CHAPTER 7

“The master won’t let us in. Only you can take care of him,” the butler sighed worriedly.

Shi Li forced a dry laugh. “I don’t think that’s possible. He won’t even see you—why would he see me? You know how much he hates me.”

“If he truly hated you, he would have kicked you out long ago. Why would he let you stay in the estate and even eat the food you make?” the butler countered.

Shi Li: “…”

That’s only because his feelings for me are tangled with both love and hate. But if she showed up now, it would only remind him of the past, leaving only the hatred behind.

Yet, if she refused outright, once Shen Jingyan recovered and learned that the butler had sought her out, he would likely assume she still despised his illness. Either way, it would be troublesome.

Shi Li sighed deeply, feeling as though she was being roasted over a fire—no matter how she turned, she couldn’t escape the heat.

Seeing her fall silent, the butler quickly added, “Dinner is already being prepared in the kitchen. It will be sent to you along with his medicine shortly. As for the massage instructions—”

“I’ve done it for him before. No need to learn it again,” Shi Li interrupted, resigned to her fate.

The butler let out a breath of relief and immediately led her toward Shen Jingyan’s villa. They arrived at his door in record time.

“I’ll be counting on you,” the butler said nervously.

Shi Li nodded, taking the tray with one hand while placing the other on the bedroom door handle. Taking a deep breath, she turned it. The butler and the others behind her immediately took a few steps back, as if she was opening the lair of some dangerous beast rather than an ordinary door.

Shi Li’s mouth twitched. She calmed herself and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The butler glanced at the gathered servants. “Alright, Miss Shi is taking care of this. If you have nothing else to do, you can all go back to work.”

“Yes, yes.”

The area outside the door quickly emptied. The butler let out a sigh, stepped forward to close the door, and then turned to leave.

Inside, the bedroom was shrouded in darkness. Shi Li had been using the faint light from the door crack to guide her steps, but now that the butler had shut the door, the room was plunged into complete blackness.

She paused for a long moment, adjusting to the dark. Even then, she could barely make out her surroundings. Carefully, she inched forward step by step.

The room was deathly quiet. Aside from Shen Jingyan’s restrained groans and his heavy, labored breathing, there was no other sound. Shi Li’s heart pounded as she carefully placed the tray on the table, then felt her way toward the bed.

Though dulled by pain, Shen Jingyan’s senses were still sharp enough to detect her approach. His hoarse voice rang out, filled with impatience. “Get out.”

Shi Li swallowed nervously and hesitated before inching forward again.

Shen Jingyan paused for a moment, half-opening his eyes to glance in her direction. He could only make out a silhouette, but he recognized her immediately. His entire demeanor darkened, radiating an obsessive, almost deranged hostility. “Get out!”

Even without turning on the light, Shi Li could picture him—pale-faced, eyes tinged red, full of hatred. She could also imagine how the Male Lead Hatred Value she had painstakingly lowered was now skyrocketing at a terrifying speed.

But since she was already here, leaving now would only make things worse.

“…Jingyan, I came to check on you,” she said softly.

Shen Jingyan gritted his teeth and roared, “Get out! Get out!”

“I won’t leave…” Shi Li murmured, reaching for the light switch.

Despite his weakness, Shen Jingyan somehow found the strength to lunge from the bed, throwing himself toward the switch. Shi Li was startled and froze in place. But he had already exhausted his last bit of energy—just as he reached the edge of the bed, he collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Shi Li gasped. “Jingyan!”

“…Get out…” His voice was feeble now, but even in his weakened state, his rejection was firm.

Shi Li pretended not to hear him. She frowned and knelt beside him, reaching out to help him up. The moment her hands touched him, she felt the dampness of his sweat-soaked clothes and stilled.

She remembered a time when he was younger, living in much harsher conditions, yet his illness had never been this severe. Now, despite years of careful treatment, he seemed worse than ever.

“Let go of me,” Shen Jingyan spat, his voice filled with loathing.

Shi Li snapped out of her thoughts and tried to lift him. After two failed attempts, she instead helped him into a more comfortable sitting position, deciding to wait until he regained some strength before moving him back to bed.

Since he refused to turn on the lights, Shi Li complied. She reached up and touched the bedsheet—it was damp as well, soaked through with sweat.

…How could he possibly rest like this?

Sighing, Shi Li groped her way to the walk-in closet, searching until she found a fresh set of sheets. She quickly stripped off the old bedding, replacing the entire set. The bed, once drenched in the sour scent of sweat, was now fresh and clean again.

While she was busy with these tasks, Shen Jingyan regained some strength and spoke coldly, “Leave now, and I’ll let this slide. Otherwise, face the consequences.”

Taking advantage of the darkness, Shi Li rolled her eyes at the man sitting against the bed, then turned without a word and headed to the bathroom. She came back carrying a basin of hot water and a towel.

“Shi Li, get out.” Shen Jingyan’s voice was as frigid as ice, each word carrying enough weight to crush her.

Shi Li, however, knew that in his current state, he was nothing more than a paper tiger. Ignoring his threats, she placed the basin and towel on the floor, then reached out to unbutton his pajama top.

Realizing what she was about to do, Shen Jingyan’s breathing became erratic. He covered his collar with one hand and shouted sharply, “Get out!”

“I’m not leaving,” Shi Li finally spoke. “I won’t ignore your condition, so save your breath.”

“Shi Li, don’t push your luck! Do you believe I won’t throw you out of the Shen family—”

“I believe, I believe. But for now, you can’t make me leave.” Shi Li held back the urge to sound smug and instead put on a pitiful expression.

While they argued, she had already undone four or five buttons. Since Shen Jingyan was struggling the entire time, she had unintentionally taken advantage of him.

For a man, his skin was surprisingly smooth—soft, with a faint pink hue… Stop! Now was not the time for such thoughts. Shi Li coughed lightly and forced herself to focus.

As she unfastened the last button, Shen Jingyan suddenly started struggling violently. But to Shi Li, he was just a fish on the chopping block—she easily held him down with one hand.

Shen Jingyan quickly realized the power imbalance between them. The anger in his heart churned, mixed with something else. He kept resisting in silence, never giving up despite being subdued over and over. His strength gradually waned, his breathing grew more labored, and his occasional coughing made him seem weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Still so stubborn.

Shi Li remained ruthless, swiftly stripping off his top. Then, her wicked hands moved toward his pants.

Sensing what she was about to do, Shen Jingyan could no longer contain his rage. “Shi Li!”

“Save your strength. If you don’t dry off, you’ll catch a cold.” Shi Li spoke in a serious tone as if she weren’t doing anything improper. She wet the towel, wrung it out, and roughly wiped him down.

“Shi Li, I’ll kick you out… I’ll kick you out—cough, cough…” Shen Jingyan repeated himself over and over until his coughing grew so severe he couldn’t speak anymore.

Shi Li quickly patted his back. Shen Jingyan feebly pushed her away. “Don’t touch me.”

Her response was to wedge a leg between him and the bedframe and pull him into her arms with both hands. Caught off guard, Shen Jingyan found himself leaning against her.

Shi Li had only intended to restrain him to make things easier, but she forgot about the differences between men and women. The moment his bare upper body pressed against her, she felt an undeniable pressure against her chest.

Both of them stiffened. A moment later, Shen Jingyan gritted his teeth. “Shi Li… what exactly are you trying to do?”

“…If I say I just want to wipe your sweat, would you believe me?” Shi Li was at a loss. The sensation in front of her was incredibly awkward, but she couldn’t just toss him aside.

Shen Jingyan took a deep breath, about to say something when another violent cough overtook him. Instinctively, Shi Li tightened her hold with one arm while patting his back with the other.

At first, he struggled. But as his breathing became more difficult, he clung to her clothes in desperation, unaware that he had even scratched her shoulder in the process.

Shi Li suddenly felt him slipping downward, and panic surged within her. She grabbed his face, forcing him to open his mouth, and performed artificial respiration.

Shen Jingyan was too weak to resist. He slumped in her arms, unable to even lift a finger.

Gradually, his coughing subsided. Just as Shi Li sighed in relief, his entire body tensed. Then, as if experiencing a sudden burst of energy, he shoved her away, falling to the ground and retching. The room was immediately filled with the pungent smell of vomit.

Shi Li hurried to support him, but before she could touch him, he spoke in a calm voice, “Don’t come near.”

This time, his tone lacked the sharp hostility from before. There was no obvious emotion, yet Shi Li found herself unable to move.

The room fell into a heavy silence.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Jingyan spoke again, his voice indifferent. “Leave.”

Shi Li opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, he added, “Don’t make me hate you even more.”

It was the first time he had ever used the word “hate.”

Shi Li’s expression flickered. After a long moment of silence, she slowly got up and walked toward the door.

Shen Jingyan listened as her footsteps grew distant, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his sleeve.

But instead of leaving as he had expected, Shi Li locked the door from the inside and walked back toward him.

When she returned, Shen Jingyan was still slumped on the floor. His oversized pajama top had bunched up, revealing his unnaturally thin waist. His back trembled slightly, looking inexplicably fragile.

Shi Li stood still for a long time before finally stepping forward and taking his hand.

Shen Jingyan stiffened for a moment. After a long silence, he didn’t push her away.

In the darkness, Shi Li could clearly see him trembling.

She let out a deep sigh.

If he was so afraid of her leaving, why did he keep pretending otherwise?