Chu Yi had just returned to the villa when he saw car headlights illuminating the courtyard through the window.
He waited downstairs instead of going up.
When Shen Jin entered, he saw Chu Yi approaching from the living room.
Shen Jin: “What’s wrong?” It seemed Chu Yi had become quite bold today, having approached him twice already.
Chu Yi shook his head, smiling. “I just wanted to thank Mr. Shen again.”
Shen Jin: “You’ve already thanked me.”
Perhaps it was the evening light, but Shen Jin’s figure seemed aloof, just as Chu Yi had seen his back on their first night.
Chu Yi unconsciously took a half-step back.
“Later, the manager brought us a lot of delicious food and even comped our bill,” Chu Yi said.
The other classmates didn’t know the real reason, but Chu Yi seemed to understand: it was because of Shen Jin.
Even if they had genuinely won a prize, the manager wouldn’t have needed to deliver it personally, let alone comp their bill. In the two months Chu Yi had worked at the club, he had never even seen the manager. The only explanation was that it was all because of Shen Jin and his friends—ultimately, because of Shen Jin.
Shen Jin looked at him and said calmly, “I know nothing about this.”
Chu Yi blinked. “Regardless, it’s all thanks to Mr. Shen. Thank you, Mr. Shen.”
Recalling the abundance of alcohol in Shen Jin’s private room when he left, Chu Yi wondered if Shen Jin had drunk a lot. He asked, “Mr. Shen, do you need me to help you upstairs?”
“No need,” Shen Jin replied before heading upstairs. His steps were steady, and he was perfectly sober.
Chu Yi had a feeling that Shen Jin was wary of him, perhaps worried he would cling to him. He felt Shen Jin’s concern was unnecessary. He only wanted to express his gratitude, with no ulterior motives. Still, his conscience was clear.
After Shen Jin went upstairs, Chu Yi returned to his own room.
No matter the situation, Shen Jin always maintained a clear state of mind. Even when drinking, he never allowed himself to feel drunk.
He was different from ordinary people.
As a child, a freak accident had robbed him of his sense of pain. He could no longer feel any pain at all.
Even if a sharp knife were plunged deep into his body, he wouldn’t feel a thing.
Pain is meant to protect the body, but Shen Jin had lost this protective layer.
This constitution was extremely dangerous. The body often communicated its health status through pain, prompting defensive and protective responses.
The bracelet on Shen Jin’s wrist was precisely how his body registered pain.
The bracelet displayed different colors based on the pain level: green indicated minor pain, like a gentle bump or a pinprick—a safe range.
Yellow signified moderate pain, such as a sprained ankle or a cut from a kitchen knife—a dangerous range.
Red represented severe pain, like a fracture or a knife wound—an extremely dangerous range.
Shen Jin relied entirely on the bracelet to detect pain. Whenever something was amiss, the bracelet would vibrate to alert him.
The bracelet was never to be removed from his wrist, no matter the circumstances.
Only three people knew about this: Uncle Wen, Shen Jin’s bodyguard Chen Ye, and his doctor.
Shen Jin remained constantly vigilant against anyone who approached him.
In his own room, Shen Jin removed the bracelet—a safe haven.
When Chu Yi went to bed, he noticed his phone’s battery was critically low after a night of gaming. He plugged it in to charge, only to realize he’d left the charging cable downstairs.
Twenty percent battery was a deeply unsettling range.
Without hesitation, Chu Yi got out of bed and found the charging cable on the living room sofa. As he picked it up to head upstairs, a figure flickered in his peripheral vision.
Luckily, the lights were on downstairs. Otherwise, the sudden movement would have scared Chu Yi to death. The villa was simply too vast; one never knew where a figure might suddenly appear.
Chu Yi quietly patted his chest and greeted Shen Jin, “Mr. Shen.”
Shen Jin nodded.
Only then did Chu Yi notice that Shen Jin was different. He was wearing casual home clothes instead of his usual suit and tie, likely because he had just showered.
Though the home clothes softened Shen Jin’s usual air of authority, he still exuded an effortless aura of command.
After greeting Shen Jin, Chu Yi turned to go upstairs, but his foot froze. A flash of red caught his eye.
The lights downstairs were still bright, and Chu Yi, who wasn’t nearsighted, clearly saw a streak of red on Shen Jin’s arm. It looked like blood. Shen Jin was injured, but he seemed oblivious.
Suddenly, Chu Yi rushed in front of Shen Jin. His speed startled Shen Jin, who frowned, realizing the distance had crossed the safe zone.
As Shen Jin was about to speak, Chu Yi urgently said, “Mr. Shen, you’re injured!”
If Chu Yi had looked closely, he would have noticed that the bracelet Shen Jin always wore was missing.
Shen Jin frowned, glanced down, and saw nothing.
Chu Yi pointed, “Mr. Shen, you’re hurt here on your arm. It’s bleeding.”
Shen Jin raised his arm to examine it. He hadn’t noticed when a small cut had appeared, stained with blood. From experience, it was just a minor injury. Chu Yi’s tone had made him think it was much worse.
Shen Jin casually replied, “It’s nothing.”
He must have scraped it somewhere without realizing it. Indeed, he couldn’t even remove his bracelet at home.
“How can you say it’s nothing? You’re bleeding!” Chu Yi frowned slightly as he examined Shen Jin’s wound. “It must hurt a lot.”
In Chu Yi’s mind, bleeding from an injury was a very serious matter.
Seeing Shen Jin injured, Chu Yi momentarily forgot his fear of him and pulled him to sit on the sofa. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Shen Jin watched Chu Yi scurry upstairs. Moments later, he saw him scurry back down.
In the dead of night, the sound of running footsteps echoed clearly through the luxurious mansion. The household staff usually moved with utmost care, no one daring to run indoors.
Chu Yi, clutching a small box, rushed to Shen Jin’s side. “You must apply medicine to your wound. It’s important!”
Perhaps due to a lack of exercise, Chu Yi was slightly breathless after running up and down the stairs, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Chu Yi opened the small box. “Mr. Shen, please take good care of your wound. Otherwise, it might leave a scar.”
The contents of the box were first given to him by his private doctor after he was burned last time. It contained everyday first-aid supplies like alcohol, iodine, and bandages. He never expected he’d need them so soon.
“Mr. Shen, let me take care of this,” Chu Yi offered.
Shen Jin replied, “No, I’ll do it myself.”
“Let me help,” Chu Yi insisted. “That spot is hard for you to reach.”
Seeing Chu Yi’s determined gaze, Shen Jin fell silent, lost in thought. His silence was taken as consent.
Chu Yi picked up an alcohol swab, examined Shen Jin’s wound, and said softly, “Mr. Shen, I’m going to start now.”
The skin was already broken, and the alcohol would sting terribly. Chu Yi knew that pain all too well.
Shen Jin grunted in acknowledgment. Chu Yi glanced up at him. His expression was stern and cold, his thoughts unreadable. Chu Yi pursed his lips and lowered his head to continue cleaning the blood from Shen Jin’s arm.
Even as he worked, Shen Jin’s gaze remained sharp and piercing.
Chu Yi carefully disinfected Shen Jin’s wound, gently wiping away the blood from his arm. Then he applied an external wound gel.
His movements were light and practiced, as if he often did this alone in silence.
Once he was finished, Chu Yi looked up and said, “All done.”
Shen Jin replied evenly, “Thank you.”
Then, seeing Chu Yi staring at him intently, Shen Jin asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chu Yi’s voice was filled with admiration. “Mr. Shen, you’re amazing!”
Shen Jin: ???
Chu Yi continued, “When I was disinfecting your wound, you didn’t move at all. That’s really impressive. If it were me…”
Chu Yi didn’t finish the sentence, but if it were him, his eyes would have been red from the pain long ago. While cleaning the wound, Chu Yi had secretly glanced at Shen Jin several times, but his expression hadn’t changed even once.
That’s why he was now looking at Shen Jin with such admiration.
Shen Jin: ……
Chu Yi closed the box. “Good night, Mr. Shen.”
Back in his room, Chu Yi finally realized how bold he had been just now, tending to Shen Jin’s wound.
At the same time, he was deeply impressed by Shen Jin’s composure.
Shen Jin returned to his room and put on his wristband. It remained silent, showing no alerts.
Chu Yi pressed lightly on the wound he had treated earlier. His wristband emitted a faint green glow.
