CHAPTER 13

Realizing that Shen Jingyan had misunderstood her delay as a preference for staying at hotels, Shi Li stared at him in a daze. A surge of complicated emotions welled up in her chest. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when a sudden, violent impact slammed into them. A sharp screech of brakes followed.

Shi Li felt her body crash hard against the back of the passenger seat, only to be yanked back by the seatbelt a second later. Before she could fully register the pain, a pair of strong arms pulled her into a tight embrace, shielding her completely.

Dazed, with stars dancing in her vision, she briefly wondered—why did Shen Jingyan, who usually seemed so weak, have such strength at this moment?

Before she could figure it out, the car came to an abrupt stop. Shi Li forced herself to steady her vision and looked at Shen Jingyan. His face was as pale as a sheet, but his eyes were dark and eerily calm, showing not a hint of fear.

“Mr. Shen, we’ve been blocked. These people are up to no good,” the butler in the front passenger seat anxiously turned back to report.

Shen Jingyan pressed Shi Li against his lap, shielding her, then looked out through the windshield at the vehicles blocking their path and the people stepping out of them. After a moment, he spoke darkly, “Break through.”

The driver immediately slammed on the gas. The ambushers hadn’t expected them to charge forward and scrambled to get out of the way. The car rammed into one of the vehicles blocking them and was just about to speed ahead when, in the next second, a van crashed into them, forcing them to a halt.

Shi Li regained her senses just in time to see the approaching assailants. She hurriedly pulled out her phone to call the police. At the same time, Shen family’s bodyguards also rushed forward, engaging the attackers in a chaotic brawl.

The driver attempted to restart the car but, realizing it was no longer operable, grabbed a baton from under his seat and joined the fight. Though Shen family’s guards were outnumbered, they were well-trained, keeping the battle at a temporary standstill.

However, Shi Li knew this wouldn’t last. Soon, those men would overpower the Shen family guards, and then they would come for Shen Jingyan.

According to the original storyline, Shen Jingyan would be gravely injured here and fall into a long coma. That would severely delay her progress in raising the Male Lead Hatred Value, ultimately postponing her return home…

Shi Li glanced at Shen Jingyan’s increasingly pale side profile and cursed in her mind—to hell with the hatred value. She just didn’t want him to get hurt!

With that thought, she suddenly grasped Shen Jingyan’s hand. When he turned to look at her, she gave him a radiant smile.

“Jingyan, I’ve let you down before. After tonight, can you forgive me completely?”

Shen Jingyan frowned slightly, confused as to why she was saying this now.

Ten seconds later, he understood.

Because the damned woman, Shi Li, had leaned forward, pulled out the car key, and after stepping out—locked him inside.

Fury burned through Shen Jingyan, but he didn’t dare shout, fearing it would attract unwanted attention. All he could do was glare as she slipped away, her small figure darting stealthily toward the enemies’ vehicles. Only after she disappeared from sight did he start smashing the car window in frustration.

Shi Li was terrified while doing this, but she had already decided to take the risk. Using her small stature to her advantage, she moved like a nimble fish through the darkness, sneaking up to the enemies’ vehicles.

As she had guessed, those thugs, confident in their numbers, hadn’t left anyone guarding the cars. She quickly reached one but found no keys inside.

Unlike in TV dramas, she had no idea how to hotwire a car, so she had to keep searching. After a tense while, she finally found a vehicle with the keys still inside—but unfortunately, there was also someone sitting in it.

Shi Li’s heart clenched. She grabbed a brick from the side of the road, pressed herself against the car’s frame, and took a deep breath. When her fingers closed around the door handle, she yanked it open and swung with all her strength, smashing the brick against the man’s head.

In novels, one hit would be enough to knock someone out.

Reality, however, was cruel. The man was only dazed for a brief second before roaring in anger and lunging at her.

Shi Li panicked. As she stumbled backward, she grabbed another brick and hurled it at him. But her attack only enraged him further. With a single swipe of his large hand, he sent her sprawling to the ground.

Shi Li hit the pavement hard, letting out a pained groan. Her hands scrambled across the ground, desperately searching for a weapon. The man grabbed her collar, hoisting her up as he cocked his fist, ready to strike her face.

…If that punch landed, she could die.

At the brink of danger, Shi Li’s survival instinct kicked in. She clutched a rock she had grabbed in her fall and swung it forcefully at his head.

The man swayed, staggered—then collapsed like a felled tree.

Shi Li didn’t have time to catch her breath as she stumbled toward the car.

Meanwhile, Shen Jingyan was desperately smashing the car window. However, the glass was specially reinforced—his hands were already bloodied, yet the window had only a few cracks. When Shi Li drove over and saw the bloodstains on the glass, she froze for a moment before quickly unlocking the car. The next second, Shen Jingyan burst out.

Shi Li’s car skidded in a sharp drift, coming to a perfect stop in front of Shen Jingyan. She reached out, opening the door and extending her hand toward him.

Shen Jingyan stared at her, his eyes nearly dripping with blood. Shi Li looked at him pleadingly, afraid that he would be stubborn at a time like this.

Fortunately, he knew when to prioritize survival. He grabbed her hand and jumped into the car. At that moment, someone rushed toward the passenger side, but Shi Li had no time to close Shen Jingyan’s door—she slammed the gas pedal, breaking through the encirclement.

Only after losing their pursuers did Shi Li finally remember to remind Shen Jingyan to close the door.

As soon as the door shut, the howling wind was cut off, and the car fell into complete silence.

Shi Li didn’t dare look at Shen Jingyan’s expression. After a while, she carefully said, “Those men were chasing us just now, so the butler and the others should be fine, right?”

Shen Jingyan remained silent.

Shi Li exhaled lightly, staring straight ahead. “I saw blood on the car window earlier. Are you hurt?”

Still, no response.

Shi Li knew he was beyond furious. After a brief pause, she spoke helplessly, “I didn’t have any other choice. We were outnumbered, and calling the police wouldn’t have helped in time. For your safety, I had to take the risk.”

“I didn’t need you to,” Shen Jingyan said coldly.

Shi Li twitched the corner of her mouth, softening her tone. “Don’t be mad, okay? Nothing bad happened in the end—”

“Shut up.”

Shi Li immediately obeyed, staying silent the entire drive home.

By the time they arrived at the Shen family estate, she felt as if all the strength had drained from her body. She slumped in her seat, unable to even stand up.

A car door slammed shut. Startled, Shi Li looked up to see Shen Jingyan’s back as he stepped out of the car.

She forced herself to get up and jumped out, hurrying after him. As she did, she noticed that today’s security guard was the same one from her first visit to the Shen family. The moment their eyes met, he discreetly gave her a thumbs-up, as if to praise her for winning over Shen Jingyan so quickly.

Shi Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She waved at him before quickening her pace, but just then, Shen Jingyan abruptly stopped.

He turned around, his gaze dark and stormy, his voice hoarse as he spat out, “Get lost.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 1000%

Shi Li froze.

“Get out of the Shen family,” Shen Jingyan said, his bloodshot eyes burning with fury. “Don’t ever let me see you again.”

His voice was terrifying, as if he had just crawled out of hell. Every word seemed soaked in blood, carrying an overwhelming murderous intent.

Shi Li met his gaze for a few seconds before pressing her lips together and turning away.

As she walked past the security guard again, their eyes met once more. The guard looked dumbfounded, clearly not expecting things to take such a turn.

Shi Li walked slowly, step by step, before stopping. She turned back—and sure enough, Shen Jingyan was still standing in place, his eyes redder than ever.

A sour ache welled up in her heart. After a moment, she softly said, “Hug me… I’m really scared.”

Before she even finished speaking, Shen Jingyan suddenly strode forward and pulled her into a crushing embrace.

The security guard averted his eyes, choosing to pretend he didn’t understand the drama of young people.

Meanwhile, the drama continued. Shen Jingyan’s grip was almost painful, his bones pressing against her uncomfortably. After a while, Shi Li sighed and patted his back. “You’re hurting me.”

Shen Jingyan stiffened for a moment before slowly loosening his hold. His pitch-black eyes locked onto her. “Do you know you were wrong?”

“Yes,” Shi Li answered obediently.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 500%

“Will you do it again?” Shen Jingyan’s voice was rough, like sandpaper.

Shi Li shook her head. “No.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 50%

“…Will you leave me again?” His voice trembled slightly.

Shi Li took his hand. “I won’t.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 20%

Shen Jingyan pulled her into his arms once more, holding her tightly as if afraid she would vanish.

Shi Li nestled against him for a moment before hearing his voice above her head.

“I’ll give you one more chance. The last one. If you betray me again… I’ll make sure you never leave.”

“…Okay.”