Does he even need to ask? Of course, it was both!

The original character had only met the male lead twice, so there was no way to contact him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so impatient and rushed from another city to find him. Of course, Jiang Mian secretly didn’t want to contact Shen Shiyan!

She would rather stay as far away from him as possible!

Jiang Mian said with a hint of frustration, “I don’t have your number. I can’t get in touch with you!”

“……”

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Shiyan finally acknowledged that he hadn’t paid much attention to Jiang Mian at first, so they hadn’t exchanged contact information.

But now, he had changed his mind. He took out his phone, exchanged contact details with Jiang Mian, and even added her on WeChat.

To show her deep affection, Jiang Mian made sure to pin Shen Shiyan’s WeChat at the top of her contacts.

The man looked at it with unspoken satisfaction and said, “Make sure to contact me from now on, understood?”

Jiang Mian nodded eagerly and promised, “I’ll call and message you every day!”

She’ll be a daily nuisance to him!

Shen Shiyan merely grunted in response, not taking her words to heart.

Once they arrived at the hotel, Jiang Mian quickly made an excuse about feeling unwell and hurried into the bathroom.

She turned the faucet on full blast, called the hotel front desk, and canceled the reservation for the night.

Seeing the refund come through, Jiang Mian let out a sigh of relief. She propped her chin on her hand, staring at her balance on Alipay, still looking troubled.

Currently, the original character was just a college student, relying on her parents for a monthly allowance of fifteen hundred yuan.

In a first-tier city, fifteen hundred yuan was neither too much nor too little; it’s enough to cover basic needs.

However, Jiang Mian was known for her extravagant spending. As a small internet influencer, she frequently bought various cosmetics for reviews, which further strained her already tight budget. As a result, she was left with only five hundred yuan.

Jiang Mian came from a good family, but during college, she stumbled into the beauty industry. She posted a casual beauty tutorial on a niche video platform, and although her initial fan base was small, an agent approached her with a contract offer.

What started as a way to pass the time during college unexpectedly became her career. She gained increasing fame in the beauty industry and, after partnering with a friend to open a studio, became her boss, leading to a steady influx of income.

It had been a long time since she had lived on just five hundred yuan for an entire month. And with the month just beginning, how was she going to stretch that money until the end?

With a heavy sigh, she thought that at this rate, she’d starve before she even received the breakup money from Shen Shiyan.

When she got back, she’d need to seriously consider how to return to her old business.

Jiang Mian emerged from the bathroom with a worried expression, when the man called her to join him for a meal.

Shen Shiyan didn’t have a big appetite, especially in the evenings when he ate very little.

After taking a few casual bites, he set down his chopsticks and watched Jiang Mian eat intently.

Jiang Mian nodded enthusiastically, and without much thought, she picked up a piece of coconut daifuku and held it out towards him. “Mm, this is really delicious. Try it!”

Her swift movement caused her fingertips to accidentally brush against the corner of his mouth. Shen Shiyan was momentarily stunned; he had never eaten anything that someone else had fed him before.

However, the woman across from him looked up with bright, eager eyes. If he didn’t eat, she would be deeply disappointed, and those shining eyes would lose their sparkle.

Jiang Mian also realized what she was doing—feeding the male lead a dessert was practically flirting with him!

Just as she was about to retract her hand, the piece of coconut daifuku was suddenly bitten off in one go. The bite was so forceful that he even nipped her finger.

His soft, moist tongue lightly traced her fingertip, sending a shiver through her. It felt as if countless tiny electrical currents surged from her fingertip making her whole body tingle and her mind go blank.

Jiang Mian stared blankly at the man in front of her as her wide eyes reflecting his smile—enigmatic and captivating.

Shen Shiyan wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, but he found Jiang Mian’s silly demeanor amusing.

He had seemingly unintentionally nipped her finger while biting the daifuku, quickly releasing it as if nothing had happened. He wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth with his long fingers and remarked. “It’s actually quite good!”

His gaze held a certain ambiguity, leaving her unsure whether he was commenting on the dessert or her finger.

Jiang Mian’s realization came slowly, and her face flushed with embarrassment. Her eyes quickly filled with tears as she hurriedly retracted her finger.

She was incredibly frustrated. Why didn’t he follow the usual rules?

Despite clearly not liking sweets, he ate the daifuku anyway—and to top it off, he bit her finger.

Under the table, the finger he had touched was now red from her anxious twisting.

How could she handle such a surprise attack from Shen Shiyan?

She desperately wanted to rush into the bathroom and take a cold shower to cool down.

Jiang Mian, you have to hold yourself together. Shen Shiyan is not someone to mess with; once you provoke him, it’ll be over!

Jiang Mian repeated this mantra in her mind three times, as if reciting a calming incantation, and her agitation finally eased a bit.

After finishing her meal, she quickly made her escape, keeping her distance from Shen Shiyan.

Just from a bite on her finger, he had scared her off. And she still claimed to like him—what a little liar!

After dinner, Shen Shiyan retired to the study next door to get some work done.

Jiang Mian lounged on the sofa, absently watching TV. In just half an hour, she had yawned repeatedly, more than a dozen times.

Last night, she was certain Shen Shiyan wouldn’t make a move on her. But tonight, she wasn’t so sure!

He had been unusually out of character today, especially with the way he looked at her earlier—it was as if he wanted to devour her.

If they ended up sleeping together, who knows what he might do?

For her own safety, she decided it was best to spend the night on the sofa.

Another half hour passed, and Jiang Mian was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. She let herself drift off into the comfort of the soft sofa.

Just as she was about to sink into a blissful sleep, a voice suddenly jolted her awake.

“Go to your room and sleep.”

The familiar and unsettling voice snapped Jiang Mian out of her drowsy state.

She blinked open her eyes, only to find Shen Shiyan standing in front of her, though she had no idea how long he had been there or how long he had been watching her.

She protested. “I’m not asleep; I was watching TV!”

As she glanced at the screen, she realized it was completely black—the TV had been turned off at some point.

Embarrassed, she said, “I’m actually just well-rested now and wanted to watch TV!”

She stood up to grab the remote, but the man suddenly approached her. “Are you feeling unwell again? Do you want me to carry you back to your room?”

With his words, Jiang Mian’s remaining drowsiness vanished. She jumped up from the sofa and said. “I’ll go to bed right away!”

Shen Shiyan nodded in satisfaction. “Take a shower first, then go to bed.”

A shower?

Jiang Mian turned around, casting a hurried glance at him. She almost stumbled but managed to catch herself against the wall, her face flushed as she let out a surprised sound. Heart pounding, she quickly retreated into the bedroom.

A shower—could it mean what she feared?

She shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the terrifying thought from her mind. She repeated to herself, ‘It can’t be, it can’t be. Shen Shiyan wouldn’t be interested in a substitute like me!‘

Even though she tried to convince herself that Shen Shiyan wouldn’t do anything to her, Jiang Mian still wrapped herself tightly in the blankets and snuggled into bed.

She waited for a long time but didn’t hear Shen Shiyan return. Drowsiness gradually overcame her, and she yawned. Was he not coming back to sleep tonight?

If that’s the case, it would be just perfect!

Wrapped in her blanket, she soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.

She dreamt that after being rejected by Shen Shiyan, he gave her a check for a hundred million as compensation. Overjoyed, she then bought a lottery ticket and won a five-hundred-million jackpot. Surrounded by handsome men, she was lavished with affection from all sides…

Hehe, she was truly the winner of life!

Meanwhile, Shen Shiyan felt the little woman beside him shift and wrap her arms around his waist. He wondered what delightful dream she was having, as she even smiled in her sleep.

He gently tilted her face, and despite the dim light he could clearly make out her features.

With a cold snort, he wondered how Ji Zishen could think there was any similarity between them, and why he’d even consider sending Jiang Mian to his side.

Jiang Mian had a blissful night’s sleep and woke up naturally.

She tried to stretch, only to realize she was still holding something warm. She instinctively pressed her hand against it; it felt soft yet firm, with a pleasantly bouncy texture—almost like the chest muscles of a handsome guy she might have dreamt about!

“Awake already?”

Shen Shiyan’s sudden words jolted Jiang Mian from her half-asleep state. She blinked her eyes open and found herself staring directly into his dark gaze.

She blinked hard, realizing the man in front of her was real and not a figment of her imagination.

“Now that you’re awake, move your hand.” Shen Shiyan said, glancing at her hand.

Following his gaze, Jiang Mian noticed her hand was resting on his waist with her palm pressed against his abs.

So it wasn’t just a vivid dream—she really had been feeling his abs.

Jiang Mian awkwardly pulled her hand back, giving a sheepish laugh as she awkwardly explained. “I must have slept in a weird position!”

Shen Shiyan replied. “It’s clear, indeed not very good!”

Suddenly, Shen Shiyan shifted his legs, causing Jiang Mian to shift along with him.

Startled, she looked down and realized that her legs were draped across his body!

Jiang Mian sprang up from the bed, kneeling on it. “I didn’t do it on purpose, I—”

She stumbled over her words, her mind a jumble and was unsure how to explain.

“Oh? Did you come all this way just to seduce me?” Shen Shiyan teased.

“Ah!”

>>>