Chapter 135

It had been years since James and Yannis had shared such a quiet meal. Both preoccupied with their thoughts, neither ate much, while Zinnia and Victor had healthier appetites.

Seeing Zinnia’s good appetite, Victor and James couldn’t help nodding approvingly. They adored girls with hearty appetites. These days, most young women were so obsessed with dieting.

They barely ate a few bites before claiming they were full, ordering mountains of food, only to let most of it go to waste. This sight pained Victor and James, who had lived through times of scarcity.

After dinner, James was ready to go. He said to Yannis, “Tell Zinnia we’re leaving. Next time, bring her over to our place. And don’t forget the snacks she likes.”

Zinnia had a heavy workload of homework today. After dinner, she exchanged a few words with James before heading to her room to study.

James and Victor understood how heavy Zinnia’s schoolwork was, so they didn’t disturb her.

“Alright, I’ll have my assistant send the snack brand list to Victor,” Yannis said coolly.

Victor quickly interjected, “Yannis, my eyesight’s been failing these years. I can’t even read my phone anymore. Why don’t you just have the snacks delivered directly?”

Yannis glanced at Victor and said coolly, “Your CEO romance novel is still playing.”

Victor coughed awkwardly and said, “I can’t read my phone, so I have to listen to audiobooks instead.”

Victor desperately clapped his hands over his pockets, trying to muffle the sound. When that proved futile, he sheepishly pulled out his phone and turned it off. Meeting Yannis’s calm, unreadable gaze, he gave an awkward chuckle.

Victor helped James out the door and said, “Yannis, we will head out now. And don’t forget to send those snacks over soon. Make sure they’re the really tasty ones!"

“I’ve lived all these years and never tasted such exotic treats before!” With that, he slammed the door shut before Yannis could even react.

After James and Victor left, Yannis stood staring at the empty living room. He took out his phone to ask Toby to send some things to Perkins Manor. As he turned, he saw Zinnia emerging from her room.

“Zinnia,” Yannis called.

While doing her homework, Zinnia suddenly remembered she hadn’t made Yannis the Soothing Soup.

She thought, ‘Funny how he remembers everything else so well, but when it comes to this, he always forgets. If I don’t remind him, he’d never remember on his own.'

Zinnia glanced around the now-empty living room and said, “I haven’t made the Soothing Soup yet. Did James and Victor leave?”

Hesitating, Yannis said, “Maybe I don’t need to drink that every single day?”

Yannis had been drinking Soothing Soup for days now. Whether his better sleep was thanks to the soup or Zinnia’s nightly head massages, he couldn’t say. The massage helped him drift off.

As for the soup’s supposed sleep benefits, those were still a mystery. The only thing he was sure of was the persistent, uncomfortable heat that filled his body every day.

Zinnia wouldn’t even let Yannis have iced coffee, leaving him with nothing but water. Toby once joked, “You are already living the life of a retiree.”

Zinnia replied, “No way. I promised to help you get better. Don’t you like the flavor, or does the soup make you feel unwell? Just say the word and I’ll make you something else.

“You’ve only been taking the soup for a few days. There’s no way your body could recover that quickly. Only with long-term persistence will you see results. You have to take proper care of your health.”

Zinnia’s refusal made Yannis hang his head, looking like a dejected puppy whose tail wagged hopefully for a treat, only to be firmly denied. He said, “Just this one is fine.”

Zinnia hurried into the kitchen to prepare Soothing Soup, deliberately avoiding Yannis’s visibly dejected expression. She thought, ‘That face is downright dangerous. One look at those puppy-dog eyes and I’d give in to anything.

‘His health is genuinely poor. If he didn’t take proper care of himself, he might not even make it past his forties or fifties.

‘With me around, I can supervise and prepare Soothing Soup for him. But once I am gone, he will have to do it on his own.’

Zinnia put the herbs into the pot, set the timer, and walked back out. She said, “Why don’t you go take a shower and finish up your work? I still have a bit of homework left. Once I’m done, I can give you a massage.”

Yannis stepped forward and gently patted her head, a faint smile on his lips. He said, “Zinnia, I’ve been sleeping much better these past two days. You’re swamped with schoolwork right now, so you don’t have to give me a massage every day.

“That herbal pouch works wonders. I can fall asleep just fine with it. Once you’re done, make sure to get some rest yourself.”

Yannis thought, ‘It is already past eight. Zinnia still has homework to finish, needs to wash up, and has to pack her things. Our routines are out of sync.

‘If she waits for me to fall asleep before going to bed herself, it will be too late for her.

‘I can’t keep relying on her to help me sleep. Her academic workload would only get heavier, and I can’t let her juggle her studies and look after me at the same time. That would be far too exhausting for her.’

Yannis asked Zinnia to stay, not intending to burden her. Letting her treat his condition was just an excuse to help her feel at ease about staying.

Truth be told, he didn’t care much about his health. His life felt like something he’d stolen back from death’s door, and fate might decide to take it back any day.

Zinnia shot him a skeptical look and asked, “Can you really fall asleep by yourself?”

Zinnia knew she couldn’t always help Yannis sleep. But while she could, she didn’t want to see him tossing every night. She knew prolonged sleeplessness took such a toll.

Zinnia had no idea what Yannis had gone through before. She could only guess it must have been something so painful, something that haunted him every time he closed his eyes.

Zinnia thought, ‘I need to find another way to help Yannis sleep. The herbal pouch isn’t cutting it. His insomnia is just too severe, and the effect doesn’t last long.

‘It isn’t just ordinary insomnia; his is trauma-induced, and his defenses are always up. Finding an approach he wouldn’t resist won’t be easy soon.’

Yannis nodded and said, “If I can’t sleep, I’ll come ask you for help. Do you like the room? If there’s anything not to your liking, I can have it redone for you.”

Yannis glanced at the completely transformed living room. He had arranged for the renovations right after dropping Zinnia off at school that morning, but when he got back, James and Victor were already there, so this was his first proper look at the redesigned space.

“I love it. It’s perfect. Thanks,” Zinnia said.

“Don’t stand on ceremony. Once you finish your homework, get some rest early, Zinnia. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come find me. I’ll be right across the hall,” Yannis said, his eyes twinkling with a gentle smile.

Zinnia replied softly, “Alright, the soup should be ready in about half an hour. Drink it when it’s ready and get some rest early. Don’t stay up too late.”

The monthly exams were approaching, and Zinnia’s schoolwork had piled up. Studying wasn’t her strong suit; many concepts still confused her, so she had to put in a lot of extra effort just to keep up.

On top of that, a lot had happened recently, so she hadn’t exactly been having an easy time herself.