Chapter 204

“Are you feeling okay? If not, I’ll have a doctor take a look at you,” Yannis said as he drove Zinnia home, his concern lingering. Even though they’d only been in the car for a few minutes, he felt relieved he’d asked about the smoke.

“Nah, I’m fine. I wasn’t exposed to it for long, so I feel okay,” Zinnia reassured. She had held her breath most of the time in the previous car. After parking, they took the elevator home.

After changing her shoes, Zinnia stood expectantly and said playfully, “Yannis, you promised to make fish for me today—and I want barbecue too!”

Yannis neatly put her shoes away and said, “I haven’t forgotten. Go do your homework for a bit. It’ll be ready when you’re done.”

Still holding the sunflower, Zinnia asked, “Let me arrange the flower first. Do you have a vase here?”

“There are some in the storage room. Pick whichever you like,” Yannis said, removing his light jacket and leisurely rolling up his sleeves.

“Those are all antiques! And you’re telling me to use them for arranging a flower?” Zinnia looked at him in disbelief, seeing how serious he was. Yannis had a storage room filled with rare antiques and collectibles, each worth hundreds of thousands to millions, or even tens of millions of dollars—and that was only a fraction of his collection. It was said that in the Perkins residence, he had a basement vault housing even more valuable treasures, where even the cheapest vase could be worth millions. But now he was telling her to take one of these treasures as a vase. Just imagining those exquisite antique vases took her breath away.

Zinnia had a weakness for beautiful things—people or objects. Just gazing at them lifted her spirits.

“Why not? These vases are all quite beautiful—I thought you’d like them. If none of those suit your taste, I can have new ones delivered,” Yannis said leisurely.

“Yannis, I might break them,” Zinnia said worriedly. His things are way too expensive—I couldn’t even afford to pay for one if I broke it, she thought.

Yannis chuckled at her worried face. He gently nudged her shoulder and said, “If you break one, just grab another. Even if you smash them all, I’ll just buy more—it won’t make a dent in my wallet. Go on, pick whichever one you like.”

Zinnia finally chose a simple porcelain vase. It looked like jade, smooth and warm to the touch, with a delicate, refined texture. She unwrapped the sunflower, carefully trimmed the stems, and nestled it in the vase. She set the vase by her desk, where sunlight streamed through the window, casting the golden blooms in a warm glow—a picture-perfect scene.

“Are you done picking?” Yannis asked as Zinnia entered the kitchen where he was cooking. He handed her a bowl of freshly washed grapes.

“Yes,” Zinnia nodded. She popped a grape into her mouth, then fed one to Yannis. “It’s sweet.”

“Yes, it is, but don’t eat too much—we’ll have dinner soon,” Yannis said, biting into a grape. He glanced at Zinnia. “Go wait outside. The kitchen’s a bit smoky.” He knew she couldn’t handle smoke—from cooking or cigarettes—as it always made her feel unwell.

“The smoke is floating out of the window,” Zinnia protested.

“Even so, there’s still smoke. Be a good girl,” Yannis continued.

“I’ve prepared a health-building diet for you,” Zinnia said, taking out a pouch of ingredients. “Just blend it and drink a cup every day—it’ll strengthen your spleen and nourish your stomach.” She had made extra while preparing a remedy for Bonnie, thinking Yannis could use some too. The medical soup she’d given him before had helped his recovery, but now that his health had improved, it was better to switch to something gentler—hence this diet. The ingredients are simple but will nourish his spleen and kidneys.

When Yannis saw her pull out another pouch, he felt a little sick—he thought she was about to make him drink more medicine again. After dutifully taking her concoctions for a whole month, he was truly sick of it. Every time he drank them, his whole body felt uncomfortably hot. But when he heard it was just a diet this time, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ll make extra so we can share,” he said with a smile. The diet is good for health—why should I keep it all to myself? She deserves to enjoy the benefits too, he thought.

Zinnia shook her head. “I made this for you. I really don’t need it—I’m perfectly healthy.” I’ve had more than enough of this when I was a kid. No way am I drinking anymore, she thought.

Yannis smiled as he took the pouch. “I’ve consulted the doctor—the diet is good for you too. Come on. Prepare another portion so we can drink it together,” he persuaded her. The previous medicinal soup contained potent medicinal herbs that might have been too strong for her, but this milder health-building diet would gently nourish her system. They should share this together—he didn’t want to keep it all to himself.

“Yannis, this is for your health. I’m perfectly fine—I don’t need it,” Zinnia protested. Honestly, what sane person actually enjoys drinking herbal concoctions? I certainly don’t, she thought.

Yannis smiled tenderly. “Come on, be good. I’ll make you something delicious.”

Caught in Yannis’s captivating gaze, Zinnia absentmindedly went to prepare a portion for herself. By the time she snapped out of it, he had already dumped the ingredients into the blender.

“Yannis, using the beauty card like this is so unfair,” Zinnia grumbled, barred from the kitchen and standing at the doorway, staring at Yannis. She’d only ever heard of the “beauty trap” as one of those classic tricks, but now she was finally experiencing it. With that face—and those ridiculously soulful eyes—Yannis was dangerously charming. Before she realized it, she’d already found herself doing whatever he said.

“Thanks for calling me handsome, Zinnia,” Yannis chuckled, deliberately missing her point.

“Ugh!” Zinnia huffed, shoving two grapes into her mouth. This man is getting more shameless by the day. He used to hate to be called pretty, and now he’s actually bragging about it?

“Try this,” Yannis said, stepping out, his slender, elegant hands holding a bowl and a fork gripping a piece of pork. The pork glistened with rich sauce, steaming hot. Its tender, jiggly layers looked mouthwatering.

Despite herself, Zinnia opened her mouth. Yannis blew on the meat to cool it before feeding it to her. As soon as the meat touched her tongue, she instinctively began to chew, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“Is it good?” Yannis asked.

“It’s delicious,” Zinnia nodded eagerly. Her earlier complaints were gone the moment the tender pork melted in her mouth. A single bite was all it took to win her over—she personally experienced the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.

“Yannis, with skills like yours, it’s a waste you’re not a chef. Just think of all the foodies missing out,” Zinnia sighed with admiration. Wow, his cooking was seriously on another level.

“Didn’t I already become your personal chef? And don’t think I forgot—you promised to save up and support me one day. So you’d better work hard, Zinnia, because I’m ready to retire early and let you take care of me.” As soon as he brought up the idea, Zinnia thought, With the way he spends, I’d need hundreds of millions just to keep up with this money pit, I can’t possibly afford that.

Then, with a teasing smile, she said, “Yannis, we can’t be so lacking in ambition. You’re at the perfect age to build your career—put in some effort.”