Chapter 235: Chapter 235

Shen Jianian was not just surprised; she felt terrified.

The mole on her chest was slightly lower, usually hidden when she wore strapless dresses. And the birthmark on the inside of her thigh was even less likely to be seen by others.

"You still want to say we aren’t familiar?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire·net

The sight of Shen Jianian’s silent demeanor entered Fu Jichen’s eyes. He thought she planned to let it pass and decided to verify it himself. He wrapped an arm around her waist, reaching to unbutton her shirt.

When he placed the evidence in front of her, he wanted to hear what else she had to say.

"What are you doing?" Shen Jianian was both shocked and angry, clutching tightly at her collar to stop him from undressing her, while simultaneously kicking him.

Fu Jichen grunted, the line of his jaw tense for a moment, sweat beading on his forehead.

Shen Jianian seized the opportunity to break free from his grip, retreating a few steps, not noticing the bed behind her. She fell onto the bed, her eyes filled with wariness.

He truly is a lunatic who goes insane over the smallest disagreement.

Shen Jianian shakily fastened the button Fu Jichen had pulled open, looking up to see his stern face showing a restrained expression, his temples damp with sweat, as if enduring pain.

He hadn’t made a sound when he was scalded earlier, like an insensible robot. What was he doing now?

Shen Jianian recalled the few kicks she had given, only managing to solidly kick his leg once, seemingly without much force.

Fu Jichen glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to walk out. Though he tried his best to hide it, Shen Jianian noticed his walking posture was not quite right, with the left leg moving awkwardly.

It truly was because of her kick.

It wasn’t her fault. He asked for it by laying hands on her.

The door closed, the bedroom returning to silence, and the sky grew completely bright. Shen Jianian lay exhausted on the bed, curling her legs slowly, as if folding herself into the shape of a shrimp.

All the moments she encountered with Fu Jichen replayed in her mind. Those ambiguous coincidences reminded her of a fact: perhaps there really was something between her and Fu Jichen, but she just didn’t remember.

Her once firm conviction began to waver, causing her to feel headache, helplessness, and confusion.

As someone who followed the rules, how could she have gotten involved with someone like Fu Jichen? This was the part she couldn’t comprehend.

Fu Jichen naturally couldn’t hear the voice inside her heart. After leaving the bedroom, he took the elevator to the first floor and found Cheng Jin in the kitchen. His voice was cold, devoid of emotion: "Make some more food and send it up."

Cheng Jin, holding a long-handled spoon and stirring congee in a clay pot, turned upon hearing him, and hesitantly asked, "That young lady doesn’t like wontons?"

Fu Jichen, lacking the energy to explain, simply said, "No."

"The congee in this pot is almost done. Should I serve her a bowl?" Cheng Jin suggested.

Fu Jichen thought for a moment. Jianian liked congee, so he nodded, "That works."

Cheng Jin was about to turn around when her gaze inadvertently swept across the injury on Fu Jichen’s hand, and she froze, her tone a bit anxious: "How did your hand get hurt ?"

Fu Jichen lowered his gaze, as if the injury wasn’t his: "It’s nothing."

"It looks like a burn. How can something so serious not be treated?" Cheng Jin put down the spoon to search for medicine in the living room, speaking as she went, "You can’t just ignore it, or else the wound might get infected, and that would be trouble."

She pulled open the drawer of the TV cabinet, took out the medicine box, found a tube of burn ointment. Such medicine was seldom used, so she put on the glasses hanging around her neck to check the expiration date, ensuring it wasn’t expired, and took it along with a pack of cotton swabs to Fu Jichen.

"Sit down, I’ll help you apply the ointment." Cheng Jin worried he would refuse treatment.

"Give it to me." Fu Jichen stretched out his palm.

"You must apply the ointment, you can’t be careless." Cheng Jin repeatedly urged, handing him the burn ointment and cotton swabs, before turning back to watch over the clay pot in the kitchen.

Fu Jichen sat on the sofa, took a cotton swab, dipped it in burn ointment, and applied it to the reddened area on the back of his hand. The cooling sensation from the ointment slightly alleviated the burning pain.

After a while, Cheng Jin came out with a bowl of congee. What she saw was Fu Jichen with a lit cigarette between his lips, dabbing ointment on the back of his hand with a cotton swab, his brows slightly furrowed, looking somewhat impatient.

For some reason, Cheng Jin felt that he finally seemed normal. In the past when he returned here, he was so despondent and tired, devoid of any vitality, like a soulless shell.

Cheng Jin’s eyes inexplicably felt a bit warm. Before Fu Jichen could notice her losing composure, she turned her face away and used her fingers to wipe the corner of her eyes.

"I’ll take the congee to the young lady." Cheng Jin told him.

"Leave it, I’ll deliver it." Fu Jichen had finished treating the burned area, tossed the cotton swab into the trash can, removed the cigarette from his lips, and extinguished it in the ashtray on the coffee table.

He went to the kitchen to wash his hands, making sure not to let the medicated area on his hand get wet.

Cheng Jin watched as Fu Jichen, carrying a bowl, entered the elevator, finally realizing that the woman Mr. Fu had brought today was different to him.

She didn’t know if this was a good thing. On one hand, Mr. Fu was stepping out of his past pain, which should bring her relief; on the other hand, she felt an indescribable sense of regret.

She occasionally thought of Jianian. Every time she remembered how young she was when she passed away, her heart felt very sad.

Fu Jichen pushed open the door, walked into the bedroom, and stopped by the bedside.

The person on the bed lay sideways in a curled up position, seemingly asleep, with even breaths.

Even in sleep, she adopted a self-protective posture. Was he really that terrifying?

Fu Jichen didn’t wake her. He placed the bowl on the bedside table and sat down next to the bed. Unlike in the car where he could only glimpse half of her face, he could now see her entire sleeping face as she faced outward.

After watching for a while, Fu Jichen pulled the thin blanket from the bed and gently covered her with it, quietly staying by her side, caressing her brows, eyes, nose, and lips with his gaze, finally resting on her lips.

Having not drunk water for a long time, her lips were a bit dry, like withered petals lacking moisture.

Fu Jichen couldn’t help but reach out to touch her lips. The soft touch felt real, not a dream.

Shen Jianian dared not sleep too deeply. Feeling someone touching her, she furrowed her brows in a frown and woke up with a start, opening her eyes to see Fu Jichen’s face. All she felt was despair and helplessness.

"Awake?" Fu Jichen gently brushed her hair. "Get up and eat something before going back to sleep."

Shen Jianian propped herself up with one hand and sat up. The peacefulness on her sleeping face faded away, replaced by the alertness of wakefulness: "I said I wouldn’t eat."

Fu Jichen couldn’t let her starve herself, so he compromised: "Let’s make a deal. You drink the porridge, and I’ll grant you one request. Except for leaving here."

Shen Jianian was half-skeptical.

Fu Jichen noticed her distrust: "A man of his word cannot be chased by four horses."

Shen Jianian had no other choice but to try and trust him this once, though he had to meet her request first: "Give me the phone, and I’ll drink the porridge."

"Except for giving you the phone." Fu Jichen denied it.

Shen Jianian frowned and came up with another request: "I want to see Pei Che."

Fu Jichen’s face darkened and he denied it again: "Except for that."

Shen Jianian said, "I want you to disappear in front of me."

Shen Jianian gritted her teeth in frustration. If this wasn’t allowed and that wasn’t either, what request could she possibly make? This so-called deal was simply playing her.

"I won’t eat then." Shen Jianian shouldn’t have had any expectations of this person.

Just then, the partially closed door was nudged open by something, making a faint sound. Fu Jichen turned to take a glance, spotting a cat slipping in, its tail held high in a dignified manner, waving like a rattlesnake’s tail.

The cat lordly paraded around the bedroom, finally setting its eyes on the large bed and leaping onto it effortlessly.

Fu Jichen, who had a cleanliness obsession, didn’t allow these cats and dogs on the third floor. They always sneaked up when he wasn’t home, and occasionally he’d find a strand of cat or dog hair in the bedroom.

Just as he was about to remove the cat, it was unafraid of him, lifted its head, sniffed Shen Jianian’s arm, jumped onto her lap, curled into a ball, and nestled in her arms.

Shen Jianian had always liked cats and dogs, but faced with this very friendly cat, she was at a loss for what to do.

"You don’t even recognize Coal?" Fu Jichen remarked, noticing her surprise as if it were genuine.

Shen Jianian looked at the cat, with its entirely black coat, and felt "Coal" was an apt name.

To Fu Jichen’s question, Shen Jianian remained silent. Was it strange that she didn’t recognize his cat?

Fu Jichen’s eyes fixated on her face, the suspicions that had arisen since they met suddenly had an answer, but he was unwilling to believe that answer.

"You don’t remember?" Fu Jichen gripped her shoulders, "You don’t remember me, do you?"

Shen Jianian saw his expression as if he were about to go mad again. Terrified, she bit her lip, choosing to clarify: "From the beginning, I said I didn’t know you. I’m not familiar with you. I’ve said it many times; why don’t you believe me? Mr. Fu, I’m not acting with you. Every word I’ve said is the truth."

"You actually don’t remember me."

Fu Jichen repeated this softly, slightly tilting his head, his brows furrowing, his eyes reddening with disbelief, as his hands left her shoulders, raised in the air, as if unsure how to approach her.

Why did it turn out ? He had considered countless reasons she might pretend not to know him but never considered she truly didn’t recognize him.

He felt it was all too absurd.

Shen Jianian added, "Mr. Fu, yesterday was the first time I met you."