CHAPTER 29 (PART 3)

As she anxiously paced back and forth in front of the shutter door, she suddenly heard voices approaching.

Panicked, she darted behind a parked car.

The ventilation ducts in the parking lot still howled with a constant, eerie sound, and the occasional drip of water echoed in the empty space. Despite the noise, she could still hear the voices clearly.

“Boss, why is Miss Shi hiding?” someone asked loudly.

Shi Li’s heart nearly stopped. Shen Jingyan had come down too?

She strained her ears, trying to catch his response, but his voice was too soft against the background noise. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

The group drew closer. Shi Li held her breath and slipped under the car, praying they wouldn’t notice her.

Unfortunately, they stopped right in front of the very car she was hiding under.

Even in the darkness, she could clearly see a pair of shoes—Shen Jingyan’s.

…So he really did come looking for her.

Shi Li was on the verge of giving up.

“Boss, even though Miss Shi can’t get out, finding her in this huge parking lot won’t be easy. Why don’t you go upstairs and get things ready? Leave this to us,” the assistant suggested politely. “Time is tight. The surgery must begin as soon as possible.”

…Monster.

She had tried so hard to escape, yet he was still worried about delaying his experiment.

Shi Li silently added the assistant’s name to her personal death note. If she ever got the chance before leaving this world, she swore she would punch him.

“You guys go up first,” Shen Jingyan said indifferently.

Despite the noisy environment of the parking garage, Shi Li clearly heard Shen Jingyan’s voice since he was so close. She pressed her lips together, feeling her throat go dry for no apparent reason.

His assistant tried to persuade him, “Boss, time really isn’t on our side—”

“Go make the preparations,” Shen Jingyan interrupted.

The assistant had no choice but to comply, leading the others back upstairs. The parking garage instantly became eerily quiet, leaving only the sound of the wind and faint droplets of water.

Shi Li silently stared at Shen Jingyan’s feet. The longer he stood still, the faster her heart pounded. It was racing so fast it felt like it might leap out of her chest. Finally, she gave up and crawled out from under the car, looking utterly defeated.

Shen Jingyan calmly watched her emerge and, after she stood up, asked flatly, “Why aren’t you hiding anymore?”

“…You already found me. What’s the point?” Shi Li awkwardly pinched her earlobe, sneaking a cautious glance at him.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 10%

She had already attempted to escape, yet the value didn’t increase. Should she be grateful that his emotions weren’t like those of a normal person?

“I don’t want to undergo brain surgery. No matter how confident you are, you can’t guarantee it won’t fail, right? Aren’t things fine the way they are? Weren’t you happy today?” Shi Li pressed her back tightly against the car, trying to maintain as much distance from him as possible.

Shen Jingyan regarded her coolly. “Not pretending anymore?”

“Huh?” Shi Li was confused.

Shen Jingyan remained expressionless. “I thought you’d keep pretending you didn’t know what the experiment was about.”

Shi Li stiffened, her voice dropping. “You’re about to perform brain surgery on me. What’s the point of pretending… Wait, you knew all along that I was aware of the experiment?”

Her last sentence was a bit of a tongue twister, but the meaning was clear enough. At least, Shen Jingyan quickly gave her an answer: “Yes, I knew from the start.”

“…When did you find out?” Shi Li racked her brain, but she couldn’t recall revealing any slip-ups.

Shen Jingyan replied, “When you watched that autism movie, I suspected it. Then, after you visited the psychiatric hospital, I was sure.”

Shi Li: “…”

So he had known for quite some time.

She fell silent, staring at him for a while before a sudden thought struck her. “Then did you also know about me sneaking ice cream that time?”

“I didn’t know. I guessed.” Shen Jingyan answered.

Shi Li was momentarily speechless. “That morning, you said there would be no more tests, but by evening, you brought up the experiment again. Was it because I disobeyed you? Did you feel like I was out of control and that’s why you changed your mind?”

If that was the case, she might as well bang her head against a wall. She had never seen someone dig their own grave so thoroughly. Thankfully, Shen Jingyan denied it: “No.”

Shi Li let out a breath of relief, then asked in confusion, “Then why did you bring up the experiment again?”

“To scare you,” Shen Jingyan said, pausing briefly before adding, “It worked. After that day, you never touched ice cream again.”

Shi Li: “…”

So she had been played like a fool this whole time.

“It’s getting late. Come upstairs with me,” Shen Jingyan said flatly.

Shi Li hesitated, watching him closely before quietly asking, “One last question—how did you know I was here?”

“The chip injected into your wrist,” Shen Jingyan answered. “It’s a special anti-lost device my company developed for children. If you had even a little knowledge about this, you wouldn’t have asked.”

Shi Li was thoroughly crushed. She realized she truly wasn’t a match for this cunning fox and finally gave up. Like a prisoner awaiting capture, she obediently extended her hands as if asking him to put handcuffs on her. “If it makes you happy, then go ahead with the surgery.”

At this point, all she could do was hope the experiment would be successful. If, in the end, she became the person he wanted her to be and that made him happy, then eventually, her mission would be complete.

…She just wasn’t sure if she, reduced to something as mindless as an amoeba, would last that long.

Shi Li sighed repeatedly, looking pitiful and full of self-pity.

Shen Jingyan glanced at her, then reached out, grasped her wrist, and led her toward the stairwell. As they passed by his car, Shi Li didn’t forget to remind him, “We left the suitcase behind.”

“We’ll bring it up tomorrow when the elevators are working again,” Shen Jingyan replied.

Shi Li frowned. “That’s not a good idea. What if, during the surgery, my brain matter spills onto my clothes? I’ll need a clean change, won’t I?”

Shen Jingyan paused for a moment, his expression unreadable. “That won’t happen.”

“You can’t say that for sure,” Shi Li muttered, clearly not optimistic about the whole thing.

Shen Jingyan refused to continue the conversation.

The higher they climbed, the more anxious Shi Li became. She could only ease her nerves by talking. And as long as they hadn’t reached the lab yet, she wasn’t going to give up on persuading him. So she began painting a vivid picture of how terrifying brain surgery was.

“Sure, you’re a doctor, but you haven’t necessarily seen as much as I have. I once saw someone who was perfectly fine, but during brain surgery, the doctor lost control of the scalpel and accidentally stabbed it straight into his brain. He died on the spot.”

Shen Jingyan’s face remained emotionless.

“And there was this girl, kind of frail, about the same as me. She was having brain surgery too, but she died before they could do much of anything. People said she was scared to death. I think I might end up like that too.” Shi Li sighed for added effect.

Shen Jingyan was unmoved.

“Aren’t you going to reconsider? At least right now, I still listen to you somewhat. If I die, you’ll lose that completely,” Shi Li clutched his sleeve as they neared the final flight of stairs. “I’ll behave from now on. If you tell me not to eat ice cream, I won’t touch it. If you don’t want me going out, I’ll stay home. I swear I won’t go anywhere.”

Shen Jingyan finally reacted. “You’ll listen?”

“I will. Completely. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it,” Shi Li’s eyes lit up, thinking she had a chance.

Shen Jingyan stared at her for a long moment before finally responding with a single word—

“Oh.”

Then, without hesitation, he continued walking upstairs.

“…Oh? What do you mean by that? Do you believe me now? You’re not going to make me undergo surgery?” Shi Li followed closely behind him, looking hopeful. “Say something! Hurry up and tell me—have you given up on it? Let’s drive the doctors away right now.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the laboratory. The hall was empty—clearly, everyone was inside the operating room making preparations. Shen Jingyan led Shi Li into his office, then began changing his clothes, swapping into a loose-fitting white-striped suit.

The moment Shi Li saw him changing, she felt a wave of despair wash over her. “You… you’re still going through with the surgery?”

“Mm,” Shen Jingyan responded.

Shi Li was on the verge of tears. “I’ve been nothing but good to you all this time. I knew you had ulterior motives, yet I still chose to stay here with you. I never once thought about leaving. I’ve done everything I possibly could—don’t you feel even a little bit sorry for me?”

“I do,” Shen Jingyan replied.

Shi Li didn’t believe a single word of it. “If you really feel sorry for me, then why are you still making me undergo brain surgery?”

“I’m not making you,” Shen Jingyan finished changing, wrapped his hair up, and then finally turned to look at her. “I’m doing it.”

“You’re doing what—?” Shi Li’s voice suddenly cut off. After a long pause, she frowned. “What are you doing?”

“The surgery. I’m the one undergoing it,” Shen Jingyan said flatly. “If you were going to sneak a look at the files, why not read them properly? Didn’t you notice that the name of the doctor just now is the same as the lead surgeon on the voluntary consent form I signed back then? Over the years, I’ve been working with him, continuing the research from that project. It’s now at a mature stage. If all goes well, my emotional responses should be restored.”

Shi Li stared at him, stunned. After a long moment, she finally processed his words. “T-Then… what happens if it fails?”

Shen Jingyan thought for a moment. “Most likely, whatever little feelings I have for you will disappear completely.”

Shi Li opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word. If all of his feelings for her were erased, it would mean that the hatred value would vanish in another sense—her mission would be complete. And yet, for some reason, she didn’t want him to take this risk. She’d rather do it the slow way, eliminating the hatred value bit by bit.

“I originally planned to perform the surgery myself,” Shen Jingyan said. “But this afternoon, I kept thinking about calling you over. I hope that when I wake up after the surgery, the first thing I see is you—and that my emotions will have returned.”

Shi Li hesitated. “…But what if it fails?”

Shen Jingyan was silent for a moment. “Even if I lose everything, it’s still better than how I am now.”

Shi Li was taken aback, for the first time sensing his deep unwillingness to remain like this.

The office fell into silence. After a long pause, Shi Li took his hand. “I’ll wait for you outside the operating room. No matter how long it takes, I’ll be here. So, you have to come out of there safely.”

“Mm.” Shen Jingyan responded softly. After a brief thought, he curved his lips slightly and attempted to smile at her, though it looked rather unnatural.