A gentle aura enveloped her relentlessly, Gold Dust reuniting with fine stones at the ocean floor.

Lin Zhiyu jolted awake abruptly, her chest constricted with a suffocating pain as if crushed by seawater.

The abrupt shift between dream and reality left her momentarily disoriented.

Was this an unwritten conclusion from the book, or

Her own future ending?

The figure leaping decisively downward replayed persistently in her mind.

The antagonist’s death marked the story’s conclusion. Since “she” had willingly taken Shen Yanli’s place as the villain, what then became of the ending?

Had she succeeded?

Whose death ultimately propelled the plot to its closure?

Clutching her chest as she caught her breath, Lin Zhiyu took a few sips of mineral water, feeling considerably more alert.

The police car gradually steadied, along with her wildly fluctuating heart.

Only through action would she discover what was possible.

If the villain could be replaced, so could the protagonist.

In the early stages, Lu Yuchen was inexperienced and impatient, his methods immature. This unjust calamity arrived swiftly and concluded just as quickly.

After twelve hours of summons and interrogation, Lu Yuchen’s false accusations lacked substantiation. With insufficient evidence and both parties cooperating actively with the investigation, they were soon released.

Notified simultaneously that their questioning had concluded, Shen Yanli emerged first from the interrogation room. His suit sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, yet despite the prolonged wait, not a trace of weariness showed on his face.

More concerned about Lin Zhiyu’s unjust suffering on his account than the false accusations of collusion between business and politics, he waited in the corridor with an officer.

Seeing Lin Zhiyu emerge, he immediately withdrew his hand from his pocket and took hers. “Are you alright? Were you frightened?”

Lin Zhiyu nodded. Unlike Shen Yanli, both her mind and body were still those of a sheltered twenty-four-year-old. The intense mental vigilance had left her drained.

Her voice soft and slightly slurred, Shen Yanli had to lean down to catch her words. “A bit tired…”

Recognizing this wasn’t the place for conversation, Lin Zhiyu murmured briefly before signaling Shen Yanli to leave first. He nodded, understanding her concerns.

The officer escorted them to the entrance as per procedure before departing. Lin Zhiyu went completely limp, leaning her full weight against Shen Yanli.

“You really need to make it up to me properly.”

“You have no idea what I went through!”

“Marrying you, I’ve endured far too much. A delicate twenty-four-year-old like me actually got summoned by the police.”

“They’re utterly unreasonable. Aren’t you going to fight back?”

“I genuinely feel frustrated at your lack of action.”

She chattered on with complaints, while Shen Yanli indulged her without rebuttal, a lasting smile playing on his lips.

Noticing his lack of response, Lin Zhiyu looked up at him and met his upturned lips.

“…”

“Are you really that easygoing? How can you still smile in a situation like this?Lin Zhiyu truly thought he might be losing his mind, even suspecting he’d been driven foolish by the stimulation.

Was the antagonist’s mental resilience really this fragile?

Shen Yanli’s hand resting on her slender waist rubbed gently a couple of times, his lips curved in a faint smile.

The Cayenne pulled up precisely before them. Under Lin Zhiyu’s peculiar gaze, Shen Yanli guided her into the car.

Sitting for twelve hours had left her back sore. Though standing outside briefly had offered some relief, the ache was beginning to resurface.

Frowning, she rubbed her lower back. Shen Yanli noticed silently and reached out his hand.

Lin Zhiyu was momentarily taken aback, but the comfortable massage on her waist eased her guard. She lowered her head to look at him.

Shen Yanli’s palm moved leisurely over the small of her back, his serious expression less like a massage and more like he was signing some crucial document.

He lifted his eyelids slightly. “Feeling better?”

“Ah.” Lin Zhiyu shook her head and bossed him around without hesitation. “Keep going.”

It was all because of him that she’d been summoned what was wrong with demanding a little more?

Thinking this, she braced her hands on the seat and shifted a bit closer to him.

The car moved smoothly, and her tense nerves relaxed completely. Lin Zhiyu leaned drowsily against the seat, fast asleep, her waist pressed against his arm, carrying the faint scent of her.

Lin Zhiyu slept for a long time. When she hazily awoke, a soft glow still illuminated the twilight outside the window.

Her head throbbed dizzily, and she struggled to push back the covers before heading downstairs.

Shen Yanli heard faint movements outside and glanced up to see a stumbling figure moving into view.

Just as she reached the door, her hands too weak to turn the knob, a gentle, deep voice sounded above her. “What’s wrong?”

The warm tone reached her ears, and Lin Zhiyu spun around abruptly too forcefully and stumbled backward. Shen Yanli swiftly caught her, his hand brushing against skin that felt unusually hot.

As if sensing something, he steadied her shoulder with one hand and pressed the back of his other to her forehead.

Sure enough she had a fever.

Recognizing who it was, Lin Zhiyu unhesitatingly leaned her full weight against him, mumbling, “I want water.”

“Shen Yanli…”

“Want water…”

Restless, she swayed her head against his chest, fussing incessantly. Shen Yanli’s strong arms slid under her knees and lifted her into the air.

After tucking the blankets snugly around her, he switched on the bedside lamp and spoke softly, “I’ll go get you some.”

Lin Zhiyu flung the covers off in one swift motion, clumsily crawling out while insisting, “I’m coming too. Let’s go together.”

“No.” His voice remained steady but carried a thread of amusement. Half-sitting on the bedside, he stopped her from crawling out.

“Why not?” Lin Zhiyu frowned in confusion, pushing at him stubbornly. “I am going.”

“I am.”

Her voice was soft and whiny, her pushes against him weak and limp.

“Stay put. I’ll be right back,” Shen Yanli tried to reason with her.

“No, I want to go too.” She wouldn’t listen, clinging persistently to his arm.

Shen Yanli sighed helplessly. “Zhi Zhi.”

“Hmm?” Lin Zhiyu gazed at him, her vision blurry and confused.

Dealing with a sick person, Shen Yanli’s approach was straightforward. Seeing that reasoning was useless, he took advantage of her dazed state, flipped the blanket she’d been lying on, and rolled her up tightly like a spring roll, leaving only her head exposed.

“Ahhh !”

“I can’t move, help !”

“Help !”

By the time Shen Yanli returned with water and the medical kit, Lin Zhiyu was half-lidded, muttering, “Ow, ow, ow.” Spotting him, she cried out even louder, “It hurts, wuwuwu, it hurts so much.”

Her eyes stayed fixed on him, but Shen Yanli didn’t free her as she’d hoped. Instead, he sat the “Flower Roll” upright and held the cup to her lips.

Lin Zhiyu turned her head away with a haughty expression. “No.” Then her eyes shifted thoughtfully, and she gestured with her chin toward the quilt bundle restraining her. “Untie me.”

The man remained unmoved. Lin Zhiyu waited for his reaction but received none. After a pause, she began yelling incoherently: “Shen Yanli, untie me!”

Shen Yanli felt somewhat helpless. This girl who usually appeared quiet and gentle how could she become so unruly when sick?

Her tantrum had flushed her face crimson, reddening her earlobes as sweat beaded on her forehead. Slumped weakly against the headboard, she mumbled accusations: “This is domestic violence, Shen Yanli. Domestic violence ”

The listless girl leaned against the bed, her face full of grievance. Shen Yanli’s heart softened with pity. “I’ll untie you after you drink the water.”

Lin Zhiyu nodded repeatedly. While drinking, she slyly watched his reaction, ready to stop at the slightest hint of hesitation. Detecting none, she drained the cup, and Shen Yanli kept his word, untying her.

Freed from restraint but exhausted from her outburst, Lin Zhiyu lay flat on the bed and suddenly began questioning life itself. With her hands folded over her abdomen, she blurted out inexplicably, “Will we become poor?”

Shen Yanli paused while mixing the medicine. “What?”

She rolled over, resting her head on her arm to look at him, and repeated her question with solemn emphasis.

Then she added, “I won’t eat instant noodles with you in a rented apartment.”

“Give up on that idea.”

Shen Yanli was amused by her words. Stirring the fever-reducing medicine in the cup leisurely, he patiently replied, “We won’t. Instant noodles aren’t for us.”

Now energized, she propped herself up and sat at the edge of the bed, blinking her large eyes as she waited for him to continue.

Shen Yanli handed her the prepared medicine. “Drink this first.”

Lin Zhiyu pouted in dissatisfaction, but Shen Yanli remained firm.

Defeated, she reluctantly took small sips from his hand.

“Enough, right?” Having already finished one cup, she struggled with the second and couldn’t manage the last third.

Lin Zhiyu pushed his arm away, and Shen Yanli didn’t force her further. Setting the cup on the bedside table, he addressed her immediate concern: “Didn’t you want me to fight back?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll take you to watch him eat instant noodles.”

The half-cup of medicine had cleared her head considerably. Her eyes sparkled with renewed excitement. “Really?”

“He’ll actually eat them?”

“Wait you’d really dare to do that?”

Lin Zhiyu was both thrilled and skeptical about his bold idea. “What if you fail? What if he makes me eat instant noodles?”

“In public? That would be so embarrassing.”

Imagining the two of them squatting in a banquet hall, eating instant noodles in front of everyone the scene was too absurd. Lin Zhiyu twitched her lips, unable to bear the thought.

After all, they were the main characters. How could protagonists lose to side characters? Usually, antagonists with such ideas end up suffering the consequences themselves.

Shen Yanli spoke earnestly, his face devoid of jest. He even entertained her imagined scenario for a moment.

“…”

Her thoughts were as eccentric as ever.

A smile lingered in Shen Yanli’s eyes. He took a tissue and gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, his tone tender. “Go to sleep.”

“It won’t fail,” he added after a pause. “I promise.”

Half-convinced, Lin Zhiyu lay back down as he guided her. Shen Yanli thought she had finally settled down.

He had just returned from putting away the medical kit when the little girl, who hadn’t stayed still for long, propped herself up and stared intently at him. “Shen Yanli, do you actually believe the story I told you?”

“You really have that ‘newborn calves aren’t afraid of tigers’ recklessness sometimes,” she chattered on like a little old woman. “In the world of novels, no matter what the villain does, they can never truly harm the main characters. Did you know that?”

A shadow of darkness flickered in Shen Yanli’s eyes as he tucked the corner of her blanket. “Zhiyu, I believe your story, but when it comes to fate, I’ve always preferred to grasp it in my own hands.”

Lin Zhiyu was momentarily stunned. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“No,” he replied, ruffling the hair atop her head. “Zhiyu, no matter what happens in the future…”

“You will be safe. I will send you away, far from this conflict.”

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