Shen Jiangli didn’t respond; he looked at Han Manyin. Almost the moment his gaze shifted toward her, she hid all the viciousness in her eyes.
She transformed back into her original pitiable appearance, her eyes clear and seemingly genuinely aggrieved—a patient suffering from amnesia who knew nothing.
She constantly edged closer to Shen Jiangli, saying, "Where are you going? Are you leaving me alone? I’m scared..."
Han Manyin had been pretending to have amnesia ever since she woke up.
She also deliberately exaggerated her emotions, then grabbed Shen Jiangli, forcibly making him comfort her and stay by her side, acting very clingy and demanding his company.
Shen Heyu watched this scene silently, feeling something was amiss. If Han Manyin had really lost her memory, why was she still so clingy with Shen Jiangli?
Seeing her sticking so close to him, Shen Jiangli glanced at Shen Heyu and then embraced the woman in his arms.
He said in a deep voice, "I might as well stay with her. If you stay by her side, you probably won’t be happy either."
He was considering Shen Heyu.
In Shen Jangli’s embrace, Han Manyin’s eyes flashed a triumphant viciousness when neither he nor Shen Heyu was watching; Pei Yansi just happened to look at her and saw the expression in her eyes.
He furrowed his brows, subconsciously feeling something was off.
Yet, he said nothing, only pulling Shen Heyu aside and saying, "They don’t need you here, so why are you still here? Let’s go."
His words were harsh.
He deliberately said it for Shen Heyu to hear, wanting her to dislike Shen Jiangli and realize that she wasn’t as important to Shen Jiangli as Han Manyin was.
Shen Heyu looked at Shen Jiangli, waiting for him to speak, yet he said nothing.
She always felt his demeanor was not right. She wanted to talk with him alone, but Pei Yansi, the proverbial elephant in the room, was still there.
She wanted to get rid of him.
Remembering he had suggested last night that she should take her daughter on an overseas trip with him, she turned to him and said, "Didn’t you say you wanted to take Yuexue and me out? Why don’t you go and prepare?"
Pei Yansi was silent for a few seconds, looking deeply into her eyes as if trying to see through her. In fact, he did see through her.
She was just making an excuse to send him away, moreover for the sake of being alone with Shen Jiangli. However, considering she had agreed to his travel proposal... Pei Yansi still conceded.
He told Shen Heyu, "Zhao Jin will arrange it. I’ll wait for you in the smoking area."
After finishing, Pei Yansi turned and left.
The person gone, Han Manyin watched him leave, vaguely aware of what Shen Heyu intended to do.
Including Shen Jiangli.
Indeed, the next second, Shen Jiangli stood up. He patted Han Manyin on the head as if to soothe her mood, then said, "I’ll come back later."
If she insisted on keeping someone forcefully at this moment, she knew it would be easy to invite suspicion. So, she nodded, adopting an obedient look and even smiled at Shen Heyu.
Shen Heyu was stunned; she hadn’t expected Han Manyin to smile at her. Moreover, that smile appeared very sincere, seemingly innocent.
Out of politeness, she too slightly smiled and then turned to leave the hospital room.
Shen Jiangli followed behind her.
What neither of them saw, as they left, was the resentment rekindling in Han Manyin’s eyes.
They went to the hospital’s stairwell, a place usually deserted, quiet and tranquil. As soon as Shen Jiangli stepped out, he lit a cigarette.
He looked very tired and took a drag of his cigarette before asking Shen Heyu, "What do you want to talk about?"
Shen Heyu, seeing him like that, couldn’t help but feel worried. She said, "You should see a doctor with the way you are."
Shen Jiangli replied, "No need."
He had made it through so many years; what more could he not overcome?
Shen Heyu felt that he was a bit off. He had only pushed Han Manyin, and frankly, he hadn’t actually hit her.
The force in that instant was uncontrollable, pushing Han Manyin, and she was knocked into the coffee table.
He hadn’t hit her; he shouldn’t be acting this way over it.
Shen Heyu knew him well. No matter what was going on inside, his exterior always retained a carefree and charming demeanor. She frowned and asked, "Have you encountered some issue?"
Hearing this, Shen Jiangli paused in his motion of taking a cigarette.
He stubbed out the cigarette and said, "It’s nothing."
Shen Heyu, of course, didn’t believe him. She said, "We’ve been friends for so many years, I know you."
Her sincere eyes looked into his.
For some reason, Shen Jiangli didn’t feel anything about Pei Yansi’s oppressive gaze or Lu Yi’s jealous look.
But now, Shen Heyu’s bright eyes made him feel exposed. Because last night his assistant had told him that someone was investigating Shen Fanshuang’s death.
Back then, Shen Fanshuang...
If Shen Heyu learned of it now, how much face and affection would he still have in front of her? Would she reminisce about old times, feel sad, or be disappointed in him?
He didn’t know how he would face whatever came once this was revealed. If it were just a mere prison sentence, he wouldn’t care, but what worried him most was Shen Heyu’s change of heart...
Reflecting on what Han Manyin had said, his unrequited love over the years.
He felt a depressive complexity in his heart that was stuck and would never find release.
He sighed and said, "Really, it’s nothing."
"You don’t want to talk, and I won’t keep asking, but I hope you know, six years ago you helped me, and you’ve been by my side all these years. If you’re in trouble today, I will also stand by you unconditionally."
Shen Jiangli nodded his head.
No reply, just quietly watching the sky outside, which was nearing winter.
He didn’t know what to do. If she knew, would she still stand by him if she found out he was worried about Shen Fanshuang’s issue?
He held no expectations.
Shen Heyu said, "I’ll go first."
Seeing his current state, she knew he needed some quiet time alone. Shen Jiangli nodded, and she left the stairwell.
She had just walked out into the corridor when she saw Lu Yi coming from the opposite direction. He was wearing a mask, followed by students, his white coat making him look like an angel emerging from the light.
Lu Yi spotted her immediately; his eyes and eyebrows lifted in a smile as he said, "Heyu? What brings you to the hospital, feeling unwell?"
As Shen Heyu was about to explain, she saw Pei Yansi coming from the smoking area; he immediately noticed her talking to Lu Yi.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, his eyes reflected coldness and danger. He came up to Shen Heyu’s side and asked, "What are you doing?"