CHAPTER 10

“Too happy to speak?” Shen Jingyan coughed lightly, looking at her calmly.

Shi Li’s mouth twitched, and she decided to defend herself. “I didn’t want to go—”

Before she could finish, the Male Lead Hatred Value increased by one point. She froze.

“—I want to go, I want to go.”

As soon as she said that, the hatred value returned to 65%.

“Don’t get your hopes up. Even if I take you, you won’t be attending as my date.” Shen Jingyan reminded her expressionlessly.

A date had to wear high heels all night, endure small talk, and keep a polite smile while barely getting a full meal—who would want that? Shi Li scoffed internally but outwardly put on a regretful expression. “Really? I was hoping to be your date. That way, I could stay by your side the whole time and not worry so much about your health.”

Her expression was sincere, her eyes pleading, as if not being his date would be a devastating loss in her life.

Shen Jingyan sat up slightly, his expression relaxing a bit. “But if you completely follow my arrangements, it’s not—”

“But thinking about it, just being able to attend the banquet with you already makes me very happy, so I won’t ask for more.”

Shi Li hadn’t caught what he said, quickly wrapping up her flattering words instead.

Shen Jingyan swallowed the rest of his sentence, his face turning cold. “Suit yourself.” With that, he turned and left.

Shi Li stared at his retreating figure in confusion, not understanding why he was suddenly upset again. But since Shen Jingyan often got angry for no apparent reason, she was used to it by now. Her priority was dealing with the upcoming events.

It was clear that Shen Jingyan was determined to attend the banquet, so she had to find a way to avoid any danger before then. She mentally flipped through the novel’s plot and finally found a somewhat effective solution—

Leave early.

According to the original story, those people only made their move after the banquet ended. If she could get Shen Jingyan to leave beforehand, they might avoid getting caught in the trouble surrounding the male lead.

As for how to make him leave…

She knew this one—pretend to be sick. It wouldn’t be the first time she had pulled this trick.

With her plan in mind, she wasn’t as anxious anymore. She waited leisurely until the day of the banquet and hopped into Shen Jingyan’s car dressed in a plain white T-shirt and jeans.

Shen Jingyan’s face darkened even more when he saw her outfit.

Shi Li glanced at him and pretended not to notice his displeasure.

The butler had subtly hinted at dressing up, implying that Shen Jingyan wanted her to be his date. But after considering it, she chose the most comfortable outfit instead.

Compared to a dress, a T-shirt and jeans were much more convenient for faking an illness.

And if, worst-case scenario, they couldn’t avoid the attack, her outfit would make escaping much easier than a dress and high heels.

The only downside was that Shen Jingyan would be unhappy.

But today, ensuring his safety was more important than lowering the hatred value. She could worry about that later.

With that thought, Shi Li turned her attention to the scenery outside the window, pretending she didn’t exist.

Shen Jingyan was in a foul mood and didn’t speak to her the entire way. She was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

It wasn’t until the car slowly pulled into the underground parking lot of the hotel that she finally turned to him.

“Jingyan, don’t drink too much later. Actually, try not to drink at all. Eat more, and if you’re tired, sit down and rest. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Shen Jingyan gave her a glance but didn’t respond.

The butler, however, turned around and warmly suggested, “Miss Shi, there’s a big shopping mall near the hotel. Why don’t I have someone pick out a dress for you so you can attend the banquet with Mr. Shen?”

Ever since realizing the unusual relationship between Shi Li and Shen Jingyan, the butler had started addressing her as ‘Miss Shi.’ She had tried to correct him twice, but when he insisted, she gave up.

Shi Li expected Shen Jingyan to mock her for this, but instead, he only let out a cold huff and said nothing.

…Just how badly does he want me to go?

Suppressing a laugh, Shi Li cleared her throat and said, “It’s better not to. I didn’t prepare properly, and I’d just embarrass Jingyan if I went.”

“You wouldn’t. Miss Shi is very beautiful. A simple ponytail looks good on you,” the butler reassured her.

Shi Li forced a smile. “No, really—”

“If she doesn’t want to go, why are you still trying to persuade her?” Shen Jingyan cut in coldly. He glanced at Shi Li, his face dark, before stepping out of the car without another word.

The butler smiled helplessly at Shi Li. “If you agree to go now, Mr. Shen will still be very happy.”

“I’ll pass. Just take good care of him.” Shi Li maintained her smile.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, the butler didn’t press further. He simply nodded and left. Once they were gone, the bodyguards in the other cars also followed, leaving the spacious underground parking lot with only Shi Li and the driver.

“Miss Shi, I’ll move to the car next to us. You can rest here,” the driver said politely.

Shi Li knew it would be awkward for a man and a woman to stay in the same vehicle, so she readily agreed. Once the driver got into the other car, she finally relaxed, slouching in her seat and playing on her phone.

According to the novel, the celebratory banquet would last a long time. Shi Li eventually grew tired of playing on her phone and decided to take a walk. As she wandered around, she noticed that the parking lot wasn’t empty—many people were still here, most of them likely employees of the banquet attendees.

They were mostly scattered around, some smoking in the corners, others sitting in their cars waiting, and a few chatting in small groups. However, a few cars parked in the far corner stood out from the rest.

Shi Li unintentionally walked past these vehicles and caught a glimpse of the men sitting inside. They were all burly and packed tightly together, immediately setting off her alarms.

It was normal for high-status individuals attending this banquet to bring bodyguards for security, and Shen Jingyan had brought four himself. However, most bodyguards would escort their employers to the banquet hall and then wait nearby in case of emergencies. Usually, only one or two would remain in the cars, but these vehicles were packed with people.

Shi Li frowned slightly, pretending not to notice anything amiss as she casually walked past. Then, she took a detour and circled back toward the Shen family’s cars, quickly slipping into her own vehicle. Pressing herself against the window, she carefully observed the suspicious individuals.

After a while, she saw a man wearing a cap and a face mask step out of one of the cars. He glanced around cautiously, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked forward. From the way he moved, it seemed like he was hiding something.

Shi Li pursed her lips, trying to recall this part of the plot. She thought hard for a long time before finally remembering—there was indeed such a scene.

The original plan of Shen Jingyan’s enemies was to mix an addictive drug into the banquet’s drinks and then call the police to ruin his reputation. However, before they could execute it, the second female lead discovered their scheme, intercepted the culprit, and had all the beverages switched out.

Because the plan failed, they were forced to resort to Plan B—ambushing Shen Jingyan after the banquet, which ultimately led to his injury.

It seemed like the plot was unfolding right before her eyes.

Although Shi Li already knew what would happen, witnessing it in real time still made her uneasy. When the suspicious man walked off, she quietly opened the car door and followed him.

The group was clearly well-prepared. Not only did they manage to enter the underground parking lot without issue, but they also moved freely toward the kitchen area. Shi Li trailed behind carefully, picking up her pace when the man started running.

However, just as she turned a corner, a figure suddenly rushed toward her—only to trip and fall before even making contact.

The person yelped in pain. When Shi Li looked down, she realized it was a woman. Quickly, she reached out to help her up.

The woman frowned as she got to her feet, immediately looking down at her ankle.

Following her gaze, Shi Li noticed the redness and swelling. She asked, “Are you okay?”

“What’s the rush? You should watch where you’re going,” the woman snapped impatiently.

…I don’t think I even touched you? Shi Li thought to herself but kept quiet. Taking a closer look at the woman, she quickly guessed that this was the second female lead—the one who was supposed to expose the poisoning attempt.

“My bad. I really didn’t see you,” Shi Li apologized sincerely, knowing that this woman had a fiery temper. She didn’t want to delay her from catching the culprit.

The second female lead looked like she wanted to lash out but ultimately held back. “Forget it. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just go downstairs and get a medical kit.”

“…Right now?” Shi Li’s head began to ache.

By now, that man had probably already reached the kitchen. Shouldn’t she be catching him instead of worrying about a medical kit?

The woman rolled her eyes. “What? You have a problem with that?”

“It’s not that… I just think dealing with the real issue is more important,” Shi Li said with an awkward smile.

The woman let out a cold laugh. “My health is the most important thing.” With that, she turned on her heels and strutted away in her high heels.

Shi Li called after her several times, but the woman ignored her. Now, she was truly panicking.

The drug dosage wasn’t particularly high—ordinary people would only experience mild dizziness. But Shen Jingyan was different. He had poor health and had been on long-term medication. Any foreign substance in his system could pose a severe threat. If he drank the tampered wine, things could take a dangerous turn.

After a brief internal struggle, Shi Li gritted her teeth and ran toward the kitchen.

The moment she arrived, she saw the man injecting something into a champagne bottle with a syringe. Unfortunately, he also spotted her.

Their eyes met.

Both were momentarily stunned.

Then, the man immediately bolted.

Shi Li didn’t bother chasing after him. Instead, she rushed to the drinks table, checking all the beverages. Seeing that the tainted drinks hadn’t been served yet, she hurried to press the emergency call button to alert the staff.

But before she could, she turned around—only to see the second female lead standing at the kitchen entrance.

Shi Li: “…If I say I was wrongly accused, would you believe me?”

—

Ten minutes later, a subordinate approached Shen Jingyan and whispered a few words in his ear. Shen Jingyan fell silent for a moment before striding toward the kitchen.

By the time he arrived, Shi Li was being heavily guarded by several bodyguards, one of her hands even cuffed to a kitchen pipe. The second female lead stood smugly beside them, looking aggrieved but forcing a smile when she saw Shen Jingyan.

“Who gave you permission to do this?” Shen Jingyan’s expression was ice-cold.

Shi Li weakly replied, “I really didn’t do anything… I was just watching the show…”

The second female lead let out a derisive laugh.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Shen Jingyan shot Shi Li a glance before turning to the second female lead with an indifferent gaze. “Who gave you permission to lay a hand on my person?”

The second female lead: “…”

Shi Li: “…Huh?”