CHAPTER 21 (PART 3)

“My project is already in its final phase and has undergone human trials. So far, all participants have adapted well. If your body is in normal condition, there shouldn’t be any risks. Of course, I’ll also help you get into the best possible state before the trial begins, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Shen Jingyan explained patiently.

Shi Li smiled but didn’t immediately agree.

Shen Jingyan held her gaze for a moment, then didn’t push further. Instead, he changed the subject. “Are you full?”

“I am,” Shi Li replied quickly.

Shen Jingyan stood up. “Since you’re full, I’ll take you home. I have a meeting later.”

Just as Shi Li was about to agree, she suddenly realized she didn’t even know where she lived. She froze for a moment, then quickly asked the system.

The system went silent for a moment before giving her an answer—

You don’t have a place to stay.

Shi Li: “???”

—After the debt collectors found you, you left your rental and have been wandering the streets.

Shi Li: “…”

“Shi Li? Shi Li?” Shen Jingyan called her.

Shi Li snapped back to reality. “Huh?”

“I asked where you live. I’ll take you home,” Shen Jingyan repeated with a smile, as if he hadn’t noticed her distraction. “Those people are still looking for you. I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go alone.”

Shi Li forced a stiff smile. “No need. I can get back by myself.”

“There’s still time. I’ll take you,” Shen Jingyan said, glancing at his watch. His tone was gentle but firm, leaving no room for refusal.

Shi Li’s head ached. She had no idea what to say.

Shen Jingyan noticed something was off. After a pause, he asked carefully, “You… don’t have a place to stay, do you?”

“…No.” Shi Li sighed. The last world was already miserable enough, but this one was even worse. Was this the price of being a scumbag?

Shen Jingyan frowned at her, then asked in a low voice, “Have you been wandering around all this time?”

“Not really… it just started in the past few days. I’ve been trying to avoid those people,” Shi Li obediently replied.

A hint of disapproval flashed through Shen Jingyan’s eyes. “You’re a girl. How can you sleep on the streets? It’s too dangerous.”

Shi Li awkwardly rubbed her nose and remained silent.

Shen Jingyan thought for three seconds, glanced at his watch, and then said in a calm voice, “How about this? Come back to the company with me first. I have a meeting to attend, but once that’s done, we can talk about this.”

Shi Li naturally agreed. The two of them returned to the biotech company together. When they arrived at the underground parking lot, Shi Li noticed some burly men standing guard outside. She shrank into the seat in fear.

As the car slowly entered the parking garage, the lighting dimmed. Shen Jingyan glanced at her small frame, remained silent for a moment, then reassured her, “You can sit up now. They didn’t see you.”

Shi Li shifted slightly, finally exhaling in relief before crawling out from her hiding spot. As she sat up, she met Shen Jingyan’s gaze examining her. She forced a laugh. “That must’ve looked ridiculous.”

“When we left earlier, they weren’t guarding the parking lot. Why are they suddenly here now?” Shen Jingyan paused, then added, “Did they realize you never came out and suspect you left through the garage?”

Shi Li’s heart tightened. “No way, right?”

“I’m just guessing. Don’t be nervous,” Shen Jingyan reassured her.

Shi Li: “…” Who wouldn’t be nervous after hearing that?

Shen Jingyan remained relaxed, gripping the steering wheel with one hand as he drove. After a while, he suddenly remarked, “This is the spot where I almost hit you earlier.”

Shi Li paused and looked ahead. The road did seem familiar. “Don’t worry about it too much.”

“This parking lot has a terrible design. There’s a blind spot up ahead, making it easy to hit someone by accident. One of my colleagues was hit here not long ago,” Shen Jingyan said casually.

Hearing that, Shi Li seriously examined the road ahead. Sure enough, the corner obstructed visibility, making it dangerous if a car approached too fast. Suddenly, the doubts she had since nearly being hit seemed to dissolve.

…She knew it. With Shen Jingyan’s hatred value only at 20%, it was unlikely he’d deliberately try to run her over. Shi Li let out a breath, feeling inexplicably relieved. However, the matter of the restaurant reservation still didn’t fully convince her, so she wasn’t ready to completely trust him yet.

Shen Jingyan pulled the car into a parking space and glanced at Shi Li, who had gone unusually quiet. After a brief moment of silence, he reminded her, “Get out of the car.”

They entered the company together. Shen Jingyan’s position seemed fairly high—he even had his own office. Shi Li was assigned to wait inside, which was the best arrangement for her. After all, everyone in the company was well-dressed, while she looked like a beggar. It was simply too embarrassing.

“There are some company-issued snacks here. I haven’t tried them, so I don’t know if they’re any good, but if you get hungry, feel free to have some. There’s no restroom inside the office, but if you need one, just go out the door, turn left, and walk straight ahead. It’s close by, so you won’t run into many people.” Shen Jingyan gave careful instructions before heading to his meeting.

Shi Li was starting to feel embarrassed. She had mentally prepared herself to be tortured by him, yet here he was, treating her so well. The stark contrast made her feel a fleeting sense of happiness, lowering her guard slightly.

“Go on, don’t be late for your meeting,” Shi Li quickly urged him, trying to stop herself from getting too comfortable.

Shen Jingyan chuckled and left.

Now alone in the office, Shi Li exhaled softly, reminding herself not to let her guard down. Until she got a full explanation, she couldn’t afford to trust him completely.

Thinking this, she cleared her mind a little and began to examine her surroundings. She walked around the office a few times and found it impeccably clean—so neat and orderly that it looked like a showroom rather than a workspace. It matched her first impression of the company—

Mechanical, cold, and modern.

Shi Li glanced at the desk and noticed a few research proposals on top. Though she didn’t intend to read them, the text was printed so large that she couldn’t help but see the titles.

All of them were related to research on medications for regulating women’s health. They seemed mild and safe. A thought flickered through her mind—

Could this be the project Shen Jingyan wanted her to participate in?

…If it was just for regulating the body, wouldn’t it be similar to researching cold medicine? That should fall within a relatively safe range, right? Shi Li couldn’t stop herself from feeling tempted.

Shen Jingyan’s meeting seemed to be taking a long time. Shi Li waited and waited, but he didn’t return. Left alone in his office, she nibbled on some snacks, drank a bit of water, and soon started feeling the urge to use the restroom.

She really didn’t want to run into anyone, but nature’s call was beyond her control. After holding it in for a while, she finally gave up. She peeked outside the office door, making sure no one was around, then quickly dashed toward the restroom.

On the way, just as Shen Jingyan had said, she didn’t run into anyone. However, most of the stalls in the restroom were occupied, with only the one at the far end still available. Shi Li quickly ran inside and locked the door, finally able to sit comfortably on the toilet.

She had just sat down when the sound of flushing toilets came from the adjacent stalls, followed by the chatter of several girls—

“Did you see it today? Dr. Shen brought a dirty little beggar into his office,” said a lively female voice.

Another voice joined in gossiping, “It’s all over the company group chat. Of course, I know. By the way, is she the final volunteer for his project?”

“Oh my god, if she is, then Dr. Shen is being really unfair! I already told him that I wanted my cousin to be the final volunteer. I even said I’d split half the bonus with him, and he still picked someone else?” A girl wailed.

Shi Li’s heart stirred, and she instinctively leaned forward, listening more attentively.

The lively female voice scoffed, “Everyone knows Dr. Shen’s project is wrapping up. Being his volunteer is practically like picking up free money. You want in? So do plenty of others. Did you really think it would be your turn?”

“But at least he shouldn’t have given it to some little beggar!” the wailing girl said, her tone turning sour. “Well, great. Now that little beggar’s got the money, she can finally start living like a proper person.”

“You don’t understand. She may look like a beggar, but from the way Dr. Shen spoke to her, they clearly know each other. Maybe they were classmates. And guess what? They even had lunch together today—at Cheng Ji!” The lively girl sounded pleased with herself, as if proud to know more than the others.

Shi Li’s heart nearly leaped into her throat when she heard the name of the restaurant reservation. She was terrified of missing any useful information.

The girl who had been wailing earlier suddenly turned curious again. “Cheng Ji? You mean the place Dr. Shen booked in advance to treat our project team to a meal?” After a brief pause, as if receiving confirmation from the others, she let out another exaggerated wail. “What the hell?! If I had known, I would’ve skipped the meeting to go eat! Maybe then, my cousin would’ve been chosen instead!”

“In your dreams!”

The girls finished washing their hands, giggling as they left, and the restroom fell silent again. Shi Li let out a quiet sigh of relief. Now, everything she had overheard made sense.

When she returned to the office, Shen Jingyan had already finished his meeting. He saw her coming back from outside but didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she voluntarily explained, “I went to the restroom. Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got back too,” Shen Jingyan replied with a smile. “But when I didn’t see you, I was a bit worried.”

Shi Li chuckled awkwardly and noticed that the planning documents on the desk had been put away.

“We should exchange phone numbers,” Shen Jingyan suggested. “That way, if anything comes up, neither of us will have trouble reaching the other.”

Shi Li was more than happy to comply and quickly pulled out her embarrassingly shabby phone.

After exchanging numbers, they sat facing each other. Shen Jingyan frowned slightly, looking troubled. “Debt collection agencies are relentless. Even if I arrange for you to stay in a hotel, it might not be safe. You’ll need a residence in a high-security community, but those places rarely have rentals available. I’m afraid…”

“Um,” Shi Li interrupted him. When he looked at her, she hesitated before speaking awkwardly. “Can you tell me more about your project?”

Shen Jingyan paused. “You’re thinking of joining?”

“I—I just want to ask about it first,” Shi Li didn’t give a direct answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Jingyan said, “This kind of information is confidential. Even if you become a volunteer, I can’t disclose the details. All I can say is that it’s a treatment that benefits both body and mind, helping you stay free from worries.”

That sounded exactly like what she had seen on the documents earlier. Shi Li understood but pretended to be clueless. “That all sounds too complicated. I just want to know—will it have any negative effects on me?”

“It won’t,” Shen Jingyan assured her.

Shi Li was surprised. “Really? No side effects at all?”

“You have to trust me,” Shen Jingyan said with a small chuckle. “The project is already in its final phase. The previous volunteers have had no issues. By the time it’s applied to you, it will be even safer.”

“Then… if that’s the case, I’m willing to be your volunteer.” Shi Li made up her mind.

Shen Jingyan didn’t show much emotion but nodded. “I also think this is the best solution so far. You can pay off your debt without suffering any major losses. It’s a good option.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll be counting on you, Dr. Shen.” Shi Li smiled lightly.

Shen Jingyan smiled back, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “Ah, before we sign the contract, I need to warn you—once work begins, our roles will shift in a way that might make you uncomfortable. At times, I might act in ways that could hurt your pride. I hope you won’t take it personally.”

“I understand. I’ll try my best to adapt.” He was a researcher, and she was an experimental subject—his observation target. It was natural that he wouldn’t always treat her like a person. Shi Li actually found it quite reasonable.

Seeing her reaction, Shen Jingyan relaxed slightly. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too serious. I might just need to ask you very detailed questions about your physical reactions. But as for any kind of physical abuse—absolutely not.”

“I believe you,” Shi Li said with an easy smile. As long as she signed the contract, she could clear her debts and spend time with the male supporting lead, working to reduce his hatred value. Everything was falling perfectly into place.

After discussing a few more details to ensure all her doubts were addressed, Shen Jingyan retrieved a new contract.

The contract was over ten pages long. Shi Li skimmed through the first few, finding them similar to the contracts she had seen before. But when she reached the later sections, she noticed a clause stating that she could only participate as Shen Jingyan’s personal volunteer.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Shen Jingyan kindly explained, “Once a volunteer signs up, they lose control over their own body. Many volunteers enter projects because of personal connections, but they fear those connections might back out. So, additional clauses are often added to ensure they can only participate in one specific project. This type of agreement can be signed as long as both parties consent. I included this clause for your peace of mind.”

“I really don’t know how to thank you.” Shi Li looked at him gratefully.

Shen Jingyan chuckled. “If I could just hand you five million yuan, then thanking me would make sense. But for something this small, don’t worry about it.”

“Even so, I still want to thank you,” Shi Li said as she signed her name at the bottom of the contract.

Shen Jingyan glanced at her messy hair, a faint, unreadable smile flickering across his face.