After the Sang-Style Beauty Married the Disabled Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

“Good heavens!”

Uncle Li returned from his errands to a scene of absolute chaos. He quickly cleaned up the mess and headed upstairs to summon Shen Jiali for dinner preparations.

Although he hadn’t had a “normal” dinner in days, for some reason, the Master insisted on having Shen Jiali prepare the meal. Uncle Li felt like his old heart couldn’t take much more of this. Frustrated, he forgot his manners and pushed open the storage room door. Sure enough, Shen Jiali was sleeping soundly against that hideously ugly doll.

Uncle Li was momentarily curious. Does he really like this doll that much? The Master also seemed to value it; he’d kept it since childhood, and though he’d threatened to throw it away multiple times, it always ended up gathering dust in storage rather than the trash.

But that wasn’t the point. “Mr. Shen, wake up! The Master is almost home, and you haven’t started dinner.”

Shen Jiali blinked open his bleary eyes. “Aren’t there leftovers from this morning? I didn’t touch them. Just heat them up and eat.”

Uncle Li nearly fainted. Feeding the Master leftovers?! He practically dragged Shen Jiali to the kitchen, took several deep breaths, and pulled out his notebook: “Today’s menu: Hand-pulled noodles…”

The “Noodle” Incident

Shen Jiali stopped listening at the words “hand-pulled.” Fortunately, there was an automatic kneading machine.

The correct way to make hand-pulled noodles involves rolling the dough into a large sheet, folding it, and cutting it to the desired width.

Shen Jiali’s version… Uncle Li couldn’t bear to watch.

When Nan Liujing arrived, he found Shen Jiali covered in flour—on his face, nose, and hair like a snowman. Shen Jiali slumped onto the table. “Eat.”

Uncle Li looked at the single bowl of noodles. “Are there no other dishes?”

Shen Jiali pointed a trembling finger at the bowl. “It was too much trouble, so I combined them into one.”

They looked down.

Stir-fried vegetables? Check—a few rape leaves on top.

Chicken stew with mushrooms? Check—pre-made chicken nuggets and shiitake mushrooms.

Dessert (Yogurt with nuts)? Check—a few large peanuts floating in the broth.

The “noodles” were of varying shapes and mostly stuck together in a lump. Since everything on the menu was technically present, they were speechless.

“Oh, right,” Shen Jiali remembered something. He pulled a carton of yogurt from his pocket and pushed it over. “The nuts are in the soup. Here’s the yogurt. Mix it in with your tongue.”

“Are you trying to anger me on purpose?” Nan Liujing’s voice was icy.

Shen Jiali shook his head slowly. “I tried my best, but I’m a useless person with zero life skills. Sorry.”

The sincerity of his “sorry” and the blunt admission of being “useless” left Nan Liujing with nowhere to vent his anger. Sincerity truly is the ultimate killing move.

Nighttime “Substitution”

That night, Shen Jiali couldn’t sleep. He felt like something was missing. He headed to the storage room to retrieve the ugly doll.

Nan Liujing, who was rubbing his temples in the hall, watched as Shen Jiali emerged from the room dragging the doll. “Shen Jiali,” he barked.

“Good night,” Shen Jiali replied, assuming it was another lecture on rules.

“Put the doll back,” Nan Liujing said coldly. He didn’t care if Shen Jiali took his car keys or house deeds, but the doll was off-limits.

Shen Jiali stared at the doll for a moment. “I can’t sleep. I’ve gotten used to sleeping with it. Can I borrow it?”

He hadn’t heard the full story of why this doll was important when his caretaker read him the novel. But since Nan Liujing insisted, he obediently put it back.

He stood at a distance in the dim hall. “I put it back. But I still can’t sleep.”

“Does that have anything to do with me?” Nan Liujing asked heartlessly.

Shen Jiali returned to his room and tried to read a difficult classic to bore himself to sleep, but it didn’t work. Finally, he got up again, walked through the corridor, and stood before the man shrouded in darkness.

“While the insomnia has nothing to do with you, I thought about it, and it does have to do with the doll,” Shen Jiali said, leaning over. “You’re actually quite like the doll. Can you substitute for it?”

Nan Liujing: “?”

Without another word, Shen Jiali reached out, climbed onto the man’s lap, wrapped his legs around his waist, and buried his face in Nan Liujing’s neck. “Aside from being hard, you’re quite similar in other ways.”

Nan Liujing smelled like mountain fields after rain—cool, bitter woodsy notes, damp and green. It was incredibly soothing.

Nan Liujing’s body went rigid. “Let go,” he warned, his voice dark. He hated intimate contact. He raised his voice: “Let go!”

Rhythmic breathing was the only response. Shen Jiali had fallen fast asleep.

Uncle Li happened to pass by and was shocked. He helped carry Shen Jiali back to his room, though he had to pry the boy’s fingers off the Master’s collar one by one.

“Master, should I send Mr. Shen to the storage room or…?” Uncle Li asked.

Nan Liujing thought of the doll. “To his room. Be gentle. Don’t wake him.”

The Birthday Invitation

The next morning, Shen Jiali’s phone vibrated incessantly. The caller ID read: Idiot No. 5.

He accidentally answered it. It was his adoptive father, Gong Yuan.

“Li-li? It’s your brother Lanqing’s birthday this weekend. It’s his first since returning to the family, so your mother is taking it very seriously. There will be a banquet at the hotel. You’ll come, right?”

Shen Jiali didn’t want to go. He hated crowds. But Gong Yuan’s next words hit home: “Li-li, please come. I really want to see you, too.”

Shen Jiali’s resolve crumbled. He remembered this plot point from the novel. In the original story, Nan Liujing who has always been obsessed with the “pure” Shen Lanqing planned to gift him a limited-edition sports car.

However, the protagonist Nan Feiyao, out of jealousy, tricked the “original” Shen Jiali into swapping the gift, causing Nan Liujing to be humiliated at the party. Nan Feiyao then pinned the blame on Shen Jiali.

Back at home, the enraged villain tortured the “original” Shen Jiali until he screamed.

Shen Jiali recalled the description: The quiet house was as lifeless as its master, and only the nightly screams let people know someone lived there.

This plot isn’t just brainless, Shen Jiali thought, it’s disgusting.