Chapter 381: Two-Faced

Not far behind, Song Wenye arrived on a motorcycle. She got off the bike and rushed over. “Pei Xu, Xixi, are you guys okay?”

Pei Xu raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. “I can’t die just yet!”

Shen Xi smiled. “Pei Xu is a little injured.”

Song Wenye knew that Xu Wei did this. When she saw the two of them shrug it off, she swept a glance at the crashed car and turned around wanting to kill someone.

The two of them said the brakes were broken when they were on the race track. Song Wenye thought about how scary it was at that time. These two had just escaped death.

Shen Xi tugged her. “Where are you going?”

Song Wenye looked like she was looking for a fight and roared indignantly, “Where else?! I’m gonna kill that b*tch Xu Wei!”

‘F*ck! Xu Wei dared to tamper with the car and almost killed Pei Xu and Xixi, so I need to kill her!’

“We don’t have any evidence, so take it easy.” Shen Xi pulled her back. There was a bloodthirst that surged in the depths of her eyes.

‘I’ll definitely get my revenge… Since Xu Wei dared to do this, she must also be ready for our revenge.’

Song Wenye was hot-tempered and could not stand this. She wanted to look for Xu Wei and teach her a lesson first even if she could not kill her.

Shen Xi kept persuading her to calm down and managed to stop her, but Song Wenye was still furious and kept cursing nonstop.

Fu Qingxuan quickly took care of Pei Xu’s injuries. He looked at him and said, “That’s all I can do for now. You should go to the hospital and get it checked again.”

Pei Xu hooked his lips and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Thank you, Lil’ Young Master.”

Fu Qingli’s patience had been exhausted. He looked at Fu Qingxuan. “Let’s go.”

Fu Qingxuan paused in packing his first aid kit. He gathered enough courage, stuck out his neck, and looked at Fu Qingli. “Big Brother, I’m not leaving!”

Fu Qingli’s cold eyes turned sharp and dangerous. His voice carried an unquestionable authority. “Say it again?”

Fu Qingxuan chickened out and looked to Shen Xi for help.

Shen Xi shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look that said, “You’re on your own… I wouldn’t dare offend the eldest Fu brother…”

From the time Fu Qingli carried her out of the car, Shen Xi felt that he was very strange, but she could not pinpoint it.

Fu Qingxuan could not resist and was taken away by Fu Qingli. He looked at Shen Xi with worried eyes, got into the car, and poked his head out to admonish Pei Xu. “Take care of her!”

“Okay.” Pei Xu waved his hand at him.

Fu Qingxuan was so afraid of his big brother, like a rat seeing a cat. He did not want to leave, but he dared not even make a sound.

They left in Fu Qingli’s car and left Fu Qingxuan’s car behind.

After they drove away, Fu Qingli looked in the rearview mirror and saw the girl who was smiling leisurely. She did not look the slightest bit nervous and afraid. His hands unconsciously tightened like he was about to crush the steering wheel.

‘Look! She looks as if nothing happened, as if this crash had nothing to do with her. She looks like she doesn’t care about her own life or whether she just escaped death.’

Fu Qingli became angrier when he saw her like this. He could not control his emotions and felt that his worry and fear were all a joke.

He did not know if he had lost his mind because she stirred up all the emotions in him, which was very unlike him.

Perhaps his aunt was right. Fu Qingli just pretended not to care because he cared too much about her.

If he did not care about her, he would not have cared if she lived.

He would not have rushed over when he heard someone said their car was tampered with.

He would not have felt so much self-blame when he saw her car crashing into the boulder.

He would not have felt so relieved to see that she was okay.

Most importantly, he would not have been so angry when she smiled like nothing happened after she had just escaped death.

Fu Qingxuan looked at the girl in the rearview mirror and muttered with a distressed look on his face. “Big Brother, she must’ve been scared to death.”

Fu Qingli sneered and smirked, “Is that so?”

‘Why can’t I tell that she’s scared? Is she so frightened that she smiles when she sees people? She’s pretty ballsy, so much so that I gotta admit I kinda admire her.’

Fu Qingxuan nodded and felt heartbroken. “She’s good at pretending and she’s actually scared of feeling pain. Second Brother said that she’s like a little turtle that will hide in its strong shell because she’s been hurt too much. I think he’s right.”

She never showed any weakness in front of outsiders. Fu Qingxuan and Fu Qingli were not yet qualified for her to shed her disguise in front of them, which saddened Fu Qingxuan a little.

“If it’s a disguise, then she’s too good at pretending,” Fu Qingli sneered. He could not see a trace of weakness or fear from her eyes. “Tell your Second Brother that she can be nominated for the Oscars.”

“Big Brother, why do you always think the worst of her?” Fu Qingxuan was a little annoyed.

Fu Qingli snorted and replied, “Fu Qingxuan, I’ll warn you one last time. Even though she looks like Mom, she’s not our little sister! You’d better put away those useless feelings!”

“If she’s not our little sister, why did you run to save her?” Fu Qingxuan asked him back.

“Why do I have to explain my actions to you?” Fu Qingli sneered. “You’d better think about how to explain why you came to China!”

“I don’t wanna talk to you.” Fu Qingxuan twisted his head and averted his question. He looked out the window, paused for a moment, then grunted in defiance as he glared at his brother. “You’re so two-faced! It’s fine if you don’t wanna admit that you care about her, but don’t tell me what to do! I want to like her and be nice to her regardless of who she is!”

Fu Qingxuan knew that Shen Xi was not his little sister, but he just could not control his feelings and wanted to treat her well. If he could not stop himself, then he would just follow his heart.

‘But that meanie doesn’t even know how much I struggled before deciding to be good to her. She still treats me like I’m an acquaintance…’

The moment Fu Qingxuan saw Shen Xi, he truly wanted her to jump into his arms and cry her heart out while telling him about her helplessness, panic, and fear, but she did not. She was just smiling at him, telling him that she was fine and that she could solve whatever problems she encountered.

Shen Xi was abnormally strong, which made him angry and heartbroken. It made him feel useless.

She did not let her guard down around him, but he was curious what kind of person would make her let her guard down.

The car was silent.

After a long while, Fu Qingli asked him, “You know that Pei Xu guy, right? I caught a witness earlier. Xu Xu will send the guy to him, so you can contact him.”

Chapter 382: Long-Term Plan

Fu Qingxuan volunteered, “Big Brother, I can send it over personally!”

Fu Qingli swept a sidelong glance at him. His voice was cold and deep, and extremely dangerous. “I still haven’t settled the score with you for running out here…”

Fu Qingxuan shut his mouth. ‘Fine! What’s the big deal anyway…’

**

In the arena.

When Xu Wei received news that Shen Xi and Pei Xu were still alive, she went crazy and kicked the car. She pointed at the group of people in front of her and yelled, “Useless crap! Go find him! I don’t care what method you use, but you must find him!”

Pei Xu was not dead.

Qiang Zi, however, was missing. After searching around, no one knew where he had gone to.

The only person who knew about the brake malfunction was Qiang Zi because Xu Wei had asked him to do it. Qiang Zi was Brother Zhao’s most trusted subordinate, so he definitely would not betray her.

If Qiang Zi was caught by Pei Xu and forced to confess, would he betray her? In that case, everything would be over and Pei Xu would not let her get away with it.

The more Xu Wei thought about it, the more frightened she became. When she saw her men scattered to find Qiang Zi, she got into the car and dialed a phone number. “Brother Zhao, what should we do? Pei Xu already knows about you and me. I tried to kill him today, but he escaped. Qiang Zi also disappeared. I’m afraid that he caught Qiang Zi.”

“What’s the hurry? Speak slowly.” Lu Zhao’s voice was fierce.

Xu Wei told him everything that happened. “If our relationship is exposed, the Ning family won’t let me go. Let’s leave the country! Let’s leave China now!”

She had an ominous feeling that things were moving in an unexpected direction. If Xu Wei did not escape now, she might never have a chance again.

“Are you sure Pei Xu knows about us?” Lu Zhao sneered. “You’re overthinking this. If he knew, would we still be alive now?”

Xu Wei said, “I don’t know… I think he knows. Brother Zhao, let’s go far away. Let’s leave China and find a place where no one knows us to start over.”

The last time Xu Wei was on a date with Lu Zhao, she bumped into Pei Xu and felt that things would be bad. Pei Xu’s words earlier made her even more certain that he must have known something, so she wanted to silence him forever.

“If you leave, what about the Ning family? We’ve planned this for so long, so we can’t just throw away all our effort!” Lu Zhao was not willing to give up the piece of pie that was about to fall into his lap. He was convinced that Pei Xu did not know about their relationship. “If Pei Xu comes looking for trouble, just tell the Ning family that you want to kill him to avenge Ning Sinian. The Ning family will surely be on your side.”

Pei Xu could not have known. If he had, he would not have allowed Xu Wei and Lu Zhao to continue dating.

Xu Wei listened but was still worried. “Qiang Zi is missing… What if Pei Xu caught him? What if he said something about us?”

“Qiang Zi must’ve taken the money and left. Don’t worry, he’s smart, so how can he be caught by Pei Xu? You women think too much.” Lu Zhao reassured her. “Even if Qiang Zi is in Pei Xu’s hands, he won’t betray me. Don’t worry. Aren’t you pregnant now? The Ning family will do whatever it takes to keep you at all costs.”

Xu Wei said, “But…”

Lu Zhao interrupted her. “Listen to me. There’s no but. Our child will be the fourth generation of the Ning family. When those old farts are gone, the Ning family will be ours.”

This was his long-term plan. He wanted the Ning family fortune and absolutely would not let Pei Xu ruin his plans.

Lu Zhao managed to calm Xu Wei’s emotions after a while.

Xu Wei hung up the phone and touched her stomach. The panic in her eyes disappeared and she became more resolute.

She was in a panic earlier.

Lu Zhao was right. Qiang Zi might not have been caught by Pei Xu and might have just ran away with the money.

Qiang Zi’s hobby was hiring prostitutes and getting high, so he was probably having too much fun that he did not answer his phone.

Even if Qiang Zi was caught, Pei Xu might not even be able to pry his mouth open. As long as Qiang Zi did not admit it, Pei Xu could not do anything to them without any evidence.

Xu Wei wanted to kill Pei Xu to avenge Nian. Moreover, the Ning family hated Pei Xu because of Nian and would stand by her.

Most importantly, she was pregnant with Lu Zhao’s child.

For the past six months, she had been using Ning Sinian’s sperm for IVF.

The Ning family assumed she was carrying Ning Sinian’s child because of all her acts of love and sacrifices. They cared for her and were grateful that she was pregnant with the eldest grandson of the Ning family.

**

On the mountain road.

Fu Qingli’s car just left. Shen Xi and the rest got into the car, ready to leave when a sports car stopped in front of them.

Yu Qiubai got out and greeted them with a smile. He threw a flash drive to Pei Xu and said, “Pei Xu, a gift for you. No need to thank me.”

Pei Xu raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking that this fox would not do anything nice. “What is it?”

Yu Qiubai swept a glance at Shen Xi and Song Wenye, then asked him, “Are you sure you wanna see it?”

Pei Xu nodded his head.

Yu Qiubai beckoned with his finger, “Then come into my car and watch it.”

Song Wenye was annoyed and jumped out of the car. “Yu Qiubai! Who are you looking down on? Why can’t Xixi and I see it?!”

Yu Qiubai was in a pickle. “It’s not good for you girls to see this kind of thing.”

Song Wenye insisted on seeing it and would get mad at him if he did not show them.

Yu Qiubai had no choice but to take his laptop over and let them watch it together.

Shen Xi finally knew why Yu Qiubai said they should not watch this because it was Xu Wei’s sex tape.

Song Wenye was watching with great interest and even commented. “This man is so ugly. It’s so tiny, like the size of lipstick! He’s also so unskilled. Xu Wei’s taste is truly questionable. Even if she wants to cheat, she should find a larger one, right?”

She was doing a full-on review.

Yu Qiubai and Pei Xu were used to watching such videos in private like many men, but this was the first time they watched it in front of girls.

They did not care about Song Wenye because she was like a bro to them, but Shen Xi was sitting quietly nearby like a goddess. The guys felt embarrassed and blushed as they were afraid she would think badly of them, especially Yu Qiubai.

Shen Xi had never liked him, so if this continued, her impression of him would be shattered, despite not having much of an image to begin with.

Chapter 383: Sudden Collapse

Since Pei Xu and Shen Xi experienced life and death together, Pei Xu thought of being a better man so he could build a better impression of him in front of Shen Xi.

However, watching this sex tape together felt a little wrong after a while.

“Ahem.” Pei Xu coughed and gave Yu Qiubai a look. ‘That’s enough… We just need to know who was involved, not watching for the fun of it…’

The man was so ugly and had a small penis, so there was nothing to look at. It would just stain Shen Xi’s eyes.

Pei Xu glanced sideways at Shen Xi and noticed that she always had a calm and relaxed expression as if she was watching an ordinary movie. No one could guess what she was thinking.

Yu Qiubai shut the laptop screen.

Song Wenye slapped his hand. ‘It’s not over yet!’

Pei Xu said, “If you wanna watch, just find it online. There are so many better ones out there…”

Shen Xi lifted her head lazily and glanced at him.

Pei Xu coughed and explained, “Xixi, I don’t watch this, really… What’s so good about it?”

Shen Xi did not say anything and smiled.

Song Wenye exposed him. “Xixi, he’s lying! They even used our classroom projector to watch porn!”

Pei Xu was speechless. ‘F*ck! Bloody traitor!’

The somewhat strange and awkward atmosphere became more relaxed.

Yu Qiubai’s fox eyes squinted as he laughed. He tapped his fingers on the laptop and asked, “Pei Xu, you’ve seen this man before, right?”

Pei Xu nodded. The nonchalance under his eyes was replaced by a murderous aura. Of course, he had seen this man before. “Lu Zhao.”

At that time, he felt that Xu Wei was abnormally close to Lu Zhao. Pei Xu even had someone to follow them for a while, but perhaps Xu Wei was alerted, he failed to find any proof of her betrayal to Brother Nian.

Yu Qiubai said, “I think she might have wanted to kill you because of this.”

The video was captured by someone that Yu Qiubai hired to follow Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao invested 100 million yuan in Yu Qiubai’s new company some time ago, so he investigated him as his company’s shareholder.

Who knew that this investigation would lead to Xu Wei.

Lu Zhao was originally a gangster, who somehow got rich overnight and opened several nightclubs in the Capital.

Upon further investigation, Yu Qiubai found that the source of money was questionable. Xu Wei was taking money from Ning Sinian to support her lover.

When this sex tape was taken, Yu Qiubai kept it for rainy days as he had no personal relationship with Ning Sinian or the Ning family.

Today when he came to watch the race and heard from the International Class that Shen Xi and Pei Xu got into an accident because Xu Wei tampered with their car, Yu Qiubai revealed the video to Pei Xu so he could take revenge on Xu Wei.

“Pei Xu, you can decide what you want to do with this video.” Yu Qiubai paused for a moment and added, “Also, I suspect this man’s money came from Xu Wei.”

Lu Zhao was definitely a pickup artist. He was ugly and incapable, yet there were still women who loved him.

“Thanks.” Pei Xu put away the flash drive. His eyes were cold and stern.

Song Wenye saw his expression and knew that Xu Wei was as good as dead. Even if Xu Wei did not cheat, she was already dead meat just based on what she did today.

Pei Xu received a call from Fu Qingxuan saying that he was going to send them a witness, so they waited.

Xu Xu came quickly and handed over the person who confessed to Fu Qingli to Shen Xi and her group.

The man was called Qiang Zi and was frightened by Fu Qingli earlier at the arena. His head was covered. When he was thrown to the ground, he curled up in fear thinking that they were going to kill him.

Pei Xu did not need to use much effort. After giving the man a violent beating, Qiang Zi confessed to everything. Xu Wei had instructed him to tamper with the brakes, wanting to kill Pei Xu to avenge Ning Sinian. Shen Xi was just collateral damage.

After the interrogation, Pei Xu tied Qiang Zi up and threw him in the trunk. He looked at Shen Xi and said, “How do you want Xu Wei to die?”

Shen Xi sneered and said, “We should treat others the way they treat us.”

Pei Xu said, “Leave it to me.”

It was fine if Xu Wei wanted to mess with him but when she involved innocent people, Pei Xu would be unforgiving.

11:00 pm.

Shen Xi finally got home.

Song Wenye pestered her and wanted to stay with her for the night, but Pei Xu dragged her away.

Shen Zhangqing and Yun Jinping were on a business trip, so no one was home. It was dark and cold everywhere.

Shen Xi made instant noodles. After eating, she looked around at the empty and cold house and felt a little desolate.

Toffeecito was next to her and rubbed its little fluffy head against her leg.

“Toffeecito, are you scared to be home alone every day?” Shen Xi picked the kitten up and put it on her lap as she patted its little head.

Toffeecito’s big eyes were like beautiful amber. It meowed at her and titled its little head to lick her hand.

“Your grandma and grandpa are not home.” Shen Xi felt overwhelming loneliness wash over her that made her feel like crying. “Your dad’s also not at home, so it’s just the two of us.”

Toffeecito’s small head was in her palms. It was soft, warm, and fluffy, which tickled her and she chuckled.

Fortunately, Toffeecito could still accompany her so she was not home alone.

Ever since she was reborn, Shen Xi was afraid of being alone at home because loneliness felt overwhelming and would swallow her up.

She could not sleep and refused to sleep. She could not figure out what to do to fill the emptiness in her heart. She climbed up and down the ladder outside with Toffeecito in her arms over and over again.

In the end, she looked at the empty road, descended the ladder, and walked to the door. She sat on the stone steps at the entrance and held her chin as she stared at the intersection.

Her dad was not coming home.

Her mom was not coming home either.

‘Brother should be coming back, right?’

She had to find something to do because she had no idea what she was waiting for or expecting but only knew that she would go mad if she stayed at home.

Time passed slowly.

When Shen Xi heard the sound of a car coming from the intersection, her eyes which seemed to have lost their sparks lit up.

The car turned in. Shen Xi stared at it unblinkingly and felt her heart pounding as the car approached.

The car stopped in front of her.

The car door opened.

The moment the man rolled his wheelchair over, Shen Xi choked on her emotions. She could not contain it any longer and started to sob as the accumulated panic, fear, and grievance surged uncontrollably in her heart. Her strong front suddenly collapsed, and tears gushed out in an instant.

Chapter 384: Big Rat

When Li Yuan saw Shen Xi’s lonely, forlorn, small, and shrunken figure with tears streaming down her face, he felt his heart clenched. It was unbearably painful that he could not breathe.

The girl bit her lips and looked at him quietly as crystal beads slid down her cheeks. She looked so aggrieved and frightened like she wanted to lament to him.

He had no clue as to how to comfort her or lecture her so she would not risk her life so recklessly again.

Shen Xi was not aware of how heartbroken, scared, and helpless he felt when he found out that she was almost killed.

However, seeing her intact in front of him, all the emotions pent up in his chest instantly dissipated. All that was left was heartache. He was nervous as he went to her and reached out to wipe away her tears.

Shen Xi cried silently. When she felt his slightly cool fingers brushing her skin, she choked up and hugged him suddenly before bawling in his chest.

Li Yuan’s body stiffened for a moment. The girl’s warm body was tiny and trembling as she cried her heart out. Each of her suppressed sobs was like a stab into his heart but his large hands reached out to soothe her.

‘Silly girl… She finally knows what fear is…’

Shen Xi’s suppressed emotions found an outlet. She felt so aggrieved and cried louder. She bawled and vented all the fear and panic she had bottled up.

When with him, Shen Xi wanted nothing on her mind but just to let loose for once.

She was afraid that she almost could not see him again.

Li Yuan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly. His eyes welled up slightly he hugged her tighter and patted her back in comfort.

He always thought that she was fearless. It turned out that she still knew what fear was, but what was she scared of? Was she afraid that she would never see him again?

The girl’s voice gradually became mute.

He coaxed her gently as his heart ached. “Don’t cry, okay?”

Shen Xi’s body trembled. When she heard him, she finally realized what she had done. She did not want him to find out what happened today because that would only cause him to worry, so she looked up and came up with an excuse, “Brother… My parents aren’t home. There’s a rat inside…”

Li Yuan understood her intention to not worry him and did not call her out. He gently wiped away her tears and said in a deep voice, “Okay… I’ll get Kun Lun to catch it later.”

“It scared me to death,” Shen Xi complained to him and looked so aggrieved. She looked so frightened and her tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

“Alright…” Li Yuan lowered his eyes and saw the girl’s red and swollen eyes. There were tears on her long eyelashes. His heart throbbed with pain as he coaxed her in a warm voice, “I’m here now, don’t be scared.”

Shen Xi finally choked and stopped crying. She felt guilty and avoided his gaze, fear of looking into his clear, warm eyes as if he could see through her.

She had been holding it in for such a long time and thought that she would stay strong, but the moment she saw him, she broke down.

A black Bentley was parked not far from the intersection.

In the car, Fu Qingli saw both of them hugging each other and had a complex look in his eyes. His hands that were on the steering wheel tightened unconsciously.

He was not sure why he came here when he had already told himself to leave her alone, and to never see her again.

However, when Fu Qingxuan said that her parents were away on a business trip, Fu Qingli was worried and eventually drove over.

The sound of her crying had such a penetrating effect that drilled through his ears and inexplicably irritated him.

It turned out that she was not as fearless as he thought. She recognized the fear and was capable of crying, but just not in front of him. She would never show her weakness in front of others.

‘Isn’t she crying very well now? But why is Li Yuan that person who can let her guard down and cry so openly?’

Kun Lun seemed to have sensed something and was on his toes. He swept a wary glance and saw a car driving by the intersection, before disappearing from sight.

“Brother, are my eyes swollen?” Shen Xi sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

Li Yuan clasped her wrist and said warmly, “Don’t rub your eyes. Put a boiled egg on it later to reduce the swelling.”

Shen Xi nodded. When she composed herself, she began to exaggerate how big and scary the rat was. She muttered, “It’s so big and scary that I don’t dare to go home.”

Li Yuan did not expose her lie. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Toffeecito, “What did we raise you for? The next time a rat appears, I’ll deduct a month’s worth of canned food.”

Toffeecito had no clue what was happening and innocently meowed at him in protest.

Kun Lun stood by the side with his head hung low. He glanced at Toffeecito through the corner of his eyes and saw how much it had grown. It was now half the size of an adult cat.

‘Ms. Shen could certainly narrate anything. Big rats at home? Sounds ridiculous… Does she truly think Boss won’t find out what happened to her? When Boss received news of her accident, he almost went crazy. That’s the first time I saw Boss was this furious.’

Kun Lun felt he had died several times on the way back. Li Yuan’s murderous aura could kill. The extremely cold air he exuded could suffocate those within proximity.

Bai Yu was still kneeling at the office. He had just returned to get himself into trouble for organizing this race and causing this accident.

“Let’s go home.” Li Yuan tenderly wiped away the last teardrop on her face.

Shen Xi shook her head and said softly, “There are rats at home. It might come out again…”

Li Yuan said dotingly, “Okay, I’ll stay with you.”

Shen Xi’s eyes lit up. She nodded and felt relaxed after crying and venting out her pent-up emotions.

There was no wheelchair access at her door and the four stone steps were quite high, so Kun Lun helped lift his wheelchair.

Shen Xi pushed his wheelchair inside and lowered her eyes slightly. Her gaze was soft as she looked at the man in front of her and could not help but feel delighted.

This was the first time Li Yuan stepped into Shen Xi’s house. It was not luxuriously decorated, but it was clean and cozy. Everywhere was filled with warmth.

He looked to the side and saw the girl sitting next to him.

The girl was holding Toffeecito and playing with it. After crying so much, her breathing was a little irregular. Her eyes, nose, and cheeks were red and that was heartbreaking to him.

Chapter 385: Like This Feeling

Kun Lun quickly brought over the hardboiled egg and gauze, then carefully placed them on the coffee table.

Shen Xi hugged Toffeecito and sniffled. She looked at Li Yuan’s long, slender fingers as he picked up the egg, cracked the shell, and began to peel the eggshell bit by bit.

From her angle, she could see the man’s picturesque side profile with delicate eyebrows, a tall nose, nice pink lips, and his perfect jawline.

Li Yuan asked her, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Shen Xi was staring at him. When the man spoke, his Adam’s apple moved up and down on his long, slender neck, which was incredibly sexy and made her feel hot. She nodded her little head and gave a faint “mm” mm.

Li Yuan noticed the girl’s burning gaze and smiled slightly. His voice became more alluring. “What did you eat?”

Shen Xi replied, “Instant noodles.”

Li Yuan asked, “Are you full?”

Shen Xi replied and moved her body forward to reach for the egg, but in the next moment, she retracted her hand because of the heat. She quickly touched her ears and pouted. “It’s so hot!”

Li Yuan saw her adorable expression as if touching her ears would cool her fingers. She looked so silly and cute. He put down the egg in his hand and held her hand to check on it.

The girl’s skin was so soft. Her white fingertips turned red and she frowned in pain. Li Yuan lowered his head and blew on it.

Shen Xi held her breath. The cool wind on her fingertips blew into her heart and her heart raced. The tips of her ears turned red.

“Is it still hot?” Li Yuan asked her.

Shen Xi lowered her head. “Yeah, keep going.”

It was fine just a while ago, but her whole body felt hot and could not cool down.

Li Yuan came closer to blow on her fingers. His slightly cool fingers brushed her burned fingers as he asked her seriously, “Do you have ice packs at home?”

Shen Xi suddenly felt guilty and shook her head, then pulled her hand away. “It’s fine now.”

Li Yuan saw her panicked look and laughed out loud. She was shy and looked adorable because her earlobes were pink.

Shen Xi sat there obediently and looked at him. “Brother, isn’t it hot?”

The eggs were just boiled and removed without being cooled in water, so they were particularly hot, but he did not seem to feel anything.

Li Yuan’s voice was low. “Nope.”

Shen Xi did not believe him.

Li Yuan looked at her. “If you don’t believe me, you can feel it yourself.”

Shen Xi stretched out her hand in disbelief. Just when she was about to touch the egg in his hand, Li Yuan slapped her hand and laughed out loud. “Silly girl! I lied to you, it’s hot.”

She tilted her head in confusion and asked in a soft voice, “Then why don’t you feel anything?”

Li Yuan laughed. “Maybe my skin is thicker.”

Shen Xi said, “Really?”

Li Yuan let out a low chuckle. His magnetic voice was simply provocative.

Shen Xi leaned in closer. Her eyes were sparkling like little stars as she stretched out her index finger to poke his cheek and muttered, “Let’s see…”

The moment her soft finger touched him, Li Yuan felt numb as if he felt an electric shock. He turned to look at the girl’s curious face. His breath felt a little hot. “Saw it?”

Shen Xi worked up the courage to pinch his cheek and pinched her own in comparison. She pondered for a moment and shook her head. “It’s about the same.”

Li Yuan could not help but laugh. His smile was pleasant as he looked at her and said, “Lie down and close your eyes.”

Shen Xi’s heart skipped a beat. The man was holding the egg wrapped with gauze. She then obediently laid on the sofa and closed her eyes.

“Is it hot?” Li Yuan asked her.

Shen Xi’s voice was soft and she answered lazily like a cat. “Nope.”

It was still a little too warm, but it was comfortable.

Toffeecito was watching from the side and wanted to jump on Shen Xi’s stomach when she was not paying attention, but Li Yuan grabbed the back of its neck with one hand. “Go catch the rat.”

The kitten sat on the coffee table looking dejected. It glared at Li Yuan before turning its butt to him and jumped off the coffee table.

Kun Lun, who was ordered to catch the rat, searched everywhere with a bitter face. ‘Why am I the only one who has to suffer?!’

He knew that his boss was in a bad mood today and wanted to vent his anger on someone.

Li Yuan was fully aware that Shen Xi was using the rat as an excuse to cover up her racing accident, but he still got Kun Lun to catch the “rat” in the house. ‘This is too much! I’m a human, not a cat! How can I catch a rat?!’

Kun Lun could not catch the “big rat” that Shen Xi had described.

After the hot compress, Shen Xi’s eyes felt more comfortable. She took a shower at home and stood in front of the mirror looking at her less swollen eyes, then patted her face.

‘This is the last time I’ll ever do such a life-threatening thing again.’

Li Yuan probably knew about what happened earlier, but he did not say anything or ask any questions. He quietly listened to her lies and stayed with her.

She liked this feeling.

Shen Xi did not need someone to comfort her, nor did she want to be lectured. She knew what to do and what she needed was someone’s company, support, and understanding.

Toffeecito was already waiting for her on the bed. When it saw Shen Xi darting over, it deftly leaped up and dodged her attack. The kitten stood on the bed looking victorious and wagged her tail playfully.

Shen Xi scolded the little rascal. She opened the window and poked her head to look next door. When she saw the lights next door were still on, she felt a warmth in her heart.

Her phone notification rang twice. Shen Xi rushed to her phone and saw that Li Yuan had sent a voice message.

The man’s voice was always elegant and magnetic regardless of the time. “Are you scared?”

Shen Xi typed. [Mhmm.]

In the next second, Li Yuan called her.

Shen Xi answered the call. “Brother.”

Li Yuan asked, “Do you want to listen to a lullaby or a bedtime story?”

Shen Xi smiled sweetly and held her phone while she laid in bed. She said softly, “Anything.”

Li Yuan smiled. “Since I sang you a lullaby last time, I’ll tell you a bedtime story this time.”

Shen Xi’s heart was surging with joy. She nodded and said, “Okay.”

The man’s voice was deep and beautiful. Every word he said reverberated in her ears and struck her heartstrings. It had a magical healing ability that miraculously calmed her restless heart.

Shen Xi did not know when she fell asleep. Only when she woke up did she realize her phone battery was flat and it turned off.

It was not yet dawn.

Kun Lun looked at the man who had been sitting by the window since last night and went up to him. “Boss, it’s almost dawn. You should get some rest.”