CHAPTER 14

Shi Li was tightly embraced by Shen Jingyan, her soft body pressed firmly against his with no space in between. She soon began to feel short of breath.

After waiting a moment longer and realizing that Shen Jingyan had no intention of letting go, she had no choice but to speak helplessly, “Jingyan, my chest feels a little tight.”

Shen Jingyan immediately released her, gripping her shoulders and furrowing his brows with concern. “Where are you hurt?”

“You were holding me too tightly, so it was a bit hard to breathe,” Shi Li replied innocently.

Shen Jingyan paused for a moment, a fleeting look of speechlessness flashing across his eyes. Shi Li gave him a pleasing smile. “Now that you’ve let go, I feel much better.”

Shen Jingyan lifted his gaze and gave her a sweeping glance from head to toe. Only after confirming that she was unharmed did he speak expressionlessly, “Let’s go.”

With that, he turned and headed toward the house. Shi Li quickly followed behind him. They walked in silence, one ahead of the other. When they reached a fork in the path, Shi Li glanced at his back, hesitating whether to continue following or take the turn toward the dormitory instead.

As if Shen Jingyan had eyes on the back of his head, the moment she lifted her foot toward the side path, he issued a warning without even turning around. “Don’t.”

Shi Li immediately changed direction and resumed following behind him. Shen Jingyan seemed tired, and his pace gradually slowed until they were walking side by side.

She sneaked a glance at his profile before cautiously asking, “Should we send someone to support the butler?”

“Their target was me. Now that I’m gone, they won’t keep bothering him. He should be contacting me soon,” Shen Jingyan said calmly, not seeming the least bit worried.

Seeing his confidence, Shi Li stopped worrying about it.

As it turned out, he was right. As soon as they entered the bedroom, the butler called. After giving a brief report on the current situation, he quickly ended the call.

Shi Li watched as Shen Jingyan put down his phone and curiously asked, “How are the butler and the others?”

“They suffered minor injuries and are currently at the police station,” Shen Jingyan said as he sat down on the sofa. “Take it off.”

Shi Li had been about to ask more about the situation when his last words left her completely dumbfounded. “Take what off?”

“Your clothes.” Shen Jingyan was surprisingly patient tonight. “Let me check if you’re injured.”

Shi Li’s mouth twitched. “I’m not hurt.”

“I need to check for myself.” Shen Jingyan frowned at her, as if she were incapable of assessing her own injuries.

Shi Li was speechless. “There’s nothing to check. I’m really not—”

“Be good,” Shen Jingyan interrupted in a low voice.

Shi Li instantly fell silent. After a moment, she asked lifelessly, “All of it?”

Shen Jingyan’s frown deepened as if he were seriously considering whether that was necessary. Seeing his hesitation, Shi Li assumed he meant all of it, took a deep breath, and grabbed the hem of her T-shirt. Gritting her teeth, she pulled it off.

The moment her fair skin came into view, Shen Jingyan’s gaze darkened.

Summer clothes were thin and easy to remove. In just a dozen seconds, Shi Li had stripped down to her underwear—a light pink set with tiny strawberries.

Her figure was slender but well-proportioned, and the youthful undergarments seemed ill-fitting, too snug against her curves. The top, in particular, looked strained, dangerously close to overflowing.

At first, Shen Jingyan had genuinely just wanted to check for injuries. But now, with her standing in front of him like this, it was difficult to keep his thoughts pure.

Shi Li awkwardly covered her chest with her hands, her long legs pressed tightly together. She suddenly found herself unable to go through with this. A moment ago, it had seemed easy—after all, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her before. But now that she was standing there in nothing but two small pieces of fabric, she realized just how difficult it was.

…How was she, a girl who had never even had a boyfriend in real life, supposed to stand in front of a man and strip piece by piece? This was just inhumane.

Shi Li hesitated multiple times but couldn’t bring herself to continue. Finally, she gave up and glared at Shen Jingyan. “I’m not taking anything else off. Even if you get mad, I’m not doing it.” Even if my hatred value rises, I still won’t.

Surprisingly, Shen Jingyan didn’t show any displeasure at her defiance. Instead, he leaned back slightly, then gestured for her to come over. “Come here.”

Shi Li hesitated.

“Come here. Let me see if you’re hurt,” Shen Jingyan said with a straight face.

Shi Li was skeptical. “…You’re only going to check for injuries?”

“Of course,” Shen Jingyan replied, his expression serious.

Shi Li scoffed. “Could you at least tone down your gaze when you lie?”

His eyes were not only direct but intensely predatory. His stare alone felt like it was about to burn her. And he still dared to claim he just wanted to check for injuries?

Shen Jingyan narrowed his eyes, no longer bothering with pretense. He suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Shi Li yelped in surprise as she landed squarely on his lap, only to find herself firmly locked in his embrace.

“…I’ve noticed that whenever you do things like this, your strength suddenly increases,” Shi Li muttered, her cheeks flushed as she pushed against his chest.

Shen Jingyan remained expressionless. “I’ve always been strong.”

…Oh really? Then who was the one who, not too long ago, had been overpowered and unable to push anyone away? Shi Li quietly ridiculed him in her mind.

Shen Jingyan glanced at her and immediately saw through her thoughts. However, with her soft body nestled in his arms and a delicate fragrance filling the air, he had no time to argue with her.

“You’ve got a bruise here,” he suddenly said, his fingers grazing her thigh.

His palm was cool, and his touch was light. The moment he made contact, Shi Li flinched and quickly grabbed his hand.

“Does it hurt?” Shen Jingyan lifted his gaze.

Shi Li let out a dry laugh. “A little.”

In reality, it didn’t hurt at all—she just wanted to end this torment as soon as possible.

Shen Jingyan was silent for a moment, his gaze gradually clearing. After a pause, he said indifferently, “Put your clothes back on.”

…That’s it?

Shi Li looked at him in confusion. Noticing that his hatred value had dropped by another two points, now down to 18%, she realized he wasn’t actually mad. Without hesitation, she leaped out of his arms and hastily put her clothes back on. But as soon as she was dressed, Shen Jingyan pulled her right back into his embrace.

…Fine, if he wanted to hug, so be it. At least it felt much more comfortable now that she had clothes on.

Shi Li shifted awkwardly on his lap, but the moment she sensed a subtle change beneath her, she froze in place, too scared to move a muscle.

“You risked your life to save me today… Was it really just out of guilt?” Shen Jingyan suddenly asked.

Shi Li was still preoccupied with the strange sensation beneath her. She was just about to nod when his voice turned dangerous.

“Think carefully before you answer.”

The male lead’s hatred value was still at 18%, but in her vision, it flickered—brightening and dimming as if it could rise at any moment.

Shi Li: “…”

Since when did this thing get so advanced? She had never seen the hatred value flicker before—it looked like a KTV disco ball.

“Speak.”

Shen Jingyan’s face darkened at her silence, though he was still barely holding back his patience, as if waiting to hear something from her.

Shi Li wouldn’t disappoint him.

The moment she confirmed that the strange sensation was gone, she reached out, cupped his face, and said seriously, “Of course, it’s not just guilt.”

Shen Jingyan’s eyes sharpened. “Then what else?”

Shi Li blinked. “Gratitude, of course. After all, you took me in when I was struggling.”

Shen Jingyan narrowed his eyes.

Shi Li, enjoying herself a bit too much, continued dancing on the edge of danger. “And naturally, because I see you as a friend. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you—”

“Shi Li, if you say one more thing I don’t want to hear, you’ll bear the consequences,” Shen Jingyan cut in, utterly fed up.

Shi Li shut her mouth without hesitation.

The room fell silent.

After a moment, she beamed at him. “But most importantly, it’s because I like you. If anything happened to you, I don’t think I could go on living either.”

“Don’t say things like that again.” Shen Jingyan held her gaze. “I won’t believe you.”

“And I don’t want to hear it.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 13%

Shi Li: “…”

Ha. Men.

“It’s late. Sleep,” Shen Jingyan said indifferently.

Shi Li hummed in response and turned to leave, only to be pulled back by his frown.

“Where are you going?”

“To sleep,” Shi Li replied innocently.

Shen Jingyan’s expression darkened. “You’re sleeping here.”

“…Where?” Shi Li’s mind blanked for a second.

Shen Jingyan suppressed his irritation and said as calmly as possible, “With me. Move in. From now on, you’ll live with me.”

“…Alright.”

Shi Li had slept in his room plenty of times during her first transmigration, so she didn’t think much about it before agreeing.

Besides, his room’s air conditioning was much better than hers.

After a quick wash, she emerged wearing one of Shen Jingyan’s oversized sleep shirts. The top two buttons were left undone, revealing the delicate curve of her collarbone and just a hint of cleavage. She looked effortlessly relaxed and lazy, unaware of the dark glint in Shen Jingyan’s eyes as his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“I’m done. Your turn,” she said, missing the fleeting darkness in his gaze. She earnestly reminded him, “Your health isn’t great. Don’t stay in too long, or you might get exhausted.”

“I’m not as fragile as you think,” Shen Jingyan said, visibly displeased.

Shi Li knew he had an unnecessary sense of pride about these things, so she didn’t argue.

The moment he stepped into the bathroom, she lay down on the couch, utterly drained from the day’s events. She fell asleep almost instantly.

But before long, she was vaguely aware of a displeased voice speaking to her.

She let out a sleepy hum, not paying much attention.

Then suddenly, her body was lifted.

But just as quickly as she was picked up, she felt herself falling again.

Shi Li’s eyes flew open on instinct, and the next thing she knew, she had landed—on top of Shen Jingyan.

She stared blankly at the man beneath her, who looked thoroughly displeased. After a few seconds, she fully woke up.

“What… are you doing?”

“…Nothing.” Shen Jingyan’s expression was dark.

Shi Li was silent for a moment.

“You weren’t trying to carry me, but couldn’t lift me, so we both fell… were you?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t respond, but his lack of denial spoke volumes.

Shi Li knew this was just the calm before the storm.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Shen Jingyan exploded.

“So why were you sleeping on the couch?! The bed isn’t good enough?!”

“…Didn’t I always sleep on the couch before when I stayed in your room?”

Shi Li yawned, rubbing her temple. “Why did you even try to carry me? You should know your own condition—”

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw his expression.

Shen Jingyan was fuming, his breaths uneven with frustration, and even the corners of his eyes were tinged with a faint flush.

Worried that he might actually get worked up enough to pass out, Shi Li quickly helped him up.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong. I’ve been eating too much lately, so I must’ve gained weight. That’s why you couldn’t lift me.”

“…Shut up.” Shen Jingyan shot her a glare.

Shi Li stifled a laugh. “Are you mad?”

“No.” Shen Jingyan’s face remained tense.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 14%

…Liar.

Shi Li cleared her throat, barely holding back a chuckle. She cupped his face and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Shen Jingyan let out a quiet scoff, his eyes filled with apparent disdain—but the slight upward curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 10%

Shi Li’s eyes lit up. But before she could celebrate, a new message appeared below—

Hatred value has entered the final countdown. The tasker must return to the original transmigration point before the hatred value reaches zero. Upon reaching zero, the tasker will be instantly transported to the next world.

Shi Li froze.

…Wait, what?

She had to leave this world soon?

And before the male lead’s hatred value hit zero, she had to return to the exact spot where she first arrived?

If she remembered correctly… that place was in another city!