CHAPTER 22 (PART 1)

Shi Li signed her name and looked up at Shen Jingyan. His expression had already returned to its usual gentle and composed demeanor. “Just give it to me,” he said, taking the contract and signing his own name beside hers.

“Is that all?” Shi Li asked.

Shen Jingyan nodded. “Yes, I’ll have finance transfer the money to you right now.”

“That fast?” Shi Li was surprised. “I thought it would take a few days to process.”

Shen Jingyan paused for a moment and then adjusted his glasses with a refined air. “No need. The company grants researchers a considerable amount of authority.”

Shi Li studied him for a while before sighing in admiration. “With benefits like that, your company must be really good. The fact that you got in proves how capable you are.”

“If you want to work here, you can consider going back to school after this project ends. A few years of effort, and it’s definitely possible,” Shen Jingyan said with a smile.

Shi Li waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s talk about the future when it comes. Right now, I should focus on what’s ahead.”

Shen Jingyan nodded. “I’ll go find finance… Do you want cash, or should they transfer it to your account directly?”

“I don’t have a bank card,” Shi Li admitted sheepishly. “But taking cash doesn’t seem like a good idea either. Without a transaction record, what if those people take the money and refuse to acknowledge it?”

Shen Jingyan thought for a moment. “If you trust me, I can have finance transfer the money to my account, and then we can go to the bank together to send it to them. How about that?”

“Would that take up too much of your time?” Shi Li found the suggestion reasonable but still asked out of politeness.

Shen Jingyan shook his head slightly. “I already told you—I’m free after my meeting. We can go straight away.”

“That’s really kind of you.” Shi Li said, but she still stood up to go along with his arrangement.

Shen Jingyan glanced at her with amusement. “No rush. Wait here, I’ll have finance process the transfer, then we can leave together.”

“Alright, alright.” At this point, Shi Li was willing to agree to whatever he said.

After instructing her to wait, Shen Jingyan left. Half an hour later, he returned and said, “Let’s go.”

“Got it.” Shi Li immediately followed.

The two of them walked out of the building together. As they exited the lobby, several burly men loitering outside immediately straightened up, their expressions fierce as they blocked the entrance. Shi Li instinctively shrank back, slowing her steps. Just as she was debating whether to ask Shen Jingyan to stay close for protection, he had already positioned himself in front of her.

Before the men could close in, Shen Jingyan spoke calmly, “The money is ready. Let’s go to the bank, and I’ll transfer it to you.”

The thugs, who had been preparing to threaten them, exchanged glances. After a moment, their leader said, “Fine. I’ll call someone to bring the IOU.”

Shen Jingyan agreed, and the group headed to the bank. By the time the debt was settled, the sun was already setting. Shi Li watched as the IOU burned to ashes in front of her. Even though she hadn’t suffered through this character’s originally intended ten years of hardship, she still felt a deep sense of relief.

Bathed in the golden glow of the sunset, she looked at Shen Jingyan, whose face was illuminated by the warm light, and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

“No need for that. I got what I wanted as well,” Shen Jingyan replied slowly.

Shi Li hesitated. “…Huh?”

“You’ll be a very cooperative volunteer,” Shen Jingyan looked at her. “Much more so than those who were forced into it out of desperation. Isn’t that right?”

Something about his words felt a little off to Shi Li, but after thinking it through, she realized there wasn’t anything technically wrong with what he said. So she simply smiled and replied, “That’s true.”

Shen Jingyan let out a light chuckle and then took her back to the company’s parking lot.

On the way, Shi Li subtly asked, “Since I’ve already signed the contract, what comes next?”

“Tomorrow, you’ll undergo a medical examination. We need to record all your physical data. If there are no issues, you’ll move into the volunteer dormitory,” Shen Jingyan explained before glancing at her. “I need to understand every aspect of your physical condition, so I’ll be present during your check-up.”

Shi Li wasn’t particularly concerned about the check-up itself—what truly worried her was the so-called volunteer dormitory. Moving in meant she’d lose any opportunity to interact with Shen Jingyan outside of project hours, making it much harder to lower his hatred value.

Seeing her troubled expression, Shen Jingyan asked sincerely, “Do you mind me being there for the examination?”

“No, no, not at all! Don’t worry, I’ll fully cooperate with the project.” Shi Li hurriedly assured him, then hesitated, her eyes turning slightly red. “It’s just… I’ve been hiding and running for ten years. I’ve long forgotten how to socialize properly. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle dorm life, but I have nowhere else to go…”

“Oh, that,” Shen Jingyan chuckled. “I was actually planning to mention something earlier, but I was worried you’d overthink it, so I held back.”

“What is it?” Shi Li asked curiously.

Shen Jingyan met her gaze. “Even without a check-up, it’s clear that your physical condition is much worse than others. You’ll need time to recover before the experiment can proceed. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone in the dormitory. That’s why I wanted to ask—would you like to stay with me instead?”

“With you?” Shi Li’s voice rose in surprise.

Shen Jingyan quickly clarified, “Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean anything inappropriate. I just want to help you regain your health. In fact, even if you hadn’t signed the contract, I was already considering it. My neighborhood has good security, so the debt collectors won’t be able to reach you… Of course, if you’re not comfortable with it, you can stay in the dormitory instead.”

“I’d love to!” Shi Li agreed immediately, then quickly added, “I mean, I’d really appreciate it. But won’t it be too much trouble for you?”

“There’s no need to worry about that. You’re my volunteer now, so I should take full responsibility for you,” Shen Jingyan said with a slight smile. “Since you have no objections, why don’t you come home with me tonight?”

Shi Li readily agreed.

After a simple dinner at a porridge shop, they headed home together.

Just as Shen Jingyan had said, his residential complex had excellent security. It took a lengthy registration process before Shi Li was finally allowed inside. Though the procedure was a bit troublesome, all her fatigue disappeared the moment she saw his living space.

A spacious 200-square-meter apartment with a sunlit living room, luxurious yet understated furnishings, and, most importantly, a fully-equipped guest room—she didn’t need to prepare anything at all to move in comfortably.

“I used to have friends over often, so I stocked up on essentials. Most of it is brand new—you can use them freely,” Shen Jingyan said politely, standing at the doorway without stepping inside.

Shi Li opened the shoe cabinet and found several pairs of indoor slippers. There were different sizes, but none were disposable. Two pairs of men’s slippers had already been unwrapped, yet they were so clean they didn’t seem worn at all. Meanwhile, the women’s slippers were still sealed in their packaging, clearly brand new. She took out a pair and tried them on—they fit perfectly.

“If you have frequent guests, you should probably get disposable slippers. It’s more convenient,” Shi Li commented while looking down at her feet.

Shen Jingyan sighed helplessly. “Work keeps me too busy. I just grabbed whatever was available at the time.”

“Well, this works out too,” Shi Li looked up and gave him a bright smile. “Lucky for me.”

Shen Jingyan’s gaze deepened for a moment before he, too, smiled. “That’s true. Nothing went to waste.”

Shi Li nodded, momentarily at a loss for words.

Shen Jingyan took the initiative to say, “Go take a shower. You should just throw away your clothes—they probably won’t come clean no matter how much you wash them. You can wear mine for now. I’ll order a couple of new sets for you online, and they should be delivered by tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” Shi Li expressed her gratitude.

Shen Jingyan smiled. “No need to be so polite.”

With nothing else to say, he fetched some clothes for her and then turned to leave. The moment he walked out, Shi Li immediately shut the door. She took a couple of steps toward the bathroom before doubling back to lock the door. Only then did she head back to the bathroom.

The moment she stepped inside, she stripped off her clothes and stood under the shower, scrubbing herself furiously. She had felt sticky and uncomfortable the entire day, and now that she could finally wash up, she scrubbed over and over again until her skin turned red.

Just washing herself and her hair took nearly two hours. By the time she was done, she felt completely refreshed. If not for the excellent drainage system in Shen Jingyan’s house, she might have worried that all the grime she washed off would clog the pipes. But in any case, she was finally clean.

Looking at the fogged-up mirror, she could see that her complexion had returned to a fair tone. However, she was far too thin—her bones jutted out visibly, making her look sickly and malnourished. Compared to her normal appearance, she looked much worse.

Shi Li sighed, wrapped herself in a towel, and stepped out of the bathroom. After drying her hair, she went to get the clothes Shen Jingyan had given her.

It was a plain-colored set of sleepwear.

Her mouth twitched slightly as she suddenly recalled the male supporting character from the previous world. The petal-like imprint on her wrist grew warm. She rubbed it once, and the heat disappeared. She figured it was just her imagination.

…Still, why did the male supporting characters always seem to like having her wear their sleepwear? Shi Li clicked her tongue at the thought but ultimately dismissed it as a coincidence. It was late at night—aside from sleepwear, there wasn’t anything else Shen Jingyan could have reasonably given her to wear.

With that thought, she unwrapped the towel, put on the sleepwear, and collapsed onto the bed. She hadn’t felt tired throughout the day, but the moment she lay down, her entire body suddenly ached with exhaustion. Letting out a muffled groan, Shi Li quickly fell asleep.

She had a dream—one where she returned to her high school days in this novel’s world. Every day, she would ride on the back of Shen Jingyan’s bicycle to and from school.

Shen Jingyan cherished her, but he also loved to tease her. For example, whenever they reached a downhill slope, he would pedal as fast as he could until she screamed in fear before finally stopping.

Every time he did that, Shi Li couldn’t resist smacking him a few times. But he would always just smile at her, as if no matter what she did, he wouldn’t mind in the slightest.

The Shi Li in the dream often blushed. The way she looked at Shen Jingyan carried a certain light, as if, even though he wasn’t liked by everyone, she liked him beyond reason.

“I only have you. You can’t betray me. Even if I end up in hell one day, you have to come with me. Understand?” The young Shen Jingyan stared into her eyes, his voice carrying a fierce warning.

And how had she responded back then?