CHAPTER 29 (PART 1)

Shen Jingyan’s sudden change in attitude was so abrupt that Shi Li thought she must have misheard. “What did you just say?”

“Don’t delay the experiment.” Shen Jingyan pushed her back onto the bed. “Rest. If you don’t get better soon, you’ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days.”

“W-Wait, didn’t you say we weren’t doing it anymore?” Shi Li hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

Shen Jingyan’s gaze fell on her hand before traveling upward to meet her eyes. “I said we wouldn’t do it today. I never said we’d never do it.”

Shi Li: “…”

Shen Jingyan calmly tucked her in. “Sleep.”

…As if she could actually sleep now.

Shi Li was panicking inside, but she didn’t dare show it. She forced a smile at Shen Jingyan, closed her eyes once he lay down beside her, and desperately tried to figure out where things had gone wrong. But before she could think of an answer, exhaustion from being sick all day caught up to her, and she drifted off to sleep.

She rarely had dreams, but this time, she did.

In her dream, Shen Jingyan wore a white lab coat, a scalpel in hand, slowly approaching her with an expression that suggested he was about to crack open her skull.

“W-Wait! Aren’t you going to use anesthesia?!” she asked in terror.

Shen Jingyan sneered, “You don’t fear pain, so why would you need anesthesia?”

“Who said I don’t—” Before she could finish, his scalpel slashed toward her. Shi Li let out a terrified whimper and struggled, but just then, a force pressed against her body, jolting her awake.

It was Shen Jingyan, waking her up.

She blinked and stared at him in confusion, momentarily unable to react.

“You had a nightmare?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li gave an awkward laugh. “Yeah.”

“Was it about me?” Shen Jingyan asked again.

Shi Li instinctively wanted to deny it, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she hesitated. “Did I talk in my sleep?”

“You did.”

Shi Li frowned. “What did I say?”

“You said I wouldn’t give you anesthesia.” Shen Jingyan answered blandly.

Shi Li: “…”

“Dreams reflect our thoughts during the day. So in your mind, I’m some kind of monster who performs surgery without anesthesia?” Shen Jingyan ignored her awkward expression and asked in a leisurely tone.

Shi Li coughed lightly. “Dreams are nonsense. You can dream about all sorts of things—nothing in them is real.”

Shen Jingyan studied her for a moment, then scoffed in disdain.

Shi Li: “…”

He clearly didn’t actually feel that emotion, yet he still bothered to act it out just to irritate her. Who was he trying to mess with?!

Though she grumbled internally, she didn’t say anything out loud. The most pressing matter now was making him change his mind.

Yesterday, he had seemed fine—so why was he suddenly bringing up the experiment again? Did she unknowingly do something wrong?

Shi Li carefully thought back. Aside from not listening to him and sneaking off to eat ice cream, there didn’t seem to be anything else.

…Wait, surely he wasn’t planning to drag her into brain surgery just because she disobeyed him? The idea made her laugh. She immediately dismissed it as impossible.

She pondered for a long time but still couldn’t figure out what triggered his change. In the end, she gave up and instead resumed trying to convince him of the dangers of the procedure, hoping he would reconsider soon.

However, reality proved otherwise.

In the following days, no matter how obedient, well-behaved, and compliant Shi Li was, it did not change Shen Jingyan’s decision. However, while he did not change his mind, he also did not take her to complete the final examinations. Shi Li couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking.

Day after day, she waited anxiously, yet Shen Jingyan made no further moves. Instead, he became busier, leaving early and returning late every day. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even see each other for two or three days.

Once, Shi Li cautiously asked about it. Shen Jingyan only gave her a deep look and explained briefly, “The company is busy.”

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Shi Li assumed that the workload at his company had become overwhelming, leaving him no time to focus on her experiment.

…That actually sounded pretty good.

Shi Li immediately relaxed, settling into her role as a dutiful housewife. Occasionally, she even cooked meals so that when Shen Jingyan returned, he would have something to eat for a late-night snack.

One evening, Shen Jingyan came home a little past eight. The moment he stepped inside, he saw the warm, soft lighting illuminating the room. Back when he lived alone, he had always used the brightest white lights, never once opting for this kind of… homey glow.

A faint ripple stirred in his eyes as he slowly stepped forward. Passing the entrance, he spotted Shi Li busy in the semi-open kitchen. The dining table already had two dishes set on it—though the presentation wasn’t the best, he knew from experience that the taste would be just fine.

Shi Li had just finished stir-frying another dish and was carrying it to the table when she noticed Shen Jingyan. She let out a small sound of surprise. “You’re back so early? I thought you wouldn’t be home until ten.”

“I had something to take care of today, so I came back earlier,” Shen Jingyan said slowly.

Shi Li smiled. “Then hurry and help out. The egg drop soup just finished cooking—why don’t you serve it?”

“Alright,” Shen Jingyan responded, rolling up his sleeves. He washed his hands and stepped into the kitchen to help.

After a few moments of bustling around the kitchen together, they finally sat down at the table. Looking at the four dishes and one soup before her, Shi Li felt immensely satisfied. “Come on, eat up. After dinner, you should rest properly. You’ve been too exhausted lately, and you really need to take care of yourself.”

Shen Jingyan picked up some food for her but made no move to eat himself. “I have something to do later, so I can’t eat.”

Shi Li paused. “What is it? Do you have a dinner appointment?”

“No. Just some work at the lab,” Shen Jingyan replied, looking directly into her eyes.

A flicker of confusion flashed across Shi Li’s gaze. “So, it’s a work-related matter? You’re already this busy, and you finally made time to come home. How can you not eat something?”

“The procedure I’m about to do doesn’t allow me to eat,” Shen Jingyan repeated.

Shi Li pursed her lips. “Fine, but at least drink some water.”

“I can’t drink water either,” Shen Jingyan refused.

Shi Li: “…What exactly are you going to do?”

Shen Jingyan fell silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly said, “I came back specifically to pick you up. You’re coming with me later.”

“…Why do I have to go too?” Shi Li felt an ominous premonition.

Shen Jingyan was quiet for a brief moment before he replied, “It’s better if you’re there.”

Shi Li frowned. When she pressed further, he refused to explain. Seeing his attitude, her unease grew stronger. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this time, he was really going to crack her skull open.

…No way, right? She hadn’t even finished her final medical tests yet. At the very least, he should wait until those were completed before performing surgery, shouldn’t he? Shi Li was uncertain.

“You don’t want to go?” Shen Jingyan suddenly asked.

Shi Li quickly masked her true thoughts and forced a smile. “No, no. If you want me to go, of course, I’ll go.”

Shen Jingyan gazed at her steadily for a while before the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 10%

Shi Li: “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li was baffled. “N-Nothing…”

What just happened?

Since she arrived in this world, the hatred value had never changed—so why did it suddenly drop so much?

She stared at Shen Jingyan in shock, trying to find some clue in his expression.

“Do you have something to say?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li quickly shook her head. “N-No…”

Just as she denied it, she hesitated for a moment and then cautiously asked, “Are you… happy right now?”

“Hm?”

Shi Li thought for a second and rephrased her question. “How do you feel? Do you still hate me?”

Shen Jingyan paused, then carefully assessed his emotions. “Not bad.”

“‘Not bad’—what does that mean?” Shi Li pressed.

Shen Jingyan deliberated for a moment before replying, “It’s hard to determine. My emotional response system is damaged. Even though I previously knew that I hated you, the actual feeling was very faint. Now… it doesn’t seem much different from before.”

After a brief pause, he corrected himself. “Maybe there’s a small difference. When I walked in just now and saw you in the kitchen, my heart was beating fast… I think I really like this feeling.”

He usually masked his emotions with precise control, but when it came to expressing his true feelings, he found it difficult to articulate.

Even so, Shi Li easily understood. She couldn’t hold back a smile. “Shen Jingyan, you’re happy right now.”

Shen Jingyan looked at her. “Really?”

“Yes, I can feel it,” Shi Li answered seriously.

As he watched her bright smile, Shen Jingyan—who couldn’t fully grasp the concept of ‘happiness’—still found himself unconsciously mirroring her expression. “Maybe it’s because of you.”

Shi Li’s eyes curved into a smile. She couldn’t resist standing up and leaning over the table to kiss him.

How could she not be happy?

She had worked so hard for so long, yet the hatred value had remained stuck in place. She had even started to worry that she might be trapped in this world forever.

But now, it had suddenly dropped.

“Are you that happy?” Shen Jingyan asked.

Shi Li nodded with a grin. “Yes. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

After speaking, she hesitated for a moment and added with some regret, “If only you hadn’t gone through that failed experiment. Then, you’d be able to understand why this makes me so happy.”

Shen Jingyan gazed at her steadily for a long time before picking up a piece of braised beef and placing it on her plate. “Eat.”

“…Alright.”

Even though he couldn’t feel sadness, Shi Li didn’t want to bring up those painful topics again. She forced herself to perk up, gave him a smile, and focused on finishing her meal.

Neither of them spoke after that. Shi Li quietly finished eating, while Shen Jingyan took a shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and emerged with a small suitcase in hand.

Seeing his packed luggage, Shi Li was momentarily stunned. “Are you going on a business trip?”

“No,” Shen Jingyan replied.

Shi Li wanted to ask more, but seeing his lack of interest in answering, she had no choice but to follow him outside. It wasn’t until they got into the car that she curiously asked, “What’s in the suitcase?”

“Clothes, a pair of slippers, and some other daily necessities,” Shen Jingyan said calmly while driving.

Shi Li’s confusion deepened. “If it’s not for a trip, then why are you bringing all that?”

“I need them,” Shen Jingyan said.

Shi Li: “…” That’s basically stating the obvious.

She tried asking a few more times, but his answers remained vague. Eventually, she realized he had no intention of telling her the truth. With a huff, she stopped asking altogether, deciding she’d just get the details from someone else once they arrived at the company.

The car ride was silent. Neither of them spoke until they reached the underground parking garage. At this hour, around ten at night, most of the cars had already left, leaving only a few scattered vehicles. As Shen Jingyan drove in, Shi Li felt something was off. Just as she was about to get out, it suddenly hit her—

“…The lights aren’t on?”