CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 104: NOT FULL

Simon Forrester wore sunglasses, his face mostly covered, revealing only his straight nose, a tense jaw, and tightly pressed lips.

One hand casually rested on the steering wheel, the other on the passenger seat back, his face looked abstinent, but his body was full of desire!

He stared at Sienna Thornton for a while, then stretched out his long arm like performing a trick, taking out a natural wood-colored food bag from the back and handing it to her, "Didn’t have breakfast? Aren’t you hungry?"

Turns out he was getting something.

Sienna sat up awkwardly, took the paper bag, and opened it to find sweet treats from the "Guardian Temple"—sugar ear cookies, pea yellow cakes, creamy fried pastries, a bottle of milk, and a pair of disposable gloves.

Seeing her favorite desserts, she cheered up, put on the gloves, pinched a piece of sugar ear cookie with her index finger and thumb, and took a light bite. The sweet and crunchy sensation filled her heart instantly.

The red light turned green, Simon pressed the gas pedal again, and the car sped away.

After Sienna finished a sugar ear cookie, she took off the gloves and switched to drinking milk, asking while sipping, "Did you have to wait in line to buy these?"

"The elders at home like them, so I brought you some too." Implying that they weren’t specially bought for Sienna.

Sienna knowingly smiled and still said, "Thank you, very thoughtful of you."

After saying this, she realized that Simon had done so many things for her before, and she had never particularly thanked him. Today, after eating some casually purchased breakfast, she gave a fake thank you for being thoughtful.

It was a bit fake.

Sienna sighed inwardly, wondering why she suddenly became insincere. She also had another nickname, "Silent Slayer," and could deftly resolve even the most awkward situations. Yet, when with Simon, she often found herself at a loss for words or speaking against her will.

Besides Simon being the "Conversation Killer King," she probably wasn’t in her right state either.

After drinking the milk and trying one of each item, Sienna was full. Seeing it was getting late, she thought Simon might be hungry too and asked, "Did you have lunch before coming to find me?"

"No."

Sienna pointed to the paper bag, "I didn’t finish these, do you want to eat some to fill your stomach?"

"How can I eat while driving?"

"That’s easy. I’ll feed you!"

After speaking, Sienna noticed something was wrong. Just as she was about to suggest parking by the roadside to eat before continuing, Simon already replied, "Okay."

She had to rummage through the bag again for disposable gloves, only to find that the original pair of gloves had been used up and thrown in the trash bag by her.

She breathed a sigh of relief; Simon was a cleanliness freak. How could he tolerate her directly handling food for him?

She cautiously asked, "The disposable gloves are gone, mind if I handle the food directly?"

"I don’t mind."

Sienna was taken aback. Now with no other ideas, she had to grit her teeth, carefully grab a sugar ear cookie, and extend it to Simon’s lips.

Simon casually controlled the steering wheel, eyes straight ahead, slightly turned his face, and opened his mouth to take a bite of the sugar ear cookie.

Sienna stared at him, lost in thought.

As he chewed, his lips stayed closed, his jaw moved rhythmically, the biting muscles by his cheeks sculpted by the act of chewing, exuding a sense of nobility even while eating.

After finishing that bite, he opened his mouth again for another. Sienna, holding the sugar ear cookie, was lost in thought, suddenly feeling a warm and soft sensation at her fingertips. Startled back to her senses, she saw that the thumb and index finger holding the sugar ear cookie were empty.

Recalling a moment ago when her fingernail seemed to touch a membrane-like moist feeling, she was shocked, stammering, "Did you...did you just bite my finger?"

The man calmly looked straight ahead, "Define ’bite’."

"I mean, did you...you take my finger in your mouth while taking that last bite of the sugar ear cookie?" Sienna abruptly stopped talking, blushing as she sat up straight.

The man, however, said in a deep voice, "Not full yet, one more."

Sienna: "Eating while driving isn’t good. Let’s stop by the roadside, finish eating, then continue."

"Then I won’t eat, you put it away."

Sienna: "..."

The Urus sped along, arriving at South Bay City at almost five.

South Bay is only about a hundred kilometers away from Brimfield, but after crossing the mountains, it was like entering another world.

The entire mountain was covered in Everlasting Flowers, blooming red like clouds and brocade, like a sea surging onto shore. Everywhere you looked, whether on the mountains, by the water, inside or outside the valleys, was adorned with the brilliant and beautiful silhouettes of Everlasting Flower and Snapdragon, clusters of soft reds, pale whites, and bright yellows interspersed throughout the mountainside and lakebanks.

It seemed not like a yellowing autumn, but a vibrant spring.

Simon Forrester had just arrived from the bleak city of Brimfield and was instantly captivated by the scene before him.

Sienna Thornton hopped out of the car and looked at him over the roof, proudly saying, "How’s it? Not bad, right?"

Simon Forrester snapped back to reality, took off his sunglasses, and said, "The environment is great." He closed the car door and walked a few steps forward, letting the boundless beauty fill his vision.

Sienna Thornton walked to his side and pointed to a natural azure lake not far away, saying, "Our land is by that lakeside."

"Alright." Simon Forrester returned to the car, grabbed his camera, and started taking rapid shots in the direction Sienna pointed.

He occasionally looked down to review the photos, spending a good half hour shooting and deleting. During this time, he didn’t speak a word to Sienna Thornton, while she, starry-eyed, watched him intently.

They say a focused man is the most charming, and there’s no doubt about that.

The car stopped by the lakeside. Sienna Thornton kicked away some weeds, revealing low-built bricks marked in red. This gave Simon Forrester an idea about the land’s boundaries.

Sienna Thornton followed beside him, chatting with him as he took photos.

Suddenly, he extended his hand to her, saying, "Did you bring the floor plan?"

"I did!" Sienna Thornton quickly retrieved a folded copy of the architectural floor plan from her bag, smoothed it out, and handed it to Simon Forrester.

He looked at the blueprint briefly, then surveyed the surroundings, seemingly looking for inspiration. Soon after, he picked up his camera again, taking shots while asking, "What’s your idea?"

Sienna Thornton pointed at herself, "My idea?"

Simon Forrester nodded.

Sienna Thornton frowned in thought and said, "I don’t have a concrete idea, but I do have a concept."

"Let’s hear it."

"Rustic, natural, warm, and relaxed."

Simon Forrester said, "Tibetan, Yunnanese, Fujianese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, European—choose a style you like most."

Sienna Thornton hesitated for a moment and said, "Southeast Asian."

Simon Forrester didn’t comment, instead went to the lakeside, taking rapid shots again. "Let’s put it this way, Brimfield is in the temperate zone, so it’s not advisable to design the homestay in a tropical style. However, there’s a natural lake here, so we might give it a try."

"Eh?" Sienna Thornton was uncertain, "Then, what do you think is better? You decide. I trust your taste."

"Does Maeve have any ideas?" Simon Forrester asked.

"She told me to take charge," Sienna replied.

Simon Forrester’s eyes darkened behind the camera, asking almost casually, "Is opening a homestay your idea or hers?"

Sienna Thornton answered without thinking, "Mine."

Simon Forrester glanced back at her and thought: Maeve is truly accommodating. Using all her assets to buy a piece of land with little appreciation potential just to fulfill her wish of owning a homestay.

He smiled to himself, glancing up at the sky. The days after the beginning of winter turned dark quickly; it wasn’t even six o’clock, and the path was becoming hard to see.

He took a small flashlight from his pocket to light the way. "Let’s head back, be careful, your leg just healed."

"Oh, okay." Sienna Thornton followed closely behind him.

The road wasn’t in great condition. It was okay during the day, but difficult to navigate in the dark. Perhaps her leg wasn’t fully recovered, Sienna almost stumbled a few times, forcing Simon Forrester to support her.

He helped her into the passenger seat, closed the door, and then walked around to the driver’s seat.

After driving a short distance, Simon Forrester checked his watch and asked, "We’ll be back in Brimfield by nine. Do you want to grab something to eat here?"

"Sure," Sienna said, "as long as you’re okay with it, I’m fine."

Simon Forrester nodded faintly and said nothing more.

As Sienna was contemplating small talk to relieve the awkward silence, the speeding car suddenly jerked, its front swerving sharply to the left.

She gasped, eyes wide, instinctively looking at Simon Forrester, who had his brow furrowed as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to turn it back to the right.

The car finally veered gently to the right and came to a stop.

Sienna Thornton, still in shock, looked at Simon Forrester and asked, "What happened?"

Simon Forrester pressed his jaw tight, not looking pleased.

He turned on the emergency lights, checked the rearview mirror to ensure no cars were approaching, then said in a low voice, "It’s probably a flat tire. I’ll go check. Sit still."