Ji Yan finished the dishes in front of her silently, wishing that she was invisible. However, she was afraid that Mrs. Shang would vent her anger on her, so she had to serve Shang Jinshen from time to time and do her job as a wife in front of the people.
Shang Jinshen glanced at her and enjoyed her services with ease. When he saw Shang Yu An’s enduring look, he couldn’t help but sneer.
It was bound to be an unhappy family dinner. When Liu Lian left, her face was full of unwillingness and helplessness, and she even glared at Ji Yan.
Ji Yan stood cautiously in the corner of the living room. When everyone was gone, Mrs. Shang flared up again at Ji Yan as she was still mad. “Sl*t, tell me honestly, did you conspire with that b*tch Liu Lian to marry into my family to help that illegitimate child compete for the family fortune?”
The Shang family had investigated the history between Shang Yu An and Ji Yan, so there was a reason for Mrs. Shang’s dissatisfaction with Ji Yan.
Ji Yan was quite speechless. “Mrs. Shang, I have nothing to do with Shang Yu An.”
Obviously, Mrs. Shang did not believe her. She snorted coldly and said, “It’s not easy to covet the Shang family. Even if you are married, you are still an outsider. I’m warning you, don’t play tricks.”
An outsider? Ji Yan smiled bitterly in her heart, but she did not say anything.
Shang Jinshen suddenly said coldly, “Mother, you should rest early. Push me back to my room.” The latter half of the sentence was directed at Ji Yan. Ji Yan was stunned and hurriedly came over to push Shang Jinshen upstairs. At the same time, she thought, “Is he helping me out?”
When she got to the master bedroom, Ji Yan was a little embarrassed and didn’t know whether to leave or stay. It was also her wedding room with Shang Jinshen. However, she had been expelled to the guest room a few days ago. After thinking about it, Ji Yan decided to go back to the guest room.
“Why are you standing there like a fool? Get me bath water ready.”
Ji Yan turned to the bathroom and cursed in her heart, “You are the fool. Your whole family is the fool!”
What surprised her, even more, was that Shang Jinshen asked her to help him with his bath after she had prepared the bathwater.
Shang Jinshen looked at Ji Yan with interest and ridicule. Her face was as red as a tomato.
A bath is a bath! It’s not a big deal. Ji Yan made up her mind and pushed Shang Jinshen into the bathroom without saying anything.
When she reached the bathroom, she was a little embarrassed. “Well, can you go in by yourself?” Ji Yan pointed to the steaming bathtub.
“If I can go in on my own, what do I need you for?” Shang Jinshen looked at her and asked lazily.
…
“Then… Can you take off your clothes yourself?” His hands were not disabled, right? He shouldn’t need her to help him undress.
How could Shang Jinshen not know what she was thinking? He intentionally went against her and said, “Isn’t it your duty to help your husband take off his clothes?”
Duty? When did he ever regard her as his wife? Hmph, he must be making fun of her as a maid now. Ji Yan complained over and over again. Then she stepped forward and lowered her body to unbutton Shang Jinshen’s shirt.
Her fragrance mixed with the smell of medicine drifted into Shang Jinshen’s nose. He took two more breaths and felt that her scent was not bad. At least, it was much better than the strong perfume on the bodies of the women outside.
Because she was close, a piece of hair on her forehead slipped forward, while her fair cheeks were particularly beautiful in the dim yellow light. Shang Jinshen was absent-minded for a moment when he looked at her. Looking carefully, although Ji Yan was not gorgeous and dazzling, she had a unique charm, as elegant and beautiful as a classical lady.
It’s a pity that you can’t judge a person by their appearance. Sometimes, even Shang Jinshen can’t help but doubt whether such a simple woman would scheme to marry a disfigured cripple like him.
He couldn’t figure it out, so he asked, “Why did you marry me?”
Her delicate hand that was unbuttoning him stopped. Ji Yan raised her beautiful eyes and looked at him. Why did she marry him? When did she ever have the right to choose? She chuckled. “You’re available. It’s that simple.”
She spoke in a calm voice, which made Shang Jinshen frown. He felt something was wrong.
“Do you regret it?” After asking this question, even Shang Jinshen was in disbelief. How could he ask such a question? Before Ji Yan answered, he raised a mocking smile and said, “It’s useless to regret it. You chose it yourself. Even if you die, you have to suffer it alone.”
Ji Yan bit her lip and did not say anything. She lowered her head again.
Shang Jinshen found that Ji Yan seemed to have the habit of biting her lips, whenever she was sad. So when he saw the hurt look in her eyes, he did not say anything cruel.
He pushed her hands away and undressed. Ji Yan put her hand in front of her when Shang Jinshen’s back fell into her view. It was full of scars.
She was stunned and forgot her inner sadness. Ji Yan couldn’t help but put her hand close, but she didn’t dare to touch those horrible scars. She murmured, “Does it hurt?”
Shang Jinshen stopped abruptly and did not look back. He seemed to hear a trace of distress in her tone and shook his head in amusement. How could this woman feel sorry for him? She probably hated him more than anyone else.
Shang Jinshen didn’t think about it anymore as he didn’t want to be affected by her emotions again and again. He held onto the handle and moved his body into the bathtub. The hot water surrounded his body in an instant and he exhaled comfortably.
Ji Yan, who came back to her senses, secretly scolded herself for being foolish. How could she say that? People like Shang Jinshen did not need her care at all. He was covered with scars all over his body and it was not rare. However, there were so many scars! He must have experienced a lot of pain when the incident happened.
“How long are you going to stand and watch?” Shang Jinshen asked leisurely.
Ji Yan was a little embarrassed and asked, “I’ll go out first?” She planned to escape first.
“Come and wipe my back.” Shang Jinshen didn’t let her off easily.
Ji Yan silently cursed. Wipe his back? Why did she need to do that too? She silently picked up a piece of cloth. Ji Yan slowly walked over and gently wiped his back. Because of those scars, she didn’t dare to use her strength at all, although she knew that those scars should not have hurt for a long time.
Shang Jinshen lowered deep eyes. He was right. Her actions were gentle and full of pity, so there were only two possibilities. Either this woman was a marvelous actress or she was indeed innocent.
Shang Jinshen didn’t tell her to stop, so Ji Yan kept wiping, and her arm ached. The wounds on her body seemed to be shouting, making her frown in pain.
After a long time, Shang Jinshen discovered Ji Yan’s unusual behavior. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and her face began to turn pale.
“You can stop,” Shang Jinshen said faintly.
Ji Yan quickly threw the cloth down and stood up, pretending to rub her shoulders. Her body was hot and she couldn’t bear it. She didn’t know what orders Shang Jinshen would give next but she didn’t dare to leave.
“All right, I don’t need you anymore. Go and apply medicine for yourself.” He seemed to be impatient. Ji Yan was happy and quickly left the bathroom. Looking at Shang Jinshen’s face now, there wasn’t a trace of impatience.
Ji Yan’s wounds couldn’t touch the water. She went back to wipe her wounds and then applied the ointment. Soon, after finishing everything, she changed into pajamas and fell asleep with exhaustion on her face.