CHAPTER 16

The hatred value was at 10% before, but after just one night, it had dropped to 1%?!

Wouldn’t that mean it could reach zero at any time?

What would happen if it hit zero while she wasn’t at the original transmigration point?

As soon as this question popped into Shi Li’s mind, the answer became clear—

She would be permanently trapped in the novel world.

Shi Li: “…”

Damn, wouldn’t that mean she was essentially dead in reality?!

Her family and friends were all in the real world—she absolutely couldn’t stay here.

Shi Li stared at Shen Jingyan’s face in shock and fear, terrified that even this last 1% would suddenly vanish.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shen Jingyan’s eyes carried a hint of warmth, but he turned his face away, sounding displeased. “Do you like me that much?”

Shi Li snapped back to reality, feeling an urge to punch him just to raise the hatred value back up by two points.

But rationality stopped her in time.

She calmly buried her face in the blanket. “I’m going to sleep a little longer.”

Shen Jingyan paused. “I’ll stay with you.”

“…No need. Go to work. I just want to be alone,” Shi Li said awkwardly.

Shen Jingyan furrowed his brows slightly, then suddenly understood. “You’re shy.”

Shi Li forced a smile.

Shen Jingyan’s lips curled into a faint smirk before he quickly hid it. “Then I’ll go take care of some work first.”

After saying that, he got up to wash up, leaving the room reluctantly, turning back every few steps.

The moment he left, Shi Li sat up in a hurry.

Her first instinct was to head to the neighboring city as soon as possible.

But if she left on her own, Shen Jingyan would definitely get suspicious. Should she take him along?

…Impossible.

Even if she wanted to, Shen Jingyan’s health wasn’t suitable for flying. He rarely traveled far, and when he did, it was usually by train or car.

Besides, with the hatred value down to just 1%, a single kiss or a few sweet words could wipe it out completely.

How could she afford to spend more time with Shen Jingyan?

Shi Li was mentally exhausted.

She even considered exchanging future storyline details for the ability to teleport at will, but after thinking it over, she held back.

The next male lead wasn’t someone she could easily deal with—cold, ruthless, and cruel. If she had no future plot to bargain with, she would die at his hands.

…But if she didn’t make the exchange, she had to avoid Shen Jingyan and get to the original transmigration point first.

That was already an extremely difficult task.

After all, Shen Jingyan was someone who avoided going out for work whenever possible.

How could she, a living person, just leave without him noticing?

Shi Li let out a deep sigh, covering her face in frustration.

She couldn’t come up with a solution no matter how hard she thought.

For a brief moment, she even considered provoking Shen Jingyan just to raise the hatred value again.

But then she realized—so what if she raised it by a few points?

She still couldn’t exchange future plot details for teleportation, nor could she avoid Shen Jingyan to reach the transmigration point.

If she couldn’t solve this, it was a complete deadlock.

After much internal struggle, she decided to book a flight first, staying prepared to leave at any moment.

With that in mind, Shi Li frantically searched for her phone—only to see that her balance was completely empty.

She fell into despair.

After a long silence, she braced herself and messaged Shen Jingyan, asking him to transfer her some money.

Shen Jingyan had just reached his study when he received the message.

Instantly, his mood lifted.

In his eyes, she wouldn’t ask him for money unless she truly saw him as someone she could rely on…

It seemed she was very satisfied with last night.

A trace of amusement flashed in Shen Jingyan’s eyes as he raised his finger and transferred her a sum of money.

When Shi Li saw the string of zeros, she was startled and quickly replied that it was too much.

But Shen Jingyan refused to take it back, so she had no choice but to accept it for now—feeling guilty as she used the money to book a flight to the neighboring city.

For the rest of the day, she avoided seeing Shen Jingyan, afraid that if she said anything nice, the hatred value would drop to zero.

By the eighth time Shen Jingyan returned to the bedroom to check on her, Shi Li was sweating nervously under the blanket, leaving only her eyes exposed as she stared at him.

“Can you leave for now?” she asked.

“Why do you keep avoiding me?”

If Shen Jingyan still didn’t realize something was off, he would have to be a fool.

Shi Li sighed helplessly and reluctantly answered, “I’m shy.”

“You didn’t seem shy last night,” Shen Jingyan raised an eyebrow.

Shi Li was momentarily speechless, but she remained stubborn. “I’m shy now. Otherwise, why else would I be avoiding you?”

Shen Jingyan thought about it and found it reasonable. His frown gradually relaxed. “Then when will you be back to normal?”

“…Maybe in a few days,” Shi Li answered vaguely.

Shen Jingyan pondered for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll go to the company tomorrow to work. Don’t stay locked in the room all day.”

Shi Li’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“You sound eager,” Shen Jingyan narrowed his eyes at her.

Shi Li froze for a second before forcing a laugh. “Not really. I just think if you’re gone, I might adjust in just one day.”

Since she had said that, Shen Jingyan naturally agreed.

He had originally planned to sleep with her again tonight, but seeing her like this, he knew it wasn’t happening.

After a moment of thought, he turned and left for the study instead.

As soon as he was gone, Shi Li breathed a sigh of relief and immediately rescheduled her flight for the next day.

Then, she lay stiffly in bed, praying that he would stay at the company for a full day.

If not, even just a morning would do.

With only 1% hatred left, all it would take was a few sweet words to make it disappear.

With that thought, she gradually relaxed.

Still, sleep didn’t come easily.

It wasn’t until late at night that she finally drifted off.

The next morning, she woke up early, anxiously waiting for Shen Jingyan to leave.

Before heading out, Shen Jingyan stopped by the bedroom.

Hearing his movements, Shi Li quickly lay down and shut her eyes.

Shen Jingyan, seeing her still asleep, simply placed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving.

Shi Li let out a long breath of relief.

She jumped onto the windowsill to watch him leave—only for Shen Jingyan to suddenly turn around.

Their eyes met.

Caught off guard, Shi Li let out a small yelp and ducked down immediately.

Shen Jingyan saw her panicked reaction and let out a small smile.

The butler beside him chuckled. “Miss Shi seems to care about you a lot. She even snuck a peek at you leaving.”

“I don’t understand why she bothers,” Shen Jingyan said with a calm expression, though the subtle hint of pride was obvious.

“She claims she’s too shy to even talk to me, yet she still stares at me constantly. I really don’t get what she’s thinking.”

“…Then she must really love you, which is why she gets so shy.” The butler did his best to play the perfect supporting role.

Hearing the flattery he wanted, Shen Jingyan was satisfied and glanced back again. However, this time, the windowsill was already empty, with only the white curtains fluttering in the wind. Looking at the now vacant space, a sudden, inexplicable unease crept into his heart.

“Sir, it’s time to go,” the butler reminded him gently.

Shen Jingyan snapped out of his thoughts. “Mm, let’s go.”

After confirming that Shen Jingyan had indeed left, Shi Li immediately changed clothes and headed out. Since this trip was meant to be her final departure from this world, she traveled light, bringing only her phone and ID for the flight.

To avoid being seen leaving and prevent anyone from informing Shen Jingyan, she even made sure to lock the door from the inside before sneaking out. Carefully evading all prying eyes, she finally made it to the front gate.

“Miss Shi, heading out?” The security guard greeted her with a friendly smile.

Shi Li’s lips twitched slightly, forcing a polite smile. “Yes, just stepping out for a bit.”

“What for?” The security guard, oblivious to her anxiety, chatted with her like usual.

Afraid that he might casually mention her departure to Shen Jingyan, Shi Li quickly came up with an excuse. “I want to prepare a surprise for Mr. Shen while he’s away.”

“Oh? In that case, I’ll keep it a secret.” The security guard finally caught on.

Shi Li gave him a quick smile before walking off at a measured pace. As soon as she turned a corner, she dashed toward the designated pick-up spot and jumped into the car she had booked, speeding off toward the airport.