Chapter 57 Unable to Sleep Out of Fear?

"Ah!"
Xu An’an dove back under the covers, wrapping her arms tightly around Jiang Li’s narrow waist, as if only then did she feel truly safe.

Jiang Li was thoroughly amused by An’an’s reaction, his eyes shining brightly.

He felt a poke at his waist, followed by Xu An’an’s muffled voice. “Is it over?”

“It’s over.”

“You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“Believe what you want.”

“…”

Xu An’an was both timid and playful. She genuinely enjoyed the plot of this movie—it was captivating—but the scary scenes were truly terrifying.

The special effects were so realistic.

Those eyeballs looked like they were actually dangling from faces, mouths seemed to have been cut open with scissors and then stitched shut…

And the fake blood—it flowed as if it cost nothing, splashing red across the entire screen!

It was perfectly normal for Xu An’an to cry out in fear; only someone like Jiang Li would stay unfazed.

Not only was he unafraid, he even found amusement in teasing her.

At the end of the film, a line appeared on the screen that could easily bring tears to anyone’s eyes: [The ghost that frightens you might well be someone’s dearly missed loved one.]

Jiang Li’s eyes deepened, fixed intently on that line.

Just then, the little woman beside him spoke up, “I miss my grandparents so much. They both passed away one after another when I was still in elementary school…”

“They say those who leave us become stars in the sky.”

“It’s a pity it’s raining so heavily tonight.”

“But in the city, you can hardly ever see many stars. Do you know why?”

Xu An’an had noticed the look on Jiang Li’s face, as if he was about to break, and it pricked at her heart. Normally, he was so infuriating she wanted to punch him at any moment.

But now, she wanted to comfort him.

Sure enough, her ceaseless chatter perfectly distracted Jiang Li. He turned and kissed her.

The moment their lips met—

Xu An’an’s beautiful eyes widened.

Was it intentional, or just by chance?

It couldn’t be helped—they were lying together, shoulder to shoulder.

Remembering her hands were covered in ointment and it was inconvenient to do much else, Jiang Li calmly turned away. “There will be stars when the sky clears.”

Xu An’an rubbed her eyes. “Hmm, the weather forecast says it’ll rain for the whole week.”

“The rain will stop eventually.”

“After the rain, there’ll be a rainbow.”

They kept talking, half-heartedly, as if only by doing so could they avoid dwelling on sad things.

As they talked, Xu An’an drifted into sleep, but only for a short while. She woke drowsily. “Second Master, are you asleep?”

No answer.

Remembering she’d been tricked twice already, Xu An’an was determined not to fall for it again. “I’m asking you now. If you’re pretending to sleep, don’t blame me for being rude.”

“I’m not asleep.”

Hearing the resignation in the man’s voice, Xu An’an smiled, lips pressed together. “It’s already two in the morning—aren’t you sleepy?”

Again, no response. Xu An’an looked up.

What she saw was the turbulence and complexity in his eyes.

She lifted the corners of her mouth, deliberately teasing him. “Could it be that the famous Second Master is too scared to sleep after watching a horror movie?”

The next moment, Xu An’an took the initiative and hugged Jiang Li.

“Go to sleep. I’ll protect you from all the monsters and ghosts.”

Her tone was light and playful, like coaxing a little child in kindergarten. She even chanted, “Do nothing shameful, earn no ill-gotten money, keep a light in your heart, and stay open and honest. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you won’t fear a knock at night, nor the shadows on the wall, as long as you’re upright in body and mind…”

Suddenly, Xu An’an stopped. From the chest pressed against her back came a soft tremor, a low laugh falling into her ear.

Her face flushed in embarrassment. “What are you laughing at? When I was little, every Ghost Festival and Qingming, my grandma would coax me to sleep just like that.”

“Grandma’s words are never wrong!”

Jiang Li reined in his laughter.

When it came to important family, it was a serious matter.

“You’re right, grandma’s words are never wrong. Go on.”

“No.”

Xu An’an refused crisply, turning her back to Jiang Li. “I have to work tomorrow. If Second Master can’t sleep, go downstairs for a walk.”

Hmph, let’s see you try to get close now.

If it weren’t for the ointment covering his hands, Jiang Li would have loved to ruffle Xu An’an’s hair or pinch her cheeks—she was so adorably stubborn.

But, well, he liked her just the way she was.

Sensing Jiang Li moving, Xu An’an turned to look, eyes wide.

She saw Jiang Li sit up using only his waist muscles! How strong did his core have to be?

Jiang Li got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

After hesitating a second, Xu An’an called out, “Do you need help?”

The sound of running water came from inside.

It was the faucet.

Xu An’an, curious, followed him and found Jiang Li washing the ointment off his hands. She thought he must be uncomfortable—sticky hands made everything inconvenient.

But when she saw the burned skin on his hands, she couldn’t help but step forward.

“What are you doing? If you don’t listen to the doctor, you’re only hurting yourself.”

The next instant, Jiang Li pulled Xu An’an toward him, lifted her onto the sink, cupped the back of her head with his large hand, and pressed his lips to hers.

His actions were gentle yet forceful, the intense sensation spreading from the tip of her tongue deep within.

Only when Xu An’an was nearly breathless did Jiang Li finally pull away, their foreheads touching, his deep gaze locked on hers.

Their breaths mingled, heavy and intimate.

Faced with such closeness, Xu An’an was at a loss, and simply buried her face in Jiang Li’s shoulder.

Jiang Li rested in the hollow of her neck, letting out a quiet sigh, part lament, part contentment.

His warm breath brushed softly again and again over Xu An’an’s ear, sending a tingling sensation through her, as if countless little ants were crawling straight into her heart.

Back in bed, Xu An’an urged Jiang Li to reapply the ointment.

Jiang Li refused, pulling Xu An’an into his arms, his large hand landing on her shapely bottom, his voice husky. “Be good and sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

After all the commotion, Xu An’an was already drowsy.

Seeing him so stubborn about the ointment, she let him have his way.

…

“Ali!!”

“It’s me, sob, I’m sorry!”

Still half-asleep, Xu An’an was awakened by voices outside the hospital room. She rubbed her eyes. “Who is it? What’s going on?”

“Lin Jiaojiao.”

The man whispered in her ear.

Realizing what was happening, Xu An’an snapped awake, anxiously looking for a place to hide, but Jiang Li held her down. “The door’s locked.”

Xu An’an shoved him aside. “You think she’ll just leave?”

If Lin Jiaojiao flew into a rage and kicked down the door, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Jiang Li sat up, running a hand casually through his hair. “The hospital security isn’t just for show.”

Xu An’an strained to listen—sure enough, there was no sign of Lin Jiaojiao’s madness. Still, she couldn’t stay any longer. She quickly dressed and made for the door.

When she reached it, she paused.