CHAPTER 27 ( PART 2)

…Shi Li should be pitying herself instead.

No wonder he had put her through so many tests lately. It turned out the procedure carried significant risks.

She needed to find a way to make him abandon this idea.

Just as she was trying to figure out what to do, she suddenly felt her blanket being tugged. Reacting instantly, she minimized the photo album and pulled up the horror movie she had playing in the background. When the blanket was lifted, she put on a terrified expression and looked up.

Their eyes met.

Shen Jingyan’s gaze lingered on the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead for a moment before he asked, “What are you doing?”

“…Watching a horror movie.” Shi Li’s voice carried a hint of lingering fear. Since she was actually guilty of something, the expression came across as exceptionally convincing.

Shen Jingyan glanced at her phone, where the video was playing silently. Just as he looked over, the screen showed a close-up of a grotesque, bloody mouth.

“This is the movie you wanted me to watch with you?” he asked.

Shi Li swallowed and slowly calmed herself. “Yeah, but you wanted to sleep, so I had to watch it alone.”

“And you were so scared, yet you still watched it under the covers.” Shen Jingyan cast her a flat look.

Shi Li gave an awkward laugh. “Hiding under the covers gives me a sense of security… Why are you in my room?”

“I woke up and came to get you for a midnight snack. I knocked on your door, but you didn’t respond.” Shen Jingyan sat down beside her.

Shi Li felt a bit embarrassed. She had probably been so focused on reading the contract that she didn’t hear him knocking.

“Were you scared out of your mind?” Shen Jingyan asked again.

Shi Li snapped back to reality. “N-No. Let’s go eat.” She got out of bed and minimized the video player, only then realizing that two whole hours had passed without her noticing.

…No wonder she was sweating so much. After being under the blanket for that long, it would be strange if she didn’t.

The two of them went to the living room together and ordered some additional dishes to go with the leftover crayfish. As they ate, they chatted casually.

At one point, Shi Li brought up something in an offhanded manner. “I heard from your assistant that the experiment was scheduled for three days from now. Should I start preparing for it?”

Shen Jingyan paused for a moment. “No need.”

“Why?” Shi Li feigned curiosity.

Shen Jingyan looked at her. “It’s been postponed.”

…Tsk. The date had been set for a while, yet he pushed it back so suddenly. He must not want to turn her into that, either.

Shi Li took note of this and, no longer feeling as urgent, responded more casually, “Alright, just let me know a few days in advance when it’s needed so I can mentally prepare.”

“We’ll see. There’s no rush,” Shen Jingyan replied while peeling shrimp.

Shi Li’s lips curled slightly before she quickly suppressed the smile. She picked out a particularly plump shrimp, peeled it, and held it up to Shen Jingyan’s lips.

Shen Jingyan hesitated for a moment before biting into it. As he did, the tip of his tongue inadvertently brushed against her fingers.

Shi Li felt a sudden jolt, like an electric current passing through her fingertips. She quickly withdrew her hand, her face heating up as she lowered her head to focus on eating her midnight snack.

Shen Jingyan stared at her thoughtfully. It wasn’t until she looked up at him that he calmly shifted his gaze away.

After finishing their food, they washed the dishes together. Shi Li kept sneaking glances at Shen Jingyan, pondering how to make him give up on the experiment. Just as she was thinking of a plan, Shen Jingyan suddenly asked, “Did you finish your horror movie?”

“Hm? No, I didn’t dare to watch it. I had my eyes closed most of the time,” Shi Li replied. She hadn’t actually watched the movie at all, and to avoid being caught in a lie, she didn’t directly say she had finished it.

Shen Jingyan nodded. “Then let’s watch it together later.”

Shi Li: “?”

She was still dazed when he led her to his room. It wasn’t until he started pulling her onto his bed that she snapped back to reality. “We’re just watching a movie, so why do we need to watch it in bed?”

“You said being under the covers gives you a sense of security,” Shen Jingyan replied expressionlessly.

Shi Li: “…” Well, technically, she did say that, but something about this still felt off.

Before she could figure it out, Shen Jingyan effortlessly nudged her onto the bed with just one finger. With no other choice, she took off her shoes and slipped under the blanket. Once Shen Jingyan lay down beside her, she naturally nestled into his arms.

Since their reconciliation, they had already shared countless intimate moments, so this level of closeness wasn’t anything new for Shi Li.

Once they were settled, Shen Jingyan wrapped an arm around her while she pulled up the movie on her phone, rewinding it to the beginning.

Shi Li wasn’t particularly brave, so she rarely watched horror movies. Earlier, she had only chosen one as a cover because she had been hiding under the blanket while reading the contract. A horror movie simply fit the atmosphere better… Of course, an explicit film would’ve worked too, but she still had some dignity to uphold.

As she focused on the screen, her mind wandered. Yet, whenever a scary scene appeared, she instinctively shrank further into Shen Jingyan’s arms. Gradually, she became absorbed in the plot, her full attention on the screen, and she started getting scared more frequently.

“You’re scared?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li clung to him. “Not at all.”

“Oh.” Shen Jingyan glanced at her.

Shi Li swallowed and forced herself to keep watching. Just as she braced for another scare, the scene suddenly shifted—

A man and a woman appeared completely naked, tangled together like a sandwich cookie.

Shi Li froze for a second.

The next moment, moans filled the phone’s speaker, sultry and drawn-out, far more intense than anything she had overheard at the restaurant earlier.

…Why did they keep running into situations like this today?

Shi Li stared blankly at the increasingly passionate scene on the screen, then decisively exited the movie. The bedroom fell into sudden silence.

She cleared her throat. “It’s getting boring. Let’s stop watching.”

Shen Jingyan, who seemed entirely unbothered, asked, “It’s almost the climax. Why stop now?”

Shi Li forced an awkward smile. “I just lost interest.”

Shen Jingyan stared at her in silence for a long moment before saying, “You’re bothered by the explicit scene.”

Shi Li: “…”

“Why?” His voice was calm. “Do you think I can’t satisfy you, so you’re jealous of those women?”

Shi Li was speechless. “Are you overthinking things? Why would I be jealous of them for no reason?”

“Then you must think I’m incapable and are afraid this kind of scene would make me feel bad,” Shen Jingyan replied, still eerily composed.

Shi Li genuinely had no idea how to respond.

“Otherwise, I can’t think of another explanation.” Shen Jingyan ended his speculation with that.

Shi Li pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, “It’s not about you… It just makes me feel bad. I feel guilty. If it weren’t for me back then, you wouldn’t have gone through all that and ended up like this—where you can see something so stimulating but not feel a thing.”

“Why should I feel anything?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li was taken aback. “Because you’re a man?”

“Does being a man mean I must react?” He countered. Seeing her surprised expression, he paused for a moment before adding, “Even though I lost my emotional responses, my memory is still intact. And from what I recall, I was never interested in these things. Even if I were normal now, I’d likely have the same reaction.”

Shi Li stared at him in a daze. When he finished speaking, she asked innocently, “Are you trying to comfort me? I’ve dated you before—I know for a fact that you used to…”

“You’re the only one I liked,” Shen Jingyan interrupted. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “I still do. Love and hate, mixed together. Even though I don’t feel much anymore, I still want to do everything intimate with you. Otherwise, why do you think I keep kissing and hugging you? Do you really think I feel nothing when I do those things?”

Shi Li hadn’t considered that possibility before. For a moment, she was stunned. “Y-You actually feel something?”

Shen Jingyan was silent for a second. “Not much.”

Considering she had tormented him so much, and his hatred value was only at 20%, it wasn’t surprising that his emotions weren’t obvious… But even if it was just a little, it was still something. Better than nothing.

Shi Li relaxed slightly. She cupped his face and kissed the bridge of his nose. “What about this? Can you feel anything?”

“Not really. It doesn’t compare to a deep kiss,” Shen Jingyan answered seriously, as if discussing an academic topic. “Almost nothing.”

“Oh?” Shi Li thought for a moment, then kissed his lips lightly. “And this?”

“A little better.” Shen Jingyan replied.

Shi Li understood now. Casually pushing her phone aside, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. This time, she didn’t just brush against him like before—she kissed him earnestly, with passion.

Shen Jingyan closed his eyes, one hand supporting her shoulder to make it easier for her.

By the time the kiss ended, Shi Li was breathless. Shen Jingyan’s breathing had also grown heavier, though it wasn’t as noticeable as hers.

“How about now?” Shi Li seriously continued their discussion.

Shen Jingyan nodded. “I can feel it. My heartbeat is speeding up.”

Shi Li smiled, then reached for the phone she had abandoned earlier. After carefully searching for information online, she confidently suggested, “I read that a man’s Adam’s apple is particularly sensitive. Why don’t we try that? Maybe it’ll feel even stronger than kissing.”

Shen Jingyan thought for a moment before agreeing.

Shi Li pushed him down onto the bed, and Shen Jingyan cooperated, lying flat. She leaned over him, originally intending to start immediately, but when she noticed his eyes fixed intently on her, she suddenly felt a bit shy. “You… you should close your eyes. You’re distracting me.”

Shen Jingyan obediently closed his eyes.

Shi Li licked her lips, which had gone dry from nervousness, then cautiously pressed them against his neck. Though she called it a bite, she didn’t use her teeth—only her lips. After adjusting her position, she tentatively kissed his skin.

As her lips lingered on his Adam’s apple, she clearly felt it move. His reaction was so obvious that it was definitely a good sign. Her eyes lit up, and she carefully kissed it again.

She continued kissing his Adam’s apple, pausing every so often to ask, “How about now? Do you feel anything?”

After two or three times, Shen Jingyan suggested, “Maybe you should try going a little lower?”

“Lower how?” Shi Li asked, confused.

Shen Jingyan thought for a moment. “Unbutton my shirt and kiss your way down.”

Shi Li did as he said and soon noticed his body growing tense. Her eyes brightened. “It’s really working.”

“…Mm. Now, touch me. Don’t you like abs?” Shen Jingyan’s voice was slightly lower than usual.

Shi Li understood the hint immediately and placed her hands on his abs.

“Maybe you should take off your clothes. I feel like there’s still something in the way,” Shen Jingyan pointed out.

Shi Li removed her nightwear, and as their body heat mingled, she suddenly realized something was off. “…You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What?” Shen Jingyan looked down at her.

Shi Li stared into his eyes suspiciously, but his gaze remained bright and clear, not looking deceitful at all.

“Can we continue now?” Shen Jingyan asked matter-of-factly.

Shi Li hesitated. “O-okay…”

Shen Jingyan nodded, tilted her chin up, and kissed her deeply.

Shi Li: “…” Something still felt off.