Ning Zhiyuan had thought it would take some effort to persuade him.
Unexpectedly, Shen Li agreed so easily.
The man in the wheelchair lowered his head, showing not the slightest trace of happiness.
His back looked thin and fragile, his frame lean.
Across the brown blanket covering his long legs were several dirty footprints left by high heels.
Shen Li looked utterly miserable, while she remained completely unharmed.
Back when she had been kidnapped in her previous life, her eyes had been covered.
She had clearly heard the sound of metal rods striking flesh and the muffled groans of a man enduring intense pain.
When she was finally able to see again, Shen Li had carried her in his arms with unwavering steps.
Large beads of sweat had rolled down his forehead, and his face had been pale as paper.
Only after settling her safely down had he been sent to the hospital.
He must have been in excruciating pain.
Yet she had believed Bai Xiaoxiao’s claim that the kidnapping had been a performance orchestrated by Shen Li himself, a calculated scheme with ulterior motives.
As a result, she had never shown him even the slightest kindness.
She had always been careless and rough with her actions.
She did not even know whether his leg had fully healed.
Walking over to him, Ning Zhiyuan bent down and reached for the blanket.
“Does your leg hurt?”
Her concern came far too suddenly.
Just moments ago, she had been crying over Pei Jin in front of the very person she supposedly hated.
Then she abruptly declared she would not cancel the engagement.
She had even taken the initiative to touch him.
Shen Li knew exactly what she was doing.
He knew her sudden closeness was meant to lower his guard and prevent him from changing his mind.
Yet he could not bear to expose her intentions.
Nor could he bring himself to reject her.
His heart still lost control whenever it was because of her.
He could not keep sinking deeper.
He had already decided to let her go.
Meeting Ning Zhiyuan’s concerned gaze, Shen Li reacted as though he had been burned and immediately looked away.
His body instinctively leaned back.
Gripping the blanket tightly, he forced several strained words from his throat.
“I’m fine.”
Ning Zhiyuan lowered her hand and did not press the matter further.
A frozen river was not formed in a single day.
Such a dramatic change in her attitude would naturally be difficult for Shen Li to accept in such a short time.
The fact that one simple expression of concern had left him so flustered made her realize just how badly she must have treated him in her previous life.
Fortunately, fate had shown her mercy.
She had been given another chance.
This time, she would spend as much time as necessary cherishing him properly.
Ning Zhiyuan sniffled and stood up.
Now was not the time to be discouraged.
Today was their engagement banquet.
It should be a happy occasion.
She had cried earlier.
Her makeup was probably ruined.
“Have the makeup artist come touch up my makeup.”
Yuanyuan loved looking beautiful.
The thought of her dressing up and looking radiant before going to see Pei Jin later made Shen Li feel as though jealousy was driving him insane.
To him, every version of Yuanyuan was beautiful.
A shadow flickered through his eyes.
After a brief pause, he replied,
“Okay.”
The black wheelchair looked completely out of place beside Shen Li’s breathtakingly handsome face.
Resting her chin on her hand, Ning Zhiyuan fell into thought.
Photos never looked good with a wheelchair in them.
Sitting for long periods was also bad for blood circulation and certainly wasn’t good for his leg.
In her previous life, she had resisted the engagement.
By then, Shen Li had already recovered.
Yet for the sake of completing the engagement smoothly, he had continued pretending to be disabled and remained in the wheelchair.
This time, her feelings were completely different.
She had no intention of getting engaged to anyone else.
An engagement happened only once in a lifetime.
The more she looked at the wheelchair, the more it annoyed her.
Placing a hand on the back of his chair, she loosely leaned toward him.
“Has your leg already healed?”
If his leg was healed, then Yuanyuan would have no ties to him anymore.
She could leave without worry and go find Pei Jin.
At least, that was what Shen Li thought.
His brows furrowed tightly.
“I…”
At that moment, another knock sounded at the door.
“Boss, all the guests have arrived.”
Shen Li avoided answering directly.
“I’ll go find the makeup artist for you.”
Afraid he was about to leave again, Ning Zhiyuan repeated her earlier tactic and reached for his hand.
A playful glint sparkled in her eyes.
His reflection appeared clearly within her pupils.
Her soft pink lips parted slightly, revealing two adorable little canine teeth.
“Brother Shen Li, I know your leg has already healed. Can you not use the wheelchair during the engagement later?”
Her voice was soft and sweet.
Yet to Shen Li, it felt like a bucket of ice water being poured over him from head to toe.
So this was her real objective.
She wanted to expose his act in front of everyone and shatter his ridiculous fantasy once and for all.
“Okay.”
His eyes became completely indifferent as he pulled his hand from hers.
This time, when Shen Li opened the door, Ning Zhiyuan did not stop him.
Assistant Qi immediately hurried toward Shen Li, as though arriving one second later might put his boss in danger.
Upon confirming that Shen Li was completely unharmed, his expression visibly relaxed.
Then he noticed Ning Zhiyuan still standing there.
Before leaving, he offered a polite greeting.
“Miss Ning.”
Ning Zhiyuan pouted.
Was she really some kind of terrifying monster?
Not long after the two men left, the makeup artist arrived nervously to touch up her makeup.
There had been plenty of trouble during the original makeup session.
Unexpectedly, the touch-up process went smoothly.
Ning Zhiyuan’s face was small and delicate.
Her features were gentle yet striking.
When she was quiet, she looked like an exquisitely crafted doll.
Her skin was naturally flawless, fair, luminous, and almost impossibly smooth.
The makeup artist unconsciously softened her movements.
Out of professional habit, she complimented her.
“Miss Ning’s skin is amazing. You’ll definitely amaze everyone at the engagement banquet.”
The moment those words left her mouth and she met Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze in the mirror, her heart skipped a beat.
Who didn’t know that this young lady had never wanted to get engaged to Mr. Shen?
Ning Zhiyuan looked away and adjusted a loose strand of hair by her cheek.
A faint smile curved her lips.
“That’s good.”
She stood up and headed toward the banquet hall.
The bodyguards stationed outside had already left.
As she reached the staircase, a petite girl with a delicate, harmless appearance stepped in front of her.
“Yuanyuan, why are you still here? You’re going to miss the time you agreed to meet Brother Pei Jin!”
Bai Xiaoxiao?
Even if she turned to ashes, Ning Zhiyuan would recognize that face.
Bai Xiaoxiao was the daughter of a servant employed by her family.
In her previous life, Ning Zhiyuan had been fooled by that innocent-looking face and treated her as her closest friend.
And what had she received in return?
Her boyfriend had been stolen by that very best friend.
The Ning family’s fortune had been swallowed up.
Her father had gone to prison.
And she herself had been pushed from a great height to her death.
By this point, Bai Xiaoxiao and Pei Jin had already been secretly involved for quite some time.
To sabotage the engagement, Bai Xiaoxiao had deliberately told her that if she appeared at the Nightshade Club at noon, Pei Jin would reconcile with her.
In her previous life, Ning Zhiyuan had gone.
Pei Jin had been drunk with his friends, loudly bragging about winning a bet.
Only then, under the contemptuous gazes of everyone present, had Ning Zhiyuan realized the reconciliation was nothing more than a wager.
Ning Zhiyuan looked at Bai Xiaoxiao and asked,
“This is my engagement banquet. Where exactly should I be?”
“How is a cripple in a wheelchair worthy of you?”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s expression became agitated.
Suppressing her impatience, she continued persuading her.
“Don’t you love Brother Pei Jin the most? If you don’t leave now, Brother Pei Jin will get angry. That won’t end well.”
Hidden around the corner, Shen Li had just been on his way back.
The dejected man stopped.
He could not bear to listen any longer.
A few casual compliments from the makeup artist had made him entertain unrealistic hopes.
But Yuanyuan loved Pei Jin.
No one understood that fact more clearly than he did.
In the past, the mere mention of getting engaged to a disabled man would send Ning Zhiyuan into a furious rage.
Yet today…
That tactic no longer worked.
Bai Xiaoxiao wrapped an arm around Ning Zhiyuan’s.
“Yuanyuan, let’s hurry and leave before Shen Li notices.”
Ning Zhiyuan disliked being touched by others.
Bai Xiaoxiao had always been the sole exception.
The gesture was meant to regain a sense of familiarity and security.
Yet to her surprise, Ning Zhiyuan calmly withdrew her arm without a word.