Annoyed at being bumped, Xu Wenwan gave Gu Jiaojiao a shove. "Gu Jiaojiao, why did you just run into me?"
If it hadn’t been for the cabinet behind her, Xu Wenwan was sure Gu Jiaojiao would have knocked her over.
Gu Jiaojiao looked at Xu Wenwan apologetically. "Ms. Xu, I’m so sorry. I was in a hurry to open the door and didn’t see you!"
Just then, the door opened. Leng Yuan stood there holding a tray with three cups on it.
No wonder he couldn’t open the door himself.
Xu Wenwan wanted to lash out, but with Leng Yuan present, she forced herself to hold it in.
She reached into her pocket and felt the Obedience Pills. ’As long as I have these,’ she thought, ’I’ll just make Gu Jiaojiao take one later. Then what’s there to worry about? She’ll do whatever I say.’
At that thought, Xu Wenwan forced a smile onto her face.
"It’s fine."
Leng Yuan set the cups down and looked at Xu Wenwan. "Ms. Xu, have some water."
This was the first time Leng Yuan had spoken to her so gently. Xu Wenwan instantly forgot all about Gu Jiaojiao, stepping forward to thank Leng Yuan with a sweet smile.
’Xu Wenwan isn’t just after my man’s luck,’ Gu Jiaojiao thought. ’She’s after his handsome face, too.’
Seeing how close she was to Leng Yuan, Xu Wenwan grew excited, and her system was thrilled as well.
"Host, quickly! All you need to do is touch his skin!"
The system had barely finished speaking when Gu Jiaojiao came over, nudged Leng Yuan aside, and said, "Ms. Xu, please, have your water!"
With that, Gu Jiaojiao pulled Leng Yuan over to the coal stove and told him to add a couple more briquettes.
Xu Wenwan was annoyed to see Gu Jiaojiao pull Leng Yuan away, but then her eyes lit up.
’Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to use the pills?’
She quickly took out the pills and dropped one into two of the cups. Then, she picked up the untouched cup and placed it in front of herself.
Once Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan were done with the stove, Xu Wenwan, cradling her own cup, reminded them, "You two should have some water, too!"
Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan sat down. As Gu Jiaojiao passed a cup of water to him, her hand slipped, and she spilled it all.
Xu Wenwan could only stare, speechless.
’How can Gu Jiaojiao be so clumsy? She can’t even hold a cup of water steady! And just like that, one of my pills is wasted.’
Gu Jiaojiao gasped, grabbing a nearby towel to quickly wipe up the spill. Noticing that a little water had splashed onto Leng Yuan’s clothes, she urged him to go to their room and change.
Leng Yuan did as she said, getting up and leaving the room.
In an instant, only Gu Jiaojiao and Xu Wenwan were left in the room.
Xu Wenwan was furious enough to explode, but she still couldn’t let it show.
She glanced at the remaining cup meant for Gu Jiaojiao and reminded her through gritted teeth, "Jiaojiao, drink your water!"
Gu Jiaojiao just smiled and shook her head. "That’s alright, I’m not thirsty."
"Well, drink it in a little while, then."
A little while later, Xu Wenwan prompted her again. "Jiaojiao, have some water!"
Gu Jiaojiao shook her head. "I’m not thirsty."
Xu Wenwan could no longer force a smile. "It’s so dry in the winter. You’ll get a sore throat if you don’t drink enough water. You should really have a little!"
Gu Jiaojiao glanced at the cup and finally nodded. "Alright, then."
A look of delight flashed across Xu Wenwan’s face. She eagerly picked up the cup and set it in front of Gu Jiaojiao. But as she pulled her hand away, it somehow knocked against the cup, and the water spilled once again.
Both women froze.
Gu Jiaojiao was the first to react, grabbing the towel and starting to wipe up the mess.
Xu Wenwan was completely stunned. The rims of her eyes began to turn red, and she looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.
Seeing her state, Gu Jiaojiao offered some kind words of comfort.
"Ms. Xu, I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about it. It’s just a cup of water, right? I know you didn’t do it on purpose."
The words were a dagger to Xu Wenwan’s heart.
’It was a cup of water, but it wasn’t just a cup of water! It had one of my precious Obedience Pills, something I worked so hard to get. It was a treasure!’
’Two of them, gone just like that?’