Jiang Mian said she was going back to her room to fetch her down jacket, but as she passed by Shen Shiyan, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She looked up at him in confusion, blinking her eyes as if asking, what now?

Shen Shiyan took a deep breath. “Forget it, let the housekeeper take care of it tomorrow.”

Jiang Mian obediently replied with an “oh” but inside she was furiously insulting him.

He was the one who couldn’t stand the mess and told her to take out the trash and now he’s stopping her from doing it!

“Mr. Shen, could you let go of my hand first?”

Only then did Shen Shiyan realized he was still gripping her wrist, and with considerable force. He looked down and saw the petite woman gently furrowing her brows, her expression pitiful and aggrieved as if she were in pain.

It reminded him of the dream where he had toyed wit her at will, and she had cried out in pain, her tearful and wronged appearance both heartbreaking and irresistibly alluring.

Shen Shiyan felt he was under some kind of spell to have such thoughts about her.

He released her hand, but Jiang Mian, unaware of his inner turmoil leaned closer to him instead. She rubbed her slightly reddened wrist and held it out in front of him, complaining. “Mr. Shen, you’re too strong! Look, my wrist is all red!”

Shen Shiyan frowned, glancing down at her wrist. Indeed, the area he had gripped was flushed red.

“So delicate.” He said coldly.

Making a fuss over such a small thing—what else could it but delicate?

Jiang Mian pouted unhappily, giving him a look of displeasure. “It really hurts!” she muttered under her breath.

She waved her wrist in front of Shen Shiyan again, trying to provoke his annoyance.

Her fair, slender arm swayed before his eyes, catching his attention. Suddenly, her hand was caught, and his gaze traveled up her arm, landing on her with a meaningful look. “What are you trying to do?”

Jiang Mian didn’t see the disgust she had hoped for in the man’s eyes. Instead, she was startled by his expression.

His dark, deep eyes were like an abyss, impossible to fathom, with turbulent waves churning within, as if a single surge could completely engulf her.

At the same time, the grip on her wrist tightened, as if to prevent her from escaping at any moment.

Jiang Mian looked at him timidly and softly, her watery eyes wide and round, her lips habitually bitten halfway. “I… I want you to cherish me!”

After uttering this cringeworthy line, she had no idea how Shen Shiyan felt, but she herself felt like she was about to vomit.

It couldn’t be helped. She had recently read a lot of cheesy romance novels and must have internalized some of the lines, because this one had just popped into her head out of nowhere.

After saying it, Jiang Mian felt deeply ashamed, her face burning as she lowered her head, so embarrassed she could have dug a castle out of the ground.

Shen Shiyan: “…”

Cherish her?

How should he cherish her?

Shen Shiyan wasn’t quite sure how to cherish a woman, but he couldn’t help but think of that absurd dream he’d had before…

If it were like that, then he certainly knew how to cherish someone!

Shen Shiyan took a deep breath, warning himself: She must have some ulterior motive for getting close to him. He can’t fall into her trap so easily.

He released her hand and scowled, his tone stern as he lectured her, “Speak properly!”

One moment, his emotions were inscrutable, and the next, his tone turned cold. It was clear he was annoyed.

Jiang Mian decided to push a little harder. In a soft, pleading voice, she said, “I want to buy a bag!”

“Huh?”

“A bag can cure all ailments!”

“…”

That evening, Jiang Mian decided to cook dinner herself.

When she brought out two bowls of instant noodles, Shen Shiyan’s face darkened.

“Is this what you call a homemade dinner, prepared just for me?”

Jiang Mian chuckled awkwardly, her defense weak and unconvincing. “Well, it’s instant noodles, but I did make it myself!”

Jiang Mian truly didn’t know how to cook. Even during her busiest times, she would either boil a pack of instant noodles or order takeout.

She had mastered the art of cooking instant noodles, though. If he didn’t want to eat it, fine—she’d take it back.

Shen Shiyan pressed his lips together. She was so delicate that even a reddened wrist was enough to make her complain. Of course, he shouldn’t have expected her to know how to cook.

He hadn’t eaten much at lunch, and now, staring at a bowl of instant noodles, his appetite dwindled even further.

In the end, he put down his chopsticks and decided to order takeout instead.

Naturally, Jiang Mian happily joined him for the meal.

After filling her stomach, Jiang Mian sat contentedly beside the man, not forgetting to shower him with praise. “Mr. Shen, you’re so wonderful!”

As the night deepened, Shen Shiyan showed no signs of leaving, seemingly planning to stay over.

Bound by her character, Jiang Mian couldn’t urge him to leave, or else she’d be the one to suffer.

She had deliberately acted in ways she thought Shen Shiyan would dislike, so why hadn’t he dumped her yet?

Curled up on the sofa, propping her head up with one hand, she kept searching on Baidu.

In critical moments, she had to rely on “Baidu Dad”!

She typed, “How to make a man dislike a woman?” The search results came back with countless suggestions—not billions, but certainly millions.

Could it be that she needed to change her strategy?

Jiang Mian focused her gaze and began to search meticulously. After more than half an hour of careful consideration, she concluded that the quickest and most effective method was to act unreasonably and make a scene.

Alright, starting today, she would change her battle plan.

Wasn’t it just about making a fuss and being unreasonable? How hard could that be? It’s as simple as having hands—anyone could do it.

^_^