It had been a week since Li Wanru disappeared from Chen Jiancheng's life.
All the minor annoyances were gone, and he gradually returned to his previous monotonous life.
Until tonight, when he received a message from her.
A short message, but it wasn't meant for him.
"Mei Jin, please come over, I have low blood sugar."
She messaged.
He frowned, raised his hand to check his watch; it was past 10 PM.
He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and took his keys. He didn't text Mei Jin back.
Li Wanru had felt tired all day, but she hadn't paid much attention to it.
As night fell, after she had tidied up her house a bit, her fatigue worsened.
Her head became dizzy, and her arms trembled.
She stumbled to get a glass of water to drink, but her hands shook more and more violently, causing her to spill the water onto the floor.
She collapsed, looking for something to lean her back against.
Her body felt heavy, but she couldn't feel any strength at all.
Seeing that the situation was not good, she tried to reach for her phone, feeling too tired to speak, so she pressed to send a message.
In a daze, she thought she had sent a cry for help to Mei Jin.
About 10 minutes later, there was a doorbell ring outside. Wanru used all her remaining strength to slowly walk towards the door.
She walked slowly, and the doorbell outside rang more rapidly.
In her hazy consciousness, she also heard banging sounds from outside the door.
But immediately after, she reached the door latch. The door opened, and it wasn't Mei Jin, but the man who always appeared in her mind.
Wanru weakly fell. Chen Jiancheng quickly caught her. He gently lifted the girl into his arms, locked the door, and carried her to a nearby sofa.
Knowing she was in his strong embrace, her eyes blurred as she looked at his profile.
In the past few days, she had restrained herself from contacting him. She intended to train him to get used to talking to her, but because of that habit, she couldn't help but always want to send him messages, sharing the small things in her life with him.
Chen Jiancheng placed her on the sofa, gently touching her forehead as he asked.
"How are you feeling?"
Her eyes were wet, and she replied in a whisper.
"I'm tired."
He went to the bed, took out a blanket to cover her, and then went into the kitchen.
He saw a bare glass on the floor, surrounded by water. His expression was a little grim.
Chen Jiancheng looked for a kettle to boil water. While waiting, he went back to the sofa, knelt on one knee on the floor, and sat facing her.
He was very gentle today.
"Don't sleep, just bear with it a little longer!"
Her hand vaguely reached out as if to grasp his.
Chen Jiancheng extended his hand and took her small hand. As if grasping a lifeline, Wanru held his hand tightly and wouldn't let go.
Chen Jiancheng was tense for a moment, his heart pounding wildly.
Her hand was small and soft, gripping his hand with all her might, even though her hand was still trembling.
Looking at the small figure lying in front of him, he felt helpless, helpless with himself.
The water boiled, and the kettle in the kitchen automatically turned off.
He gently removed her hand, intending to go back to the kitchen.
But she held on tightly and whispered, "Uncle, don't let go."
Chen Jiancheng patiently sat down again, stroking her head with his other hand. He said.
"Good girl, I'm going to get you some water, I'll be right back."
Li Wanru seemed to understand, and slowly let go. He gently turned back to the kitchen.
He poured hot water into a cup, then added cold water to cool it down, and finally added sugar.
The process took no more than two minutes before he returned, helping her sit up while he also sat on the chair.
He gently and slowly gave her water to drink.
Without rushing, only with patience, after a few sips, she lay down again.
But she didn't wait for him to help her; she lay down by herself, ending up lying straight on the lap of Chen Jiancheng, who was sitting behind her.
Chen Jiancheng, still holding the water glass, froze, but he didn't push her away. He just put the glass down on the table and sat there motionless.
When it was dimly lit, around 4 AM, Li Wanru slowly opened her eyes.
She saw herself sleeping on the sofa, covered with a thick blanket.
Just as she was about to move, she felt her hand grasping another pair of hands, large and rough.
Wanru was a little startled. She only remembered Chen Jiancheng coming over last night, but she didn't think he would stay because of it.
Feeling the sweat in the warm hand, which must have been held all night, her face suddenly flushed, but she didn't want to let go.
Wanru gently turned to look at the person. As she looked up, she saw the Adam's apple on his neck.
Chen Jiancheng had sat in one position all night, only able to lean his head back.
His masculine Adam's apple, strong hands, and from this position, she could also see his high nose bridge.
Li Wanru seemed to be immersed, unable to pull herself away from this person.
The more she looked, the more captivated she became.
"Are you awake?" His voice was hoarse.
Wanru, as if startled, quickly closed her eyes and pretended to continue sleeping.
Chen Jiancheng sat up straight and used his hand to stroke her hair.
"Get up, I know you're awake."
Wanru opened her eyes, not daring to face him.
He gently touched her forehead again.
"How are you? Are you still tired? If you're still tired, I'll take you to the hospital."
"No, I'm not tired anymore."
"Hmm!"
He just hummed without telling her to sit up. She slowly looked at his face and suddenly saw a clear look of exhaustion on his face.
Wanru let go of his hand and slowly sat up.
"Did you have insomnia last night, Uncle? I'm sorry, Uncle."
She leaned forward in front of him and asked.
He twitched his eyelids once and replied.
"Probably, move aside."
"Why?" She asked, puzzled.
He looked at her silently for a moment, then looked away and said.
"You're wearing pajamas."
"..."
Li Wanru looked at herself. Indeed, she was wearing a somewhat short and also... well, a bit thin, set of pajamas.
But last night, he had carried her in his arms, held her hand and slept all night on a sofa without being bothered. Now, just sitting a little closer made him uncomfortable.
Seeing his ears turn red, she secretly smiled. At this moment, a bold thought popped into her head.
Li Wanru suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, shifted to sit on him, facing him.
"What are you doing?" He asked, frowning.
"Thank you for helping me, but I messaged Meijin yesterday, didn't I?"
"You messaged me."
"Then thank you anyway, but Uncle..."
Wanru suddenly fell silent, looking straight into his eyes. Chen Jiancheng was very tense and swallowed a few gulps of saliva.
Seeing his Adam's apple move up and down, Wanru was sure she had won seven out of ten parts.
"Can I like you, Uncle? You're handsome, rich, and good to me.
You tell me to stop liking you, I can't do it."
Wanru put on a wronged expression, taking advantage of the situation, she leaned towards him, burying her face in his neck, hugging his neck tightly.
The man beneath her didn't move or say a word for a moment.
Her heart felt like it was about to fly out. After looking at the handsome man for so long, she finally got to hug him. She took the opportunity to inhale his scent.
Chen Jiansheng faced the girl who had taken the initiative, unsure of what to do.
Truth be told, he had felt something for her before, so now, for a moment, he found himself unable to control his emotions.
From the moment he opened the door last night, this girl, dressed in short pajamas and looking frail, had rushed towards him, her voice whimpering all night long.
That was why he had frowned repeatedly and lost sleep all night.
Before he could say anything, he heard the girl diligently blowing warm air onto his neck and speaking.
"Uncle, could you consider me a little?"
Her sweet voice in his ear was like pouring honey, and he could no longer control himself, reaching out to embrace her waist.
Her slender waist was right before his eyes.
At that very moment, he felt the girl in his arms flinch.
He just let out a scoff. Children were still children.
Li Wanru: In both worlds, I only lack experience in dating; I'm not a child.
Old man, shut up!