Chapter 637
“Are you sure?” Melody asked in disbelief, looking at Ken. “Are you really going to eat street food from a stall?”
“What? Is there a sign that says I shouldn’t eat this?”
“Of course not…”
Melody was just surprised. ‘In my past life, I was fooled by Ulric, mistakenly thinking we were in a serious relationship. I even invited him here to try street food on a whim, only for him to look disgusted just from the smell and refuse to eat anything from the stall. We ended up going to a five-star hotel for a late-night snack instead. Looking back now, I should have realized that Ulric never truly loved me. How could I have been so blind?’ lost in thought, a hand waved in front of her face. She snapped out of it and met Ken’s gaze.
“Thinking about something? You’re not planning to skip out on the bill, are you?”
“Of course not!” Melody’s bad mood was instantly lifted by Ken’s teasing. She regained her composure and warned him, “The food here isn’t exactly the cleanest. I’m asking you one last time. Are you sure you want to eat it?”
Ken didn’t answer. Instead, he walked over to the nearest food stall. “Hey, I’d like to get one of these…” He stepped back, looked at the sign on the stall, and read aloud, “Cheese balls.”
The vendor, amazed to see someone so well-dressed at his stall, quickly responded, “Sure! But I only sell them in boxes. 3 dollars and eight pieces per box.”
“3… dollars?” Ken’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
Melody chuckled and whispered so only they could hear, “Is this your first time buying something that costs 1 digit?”
Ken shot her a look and, with a hint of revenge, told the vendor, “I’ll take two boxes.”
“Hey…” Melody quickly reminded him, “You won’t be able to finish all that.”
“What, are you too stingy to spend 6 dollars?”
Reluctantly, Melody paid for the food. As the transaction was completed, the cheese balls were packed up. Ken popped one into his mouth.
“So, what do you think?”
Under Melody’s expectant gaze, Ken frowned and said, “This is what they call cheese balls? It only has a bit of cheese in it. Why even call them cheese balls?”
“Well, what should it be called then? Cheese strand balls? Does that sound any better?”
“Hmm.”
Ken went on to sample almost every food stall on the street, buying and trying everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad. Melody couldn’t help but worry. “You’re eating too much! You’d better not get a stomach ache later.”
“I won’t. It’s my first time having you foot the bill. Can’t let this chance slip by.”
“You’re…” Melody wasn’t quite sure how to describe her feelings, but it seemed like the guy who usually seemed aloof was finally showing a bit of human warmth.
Noticing Melody’s changing expression, Ken awkwardly asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’ve got something on your lip.” Melody used her thumb to wipe away the food residue from Ken’s mouth. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, he grabbed her wrist. Their eyes locked. The surrounding noise seemed to fade away, and the bustling crowd around them seemed to blur as their focus remained solely on each other.
Thump, thump, thump… Melody could almost hear her own heartbeat.
Ken’s lips parted. “Melody, I…” Before he could finish, James’s voice interrupted, “Mr. Ken! I finally found you!”
Melody felt like she’d been jolted and quickly pulled her hand away from Ken’s. She turned to see James rushing over.
James, who had been blocked by the crowd earlier, now spotted Melody and visibly relaxed. “Miss Fox, you’re here too. I’ve been looking for you…” As he spoke, he noticed the tension in the air and looked at Ken, who was glaring daggers at him. James shuddered, not knowing what was going on.
“Let’s go,” Melody said. “It’s getting late, and I need to head to Herbathrive early tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Ken coldly turned his gaze away from James and followed Melody out of the street.
However, what they didn’t notice was a pair of cold, watchful eyes were fixed on them. The owner of those eyes was reminded by a man behind her, “Miss Janet, we should be leaving. If we stay any longer, they might notice.”
Janet, clearly frustrated, shot a glare at the man. “Is this your way of bossing me around? My father sent you to assist, not to order me around.”
“I didn’t mean to…”
“Just know your place!” She glared at the assistant her father had sent and reluctantly got into the car to return to the hospital.
On the way, the assistant couldn’t help but comment, “Miss Janet, why bother? Mr. Swanson is blind and has his eyes on someone unattractive while never even giving you a second look. Why you’re still chasing after him? Why put yourself through this?”
“Shut up! Since when do people like you get to criticize Ken?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Just stop talking!”
The assistant fell silent, knowing better than to provoke Janet further, though still feeling pity for her.
The next morning, Melody was jolted awake by the sound of coughing. The room she was staying in was next to Ken’s, and even through the thick wall, she could hear his severe coughing. She quickly threw on slippers and went to knock on Ken’s door. At the same time, Susan heard the noise and came over.
Inside Ken’s room, they found him, lips pale but still dressed in a suit, clearly preparing to head out.
“What are you planning to do?” Melody asked.
“I’m heading to the headquarters.” Ken continued to cough while speaking.
“Hold on a minute.” Melody turned to Susan. “Please brew the traditional medicine I brought.”
“Of course,” Susan said, hurrying downstairs.
“I’m fine,” Ken said, looking at Melody. “It’s probably just a sore throat.”
“Just a sore throat? You ate so much spicy food last night.” She shot him a glare and commanded, “Let me check your throat.”
“I really don’t…”
“Open up!”
Ken reluctantly opened his mouth. Melody took a quick look and checked his pulse. “It’s inflammation from eating too much spicy food. Fortunately, there’s no fever yet. But if we don’t address it soon, it might turn into one.”
“I’m not that weak.”
“I’m a doctor. Do you not trust my judgment? No matter how urgent things are, you need to take the medicine first. It’s specifically prepared for you to help with the cough and reduce inflammation.”
Reluctantly, Ken agreed, “Alright.”
Half an hour later, the medicine was finally ready. Just as Ken finished taking it, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and a look of surprise crossed his face.