CHAPTER 28 (PART 1)

By the time she had been thoroughly devoured, Shi Li finally realized she had been tricked. She silently mourned for her intelligence for three seconds.

They had been at it until the latter half of the night. Only then did Shen Jingyan unhurriedly carry her to the bathroom. Her legs were weak, and she could barely stand, so he placed her in the bathtub and began washing her carefully.

However, despite his serious attitude, his lack of emotions made it seem as if he were washing dishes. Shi Li stared at him in silence. After a moment, she suggested, “Maybe… I should do it myself?”

“Do you have the strength?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li shut her mouth in despair. The sound of water sloshing filled the bathroom again.

Because they had exhausted themselves earlier, the warm water made her drowsy. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she was just about to doze off when suddenly, she heard the sound of water splashing. The next second, Shen Jingyan stepped into the tub.

She jolted awake. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking a bath too,” Shen Jingyan replied calmly.

Shi Li’s mouth twitched. “…Then let me get out first.”

Shen Jingyan said nothing, simply staring at her with his dark, ink-like eyes.

After three seconds of silent eye contact, Shi Li quietly shifted to the side. Shen Jingyan got in as he wished, causing the water in the tub to overflow. By the time they both got out, barely any water was left in the tub.

Back in bed, Shi Li nestled into a comfortable position in Shen Jingyan’s arms and, with her eyes closed, discussed what had just happened. “Didn’t you say you don’t feel much emotion, even with me? Then how were you able to do that? And so… normally?”

“My physiological functions have always been normal. You’re the one who assumed I wasn’t,” Shen Jingyan replied evenly.

Shi Li snorted. “You sure? Then tell me, how long has it been since you last… helped yourself?”

Shen Jingyan paused. “Not since my experiment failed. I haven’t wanted to.”

“There, see? Normally, that kind of thing starts with desire, with the urge to do it. If you don’t even have that impulse, then how did you manage to… act like a normal man?” This was the question that had been bothering Shi Li all along.

And yet, as she finished asking, she felt something was still off. Because even though he wasn’t entirely normal, at least according to her previous experiences in the novel world, a man’s first time was usually quick due to emotional excitement. But Shen Jingyan, having no emotions at all, had no such issue—whether it was his first or last time, there was no concept of ‘fast’ or ‘slow.’

…Hmm. Could this be considered a unique talent?

Shen Jingyan closed his eyes as well. “I did have the urge.”

“Hm?”

“My urge is driven by instinct, not emotion,” Shen Jingyan explained before adding, “An instinct that only exists for you.”

Shi Li opened her eyes and, after a long pause, looked up at him. “Classmate Shen, your ability to say romantic things is getting stronger.”

“I’m merely stating facts,” Shen Jingyan said plainly.

Shi Li’s lips curled into a smile. “And that’s exactly why it feels so moving.”

Shen Jingyan stared at her for a moment before tightening his arms around her. “I can’t grasp complex emotions, so… you’re happy now?”

“Mm. Very happy,” Shi Li answered truthfully.

Shen Jingyan gave a slight nod. “Then that’s all that matters.”

The room fell into a comfortable silence.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Shen Jingyan started feeling sleepy, he heard Shi Li whisper, “I hope we can stay like this forever, never changing for a lifetime.”

Shen Jingyan’s gaze darkened for a moment, but he didn’t answer her.

After saying those words, Shi Li clearly felt his muscles stiffen for a brief moment, and only then did she close her eyes in satisfaction. He didn’t have to answer her—just having a reaction was enough.

A reaction meant that, deep down, he also had a little hope for the same thing. With that thought in her half-drowsy mind, Shi Li slowly drifted into a deep, sweet sleep.

The two of them barely fell asleep before dawn, and after such exhaustion, Shi Li felt like she could never sleep enough. In the end, it was hunger that finally woke her up.

When she opened her eyes, her stomach was growling fiercely. Her whole body was sore, and an unspeakable place was particularly uncomfortable. Just moving her legs slightly made it ache.

The spot beside her was long empty—he had probably gone to the company. Shi Li struggled to get up, but the moment her feet touched the ground, a sharp soreness shot through her calves, and she collapsed back onto the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, she finally decided—fine, she might as well starve to death in bed.

Just as that thought surfaced, a faint aroma of food drifted in. Shi Li, who was so hungry that her mind had turned foggy, thought she was hallucinating at first. But as the scent grew stronger, a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.

“Shen Jingyan?” she called out hoarsely.

A minute later, Shen Jingyan pushed the door open. Seeing that she was awake, he reminded her, “Get up and eat.”

“I can’t get up,” Shi Li looked at him pitifully.

Shen Jingyan paused. “Why?”

“It hurts… Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Shi Li was speechless. Ever since this man stopped pretending, he had become even more blunt.

Shen Jingyan understood and slowly approached her. Shi Li watched him silently, expecting him to carry her to the bathroom. But just as he reached her, he set his sights on her pajama pants.

Seeing him about to pull them down, Shi Li panicked and grabbed hold of them. “Shen Jingyan, I already told you it hurts! Are you even human?!”

“I need to check the injury so I can get the right medicine,” Shen Jingyan looked up at her, thought for a moment, and asked, “Or would you rather have a doctor take a look?”

“I don’t want anyone to look.” Shi Li’s face was expressionless.

Shen Jingyan remained equally expressionless. “Don’t ignore a medical issue out of embarrassment.”

“…You’re overthinking it. I refuse to talk about this any further. Just help me to the bathroom, then bring my food in here. I’m eating in your room today.” Given her current miserable state—all thanks to his lack of restraint—Shi Li decided to be willful for once.

Shen Jingyan gave her an unreadable glance before turning and walking out. Shi Li hadn’t expected such a reaction. She was stunned for a moment, then felt utterly dejected.

…Shen Jingyan was truly heartless. Even if he didn’t want her to eat in his room, he didn’t have to just turn around and leave. Was he planning to starve her?

Just as she was spiraling into her thoughts, Shen Jingyan came back in, carrying her toothbrush and towel. Shi Li blinked. When he placed them in the bathroom, she wordlessly reached out to him. Shen Jingyan lifted her into his arms, and finally, she felt a sense of satisfaction.

After freshening up, Shen Jingyan carried her back to bed. Not only did Shi Li get to eat in his room as she wished, but she also ate while sitting comfortably in bed—messy yet blissful. All her previous grievances vanished in an instant.

However, after finishing her meal, Shen Jingyan went to the door to pick up a package, and everything changed.

Shi Li sat in the corner, hugging a pillow like a shield, looking utterly alarmed. “Y-You—stay back! If you come any closer, I won’t be polite!”

“You need to apply medicine,” Shen Jingyan said flatly, holding the ointment that had just been delivered via same-day shipping.

Shi Li frowned. “I don’t need it.” It wasn’t a big deal—she would be fine in a couple of days. There was no need to embarrass herself like this.

“Come here,” Shen Jingyan repeated.

Shi Li didn’t move, clearly intent on resisting to the end.

Shen Jingyan waited patiently for a full minute before grabbing her ankle and yanking her toward him. His sudden forceful movement tugged at her injury, making her face instantly go pale. Now sprawled on the bed in defeat, she stared lifelessly at the ceiling.

Realizing that there was no escaping this, she simply shut her eyes, refusing to look, and let him do whatever he wanted.

Shen Jingyan’s method of applying the medicine was exceptionally meticulous. This, unfortunately, made the process feel unbearably slow. Worse yet, Shi Li suspected he was doing it on purpose—because every so often, he would brush against her in ways that made it impossible for her to suppress a soft gasp.

By the time he was done, half an hour had passed. When he pulled her pajama pants back up, Shi Li silently curled up in the blanket, her eyes slightly red as she turned away. She didn’t cry—she just needed time to calm down after all his teasing.

Her frustration was practically written all over her face, and Shen Jingyan easily picked up on it. So, he lay beside her in silence, quietly keeping her company.

Only when her breathing evened out, signaling that she had fallen asleep, did he close his eyes as well, finally getting some rest himself.

After all, the one who had worked the fields so hard last night was him—he needed to recover too.

The two of them slept on and off, finally regaining their strength. When Shen Jingyan resumed his regular work schedule, Shi Li officially moved into his room.

She had assumed that since their relationship had progressed further, Shen Jingyan would temporarily ease up on his experiments. But to her surprise, the preparations for his research continued as usual.

Nearly every day, she had to follow him to the company and undergo various data recordings.

As time passed, Shi Li started feeling a growing sense of urgency—she had to do something.

One night, Shen Jingyan was working late. When he returned home, he found Shi Li sitting in the living room, watching a movie. He walked over and handed her a freshly bought roasted sweet potato. “Midnight snack.”

“Not hungry,” Shi Li glanced at him before turning back to the screen, looking unusually melancholic.

Shen Jingyan followed her gaze and, after a brief pause, sat down beside her. After watching for a moment, he realized it was a movie about depression.

The story followed a young boy who was both withdrawn and severely depressed. The only person he would accept in his life was his mother. He could only remain calm when she was by his side, but the moment she left or had to go out, he would fall into painful turmoil.

The movie had a sorrowful and slow-paced rhythm. Shen Jingyan glanced at Shi Li and, noticing the redness in the corners of her eyes, thoughtfully handed her a tissue.

Shi Li thanked him and took it, continuing to watch the movie. However, the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes lingered faintly at the tip of her nose, and she was practically starving.

To avoid being completely distracted by the sweet potato, she cleared her throat and started a conversation with Shen Jingyan. “Do you like sad movies like this?”

“I don’t like watching movies,” Shen Jingyan replied honestly. For most people, the joy of watching movies came from empathizing with the characters, but he lacked that ability, so he had little interest in the activity.

Shi Li paused for a moment before sharing, “This movie is really good. I already watched it once before you got back.”