After Transmigrating into a Sadistic Novel, the Socially Anxious Sickly Beauty Just Wants to Sleep - Chapter 5

“Blood sugar is clearly below 2.8, hemoglobin is below 120. He has hypoglycemia, anemia, a weak stomach, and poor cardiopulmonary function. His pleural cavity didn’t develop properly at birth, giving him congenital pneumothorax—he hyperventilates and struggles for air whenever he’s anxious. Then there’s the night blindness and acrophobia you mentioned… basically, his entire body is a mess of ailments. But the most severe issue is his allergic constitution.”

Zhangsun Yong handed Yan Zhimuo a document. “This is the library of allergens we’ve identified so far. We can’t rule out things we haven’t found yet, so remember to update this if you notice anything new.”

Yan Zhimuo had known about the boy’s poor health before his “awakening,” but he hadn’t looked at the details closely, merely passing them to Auntie Wang for daily care. Now that he looked, his usually steady, reserved gaze betrayed a rare sense of disbelief.

Crabs, crawfish, scallops, squid, and other seafood.

Mangoes, peaches, lemons, kiwis, and other fruits.

Milk, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, and other foods.

Plus dust mites, wood chips, latex, certain metals, and even duck down!

How on earth has this kid survived until now?!

Zhangsun Yong sighed. “Your little friend’s body… is very fragile.”

Yan Zhimuo: “…’Very fragile’ is an understatement.” It was a miracle he was still breathing!

Zhangsun Yong suddenly asked, “I heard you’re getting a divorce.”

Yan Zhimuo paused. “Did Old Fu tell you?”

Zhangsun Yong snorted. “Did you mute our group chat? He announced it there. We all know, you idiot.”

Yan Zhimuo: “…”

He pulled out his phone, scanned the chat history, and typed with a expressionless face.

[Domineering CEO] Yan Zhimuo: I’ve decided not to divorce.

[Domineering CEO] Yan Zhimuo: ?

[Domineering CEO] Yan Zhimuo: What kind of trashy nickname is this? Who did this? Step forward.

[Unlucky Doctor] Zhangsun Yong: It was me, so what? I’m the group owner, I make the rules. Hit me if you can, nyah nyah nyah~

Yan Zhimuo immediately punched the Zhangsun Yong sitting next to him.

[Unlucky Doctor] Zhangsun Yong: Holy crap, you actually hit me!

[Unlucky Doctor] Zhangsun Yong: [So angry, yet must maintain a smile.jpg]

[Private Eye] Xiao Hanzhou: Received.

[Unlucky Doctor] Zhangsun Yong: Tsk, Old Xiao is still so cold.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: Old Yan, Yong, are you guys together right now?

[Unlucky Doctor] Zhangsun Yong: Yeah, Dog Yan’s little wife got sick, brought him to my place.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: @Yan Zhimuo. Why the sudden change of heart about the divorce? Quick, tell us what changed your mind!

[Domineering CEO] Yan Zhimuo: No reason. Stop asking.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: Hahahaha, he’s definitely fallen for him. No doubt about it. You’re just a stubborn duck.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: [A man’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea.jpg]

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: [Let me see your true face—I knew it!.jpg]

[Private Eye] Xiao Hanzhou: …

[Private Eye] Xiao Hanzhou: Old Fu, you’re noisy.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: ? ???? You insulted me! Xiao Hanzhou, you expressionless ice block actually insulted me! Waaaaah, I don’t want to live anymore! [Crying out loud.jpg]

[Private Eye] Xiao Hanzhou: …

[Private Eye] Xiao Hanzhou: [100 Yuan Red Envelope] Shut up.

[Tool Lawyer] Old Fu: [Thank you Boss (Kowtows).jpg]

Yan Zhimuo: “…” What a bunch of lunatics.

He put away his phone in disgust, said goodbye to Zhangsun Yong, and walked out with the medical report. Yuwen Chi stood up immediately.

“How is Jian Anmian?” Yan Zhimuo asked, glancing at the room next door.

“He finished the tests. He seemed exhausted and has fallen asleep,” Yuwen Chi replied.

Asleep again?

Yan Zhimuo’s brow twitched, but looking at the report in his hand, he felt a sense of leniency. Given his health, sleeping a lot was fine. But he should sleep at home; hospital beds were uncomfortable.

He thought to himself: I tried to divorce several times and failed. Maybe heaven doesn’t want us to part.

Maintaining such a small creature wasn’t a big deal—just another set of chopsticks at the table. He was rich enough to afford it. Besides, the kid was so frail; if he left, he probably wouldn’t survive.

Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, he reasoned. I’ll just keep him.

He pushed the door open quietly. The curtains were drawn. Jian Anmian was lying on his side, his back to the door, a small lump under the duvet that suggested he was curled up.

Yan Zhimuo’s fingers twitched as he recalled the sensation of carrying the boy earlier. Small, light as a feather—as if a single breath could blow him away. Asleep, he looked even smaller.

His gaze softened. He was about to go wake the boy gently when the door was slammed open behind him.

“Oh, Dog Yan, one more thing I forgot to tell you—”

Yan Zhimuo took a deep breath and turned around, gritting his teeth. “…Zhangsun Yong!”

Zhangsun Yong looked bewildered. “What?”

The duvet on the bed shifted. Jian Anmian, his hair a messy nest, was woken by the noise. He sat up dazed, looking at Yan Zhimuo and then at Zhangsun Yong. Slowly coming to his senses, he asked nervously, “Are you… busy talking? Sorry, I’ll leave right away…”

He moved to get up.

“Stay right there and don’t move!” Yan Zhimuo said sternly.

Jian Anmian immediately shrank back into the blankets, his large, helpless eyes staring timidly at Yan Zhimuo.

Zhangsun Yong realized he had interrupted a moment and quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry! Didn’t mean to wake your wife up…”

Yan Zhimuo cut him off irritably. “Enough. What were you going to say?”

“Er.” Zhangsun Yong glanced meaningfully at Jian Anmian, asking silently: Are you sure he should hear this?

Yan Zhimuo met Jian Anmian’s gaze. After only a second of hesitation, he said, “It’s fine. Since it concerns him, he should listen.”

Zhangsun Yong turned to Jian Anmian. “Then I’ll be blunt. Your heart and lung functions are poor. If you have an allergic reaction, it can easily lead to asthma or shock. You must stay away from your allergens. I’m telling you, it could be fatal.”

Both Yan Zhimuo and Jian Anmian froze.

In the original novel’s ending, the protagonist died from anaphylactic shock.

Jian Anmian recovered quickly. As the “shou” of a tragic novel, he knew he was destined to die eventually; he had been prepared since day one. He just hadn’t noticed while reading that the foreshadowing for his death was planted so early.

Yan Zhimuo, however, was shaken. It took a long time for him to say in a low voice, “…I understand.”

Zhangsun Yong’s words had a profound impact on Yan Zhimuo. Even after they got into the car, he was still in a daze.

Jian Anmian will die in the end.

For some reason, the moment that thought surfaced, Yan Zhimuo felt a suffocating tightness in his chest, as if his lungs were filled with cement.

Yuwen Chi, from the back seat, felt the need to warn him: “President Yan, there are many roads, but safety comes first. Driving recklessly…” He glanced at Jian Anmian and said gloomily, “…makes your wife a widow.”

Yan Zhimuo: “…”

Jian Anmian: “…” I am so innocent in this!

Yan Zhimuo took a deep breath and shifted into gear. It didn’t matter. With him here, he wouldn’t let himself die, and he certainly wouldn’t let Jian Anmian die. They would both live safely.

As he was driving, his phone rang. He answered via Bluetooth. It was his scumbag father, Yan Zuyi.

“Hello. Come home for dinner this weekend. Look how long it’s been since you’ve visited. What kind of behavior is this?”

Hearing Yan Zuyi’s voice made Yan Zhimuo’s mood plummet. This was the man who killed his mother; he would never forgive him. But for his grandfather’s sake, he had to maintain appearances. “Is there anything else?” he asked coldly.

This simple question seemed to strike a nerve. Yan Zuyi exploded: “What’s with that tone?! Can’t your father even speak to you? How did I raise such an ungrateful, unfilial son… is this how you treat your own father?”

The voice was so loud that even Jian Anmian, sitting next to him, heard it. He was shocked. Yan Zhimuo only said one sentence! How did he get scolded that much?

On the other end, Yan Zuyi began to rant mindlessly. “Is this how your mother taught you when you were little?! Huh?!”

Bang! A surge of wordless fury rose in Yan Zhimuo. He slammed his hand against the horn. Jian Anmian jumped in fright, his heart rate spiking.

“Yan Zuyi,” Yan Zhimuo said with extreme darkness, “if you dare mention my mother one more time, believe me, you’ll never set foot in this city again—”

Yuwen Chi was scared half to death, terrified that Yan Zhimuo would crash the car in his rage. He whispered frantically, “President Yan, wife becomes a widow, wife becomes a widow, wife becomes a widow…”

Yan Zhimuo ignored the fury on the other end and hung up. He took several deep breaths to regain his composure. He glanced sideways at the boy. Jian Anmian was clutching his chest, looking at him with terror, as if a single loud word would cause him to faint on the spot.

Yan Zhimuo let out a long breath. He wanted to rub his temples, but remembered he was driving. “I’m sorry,” he said deeply. “I lost my composure. I scared you.”

“I-it’s okay,” Jian Anmian whispered, swallowing hard. “You aren’t wrong. Your father was the one in the wrong. Mr. Yan, you don’t need to apologize.”

Yan Zhimuo paused, then suddenly chuckled. “You don’t know anything, yet you dare say I’m not wrong?”

Jian Anmian was troubled. He couldn’t exactly say: I’ve read the novel, I even know you’re 18cm down there, what don’t I know? He could only lower his head guiltily. “Anyway, Mr. Yan surely isn’t wrong.”

Yan Zhimuo was stunned. After a long silence, he laughed warmly and said with genuine sincerity, “Thank you… for trusting me so much, little friend Jian Anmian.”

As a reward, I’m definitely going to protect your life.

Jian Anmian had no idea his life had just been “contracted” by a certain CEO. He sighed in his heart. The male lead was actually quite pitiful. His scumbag father had a son first (the lead’s older brother), but because the brother wasn’t talented, the father forced his sickly wife to have another—the lead.

As soon as the lead was born, his mother became bedridden. The father used that time to have an affair and raise a bastard son, even bringing them into the house, which literally angered the wife to death. The mistress then successfully took over as the stepmother.

With such a traumatic background, it was no wonder the lead grew up to be an unpredictable, cold, and domineering scumbag with a possessive streak and “kinky” interests.

At the end of the day, a scumbag lead only tortures the “shou.” If he had become an antisocial psychopath, the whole world would be in trouble. From that perspective, was the protagonist’s suffering… worth it?

Jian Anmian laughed at his own wild imagination. Only when they got home did he remember—hadn’t he gone to the office to get a divorce? But because he got sick, it didn’t happen. So… was the divorce still happening?

He was curious, but he wouldn’t dare ask. He pushed it to the back of his mind and went to sleep. If the lead still wanted to divorce, he’d bring it up again.

Ultimately, Yan Zhimuo had to return to the Yan family home, and he had to take Jian Anmian with him. Jian Anmian knew this meant the “evil family members” were about to appear. His “journey of suffering” was officially starting.

On the day of departure, Jian Anmian thought they were going straight to the main house, but the car stopped near a nursing home. The director came out to welcome them personally.

The environment was lovely—lush green grass, thick trees, gardens, and ponds. The sound of birds was everywhere. Elderly residents were relaxing on rocking chairs or playing chess. Jian Anmian recalled the plot: this was where the lead’s grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s, lived.

The grandmother’s plot shouldn’t be this early. Why did he bring him here?

Yan Zhimuo took Jian Anmian’s hand. “In a moment, whatever I call her, you call her the same. Understand?”

Jian Anmian nodded, heart racing. This felt strangely like a wife meeting her husband’s family for the first time.

“Grandma, Zhimuo is here to see you,” Yan Zhimuo said, walking to an old woman sitting in a rattan chair on a balcony.

Jian Anmian followed: “Grandma!”

Yao Xiandie looked up. Seeing Yan Zhimuo’s face, she eventually let out a shy, girlish smile. “You’re so handsome.”

Jian Anmian bit his lip. He agreed.

Yan Zhimuo knelt before her and took her hand. “Grandma, I’m Zhimuo. Your grandson. Don’t you remember?”

Yao Xiandie blushed and slapped his hand. “Oh, what an indecent handsome man! Grabbing a lady’s hand right away, how embarrassing!”

Yan Zhimuo: “…”

Jian Anmian struggled not to laugh. Seeing the domineering lead look so helpless was hilarious.

Yan Zhimuo patiently talked with her for a long time. Jian Anmian felt a strange sensation; the man was showing a side of himself that wasn’t in the novel’s “cold and tyrannical” description. He was a multi-faceted, living human being. Only now did Jian Anmian feel that this was a real world, not just a one-dimensional book.

Grandma called Yan Zhimuo by his father’s name, then his grandfather’s. To her, those were the two most important men from her happiest memories. Finally, her eyes cleared, and she recognized him. “Zhimuo, you’re here.”

“Grandma, I’ve brought your grandson-in-law,” Yan Zhimuo said, pulling Jian Anmian forward.

Jian Anmian blushed at the title. “Grandma,” he whispered shyly.

Grandma praised him repeatedly but was confused. “Such a pretty girl, why so thin? Do you eat well? But why is this girl’s hair so short?”

Jian Anmian looked at Yan Zhimuo, flustered. Same-sex marriage hadn’t been legal for long; he didn’t know how to explain it to someone from Grandma’s generation.

Before he could think, Yan Zhimuo said directly: “Grandma, he’s a boy.”

Jian Anmian was horrified! Aren’t you afraid of shocking her?! He gripped Yan Zhimuo’s hand, and the man gave him a reassuring pat.

Grandma froze. She looked at Jian Anmian’s youthful face, then at their joined hands. “Oh… so it’s a boy. Sorry, little one, Grandma was wrong. Boys are quite lovely too… my grandson actually married a male wife, and such a young one at that. My, oh my…”

…Is he a pervert? Jian Anmian finished the sentence in his head. Grandma, is that the word you’re looking for?!

“Ahem, Grandma, this is called being ‘trendy’,” Yan Zhimuo said with a straight face. “Successful bachelors like me like to find young, pretty boys…”

“Mr. Yan!” Jian Anmian’s face was scarlet. How could he say such things in front of her?!

Grandma began hitting and scolding Yan Zhimuo: “Yan Zhimuo! Mianmian is still small, how can you say such things in front of a child? Have you no shame?!”

Seeing the harmonious scene, Jian Anmian breathed a sigh of relief. The lead was so bold! But Grandma was open-minded, thankfully.

Still… why did this feel so much like being introduced to the family? Is this divorce even happening?

Suddenly, a soft, unpleasantly oily female voice sounded from behind them.

“Oh, isn’t this Zhimuo? What a coincidence, you’re visiting Grandma today too.”

The warm atmosphere shattered. Yan Zhimuo turned coldly to see his stepmother, Bai Murong, walking toward them with his half-brother and sister.