CHAPTER 17 (PART 3)

As she spoke, Shi Li began to feel drowsy. Soon, she rested her head on Shen Jingyan’s chest and fell into a deep sleep. However, Shen Jingyan didn’t sleep at all and lay wide-eyed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Shi Li barely slept for long before she was pushed awake by Shen Jingyan. Still half-asleep, she asked, “What’s wrong…?”

“Do you like me?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li slowly became more awake. She rubbed her face against his chest and answered with her eyes closed, “Yes.”

“No matter what I’ve done to you, you still like me?” Shen Jingyan asked again.

Shi Li responded, “I still like you.”

“Will you hate me?” he asked, his voice tense.

Shi Li’s eyelids fluttered slightly. After a while, she opened her eyes and looked at him, “What’s going on?”

“Answer me first,” Shen Jingyan’s voice was tight.

Shi Li paused for a moment and then said, “No.”

“Mm, go back to sleep,” Shen Jingyan said, and then closed his eyes.

Shi Li, speechless for a moment, said, “You woke me up just to ask that?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t reply.

Shi Li restrained the impulse to roll her eyes and found a more comfortable position to sleep in his arms. But this time, she didn’t sleep long before he woke her again.

“Remember your promise, don’t go back on your word,” Shen Jingyan warned coldly.

Shi Li: “…”

This time, she was fully awake, lying stiffly on Shen Jingyan’s arm, and waited for half an hour, but Shen Jingyan didn’t ask her anything else.

“…If you don’t have anything else, I’m really going to sleep,” Shi Li tested him and then warned harshly, “If I fall asleep this time, and you wake me up again, don’t blame me for being rude.”

“Then don’t sleep. Get up,” Shen Jingyan said as he stood up before her.

Shi Li: “???”

Half an hour later, the two of them were dressed and standing in the hallway. The hallway was completely empty—no one around, not even the lights were on. Shi Li, resigned, looked at the tall man beside her and said, “…Are you sure now’s the time to see the new house?”

She didn’t know what was going through his mind, but he insisted on taking her to see the new house at three in the morning.

“Midnight is the best time,” Shen Jingyan’s response was somewhat cryptic.

Shi Li sighed, “Alright, since you want to go, let’s go. But just so you know, when we get back, I’m going straight to bed. If you disturb me again, I’ll…”

“I won’t disturb you,” Shen Jingyan interrupted her.

Shi Li nodded and lazily followed him. The two walked through the quiet Shen family estate. The beautiful estate by day now appeared far less charming in the dark, and the ancient-style buildings gave off an eerie vibe.

Shi Li rubbed her nose and moved a little closer to Shen Jingyan. He noticed her unease and silently took her hand.

Shi Li’s mood lightened as his large hand enveloped hers. She thought about returning to sleep soon and began walking faster toward the main road. But Shen Jingyan suddenly pulled her back.

“Aren’t we going?” Shi Li asked.

Shen Jingyan hesitated for a moment and then said, “Follow me.” He chose a very rugged little path and started walking slowly.

Shi Li followed him, stepping on sharp grass several times. Unable to hold it in, she asked, “Why aren’t we taking the main road?”

“There’s surveillance,” Shen Jingyan answered, seemingly indifferent to lying to her. If he wanted to answer, he would, and if not, he would remain silent.

Shi Li was confused, “What does surveillance matter?”

Shen Jingyan didn’t answer.

Shi Li realized that she wouldn’t get an explanation, so she fell silent. They continued walking in silence until they reached the newly built house.

Looking at the new house in the darkness and considering Shen Jingyan’s intentional avoidance of surveillance, Shi Li suddenly felt a bit of fear. She had the feeling that Shen Jingyan didn’t have good intentions.

Shen Jingyan noticed that she had stopped walking, so he turned to look at her. The streetlights of the Shen family estate lit up, and when they locked eyes, Shi Li finally saw the “hatred value.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 20%

She hadn’t seen the hatred value for a few days and thought it must have gotten out of control. Now, seeing it was still only 20%, she actually felt a bit relieved. Based on past experience, once it reached around 20%, it meant Shen Jingyan didn’t hate her as much, and he wouldn’t hurt her.

Since the hatred value wasn’t high, Shen Jingyan wouldn’t do anything to her. Shi Li relaxed her shoulders and followed him into the house.

As soon as they entered, Shen Jingyan turned on the lights. The first floor was completely empty, with no walls painted, only bare, dark cement stuck to the walls, looking even worse than a raw shell.

They walked through to the elevator. Shen Jingyan stood in front of the sensor screen, and with a beep, the elevator slowly ascended.

Shi Li was surprised, “Facial recognition?”

“Mm.” Shen Jingyan nodded.

Shi Li was confused, “So, it directly goes up to the third floor… It doesn’t only go from the first to the third and from the third to the first?”

“No need for the second floor, it’s unnecessary,” Shen Jingyan seemed to know what she was thinking and explained nonchalantly.

Shi Li’s lips twitched, “You really only want the third floor.”

As they were talking, the elevator reached the third floor. With a ding, the doors opened, and the entire third floor was revealed.

As Shi Li had seen before, the third floor was divided into open spaces without walls separating rooms like the bedroom, study, and dining area. The only private room was the bathroom, and every ceiling had a fire-sprinkler system. It seemed Shen Jingyan had listened to her advice.

Compared to the first and second floors, the third floor had everything, but the strange design made it feel more like a showroom than a home—mechanical and devoid of warmth.

“Do you like it?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li gave an insincere answer, “Yes.”

Shen Jingyan lowered his gaze and began to untie the shoelaces from both of their wrists. As he did, he said, “Since you like it, you’ll stay here from now on.”

“What do you mean?” Shi Li froze.

After he untied the laces, Shen Jingyan casually threw them on the ground, looking at her calmly. “When I’m at home, I’ll try to spend time with you. When I’m not, you’ll cook with the ingredients in the kitchen. Every so often, I’ll open the window to let you get some fresh air. There are plenty of game consoles here, so you won’t be bored.”

Shi Li stared at him, slowly realizing what he meant. She stepped back, horrified. “You’re planning to lock me up?”

“I never intended to use this place. It’s you who left without a word and broke my trust,” Shen Jingyan’s voice was flat, showing that his decision was final.

Shi Li: “…I already explained to you that I wasn’t planning to leave, I just went out for a bit, didn’t I?”

“I don’t believe you,” Shen Jingyan paused, then added, “It doesn’t matter, because I’ll make sure you can’t leave again.”

Shi Li stared into his eyes, numb. After a long silence, she finally looked around at the environment and couldn’t hold it in any longer, asking, “Was the purpose of this house always to lock me up?”

Shen Jingyan did not deny it.

Shi Li immediately wanted to slap herself. What had she been doing all this time?! Not only had she personally participated in designing the very cage meant to imprison her, but she had even persuaded Shen Jingyan to continue building it when he was about to abandon the project. And now, here she was, moving in without a hitch… No, wait, she didn’t even have a bag!

“It’s late. Get some sleep,” Shen Jingyan said before turning around to leave.

Shi Li panicked and quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “Wait a minute! You’re just going to leave me here alone?!”

Shen Jingyan paused. “I can’t stay with you tonight, but once I’ve taken care of everything, I’ll come here every day.”

“What do you need to take care of?” Shi Li asked immediately.

Shen Jingyan gazed at her quietly, his deep eyes sending a chill down her spine. After a long moment, he finally said, “You suddenly came back, then suddenly disappeared. I need to come up with an explanation for everyone else.”

Shi Li’s mouth opened slightly. “You… You’re going to pretend that I left?”

Shen Jingyan remained silent.

Shi Li locked eyes with him for a few seconds, and a wave of dread crept up her back.

When Shen Jingyan first said he was going to lock her up, she had felt anxious, but not truly afraid. It was only now, when he spoke about erasing all traces of her existence, that she realized he was completely serious. If he succeeded, no one in the entire Shen family estate would ever suspect she was still here.

Shen Jingyan had built this house with the intention of keeping her locked up for the rest of her life.

She had to get to Lin City before his hatred value dropped to zero. She couldn’t afford to be trapped here. Throwing caution to the wind, Shi Li turned and rushed into the elevator, pressing the buttons frantically.

But the elevator was controlled by facial recognition. Without Shen Jingyan, she had no way of leaving… At that moment, she finally understood why he had insisted on not installing an elevator at first—

This was all to trap her!

Shi Li anxiously looked toward Shen Jingyan outside the elevator, took a deep breath, and said, “Come in.”

Shen Jingyan stood still.

“…I can stay with you. I can live in the Shen family estate. But I will never allow you to lock me in here,” Shi Li gritted her teeth and threatened, “You have two choices: One, you step into this elevator with me, we leave together, and we pretend this never happened. Two, I drag you in myself, and once we’re out, we go our separate ways.”

There was no way they would actually go their separate ways, but she was desperate. This was the only way she could push him.

Hearing her words, a mocking smile flickered in Shen Jingyan’s eyes. “So you still refuse in the end.”

“Obviously! Who would willingly be locked up?!” Shi Li snapped.

Shen Jingyan lowered his gaze. After a long pause, he finally stepped into the elevator. Shi Li’s eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled him toward the facial recognition panel.

One minute passed…

Three minutes passed…

The elevator still hadn’t moved. Shi Li frowned. “Is it broken?”

“No,” Shen Jingyan replied.

Shi Li looked at him, confused. “Then why isn’t it moving?”

“Because I knew my health was poor. Even when I was well, I might not be able to restrain you,” Shen Jingyan met her gaze calmly. “So from the beginning, I designed it this way—when going up, the elevator can carry up to 200 kilograms. But when going down, it can only bear 80.”

… Eighty kilograms—just a little more than Shen Jingyan’s weight.

Even though Shi Li looked slender, at 168 cm tall, she still weighed just over 100 pounds.

Shi Li went from being shocked to speechless. After a long silence, she sighed. “You really planned this down to every last detail, huh.”

Shen Jingyan coughed lightly and slowly leaned against the elevator wall. After steadying himself for a moment, he rasped, “You left me no choice.”

Shi Li gave up, completely resigned. She stepped out of the elevator, walked straight to the bed without looking back, and flopped onto it, preparing to sleep.

Shen Jingyan watched her quietly. Seeing that she never turned around, the light in his eyes finally dimmed.

The elevator doors closed. He silently shut his eyes and slowly slid to the floor.

Meanwhile, Shi Li lay in bed, feeling increasingly frustrated the more she thought about it. But after rolling around a few times, sleepiness crept up on her again. Amidst a mix of anger and anxiety, she dozed off and slept soundly until midday.

Shen Jingyan didn’t come.

She didn’t hold back either—after getting up, she went to the kitchen, looked around, and whipped up a meal with four dishes and a soup. After eating, she left everything on the table without bothering to clean up.

While eating, she had already made up her mind.

Since Shen Jingyan wanted to keep her locked up, she would make a mess of the place and give him the cold shoulder. Eventually, he would get fed up and let her go.

With that thought in mind, she even considered dumping the leftover food on the floor. But after hesitating for a moment, she decided it would be too wasteful and couldn’t bring herself to do it.

After finishing her meal, Shi Li started playing on the game console Shen Jingyan had left for her. She would have preferred using her phone, but unfortunately, when she followed him out in the middle of the night, she hadn’t expected him to lock her up, so she hadn’t brought it with her. Then again, considering he was trying to erase all traces of her existence, even if she had brought her phone, he probably would have confiscated it anyway.

Shi Li let out a cold chuckle and passed the time slowly.

She ate dinner alone again, then went to bed. In the middle of the night, she was startled awake by the sound of the elevator. Turning on the light, she saw that Shen Jingyan had returned.

His complexion was paler than when he left, and exhaustion was evident in his eyes—it was clear that he had had an extremely tiring day. The first thing Shi Li felt upon seeing him was concern, but the moment she remembered that the reason for his exhaustion was his effort to erase her presence from the Shen family estate, her heart immediately hardened again.

“Have you eaten?” Shen Jingyan asked, his face devoid of color.

Shi Li had already decided to give him the cold shoulder, so she ignored him completely.

Seeing her treat him like air, Shen Jingyan’s gaze darkened slightly.

Shi Li listened carefully to his movements. Normally, someone as proud as him would either turn and leave immediately or insist on having the last word. She was just considering how to respond when she suddenly heard him say in a low voice, “I haven’t eaten all day.”

Shi Li: “…” Why was he suddenly giving in?

“What did you eat?” Shen Jingyan walked over to her, half-kneeling on the floor, and took her hand as he asked.

Even though he hadn’t done much, his posture was already lowered significantly. Shi Li held back for a long time before suppressing the urge to soften toward him. She closed her eyes, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.

Shen Jingyan’s expression completely darkened. He remained crouched for a long time before finally standing up. As he did, a wave of dizziness from low blood sugar momentarily blinded him. He had to brace himself against the cabinet to avoid collapsing to the floor.

The noise was quite loud, but Shi Li, lying on the bed, didn’t even twitch a brow, as if his condition was of no importance to her at all.

At that moment, Shen Jingyan looked just like an abandoned cub, barely short of having the word “vulnerable” written all over his face. But Shi Li remained unmoved, leaving him no choice but to turn and walk away.

The moment he stepped away from the bed, Shi Li immediately cracked her eyes open slightly to peek at him. When she saw him heading toward the dining table, she raised an eyebrow—

He was actually eating her leftovers!

What a rare sight. Even before Shen Jingyan became a financial tycoon, he had always lived a life of luxury. He wouldn’t even eat food that had gone cold, let alone someone else’s leftovers. It seemed like he was really going all out just to appease her today.

Shi Li’s lips curled up slightly. But the moment Shen Jingyan glanced in her direction, she quickly wiped the smile off her face and shut her eyes again.

Shen Jingyan ate very slowly, taking half an hour to finish the small amount of leftover food. After eating, he even took the initiative to clean up the dishes.

Shi Li thought that was already the extent of his efforts. But just as she was about to turn over, the sound of running water came from the kitchen—

He was washing the dishes!

Shi Li’s jaw nearly dropped.

She was sure of it. The sounds coming from the kitchen weren’t just the light splashing of water over dishes; it was clear he was actually scrubbing them.

And that wasn’t even the end of it. After washing the dishes, Shen Jingyan picked up the vacuum cleaner. He fumbled with it for a long time before finally figuring out how to turn it on and clumsily started cleaning the room.

Shi Li’s entire perception of reality was being overturned wave after wave.

By the time he carried the trash downstairs, she had gone completely numb.

…Wasn’t she the one who was locked up here? How was it that she was fine, yet Shen Jingyan was the one losing his mind?

Shen Jingyan didn’t return for a long time after going downstairs. For some reason, Shi Li felt a hint of concern. But after thinking about it, she figured he must have finally had enough of her attitude and left in frustration.

With that thought, she decisively turned off the lights and lay down to sleep.

A few minutes later, the elevator sounded again.

Shi Li tensed but kept her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.

She felt Shen Jingyan approach her, and the next second, the space beside her on the bed sank. After settling in, he turned onto his side and wrapped his arms tightly around her from behind, burying his face in the nape of her neck.

“Don’t ignore me,” he murmured.

Shi Li: “…”

Hey, that’s cheating! Who said you could act cute?!