The man remained silent, his eyes still slightly red.
Shen Nanci couldn’t explain why.
She felt a bit sad.
Now, she wasn’t as scared as before.
Perhaps it was because of Li Hengyan’s tears that fell on her neck while he held her, or perhaps it was because now, seeing the sorrow revealed in his eyes, and…
She had witnessed his vulnerable side.
It made her heart ache.
Shen Nanci’s heart softened, and she suddenly wanted to hug him.
A giant in thought but a dwarf in action—that described Shen Nanci at this moment. Though she thought about it, she… took no action for a long time.
“I’m sorry.”
Instead, it was Li Hengyan who spoke first, breaking the silence in the room, because he had frightened CiCi earlier.
Without even asking Shen Nanci, he knew how terrible and frightening his earlier actions must have seemed.
He couldn’t control himself.
That dark feeling of losing a loved one and wanting to destroy everything. Just as he was about to fall into the abyss, it was Shen Nanci’s trembling, soft voice that touched his heart and soul, pulling him back bit by bit from the despair and darkness.
Only then did he realize that CiCi wasn’t dead.
CiCi was alive, breathing.
She could smile, speak, and feel fear.
She was right in front of him.
It wasn’t a dream, nor an illusion, nor a trick of his eyes. It was the real CiCi.
He wanted to hold Shen Nanci’s hand but noticed the conspicuous blood on his hand and the white towel. He threw the towel into the trash and didn’t touch Shen Nanci again.
Li Hengyan stared intently at CiCi.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he repeated—
“I’m sorry, I got your face dirty.”
“CiCi, I won’t hurt you.”
“CiCi, don’t be afraid of me.”
“I’m sorry, CiCi, I’m sorry.”
Li Hengyan apologized three times in a row.
For Shen Nanci, this wasn’t what she cared about.
Now wasn’t the time to listen to his apologies.
Though she didn’t know what was wrong with Li Hengyan, his hand was injured and still bleeding. This man really was… Was he made of wood? Didn’t he feel any pain?
Pushing Li Hengyan away, Shen Nanci jumped down.
Li Hengyan thought she was scared and wanted to run away.
A trace of fear and terror rose deep within the man’s heart. His eyes almost instantly turned cold, and the anger and violence in his heart surged, wanting to pull Shen Nanci back!
Then tie her up!
Not allowing her to leave, imprisoning her by his side forever.
Just as Li Hengyan was about to do this,
Suddenly, a small hand grabbed his arm.
“Come here.”
CiCi said.
Li Hengyan was slightly stunned, and in an instant, the cold severity on his face vanished completely.
Li Hengyan refused to go out.
Helpless, Shen Nanci had to call the hotel front desk. There was no first aid kit in the room, so she said she had accidentally bumped and bled, needing gauze, disinfectant alcohol, bandages, and band-aids, and asked for them to be brought up as quickly as possible.
After getting the supplies, Shen Nanci knelt by the sofa, carefully and attentively treating Li Hengyan’s injury.
Shen Nanci’s movements were very skilled.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she had studied medicine.
Li Hengyan never knew Shen Nanci could treat wounds and bandage them so skillfully. She was very adept at it.
“Did you learn this?”
“Hmm?”
Li Hengyan said, “You seem quite skilled. Have you bandaged someone before? Or did you study it specifically?”
Shen Nanci found her hair getting in the way, so she lowered her body further, crouching down a little more. But this posture was uncomfortable, and her back started aching after just a short while.
In the end, she simply knelt on the carpet.
After disinfecting the wound, Shen Nanci wiped it clean with a fresh cloth, wrapped it in gauze, and tied it into a neat bow. “I learned this from my best friend, Song Shinian. You two met once before, though you probably don’t remember her. She’s a tattoo artist.”
Song Shinian, a tattoo artist?
Li Hengyan truly didn’t know her.
In his past life, he hadn’t even known of her existence.
Once she was done, Shen Nanci tossed the items from the coffee table into the trash and stood up to wash her hands in the bathroom.
When she returned, Li Hengyan was still sitting on the sofa.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Nanci knew she had to go home.
“I should head back.”
Li Hengyan lifted his head, his handsome face fixed on Shen Nanci. His thin lips pressed into a tight line, as if he were struggling with a difficult decision. Finally, he spoke: “CiCi, stay with me tonight. Consider it a favor, since I’m injured and lost blood. There are several bedrooms—you can choose any one. I won’t do anything to you. Just… don’t leave.”
Shen Nanci wanted to say no.
But Li Hengyan had already stood up and walked over.
He didn’t embrace her, only gently brushed aside the stray strands of hair near her ear, tidying them for her. His voice was low and soft, carrying a tone of longing and hope. “Stay, please, CiCi… just to keep me company.”
His tone was like that of a child asking for candy.
Shen Nanci’s heart softened.
She nodded. “Alright.”
Shen Nanci claimed the entire bed for herself, sleeping comfortably through the night.
The next day.
After having breakfast at the hotel, Shen Nanci followed Li Hengyan, catching a ride with him to the company.
Li Corporation.
It had only been a day since she last came to work, yet the files piled on her desk were already stacked like a small mountain.
Of course, there was a mix of everything—important matters, trivial ones, urgent projects, and even minor issues like which goldfish in the aquarium had died. Shen Nanci had to handle it all.
In the CEO’s office.
Following Li Hengyan’s instructions, Ying Lin called for Lin Hui. Soon after, Lin Hui came out, automatically cleared the desk, and took away the piles of files from Shen Nanci’s workspace.
Shen Nanci: “…”
She stopped Lin Hui. “What does this mean? Are you taking over my work?”
Lin Hui replied, “It’s Mr. Li’s request. You can ask him.”
Shortly after, Ying Lin approached.
“Secretary Shen.”
Ying Lin spoke politely. “Mr. Li would like to see you. Also, please bring a cup of milk.”
“Alright.”
Shen Nanci took two steps before realizing something felt off. It dawned on her what it was.
Milk?
Since when did Li Hengyan drink milk? Wasn’t it always coffee he asked for?
And, if she hadn’t misheard…
Ying Lin hadn’t used “you.”
Instead, it was—
“You”?
Shen Nanci brewed a cup of hot milk, knocked on the door, and carried it into Li Hengyan’s office.
Li Hengyan stood by the window, his expression cool, his profile sharp and handsome—enough to make it hard to look away. Dressed in a dark suit, his posture was tall and straight as he spoke on the phone.
It was about a business collaboration.
Shen Nanci averted her gaze from the man.
The man’s tie had been tied by her.
The buttons on his shirt had been fastened by her.
Even the watch on his wrist seemed to have been put on by her.
Li Hengyan’s excuse was that his hand wasn’t convenient.
So she had to take care of it.
Shen Nanci placed the milk on his desk.
The movement was light, making no sound.
Soon, Li Hengyan finished his call and walked over to the desk, stopping to wrap his arm around Shen Nanci’s waist and pull her into his embrace. The man leaned back against the edge of the desk.
Li Hengyan spoke up, “Where’s the milk?”
Shen Nanci was speechless. It was just a hand injury—did he really have to act so helpless…
Did he really need her to feed him personally?