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CHAPTER 19 (PART 2)
Shen Jingyan’s voice came from behind.
Shi Li was momentarily stunned. She turned to see him leaning against the kitchen doorway. After being sick for so long, his face was completely devoid of color. His already slender frame looked even frailer now, and his clothes hung loosely on his body. Even his voice carried a certain weakness.
A flicker of concern flashed in Shi Li’s eyes, but she quickly composed herself. “Oh, the water’s been cut off.”
Shen Jingyan was silent for a moment. “I’ll have the butler send some over.”
“Make sure he just drops it off at the elevator. Don’t try to carry it yourself,” Shi Li quickly reminded him, worried he’d overexert himself.
Shen Jingyan’s lips curved slightly with amusement, and after nodding in agreement, he took out his phone and left the room.
The butler, after receiving Shen Jingyan’s request, promptly arranged for several boxes of bottled water to be delivered. When he arrived at the entrance of the apartment and saw Shen Jingyan waiting outside, he couldn’t help but express concern. “Sir, you don’t look well at all. Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
“No need,” Shen Jingyan responded flatly.
The butler hesitated for a moment before sighing. “If you start feeling worse, please let me know.”
“Mm.” Shen Jingyan barely acknowledged him, his mind elsewhere. He bent down to lift one of the boxes of bottled water.
The butler panicked. “Sir, be careful! You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things like this. Let me help you.” If it were just some groceries, he wouldn’t have objected. But these boxes weighed dozens of pounds each—he was afraid Shen Jingyan would strain himself even further.
Before he could act, Shen Jingyan shot him a cold glare. “Put it down.”
The butler flinched, withdrawing his hands after a brief hesitation.
“I can carry it myself.” Shen Jingyan’s gaze swept over the butler and the other servants present, his tone indifferent yet laced with warning. “No one is allowed to enter this apartment. If I find out otherwise, you will deal with the consequences.”
Everyone hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Only then did Shen Jingyan heft the heavy box, moving slowly but deliberately toward the apartment.
The butler watched his slightly hunched figure, his heart filled with unspoken worry.
It took Shen Jingyan more than ten minutes just to move three cases of bottled water from the entrance to the elevator. By the time he was done, his lips had turned pale, and a cold sweat was forming on his forehead. He rested for a long while before finally locking the front door and stepping into the elevator.
Outside the door, the butler let out a deep sigh. A servant beside him whispered, “Is Mr. Shen really okay living here alone? He looks like he’s in really bad shape.”
“He still comes out twice a day and handles work at the usual times, just like before. Living alone shouldn’t be a problem,” the butler said worriedly, staring at the door. “I’m just afraid he won’t be able to move on and will never be willing to face people again.”
“Miss Shi is really too much. Mr. Shen treats her so well, yet she just left without hesitation, making him suffer like this every day,” the servant huffed indignantly.
The butler frowned, also feeling deeply displeased about the matter. “When Miss Shi came back that day, I thought she would stay. I never expected her to leave again in secret, giving Mr. Shen a second blow… Even though she acted irresponsibly, I still hope she comes back soon.”
If Mr. Shen kept going on like this, he wouldn’t last much longer.
Upstairs, Shen Jingyan finally returned, allowing Shi Li to continue cooking. While working, she asked, “Your complexion looks even worse than before. Did you ignore what I said and carry everything up yourself?”
Shen Jingyan didn’t answer. Instead, he hugged her from behind.
Shi Li hesitated for a moment. She had originally intended to push him away, but considering that he was still sick, she couldn’t bring herself to do it—just like before.
“You really make me worry,” she sighed softly.
Shen Jingyan’s lips curled slightly as he closed his eyes, savoring her warmth. And so, Shi Li finished cooking with a grown man clinging to her back.
That night, the water supply still hadn’t been restored. Fortunately, they had bottled water, so things weren’t too bad.
“There’s only one case left. We should save it for flushing the toilet. If the water still doesn’t come back tomorrow, you’ll have to call for another delivery,” Shi Li sighed, feeling that everything was becoming inconvenient.
Shen Jingyan stared at the last case of water and pressed his lips together.
As usual, they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Sometime in the middle of the night, Shi Li heard Shen Jingyan getting up. She groggily mumbled, “The water’s still out. You can’t take a shower…”
“Mm, I’m just going to the bathroom,” he replied.
Shi Li hummed in acknowledgment, turned over, and went back to sleep. Shen Jingyan looked at her sleeping face for a moment before heading toward the bathroom.
The moment he left, Shi Li opened her eyes and glanced at the bathroom door, silently waiting for him to return.
Ten minutes passed. There was no movement from the bathroom.
Shi Li kept glancing toward the door, but there was still no sign of him coming out.
After half an hour, she finally sensed that something was wrong. She frowned, got out of bed barefoot, and silently grabbed the doorknob before forcefully pushing the door open.
Inside the bathroom, Shen Jingyan was sitting in a corner, his body pressed against the cold tiles of the wall and floor, completely devoid of color.
The moment he saw Shi Li, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he turned his face away. “Why are you awake?” he asked flatly.
Shi Li squatted down in front of him with a blank expression and reached out to touch his arm. Just as she expected, his skin was ice-cold. “So this is how you’ve been keeping yourself sick?”
“I used to take cold showers,” Shen Jingyan admitted frankly.
…No wonder he insisted on showering every night. So after switching to warm showers, it was likely just a way to normalize his body temperature so she wouldn’t notice anything.
Shi Li pressed her lips together. “Get up.”
Shen Jingyan lowered his gaze. After a moment, he softly replied, “Okay.”
He tried to stand, but his legs had gone numb from the cold. When he attempted to push himself up, he staggered and nearly fell. A trace of embarrassment flickered in his eyes, but he refused to ask Shi Li for help, struggling to support himself against the wall instead.
Shi Li caught him in time, draping his arm over her shoulder and helping him walk out.
Shen Jingyan’s eyes reddened slightly as he greedily breathed in her scent. After stepping out of the bathroom, he whispered hoarsely, “I’ll sleep on the couch. You haven’t been sleeping well lately, so you should take the bed.”
Shi Li glanced at him and, without a word, led him straight to the bed.
Seeing this, Shen Jingyan closed his eyes in despair.
She helped him lie down, then turned off the bathroom light, plunging the entire apartment into darkness.
Shen Jingyan stared blankly into the void, feeling as if he was sinking into a bottomless swamp with no way to save himself.
Just as he was about to be swallowed by the darkness, a soft warmth suddenly curled into his arms.
He froze.
Before he could react, Shi Li wrapped herself around him like an octopus.
“Why?” Even though he tried to restrain himself, a hint of vulnerability slipped into his voice. He didn’t understand. After using such despicable means to keep her from resenting him for locking her up, why would she still be willing to hold him?
Shi Li pulled the blanket up to their necks, ensuring they were completely covered. Satisfied with the warmth, she gently stroked his icy arm and murmured, “I’m willing to stay locked up by you. Just stop making yourself sick, okay?”
“…You’re not angry anymore?” Shen Jingyan’s voice was unsteady, as if he were standing on uncertain ground.
Shi Li sighed softly. “If I keep being angry, you’ll drive yourself to death. How could I bear that?”
Shen Jingyan was silent for a long time before whispering, “I’m sorry.”
Shi Li stroked his head, resigning herself to what she had to do. She used her access to the novel’s future plot as an exchange to gain the ability to teleport at will. As for how to deal with the next world… she’d figure it out when the time came.
The decision brought her an immediate sense of relief. Holding Shen Jingyan in her arms, she playfully traced his features, soon hearing his breath grow heavier.
“Stop messing around,” Shen Jingyan rasped.
Shi Li kissed him. “I should’ve poured you a cup of hot water to warm up earlier, but when I thought about how badly you’ve been treating your body, I got so upset that I forgot.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need hot water,” Shen Jingyan muttered.
Shi Li’s lips curved slightly. “Then let’s find another way to warm you up.”
A hint of confusion flickered in Shen Jingyan’s eyes, but before he could ask, she kissed him again.
Since both of them put in great effort to warm each other up, Shen Jingyan didn’t have a fever the next morning.
Male Lead Hatred Value: 1%
It was almost over.
Shi Li lazily rested her head on his arm, a faint sense of reluctance creeping in. “I don’t feel like cooking today.”
“I’ll cook for you,” Shen Jingyan, now well-fed and no longer cold, had lost all trace of his former pride. Like a loyal puppy, he obediently listened to her every word.
Shi Li, however, wasn’t impressed. “Your cooking is awful.”
“Then I’ll have the butler get takeout from the best restaurant and bring back everything you like,” Shen Jingyan offered gently.
Shi Li was tempted. Once this world ended, her good days would be over. She might as well eat as much as she could while she still had the chance. Who knew what the next world would be like?
She had an exceptionally lavish meal at noon, which instantly lifted her mood. Shen Jingyan watched her with a faint smile in his eyes, still feeling as though everything was surreal.
“Why are you staring at me?” Shi Li set down her chopsticks.
Shen Jingyan remained silent for a moment before walking around the table to her side, reaching out to embrace her. “I won’t stare anymore. Can I hold you instead?”
“…You’re already holding me. What’s the point of asking?” Shi Li chuckled and patted his arm. “I know what you’re thinking. You feel like I’m just deceiving you, that I don’t really want to stay, so you have no sense of security. It’s okay. Over time, you’ll come to believe it. We’ll take things slowly.”
“Can we really take it slow?” Shen Jingyan asked, his voice muffled.
Shi Li laughed. “Of course.”
“Then I need to take better care of my health.” Shen Jingyan tightened his arms around her.
Shi Li turned her head and kissed his earlobe. Shen Jingyan let out a soft laugh and tilted his head to look at her.
Male Lead Hatred Value: 1%
Shi Li raised an eyebrow and kissed him again. The hatred value stubbornly remained at 1%. That last lingering point was far more persistent than she had expected. But it didn’t matter—now that she could teleport at will, she no longer had to rush off to another city before the hatred value reached zero. She just needed to be patient and wait.
What she didn’t expect was just how long she would have to wait.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed, yet the hatred value remained firmly at 1%, neither increasing nor decreasing. If she hadn’t seen Shen Jingyan looking better by the day and becoming more dependent on her, she might have thought he still had some unresolved grudge against her.
Shi Li pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She could only keep going and spoil Shen Jingyan even more.
To Shen Jingyan, the past few weeks felt like a dream. He was almost floating, but whenever he felt Shi Li’s warmth and heard her whispering in his ear, everything felt incredibly real.
“I went to the hospital when I visited the company yesterday,” Shen Jingyan said after their shared moment of intimacy, his arms still wrapped around her, his breathing unsteady from exertion.
Shi Li was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open. Resting lazily on his arm, she tensed slightly at his words. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’ve been taking care of myself. My body is stronger than before.” Shen Jingyan paused, his gaze fixed on her, a faint blush creeping to the corners of his eyes. “I went for a check-up. The doctor said that while my overall health isn’t great, my reproductive health is fine—it won’t affect fertility.”
Shi Li froze.
Shen Jingyan held her tighter. “Shi Li, let’s have a child. A child that looks like both of us, carrying our bloodline.”
Shi Li: “…”
Shen Jingyan waited for her response, but as the silence stretched on, his heart tightened. He finally looked up at her, his voice cautious. “You don’t want to?”
“It’s not that… It’s just that…” Shi Li looked troubled. “I can’t have children.”
Even though her body in this novel world was identical to her real one, she was, in essence, still a spiritual entity. How could a spirit conceive a child?
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Miwa[Translator]
𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 Hello! I'm Miwa, a passionate translator bringing captivating Chinese web novels to English readers. Dive into immersive stories with me! Feel free to reach out on Discord: miwaaa_397. ✨❀