Chapter Five: Offering One’s Heart

A tumult of emotions surged in Nuan Mianmian’s heart; it turned out that Jiang Ce saving her was not merely a coincidence. It was those people Jiang Ce had sent to protect her who noticed something was amiss in time. Jiang Ce himself came over, risking everything to rescue her, yet he ended up grievously injured.

Nuan Mianmian bit her lip, at a loss for words, but her feelings toward Jiang Ce grew deeper and fonder. What a wonderful person Jiang Ce was! An unbidden urge to give herself to him blossomed in her heart.

Yes!

She should offer herself to him!

Suddenly, scenes from countless romance novels filled with rosy bubbles and sweet Mary Sue moments flashed through her mind, making her heart flutter with delight. With Jiang Ce, such a formidable figure, by her side, even becoming someone like Nuan Mianmian didn’t seem so bad.

Night fell swiftly. Bored from the long hours of convalescence and bolstered by a nourishing injection, Nuan Mianmian felt her energy completely restored. Her only goal now was to see Jiang Ce—and to conquer his heart utterly!

She resolved to wait until the dead of night before making her move; sneaking about would be much easier then. Determined, she lay on her bed, legs crossed, quietly waiting for the night to deepen.

...

Thunder rolled outside, a deafening roar, and rain lashed the windows, accompanied by flashes of lightning that danced in the darkness. Nuan Mianmian jolted awake, sitting up in bed, but the room was shrouded in gloom, the only illumination coming from the storm outside.

“What’s happening? Is there a power outage?” she muttered in surprise, pressing the bedside lamp’s button only to find it unresponsive.

Moments later, hurried footsteps sounded outside her door, mingling with anxious voices.

“The power’s out! Go check it! Start the backup generator, quick!” Old Zhang’s worried voice rang out.

“The power really is out!”

Excitement lit up Nuan Mianmian’s face. She sprang out of bed, unable to conceal her delight.

Heaven is truly on my side! What a perfect opportunity!

She opened her door and peered outside; the corridor was cloaked in darkness, save for a few distant beams of flashlight. She slipped out and closed the door behind her. If memory served, Jiang Ce’s room was at the end of the hall. Barefoot, she groped her way forward and soon reached his door.

The door was ajar, and from within came muffled groans and pained murmurs.

He’s having an attack!

In the novel, Jiang Ce feared neither heaven nor earth, his temperament fierce and untamed, except for his dread of darkness—a phobia that always left him in agony, with splitting headaches and heart palpitations.

Without hesitation, Nuan Mianmian rushed in. Jiang Ce was curled up on the bed in anguish, the blankets nowhere to be seen, exposing swathes of bare skin.

The sight left Nuan Mianmian momentarily stunned.

“Who’s there? Shen Qing?” Jiang Ce rasped, his voice hoarse and strained.

“The medicine is in the second drawer. Help me get it out, quick!” Jiang Ce urged impatiently when ‘she’ didn’t respond.

Seeing this scene, Nuan Mianmian felt her eyes sting with sudden heat. The Jiang Ce of the novel was nearly omnipotent, resilient beyond measure, and only betrayed pain and struggle when facing old enemies. Otherwise, he was always confident and spirited. Now, frail and suffering, seemingly unable to withstand a single blow, he tugged at her heartstrings.

She hurried to the bedside, opened the second drawer, and fumbled inside, finding a well-crafted bottle of pills and a flashlight.

Nuan Mianmian grabbed the bottle, twisted off the cap, and poured several pills into her palm.

At that moment, Jiang Ce, unable to endure any longer, half-crawled toward her, reaching out not for the bottle but inadvertently clutching Nuan Mianmian’s hand.

Her breath caught. His cold sweat instantly enveloped her palm, and she could feel the slight tremor of his fingertips.

Jiang Ce froze as well; the sensation of her hand was unmistakably not Shen Qing’s—it could only be...

Who it was needed no explanation.

Jiang Ce fell silent, like a beast lurking in the dark, suddenly raising his head to stare at her.

The room was eerily quiet, the only sound the relentless rain outside.

In the darkness, Nuan Mianmian sensed his movement, her own hand stiff and unable to move.

Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the room. Across the short distance, Nuan Mianmian suddenly saw Jiang Ce’s reddened eyes, his gaze as cold and lifeless as a dry well.

A moment later, the warmth in her palm vanished. If not for the lingering trace of Jiang Ce’s sweat, she would have thought it all a hallucination.

“I’ll get you some water,” she said quietly, regaining her composure.

But his cold voice interrupted her: “No need.”

Nuan Mianmian’s movements halted abruptly. Jiang Ce let out another painful groan, sounding as if the agony was overwhelming.

“What should I do to help you?” she asked, flustered, rising to her feet and looking at him. Even in the darkness, she knew exactly where he was.

“Get out!” Jiang Ce replied icily, starting to drive her away.

Nuan Mianmian fell silent. But seeing him like this, how could she leave? If something happened to him, her future would be nothing but ashes.

She took a deep breath, fumbled around, found the flashlight on the nightstand, and switched it on, flooding the room with light.

The blanket was on the floor, and Jiang Ce’s face was shockingly pale, all the more striking in the night’s gloom.

He glanced fearfully at the flashlight in her hand, then shifted his gaze to her face. A sudden sense of reassurance washed over him.

Nuan Mianmian sensed this, though she dared not be certain, unsure if it was just her imagination.

Jiang Ce winced in pain, curling up at the head of the bed.

She noticed his shoulder was stained bright red, and even his abdomen showed spots of blood—likely torn open while he struggled earlier.

Fortunately, Jiang Ce’s room was well-equipped. Nuan Mianmian found bandages and gauze, intending to change his dressing and staunch the bleeding. But he resolutely refused to let her approach.

“Get out!” Jiang Ce ordered coldly.

For reasons unknown, Nuan Mianmian’s emotions surged at his words. She looked around, finally settling her eyes on the bandages before her.

She yanked out a length of bandage, knelt on the bed beside him, and without a word, began wrapping it around Jiang Ce’s wrist.

His face filled with shock. He barked, “Nuan Mianmian, stop right now!”