The two of them were very close. Shen Nanzhi could clearly feel Lu Xiangyang’s breath—warm and slightly hurried.
The warmth of his breath contrasted sharply with the coolness on her cheek, making her heart beat uncontrollably faster.
She lowered her eyes slightly and met his gaze.
Through his pupils, she could clearly see her own flushed face reflected, which startled her. She quickly turned her head away and looked out the window.
The sky outside was a clear blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily. But Shen Nanzhi’s heart couldn’t calm down at all.
As if thinking of something, she turned back and looked at the man carefully tending to her face, asking hesitantly, “Xiangyang, at this time, shouldn’t you be at the factory? Why did you come back?”
Lu Xiangyang’s hand paused. “Aunt Wang called and said Jiang Feng was disturbing your sleep, and that you beat him into the hospital. She was afraid the Jiang family would bully you, so she told me to come back quickly.”
Shen Nanzhi froze.
Aunt Wang disliked her—why would she worry about her being bullied and call Lu Xiangyang to help?
She looked at him suspiciously. “Are you sure it was Aunt Wang who notified you?” And not that he had someone watching her?
Lu Xiangyang nodded. “Aunt Wang has a bit of a temper, but she doesn’t target people maliciously.”
Thinking it over, Shen Nanzhi realized that although Aunt Wang never treated her kindly, she had never schemed against her behind her back.
Her eyes shifted as she changed the subject.
“By the way, why hasn’t our marriage application been approved yet? Did Grandpa Jiang not submit it? Should we make a new one?”
As she spoke, her eyes stayed fixed on Lu Xiangyang, trying to read something from him.
Lu Xiangyang acted as if he hadn’t heard, continuing to apply the ice to her cheek.
Shen Nanzhi grew anxious and irritated, but she knew he responded better to softness than force.
“Lu Xiangyang, are you regretting it? Do you think I’m an orphan and not worthy of you?”
Her voice choked slightly, her eyes shimmering with tears, yet filled with stubbornness.
Thinking of how well he had treated her in her previous life, she couldn’t bring herself to truly doubt him.
She sniffed and continued, “I really want to live a good life with you. But without a marriage certificate, even if Jiang Feng doesn’t come bother me today, someone else will tomorrow. If you really want this, please hurry and submit the application.”
Lu Xiangyang’s movements froze.
He turned to look at her reddened eyes and the loneliness in them, and his heart felt tightly clenched.
He wanted to say, “I like you. I want to marry you.”
But the words wouldn’t come out.
Silently, he withdrew his hand and wheeled himself back a few steps.
That scene stung Shen Nanzhi’s eyes.
He really didn’t want to marry her!
Then why, in her previous life, had he held her corpse and cried so bitterly after she died?
Confused, Shen Nanzhi frowned, filled with doubt and annoyed at her own wishful thinking.
Having been reborn, she wouldn’t waste her time on romance.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, “Lu Xiangyang, thank you for the wedding you gave me the other day! I’ll clarify our relationship as soon as possible…”
“No need!” Lu Xiangyang interrupted coldly. “That was the wedding I gave you. Once the marriage application is approved, we’ll go register.”
His words were like a spring breeze, sweeping away the gloom in Shen Nanzhi’s heart.
Her dim eyes instantly lit up as she said excitedly, “Really? You’re really willing to register with me?”
“Mm.” Lu Xiangyang nodded firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
That single “mm” was like reassurance, calming her anxious heart instantly.
She became even more certain that the application had been held back by Grandpa Jiang.
Looking at her reddened eyes, Lu Xiangyang felt a softness in his heart.
He reached out and gently touched her cheek.
“The swelling has gone down a lot. Ice alone isn’t enough—I had Aunt Wang boil an egg to apply on your face.”
At that moment, Wang Dashan’s voice came from outside, “Director, it’s time to go!”
Lu Xiangyang placed the gauze back on the tray, wheeled himself closer again, took her hand, and said seriously, “Nanzhi, marriage is a big deal. Once you register, it’s hard to turn back. Think it through carefully. Don’t act on impulse.”
After speaking, he turned his wheelchair and headed toward the door.
Only when Aunt Wang came in with a boiled egg did Shen Nanzhi snap back to her senses, still feeling confused.
From what Lu Xiangyang said, it seemed he was giving her a chance to think it over seriously.
So was the application held back by Grandpa Jiang—or by Lu Xiangyang himself?
She looked up at Aunt Wang.
“Aunt Wang, you’ve been with the Lu family for a long time. If—just if—I marry Xiangyang, will the Lu family object?”
Aunt Wang pressed the gauze-wrapped egg against Shen Nanzhi’s face and gently rolled it, thinking to herself: Yes!
But what she said was, “The young master will decide his own marriage. No one can force him.”
She had watched Lu Xiangyang grow up and knew his feelings for Shen Nanzhi well. She also knew that his leg disability and his inability… were all because of Shen Nanzhi.
Yet Shen Nanzhi only had eyes for Jiang Feng, and even tried to marry her young master out of spite for Jiang Feng skipping the wedding—making him a laughingstock.
The more Aunt Wang thought about it, the angrier she became. Unconsciously, she applied more pressure, letting the hot egg stay too long on Shen Nanzhi’s delicate skin.
“Hiss!” Shen Nanzhi gasped.
“Aunt Wang, I’ll do it myself.”
Feeling guilty but unwilling to apologize, Aunt Wang stuffed the egg into her hand. “I’ll go buy groceries.”
Holding the egg to her face, Shen Nanzhi said toward her retreating figure, “I’m going to work. I won’t come back for lunch.”
With Lu Xiangyang’s attitude still unclear, she wouldn’t hang her future entirely on marriage.
Right now, she wanted to make money more than anything.
In the hospital ward, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Jiang Feng sat on the bed, his face dark.
His mother stood in front of him, full of worry and anxiety, her hands twisting together.
She couldn’t understand why her son was being so stubborn.
“Afeng, what exactly do you want? You don’t even like Shen Nanzhi—you even ran away from the wedding. She’s already had a ceremony with Lu Xiangyang, yet you insist on registering with her. This will only make people laugh at you.”
“Mom, Shen Nanzhi is taking revenge on me,” Jiang Feng said angrily. “She’s deliberately staying with Lu Xiangyang to provoke me. I can’t swallow this—I have to get even.”
Originally, he had felt a bit guilty toward Shen Nanzhi over the college admission notice incident.
But he never expected her to hit him with a baton.
How dare she?
Looking at her son, and hearing from the doctor that his injuries were only superficial, Jiang’s mother finally relaxed a little.
“What revenge? Don’t talk nonsense. Her parents did our family a favor—we can’t give people something to gossip about. Your grandfather has gone to the capital and may be gone for a while. You don’t need to stay in the compound—move to my place.”
“No! Shen Nanzhi injured me. I won’t swallow this. If I don’t get revenge, I won’t let it go!”
A vicious glint flashed in Jiang Feng’s eyes.
No matter what, he would not let Shen Nanzhi off.