Chapter 18 Could it be that this man is truly her future...?

Wen Yu didn't sleep very well.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her long, thick eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, as if she were trapped in some inescapable nightmare.

Wen Yu's dream is bizarre and filled with brokenness, blood, and a strong sense of oppression.

"No, please, please..."

In her sleep, Wen Yu murmured in a state of panic, her fingers instinctively reaching for something nearby.

Shen Jinhuai, who was resting with his eyes closed by the bedside, quickly reached out his hand for Wen Yu to hold.

Upon touching Wen Yu's slightly cool fingers, Shen Jinhuai, who had been leaning back in his chair, sat up straight and opened his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Then, seeing that Wen Yu was struggling in her sleep, the man quickly grabbed Wen Yu's hand.

With his other hand, he placed it on Wen Yu's temples, as he had done countless times before, massaging them gently to try and soothe the tension and panic she was experiencing from the nightmare.

"It's alright, Xiaoyu, it's alright, it was just a dream, don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

The man's gentle voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing the person on the bed: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. You are safe, very safe. No one will hurt you anymore."

Perhaps it was the warmth from her palms that had an effect, or perhaps it was the soothing pressure from the man massaging her temples; in any case, before long, Wen Yu's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and her rapid breathing slowly calmed down.

However, he did not loosen his grip on Chen Jinhuai's hand.

Shen Jinhuai looked down at Wen Yu's pale and fragile sleeping face. Behind his glasses, his eyes were filled with a complex mix of tenderness and deep emotions that only he himself could understand.

He remained in that position, motionless, until the sky outside the window gradually darkened.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, gently illuminating Wen Yu's peaceful sleeping face.

Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

After the brief disorientation of waking up dissipated, what came into view was Shen Jinhuai's concerned and gentle gaze.

"woke up?"

Shen Jinhuai released his hand from massaging Wen Yu's temples, and instead brushed the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear, his movements natural and affectionate: "Are you hungry? The doctor checked you and said you're in good condition now, so you can eat some liquid food."

Wen Yu stared blankly at the man in front of her, her mind still hazy, memories of her last time waking up flooding back.

This person said he... was her fiancé?

"Um."

Wen Yu's voice was hoarse, but her throat was no longer sore: "I'm sorry, I, I still can't remember anything."

"Don't force yourself to remember."

A soft smile appeared on Shen Jinhuai's lips.

He gently patted Wen Yu's hand and turned to pour a glass of warm water.

After testing the temperature of the water droplets on the inside of his wrist, Shen Jinhuai brought the water to Wen Yu's lips and continued, "The doctor said this is a normal phenomenon during the recovery period. Take it slow, we have plenty of time."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu took a small sip of water from Shen Jinhuai's hand.

The warm water soothed her dry, sore throat, and Wen Yu felt a little better.

She looked up and secretly sized up the man who claimed to be her fiancé.

So far, this man seems to be gentle and considerate towards her.

He was wearing a fine light blue cashmere sweater, and his refined and elegant demeanor seemed to match her imagination of what her fiancé should be like.

But somehow, that empty, unfamiliar feeling and lingering sense of unease still lingered in my heart.

“Mr. Chen…”

Wen Yu hesitated for a moment, then chose a slightly distant form of address: "Excuse me, where is this place? Did we really have a car accident during our trip?"

Upon hearing this question, Shen Jinhuai paused in his action of putting the water glass back on the bedside table.

A moment later, the man calmly sat back down on the chair beside the bed, looking at Wen Yu with a composed expression.

"This is a private hospital not too far from where the accident happened. It's a quiet environment, suitable for your recovery. As for the car accident..."

Shen Jinhuai's hands, resting on his thighs, clenched imperceptibly, and a hint of barely suppressed coldness flashed in his lowered eyes.

When I looked up again, that coldness was gone, replaced by relief, immense relief.

"On the coastal highway, our car swerved through the guardrail to avoid a car that was breaking traffic. You were more seriously injured, especially in the head. I was lucky, though, and only suffered minor injuries."

At this point, the man reached out and lifted his left bangs.

A faint scar beneath her bangs came into view.

Wen Yu was slightly taken aback.

Shen Jinhuai said he only suffered minor injuries, but the scars were hideous and terrifying, and one could imagine how painful it must have been when he was first injured.

Wen Yu believed him.

Then another question came to mind.

"Then...what about my family?"

Wen Yu looked at the empty doorway and asked, puzzled, "Do they know about our car accident? Why... haven't they come to see me?"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Jinhuai grasped Wen Yu's hand, his voice filled with apology: "Xiao Yu, about your family... I'm so sorry. Your parents passed away a long time ago, and you were raised by your grandmother, who... she also passed away a few years ago. I'm so sorry I came back so late... so..."

Shen Jinhuai paused, unconsciously tightening his grip on Wen Yu's hand without hurting her: "So, now I am your closest person. Don't be afraid, I will take good care of you and give you a home."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu, whose face had turned even paler, stood frozen in place.

Does she have no family?

No wonder, apart from Shen Jinhuai, no one else has appeared.

Wen Yu was immersed in the bitterness of being without her family. Her eyes welled up and her nose stung. She didn't notice the extra layer of meaning in Shen Jinhuai's words.

At this moment, the man raised his hand and gently wiped Wen Yu's moist eyes with his fingertips, his voice becoming even softer: "Don't be sad, Xiao Yu. Forgetting the past may not be a bad thing. We can create new and beautiful memories together."

"Once you feel better, let's go home, to our own home, okay?"

Wen Yu looked up and met the man's burning, heart-wrenching gaze.

As if by some strange twist of fate, the bitterness deep in her heart subsided somewhat.

At the same time, a faint sense of familiarity welled up in my heart.

Could this man really be her fiancé?

Just then, there was a knock on the ward door. A woman in a nurse's uniform entered with a respectful demeanor, carrying breakfast and medicine. She said gently, "Mr. Shen, Ms. Wen, good evening."

"It's time for dinner and your medicine."

"Give me."

Shen Jinhuai took the tray, nodded his thanks to the nurse, then returned to the bedside, scooped a spoonful of millet porridge, and held it to Wen Yu's lips.

"Drinking some porridge will help you recover faster."

Wen Yu was taken aback.

This feeling... seems... more familiar now.

Meeting the man's direct gaze, Wen Yu opened her mouth shyly.

Shen Jinhuai patiently fed Wen Yu porridge spoonful by spoonful.

The small bowl of porridge was quickly emptied.

After a while, the man put the pill to Wen Yu's lips again, and after she swallowed it, he fed her the warm water he had prepared in advance.

After doing all this, Wen Yu was a little tired.

Shen Jinhuai pressed down the backrest, and Wen Yu lay down. He gently patted Wen Yu's shoulder, and she gradually fell asleep.

Shen Jinhuai continued to sit quietly by the bed until he was sure that Wen Yu hadn't had any frightening dreams, then he quietly left the ward.

A few minutes later,

Inside the adjacent suite for caregivers, the door was tightly closed, and the gentle and tender expression on Shen Jinhuai's face had vanished.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his figure tall and straight, yet exuding a cold aura completely different from the moment before.

Outside the window, the evening glow was gradually setting in the west, while in the man's eyes, there was only darkness.

Three steps behind Shen Jinhuai, a man in a dark suit spoke respectfully.

"Mr. Shen, the clues have been delivered to a key informant planted by Zhou Shiye in Lincheng through a three-layer encrypted channel, as you requested."

The man bowed his head and reported respectfully, "The information has been blurred as much as possible, pointing to a fishing village on the outskirts of Lincheng. Given Zhou Shiye's current state and style of doing things, he will personally lead the team to investigate within three hours."

“In recent months, Zhou Shiye has gone out full of hope every time, only to return disappointed and furious. His physical and mental state is on the verge of collapse, and I believe that it won’t be long before his body can’t hold on any longer.”

After the man finished his report, the room was quiet for a few seconds, with only the faint sound of distant waves.

"Have things been arranged in the fishing village?"

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Jinhuai turned around, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses unfathomable in the dim light.

"Mr. Shen, rest assured, everything is ready."

“The traces have been completely erased, and the two Zhou brothers would never associate it with you, Mr. Shen.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinhuai nodded.

“Keep creating clues,”

The lenses of Shen Jinhuai's glasses reflected the faint light from the window, making the dark currents in the man's eyes appear even more intense.

“No need to do it deliberately. Zhou Shiye will imagine the most desperate scenario himself. You just need to make sure that every ‘new clue’ he finds points precisely to the next more remote and impossible ‘possibility’.”

Shen Jinhuai clenched his fists tightly, paused for a long time, and then continued, "I want him to be completely exhausted by constant disappointment."

"clear."

The man behind Shen Jinhuai continued his report: "In addition, regarding the Zhou family, Zhou Yingchen has not completely given up on the investigation through conventional channels, but his focus has shifted to stabilizing the internal turmoil caused by Zhou Shiye's crazy behavior. Zhou Yingchen's attention is currently temporarily tied to internal issues within the group."

"very good,"

Shen Jinhuai's lips curled into a faint, emotionless smile: "Let them busy themselves with their own affairs. Only then can Miss Wen have some peace and quiet."

"Yes, Mr. Shen."

"Then I'll head out first."

After the man in the suit left, the suite fell silent.

Shen Jinhuai stood alone by the window, motionless for a long time.

After a moment, he took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and his face showed an uncontrollable weariness.

Not long after, Shen Jinhuai put his glasses back on, turned around and left the rest suite, returned to the ward, sat on the edge of the bed, and carefully held the hand of the sleeping Wen Yu.

"Sleep peacefully, Xiaoyu."

Shen Jinhuai murmured to himself, as if comforting Wen Yu: "I will shield you from the storms outside. And I will make those who have hurt you pay the price."

Wen Yu, fast asleep, was completely unaware of this, and her breathing gradually became steady.

The moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on the girl's peaceful sleeping face, soft and delicate, yet brimming with a gradually growing vitality.

at the same time,

The night was as dark as ink, and Zhou Shiye's sports car sped along the highway.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly, and he floored the accelerator, the roar of the engine expressing the anxiety and anticipation churning within him.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, and Zhou Shiye's old rib injury throbbed with pain due to the high-speed bumps and tense emotions. Breathing in the cold night air intensified the pain.

However, Zhou Shiye forcibly ignored these physical discomforts.

The brief message kept replaying in his mind: good-looking, quiet.

He looks somewhat like the person in the photo he provided.

The words "somewhat similar" kept replaying in Zhou Shiye's mind.

My heart was pounding violently in my chest.

All that could be seen before him, besides the road rushing by, was Wen Yu's fragile and panicked face as she pleaded, "Please."

“Xiaoyu…”

Zhou Shiye murmured the name in a low voice, his voice hoarse and broken.