Chapter 113

After entering, Zinnia finally handed Yannis the bottle she was holding. She said, “These are herbal pills my Master specially formulated. Take one. When you finish them, I’ll make more for you. I’ve been taking them since I was a child. They’re excellent for your health. If you take them every day, your health will surely improve.”

Yannis asked, “You have been taking them since childhood?” He thought, ‘These pills seem not to be just ordinary tonic pills, but specially formulated remedies to heal physical injuries.'

Zinnia replied, “Yeah, I was quite sickly as a child. My Master even worried I wouldn’t make it. So he specially made these herbal pills for me. You can take one now. These herbal pills aren’t bitter at all. I especially made them sweet for you. You must take them on time, okay?”

As a child, Zinnia was so frail she’d be out of breath after just three steps and coughing after seven. If she walked too much, she’d get dizzy. Her Master grew increasingly anxious watching her suffer, so he gathered all sorts of precious ingredients to nurse her back to health, and only then did she gradually recover.

Yannis was deeply touched by her care. He could only imagine how much effort she must have put into making these pills. He said sincerely, “Thank you, Zinnia.”

“You’re welcome,” Zinnia replied. She felt a quiet delight that Yannis hadn’t dismissed her herbal pills as some dubious remedy.

“Zinnia, what do you want to eat? I’m free these days, so I can make dinner for you tonight,” Yannis said, his eyes shimmering with warmth and a lazy smile playing at the corners of his eyes.

Staring into his dazzling eyes, Zinnia was momentarily spellbound. She stammered, “You…”

Yannis seemed surprised by her answer, a soft laugh escaping him as some thought crossed his mind. He said, “I’m not on the menu. If you ate me, who would cook for you?”

Zinnia nibbled her lip, sensing something oddly suggestive in his words. She said, “I just wanted to say that you decide. Everything you make is delicious.”

Yannis’s cooking was second to none. After coming to Jinston, it took Zinnia quite a while to adjust to life without her Master’s food. But just two days of Yannis’ meals had her spoiled once again. She could eat other things, but nothing tasted quite like Yannis’s.

Meeting her steady gaze, Yannis thought, ‘Damn, what’s wrong with me? I’ve been abroad for too long, working too hard lately, and spending far too much time with Perry. My brain’s completely fried. How could I say those words to her? Fortunately, she didn’t seem to catch my meaning.’

Regaining his composure, he said, “I’ll go cook for you. You just sit here and keep yourself occupied.”

Zinnia stared at Yannis’ retreating figure, somehow sensing he was making a hurried escape. She wondered, ‘Did I just scare him off?’ Then she grabbed one herbal package and headed to the kitchen.

She thought, ‘Yannis hasn’t been resting well these past couple of days. His pallid complexion is enough proof. His body is being pushed to its limits again. I had better brew some herbal soup for him now.’

“Zinnia, what brings you here?” Yannis asked as he was prepping ingredients. He planned to make a beef stew for Zinnia. He hadn’t seen her in two days, and he felt she looked even thinner.

“Yannis, you haven’t been resting properly these days. Don’t you have a headache?” Zinnia asked as she searched the kitchen for a suitable pot to brew some herbal soup.

She figured that by the time they finished dinner, the soup would be ready, and Yannis could have some to get some proper rest.

“I’ve just been swamped these past couple of days. I didn’t mean to,” Yannis said.

Seeing Yannis repeatedly massage his temples, Zinnia could tell his mind was stretched to its breaking point. She said, “Yannis, if you keep neglecting your health, your insomnia will never improve.”

Yannis said, “Alright, I was wrong, Zinnia. The busy period’s over now, I’ll make sure to get proper rest from here on out.”

Zinnia said, “After dinner, drink the Soothing Soup, and then I’ll give you a massage. You need to get some proper sleep. I’ve never seen a patient care so little for his health.” But looking at Yannis’s handsome face, she couldn’t stay mad.

“Alright,” Yannis agreed without protest. He could feel his nerves stretched to the breaking point.

After pulling an all-nighter at the office, Yannis really should have gone to a doctor for medical hypnosis to get some proper rest. He’d been running on empty for so long that even the herbal pouch wouldn’t help him drift off anytime soon.

But then Yannis remembered Zinnia at home, who hadn’t eaten yet. He drove straight back. The moment he saw her, his frayed nerves that had been on red alert suddenly relaxed.

“Yannis, do you have a small pot here?” Zinnia asked.

Yannis replied, “Why are you looking for a small pot? Are you hungry? I’ll wash some strawberries for you.” He set down the tomato he was holding and turned to open the fridge.

The refrigerator was packed to the brim with fresh ingredients. The top shelf was lined with fruits, milk, yogurt, and bottled water, while the bottom compartment was stocked with all kinds of frozen foods.

Yannis grabbed a box of fresh strawberries and started rinsing them under the faucet. He’d only had his assistant stock the refrigerator before coming home. Normally, it was almost empty except for some frozen meals and bottled water. Fresh produce and yogurt were only there when Zinnia was coming over for dinner.

Yannis hardly ever cooked at home, usually just grabbing whatever for meals. He rarely even stayed here; most of the time, he just crashed at the office.

Holding up the herbal packet, Zinnia said, “I need to find a pot to brew you some Soothing Soup. That way, by the time we finish dinner, it’ll be ready for you to drink, and you can get a good night’s sleep.”

Yannis bent down to pull a small pot from the cabinet and asked, “Will this work?”

Everything in the house had been stocked by his assistant. It was impressively well-equipped.

“That’ll work,” Zinnia said after checking the pot.

Yannis began to wash the pot. Glancing sideways at Zinnia, he asked, “So, how do you want this prepared, Zinnia? Just tell me and I’ll take care of it.”

“Pour in half a pot of water, add this, and set a timer for about forty minutes; that should do it,” Zinnia instructed.

Yannis followed her instructions and then took the herbal packet from Zinnia. As he opened it, his eyes widened in surprise. He found the herbs inside were all rare and long-aged.

Herbal medicine placed the utmost emphasis on age and processing quality. The older the herbs, the higher the price.

Yannis thought, ‘Every single ingredient here is of premium medicinal quality, some so rare that even the Perkins family would need considerable effort to gather them all.’

Yannis’ grandparents practiced traditional medicine. Having spent much of his childhood learning from them, he naturally developed an eye for quality herbs. He could tell at a glance that everything Zinnia brought out was premium-grade.

Yannis pondered, ‘There’s no way Jackson prepared these for Zinnia. He barely knows anything about traditional medicine. Zinnia must have packed all of these herbs herself. These are estimated to last for about a month. How did she manage to get so many precious medicinal materials?’

He asked, “Did you specially prepare these for me, Zinnia?”