Chapter 65 Lu He'an and Shen...

Lu He'an hugged Shen Li, grinning foolishly. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a lucky audience member and Shen Li was a guest.

"hey-hey."

Because Shen Li was positioned right in the center, Lu He'an could easily see the man below who was clapping, but with an awkward, cold expression.

Lu He'an pretended not to see it. He bumped his head with Shen Li's, whispered a few words, and revealed a sly smile.

Jiang Huaichuan had a bad feeling. He saw Shen Li smile at him apologetically, then raise his right hand above his head.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

Down in the audience, Jiang Huaichuan nearly ground his molars to powder.

He never even made a heart shape with Shen Li in public; this brat did it on purpose!

Lu He'an smiled triumphantly. Who told him that he was having dinner with Shen Li yesterday when Jiang Huaichuan kicked him out of the ward.

Lu He'an: "Hehehe."

As Shen Li stepped off the stage, she met a pair of aggrieved eyes. Afraid of blocking the view behind her, Shen Li quickly bent down and sat down, casually rubbing Jiang Huaichuan's head twice.

Shen Li comforted her, "It's okay, I'll make you an even better one later."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaichuan was finally satisfied.

Shen Li always keeps his word. If he says he'll make him better, then he'll definitely be better than that brat.

The intermission entertainment ended, the party continued, and as the lights dimmed, Jiang Huaichuan felt his hand being gently touched.

Jiang Huaichuan's eyelashes trembled slightly. He lowered his eyes, turned his right hand over from his thigh, circled the thin wrist bone, and wrapped the cool hand in his palm.

In the dim light of the stage in front, Jiang Huaichuan saw Shen Li's slightly pursed lips and rapidly trembling eyelashes.

A warm sensation came from beside her ear, and Shen Li heard him say, "Is this better? Shen Li, I'm not satisfied, what should I do?"

——

An hour later, Jiang Huaichuan pressed Shen Li down in the back seat of the car and kissed him passionately on the head.

A deep voice brushed against the soft bone beside his ear, Jiang Huaichuan's face rubbed against Shen Li's cheek, feeling his rapid breathing: "It is indeed better, Shen Li, I am very satisfied."

Shen Li left after watching Lu He'an's performance. The party was held in a semi-open-air venue, and Shen Li was not in good health. Staying too long would make her catch a cold or get too hot.

Avoiding the crowd, the two walked along the road outside the venue, illuminated by warm yellow string lights, toward the parking lot.

Halfway there, Shen Li suddenly felt playful. He walked onto the slightly protruding curb and wobbled forward.

Jiang Huaichuan walked beside him, one hand in his coat pocket, the other slightly raised, always placed under Shen Li's arm for protection.

Jiang Huaichuan's eyes crinkled with amusement: "So happy?"

Shen Li: "Hmm! So this is what Zhou Ya meant by feeling like she was there. It's a pity we didn't get to see it at New Year's Eve, otherwise it would have been even more exciting."

Jiang Huaichuan slightly curled his fingertips as he gazed ahead: "We'll see each other next year."

Shen Li paused for a moment, looked at Jiang Huaichuan, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint in his eyes, and replied with a slight smile, "Mm."

After crossing another intersection, just fifty meters from the parking lot, the music behind him gradually faded, and suddenly huge fireworks rose into the sky in the distance. Shen Li looked up, his eyes filled with the dazzling fireworks.

Fireworks burst one after another in the dark night sky, obscuring the countless stars. Shen Li pulled Jiang Huaichuan close, and as he stared in disbelief, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in.

The moonlight shone on Shen Li's face, and his thick eyelashes trembled gently with his master's shy, deep kiss.

Jiang Huaichuan, unusually, did not take the initiative. He placed his hand on Shen Li's lower back, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, his ink-black pupils gazing at Shen Li, his eyes flowing, overflowing with intense love.

After the kiss ended, Shen Li, slightly panting, took his phone out of Jiang Huaichuan's coat pocket, unlocked it, smiled, opened the camera, stood in front of Jiang Huaichuan, tilted his head back slightly, and leaned against Jiang Huaichuan: "I'll give you something even better."

With soft strands of hair brushing against his chin, Jiang Huaichuan's pupils suddenly widened as he realized what Shen Li was about to do.

Shen Li took the opportunity to snap a photo.

Jiang Huaichuan's stunned expression froze on the screen.

After taking a closer look, Shen Li decisively saved it to her photo album.

Shen Li: "If we don't send this one, let's send another one."

After more than half a year, Shen Li's Weibo account, which she opened when she appeared on a variety show, has finally been updated.

[Chen Li: Image]

[Shen Li: Happy New Year]

That night, Shen Li lay in bed, watching Jiang Huaichuan open the comments section for the nth time.

Jiang Huaichuan, like a victorious peacock, surveyed Shen Li's comment section, chin held high, occasionally shaking his magnificent feathers—giving a thumbs up.

[He keeps calling me "Snow Mochi": I'm speechless. Is he living in the comments section tonight?]

[A Mistaken Match: Every time I refresh the comments, every single one related to "perfect match" or "blessings" has a like from President Jiang. The rich have faster internet speeds than us!]

[A heated debate ensues: Who provoked him? Is this really the big boss of the Jiang Group?]

[Get rich quick: Absolutely! (sighs) I don't even want to admit that this peacock with its tail feathers spread is my boss...]

[Watermelon Juice: Shen Li really spoils her husband, letting him go crazy in the comments section.]

[I am the King: Are you sure it's just letting it go, or that you've been *dazed* (doge emoji)]

[Lying down and sleeping: Hehehe]

——

Jiang Zhirong was released half a month later because of a sudden mental breakdown, and was granted medical parole.

Jiang Huaichuan responded that the schemes were cunning and manipulative.

Upon hearing the news, Tang Nian sent people to City A to closely monitor Jiang Zhirong's every move. Just because he had targeted Zhou Lan, Tang Nian would not let him off the hook.

Jiang Huaichuan devoted himself entirely to the hospital.

In mid-January, less than a week before Jiang Huaichuan's plan was to be implemented, Shen Li suffered another cardiac arrest. This time it happened suddenly at night, and the machine by the bedside immediately lit up red, with alarms filling the entire ward.

The doctor rushed into the room and immediately began to treat Shen Li.

In the chaotic ward, the lights suddenly came on, and all the equipment that had been placed against the wall without being moved was pushed to the bedside. Jiang Huaichuan stood aside, watching Shen Li put on an oxygen mask, gently close her eyes, and her thin body rise and fall with each press of the ventilator.

After an hour of resuscitation efforts, Shen Li's heartbeat was restored and his vital signs stabilized.

When Song An arrived, Jiang Huaichuan was sitting by the hospital bed, still wearing his pajamas from the previous night. He carefully held the IV needle, avoiding it, and the light shining on his back conveyed a sense of coldness and loneliness.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Huaichuan did not turn around.

"President Jiang, the things you requested have been brought over."

Song An placed the gift box next to Jiang Huaichuan.

The red velvet ribbon caught Jiang Huaichuan's eye, and his pupils trembled.

His and Shen Li's wedding rings... are ready...

"What is this?" Shen Wenyuan got up and walked around the hospital bed to look over.

Jiang Huaichuan silently untied the ribbon and opened the box.

Two silver-white plain rings nestled together, their tops radiating a gentle glow.

This was designed by Jiang Huaichuan himself. He revised the design several times before finally finalizing it in the fall.

Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Li were not flamboyant people, so they didn't choose diamond-encrusted rings. They simply wore two plain bands, Shen Li's being slightly thinner with wave patterns, and his being thicker with glacial markings.

The initials of their surnames are engraved close to the skin between their fingers.

【S&J】

As originally planned, the ring will be sent next spring, with a pear blossom inside, symbolizing that the lovers will never be separated.

Unexpectedly, in November, Shen Li's health suddenly deteriorated.

Song An had been urging them on, and finally received news yesterday that the ring was completed. Yesterday morning, Song An flew directly to Q country and picked it up in the afternoon.

Before Song An could even return, he received news that Shen Li was undergoing emergency treatment.

Song An's hands holding the box instantly turned cold. The direct flight was scheduled to depart at 10 a.m. the next day, so Song An bought a connecting flight ticket, boarded at midnight, transited in the early morning, and landed in City A at 8 a.m.

Jiang Huaichuan stared at the two rings for a long time.

He took out the thinner one and put it on Shen Li's ring finger.

Jiang Huaichuan kissed the ring, looked deeply into Shen Li's eyes, and said, "Don't be angry when you wake up, I'm afraid you'll leave me."

On the day Shen Li fell into a coma, Jiang Huaichuan met with the head of the medical team again. Despite their efforts over this period, the success rate of the surgery was still only 50%.

But compared to the beginning, it is much higher.

Jiang Huaichuan stared at the screen full of surgical data for a long time before standing up and saying, "Get ready."

The person in charge responded, "Okay, Mr. Jiang."

——

Shen Li woke up differently this time; he seemed to have been frightened awake, and tears streamed down his face the moment he opened his eyes.

Shen Li's eyes were half-open, revealing tea-brown pupils misty with moisture. He raised his hand slightly, reaching out towards Jiang Huaichuan.

"Huaichuan..."

"I'm here." Jiang Huaichuan felt extremely sorry for Shen Li. He held Shen Li's hand, pulled her into his arms, and gently patted her back. "I'm here, don't cry."

After about ten minutes of coaxing, Shen Li's emotions finally stabilized, and she leaned against Jiang Huaichuan's chest, lost in thought.

Did you dream about something bad?

"Um……"

Jiang Huaichuan wiped away the tears from the corners of Shen Li's eyes: "It's all fake. Dreams are always the opposite of reality. Didn't you tell me that?"

Shen Li remained silent; everything in the dream felt too real.

In his dream, he was an observer, not recognized by the Shen family, and he did not meet Jiang Huaichuan at the orphanage.

But fate is intertwined. After graduation, Shen Li joined Jiang's company as a junior employee. He had no interaction with Jiang Huaichuan. In his dream, Jiang Huaichuan was not married and did not receive the shares from Old Master Jiang. He struggled to move forward in the company.

Zhang Man and his group were not eliminated because Jiang Zhirong stood behind them. Jiang Zhirong controlled the Jiang family and watched from the shadows as Jiang Huaichuan walked step by step into his trap.

In his dream, Jiang Huaichuan had been feigning compliance with Jiang Zhirong for many years, as if he knew nothing about anything. Jiang Zhirong enjoyed the care from Jiang Huaichuan until six years later, when he made a mistake, he realized that his nephew had known all along.

Jiang Zhirong, who had narrowly escaped, kept a low profile for a year. During that year, Shen Li saw herself rise from a junior employee to the position of project team leader.

A year later, by chance, he was assigned to Jiang Huaichuan's side and went out with him to meet clients. The cooperation went very smoothly, and he carefully put the contract in his briefcase.

Unexpectedly, on the way back, he was involved in a major car accident. A large truck speeding from the right rushed towards him. At the critical moment, Jiang Huaichuan turned around and protected him.

Blood stained his eyes, and in the cramped, deformed carriage, he could feel the man's weakening breaths and fading life. By the time the rescue team pulled them out, Jiang Huaichuan had already stopped breathing.

Shen Li nestled in Jiang Huaichuan's arms, her hands tightly clutching the front of his shirt as he gently patted her to comfort her.

In his dream, he watched as Jiang Huaichuan's body was taken away by Jiang's mother. Jiang's mother had aged considerably, though she was only in her early forties, with a full head of white hair and a faltering gait.

He watched Jiang Huaichuan being cremated, watched Jiang's mother carry Jiang Huaichuan's ashes to Qingshan Cemetery, and watched the familiar name be engraved on the tombstone behind Jiang's father.

Thus, they were separated by death.