Chapter 17: The Custom Meal

The villa was brilliantly lit.

A chime from the smart home system sounded, welcoming her back. Shi Ran dragged her exhausted body into the bedroom, kicked off her high heels, and collapsed onto the bed. She was too tired to even change her clothes before falling into a deep sleep.

She had a dream.

In the dream, Zuo Yelin was gentle and doting toward her; he did whatever she asked without a single word of contradiction.

"Zuo Yelin, get me ten male models," she muttered in her sleep, tossing and turning, giggling incessantly.

Her own laughter eventually choked her awake. Dazed, she checked the time and immediately fell back asleep.

Not long after, she woke up in a state of terror.

The dream had twisted into a nightmare. The Zuo Yelin who had once been so obedient had broken her limbs and locked her in the bedroom, while the male models she had summoned were disposed of by Su Yu. Even after waking, the chill of his words remained etched in her mind:

"I told you, don't let other men touch you."

Shi Ran hesitated. Zuo Yelin’s warnings were never empty threats. If she actually went through with finding other men, would the nightmare become reality?

"What if I find a 'fake' man to play the part?" She didn't abandon the idea; her mind raced, searching for a brilliant counter-strategy. There was no shortage of "pseudo-handsome" types these days—people who looked like men on the outside but were actually women. That way, even if Zuo Yelin found out, she would have a ready-made escape route. It likely wouldn't end in the tragic fate she had dreamt of.

But how could she convince someone to play along? After all, this could be life-threatening. Shi Ran felt stumped.

"Forget it, can't be bothered. Just sleep." Suddenly, she lost the desire to cheat. She decided that revenge against Zuo Yelin could be a long-term plan; cheating involved too many complications.

Besides, she didn't want to suffer for it. That wasn't the outcome she wanted.

She slept soundly through the night without any more nightmares. When she woke, she washed up and changed out of her evening gown. She checked her phone—no messages. That meant there was no work for her to handle, and she could spend the day in peace.

"You have a new visitor waiting outside," the smart home system announced just as she was about to lie back down.

She pulled on her fuzzy slippers and walked to the door. She opened it to find a gentlemanly young man in a black suit standing there with a smile. Behind him stood a line of waitresses in aprons, holding serving trays.

"Come in," she said, remembering Zuo Yelin’s words from the night before.

Once the staff had finished setting the table, the young man smiled. "Please enjoy your meal. We will collect the tableware when we come to deliver lunch."

"Thank you for the trouble," Shi Ran said, closing the door.

She stared at the feast on the table, lost in thought. Wasn't this a bit too much food? Was Zuo Yelin trying to stuff her to death or make her fat? Either way, he clearly didn't have good intentions. Otherwise, he would have considered a girl's appetite.

"Good thing I have a metabolism that doesn't let me gain weight," she thought, feeling a bit relieved. She opened the food covers and looked at the extravagant spread, feeling as if she had lived her life in vain until this moment.

"Can't let it go to waste." She gritted her teeth and started to eat.

Shi Ran had overestimated herself and underestimated the portion sizes. She had intended to clear the plates one by one, but eventually, she changed tactics, just taking a bite of each dish and rotating through them. She might be wasting a bit, but this way she could at least taste everything. By the time she couldn't take another bite, she stared at the remaining food with lingering reluctance.

"Young Master, you certainly know how to torture people," she grumbled in frustration.

Looking at her round little belly, she decided to rest before finishing the rest. After a while, she managed to clear a few more plates. This went on until the doorbell rang again, signaling that it was time for lunch.

Seeing the remaining food, Shi Ran let out a hiccup and moved cautiously toward the door. She didn't dare run for fear of upsetting her stomach.

"Miss Shi, here is your lunch," the young man said, signaling the staff to bring in the new dishes while collecting the previous ones.

"Don't prepare dinner; I can't finish it, and it's a waste," Shi Ran said, staring at him. She hesitated, but decided to speak her mind. She didn't want to force herself, even though the food was delicious. It was just too much.

"This is my job, Miss Shi. See you this evening," the young man smiled.

Forget it. Whatever. Shi Ran felt exhausted. She looked at the table full of food, gritted her teeth, and started eating again. By the time dinner arrived, she hadn't even finished a third of the day's food. Since the young man was impossible to reason with, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Su Yu.

She didn't dare message Zuo Yelin. He only issued orders; there was no room for negotiation.

"Secretary Su, can the meal service be reduced? My appetite is small and I can't finish all this. I don't want to waste it."

Su Yu replied quickly: "Assistant Shi, these were all arranged by Chairman Zuo. If you have any opinions, you can speak to him directly. If that is inconvenient, I can pass the message along for you."

Seeing this, Shi Ran turned pale with fright and quickly replied: "I was just venting. It's a trivial matter, no need to trouble Chairman Zuo with it."

Never mind. Discuss this with Zuo Yelin? He would probably just find a way to mock her for it.