known that Shu Yanian had tried to seduce Bai Yunan, yet he still let Bai Yeqi marry her.
"Don't tell me you don't get it when even Shu Yanian does." Bai Yeqi suddenly smiled, a hint of desolation in his expression. "It might look like Dad always favored me and treated me well, but does he treat me that well? The same goes for Shu Yanian; she never loved me."
Bai Jingshu looked at Bai Yeqi as if he was seeing him for the first time, carefully sizing him up.
He never hated Bai Yeqi, for he knew his half-brother was never at fault.
They never really interacted before, and it was only after the incident with Shu Yanian that they grew distant.
"You're a part of the Bai family. Always have, always will," Bai Jingshu stated plainly, unable to conjure up more sentimental comforting words.
Bai Yeqi still appeared listless. Changing the subject, he asked, "Is Miss An okay?"
"She's fine," Bai Jingshu replied and then turned to leave.
Bai Yeqi smiled bitterly as he watched Bai Jingshu's figure disappear around the corner, truly envious of his younger half-brother.
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