CHAPTER 17 (PART 2)

No, she can’t leave. Her hatred value is only 1% now and it may disappear at any time. If it disappears completely when she goes back, she will stay in the novel world forever. 　　

…She said she would stay here forever, but in fact, she knew better than anyone that it was only her spiritual body that traveled through time, and her real body was still in the real world. If she really stayed, the real her would die soon, and her family and friends would also suffer the pain of losing her.

Thinking about her parents—who, despite their usual loud and boisterous ways, cherished her as if she were their own life—Shi Li found herself unable to take another step forward.

She waited at the crossing point for a few more hours. Those hours felt like the longest in her life. As she watched her phone’s battery drop to its final 2%, she finally made up her mind and bought a ticket home.

By the time Shi Li arrived at the airport, her phone had completely run out of power, rendering it useless. However, since she had already purchased the ticket, she wasn’t too worried. Carrying a few boxes of local specialty snacks, she boarded the plane.

When she landed, the sky had already turned completely dark. As expected, Shen Jingyan had likely returned home by now and discovered that she was gone. After an exhausting day—one that not only failed to get her away but also left her needing to explain her sudden departure—Shi Li sighed and got into a car heading home.

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The Shen family estate was brightly lit. The butler had just finished seeing off the last group of doctors and finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around how everything had changed in just a matter of hours. That morning, things had been fine. But in the span of ten hours, the situation had spiraled into chaos.

Miss Shi had suddenly left, and Mr. Shen had suddenly fallen ill—it all happened so abruptly. Since waking up, Mr. Shen had locked himself in his room. The butler didn’t dare to take matters into his own hands and investigate Miss Shi’s whereabouts. He could only wait in silence.

…He could only hope that, no matter why Miss Shi had left, she would hurry back. Otherwise, given Mr. Shen’s current condition, he might not hold on much longer.

As if the heavens had heard his silent plea, the moment this thought crossed his mind, someone rushed in, shouting, “Miss Shi is back!”

“Really?!” The butler sprang to his feet and rushed outside without a second thought.

Shi Li had just borrowed money to pay for the ride when she saw the butler running toward her. Feeling a little embarrassed, she smiled awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left without saying a word. You must have been really worried…”

“Miss Shi, hurry inside! Since waking up, Mr. Shen has locked himself in his room. He hasn’t eaten anything, let alone taken his medicine.” The butler spoke anxiously.

Shi Li froze for a moment before quickly coming to her senses. Without another word, she dashed toward the inner courtyard.

She ran all the way to Shen Jingyan’s bedroom door and pushed it open without hesitation.

The room was pitch dark. She instinctively reached for the light switch but hesitated, ultimately deciding against it. Instead, she took slow steps toward the bed.

“Jingyan?”

There was no response from the bed.

Shi Li took a deep breath, walked to the bedside, and reached out to grasp his hand. His skin was ice-cold, as if drained of all warmth. Her heart clenched in fear. She leaned down, bringing her face close to his lips. Only when she felt his faint breath did she finally relax. She pulled him into her arms.

“I was planning to come back before you got off work and surprise you,” she whispered softly. “But I got delayed over there, and in the end, I couldn’t do anything. I only managed to buy you some local specialties. I’m sorry, Jingyan… I must have scared you.”

A long silence followed before Shen Jingyan finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and ice-cold.

“You’re still lying to me.”

Shi Li’s heart tightened, but she kept her expression calm. “I’m not lying. The security guard at the gate can vouch for me. I told him when I left and asked him not to tell you.”

Shen Jingyan’s breathing grew uneven, his hands clenched into fists. Even in the darkness, Shi Li could see the veins protruding on his forehead, the suppressed anger and pain on his face. His hoarse voice rang out again, every word dripping with bitterness.

“Shi Li, do you think I’m a fool? Do you enjoy deceiving me?”

As he spoke, another wave of pain seemed to hit him. Refusing to show any weakness in front of her, he bit down on his lip, swallowing all his suffering.

Shi Li’s heart ached. She quickly reached out to stop him. “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. Just take deep breaths and relax. The butler said you had an episode. It’s all my fault—I shouldn’t have thought about those silly surprises. I won’t leave again…”

“Let go of me,” Shen Jingyan pushed her away with all his strength, gasping as he glared at her. “If you weren’t planning to leave, then why did you suddenly ask me for money? Why did you avoid everyone? Why did you lie to the security guard? Shi Li, how many times are you going to hurt me before you finally let me go?!”

“…I really wasn’t planning to leave. If I wanted to, why would I have come back?” Shi Li felt an inexplicable pain in her heart. She wanted to confess to him, but if she did, her mission would fail.

She was lying, again. But she had completely forgotten about the Male Lead Hatred Value. Forgotten that if she comforted him too well, there was a high chance it would reset to zero in an instant—leading to her death in the real world.

She should have remembered. But when she saw his stubborn yet fragile expression, everything else ceased to matter.

Shen Jingyan didn’t say whether he believed her or not. He simply stared at her for a long time before collapsing from exhaustion.

Shi Li immediately rushed to check on him. Confirming that he was merely too weak to move, she let out a relieved sigh. Just as she was about to coax him further, he interrupted her.

“You don’t have to say anything—I know why you want to leave.”

When Shen Jingyan spoke again, his voice carried a deep sense of weariness, as if he were both desperate and powerless. “I believe that you once considered staying, but after being with me, you ultimately couldn’t stand my sickly body. You couldn’t bear the thought of sharing a bed with me for the rest of your life, so you decided to run away.”

Shi Li fell silent for a moment, then, just like before, reached out and embraced him. “If I truly wanted to leave, why wouldn’t I take my luggage? And why would I come back on my own before you even came looking for me?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t answer her question, his eyes lifeless, as if all vitality had drained from them.

Shi Li remained quiet for a long time before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. Shen Jingyan stayed still, letting her press against his lips, showing no intention of responding.

Shi Li’s heart ached, but she only held him tighter, kissing him from the corners of his lips down to his Adam’s apple. Only when he let out an uncontrollable, muffled groan did she finally let him go.

“You need to rest today, not now. Give it a couple of days, and then I’ll cling to you every single day until you realize just how much I love your body.”

Shen Jingyan turned his face away, refusing to meet her gaze. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “If you want money, I can give you money. If you want a house, I can give you that too. You don’t have to force yourself like this.”

“I’m not forcing myself at all.” Shi Li pinched his chin, making him look at her. Just like before, in the darkness without the lights on, she couldn’t see his Male Lead Hatred Value even if she could make out his eyes. But she no longer cared about the hatred value—she just wanted to comfort this proud yet fragile man.

“I love you so much. I love everything about you.”

Shen Jingyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and finally, a trace of life returned to his face.

He stared into Shi Li’s eyes for a long time before saying flatly, “Whether what you say is true or not, I don’t want to believe you anymore.”

Shi Li pressed her lips together, then lay down beside him, guiding his head to rest against her chest while holding him tightly.

“No matter what you do, I won’t leave you.”

Shen Jingyan remained silent.

Sensing the atmosphere had eased slightly, Shi Li continued speaking. “I called you earlier, but you didn’t pick up. Was it because you weren’t feeling well?”

Shen Jingyan was quiet for a long time before letting out a soft “Mm.”

Shi Li kissed his cheek and whispered, “Was it because of me?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t answer.

Shi Li already knew the answer. She sighed and hugged him even tighter. “I’m sorry.”

She held him quietly, forgetting about the hatred value and disregarding how dangerous her current situation was. All she wanted was to do everything she could to heal this fragile man.

In the darkness, time lost its meaning. No one knew how long had passed when Shi Li finally spoke again in a gentle voice.

“Now, will you take your medicine?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t reply.

Shi Li knew his silence meant agreement. She let go of him and got out of bed to get his medicine. Just as she stepped down, she felt movement behind her.

She froze for a moment and turned back to see him following her out of bed. Puzzled, she asked, “Why are you getting up?”

Shen Jingyan remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Shi Li understood immediately. She took his hand and led him to the coffee table. Once there, she personally handed him the medicine and a glass of water, watching as he swallowed all the pills.

“Sit down and have some food.” Shi Li didn’t give him a choice. After speaking, she gently pushed him down onto the couch, then picked up a bowl of rice, scooped up a bite with chopsticks, and brought it to his lips.

Shen Jingyan hesitated for a long time before reluctantly taking a bite. Seeing this, Shi Li’s lips curled slightly, and she continued feeding him different dishes.

Just eating took the two of them a long time. By the end of the meal, Shen Jingyan looked visibly exhausted.

Shi Li took him back to bed, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Near dawn, Shi Li woke up feeling uncomfortable. Half-asleep, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

After relieving herself, she yawned and stepped out—only to be startled by a shadow standing in the doorway in the dark.

“It’s me,” Shen Jingyan said flatly.

Shi Li blinked in confusion. “Did you need to use the bathroom too?”

Shen Jingyan said nothing.

Shi Li furrowed her brows and stepped aside. “Go ahead, I’m heading back to bed.”

She was too sleepy to think much of it and went straight to lie down. But after settling in, she realized Shen Jingyan had followed her back.

She blinked in surprise before suddenly understanding. “You didn’t actually need to use the bathroom, did you?”

Shen Jingyan silently lay down beside her.

“…Be honest with me. Did you even sleep earlier?” Had he been staying awake just to watch her the entire time?

As soon as she asked, she saw his expression and was instantly speechless.

“You… Seriously? Are you planning to stay up forever just to keep an eye on me?”

“I won’t,” Shen Jingyan finally replied.

Even though he spoke, it didn’t ease Shi Li’s worries. Seeing the exhaustion in his eyes, she sat in silence for a while before going to the closet. She took out a pair of sneakers and sat on the floor, pulling out the shoelaces.

She didn’t even have to look up—she already knew Shen Jingyan was standing by the door, watching her.

After pulling out one lace and measuring its length, Shi Li walked over to him. Without hesitation, she grabbed his wrist and tied their hands together with the shoelace, securing it with a tight knot.

“Now it’s fine. If I want to leave, I’d have to untie this knot—but without turning on the lights, that’s impossible. And since you’re a light sleeper, you’d definitely wake up if I tried to turn them on. Now you don’t have to worry about me running away, right?”

Shen Jingyan glanced at the shoelace binding them together and seemed satisfied.

Shi Li chuckled, giving him a playful look before pushing him toward the bed. “Come on, go to sleep. I won’t sleep until you do.”

Shen Jingyan was still physically weak, barely able to walk, let alone push her away. So he allowed himself to be guided back to bed.

This time, when they embraced, an ugly shoelace bound them together. But somehow, it was this simple shoelace that finally allowed Shen Jingyan—who had been tormented by illness and exhaustion—to fall into a peaceful sleep.

Shi Li kept her word. She only allowed herself to sleep after he did.

The next few days passed just like before. They stayed in the dark for five whole days until Shen Jingyan’s health finally stabilized.

Shi Li’s life during this period had been extremely difficult. With their hands tied together by a short shoelace, they had to do everything together. Most of the time, it wasn’t too bad, but when it came to bathing, washing hair, or using the restroom, the situation became downright embarrassing.

But she endured it all.

By the end of the five days, Shi Li felt as if she had been reborn. She also felt that there was nothing she couldn’t do in front of Shen Jingyan anymore.

However, Shen Jingyan seemed to be hiding something from her. Over the past few days, he had been frequently texting someone. And every time she tried to peek, he would put his phone away.

She only managed to catch one message: “The glass must be the best for soundproofing.”

Shi Li’s curiosity got the better of her. “Why do you need soundproof glass?”

“It’s necessary,” Shen Jingyan said, turning his phone face down on the bed.

Shi Li narrowed her eyes. “Is this some kind of top-secret project?”

Shen Jingyan remained silent.

That night, after checking his condition as the doctor instructed, Shi Li finally relaxed.

“You’re fully recovered now. Tomorrow, let’s go outside for a walk. We’ve been stuck inside for too long.”

Shen Jingyan didn’t reply, but he didn’t look very happy either.

Shi Li coaxed him gently, “If you like this kind of environment, we can do this again every once in a while. But people need sunlight—staying in the dark for too long will harm your health.”

Shen Jingyan gave a half-hearted “Mm” and then lay down on the bed.

Shi Li was forced to lie down next to him, wrapping her arms around his, and asked, “What does ‘Mm’ mean? Will we be able to go out tomorrow?”

“Do you really want to go out?” Shen Jingyan retorted.

Shi Li paused for a moment before honestly admitting, “Yes, I really want to go out.” She was a normal person who liked to be in the sunlight and enjoy open spaces. Staying in the dark for too long would make her sick.

A trace of indifference flashed in Shen Jingyan’s eyes. After a long silence, he finally said, “We can go out tomorrow.”

“Really?” Shi Li’s eyes brightened.

Shen Jingyan hummed again and refused to speak any further. Shi Li, in a good mood, snuggled up to him and started fantasizing about where to take him once they went out. Her intention was to help Shen Jingyan relax, but when he heard her, the coldness in his eyes deepened.