Chapter 28 An Absurd Morning Shen Li drove onto the elevated highway, heading towards…

Shen Li drove onto the elevated highway, heading towards the Shen family's home.

Ever since he learned that Jiang Huaichuan was going to City C on a business trip for a week, Shen Wenyuan has been calling Shen Li three or four times a day like crazy, urging her to come home for dinner.

Sure enough, Jiang Huaichuan left at noon yesterday, and in the afternoon Shen Wenyuan drove straight to Yushang Lanwan, went upstairs and downed a bottle of red wine in front of Shen Li, then leisurely hailed a taxi and left amidst Shen Li's bewildered gaze.

This morning, Shen Li received a call from Shen Wenyuan.

"Xiao Li, um, my brother accidentally got drunk yesterday and parked his car downstairs at your place. How about you drive it back for him? You can also come back and have breakfast, lunch and dinner on the way?"

When he received the call, Shen Li was having breakfast. He was going to Xinghuan Entertainment to sign a contract today. Xinghuan was only five kilometers away from the Shen family home. Shen Li had planned to go back to eat after signing the contract.

Even after finishing the fried egg, Shen Li still couldn't believe that Shen Wenyuan could be so childish. He was just like Jiang Huaichuan yesterday morning, who stayed in bed with his pillow over his head and refused to get out of bed.

Is this the tacit understanding that comes from growing up together?

Since the business trip was confirmed, Jiang Huaichuan has become even more clingy. If he hadn't seriously refused the absurd act of holding him while eating, Jiang Huaichuan wouldn't have been able to even sit down.

As an outstanding employee and the top student in his department, Shen Li has been the first to arrive at the office almost every day for the past two years. By the time the rest of the department arrives, he has already started working.

However, in the past few months, especially in the last week, Shen Li has become a "signal-checking maniac," rushing around the underground parking garage every day looking for a signal to clock in.

After the "One minute late" message appeared for the second time, Shen Li took a deep breath and said to Jiang Huaichuan in a righteous tone, "I think we should talk about getting up in the morning."

"Um?"

"I believe your behavior this morning seriously affected my work motivation, and I protest against it."

"Your behavior this morning?" Jiang Huaichuan paused strangely, then calmly observed Shen Li. Sure enough, he saw Shen Li's face turn red rapidly.

Jiang Huaichuan was young and vigorous, but considering Shen Li's poor health, he never went too far. Most of the time, he would help Shen Li finish her business and then quietly go to the toilet to take a shower himself.

But in the morning, with his lover in his arms, her soft breaths brushing against his collarbone, and her soft, obedient hair gently rubbing against his chin with each breath, Jiang Huaichuan, as a normal man, inevitably began to rub and touch her all over.

Jiang Huaichuan's hand slid down the soft fabric, gently pinching Shen Li's buttocks. He gently pushed her twice and saw Shen Li's eyelashes tremble slightly, her tea-brown eyes filled with mist, and she seemed somewhat dazed.

Jiang Huaichuan buried his head in Shen Li's hair crown and said in a low voice, "Good morning."

"Good morning... What are you doing?" Shen Li's consciousness snapped out of his sleep. He blinked twice with heavy eyelids and asked blankly.

Jiang Huaichuan looked completely innocent: "I didn't do anything." But his hands kept moving.

"Huaichuan... um... Jiang Huaichuan..." Shen Li felt a burst of white light before her eyes, feeling both ashamed and pleasured. Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Huaichuan silenced her with his mouth.

The door was scratched by the frozen pear with its claws, making a rustling sound.

Another absurd morning.

Half an hour later, Shen Li lay on the bed, covering her eyes with her forearm to calm herself down.

He actually let Jiang Huaichuan act recklessly, and Shen Li sighed deeply.

After all that, there was less than an hour left before work. Subtracting the time spent commuting, they had less than 20 minutes to wash up.

The moment she stepped off the bed, Shen Li's legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the plush carpet. Jiang Huaichuan, with a satisfied look on his face, met Shen Li's accusing gaze and quickly climbed off the bed, supporting Shen Li's waist and half-carrying her to the bathroom to wash up.

——

Shen Wenyuan called.

"Xiao Li, where are we?"

Shen Li estimated the time: "Ten minutes left."

Shen Wenyuan's voice noticeably rose a few decibels: "Okay, okay, be careful on the road."

As soon as Shen Li parked the car in front of the villa, she saw the door open and two heads pop out.

Shen Ci greeted Shen Li with a light laugh.

"Aci, congratulations on your graduation." Shen Li handed a gift box to Shen Ci, while the rest was taken by Shen Wenyuan, who was watching him expectantly from behind.

After eight years, Shen Ci passed his dissertation defense last week and submitted his doctoral degree application. His graduation ceremony is scheduled for the end of March, which coincides with Shen Li's postgraduate entrance examination retest.

Shen Ci's smile widened as he accepted the gift: "Thank you, Xiao Li."

As they entered the house, Shen Li was held by his mother's hand and looked around several times. Seeing that he had gained some weight in his face over the past year, she was finally relieved, and her resentment towards Jiang Huaichuan also subsided somewhat.

Shen's mother didn't understand the intricacies of the workplace; she only knew that when her son was first brought home, although he was thin, he was still full of energy, and his almond-shaped eyes were enough to soften anyone's heart.

After marrying Jiang Huaichuan, she became more and more haggard. After that accident, she became so thin that her bones were showing, and she had to change her clothes to a size too small.

Seeing her child's spirits waning, Shen's mother felt anxious and distressed. She decided to go find Jiang Huaichuan, but Shen Li discovered her plan.

"Mom...please don't go...I beg you..."

Shen Li grabbed his mother's wrist and shook his head, his eyes filled with pleading and despair. He swayed slightly, then sat down against the wall in front of his mother's terrified gaze, his jaw clenched and his fingertips trembling slightly.

"...Don't go..."

"Please..."

That day, Shen Li's long-suppressed emotions collapsed. He forced himself to return home and had a breakdown in the entryway.

The sudden onset of pain caused Shen Li to curl up on the ground, pressing his palms hard against his chest. His pale pink lips turned cyanotic due to the intense cramping and lack of oxygen, and he gasped for breath in vain.

The phone rang high up in the entryway, but Shen Li was too weak to answer it. His eyelids were lightly closed, and even his breathing was barely audible.

At the company, Jiang Huaichuan held his phone, but the call kept going on and on with a busy signal. A look of confusion crossed Jiang Huaichuan's eyes.

Shen Li went back to the Shen family today, but she said this morning that she would come back for dinner. Jiang Huaichuan finished his work and planned to pick up Shen Li, but he couldn't get through to her by phone.

Suddenly, Jiang Huaichuan felt a dull pain in his chest.

The next second, the shrill ringtone of the cell phone rang, and Jiang Huaichuan quickly lowered his eyes.

【Zhang Ma】

A wave of fear instantly washed over Jiang Huaichuan, and he had to swipe twice before the call connected.

"Mr. Shen has had an accident." Zhang Ma spoke quickly, and before Jiang Huaichuan could respond, she continued, "He suffered a heart attack. He was found collapsed in the entryway, and his heart had already stopped beating. He is currently being resuscitated at the First Hospital of City A."

Jiang Huaichuan's expression changed drastically. He stood up in astonishment, knocking over the teacup beside him. The documents on the table were soaked, but Jiang Huaichuan ignored them and ran straight towards the elevator.

As he started the car, Jiang Huaichuan's voice trembled, and he asked softly with hope, "...Has your heartbeat returned...?"

Upon hearing Jiang Huaichuan's voice, Zhang Ma was startled, her eyes suddenly reddening. She stared intently at the numbers on the electrocardiogram and said in a dry voice, "No."

Fortunately, Aunt Zhang arrived half an hour early today. Shen Li received timely treatment and woke up after being in a coma for three days.

When Shen Li woke up, he noticed something unusual on his wrist. He raised his hand and took a closer look, and found that it was a smart health monitoring bracelet.

Shen Li looked at Jiang Huaichuan sitting to the side with a puzzled expression.

Jiang Huaichuan pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes were dark and gray, and his peach blossom eyes showed a few traces of fatigue: "To avoid this situation from happening again, the bracelet data will be connected to my phone, so I can notice any abnormalities in your body in time."

If Zhang Ma hadn't arrived early today, Shen Li might have been dead by the time she was discovered.

Shen Li didn't speak. He lay on the hospital bed, his face pale, his head slightly tilted and buried in the soft pillow.

Shen Li's eyes stung, the starlight in them shattered completely, leaving only a lifeless emptiness.

Be more careful in the future. After all, it's really unlucky for someone to die in your own home. Anyone would feel uncomfortable if it happened to them.

After a long while, so long that Jiang Huaichuan thought Shen Li had fallen asleep again.

"Okay, I won't do it again next time."

Shen Li's voice was soft, yet clear.

If Jiang Huaichuan knew what Shen Li was imagining right now, he would definitely be so angry that he would jump out of the window to prove his point.

——

After dinner, Shen Wenyuan wanted Shen Li to stay overnight, but Shen Li declined.

Shen Li put on her down jacket and shook her head at Shen Wenyuan: "Dongli is still at home, I have to go back." As expected, she saw Shen Wenyuan's expression suddenly turn wary.

Frozen Pear is 4 months old. Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Li both love this fluffy little thing. They feed it a mixture of goat milk and canned fish. Jiang Huaichuan, in particular, seems to have suddenly developed a fondness for fluffy things. He rewards Frozen Pear with a cat treat whenever it sits obediently on the ground, which has caused Frozen Pear to suddenly grow bigger.

Seeing its weight spiraling out of control, Shen Li quickly stopped it and made strict plans for its daily diet to prevent it from becoming too fat and putting too much strain on its organs.

Shen Wenyuan stopped talking. He stammered and hesitated, but unwilling to give up, he turned to open the door for Shen Li.

Shen Wenyuan resigned himself to his fate, because he was genuinely afraid.

"I'll take you back." Shen Wenyuan put on his down jacket.

Upon hearing this, Shen Li stopped in his tracks. He looked at Shen Wenyuan suspiciously and tentatively asked, "You're not going to drink another bottle of wine later and then leave the car behind, are you?"

Shen Wenyuan tripped over his own feet and almost fell at his doorstep: ...Is it that obvious?

really.

Shen Li looked at Shen Wenyuan disapprovingly: "I think I'll take a taxi."

“Taking a taxi is too unsafe.” Shen Wenyuan refused without thinking. He picked up his car keys and walked out of the house first, not giving Shen Li a chance to refuse. “It’s so dark, I’ll give you a ride.”

Shen Li sighed helplessly, saying, "Driving at night isn't safe either."

Shen Wenyuan: "It's okay, your brother is good at it."

After dropping Shen Li off at her apartment complex, Shen Wenyuan reached for the back seat as soon as the car came to a stop. Shen Li's movement to unbuckle her seatbelt abruptly stopped, as if she was afraid he would pull out a bottle of wine from the back.

Seeing that he had amused Shen Li, Shen Wenyuan smiled and withdrew his hand, ruffling Shen Li's head: "Go on, make sure you're covered up with the blanket when you sleep tonight."

"Okay." Shen Li got out of the car. "Drive slowly on the way back, and send me a message when you get there."

Seeing the warm white lights illuminate the previously dark building, Shen Wenyuan drove away.

As soon as she entered the room, Shen Li took off her coat, squatted down, and called out to the small room behind the living room, "Frozen Pear~ Daddy, give me a hug."

The next second, a black and white tuxedo cat came rushing over with light little steps, meowing softly.

"Meow~" Frozen Pear rubbed its fluffy head against Shen Li's palm.

Shen Li picked up the frozen pear and took the cat toy from the entryway cabinet.

"Meow~"

After playing for a while, Dongli became unwilling to move. He jumped onto the sofa, opened his mouth and gently bit Shen Li's fingertip. Shen Li moved forward following this tiny force.

Frozen Pear's tail was held high, and it finally jumped onto the small wooden cabinet, tilting its head towards Shen Li.

There was a small colorful ball on the wooden cabinet. Shen Li picked it up and looked into Dong Li's pleading little round eyes. Helplessly, she tapped Dong Li's pink nose with her fingertip: "Missing your father?"

"Meow~"

Shen Li smiled and said, "Dad misses him too."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Updates will be quite late these next couple of days, so please check back the next day. Thank you for your support! [droopy-eared rabbit head]