CHAPTER 11

Shen Jingyan’s words had barely left his mouth when everyone stiffened. The only sound left in the kitchen was the loud hum of the exhaust fan. A moment later, someone turned it off, and the room fell into complete silence.

Seeing that Shen Jingyan was directing his anger at someone else first, Shi Li immediately stayed quiet, waiting for him to get her out of this mess. On the other hand, the second female lead was beginning to panic.

Shen Jingyan was an honored guest and the most important figure at the banquet tonight. When Shi Li had earlier claimed to have come with him, the second female lead had scoffed in disdain. If the male lead hadn’t gone to confirm the truth with Shen Jingyan first, she would have already had Shi Li beaten up and handed over to the police.

Shen Jingyan’s face remained cold, but a flicker of anger could be seen in his eyes. Just as the others were unsure of what to do, the male lead arrived in time. Taking in the situation at a glance, he sternly said to the second female lead, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and let this young lady go! I told you to wait for me, not to chain her up like this. This is absurd!”

Snapping back to her senses, the second female lead quickly unlocked Shi Li. The moment she was freed, Shi Li hopped over to Shen Jingyan like a little rabbit, carefully inching closer to him. “I swear I didn’t poison anyone. You believe me, right?”

Whether or not Shen Jingyan protected her was one thing—what he actually thought was another. She still needed to explain herself.

Shen Jingyan’s gaze swept over the red marks on her wrists from the handcuffs. “I know.”

Shi Li, who had been about to suggest checking the surveillance footage, was momentarily stunned. “You know?”

“Poisoning?” Shen Jingyan turned his face away indifferently. “You don’t have that kind of capability.”

Shi Li: “…” Oh.

Just as she was left speechless, the male lead stepped forward, looking at her in confusion. “Miss Shi, I absolutely believe you’re not the culprit, but could you explain why you were here? I don’t mean anything else—I just want to get to the truth as soon as possible.”

Since he knew she was with Shen Jingyan, he made sure to add that last part to make himself sound more understanding, essentially giving the second female lead a way to save face.

But even with that, Shen Jingyan remained unmoved. “There’s surveillance in the kitchen, fingerprints on the bottles. If that’s not enough, you can start by tracing the source of the drugs. No need to trouble my people.”

He said “my people” so casually, and if Shi Li hadn’t seen his hatred value rise from 65% to 66% in real time, she might have started getting ideas. She quickly pushed those thoughts aside, coughed lightly, and explained the situation in detail.

Shen Jingyan listened with an impassive expression but didn’t interrupt her.

Although her words alone weren’t hard evidence, with Shen Jingyan backing her up, the male lead had no choice but to drop the matter. “Then, Mr. Shen, why don’t you and Miss Shi go rest for now? I’ll have people investigate immediately. I’m sure we’ll have answers soon.”

Shen Jingyan turned and walked out without another word. Shi Li hurried after him, and once they were away from the crowd, she seized the opportunity. “Since everything is settled, let’s just go back now.”

After all that chaos, he probably had no interest in socializing anymore. This was the perfect chance to persuade him to leave.

Shen Jingyan abruptly stopped and looked at her expressionlessly.

Shi Li hesitated and took a step back. “What’s wrong?”

“The truth hasn’t been fully uncovered yet. Do you think they’ll let you leave?” His tone was eerily calm.

Shi Li swallowed. “But… you already got me out, didn’t you?”

“Getting you out of the kitchen is one thing. Getting you out of the hotel? Don’t even think about it.” Shen Jingyan’s irritation was growing. He frowned as if disappointed in her. “Of all the things you could have stuck your nose into, you had to choose a poisoning case. If they’re making you stay, it’s your own fault. Until they find out the truth, you’re staying put.”

Shi Li forced an awkward smile, then carefully tugged at his sleeve in an attempt to appease him. “I know I messed up. I’ll wait here for the results, okay? Don’t be mad. Your health is more important.”

After some thought, she suggested, “How about this? You go back and rest first, and I’ll stay here to wait for the results.”

The real priority was getting Shen Jingyan out of here before the banquet ended, to keep him from getting involved with the male lead’s affairs. As for her own wrongful accusation—it wasn’t that big of a deal. Worst case, she’d just stay at the hotel overnight and leave in the morning.

Her thoughts began to drift, and her fingers absentmindedly kept holding onto Shen Jingyan’s sleeve.

Shen Jingyan’s gaze landed on her wrist again, his eyes darkening as he noted the deepening red marks. His expression turned icy. “I’ll stay and wait, too.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll wait for them to give me an explanation.” His voice was frigid, and after saying that, he abandoned the banquet entirely and headed straight for the lounge.

Shi Li was momentarily stunned before she quickly followed.

The entire way, she tried to persuade him to go back first, refusing to give up even after they arrived at the lounge. Eventually, Shen Jingyan grew impatient and forcibly silenced her.

Shi Li pouted, falling into obedient silence. She tried to move him with her worried gaze, but as it turned out—she was wasting her time.

…What should she do now? There was no way for her to leave. Even if she pretended to be sick, the male lead would likely just call a doctor instead of letting her go. The only option was to find another way to make Shen Jingyan leave on his own. But no matter how long she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a good plan.

Shi Li was too focused on figuring out how to get Shen Jingyan to leave that she didn’t notice he had left and returned. By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, Shen Jingyan was already holding a bottle of red medicinal liquid.

Curious, Shi Li asked, “Are you hurt?”

Shen Jingyan glanced at her oblivious expression and sat down with a dark look on his face. “Your hand.”

Shi Li obediently stretched out a hand.

Shen Jingyan’s patience finally ran out. “The other one.”

“Oh, oh…” Shi Li quickly switched hands. Only then did she notice the redness on her wrist. Blinking in confusion, she asked, “Why is it red?”

She genuinely didn’t know. While being cuffed had been uncomfortable, it wasn’t exactly painful or itchy, so she hadn’t paid attention. Now that she thought about it, the metal must have chafed her skin.

Hearing her clueless question, a flicker of irritation surfaced in Shen Jingyan’s usually calm eyes. His tone turned mocking. “I should be the one asking you—how could you be so stupid, letting them cuff you like that?”

“There were too many of them,” Shi Li said carefully, sensing his displeasure. “They surrounded me. If I resisted, I’d probably have been beaten up.”

“And you couldn’t call me?” A hint of anger leaked into Shen Jingyan’s voice.

Shi Li forced a sheepish smile. “I did! I kept saying I was your woman. Otherwise, why do you think they called you over?”

She had played a little word game—changing herself from “Shen Jingyan’s person” to “Shen Jingyan’s woman.” Just one extra word, but when it fell into Shen Jingyan’s ears, the meaning was entirely different.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 63%

Shi Li coughed to keep herself from laughing.

Shen Jingyan pressed his lips together, then coldly opened the bottle of medicine. One hand held her fingers while the other dipped a cotton swab into the liquid, carefully applying it to the red marks on her wrist.

Shi Li quietly watched his lowered eyelashes before blinking once. “…Are you mad?”

Shen Jingyan let out a cold scoff, ignoring her question.

Shi Li’s lips curled up slightly, but afraid he’d notice, she quickly smoothed her expression. Cautiously, she probed, “Then… are you feeling sorry for me?”

At last, Shen Jingyan lifted his gaze to meet hers. His icy expression made it clear. “Are you dreaming?”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 60%

Thinking back to the previous 66%, Shi Li stifled a laugh and innocently replied, “Of course not. You absolutely don’t feel sorry for me. You never would. How could Mr. Shen ever pity me? I was just spouting nonsense earlier. Please, don’t—”

Before she could finish—

Male Lead Hatred Value: 61%

Shen Jingyan: “…” She was so annoying.

As a result of Shi Li’s little mischief, Shen Jingyan, expressionless, went to another sofa to read, leaving her to apply the rest of the medicine herself. Not that it mattered—it wasn’t even a real injury, so she just dabbed at it carelessly and called it a day.

The room fell silent. After reading for a while, Shen Jingyan closed his eyes to rest. Meanwhile, Shi Li lay on the sofa, secretly watching him. The more she stared, the more troubled she felt.

It was clear Shen Jingyan had no intention of leaving. If they couldn’t leave early, then delaying their departure would work just as well. As long as they avoided the timeframe when those people would make a move on the male lead, it would be fine.

Shi Li glanced at the time. There were still about two hours until the banquet ended. She could only hope the investigation results would take longer—ideally, dragging on until midnight so they could stay at the hotel overnight, completely avoiding the dangerous window.

With a plan in mind, she carefully got up, found a clean blanket from the cabinet, and walked to Shen Jingyan’s side. Gently, she took the book from his hands and draped the blanket over him. Just as she was about to return to her own sofa, she suddenly noticed his long, fan-like eyelashes.

…Wasn’t this a bit excessive for a man?

An impulse rose within her. Shi Li reached out and pinched his eyelashes, even giving them a slight wiggle.

Shen Jingyan remained still, eyes shut.

Seeing how deeply he was sleeping, Shi Li grew bolder. Her little hands played with his hair for a moment, then returned to his eyelashes. Finally, she cupped his face in her palms, observing him for a few seconds before muttering under her breath, “Such a bad temper, so stubborn and difficult… what a waste of a perfectly good face.”

Just as she was about to let go, both her wrists were suddenly caught. Looking up, she met Shen Jingyan’s calm, steady gaze.

Shi Li immediately felt guilty. “…When did you wake up?”

“I never slept,” Shen Jingyan said expressionlessly.

Shi Li: “…”