CHAPTER 30 (PART 1)

After Shen Jingyan was wheeled into the operating room, Shi Li grabbed a small stool and sat outside the door, keeping watch.

Based on what she had gathered earlier, the surgery was expected to take around four hours. Tonight was bound to be a long night. Shi Li wanted to find something to do to pass the time, but when she actually tried, she realized she had no interest in anything at all.

She anxiously stared at the doors of the operating room. She wanted to rush in and ask about the progress, but thankfully, her rationality held her back.

Time ticked by slowly—it felt like an eternity had passed. When she checked her phone, only thirty minutes had gone by. Frustrated, she stood up and paced around the doorway. After a while, she asked the system in her mind, “Did this surgery succeed in the original novel?”

—The tasker does not have the right to know future developments in this novel. If you wish to know, you must exchange an item for the information.

Shi Li frowned. “What do I have to exchange?”

—The petal-shaped mark on your wrist.

Confused, Shi Li glanced at her wrist. Seeing the mark left from the previous world, she was about to agree when she suddenly thought of something. “Wait—does this scene even exist in the original novel?”

The system remained silent.

Shi Li narrowed her eyes. “I’m not asking for plot details, just whether this scene was originally in the story. Why aren’t you answering?”

After a moment, three words appeared in her mind: It does not exist.

Shi Li let out a cold laugh, a wave of anger surging through her. She was already anxious enough, and this damn system was still trying to trick her. But with Shen Jingyan lying on the operating table, she didn’t have the time or energy to argue with the system. Instead, she asked one last question: “Is there any way to guarantee the surgery’s success?”

The system seemed to realize it had pushed her too far this time. After a long pause, a line of text slowly appeared: The fates of the characters in the novel are beyond the system’s control.

So, in other words, it had no way of ensuring success either. Shi Li’s shoulders slumped, disappointment flashing in her eyes.

The light above the operating room door remained on. She stayed where she was, waiting quietly. Two more hours passed before she finally saw the door open. Seeing someone step out, Shi Li scrambled up from her stool—only to stand up too quickly, causing a wave of dizziness to hit her. She swayed on her feet before finally stabilizing herself.

“Miss Shi, be careful,” a gentle nurse reminded her.

Shi Li quickly snapped out of it. “How is Shen Jingyan? How’s he doing?”

“The surgery is still ongoing, but everything is proceeding smoothly so far,” the nurse said. After hesitating for a moment, she added, “Would you like to go rest for a while? There’s still a long way to go before the surgery ends. You should conserve your energy so you’ll have the strength to take care of the boss later.”

“No, it’s fine. I won’t be able to sleep anyway. You can go back to work.” Shi Li forced a bitter smile and continued waiting at the door.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade her, the nurse left to attend to her duties. Once again, Shi Li was left alone outside the operating room.

She continued to endure the long wait, pacing back and forth anxiously. Another two hours dragged by. By now, over four hours had passed, yet the light above the door showed no sign of turning off. Shi Li grew even more uneasy, her frown deepening until it looked as if it could crush a fly.

Four hours passed. Then five.

The operating room remained silent, and even the nurse who had come out occasionally before was nowhere to be seen now. She wanted to ask for an update, but there was no one to ask.

Shi Li continued waiting in torment. Finally, as the sixth hour arrived, the light above the operating room went out. She immediately stood up, staring intently at the tightly shut door. Ten minutes later, several people in white coats stepped out first.

She rushed over, her first question being, “How is he?”

The group paused briefly before answering honestly, “It’s hard to say. We’ll have to see how he is after he wakes up.”

Shi Li frowned. “What do you mean by ‘hard to say’? Shouldn’t you be very clear about his condition?”

“Miss Shi, you’re just too anxious. Please don’t take it the wrong way,” Shen Jingyan’s assistant interjected. “I’ll have Xiao Zhang escort everyone to the airport.”

With that, he shot a glance at the others, who promptly led the doctors away.

Shi Li looked at him in disapproval. “Now that they’ve left, who’s going to take care of Shen Jingyan?”

“We can handle it. No need to worry, Miss Shi,” the assistant reassured her with a smile. “Though I may only be an assistant here, in a hospital, I’m also a highly skilled lead surgeon.”

Seeing how calm he was, Shi Li gradually relaxed. “You don’t seem nervous at all. Does that mean the surgery was very successful?”

“In terms of the procedure itself, yes, it was a success. The damage to his brain was minimized as much as possible,” the assistant answered carefully. “However, we can’t predict what he’ll be like after waking up. Since it was brain surgery, his condition will depend on how he responds afterward. But don’t worry—his life is not in danger. That alone is already a great outcome. The rest… we’ll have to wait and see.”

Shi Li pressed her lips together and, after a moment, gave a soft reply. As the others pushed Shen Jingyan out of the operating room, she quickly followed.

The biotech company’s facilities were indeed well-equipped. As soon as Shen Jingyan was out of surgery, he was transferred to a sterile observation room. Shi Li was forced to stop at the glass doors, peering inside at him through the transparent glass.

She couldn’t see him clearly, but she vaguely noticed that all his hair seemed to have been shaved off. Now, his head was wrapped layer upon layer in bandages as he lay silently on the hospital bed.

Shi Li stared at him for a moment before suddenly thinking of something—if the surgery ultimately failed, then right now, he should be in a state of neither love nor hatred toward her. That meant her mission should have been completed, and she ought to be leaving. But since she was still standing here, did that mean the surgery had actually succeeded and he was about to become a normal person?

Her heartbeat suddenly quickened. Just as she felt a bit of relief, a line of text appeared in her mind: The hatred value of a sleeping male lead cannot be detected. His emotional state can only be determined once he wakes up.

…So she had gotten ahead of herself?

Shi Li was speechless for a moment. She sat down on the ground, leaning against the glass door, silently praying that Shen Jingyan would recover soon.

When the assistant and others came to check on Shen Jingyan, they saw Shi Li sitting by the door. After some thought, they brought her a folding bed.

“Sitting like that is too uncomfortable. You should lie down and wait. Otherwise, you’ll lose too much strength and won’t be able to take care of the boss later.”

Shi Li originally wanted to refuse but, after considering it, she thanked them instead. She set up the folding bed and lay down.

Lying on her side, she gazed at Shen Jingyan inside the sterile room. She didn’t know how long she watched him before her consciousness gradually blurred. Though she resisted, she still fell into a deep sleep.

In her sleep, she felt as if the bed beneath her was moving. She let out a dissatisfied hum, wanting to open her eyes to check, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wake up. In the end, frustrated, she drifted off again.

By the time she truly woke up, it was already afternoon.

Opening her eyes, she found herself alone in the spacious room. An inexplicable emptiness filled her chest.

Shi Li stared at the ceiling for a long time before confirming that she was in the private rest area of Shen Jingyan’s office—not in another novel world.

…Right, Shen Jingyan.

Thinking of him, she struggled to sit up. After glancing around to make sure no one was there, she quickly ran outside.

Just as she reached the office door and pulled it open, she bumped into a young nurse who was coming in.

Both of them let out startled gasps, taking a few steps back before they managed to steady themselves.

“Miss Shi, are you alright?” the nurse asked.

Shi Li shook her head. As she helped pick up the scattered items on the ground, she anxiously asked, “Shen Jingyan—has he woken up?”

“The boss woke up briefly at noon but soon fell asleep again. He’s still resting now,” the nurse replied. “Don’t worry, his condition is stable.”

Hearing this, Shi Li let out a sigh of relief. Then, she asked the question she was most concerned about.

“So… does that mean the surgery was successful? Can he now experience emotions like a normal person?”

“It’s too soon to say,” the nurse chuckled helplessly. “He just had surgery. His body is still weak, so we can’t determine his emotional state based on external reactions alone.”

“Then do a checkup on him!” Shi Li urged.

The nurse shook her head awkwardly. “That won’t work. As the anesthesia wears off, the pain from the surgical wounds will set in. That pain might trick the brain into thinking it’s an emotional response, which would make the test results inaccurate. We need to wait two or three days—until his mind is fully clear and the pain has lessened—before conducting a thorough examination. Only then can we get an accurate result.”

…At this rate, it would be faster for her to figure it out herself.

Shi Li nodded. Seeing that the nurse had nothing more to say, she thanked her and went to see Shen Jingyan.

Sure enough, he was still asleep, but he had been moved from the sterile room to a regular hospital room. Now, she could finally stay by his side and observe him closely.

His hair had indeed been completely shaved off, but his strikingly handsome features remained unaffected. If anything, it only made his facial structure even more refined. Unfortunately, his lips were a bit pale, revealing the fragility left behind by his serious condition.

Shi Li sighed softly and quietly sat beside him, waiting for him to wake up so she could check his hatred value. Through that, she could determine whether his emotional mechanism had changed.

However, it seemed as though Shen Jingyan was deliberately going against her wishes. The more she wanted him to wake up, the deeper he slept.

Even by nighttime, he still showed no signs of waking.

Shi Li had no choice but to go eat by herself. But just as she returned from dinner, she was met with surprising news.

“He woke up?”

She immediately set down the half-eaten burger in her hand.

“I’m going to see him.”

“Miss Shi,” the assistant hurriedly stopped her, his face showing a hint of awkwardness. “Um… the boss said he’s feeling really unwell right now and doesn’t want to see anyone.”

Shi Li was taken aback. “Including me?”

“…I think he meant you specifically,” the assistant replied dryly.

Shi Li’s mind went blank. “Why doesn’t he want to see me? …Did the surgery fail?”

That would be the only reason. If the surgery had failed, she would no longer have any significance to him, which would explain why he refused to see her.

“It’s still too early to tell. We need more time to observe,” the assistant said. But despite his words, the sympathy in his eyes was unmistakable.

Shi Li fell silent for a moment and was about to turn and leave when a thought suddenly struck her—maybe his emotions had recovered, and along with them, his hatred for her had increased. That’s why he didn’t want to see her!

Her heart immediately started pounding. She lifted her foot, ready to walk into the hospital room to check his hatred value herself.

The assistant quickly stopped her. “Miss Shi, please don’t make things difficult for us. The boss is very weak right now; he can’t handle any agitation.”

His last words made Shi Li pause. She remained silent for a moment before looking at him solemnly. “I won’t go in. I just want to see his eyes.”

“Miss Shi…” The assistant was at a loss for words.

Shi Li hesitated, then let out a quiet sigh. “Forget it. If he doesn’t want to see me, I won’t go in… Can he eat now? Does he have any dietary restrictions? Tell me about them.”

The assistant was momentarily stunned, then felt a wave of emotion wash over him. “Miss Shi, you’re really… devoted.”

Even though the boss seemed to have no intention of keeping her around, she still wanted to cook for him.

Shi Li forced a weak smile. After getting the necessary information, she left for home.

She had only been away for a little over a day, but it felt like she hadn’t been home in ages. Sitting down on the couch, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he had completely recovered. Otherwise, she would have been transported to the next world by now.

Although the challenge of having to win him over again loomed ahead, the thought that he had returned to normal made the corners of Shi Li’s lips curl up uncontrollably. After resting for a bit, she went into the kitchen to research nutritious meals for patients.

The next morning, she brought a meal to the hospital. Shen Jingyan still refused to see her, so she handed the meal to the assistant and sat outside the ward for a while before leaving.

For the next few days, she delivered three meals a day on time, sitting outside his ward for an hour each time before heading home to plan the next meal.

On the fifth day, when she appeared at the ward’s entrance again, the assistant greeted her with a smile. “The boss is willing to see you now! Go on in.”

Shi Li froze. “He wants to see me?”

“Yes, Miss Shi! We ran his final tests today and confirmed that his emotional mechanisms are indeed recovering. However, his emotions haven’t fully returned yet—he’s beginning to experience basic feelings like happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy, but the more subtle emotions will take some time. The brain is truly amazing; after all the damage it suffered, it’s still capable of healing itself…”

The assistant kept talking, but Shi Li’s attention was already locked on the door in front of her. She hesitated for a moment, then silently turned to leave.

“Miss Shi, you can go in now,” the assistant reminded her.

Shi Li forced an awkward smile. “Uh… I just remembered I have laundry at home that I need to wash. I’ll go do that first.”

A sudden thought crossed her mind—since Shen Jingyan had recovered, was he going to gradually turn back into the ruthless person he used to be?

From what she knew of his temperament, someone like her—who had betrayed him—was probably in for a brutal revenge.

Maybe it was safer to work on improving his favorability first. Meeting him now seemed too risky.

“Laundry isn’t as important as the boss. Hurry up and go inside,” the assistant urged.

Shi Li’s smile stiffened even further. “I’ve given it some thought, and I think it’s best not to agitate him right now. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading home…”

“Come in.”

A hoarse voice drifted out from the hospital room.

Shi Li paused for a long moment before stiffly lifting her foot and stepping inside. After a few steps, she locked eyes with him.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 50%

Shi Li: “……”

Huh? That was much lower than she expected.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Shen Jingyan asked indifferently.