After the events at the hospital, Shen Yan accompanied Mingyan to her house.
Mingyan lived alone near the center of the city. In her house, Shen Yan waited in the living room. He had already changed into a black short-sleeved velvet shirt with a white collar, paired with khaki shorts and white shoes. As he sat there, he couldn't help but lament about his inner demons.
Yesterday, he had been forced to realize that his once adorable sister had suddenly become a woman. He hadn't even finished building his defenses when they had already fallen and crumbled. He had almost given in to the urge to kiss her while she was sleeping. It was too late for him to realize how weak he was to her cute voice, her teary eyes, and her spoiled acts.
Thankfully, his will was strong enough to hold himself back and avoid committing a crime.
His hand lingered on his cheek as Mingyan's voice echoed in his mind. He longed to hear her call him again. Lost in his thoughts, devising a plan to make Mingyan speak, he was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of heels clicking down the staircase. He looked up.
Mingyan descended the stairs, wearing a short-sleeved white collared blouse paired with sky-blue shorts and thick-heeled peach sandals. Her hazel hair cascaded down to her shoulders, and her makeup was light. Upon seeing Shen Yan staring at her blankly, she felt self-conscious about her outfit and contemplated running upstairs to change... again.
Mingyang: 'Oh, the pains of being a woman...'
In Shen Yan's mind, curses erupted. 'Shit! Why is she wearing shorts?!'
Though Mingyan was only about 155 cm, her outfit made her legs appear longer than they were. "Yanyan, don't you have any pants?" He mentally lamented, Damn. I don't know if I can get used to that. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest.
Mingyan was startled by his question before honestly shaking her head. She did have pants three years ago, but her mother had gradually replaced everything in her wardrobe with dresses. It was only recently that she had been able to buy shirts and shorts.
Shen Yan felt incredibly helpless. "I guess if you want to wear it, then I won't stop you." I'll just steel myself harder so I don't jump on you.
Mingyan noticed how troubled he was by her outfit and appeared a little sad. She tilted her head, looking at him with big, teary eyes. Y-You don't like it? She also mischievously placed her hands behind her, giving him the full view.
Shen Yan's mind silently exploded. He hurriedly closed his eyes and pressed his forehead as he tried to revive his broken will.
While he wasn't looking, Mingyan stuck out her tongue.
Lily: 'Oh no, Mingyan! I think you killed him!'
Mingyan: 'Hahaha! He's fine—look, he's blushing like crazy~! Okay, I'm done teasing him now~'
She hurried back upstairs and returned with a multi-layered, fluffy skirt that reached just above her knees. Then, she tugged at his shirt.
Shen Yan took a deep breath before looking up with a stoic expression. When he saw that she had changed, he sighed in relief. It was better than the shorts, but Shen Yan was still not entirely satisfied. He resolved to buy some pants for her later. One way or another, I'm putting an end to this wardrobe crisis.
Mingyan had already planned their date meticulously. They visited a plaza that was hosting a festival, followed by a trip to a panda zoo where they even got to shake hands with the pandas. Finally, they ended their day at the newly opened café, Pastel House. The menu was filled with cutely decorated sweets and artistically designed lattes.
At the café, they both ordered two cat lattes and one bunny parfait that Mingyan had been dying to try. The seating arrangements were separated by rows of flowers, providing them with a sense of privacy.
Throughout the day, Shen Yan faced a dilemma. Mingyan had either been communicating by writing on his palm or remained too obvious for him to understand, without speaking at all. He didn't want to pressure her, but he found himself longing to hear her voice again.
"Yanyan, are you tired?"
Mingyan shook her head.
Shen Yan raised his hand to pet her head. "We haven't seen each other for three years. Did you miss me?"
Mingyan's cheeks immediately flushed with a red tint. Without hesitation, she nodded. She peeked at his expression and found that his lips had curled into a slight smile. She acted as though the sight of it made her heart race, so fast that she felt dizzy.
Lily: 'What heart beating so fast? What dizzy?' *rolls eyes dramatically*
Mingyan: 'Shush. Don't distract my acting.' *winks*
Suddenly, Mingyan seemed to become acutely aware of his gaze, and he showed no intention of looking away. She appeared unable to bear it any longer and abruptly stood up. "B-Bathroom," she stammered, then quickly ran away.
The voice was fleeting and sweet, but the words that were said were a bit comical. Shen Yan laughed softly as she disappeared around the corner. The process may not have gone as he imagined, but the result was the same. For now, he was satisfied.
"Mr. Shen, I never thought you'd be here," a seductive voice emerged from the little entrance to their table. It was a beautiful woman wearing a body-hugging blue dress with a white jacket draped over her shoulders, her red lips stretching into a wide smile.
Shen Yan frowned and turned toward her, not bothering to conceal his dissatisfaction at being disturbed.
The woman stiffened awkwardly, unwilling to back down in front of the woman she had just seen with him. She was more beautiful, so why couldn't she have a chance with someone like Shen Yan?!
It was true that she was physically more attractive than Mingyan, but did Shen Yan care about that? At this moment, his heart was being tickled by something far more subtle and complicated. His good mood shattered in an instant by this woman's interruption, and he didn't like it at all.
In fact, he felt like he had just been cock-blocked.
Ever since his aunt had handed him the company, Shen Yan had been dealing with relentless, annoying bees every single day. They were persistent and stubborn, even when he gave them the cold shoulder. At this point, he was starting to think they were all masochists!
"Mr. Shen, don't you remember me?" The woman fluttered her eyes suggestively and pressed her lips together. She was certain no man could resist her charms.
Unfortunately for her, this was Shen Yan. "Scram!" he snapped, turning away and dismissing her completely.
The lady, shocked by the cold rejection, stumbled awkwardly away from the table. As she did, she noticed Mingyan walking back and her eyes darkened with jealousy.
Mingyan, who had witnessed the entire exchange, glanced at the woman from a distance with her eyes sparkling mischievously. She hid her smile behind her hand.
Lily: *claps paws in delight* 'Oh look! Someone's volunteering as tribute!'
Mingyan looked absentmindedly as she walked back to her seat, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
Suddenly, Mingyan's shoulder was bumped, and she cried out in pain as the movement aggravated her wound. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She shot an accusing glare at the woman who hadn't even bothered to apologize, instead sneering at her.
"Yanyan, what happened?!" Shen Yan heard her cry and immediately rushed to her side.
Mingyan turned to her Yan gege with a hurt expression. "She hit me."
The lady's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Hit you?! I just bumped into you!" She was about to say more, but then, to her disbelief, she noticed blood beginning to spread across the sleeve of the girl she had bumped into.
What the hell?!
Shen Yan's restrained murderous aura was impossible to hide this time. His gaze locked onto the woman, and in that moment, he mentally marked her for his blacklist. Without another word, he swiftly took Mingyan to his car. The priority now was her wound.
Despite Shen Yan's ominous expression, the lady still hadn't grasped the gravity of her actions.
Arriving at Mingyan's house, Shen Yan immediately got to work on treating her wound. As he carefully examined the bare, bleeding gash, an overwhelming wave of guilt and helplessness washed over him. How he wished he could have been there to prevent her from getting hurt in the first place.
His treatment was incredibly gentle, and Mingyan didn't feel any sharp pain. As he bandaged her, she stole a few glances at him, her restlessness evident. It seemed she had something on her mind but wasn't sure whether she should say it.
Finally, she decided to write on his thigh, her gaze flickering with uncertainty.
[Your address?]
He froze. Did she not know how dangerous the place she had written on was?! His gaze, as he observed Mingyan, darkened. She seemed completely unaware of the flame she had accidentally stoked. "I came to the hospital right as I landed, so I haven't decided," he said in a tone deeper than usual, scratching at Mingyan's heart.
Mingyan smiled, her excitement shining through. "Stay here?" Her eyes sparkled with stars, and her cheeks were flushed.
Shen Yan felt defeated. 'Do you have no defense at all?' For some reason, all he had been thinking about all day were complaints about her ignorance. He worried about their future.
Seeing that he neither rejected nor accepted her offer, Mingyan poked at his thigh twice, then tilted her head. "Stay, please?" She sweetened her voice further.
Shen Yan's sanity was quickly slipping away. He leaned over and left a fleeting kiss on her forehead. But that didn't seem to restore his lost composure, so he kissed both of her cheeks, and finally restrained himself from kissing her lips. By the end of it, his voice was slightly hoarse. "I'll take the guest room."
Mingyan, her face beet red, nodded. She didn't know how to continue after being showered with kisses. But thankfully, the doorbell rang, providing her with an escape. She dashed to open the door.
Mingyan: 'Lily, quick! Scan my body. Is there anything wrong with me?'
Lily: 'Don't worry! Ever since that zombie world, I've been monitoring your body. There's nothing wrong at all. Why?'
Mingyan: ...'Never mind then...?'
The person who arrived was a delivery guy from Pastel House, holding a pink box. He said he was here to deliver their orders, to which Mingyan was shocked. "All the way here?!"
"It was a request from Mr. Shen... Yan? Miss, please sign here."
Mingyan was genuinely impressed. That's right, her man should be as capable as this. She nodded internally, repeatedly. She quickly signed the paper and brought the box inside with a wide smile.
"Yan ge! Yan ge! Our order is here!"
That was the longest Mingyan had ever spoken. Her face was literally glowing, as the rays of the setting sun caught her skin. Shen Yan couldn't take his eyes off her—he didn't even dare to blink. He wondered if he had not been blind before would he have seen her smile like this? He felt a pang of regret for not having the surgery during their high school.
"Mmm, come here." He naturally and gently pulled her to sit on his lap, placing the box on the center table.
Mingyan's mind was suddenly filled with confetti.
'Waaaaaaah, what is he doing?! What is he doing?!' Lily was frantically running around, throwing confetti bombs.
Mingyan was genuinely stunned.
Okay, she understood that she could make guys go crazy for her. But was her prowess really this good?? 'Hadn't he just started seeing me as a woman?? Help. I think my million-year-old CPU just crashed.' Her heart was slightly shaken, but she had to keep up the act.
She kept her arms close to her chest, not knowing where else to place them. Her thoughts about eating the parfait had long been replaced by the fact that she was sitting in her Yan gege's lap. Just when she thought he wouldn't dare to take things further, he wrapped his arms around her waist, securing her in place, then began unwrapping the box.
Her waist felt like it was on fire.
All thoughts of acting were completely thrown out the window. She even bet that her old acting instructors would be mega disappointed in her right now. She nervously watched him take the still-perfect parfait and cat lattes, carefully placing them on the table one by one, then turn to her with a seductive smile.
She internally complained. 'What are you doing, seducing an innocent, not to mention ignorant, nineteen-year-old little girl?!'
Mingyan: *secretly delighted*
Lily: 'I don't see any innocent girl...'
Mingyan: 'What! Mingyan is very innocent! She doesn't even know how it works!'
Lily: *facepalms*
Shen Yan watched the red-faced girl with amusement. He had initially hoped to build some barriers to stop himself from going any further. But when he saw her exposed wound and her bright smile as she called him sweetly, he couldn't even lift a finger. He decided he would take the risk and move their relationship a step further.
He thought about it and decided to test her limits. Taking a spoon, he scooped some ice cream from the parfait, creating a hole in the rabbit-shaped dessert, and brought it to her lips. His intent couldn't have been clearer.
The red-faced Mingyan blinked a couple of times, expressing her bewilderment, before slowly opening her mouth.
Shen Yan successfully fed her.
His heart swelled with a sweetness he couldn't quite describe. 'Does caring for someone you love feel this good?' He couldn't believe he was finding so much joy in the simple act of feeding the woman he loves.