After being soaked and then dried by body heat, the clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin.
Shen Xiyan finished his shower and lay on the bed wearing only a pair of loose shorts, “resting his eyes.” His mind drifted, thoughts wandering in every direction.
Then he heard the sound of a door handle turning in the next room, followed by his own bedroom door opening quietly as someone tiptoed inside.
No need to guess—it was Wenwen.
Then came a startled exclamation.
“Ah! Bro! Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?!”
His solid, handsome, well-proportioned upper body was fully exposed to Wenwen, who raised her little fists, ready to scold him.
Shen Xiyan sighed, too lazy to put on a T-shirt, and pulled a thin blanket over himself.
“Just got out of the shower. My body’s still damp. I’ll put on clothes after the air conditioner dries me off. Why do you have to shout so loud?”
If Wenwen weren’t still at home, Shen Xiyan would have happily streaked around, enjoying the cool freedom without any restraints.
Every guy knows that feeling—when you put on underwear too quickly after a shower, the skin around the upper thighs traps moisture, making it very uncomfortable.
There are so many folds down there; no matter how much you wipe, it never gets fully dry. Of course, you have to let it air out a bit.
“That’s still not allowed!”
“You come into my room and say I’m not allowed? Does that make sense?”
“I don’t care! Just not allowed!” Wenwen’s face flushed as she spoke sternly.
Then, annoyed, she shot him a glare and muttered quietly under her breath: pervert, creep, sex maniac.
“Enough, you didn’t even knock. What do you want?” Shen Xiyan glanced at her.
No need to guess—she came as a messenger.
Kind-hearted Wenwen always couldn’t stand seeing someone bullied.
She never spoke up for Qin Sheng outside because the person “bullying” Qin Sheng was Shen Xiyan himself, and she didn’t believe he would do it without reason.
But once home, she wouldn’t hold back…
“So what’s really going on between you and Qin Sheng? You seemed fine when you left, why are you suddenly fighting so fiercely?”
See… just as expected.
Shen Xiyan rolled over and closed his eyes again, his mood inevitably sinking.
“That’s none of your business.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but Qin Sheng just helped Aunt—paying for the hospital, hiring a caregiver. Aren’t you kind of biting the hand that feeds you? I have a bad feeling about this! Aunt would definitely be furious if she found out!”
From Wenwen’s perspective, her brother was definitely in the wrong here.
No matter the reason, Qin Sheng had done so much to help, and she shouldn’t have been treated like that.
Shen Xiyan knew it too but seeing her sprain her ankle trying to get close to him…
Ten years together, a girlfriend no different from family—who could take such a shock?
Might as well go with the flow.
Seeing her so hurt inevitably brought memories of his past life.
“You don’t have to worry about it. I know what’s going on.”
“Really? Don’t lie to me!”
“Yeah, worst case is we just cut ties for good. You’re not even worthy of her.”
“Who said that?” Wenwen glared. “Anyway, watch yourself. If Aunt finds out you were so harsh to Qin Sheng, she’ll kill you!”
Shen Xiyan turned toward Wenwen and nodded.
After watching her leave, he collapsed back onto the bed.
***
In just three days, he had to “break up” twice. Unbelievable!
In the past, Shen Xiyan often marveled at Qin Sheng’s new outfits, captivated by her every graceful move.
Qin Sheng’s beauty was bold, dazzling, and unrestrained.
She wasn’t delicate, innocent, or gentle.
She was a seductress, a little demon to those who loved her; a fox spirit, a seductress to those who didn’t.
At first sight, his feeling was less about protecting and more about conquering.
But only Shen Xiyan knew Qin Sheng needed protection. Behind her facade lay more than a decade’s worth of grievances.
Better a quick pain than a long one—that was the only comfort he could give himself now.
If all else failed, he could only borrow money from his maternal grandparents…
Though called grandparents, he had little affection for them.
They disdained his father and, when his mother stole the household registration to marry his father, they declared they’d sever ties.
Naturally, they had no love for these two illegitimate children.
“Hah~~”
Shen Xiyan suddenly sat up with a fish-flop motion, glancing around his bedroom.
Though he’d slept here for over ten years, it now felt strange—not the confusion of his recent rebirth, but the overwhelming presence of Qin Sheng’s traces everywhere.
From clothes to trinkets, though Qin Sheng only spent one night here, everything was neatly arranged, giving a warm feeling rather than chaos.
In his two lifetimes, Shen Xiyan had seen many refined socialites, but their refinement was just pretty clothes, expensive bags, trendy makeup, and leisurely afternoon teas…
In real life, they might be crammed in a rented room ordering takeout.
But on social media, they basked in others’ adulation.
Such “refinement” was painfully ironic.
Qin Sheng was not like that.
She didn’t care about those things.
Her logic was always: “Would Xiyan like this? Would Xiyan be happy?”
If yes, she did it; if no, she didn’t.
The only condition was no other girls getting involved.
Over the past ten years, Qin Sheng had grown increasingly dependent on him.
At her clingiest, she felt the world needed only him, and nothing else mattered.
That’s why their breakups made her desperate enough to contemplate death.
Shen Xiyan methodically tidied up the things Qin Sheng left behind—mostly clothes she had bought but hadn’t yet worn.
Then he found a box of chewing gum… no, many boxes of chewing gum.
He couldn’t read the Japanese on the packaging, but he recognized the brand.
【Okamoto】
Ultra-thin, ultra-lubricated, textured, refreshing…
If Shen Xiyan couldn’t think of it, Qin Sheng had prepared it.
“No wonder she tried to snatch it that night!”
Seeing one box damaged, he chuckled softly, belatedly realizing.
It didn’t even feel strange—that was just something Qin Sheng would do!
Her greatest security probably came when she and Shen Xiyan were bare-chested together—their distance negative, neither could take or interfere.
In the end, only one small pill bottle remained under the pillow, its label torn off by Qin Sheng.
Curious, Shen Xiyan picked it up and turned it over.
His heart sank.
Others might not know what it was, but he knew all too well.
Most of his relationship with Qin Sheng had been happy.
In small matters, Shen Xiyan indulged without principles.
In big matters, Qin Sheng blindly followed him like a fanatic.
Both were happy…
He felt he was spoiling his girlfriend; she felt protected and loved.
He felt he was head of the household; she felt being together was effortless, trusting him entirely.
Until the first time Shen Xiyan brought up breaking up—that was the start of her nightmare.
She lost her sense of security, tossing and turning, afraid one day he’d just leave silently, abandoning her.
So she began relying on Sleeping Pills…
But the internet strictly regulated Sleeping Pills; even on shopping sites, they directed you to a special page, and doctors only prescribed them by the pill—no one dared to hand over a whole bottle.
Yet the bottle Shen Xiyan held contained 50 pills, now nearly empty.
His brow furrowed deeply.
Qin Sheng was not as carefree as she appeared.
Was it the same in his past life?
In some hidden place… because of family, or something else?
His guilt deepened silently.
Knock knock knock!
The sound of knocking at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“What?” Shen Xiyan instinctively hid the bottle.
Wenwen opened the door, pointed to the entrance with a scared expression.
“Bro, Song Wan’s here to see you…”
Shen Xiyan: ….