Chapter 24 Medicinal Food
Lily held her phone, lost in thoughts about her online crush from her past life.
To be precise, it was an unspoken crush because she never confessed, and the other person never said they liked her either.
But that person's presence was like a faint flame in her dark and miserable life, always warming her heart.
This feeling was similar to Dennis's presence.
But she was never sure if Dennis was that person from her past life.
Dennis's slender fingers twitched slightly. "You don't need a reason to help someone, right? Like, when I see an elderly person crossing the street, I help them too."
Lily smiled, but there was a tinge of sadness in her heart.
She tried to sound casual, "Once I graduate high school, I'm moving out of the Roberts house for good."
"You're welcome to live next door to me!"
After hanging up, Lily felt great.
She took a shower and even practiced a set of test questions before bed.
The last practice exam was coming up.
She was eager to see how much she had improved and whether she had a shot at getting into Quest University!
As long as she could rank in the top ten in the entire school, she should have a chance.
The next day, Lily went to school as usual.
She saw Sophie bringing a bowl of oatmeal and placing it beside Michael.
"Michael, I heard from Barry that your stomach was upset, so I made you some oatmeal. It should help."
Sophie deliberately showed her burned hand.
Michael, seeing it, softened up.
"You hurt yourself. You don't need to do this. Let the servants handle it."
"Michael, you do so much for our family. It's only right that I do this."
Sophie displayed a sweet, innocent smile.
Michael felt a surge of warmth and instinctively looked at Lily. Surely she knew he wasn't feeling well by now.
Lily's eyes flashed with sarcasm when she saw the oatmeal.
So, the oatmeal finally made its appearance!
She had no appetite, stood up, and left without saying a word.
Michael felt a bit despondent.
Did Lily really not care at all? Or did she not want to show any concern for him anymore?
Sophie quickly said, "Michael, Lily is worried about you. She's just being stubborn this time."
"Let's hope so."
Michael hoped Lily was just being stubborn. He didn't believe Lily would sever ties with the family over such small matters.
Without Lily's concern, he felt uneasy.
Sophie, seeing her goal achieved, left for school as well.
The butler, Barry Myers, commented, "Mr. Roberts, it's really too much that Ms. Roberts didn't even ask about you."
Michael's mood improved slightly at the sight of the oatmeal.
Luckily, Sophie was so considerate.
He took a bite of the oatmeal, but his stomach pain worsened instead of easing.
He frowned, remembering the medicinal food Lily used to make, which always alleviated his pain.
He instinctively said, "Have the kitchen prepare the medicinal food Lily used to make."
Barry hesitated. "The medicinal food was always prepared personally by Ms. Roberts."
"It's just medicinal food. How hard can it be?"
Michael, in pain, spoke harshly.
A maid nearby answered, "Mr. Roberts, I heard that the main ingredient for the medicinal food had to be prepared a day in advance. Ms. Roberts would get up early the next day to prepare the other ingredients, all of which had to be fresh. The cooking process and timing were crucial. Any mistake would ruin it. Ms. Roberts got the recipe from a skilled doctor. We never learned it, so she always prepared it herself."
After hearing this, Michael felt even worse.
He covered his face with his hand, realizing how much Lily had done. He never knew and thought it was simple.
Michael began to regret it.
He had ignored Lily too much and didn't realize her efforts. He hadn't been a good brother.
Lily wasn't just being stubborn; she had been hurt too much.
Michael looked at Barry. "Bring me the gifts Lily gave Sophie as an apology."
Barry was surprised. "If you take them back, it's not fair to Miss Scott. She already feels insecure in the Roberts family. If you do this, how will she stay here? You can't soften just because of a bowl of medicinal food. Miss Scott made you oatmeal and even got hurt."
Michael thought for a moment, recalling Sophie's injury, and felt soft-hearted.
He said, "Fine, bring back the gifts I gave. Leave the rest."
At least he needed to start making changes.
That evening, after Lily returned, she ate dinner and stayed in her room.
Soon, there was a knock, and Michael's voice came through. "Lily, it's me."
Lily opened the door, her expression indifferent. "What is it?"
"This is for you."
Lily saw a box with a jade pendant inside, looking familiar.
Wasn't this the apology gift she gave Sophie? What did Michael mean by this?
Michael's voice was filled with guilt. "Lily, I know I made you suffer before. I brought the pendant back. I'll buy Sophie another one as compensation, but this one is special to you. You shouldn't have had to give it away."
Michael had spent the whole day regretting his actions at the party. He hadn't been considerate enough.
Lily was taken aback. She didn't expect Michael to return the pendant! How surprising!
In her past life, she never got these things back, even until her death.
Lily lowered her gaze, her voice calm. "No need. Once a gift is given, you don't take it back."
"Lily, please take it. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty. Consider it my way of making it up to you, okay?" Michael insisted.
What kind of compensation was this?
Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Sophie hiding in the corner.
She deliberately raised her voice. "Michael, I have to criticize you. I gave that gift to Sophie willingly. How could you take it without reason? Doesn't that hurt Sophie's feelings? Right, Sophie?"
Michael turned and saw Sophie, feeling a bit guilty. He hadn't asked Sophie.
Sophie, gritting her teeth, stepped out. "Lily, those gifts were always meant to be temporarily with me. I'm happy to return them. I never felt worthy of such valuable gifts. I always knew my place."
Sophie's tone was particularly sincere.
But after speaking, she quickly turned and left, even wiping away tears, looking sad.
Michael panicked. "Sophie?"
Lily leaned against the door. "Michael, you should go comfort her."
Michael pressed his lips together. "Lily, I was sincerely apologizing. Why did you say those things to hurt Sophie? I've been biased, making you feel wronged, but Sophie didn't do anything wrong! Her father saved your life. Don't forget that!"
Lily's smile turned cold.
Nothing had changed after all. She had almost wavered.