CHAPTER 33 (PART 3)

“Then let’s have dinner.” Without another word, Shen Jingyan sat at the table.

Shi Li had no choice but to follow. She picked at her food absentmindedly before carefully asking, “Are you staying the night?”

“No,” Shen Jingyan replied flatly.

Shi Li exhaled in relief—only to hear him add, “I’ll sleep with you first, then go elsewhere.”

Shi Li: “…”

When she didn’t respond, Shen Jingyan paused and glanced at her. “What’s wrong? Not happy?”

Shi Li struggled to find an appropriate response. After a forced smile, she fell silent.

But Shen Jingyan wasn’t about to let her off so easily. “Are you upset that I’m sleeping with you, or that I’ll be staying elsewhere after?”

“…I heard people saying that there are rumors I tried to seduce you with aphrodisiac wine,” Shi Li abruptly changed the topic.

Shen Jingyan gave her a dismissive look. “You handled that matter well. You should do it more often.”

Shi Li: “?”

“The more tainted you appear,” Shen Jingyan said indifferently, “the more people will see me as noble and virtuous. Even the Emperor will believe I have a weakness he can exploit, making him more inclined to trust me.”

Shi Li: “…” What a schemer.

She cleared her throat and attempted another topic shift. “I met your concubines today.”

“Oh?” Shen Jingyan lifted an eyebrow.

Shi Li forced a bitter smile. “They are all quite beautiful, especially Sister Yu—so delicate and pitiful, like a fragile flower. No wonder… no wonder you visited her in the middle of the night.”

Her words dripped with jealousy, deliberately excessive.

Sure enough, Shen Jingyan seemed to enjoy it—his Hatred Value even dropped to 94%.

He cast her a lazy glance. “What, are you jealous?”

“As if I have the right to be,” Shi Li sighed, looking aggrieved.

Shen Jingyan remained unmoved. “As long as you understand that.”

Shi Li’s lips twitched slightly, but she persisted. “After you left my place last night, did you go to Yu Meimei?” Her question was subtle, but anyone with half a brain could understand that she was asking whether he had been intimate with that concubine.

Shen Jingyan was silent for a moment. “What do you think?”

Shi Li lowered her head. “I was just asking. If you don’t want to answer—”

“Of course I did. What else do you think I went there for?” Shen Jingyan cut her off coldly. “Do you really think you’re the only one for me?”

Shi Li: “…” Yes, that’s exactly what she thought.

She quickly lowered her head, afraid she might accidentally let a smile slip. To make herself appear more disappointed, she didn’t even dare lift her gaze and simply focused on eating.

The room fell into temporary silence. As Shi Li ate, she noticed a dish of garlic shoots and shrimp on the table. Her expression shifted slightly.

She remembered that in the early years, when they had been struggling, even eating meat was rare, let alone something like shrimp. Back then, she had secretly taken on extra work to scrape together a few copper coins just to buy some shrimp for him to try. When Shen Jingyan saw it, his eyes had turned red, and he had refused to eat it at first. In the end, they had shared it together, one bite at a time.

She never expected to see this dish on the table again today.

After a brief hesitation, Shi Li carefully placed a piece into his bowl.

Shen Jingyan’s expression flickered, but after a moment, he masked it again. He picked up the shrimp and placed it back into her bowl, his tone indifferent. “I detest this sort of thing the most. Which cook is on duty today? How dare they serve this?”

The attendants nearby immediately scrambled to remove the dish, repeatedly apologizing before rushing off to punish the kitchen staff.

Now, only Shi Li and Shen Jingyan remained in the room. She glanced at him but ultimately decided to just focus on finishing her meal.

They ate in silence.

When Shen Jingyan finally summoned someone to bring in water, Shi Li’s head began to ache. Seeing that he intended to bathe here, she quickly said, “I… I’m not feeling well today…”

Shen Jingyan paused as he unfastened his belt. “Your time of the month isn’t due for another seven days.”

Shi Li: “…” He remembers that?

She cleared her throat. “It’s been years. My cycle isn’t that predictable anymore.”

Shen Jingyan stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly stepped forward.

Shi Li immediately felt uneasy and instinctively backed away. She was almost at the edge of the bed when panic set in. “W-what are you doing?”

“Checking.”

Without another word, Shen Jingyan grabbed her and pushed her down onto the bed. A sharp, indescribable pain shot through her, turning her face pale. The brute had no intention of stopping—he reached straight for her sash.

Shi Li struggled frantically to push him away, but she was no match for his strength. The pain from her injuries flared up again, and the accumulated suffering of the past few days overwhelmed her. She finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.

Shen Jingyan’s hands froze mid-motion. His dark eyes lingered on her tear-streaked face.

After what felt like an eternity, he spoke in a low voice. “I still don’t understand. That man was filthy, repulsive, and disgusting—what exactly did you see in him?”

Shi Li had been crying, but his words caught her off guard.

By the time she uncovered her face, he had already turned and walked away.

She stared after his retreating figure, then pouted and curled up under the blankets. The grievance in her heart was so overwhelming that she didn’t even want to exist anymore.

After that day, Shen Jingyan did not return.

Shi Li focused on recovering and continued her lessons with the steward on bookkeeping. However, her mind wasn’t in it at all, and her progress was painfully slow. The steward, on the verge of snapping multiple times, barely managed to hold his temper in check because of her status.

These past few days, Shi Li had been restless. She knew she should go and pacify Shen Jingyan, but every time she thought of him, she remembered what happened in bed, and her body would tremble involuntarily. She wanted to put it off as long as possible.

Days passed—seven, eight in total. Shi Li still hadn’t gone looking for Shen Jingyan.

Instead, he came looking for her.

Behind him, a servant carried a tray with a beautifully crafted dress on it.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 70%

…How did his hatred drop so much in just a few days? And why was he bringing her gifts?

Just as Shi Li was puzzling over this, she heard his cool voice. “The Nanyang Prince’s Manor is hosting a banquet tonight. You will accompany me.”

Shi Li: “…Oh.”

Shen Jingyan glanced at her and frowned when he saw her bare face, devoid of makeup. “Dress properly. Don’t embarrass me.”

“…Understood.” Shi Li pursed her lips and obediently agreed.

Shen Jingyan seemed like he wanted to say more, but seeing how lifeless she looked, he swallowed his words and simply turned to leave.

Once he was gone, Shi Li had a maid help her change into the dress he brought. She then had her hair styled into an elegant Flying Star Chasing the Moon bun. After carefully dressing up, she turned to examine herself in the mirror and hesitated. “Is this too much?”

She rarely dressed so extravagantly and felt a bit out of place.

The maid, however, was utterly stunned. Hearing Shi Li’s question, she quickly shook her head. “No, no! It’s perfect. Madam, you look absolutely stunning.”

“Really? I’ve never dressed like this before, so I don’t know if it suits me or not.” Shi Li didn’t care much either way. Back in her previous time in this world, she had always struggled alongside Shen Jingyan, never having the luxury to wear such fine clothes. Now, this was a first.

The maid went on and on with her praises, making Shi Li laugh helplessly. Finally, the two of them stepped outside.

Shen Jingyan was already waiting in the courtyard.

Suddenly, the servant beside him let out a sharp inhale.

Sensing something, Shen Jingyan turned around.

When he saw her, a flicker of something flashed in his eyes.

“Is it too much?” Shi Li asked, feeling a little awkward.

Shen Jingyan looked away. “Yes. It’s excessive.”

“Then I’ll go change.” Shi Li immediately turned to leave.

Shen Jingyan grabbed her wrist. “Forget it. There’s no time. Just leave it.”

With that, he pulled her along toward the carriage.

Shi Li had no choice but to follow.

Once they were seated inside, silence fell between them.

After a while, Shi Li finally spoke, breaking the awkwardness.

“You… You’ve been busy these past few days? I haven’t seen you.”

“Isn’t it better if you don’t see me?” Shen Jingyan countered.

It was.

Shi Li glanced at him before lowering her head and softly saying, “Not really. If you’re free, you should visit the rear courtyard more often.”

After she spoke, he remained silent. Feeling uneasy, Shi Li couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him.

Male Lead Hatred Value: 65%

Shi Li blinked and lowered her head, the corners of her lips curving up slightly.

Shen Jingyan cast her a glance, then silently took her hand. Just as she looked at him in confusion, he explained indifferently, “When we’re in public, remember to act like a loving couple.”

“…Alright,” Shi Li agreed with a dry smile.

The two remained silent as they arrived at the prince’s manor. As soon as a servant called out a greeting, the officials and their families who hadn’t yet entered paused in curiosity, all turning to look at the Shen family’s carriage.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing the jade-like figure of Shen Jingyan as he stepped down. Seeing such an outstanding young man, the crowd sighed inwardly—what a brilliant talent, yet he had to entangle himself with a woman of compromised virtue.

“I must say, though the Grand Chancellor is an exceptional man, his taste is truly questionable. What could be so special about that crude and uncultured woman?” one official sneered, prompting knowing chuckles from those around him.

Everyone knew that Shen Jingyan’s main wife was someone he had married during his hardships, so they all assumed she was a rough and unsophisticated woman from the countryside—plain at best, if not outright ugly. Compared to their own wives, who were not only young and beautiful but also well-bred ladies from noble families, a sense of superiority naturally arose.

Expecting a spectacle, they watched eagerly as Shen Jingyan reached out his hand toward the carriage. A slender, fair hand delicately placed itself in his palm, the exposed wrist so dainty it almost hurt to look at. The crowd was momentarily stunned, and when the woman finally stepped out, gasps filled the air.

She was graceful, breathtakingly beautiful, with eyes that naturally carried a seductive charm. The men in the crowd only needed one look to suddenly understand why Shen Jingyan was so devoted to her…

If it were them, not to mention one act of elopement—even if she had run away ten times, they would still treasure her.

Feeling the weight of so many stares, Shi Li frowned slightly and whispered to Shen Jingyan after stepping down, “I told you I should’ve changed before coming. Now look, this is too much—I’ve embarrassed you, haven’t I?”

Shen Jingyan paused at her words, then cast a casual glance at the onlookers. The moment his gaze swept over them, they hurriedly looked away in panic. Only after ensuring no one was openly staring at Shi Li anymore did he respond indifferently, “As long as you know.”

Male Lead Hatred Value: 60%

Shi Li: “?”