Just now, Jiang Sinian had helped her up. They were close—but how could she find a reason to hold his hand when their relationship hadn’t even thawed yet?
If she reached out recklessly, she might just get kicked away.
“Jiang Sinian… you weren’t hurt in the fight just now, right?” Ye Shizhi asked, adding quickly, “I’ll check for you.”
Then, not daring to look at his expression, she quickly grabbed his hand and held it in front of her, pretending to examine it carefully, while internally panicking over the countdown that stubbornly kept going.
“4…3…”
In the last two seconds, the countdown froze, and after more than ten seconds, the system notified her of the result.
“Hand-holding task failed. Host must complete one of the following tasks: 1. Make Jiang Sinian say ‘I love you.’ 2. Make Jiang Sinian hold your hand for ten seconds.”
“Two!”
Ridiculous. Ye Shizhi was afraid that if she hesitated even a second, the countdown would restart and declare another failure.
“Xiao Liu, I’m already holding Jiang Sinian’s hand—why did it fail?”
Xiao Liu: “The task is to hold hands, but you’re grabbing.”
Only then did Ye Shizhi notice her own actions: one hand holding his wrist, the other grasping his fingertips as if examining some artifact.
“Does it look nice?”
A voice, ambiguous in meaning, sounded close. The boy’s low tone was right in her ear.
Ye Shizhi stiffly looked up, face tense, and answered hesitantly, “Nice?”
Even she doubted her own answer.
Jiang Sinian pulled his hand back to brace against the board behind him. His fingers still felt the warmth of her hand, making his mind feel strange.
Yet as he looked at Ye Shizhi, it was the first time he seemed to truly examine her, as if meeting her for the first time.
“Ye Shizhi, what are you scheming now?”
Scheming was fine, as long as she didn’t provoke him—but here she was, leaning closer voluntarily.
He hadn’t ever claimed to be a good person, after all.
Thinking that, his gaze sharpened, tinged with hostility. Veins bulged on his hand, and the restless part of his mind stirred.
“Jiang Sinian, my hand seems hurt.”
At this point, Ye Shizhi didn’t have time to notice his state—her entire focus was on how to make him hold her hand for ten seconds to complete the task.
She deliberately softened her tone, extending her hand toward him like a small, pleading gesture that was hard to refuse.
Her hand was unlike those calloused from farm work: pale, slender, with a faint rosy hue—pleasing to the eye.
“Damn.”
After a few seconds, Jiang Sinian muttered a curse.
He pushed aside his other thoughts, holding her hand with care, rotating it gently to examine.
“Where does it hurt?”
Ye Shizhi blinked. “Everywhere.”
Jiang Sinian stared at her and surrendered internally. “You really ask for it.”
He said no more, continuing to watch her hand as if studying it for some hidden detail.
After a while, Ye Shizhi heard the notification that the task was complete—she earned two points.
Snapping back to reality, she realized how close Jiang Sinian was. She awkwardly withdrew her hand behind her back.
A blush rose across his handsome face. “O-okay. Thank you.”
Once the task was done, the embarrassment she’d been holding in bubbled up.
Jiang Sinian didn’t respond, simply watching her like she was a strange creature.
Over the next short stretch, Ye Shizhi could feel his sharp, aggressive gaze lingering on her occasionally, making her stiffen with every step.
By the time they reached the cart, she wasn’t paying attention and nearly fell straight off.
Fortunately, Jiang Sinian caught her, trapping her in his arms. He didn’t let go even after she steadied herself.
Ye Shizhi had wanted to struggle, but when she saw him pull out money to pay for the cart, she was curious—she had never seen such small money before.
Noticing her curiosity, he glanced at her and then released her. “Stand properly.”
She saw him carefully glance at her belly. Instinctively, she covered it with her hands, guessing what he was thinking, and shyly maneuvered past him into the house.
This man really was…
Jiang Sinian didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He walked slowly behind her, constantly monitoring her, afraid she might slip and hurt their child.
The house, built of mud bricks, was rough and small. A few chickens ran around the yard.
A familiar figure came into view—her younger brother, Ye Hongdong.
Ye Hongdong was five years younger than the original owner, now only fourteen. Perhaps he inherited good genes; both he and Ye Shizhi looked refined, unlike typical village children.
His skin was darker, and his youthful face showed a hint of determination.
“Sis.”
He called out, noticing Jiang Sinian behind her and startled slightly, but didn’t speak further.
Ye Shizhi responded casually, showing no sign of tension.
“Xiao Hong, I’m moving back today.”
“Huh? Did someone threaten you?”
Ye Hongdong looked at the person behind her, naturally aware of Jiang Sinian’s reputation. Even brave as he was, he still felt some fear.
Ye Shizhi patted his head lightly, smiling. “No, we’re married. Staying at home all the time isn’t great anyway.”
Ye Hongdong knew their parents disliked Ye Shizhi. He hesitated but didn’t stop her; it was better than staying at home and being scolded.
“Hurry and get your things. If Mom comes back and sees you leaving, she’ll yell again.”
The parents weren’t home, conveniently fitting her plan. She didn’t want to see them and didn’t want to expend energy negotiating.
Following her memory, she reached her “room”—though it was little more than a small cluttered space with a bed made from stacked boards, devoid of anything feminine.
Jiang Sinian followed, intending to help because of the child, but all Ye Shizhi did was glance around and pull a few bills from under the boards.
“Let’s go.”
There wasn’t much to take; most of what was hers had already been possessed by Jiang Sinian. She was merely reclaiming the money she had saved.
“What are you doing?”
She straightened and saw him watching her with a playful smile at the corner of his mouth.
“Seems you’re not that stupid.”
“You’re the stupid one—the whole family’s stupid.”
Jiang Sinian seemed too lazy to argue, replying dismissively: “Yes, yes, you and the child are clever.”
Ye Shizhi tilted her head curiously. “Why don’t you think it’s a daughter?”
“You can have a daughter if you want,” he said. “Either way, she’ll call me Dad.”