Li Hengyan was utterly bewildered.
He couldn’t believe it—he had been reborn!
If the time on his phone could be fake, what about Shen Nanci?
She was now alive and right before his eyes, her body warm to the touch.
And she was breathing.
Li Hengyan’s heart raced wildly, yet he feared it was all an illusion, that even the real pain he felt was false. He opened the door and stepped out, bumping straight into the hotel manager.
His eyes filled with madness as he grabbed the man.
“What year is it? What’s the date?”
His voice was hoarse and cold as he asked.
The hotel manager trembled at the sight of this ruthless, decisive, and cold-hearted man from the capital, whose eyes held a hint of crimson.
“Master Li, it’s the year 2022… May 5th.”
Li Hengyan murmured the words back to himself: “2022, May 5th.”
This year, Shen Nanci was twenty-one years old.
And this day was still her birthday.
Yet Shen Nanci would die three years later, on May 8th.
A flicker of pain flashed in Li Hengyan’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by shock and overwhelming joy. Stumbling back into the room, he wrapped his arms tightly around Shen Nanci, who was still unconscious.
He held her close, as if she were a precious treasure he had lost and found again.
“CiCi, my CiCi.”
Li Hengyan couldn’t control himself.
Warm tears fell onto Shen Nanci’s neck, and only then did he realize she was dressed in nothing but a sheer, thin gown.
Though the room was well-heated, he feared CiCi might be cold.
He pulled the blanket over Shen Nanci, wrapping her up and warming her with his own body heat.
Twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
Room service delivered a set of women’s clothing.
After changing Shen Nanci’s clothes, Li Hengyan made a call.
Soon, a well-trained team of bodyguards arrived, securing the entire hotel and escorting Master Li home.
At the Li residence, the butler knew Li Hengyan had a business engagement that night and never expected him to bring a woman home so suddenly. He initially thought it might be Miss Su, Su Qingnuan.
But it turned out to be Li Hengyan’s secretary.
Miss Shen, Shen Nanci.
The butler was stunned and couldn’t help but wonder.
Wasn’t the woman Li Hengyan longed for the eldest daughter of the Su family, Miss Su Qingnuan? In three days, Miss Su would finish filming and return to the country.
Why had Li Hengyan brought his secretary home?
Moreover, Li Hengyan was carrying her with such care, not allowing anyone else to touch Miss Shen.
What was going on?
…
The next day, Shen Nanci woke up groggily.
The moment she opened her eyes and saw the intricate chandelier on the ceiling, her mind went completely blank, unsure of where she was.
The next second.
Shen Nanci stiffened all over, sitting up as if struck by lightning.
She lifted the blanket and saw the clothes she was wearing, her heart sinking to the depths.
In an instant, a certain possibility crossed her mind.
Despair washed over Shen Nanci, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She remembered last night—her father, Shen An, had called and asked her to meet him at the hotel, where he spoke to her for a few words.
She drank the glass of red wine he handed her.
Not long after, she felt dizzy and lost consciousness.
After that, she remembered nothing.
Looking at the scene before her now, Shen Nanci understood everything.
A chill ran through her heart, and she felt cold from head to toe.
Her fingers clenched the edge of the blanket, her disheveled long hair cascading down her back. She bit her lip so hard it drew blood.
Her eyes grew damp.
In her beautiful, moist eyes, there was a flicker of hatred.
Shen Nanci’s cold yet stunning face carried a quiet, despairing sense of brokenness.
Anyone who saw her would feel heartache.
Heartbreak.
Li Hengyan stepped out of the bathroom and entered the room, only to see this scene.
His CiCi sat on the bed, her shoulders trembling.
The girl’s eyes were rimmed red.
Shen Nanci seemed to lose her strength and slumped back into the blankets.
The next second, Shen Nanci cruelly bit her own lip until it bled.
Blood dripped out.
“Shen Nanci!”
Li Hengyan’s expression changed, and he rushed over in a panic.
He immediately grabbed several tissues, cradled the back of Shen Nanci’s head, and stared at her bitten lip, pressing on the wound with a mix of heartache and helplessness to stop the bleeding.
“Are you a fool? Even biting yourself.”
Li Hengyan’s tone was gentle and careful. “Does it hurt?”
Shen Nanci’s teary eyes met Li Hengyan’s dark gaze. She seemed unable to react for a long time.
“President Li?”
Li Hengyan: “Hmm.”
Shen Nanci stared at him in confusion and shock, still not fully registering the situation.
The more lost and helpless those eyes looked, the more Li Hengyan’s heart ached—and the happier he felt.
In his previous life, he had used the wrong approach, tormenting Shen Nanci in every way possible.
Shen Nanci had died without ever knowing his true feelings.
Without knowing that he actually…
Last night in his previous life, Shen Nanci had nearly been tortured to death by Li Hengyan.
The next day, her legs were so weak she couldn’t get out of bed, and she even ran a high fever for several days in a row.
…
“President Li? How is it…”
Before she could finish the word “you,” Shen Nanci was abruptly pulled into Li Hengyan’s embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply the sweet fragrance of her skin.
“Yes, it’s me. Li Hengyan.”
Completely unaware of what was happening, a bewildered Shen Nanci: “”
Li Hengyan’s eyes reddened. He suppressed the urge to kiss Shen Nanci fiercely, afraid that suddenly losing control would frighten her.
He whispered softly, “CiCi.”
Shen Nanci: “…!” CiCi!
Had Li Hengyan gone mad, or taken the wrong medicine? What was wrong with him?
What had he just called her?
CiCi?
Shouldn’t it be Miss Shen or Secretary Shen?
But Shen Nanci’s shock didn’t end there.
In Shen Nanci’s memory, Li Hengyan was noble and aloof, deep and indifferent, ruthless and decisive in business.
In the business world, he was unfeeling and merciless.
In matters of the heart, he was distant from women and coldly detached.
Except for the one who held the moonlight in his heart.
Su Qingnuan.
In this world, only Su Qingnuan could bring a touch of gentleness to this cold and ruthless man’s face.
Toward her, Li Hengyan had always been indifferent and icy.
So, it absolutely shouldn’t be like this now.
Her superior, the esteemed President Li Hengyan of the Li Group, was holding her tightly as if afraid she might run away, with his head nestled against her neck.
Like an affectionate big dog, gently calling her CiCi.
Shen Nanci felt both panicked and nervous. Tentatively, she called out, “President Li?”
She wanted to call him by his name, Li Hengyan’s.
But Shen Nanci didn’t dare.
She had secretly loved this man for years, carefully hiding her feelings, with no one knowing.
“Call me Hengyan.”
Hearing Shen Nanci’s voice, Li Hengyan suppressed the overwhelming urge to cry again, trying to speak as calmly and steadily as possible. “CiCi, in the company or other public settings, you can call me President Li. But in private, call me Hengyan.”
Shen Nanci blinked, wanting to push away the man holding her so tightly.
She could barely breathe!
Shen Nanci also wanted to touch Li Hengyan’s forehead to see if he was running a fever. Was he talking nonsense?
“President Li…”
“CiCi!”
Li Hengyan suddenly interrupted, cupping her face and gazing at her earnestly. “CiCi, you have to take responsibility for me!”
Shen Nanci widened her eyes: “”
Li Hengyan’s face suddenly lowered, and Shen Nanci, startled, quickly closed her eyes.
The expected kiss did not come.
Instead, the man’s lips landed on her forehead.
A kiss that was both cherished and cautious.
Then, Shen Nanci heard Li Hengyan’s hoarse and slightly choked voice.
“CiCi, don’t leave me again.
Never again!”