Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Muran’s heart seemed to beat half a beat slower, yet it throbbed unusually fast.
He knew it was just a casual excuse from the girl, but he shamelessly accepted it anyway.
He had troubled her.
Perhaps it was Jiang Li’s friendliness toward him over the past few days that made him want to test whether her attitude would suddenly reverse again.
But the minor incident of not even knowing how to open the car door left Shen Muran’s ears burning with embarrassment, leaving him in no mood to think about anything else.
He had never seen a car door that swung upward.
It was Shen Muran’s first time riding in a McLaren. After Jiang Li drove the car out, his fingers hovered over the body for a long time, unable to find where to open the door.
Somehow, he must have touched something, because the door suddenly swung upward. Shen Muran’s unsophisticated expression was captured entirely in Jiang Li’s gaze in that instant.
She probably laughed at him in her heart.
Jiang Li was overjoyed. If she had a tail, she would have wagged it.
Shen Muran had finally agreed to ride in her car—their relationship had taken another big step forward. While driving, she stole several glances at him.
The man sat with his hands on his knees, his posture as straight as a soldier’s.
Was he nervous about being in an enclosed space with her?
Ahem, maybe playing some music would help him relax.
The car played a cello piece she had performed, deep and melodious.
Shen Muran sat rigidly, but from the corner of his eye, he clearly noticed her little movements.
She was smiling.
His fingers instinctively curled up. Every expensive accessory in the car silently reminded him of the gap between them.
Just like ten years ago.
Shen Muran lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes hiding the surging sense of inferiority beneath them. He turned his face away, forcing himself to shift his attention.
So much so that when they arrived at the gymnasium, he didn’t even react when Jiang Li called him.
“Is this the place? I can’t find the parking lot.”
The girl leaned forward, searching everywhere for the “P” sign.
“Turn right at that big tree ahead, and it’s right there,” Shen Muran pointed to the sign hidden by the leaves.
He coughed unnaturally. “I can get off here.”
“Mm-hmm, okay.” Jiang Li’s face lit up with a smile. She pressed a button in the car, and the butterfly door on the passenger side flew upward once again. Meeting the gazes of passersby, Shen Muran awkwardly hugged his bag and climbed out.
He whispered softly, “Thank you.”
To Jiang Li’s ears, this expression of gratitude only made their relationship feel more distant.
The honking from behind urged her on, forcing her to drive forward and park the car first.
As Jiang Li pondered the reason for Shen Muran’s sudden coldness, she beeped her key and was about to walk into the gymnasium.
Suddenly, she noticed the door.
Driving the McLaren today had been entirely subconscious.
In the future, Shen Muran would own countless luxury cars, with a three-story underground garage built just for them.
But she had forgotten that the current Shen Muran was still struggling to make ends meet.
She was terrible.
So she quickly sent a message to the housekeeper: 【Mother Wang o(╥﹏╥)o, can I borrow your Wuling Hongguang tomorrow?】
Mother Wang: 【I only have a grocery shopping car.】
Jiang Li: 【Then you can drive the McLaren to the market instead??..??。】
Mother Wang: 【Yes, Miss??】
The gymnasium was located in the old city district, with a large building area and fairly complete facilities.
Shen Muran was responsible for the sanitation management of the tennis and badminton courts.
After hastily wolfing down a few mouthfuls of fried rice, the young man pushed the heavy floor scrubber onto the court.
The plastic surface of the court looked clean, but the treads of countless shoes had tracked in many grains of sand.
A row of pink muhly grass was planted along the flower bed. September was its blooming season, and with each gust of wind, clouds of pink, mist-like plumes drifted everywhere.
Most of the mesh holes in the surrounding netting were clogged. Shen Muran had to squat down and use a small brush to sweep the plumes bit by bit into a bucket.
By the time he finished cleaning the entire court, the back of his shirt was soaked through.
The sports center opened at eight.
The weather was scorching, and with no air conditioning outdoors, everyone avoided the courts, opting instead for indoor activities.
After checking in at the front desk, Jiang Li was led to the fitness room on the second floor. The treadmill was placed by the floor-to-ceiling window, and looking down, she could clearly see Shen Muran diligently at work.
She didn’t disturb him, only watched quietly.
The young man sat under a tree drinking milk, about to take the bucket back to the utility room, when suddenly, a tearful wail rang out.
A little girl, about four or five years old, had chased a rolling tennis ball too fast, tripped over her own feet, and fallen to the ground. Her knee was scraped and bleeding. Only when they heard the child crying did the parents hurriedly rush over from the lounge area.
Shen Muran was the first to help the little girl up, quickly fetching a first aid kit to stop the bleeding.
He crouched down, his back slightly hunched, gently disinfecting the wound while applying ointment and softly blowing on it.
His voice was incredibly gentle: “It won’t hurt after big brother puts the medicine on. Little fairies are the strongest, right?”
Jiang Li watched everything from the second floor, lost in memories.
Deep down, Shen Muran was actually a very gentle and responsible person.
His aloofness was merely a protective shell he wore against the unreasonable outside world.
Back in the first year Shen Muran forcibly confined her in the villa, he rarely returned.
Even when he did, he only spoke a few meaningless words.
Later, after Jiang Li had been isolated from the outside world for too long, she was taken out for a day of fresh air and fell ill upon returning.
The doctor said it was due to a weakened immune system.
After that, Shen Muran moved in to live with her, claiming he was afraid she would die and ruin his carefully laid revenge plan.
The man trained with her, ate with her, and gradually, Jiang Li stopped resisting his presence.
The qualitative leap in their relationship happened at a banquet.
Jiang Li was chosen to dance a waltz with a dancer. Before the dance even ended, Shen Muran took her home and forcefully took her.
That night, she fought back fiercely.
Biting, kicking, and slapping him whenever she could.
The tiny bit of affection she had begun to feel turned back into hatred.
But Shen Muran would always patiently coax her.
Jiang Li didn’t understand.
At most, she was just his ‘caged canary.’
Why would the party in power need to bow and appease the subordinate?
Later, Shen Muran became increasingly busy. Once, while competing in a tennis tournament abroad, overwhelmed with work, he still flew overnight to a neighboring city to bid on and win a set of pink diamond jewelry she had taken a liking to.
He ended up hospitalized with stomach spasms from not eating properly.
Whenever Jiang Li had the slightest headache or fever, Shen Muran’s timely concern always appeared even before the symptoms.
For a minor cold, he would personally cook delicious meals for her, just so she could have a better appetite while sick.
This kind of meticulous, all-encompassing ‘revenge’ made Jiang Li fall for him.
“Miss, is this your first time at our center? I noticed you’ve been watching the tennis court for a while. Do you enjoy sports too?”
A slightly plump middle-aged man walked over with a beaming smile, holding a folder in his hand. His tone was warm and enthusiastic, clearly the sales manager of the sports center.
He handed over a flyer and pointed at the map on it. “As you can see, we not only have tennis and badminton courts here, but the swimming pool next door also has exceptionally well-equipped facilities.”
“If you sign up for a membership today,” the manager raised his hand and gestured toward a muscular man nearby who was enthusiastically showing off his abs, “I’ll even throw in three free personal training sessions, how about that?”
Jiang Li wasn’t particularly interested in exercise. She had come here simply to catch a glimpse of Shen Muran at work.
But when she heard the words “personal training,” the girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the manager. “Can I choose the trainer myself?”