After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, the fake heiress binds herself to a rough-looking man

At noon, as expected, Lin's mother had the kitchen prepare a large table of dishes.

Jiang Yu ate until her belly was round and full.

At the dinner table, Lin's father went on a rant about the company's projects, saying that a certain partner's PPT looked like a primary school student's winter vacation homework.

Lin Xingran laughed so hard she slapped the table.

Jiang Yu laughed along with her.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Huo Li: [We've arrived.]

Jiang Yu glanced at the time.

2:20.

She put down her chopsticks and said, "Auntie, I'm going upstairs to touch up my makeup."

Lin's mother nodded: "Go ahead, let Ranran accompany you."

Back on the second floor, Lin Xingran drew back the curtains and looked outside.

"Old Chen is in the car by the main gate, he hasn't moved."

"Go through the back door and go around to the side of the greenhouse. Wutong Lane is right behind it."

Jiang Yu changed into a pair of flat shoes and picked up her phone.

Lin Xingran casually put a baseball cap on her head.

"Safety first. If you don't reply in ten minutes, I'll call you. If you don't reply in twenty minutes, I'll take my bodyguards out to catch you in the act."

Jiang Yu almost tripped.

"Can't you be normal for once?"

"cannot."

Jiang Yu slipped out of the Lin family's house through the back door.

Wutong Lane is very narrow, with the shade of trees pressing against the base of the walls on both sides.

The afternoon sun made the ground look white.

A black motorcycle was parked at the entrance of the alley.

Huo Li leaned against the car.

Black T-shirt, cargo pants, and neatly shaved short hair.

He was carrying a paper bag in his hand, and a long, rectangular tool bag was placed at his feet.

Jiang Yu took two steps closer.

Why don't you drive a Wuling Hongguang?

Huo Li noticed that her hat brim was pulled down low, so he reached out and pulled the hat up half an inch.

"Too eye-catching."

Jiang Yu choked.

"What's so eye-catching about your beat-up bread cart?"

"The Jiang family is under investigation."

Those four words sent a chill down Jiang Yu's spine.

She instinctively looked towards the alley entrance.

"We found you?"

"without."

Huo Li handed over the paper bag.

"Take it."

Jiang Yu took it, opened the bag, and looked inside.

They are a pair of soft-soled flat shoes.

Off-white color, minimalist upper, and very soft sole.

Next to it was a box of ointment, a small bottle of spray, and a box of concealer with the label removed.

She was stunned.

"You said you had something for me, is this it?"

Huo Li hummed in agreement.

"Wear high heels less often. Your ankles are unstable."

Jiang Yu looked down and examined the soles of her shoes.

The shoe size was exactly what she was wearing.

How did you know my size?

Huo Li did not respond.

Jiang Yu hugged the paper bag to her chest, a sly glint in her eyes.

"That's all?"

"I thought you were going to give me a huge diamond ring."

Huo Li looked down at her.

"You want it?"

Jiang Yu snorted: "Can you even afford it?"

Huo Li still did not answer.

He pulled a thin red string out of his pocket.

A small, polished metal piece is strung on a red string, with rounded edges and a tiny "砺" (lì) character engraved in the center.

"Wear this first."

Jiang Yu examined the object.

"What's this? A souvenir from the auto repair shop?"

I made it myself.

Huo Li took the rope and wrapped it around her wrist.

His palms were extremely hot, and the system's voice sounded precisely the moment his rough fingertips brushed against her skin.

[Effective contact! Lifespan increased by 6 hours.]

Jiang Yu: "..."

Adding just 6 hours. Stingy.

Huo Li tied the knot, then bent down and bit off the excess thread.

The two were standing too close.

The refreshing scent of soap, mixed with a slightly astringent tobacco smell, forcefully entered my nasal cavity.

He held her wrist in his palm, and didn't pull away.

The little ball of light kept broadcasting in my mind.

[Host, the duration of holding hands is accumulating. It is recommended to maintain this for at least 30 seconds.]

Jiang Yu scoffed in her mind: "Stop giving live commentary, I find it annoying."

[Backend data is being silently recorded.]

Huo Li raised his head.

"What are you spacing out for?"

Jiang Yu raised her wrist and shook it twice.

"It is a bit ugly."

Huo Li released his grip.

"Don't give it back to me."

Jiang Yu immediately put her hands behind her back.

"You can't take back what you've given away. Don't you know the rules?"

Huo Li stared at her, his lips twitching slightly before quickly pressing them back down.

"Don't try to tough it out at the banquet on Saturday."

Jiang Yu leaned against the brick wall.

"What else can I do if I don't tough it out? Run out crying?"

"Jiang Ruoruo was so happy that she opened three bottles of champagne in a row."

"I'm outside."

She suddenly looked up.

Huo Li said calmly, "If you can't stand it here, then come out."

The alley was silent for two seconds.

Jiang Yu pinched her palm with her fingertips and raised an eyebrow in a seemingly relaxed manner.

"What are you doing out there? Working as a security guard?"

"The Jiang family's security guards don't want any guys with tattoos."

Huo Li looked down at his arm.

"I don't have tattoos."

"But you have that kind of temperament."

Huo Li was too lazy to banter with her.

Jiang Yu glanced at the time; it was 2:38.

Can't delay any longer.

She stood firmly on her feet and reached out her hand to Huo Li.

"Shake hands again."

Huo Li's gaze lingered on that slender hand.

Jiang Yu said matter-of-factly, "I went through a lot of trouble to get out today by using connections, shouldn't you give me some compensation?"

Huo Li raised his hand and covered it with his palm.

This time, they did not part ways immediately.

Rough, large hands enveloped her, the scorching heat seeping into her bones along her veins.

[Continuing to meet the pairing criteria increases lifespan by 1 day. Current balance: 1 year and 18 days.]

"At least they did something decent." Jiang Yu muttered to herself.

She simply placed her other hand on top of it, firmly trapping Huo Li's hand between them.

Huo Li looked down at her movements, his voice extremely low.

"What are you doing?"

"Double the compensation."

In his mind, the system ruthlessly exposed the problem: [Hand contact does not stack benefits. Please stop exploiting the bug.]

Jiang Yu's face stiffened slightly, and she couldn't help but curse out loud.

"Waste System".

The breeze in the alley stopped.

Huo Li had excellent hearing, and his eyebrows were slightly raised.

"Who are you insulting?"

"You're going to curse me to death."

Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Huo Li grabbed it from behind.

The man twisted his wrist, clamped his palm around her wrist, and pulled her half a step forward.

The distance suddenly closed.

He had a rough smell of soap mixed with tobacco, not unpleasant, but extremely aggressive.

Jiang Yu's breath caught in her throat.

"Don't do anything reckless."

She forced herself to keep her voice steady and warned, "This is the back door of the Lin family. If I get photographed here, I'm dead."

Huo Li stared at her evasive gaze, a short, muffled laugh escaping his chest.

"Shall we go to the back of the car?"

"Have you no shame?!"

Jiang Yu's cheeks burned, and she raised her foot to stomp on his work boots.

I didn't want to use too much force.

Huo Li didn't dodge and took the kick head-on.

Just then, my phone started vibrating like crazy in my pocket.

It's Lin Xingran.

Jiang Yu quickly answered the call.

A low, roaring voice came through the receiver: "Yu Yu! Come back quickly! Old Chen just got out of the car, and it looks like he's about to come inside!"

Jiang Yu felt a chill run down her spine.

"I'll be right there!"

She hung up the phone, stuffed the paper bag into her arms, and turned to leave.

Huo Li grabbed her wrist.

"I'll pick you up the day after tomorrow."

"Why did you pick me up?"

"The retreat route on the day of the trial banquet."

Jiang Yu stamped her foot in frustration: "Big brother, now is not the time to discuss retreat! I'm going to get caught!"

Huo Li released his grip and gently pulled her hat brim down.

"Slow down."

Jiang Yu didn't have time to answer and rushed out.

Wutong Lane is uneven and full of potholes.

Fortunately, the flat shoes I'm wearing today have very soft soles.

Her footsteps made almost no sound as she walked on the stone slabs, which also protected her unsteady ankles very well.

The corner is just ahead.

Just rush out of the alley and go around the green belt.

By slipping through the side door of the greenhouse, you can return to the second floor without anyone noticing.

Five steps to go.

Three steps.

step.

The moment Jiang Yu stepped out of the alley.