Chapter 3

Uncle Chen had just driven Jian Anmian back to the villa when he received a message ordering him to return to Yan Zhimo. He had no choice but to set down the luggage and apologize to Jian Anmian. “Mr. Jian, I’ve left your things by the door. President Yan urgently needs me to return, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“All right. Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

After Uncle Chen left, Jian Anmian turned around and took a nervous breath as he faced the tall, magnificent villa before him.

Starting today, he was the protagonist gong’s wife.

He still had several years before he died of illness. Hopefully, during those years, he could seal his heart against love, free himself from all worldly desires, and resist the temptation of the protagonist gong’s beauty so that he wouldn’t follow in the protagonist shou’s footsteps.

Jian Anmian clenched his fist and rang the doorbell. Before long, the door opened, and an enthusiastic, capable-looking woman bustled outside. She hurriedly helped Jian Anmian with his luggage. “Oh my, you must be Xiao Jian. What a beautiful child! No wonder Mr. Yan likes you. Why are you still standing outside? Hurry in, hurry in. I’m the housekeeper at Mr. Yan’s home. Just call me Auntie Wang.”

Jian Anmian hurried after her with quick little steps. He instinctively pulled his mask more securely over his face, hiding his faint blush, and obediently called, “…Auntie Wang.”

Auntie Wang responded cheerfully. “It must have been hot traveling all this way, wasn’t it? Old Chen, honestly! He didn’t even bring your luggage inside for you. Come along. Let’s go upstairs and turn on the air conditioner. I’ll help you put everything away.”

Jian Anmian’s room was on the second floor. They took the elevator upstairs and first went into his room to unpack his belongings. Auntie Wang then went downstairs to prepare dinner. Before leaving, she reminded Jian Anmian to feel free to look around and make himself at home.

After seeing Auntie Wang out, Jian Anmian hurriedly removed his mask. He finally couldn’t endure it any longer and leaned against the bed with a pained frown, breathing uncomfortably through his open mouth. His face was as pale as the wallpaper.

He had ridden in cars far too many times today. This body suffered from countless ailments, including severe motion sickness.

The protagonist shou had probably taken medicine before leaving home that morning. After so many car rides, he had somehow managed not to vomit, but that final [read the original at bailiantales.com]trip had already pushed him to his limit for the day.

Jian Anmian rested on the bed for a while, removed his long-sleeved shirt and trousers, then weakly carried his clothes into the bathroom to bathe.

After soaking in a hot bath, Jian Anmian finally felt a little better. If his anemia hadn’t already made him dizzy, he would have liked to soak for a while longer.

Auntie Wang had also finished preparing dinner, so Jian Anmian got ready to go downstairs and eat.

There was no need to take the elevator from the second floor to the first, so Jian Anmian headed directly toward the stairs.

Unexpectedly, when he reached the top and looked down, his vision abruptly went black. His heart raced, and he felt as though he were about to plunge straight down. Frightened, Jian Anmian hurriedly backed away.

He had almost forgotten. Aside from anemia, low blood sugar, motion sickness, and severe allergies, the protagonist shou was also afraid of heights.

Naturally, those weren’t his only ailments. Jian Anmian couldn’t remember the others right now. He would have to personally discover them later.

Jian Anmian: “…”

His understanding of sickly shous in novels had suddenly been completely redefined. This one had been remarkably tenacious to survive until now.

In any case, this body could still walk, which was much better than his previous life, when he could only lie in bed.

Jian Anmian rested until his heartbeat calmed down, then reluctantly took the elevator downstairs.

Only after sitting at the dining table did Jian Anmian remember that he now had severe [read the original at bailiantales.com]allergies and couldn’t come into contact with many things.

Moreover, he wasn’t the original Jian Anmian, so he didn’t even know what he couldn’t eat. This was rather awkward.

As though sensing Jian Anmian’s concern, Auntie Wang smiled kindly. “It’s all right, Xiao Jian. You can eat without worrying. Mr. Yan specifically gave me a list of your allergens beforehand. Everything here is safe for you to eat.”

Jian Anmian sighed in relief and thanked her shyly. After a pause, he gathered his courage and asked softly, “Um… could you please give me a copy of my allergen list…?”

Auntie Wang froze for a moment before immediately smiling. “You’re far too polite, Xiao Jian. Of course I can. However, I’m only responsible for your daily needs, so I only have your food and contact allergens. It may not be a complete list. You’ll probably have to ask Mr. Yan for the full one.”

“All right, I understand. Thank you.” Jian Anmian thanked her dejectedly and lowered his head to eat. He silently thought that it seemed he would still have to speak to the protagonist gong.

Although he wasn’t afraid of death, he didn’t want to accidentally kill himself without even understanding why.

But how was he supposed to bring it up? Would the protagonist gong think there was something wrong with his brain?

He didn’t even understand his own body and had to ask the husband he had married on the spur of the moment.

…It really did sound as though there was something seriously wrong with him. qvq

After dinner, Jian Anmian returned to his room. He lay in bed, still wondering how to raise the subject with the protagonist gong, and eventually fell asleep while thinking.

He slept peacefully through the night.

When Jian Anmian naturally woke the following morning, he dazedly thought he had gone to heaven.

His body was warm, and everything beneath him was soft. It felt so comfortable. Never in his entire life had he experienced such comfort.

Surely he could only sleep this well after dying and going to heaven?

Jian Anmian stared at the ceiling through drowsy eyes for several minutes before belatedly remembering—

He had transmigrated into a book and become the sickly shou in an angst novel. Although this body was riddled with ailments, he now had a soft bed, the ability to sleep soundly, and an empty little room with nobody else inside it.

Good heavens. Only now did he realize that transmigrating into a book was such a wonderful thing!

He had been tormented by illness for twenty whole years in his previous life and had never once slept well before he died. He was going to make up for all the sleep he had lost!

At that thought, Jian Anmian yawned and slowly rubbed his eyes.

He was so sleepy. He would sleep a little longer. Please wake him up when it was time for him to die. Thank you… zZZ

…

After awakening, Yan Zhimo had learned several things. On the very day of the car accident, he had impatiently discharged himself from the hospital and returned to the company to handle a number of urgent matters. By the time he finally had a little free time, an entire week had passed in the blink of an eye.

During that week, Secretary Liu had also been discharged from the hospital and, just as Yan Zhimo had promised, had been promoted and transferred to the administrative department.

Xiao Hanzhou’s investigation wasn’t progressing smoothly, but Yan Zhimo had expected as much. His Second Uncle certainly wouldn’t leave evidence behind so easily.

While Yan Zhimo considered his next move, the car arrived home.

Hearing the car, Auntie Wang hurried outside to welcome him.

Yan Zhimo handed her his coat, swept his gaze around the house, and asked, “Where is Jian Anmian?”

He had already decided that they should divorce, but several matters had delayed him for a few days. He had come home this time specifically to have Jian Anmian sign the divorce agreement.

Auntie Wang smiled. “Xiao Jian is already asleep.”

“Asleep?” Yan Zhimo froze and instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall—it was nine o’clock in the evening.

“He went to sleep this early?”

Auntie Wang said sympathetically, “Xiao Jian is in poor health. Every evening, he goes to sleep before the sky even turns dark.”

Yan Zhimo: “…What time does he wake up in the morning?”

Auntie Wang smiled. “He comes downstairs by himself whenever it’s time to eat. Once he finishes eating, he goes back upstairs and continues sleeping.”

Yan Zhimo: “…”

Had he married the God of Sleep?

…

Upstairs.

After awakening from his sleep, Jian Anmian suddenly felt a powerful urge to urinate. He didn’t even have time to turn on the light before rushing through the darkness to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he felt his way back out like a sleepwalker.

Although the curtains were drawn, the room wasn’t so completely dark that he shouldn’t have been able to see his hand in front of his face. Yet Jian Anmian moved like a blind man, walking with both arms outstretched and feeling his way forward. No matter how hard he tried, his drowsy eyes couldn’t focus in the gloom.

How strange. Why was the room so dark? He couldn’t see anything at all. These curtains were incredibly good at blocking light.

Forget it. The bed was only a few steps away. There was no need to turn on the light.

At the same time, Yan Zhimo had finished dinner and was preparing to return to his own room. However, as he passed Jian Anmian’s door, he suddenly heard movement inside and paused.

Since Jian Anmian happened to be awake, Yan Zhimo might as well go in and have him sign the divorce agreement now. Otherwise, Jian Anmian might still be asleep when Yan Zhimo left for work tomorrow morning, and they would miss each other again.

With that thought, Yan Zhimo walked over and knocked on the door.

Inside the room,

Jian Anmian had just felt his way to the door when a sudden series of loud knocks sounded extremely close to his ear. A succession of tiny vibrations also traveled into his palm.

“Ah!”

Jian Anmian jumped in fright and instinctively took two steps backward. He had no idea what he accidentally bumped into, but his body abruptly lost its balance, and he fell onto the carpet with a thud.

“Jian Anmian?”

Hearing the noise inside, Yan Zhimo frowned and hurriedly tried the handle. To his surprise, the door opened immediately.

At the entrance to the room, Jian Anmian sat sprawled on the white shag carpet in soft cotton pajamas.

The light from the corridor passed through the doorway and illuminated his face.

Lingering fear filled Jian Anmian’s pitch-black eyes. His lashes were slightly damp, his lips parted faintly, and his expression was utterly dazed.

Yan Zhimo paused. “Are you all right?”

“I’m… I’m fine.” Jian Anmian’s face instantly turned bright red. Yan Zhimo had witnessed him falling over. How embarrassing.

He braced his hands against the floor and tried to stand, and Yan Zhimo hurried forward to help him.

Just then, the corridor’s motion-activated light went out. Jian Anmian’s vision instantly plunged into complete darkness. He helplessly watched Yan Zhimo’s face abruptly disappear before his eyes, as though he had suddenly gone blind.

Jian Anmian immediately panicked. The terror of being surrounded by darkness engulfed him in an instant. His heartbeat accelerated, and his breathing constricted. Instinctively, he called out to the powerful man before him, stretching his arms into the air and searching helplessly. “Mr. Yan…”

“Jian Anmian?” Yan Zhimo frowned. He seized Jian Anmian’s wrists firmly [read the original at bailiantales.com]with both hands and pinned them against the wall, asking in a deep voice, “Can you see me? Jian Anmian?”

Because of his social anxiety, Jian Anmian wasn’t accustomed to physical contact. Now that he couldn’t see, every physical sensation became infinitely more intense.

The man’s palms around his wrists were broad and dry. Waves of warmth seeped through the places where their skin touched and flowed into Jian Anmian’s veins, bringing with them an unrelenting tingling itch. The man’s breathing fell against his ear from mere inches away, hot and deep, while the wall pressed icily against his back.

Caught between heat and cold, Jian Anmian’s heartbeat accelerated further. The back of his head tingled, and his chest felt as heavy and obstructed as though a stone were lodged inside it. He could barely breathe. “Mr. Yan, I can’t see…”

Help! How could he have forgotten that the original Jian Anmian also suffered from night blindness?!

Ever since moving into this villa, he had gone to bed every day before nightfall. By the time he opened his eyes the following morning, the sky was already bright. He had never once encountered darkness, so he hadn’t known that whenever this body entered a dimly lit place, it became blind!

Aside from that, the original Jian Anmian’s lungs were also in poor condition, and he suffered from severe pneumothorax. Whenever he became nervous, he had difficulty breathing and looked as though he might faint at any moment.

Jian Anmian: “…”

This body was completely unusable!

Yan Zhimo lowered his head. The young man in his grasp had his lips slightly parted as he breathed heavily and with great difficulty. A suffocating flush covered his face, his lashes trembled violently, and his body shook faintly.

Even the corners of his eyes had turned red from Yan Zhimo’s touch, making him resemble a pitiful little animal captured by a wild beast.

“Jian Anmian, calm down!” Yan Zhimo ordered in a deep voice.

Jian Anmian wanted to cry but had no tears: “…”

You’re the reason I can’t calm down! You’re holding me!

For some inexplicable reason, Yan Zhimo slowly leaned closer, lifted a hand, and gently brushed Jian Anmian’s bangs aside.

He found himself staring into a pair of large, dark eyes. They glimmered with moist, crystalline light in the darkness, more beautiful than any gemstone he had ever seen.

With his newly freed hand, Jian Anmian clutched Yan Zhimo’s sleeve and called out in a trembling voice, “Mr. Yan…”

Please let go of me. I can barely breathe!

Yan Zhimo’s gaze darkened. “Don’t act spoiled.”

Jian Anmian: “…?”

He wasn’t! He hadn’t!

Yan Zhimo paused before adding, “Although I don’t mind if you do.”

He was rather susceptible to it.

Jian Anmian: “???”

Yan Zhimo seemed to misunderstand Jian Anmian’s meaning. He bent down and directly swept Jian Anmian into his arms. In only a few strides, he reached the bed and placed Jian Anmian on it. Staring at Read on BaiLianTalesJian Anmian’s crimson face, he knowingly asked, “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“Could you please turn on the light for me?” Jian Anmian paused before asking quietly, “Would that be all right?”

Yan Zhimo smiled. “Of course.”

He extended his arm and switched on the small lamp on the bedside table.

With a click, warm orange light instantly filled the entire room.

Jian Anmian instinctively closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again and allowed them to adjust to the light.

He could finally see the light of day again!

Jian Anmian quickly glanced at Yan Zhimo, then lowered his head and said stiffly, “Mr. Yan, thank you.”

Yan Zhimo smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Sensing that the man was still staring at him, Jian Anmian immediately grew restless. “Mr. Yan… is there something else you need?”

If there was nothing else, could he hurry up and leave so Jian Anmian could sleep? qwq

Yan Zhimo remained silent for two seconds. “There is indeed something I need to discuss with you.”

After saying this, Yan Zhimo walked to the doorway, picked up the briefcase that had fallen onto the carpet, and removed a divorce agreement from inside it. He shoved a pen into Jian Anmian’s hand read the original at bailiantales.com and said, “After carefully considering matters during this time, I feel that there are still many ways in which this marriage is unsuitable for us. I hope we can reconsider our relationship.”

Jian Anmian froze. “…Huh?”

Yan Zhimo continued in a businesslike tone, “You may ask for whatever you want. I will also give you everything guaranteed in our previous agreement as compensation.”

Jian Anmian didn’t have any particular thoughts about it. He was merely… a little bewildered.

How strange. This scene hadn’t appeared in the original novel. Had his transmigration created a butterfly effect?

Regardless, he had no right to choose anyway.

Since the protagonist gong wanted a divorce, they might as well divorce. The sooner they divorced, the sooner he could go back to sleep. He was so tired.

Jian Anmian picked up the divorce agreement. Without even reading it, he flipped directly to the final page where he needed to sign. Pointing at the blank space, he raised his head and obediently asked Yan Zhimo, “Am I supposed to sign here?”

For some reason, seeing Jian Anmian agree so readily made Yan Zhimo’s chest suddenly feel somewhat stifled. His tone also became much colder as he nodded indifferently. “Yes, right there. Sign it. Once you’re done, we’ll immediately get div—”

With a soft plop, the pen fell to the floor, splattering black ink across the snowy-white carpet.

Startled, Jian Anmian quickly withdrew his hand beneath the blanket. Only a pair of wary eyes remained visible as he timidly said, “S-Sorry, Mr. Yan. I don’t think I have any strength right now. Could you please wait while I recharge for a bit?”

He hadn’t expected this body to be so weak. All that had happened was that he had received a slight fright in the darkness, yet he no longer had enough strength to hold a pen.

Yan Zhimo silently picked it up. “…It’s fine. We’ll talk about it after you read the original at bailiantales.com wake up. The pen can’t be used anymore anyway.”

As for the fact that he could clearly return to the study and get another pen… whatever. He would simply pretend he couldn’t be bothered to walk that far.

“Thank you, Mr. Yan. Then… good night?”

“Good night.” Carrying the unsigned divorce agreement, Yan Zhimo left the room and gently closed the door.

Even he didn’t realize that the moment he picked up the pen, he had secretly breathed a sigh of relief.