The Sickly Beauty Can’t Escape the Obsessive Lover - Chapter 10

The next day at noon, Jing Yuan opened his eyes.

A blizzard had fallen outside at some point. The roofs of the entire estate were blanketed in thick white snow, and the reflected sunlight streamed through the blinds, glaringly bright.

Jing Yuan lifted his slender wrist and suddenly noticed the needle mark on the back of his hand. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw an empty IV bottle hanging there.

The memories of that day resurfaced in his mind.

Jing Yuan was still shaken; the feeling of suffocation had been too terrifying. He didn’t want to experience it a second time.

Having not eaten for two days, he was ravenous.

Propping up his frail body, he pulled two slices of ginseng from the small drawer of the bedside table and chewed them in his mouth.

Just then, he caught sight of the diary in the cardboard box.

His room had a French-style wooden bed with a large space underneath, where he had stashed quite a few treasures over the past few days.

The diary in the box reminded Jing Yuan. He needed to lock it in the safe quickly; if Ji Yan saw it, there would be trouble.

But so far, he hadn’t written much—just the story of a handsome boy named Yuan Yuan who had transmigrated into a dramatic, wealthy family saga.

At this hour, the entire castle was quiet.

Chewing on the ginseng, Jing Yuan deftly picked up his phone to order takeout. Since he had nearly kicked the bucket, he decided to treat himself.

Like ordering one of the handsome guys from the Black Swan shop—

to deliver him a cake.

Just then, the bedroom door clicked open.

Jing Yuan looked up and flinched in fear when he saw who was standing outside.

Ji Yan took in Jing Yuan’s resistance with a single glance.

With every step Ji Yan took, Jing Yuan shrank back desperately, terrified of him, like a pitiful, helpless kitten.

Ji Yan’s heart sank.

This was not a good sign.

He continued toward Jing Yuan, only to hear a voice plead,

“Please, don’t kill me.”

Jing Yuan wrapped himself tightly in his little blanket, his feet—so thin the veins were visible—scrambling backward.

Ji Yan froze and indeed stopped in his tracks.

In his understanding, Jing Yuan shouldn’t be this afraid of him.

In the room, two pairs of eyes stared at each other from a distance for a long time.

Ji Yan’s gaze was deep, as if trying to see right through Jing Yuan.

Then, Jing Yuan, fully in his acting mode, began to sob and accuse, “If you don’t like me, you can send me away. Please, just spare my life.”

Just moments before, Jing Yuan had thought of a plan.

Didn’t Ji Yan want him dead?

Wouldn’t it be better if he stayed away from Ji Yan?

Once the deal between the Jing family and Ji Yan was finalized, his family’s situation wouldn’t be too bad. Then, he could take the remaining 128w, go somewhere scenic with mountains and water, and live a carefree life, maybe open a small convenience store. That wouldn’t be so bad.

Ji Yan gazed at Jing Yuan’s eyes, which showed no trace of fear, and smiled faintly.

Good, just as he suspected.

The next moment, he walked to the bedside, his expression gentle. “I’m sorry, I was in a bad mood that day and snapped at you.”

Jing Yuan bit his lip, his amber eyes shifting subtly. “Ji Yan, you don’t need to apologize to me. If you don’t like me, just let me go. There’s no need to drug me.”

By “drugging,” Jing Yuan was referring to what had caused him to faint that day.

Ji Yan lowered his gaze, a faint, ambiguous smile in his eyes behind the silver-rimmed glasses. “You fainted that day because you’re allergic to hydrangeas. It was my oversight. I didn’t know you couldn’t touch them.”

“Allergic to hydrangeas?” Jing Yuan looked up in confusion, the tears he had forced out halting midstream.

“Darling, didn’t you know about this?” Ji Yan concealed the emotions in his eyes, gently holding Jing Yuan’s hand as he spoke. His refined and delicate features softened with tenderness. “Uncle Jing mentioned you were aware you couldn’t touch them. How could you be so careless?”

Jing Yuan looked weakly at Ji Yan.

The memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

There were too many of the original host’s memories; usually, they only came back when someone reminded him or something triggered them. That day, he had been too focused on talking to Ji Yan and completely forgot about it.

Now Jing Yuan felt a bit panicked, worried that Ji Yan might notice something amiss. He quickly fabricated an excuse: “It’s all my carelessness. That day, I was only thinking about persuading you to eat and completely forgot about my allergy to hydrangeas.”

As he spoke, his tone grew pitiful, emphasizing the word “eat.” If Ji Yan had any conscience, he should feel guilty for scolding him that day.

Ji Yan lowered his eyes and smiled, then opened his arms to Jing Yuan. “It’s my fault. From now on, I’ll remind them not to display hydrangeas anymore. I’ll take good care of you.”

Jing Yuan was still uneasy, but since Ji Yan had opened his arms to him, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.

Reluctantly, he leaned into Ji Yan’s embrace, intermittently voicing his grievances.

Jing Yuan was slender, and when he buried himself against Ji Yan’s chest, he was almost invisible from another angle. Resting his chin on Ji Yan’s shoulder, his legs naturally bent, he found the position quite comfortable.

Ji Yan’s gaze turned subtle, the tenderness in his eyes fading at that moment.

Although the person before him wasn’t the real Jing Yuan, it seemed he knew about the car accident incident.

He decided to stick to the original plan.

However, this person was cunning and highly skilled.

Leaning against Ji Yan’s shoulder, Jing Yuan stole glances at him while yawning.

Just then, his unruly stomach growled.

Ji Yan glanced at the person in his arms. “Shall we go eat?”

Jing Yuan replied obediently, “Mm.”

Currently, Jing Yuan’s physical strength was quite weak, so Chen Tian had the meals brought to his bedroom.

Wrapped in a small blue blanket, Jing Yuan sat cross-legged on the sofa chair in front of the coffee table, stuffing a custard bun into his mouth.

Ji Yan naturally intended to join him for the meal.

Sitting across from him, Ji Yan discreetly observed Jing Yuan.

Based on that diary, he could confirm that Jing Yuan had transmigrated into the book almost at the same time as he did.

That meant Jing Yuan had only known him for half a month.

The so-called deep affection was likely just an act.

Ji Yan crossed his long legs, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, and slowly removed his silver-rimmed glasses. He felt more relaxed around Jing Yuan than usual.

In just half a month, the other had fallen ill twice. The healthy complexion he had managed to cultivate had mostly faded. Years of malnutrition had left Jing Yuan with fragile bones; everything about him was small, especially his arms, which looked as if they could break with a single squeeze.

Just then, Chen Tian interrupted their silence.

“Young Master Jing, the cake you ordered has arrived.”

Jing Yuan immediately looked up, his eyes sparkling like stars. But after looking around for a while, he still didn’t see the handsome delivery guy he had been eagerly awaiting.

Chen Tian followed Jing Yuan’s gaze and looked behind him. “Young Master Jing, what’s wrong?”

Jing Yuan frowned. “Uncle, where’s the delivery guy?”

Chen Tian let out an “oh.” “I sent him away.”

Jing Yuan’s eyes filled with disappointment, and he felt a pang of regret for the money. Only when the double-berry cake was placed in front of him did his mood improve slightly.

Watching Jing Yuan happily devouring the small cake bite by bite, Ji Yan waved his hand at Chen Tian, signaling for him to leave.

“Ji Yan, don’t stand on ceremony. Just cut it,” Jing Yuan said generously, a dab of cream smudged on the tip of his nose as he ate.

Ji Yan silently observed him, responding in a low voice.

Although the person before him still required constant vigilance, at least he wasn’t as malicious as Jing Yuan and had never harmed him.

He seemed much more agreeable.

Ji Yan rubbed the wristwatch with his fingertips before taking it off.

The watch had been custom-made for him.

Inside it were sharp, fine needles.

…

Their mealtime was surprisingly relaxed.

Jing Yuan stole a glance at Ji Yan, who was tasting the cake, thinking to himself that the other was quite reserved—waiting for him to offer before indulging in such an expensive cake.

Each bite cost two hundred yuan.

His heart was bleeding.

Unaware of the convoluted thoughts running through Jing Yuan’s mind, Ji Yan leisurely savored the dessert.

It was only during this close, shared meal that Jing Yuan noticed how elegant Ji Yan was, even while eating.

Truly worthy of being a villain born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

After the meal, Jing Yuan lay back in bed, counting the remaining balance in his card with a pained heart.

That box of dual-berry white chocolate-flavored cake had cost him 3,999 yuan.

Enough to cover several takeout meals.

Jing Yuan sighed, planning to pack the leftover cake and store it in the refrigerator.

Ji Yan had intended to leave after the meal, but seeing Jing Yuan’s listless demeanor, he decided to stay and keep him company for a while. Noticing Jing Yuan’s troubled expression, he casually asked, “What’s bothering you?”

Jing Yuan: “My wallet’s deflated.”

Ji Yan replied calmly, “What did you buy?”

Jing Yuan: “That cake was very expensive.”

Glancing back at the half-eaten cake, Ji Yan lowered his head and flipped through the magazine on his lap, lost in thought. “When you have the chance, you can tell your father that I’ve agreed to acquire Lishui Park for 50 million.”

Jing Yuan immediately perked up, craning his slender neck with curiosity. “But last time you said 40 million?”

Ji Yan looked at him, unhurried. “Consider it compensation.”

If his health had allowed it, Jing Yuan might have jumped for joy.

Was Ji Yan compensating him?

Was it because of the incident where he’d caused his allergic reaction?

A pale smile touched his lips. “You’re really handsome.”

“Oh?” Ji Yan set down the magazine and looked up at him.

Jing Yuan: “A man who swipes his card is the handsomest.”

Observing the other’s delighted expression, Ji Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. “Hmm.”

Without delay, Jing Yuan slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, stretching his arm out to fish for something. It took him a while to retrieve an item.

“This is my bank card. You can transfer the extra ten million here.”

Ji Yan was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he lifted his gaze. “Changing it from a corporate transaction to a private one—my losses seem rather substantial.”

“What do you mean?” Jing Yuan didn’t quite understand, mumbling under his breath, “Didn’t you say yourself that you wanted to compensate me?”

Was he trying to go back on his word?

Ji Yan didn’t respond, his eyes still fixed on the bank card.

He had his own reasons for saying that.

For now, he needed to keep Jing Yuan steady and extract useful information as quickly as possible. Moreover, if he and Jing Yuan grew close enough, perhaps Jing Yuan could also foresee his own fate?

Hiding the calculation in his eyes, Ji Yan chuckled softly at the sight of Jing Yuan’s pitiful, wronged kitten expression. “Which part didn’t you understand?”

Jing Yuan: “Mm-hmm.”

Ji Yan studied him again, inwardly smirking strangely. “Seems he’s not all that clever after all.”

“I’ll let you pocket that ten million difference, but you’ll have to agree to one condition,” he said slowly.

Jing Yuan hated hearing the word “condition.”

Every time Ji Yan brought it up, it never boded well.

“Go on,” Jing Yuan decided to endure it.

Wealth could still tempt him, after all.

Ji Yan said casually, “The Ji Group’s annual meeting is the day after tomorrow. Accompany me as the chairman’s partner.”