In Theodore's room.

Evelyn placed a bowl of osmanthus flowers on the coffee table. She picked up some flowers and demonstrated to Theodore. "Only keep the light-yellow petals. You can't leave any green stems or else it'll affect your health after consumption. Put the osmanthus flowers that are plucked into this empty bowl here. Do you understand?"

Theodore was shocked. "This is a huge amount of osmanthus flowers. Do all of them need to have their stems plucked off?"

"Yes."

"How long would I need to finish plucking them?"

"We need to see your speed then." Evelyn sat down on the side of the sofa happily, crossing her legs. "You obeyed my every word before I was pregnant. Now that I'm pregnant, you should spoil me in every way you can. Auntie Garcia has even bought the sugar for preserving the osmanthus flowers, and she is waiting for you to get it downstairs. If you're not going to do anything this whole time, keep in mind that Grandpa will be suspicious. You were the one who said you'll get the osmanthus flowers done in front of him."

"You're pregnant, my foot!"

"Go ahead and tell your Grandpa that I'm not pregnant. Tell him that I vomited because I hate the smell of parsley. Let him know that all your caring actions toward me were fake, so that he can immediately order us to file for a divorce."

"You!" Theodore was so angry that he was at a loss for words. Furiously, he grabbed a handful of osmanthus flowers and looked at the small and delicate flowers. He didn't know where to start, and angrily threw the handful of osmanthus flowers back into the bowl while he questioned in a harsh voice, "Will you die after eating the ones that didn't have their stems plucked off?"

Evelyn tried her best not to laugh and nodded seriously. "Yes! The stems of the osmanthus flowers are like the black substances found in the gut of the fish. All the toxins are concentrated there."

"Nonsense."

"If you keep dilly-dallying like this, I'm afraid you won't be able to finish plucking the stems of the osmanthus flowers even by nightfall," Evelyn kindly reminded him.

She was so delighted when she saw Theodore bursting in anger, cursing incessantly. He was usually a polite and cultured person when he was speaking.

"Haha, if I don't show him some true colors, does he really think that I'm a meek little lamb?" Evelyn thought happily.

"Pluck them together!"

Theodore simply grabbed some osmanthus flowers and pushed the bowl toward her.

Evelyn immediately stood up and pretended to feel unwell. "Ah, I suddenly feel dizzy and nauseated. I need to lay down. I'll help you once I feel better."

Ignoring his anger, she quickly walked to the side of the bed. She wanted to cover her mouth to laugh, but didn't expect to snicker. When she turned around to see him glaring angrily at her, she immediately suppressed her laughter, and only dared to continue laughing under the sheets.

"You won't die laughing?"

Theodore angrily opened his palm and was shocked to find the osmanthus flowers squished into pieces. He quickly tried to 'resuscitate' them. But when he saw there was nothing that could be done, he angrily threw them into the trash can. As he took another osmanthus flower to pluck its stem again, he was more careful.

"That damn woman, how dare she set up a trap for me in front of Grandpa!" Theodore thought.

Seeing the osmanthus flowers piled up like a little mountain, waiting for their stems to be plucked, he suddenly remembered that he was the one who impulsively ordered the servants to pluck them yesterday. His face turned grave when he realized that he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

"Normally, these people didn't seem to do things so diligently. How come they were so diligent when I had only casually mentioned it yesterday?I can't believe there are so many osmanthus flowers!" Theodore almost got crazy.

He moodily grabbed another handful of flowers. His vision was getting blurry just by looking at them. He finally couldn't take it anymore. Clapping his hands, he fished out his phone to call Emerson to help him think of a solution.

Evelyn heard what he said and immediately lifted the sheets, reminding, "At this time of the day, there are dewdrops on the osmanthus flowers outside. You can't eat them even if you were to pluck them!"

"It won't poison you to death!"

"I will never eat a freshly picked osmanthus flower."

"That's your problem"

"I will tell Grandpa."

"How dare you!"

Just when she wanted to banter, someone knocked on the door.

Assuming that it was Emerson, Theodore ignored Evelyn as he got up to answer the door, only to find his Grandpa standing by the door.

Ethan took a glance inside the room and asked coldly, "Where is she?"

"She's resting."

"Connor will soon come for her body checkup. Ask her to get ready."

"Oh? Okay." Theodore only dared to reveal his happiness after he closed the door.

Evelyn had already heard Ethan's words and sat up to ask tentatively, "Does Dr. Connor know gynaecology too?"

"He is a skilled doctor who knows everything." Theodore laughed, now in a good mood. "You can no longer pretend to be pregnant."

By then, he could just find an excuse to send her to work. This way, he didn't have to pluck the stems of the osmanthus flowers anymore.

"When did I pretend to be pregnant? Didn't I say that I'm not pregnant all along?" Evelyn got down from the bed reluctantly, and walked to the front of the sofa. Then, she looked angrily at the osmanthus flowers yet to have their stems plucked.

Just at this moment, there was another knock on the door, accompanied by Connor's voice, "Young Master, Mistress, can I come in?"

Seeing Evelyn already sitting down, Theodore opened the door.

Connor entered while carrying his medical kit. Ethan andCharlotte also followed closely behind as they entered the room.

Connor walked to Evelyn and asked her a few simple questions. He held her arm to check her pulse. After checking her pulse for a while, he smiled and said, "Mistress is only a little weak. There's nothing to worry about. She'll be fine after taking some rest." Then, he gave a look to Ethan.

Ethan was obviously relieved. A smile appeared on his stern face as he talked to Theodore in a rarely-used-pleasant-tone, "Since Evelyn is not feeling well, don't go to work today. Stay home and accompany her."

"Grandpa, she's actually..." Realizing that he almost made a slip of the tongue, Theodore immediately withdrew his previous remark and said, "I can just let her stay at home and rest. There are matters that need tending to in the company."

"I will arrange for someone to handle with the matters in the company. Patients who are unwell need to be accompanied." Ethan walked to the door and then added, "I've asked Garcia to buy the rice cakes. Just tell her after you've finished plucking the osmanthus flowers. I'll let Garcia to come over and collect them."

After Ethan finished his words, he walked out happily.

When he saw his grandpa, who used to limp while he usually walked, was walking at a fast pace at this moment, Theodore felt kind of upset, for he had miscalculated the odds.

He had known all along that his grandpa was sly and crafty, but he didn't think his grandpa would be cunning to this extent. His grandpa knew that Evelyn wasn't pregnant, but didn't point it out bluntly. On the contrary, his Grandpa had uncharacteristically asked him to stay and accompany her. His grandpa even urged him to focus on plucking the osmanthus flowers. It was obvious that his Grandpa was messing with him.

Damn these osmanthus flowers!

After Connor and Charlotte had left, Theodore vented his anger by kicking the door.

Evelyn looked pitifully at the innocent door. She suppressed her excitement and said, "See, even Dr. Connor said that I need to rest. I will go and lie on the bed. Thank you for your effort on these osmanthus flowers."

Switching the stereo on, she picked soothing songs to put on replay, placed a few bags of chips on the bedside and took out her phone. Evelyn was half-lying on the bed as she listened to music, while eating chips and reading her novel. From time to time, she would steal glances at Theodore from over her phone. Seeing that he was busy plucking the stems of the osmanthus flowers, she felt a pang of guilt in her, as she had totally forgotten about her trauma from the parsley incident.

"Get up and eat lunch."

Theodore's impatient calls rang in Evelyn's ears. Evelyn had then realized that she had fallen asleep soundly. Looking at the clock that almost struck twelve, she immediately got up and ran into the bathroom to freshen up. As she tidied her clothes, she walked out of the room about to hold Theodore's hand as usual. Suddenly, thinking of the bowl of osmanthus flowers, she stopped on her heels and turned to look at the coffee table. When she saw the empty coffee table, she asked, slightly annoyed, "You threw the osmanthus flowers away?"

"I've finished plucking them. Prepare to get bloated after eating the osmanthus cakes tonight."

"There were so many osmanthus flowers. How did you finish plucking them in just one morning?"

"This is the truth. The plucked osmanthus flowers are already sent to Auntie Garcia." When he saw her shocked expression, he was really pleased.

Of course he would never let her know that Emerson had actually switched the flowers with the ones that were already plucked.

Evelyn definitely didn't believe him, and pushed away his hand while she ran down the stairs.

"Mistress, are you feeling better?" George, who was waiting in the living room, immediately lifted his head and asked gently.

"I'm fine. Where's Auntie Garcia?"

"In the dining room."

Evelyn ran into the dining room. "Auntie Garcia, where are the plucked osmanthus flowers?"

"They're here." Garcia immediately stopped preparing the dishes. She turned around to pass the bowl to Evelyn while consulting her, "Please let me know what I should do next."

Evelyn took the bowl and picked the flowers carefully with the fork. When she saw the pile of flowers cleanly plucked without any remains of stems on them, she immediately turned around and whispered suspiciously to Theodore, who had just entered the dining room after her, "Who helped you pluck them?"

Theodore hugged her shoulders and winked proudly at her. "How can I let other people touch the things that my wife wants to eat?"

Evelyn wanted to continue asking, but when she saw Ethan and Charlotte enter the room, she immediately swallowed her words. Then, she spoke to Garcia, "Use a small sieve to sift the plucked osmanthus flowers. You have to sift them a few times. Get a glass container ready, and start pickling them by laying down a layer of sugar, and alternate with another layer of osmanthus flowers. Remember to put a lot of sugar. Um... These osmanthus flowers need almost 750 gram of sugar. By the way, you must use a glass container that can be tightly sealed."

"Okay." Garcia memorized everything earnestly. "How much sugared osmanthus should I put into the rice cakes when I cook them tonight?"

"The osmanthus flowers cannot be eaten on the day they are preserved. They need to be left for at least three to four days." When Evelyn had just finished talking, she saw the cold dagger-like gaze thrown at her from Theodore's eyes, but she pretended she didn't see anything.

She purposely wanted to agitate him.

"Alright, Mistress." Garcia started to prepare dishes for everyone.

Ethan was already seated. He took a look at Evelyn, and without a word, he slowly started eating.

Although the atmosphere on the dining table was awkward as usual, Evelyn, who was in a good mood at the moment, happily enjoyed her delicious meal.

After they finished eating and returned to their room, Theodore grabbed Evelyn. "You are really brazen! How dare you fool me!"

"Why do you say so?" Evelyn pretended to be confused.

Theodore slowly pushed her to the door and suddenly grabbed her chin, smirking evilly. "Are you only going to admit it after you're punished?"

While he was talking, one of his hands was already going over her shoulder. He pulled her collar, running his fingers all over her smooth and fair skin.

His bold actions disturbed Evelyn. She quickly grabbed his big hands and argued, "You fooled me first!"

Theodore didn't move his hands, but he used his knees to trap her lower body immediately. At the same time, his lips were approaching hers. His gaze suddenly turned ambiguous. "I fooled you, so now you want to fool me back? Hmm?"

"Hey! Hey! Don't you dare!" Evelyn felt her entire body tense up. She initially wanted to say, 'Don't get double standards.' However, she did not want to irritate him and could only smile timidly. "I was only joking with you."

"Was it fun?"

"Not-Not really."

"Do you still want to play?" Theodore said as he raised his hands abruptly, making squeezing gestures over her chest.

"Hey! You..."

"Do you still want to play?"

"No, no, no! I don't want to play. I will never mess with you again." Evelyn felt like crying.

She didn't expect this Beast Theodore to be so petty and sensitive.

Theodore stared at her for a few seconds. Suddenly, he smiled and loosened his grip on her. "It's fun. I enjoyed it. You can continue."

Evelyn was stunned.

What did his words mean?

Before she could even recover from her thoughts, he suddenly pecked on her lips. Evelyn was startled. When she saw him raising his hand again, she quickly covered her lips and chest, before glaring angrily at him.

But the next second, Theodore stuffed his hands into his pockets instead. He threw a flirty look at her and whistled.

His ambiguous look made her grit her teeth furiously. However, she didn't dare do anything to him. The truth was that she didn't want to be taken advantage of for nothing.

"Aren't you going to move? Or do you want me to..." Theodore blew a kiss and made a squeezing gesture in the air.

When she realized she was leaning on the door, Evelyn quickly jumped away to let him through.

Theodore laughed and reached his hand out to open the door. Suddenly, he remembered something and paused to turn around. He turned serious as he glanced at her. "Evelyn, I've forgotten to tell you something very important."