Gu Shengsheng positioned Shen Wang’s hands on her shoulders and worked hard to help him sit up. It almost felt like a perfect, close embrace.
Only when Shen Wang was upright did she realize how tall he really was — his nose reached her chin even while sitting. His powerless legs were long and stretched out, slanting across the floor.
On such a cold day, he didn’t even have a pair of socks on his feet.
A sour, aching feeling rose in Gu Shengsheng’s heart. She turned around so he could lean on her back:
“Hold onto my neck. I’ll carry you.”
Her slender back was like a tender willow branch — one little press and it would snap. A hoarse voice sounded right beside her ear:
“Are you crazy?”
Gu Shengsheng said confidently:
“Don’t worry. Hurry up! Aren’t you in a rush? Should I whistle a tune for you…?”
A pair of large hands settled on her neck — in a perfect chokehold.
Gu Shengsheng didn’t notice at all. Gathering all her strength, she let out a determined “heave-ho!” and dragged Shen Wang to his feet.
No matter how thin Shen Wang was, his large frame was still there. His body was weak, his legs barely functional, barely touching the ground. Almost all his weight pressed down on Gu Shengsheng.
She staggered under him like a little rabbit carrying a big bear, half-carrying, half-dragging him toward the bathroom.
The short distance took several full minutes. Gu Shengsheng was panting so hard she could barely breathe. Luckily the original owner had starved him thin, or she would have collapsed long ago.
By the time they reached the bathroom, sweat beaded on her forehead, and the rose fragrance clung faintly, growing sweeter.
She let out a sigh of relief, turned Shen Wang to face the toilet, and lifted the lid:
“Okay, go ahead. You can do it yourself.”
There were no handicap rails in this bathroom either. Gu Shengsheng could only stand there like a human crutch.
She turned her head away and waited for a while, but heard nothing.
She glanced back — and saw Shen Wang with one hand near his waistband, hesitating slightly.
At that moment, he sharply turned his head:
“What are you looking at?”
Gu Shengsheng: “…Who’s looking at you?!”
Shen Wang’s face carried a cold sneer.
Gu Shengsheng’s anger flared up. All the grievance she had been holding back exploded:
“You’re so heavy, you almost crushed me to death! If you’re going to pee, then hurry up and pee. I’m not interested in looking at you!”
Shen Wang’s icy face flushed from white to red, tinged with a dark anger:
“You’re asking for death!”
Gu Shengsheng shouted back:
“I don’t even want to live anymore! What, you can’t pee? Do you need me to whistle for you?”
Shen Wang’s chest heaved violently. The fire in his chest surged wildly, rushing straight down to three inches below his navel.
Shen Wang said coldly:
“Close your eyes!”
Then he pulled down his waistband and finally relieved himself.
The strong sound of flowing water lasted for a very long time.
Gu Shengsheng’s watery almond eyes hadn’t managed to close in time. Now they widened in absolute horror.
This man who looked like he was carved from ice and snow… how could that thing be so…
The phrase “君甚伟” (your… is truly impressive) echoed in Gu Shengsheng’s mind for a long, long time.
Shen Wang tucked little Shen back into his pants. The fingers resting on Gu Shengsheng’s shoulder gave a light twitch.
Gu Shengsheng snapped back to reality. In a daze, she lowered the toilet lid, pressed the flush button, then — moving as slowly as a snail carrying its shell — carried Shen Wang out on her back again.
Halfway there, a hoarse voice reminded her:
“Wash hands.”
“Oh, oh.”
Gu Shengsheng was still out of it. She awkwardly turned with him on her back and shuffled over to the sink.
She helped Shen Wang hold onto the edge of the vanity and said:
“Wait a second.”
She went out, pushed the wheelchair in, and helped him sit down. Even seated, his height allowed him to reach the countertop easily.
There were matching pairs of toothbrushes, cups, and towels on the vanity — the brand-new set was Shen Wang’s. Gu Shengsheng squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, placed the toothbrush, cup, and towel within easy reach, and even draped a towel over his knees.
“The towel is here, the cup is here. Be careful not to splash water on yourself.”
She sounded exactly like a nervous new mom — clumsy, fussy, and overly concerned.
Shen Wang remained indifferent.
This woman was like a shallow puddle — all her little thoughts and malice laid bare. Yet now, suddenly, ripples appeared on the surface. Her actions had become impossible to read.
He had always looked down on her before. He wouldn’t develop any extra feelings just because she was acting strangely now.
Shen Wang simply reached out and began washing himself carefully.
Water flowed over his long, slender fingers. Those pale digits looked like they were carved from fine jade — even washing his hands carried an air of refined elegance.
His fingers really were so long.
Gu Shengsheng shivered.
She felt dirty. She could never go back to the way things were.
In a trance, she turned her head away — and found herself facing a huge mirror.
No woman hates looking in the mirror, especially not a beauty like Gu Shengsheng. Out of habit, she adjusted her expression, smiled gently, and gazed at the reflection.
A piercing scream exploded beside her ear:
“AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Shen Wang’s eardrums were assaulted by the sudden noise. His hand jerked — water splashed onto his sleeve.
The cold, wet fabric clung to his wrist. For a man with severe OCD, it was unbearable. His brows furrowed deeply; the air pressure in the bathroom seemed to drop.
Gu Shengsheng didn’t notice at all. She stared in horror at the face in the mirror:
“Who is this ugly freak?! So ugly! She—she—she… I—I—I…”
Her language center had completely shut down.
The woman in the mirror looked back with the same terrified expression. Almond eyes misty with shock, a small heart-shaped face the size of a palm — naturally seductive. It was clearly carved from the same mold as Gu Shengsheng.
Except… the eyelashes were like two rows of blood-dripping blades, arrogantly curled upward. The nose bridge protruded unnaturally high from the root. The chin jutted out sharply, elongated. And the skin — on a snow-white base, it only made the dull, lackluster complexion stand out more. Large pores, dark spots, acne scars — everything glaringly obvious.
Gu Shengsheng’s trembling hand touched her own nose and chin. The feel was obviously wrong. From the memories, she learned the original owner had been obsessed with plastic surgery. In the cultivation world, there were also rejuvenation spells and talismans for changing appearance.
But who would intentionally make themselves uglier?! Could it be that beauty standards in this world were completely different?
Clinging to one last shred of hope, Gu Shengsheng asked in a shaking voice:
“Do you… think I’m pretty?”
The original owner had been a minor celebrity — shot some ads and dramas. Shen Wang must have seen her before.
Shen Wang had already finished washing up. He had always been a clean freak. After the original Gu Shengsheng drove away his caregivers, he had learned to groom himself by feel.
Gu Shengsheng stared at him eagerly and asked again:
“Is it popular now to have a really high nose and a really long chin?”
She leaned closer. Her voice turned soft, wet, and teary — on the verge of crying.
Shen Wang slowly straightened his sleeves. A fresh mint scent drifted from between his lips — clean, elegant, like breathing orchids. His voice rang clear and cold like metal striking stone:
“Ugly freak.”
Gu Shengsheng’s heart twisted like a knife.
She could think she was ugly herself, but no one else was allowed to say it. Furious, she snapped:
“It’s wrong to mock someone’s appearance!”
Shen Wang replied coolly:
“So you do know how ridiculous you look?”
Gu Shengsheng burst into loud sobs. She no longer cared about keeping up appearances with this big shot:
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore! Get out! Go away!”
Shen Wang didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. He pushed his wheelchair out — the wheels rolling right over the hem of Gu Shengsheng’s skirt where she sat on the floor.
But Gu Shengsheng was too devastated to care about such a small thing. Shen Wang’s mockery had completely broken her — especially because… looking at the face in the mirror, she couldn’t even argue with him.
Tears streamed down one after another. What should have been a pitiful “pear blossoms in rain” beauty scene looked absurd on this face — stiff from too many injections, expression frozen.
Gu Shengsheng was overwhelmed with grief.
The original owner’s natural face had been eighty percent similar to Gu Shengsheng’s — features bold and vivid, any more would have been excessive. When she debuted, a few stills had caused quite a stir online, outshining many other young actresses.
Yet she had gone and gotten plastic surgery. Fine — but her taste was terrible. She spent a fortune turning herself into this disaster. Fortunately, she had been afraid of pain and hadn’t dared do any bone-cutting or major surgery. Otherwise, Gu Shengsheng would have had to kill herself all over again.
While Gu Shengsheng was still sobbing, something shattered outside. She quickly got up, realizing her legs had gone numb from sitting on the cold floor for so long.
Sniffling, she slowly stood. Then it hit her — since she didn’t want to live anymore anyway, there was no need to tiptoe around Shen Wang.
She walked out of the bathroom unhurriedly.
Shen Wang was sitting there perfectly fine. On the floor lay a broken cup and spilled water.
Still holding a grudge over being called ugly, Gu Shengsheng seized the chance to scold him:
“Seriously, how did you knock the water over? The blankets on the floor are all wet now.”
As she spoke, she grabbed the trash can and started picking up the glass shards. There were still many tiny pieces stuck in the thick carpet and blankets — impossible to get them all out.
She looked up at Shen Wang. He had one hand propping his forehead, sleeve fallen back to reveal a pale wrist bone. His posture was lazy and composed.
So after all her talking, he didn’t feel even a shred of shame!
Gu Shengsheng fetched a pair of slippers and tossed them ungraciously at his feet.
Shen Wang heard the sound and slightly lowered his head as if “looking” at the floor.
When he lowered his eyes, the curve of his side profile was so beautifully breathtaking it made the heart tremble — like snow on a mountain peak, like the moon in the sky. At this moment, it carried an extra layer of melancholy, making even looking at him feel like a kind of blasphemy.
All the words Gu Shengsheng had prepared suddenly vanished. A wave of guilt rose inside her: he can’t even see.
She crouched down, picked up the slippers, and gently nudged his foot.
“Put on the slippers.”
Shen Wang didn’t move, as if he hadn’t understood. He continued to “look” at her in silence.
Seeing his bare feet already red from the cold, Gu Shengsheng earnestly explained:
“There are glass shards on the floor. I’m afraid you’ll step on them… I won’t hurt you. There’s no nail hidden in the slippers — if you don’t believe me, feel it yourself.”
Why did it suddenly feel like she was the one desperately trying to take care of Shen Wang?
For the first time, Gu Shengsheng truly understood how her own maids must have felt in the past. They used to surround her, coaxing her gently to wear an extra layer or eat a few more bites. Had her own reactions been just as annoying?
Her legs had gone numb from squatting. Shen Wang still showed no reaction.
Annoyed, she flung the slippers aside and stood up with a huff.
“Fine, don’t wear them then—”
A heavy weight suddenly pressed down on her shoulder.
Gu Shengsheng exclaimed in surprise:
“You…”
Shen Wang leaned heavily against her. One hand gripped the back of her neck. His breath burned like hot coals against her skin:
“Shut up.”