"Sister Lan, I'm so sorry, I made you laugh."
Liu Jingyi turned to Sister Lan, her face regaining its gentle and harmless appearance, tinged with apology.
Sister Lan waved her hand, her gaze towards Liu Jingyi carrying a hint of inquiry, but nothing more.
"It's alright, it's alright, every family has one or two oddballs like that, right? But Jingyi, you really impressed me today! It's so satisfying!"
Sister Lan paused, then pulled Liu Jingyi's hand aside, lowering her voice: "Jingyi, you've gotten your revenge now, but will your stepmother come looking for you?"
Sister Lan and Liu Jingyi had known each other for a while, and this place wasn't that big; how could she not know about the Liu family's affairs?
"Sister Lan, don't worry, I can handle it." Liu Jingyi smiled sweetly. "I've been out for a while today, so I'll head back now. When the handkerchief is finished, I'll bring it over to show you first!"
"Okay, then drive carefully."
"I know, thank you, Sister Lan."
Liu Jingyi went straight home after leaving the state-run department store.
However, as soon as Liu Jingyi entered her house, her stomach started to hurt.
She knew it was her period.
She had been hoping that coming here would eliminate menstrual cramps, but reality told her she was wrong.
She wanted to boil some hot water, but the pain was too much to bear, and she curled up on the sofa.
Liu Jingyi's skin was already fair, but now her face was even paler, and cold sweat was pouring down her forehead.
Liu Jingyi was in so much pain that she didn't even have the strength to speak, and her vision blurred, then went black.
Liu Jingyi felt like she was going to die from the pain.
Fortunately, Leng Yunting came back, bringing food he had gotten from the cafeteria into the house, and then saw the person curled up on the sofa.
Her eyes were weak and she looked pitiful.
Liu Jingyi hadn't intended to cry, but the moment she saw Leng Yunting, tears streamed down her face.
"Leng Yunting, my stomach hurts,"
Liu Jingyi's voice was barely audible, filled with barely suppressed sobs and weakness.
Cold sweat soaked her forehead, clinging to her pale face; she looked like a fledgling bird battered by a storm, shivering on the sofa.
Although the original owner of this body was frail, her health was still relatively good; she had never experienced menstrual cramps. Furthermore, the two hadn't had a particularly good relationship before, so Leng Yunting didn't know that Liu Jingyi was menstruating.
His heart sank. He put down what he was holding and rushed to Liu Jingyi's side almost instantly, kneeling before her.
The cold sweat on her forehead and her icy hands made him frown.
"Where does it hurt? How does it hurt?"
Leng Yunting's voice carried a tension he himself didn't realize. He tried to help her up, but Liu Jingyi curled up even tighter and avoided him.
"My...stomach...it's so cold..."
Liu Jingyi's vision blurred with pain, and she couldn't speak coherently. She felt as if an icy hand was gripping her lower abdomen tightly, twisting and constricting it repeatedly. The throbbing pain spread to her lower back and sacrum, making her legs weak.
She couldn't control her tears, which made Leng Yunting's heart clench even more.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you to the infirmary right away."
Leng Yunting reached out to pick her up.
"No...I won't go!"
Liu Jingyi grabbed his shirt with all her might, her fingers icy cold. "It's...it's...my period..."
Leng Yunting paused, realizing what was happening instantly.
He wasn't completely clueless, but he had never seen Liu Jingyi react so violently before.
Seeing her on the verge of fainting from the pain, a strange feeling called "heartache" surged through Leng Yunting's heart, overwhelming his initial panic.
There was no need to go to the infirmary. He first got up to fetch a cup of hot water, fed it to her, and then warmed his palms by rubbing them together before gently massaging her stomach.
Liu Jingyi felt much better, and her face wasn't as pale as before.
Leng Yunting carried her back to the bedroom and let her lie down properly.
He went next door; since they didn't have any brown sugar at home, he used sugar coupons to exchange for a pound of brown sugar with Aunt Li.
He boiled water, and the scalding hot water dissolved the deep red syrup, filling the air with a rich, sweet aroma.
Liu Jingyi didn't actually like brown sugar water; when Leng Yunting brought it in, she silently hid her face under the covers, pretending to be asleep.
Leng Yunting placed the bowl on the cabinet beside him, then pulled Liu Jingyi out of bed and let her lean against him.
Her body was still cold and trembling slightly.
"Drink something hot to warm yourself up,"
Leng Yunting said in a deep voice. He brought the bowl to her lips, his other hand steadily supporting her back.
Liu Jingyi smelled the food and turned her face away. "I don't want to drink it."
Her not-so-pale face was puffed up, clearly unhappy.
How spoiled.
Leng Yunting used to be the one being coaxed; when did it become his turn to coax others?
Leng Yunting, despite his seemingly easygoing nature, was actually quite domineering at heart. He meant what he said and wouldn't tolerate anyone disobeying him.
Especially Liu Jingyi.
This controlling nature was amplified many times over in her, especially since she had changed.
The original owner of this body didn't seem to have much of a controlling nature, seeing it only as a responsibility.
But the current Liu Jingyi seemed different towards him.
Leng Yunting wanted her to be obedient and docile, even if it meant being a doll or a spoiled brat.
To the outside, Leng Yunting appeared perfectly serious, but with Liu Jingyi, his morbid desires were blatantly obvious.
Especially when Liu Jingyi was in bed, looking at him with teary eyes, begging for mercy, it inexplicably made him want to ravage her even more.
Looking at the person in his arms now, he directly grabbed her chin: "I'll feed you."
Liu Jingyi really wanted to drag the man in front of her out and beat him up.
She was already lying in bed in such discomfort, couldn't he be a little gentler with her?
Clearly, he didn't like her at all; his gentleness was reserved for the heroine in the book, his so-called fiancée, Bai Yiyao.
Liu Jingyi didn't want to cry, but she was naturally prone to tears, the kind who couldn't bear the slightest grievance.
Plus, she was on her period, making her already sensitive, and because she was in this wretched place, no one cared about her. She missed her parents, she missed An'an.
Tears fell drop by drop onto Leng Yunting's hand.
"Go away, go away, I don't want you to feed me!" Liu Jingyi pushed Leng Yunting away, tears streaming down her face.
When Liu Jingyi pushed him away, Leng Yunting was silent for a moment. When she said she didn't want him, his expression changed. He gripped her hand tighter and said coldly, "If you don't want me to feed you, then who do you want?"