After her dramatic cousin stopped acting up, the aloof doctor got anxious.

She huddled in the passenger seat, trying to minimize her presence, curling up into a ball as if she wanted to squeeze herself into the seat crevice.

But a person this big isn't someone she can hide from just because she wants to.

Qi Wenshen glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

The seatbelt cut through the middle, making those two soft mounds stand out even more, rising and falling slightly with each breath, as if they were alive.

It's hard to ignore.

He recalled the sensation of being hit.

The impact was that soft, warm mass against his chest.

He stumbled back several steps, not just because of the impact, but also because a strange, tingling sensation spread from his chest and crawled down his spine.

Thinking about it now brings back that tingling sensation.

Qi Wenshen withdrew his gaze, looked ahead, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Shen Ruo shrank back, actually secretly watching Qi Wenshen.

From her angle, she could only see his profile.

His lips were tightly pressed together, his expression was indifferent and aloof, and his jawline was taut, revealing no emotion.

The black shirt accentuated his pale complexion, giving him a reserved and profound air. Unlike the aloof and restrained feeling he exuded when wearing a white coat during the day, he now resembled a knife sheathed, its sharpness concealed.

Shen Ruo was engrossed in secretly watching.

Qi Wenshen suddenly turned his head.

Eyes facing each other.

Shen Ruo: "!!!"

Her face flushed red, and she forced an awkward smile, quickly lowering her head to stare at the patterns on the seatbelt, pretending that she wasn't the one who had been peeking.

But inside, I was screaming: I told you not to look at things randomly!

Do you think you can mess with Qi Wenshen?

In the book, he tortured the original owner to the point of near death.

Although the plot seems to have gone off track, what if he suddenly awakens a plot-driven killer?

She felt a little uneasy when she recalled the scene at the hospital entrance where Qi Wenshen intercepted Zhou Ke.

What exactly does this man want to do?

He's supposed to be my cousin, but what cousin would glare at someone like that, like "If you dare get into someone else's car, I'll break your legs"?

He's not her guardian, why is he meddling in her affairs?

Shen Ruo was lost in thought, his mind wandering far away.

Qi Wenshen turned his head to look at her dazed expression, his brows furrowing slightly. "Zhou Ke is a playboy; he changes women like he changes clothes."

Shen Ruo never intended to have anything to do with Zhou Ke.

If she could, she wouldn't even want to know this person.

She didn't want to take on any of the bad romantic entanglements left behind by the original owner; she just wanted to quietly finish the story and find a way back to the real world.

I wonder how she is doing in the real world?

She nodded obediently, her voice soft and sweet: "I understand, cousin."

She thought the answer was quite good, perfectly capturing the appropriate demeanor of a well-behaved cousin.

But she overlooked one detail.

As she spoke, she was huddled in her seat, her chin tucked in, and her big, round eyes looked toward Qi Wenshen. From that angle, her face appeared even rounder, like a cat being picked up by its owner, both obedient and timid.

Qi Wenshen unconsciously rubbed his fingers on the steering wheel.

cousin.

The way she called him that carried a hint of coquetry, with the last syllable rising slightly, like a kitten's paw scratching at his heart.

His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak.

After his cousin came to live with him, the two rarely saw each other because they worked different shifts.

Unable to resist my mother's nagging, I changed my shift to the same time as my cousin's.

Silence fell again inside the car.

at this time,

"Gurgle"

Shen Ruo: "..."

She awkwardly covered her stomach, her face instantly turning bright red.

"Gurgle..."

Her stomach growled again, as if protesting that she was covering herself too tightly, and the sound was even louder.

Qi Wenshen also heard it.

His gaze swept over and landed on Shen Ruo's pouty lips, which were pouting because she was hungry.

Her lips were slightly pouting, pink and tender, like two ripe cherries, inviting people to taste them.

Qi Wenshen suppressed the strange restlessness in his heart and focused on driving, as if he hadn't seen anything just now.

But then came several more gurgling protests from the side, each one louder and more pitiful than the last.

Shen Ruo: "..."

Make a crack so she can jump in!

How embarrassing, so incredibly embarrassing.

She's working the night shift today, from 4 PM to midnight.

The food in the hospital cafeteria was really not to her liking.

The braised pork was fatty and had hair on its skin, the vegetables were stir-fried until they were yellow, and the rice was so coarse that it was hard to swallow.

She bought a loaf of bread and ate it, but she was so busy that she didn't stop moving, and it was all gone by then.

She was so hungry that her stomach felt like it could hold a whole cow.

Qi Wenshen, as if possessed, spoke up, his tone as cold as ever, "Want some late-night snacks?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Wenshen was stunned.

He has never liked eating out, and he realized what he was saying before he spoke.

Upon hearing it, Shen Ruo exclaimed, "It's heavenly music!"

Her eyes lit up instantly, and she almost blurted out, "Yes, yes, yes!"

But reason prevailed in time.

Going out for a late-night snack with the male lead?

Will I die even faster?

Which of the female supporting characters in the book didn't get close to the male lead under the guise of having a late-night snack, only to be tortured to the point of death?

She didn't want to be one of them.

But I'm so hungry.

Shen Ruo was conflicted; two little voices were fighting inside her.

A little person holding a fork says, "Go on, eating is the most important thing in the world."

Another tiny figure, holding a shield, said, "Your life is more important. Do you think you can just mooch off the male lead's food like that?"

In the end, the will to survive prevailed over the appetite.

Shen Ruo bit her lip and said weakly, "No need, cousin, I'll just make some instant noodles when I get back."

In reality, she was in tears.

She firmly suppressed her desire to go out for a late-night snack.

My life is more important.

Shen Ruo mentally gave herself a thumbs up for being strong.

Qi Wenshen looked at the woman's adorable expression—she clearly wanted to go, her eyes were shining, yet she was saying one thing but meaning another—and a smile was hidden in his eyes.

"Instant noodles have no nutritional value."

He said casually, then turned the car around and drove straight to a 24-hour congee shop.

She said no, but her legs followed her inside on their own.

Shen Ruo, have some backbone, okay?

She cursed herself inwardly, but her eyes were glued to the menu on the wall, thinking about what to order.

It was past 1 a.m., and there were still two or three tables of customers in the store. They all looked like workers who had just finished their night shifts, engrossed in their food, and no one paid them any attention.

Shen Ruo followed Qi Wenshen to a corner booth, sat down, and picked up the menu to start looking at it.

She swallowed hard as she watched.

She raised her hand, her voice very cheerful, "Waiter, I'd like a seafood congee, two barbecues, lamb skewers and chicken wings, and a cup of mango pomelo sago."

After taking notes, the waiter looked at Qi Wenshen and asked, "Where is the gentleman?"

Plain congee.

"That's all?"

"Um."

Shen Ruo: "..."

She secretly glanced at Qi Wenshen, thinking to herself that this man's life was really meaningless.

Coming for a late-night snack in the middle of the night, and all you order is a bowl of plain porridge?

No wonder he looks so cold; it's no wonder he gets all warm from eating plain porridge every day.