That said, she still felt a strange unease in her heart. She had married into this family in place of An Qing, meant to serve him, but now it was him—a disabled man—taking care of her instead. That weighed on her conscience a little.
"What are you spacing out for? Come on, open up." The man brought the spoon closer, his gaze tender. "It's not hot anymore."
An Ruo's heart pounded loudly. She always felt a flustered, deer-in-headlights panic whenever she faced this man. She cautiously opened her mouth, her amber eyes too afraid to meet his. In contrast, the man moved gently, feeding her the entire bowl of porridge with a doting look.
"Want some more?" An Ruo shook her head, her face flushed with heat. "I'm full."
Truth be told, she hadn't been that hungry to begin with, but she couldn't resist the man's soft, sweet words—and she didn't want to see his disappointed expression. Ugh, she must have been swayed by Shen Xiaoxing's off-the-charts good looks. Otherwise, why would she, someone often teased by Chen Keqiao for having no interest in men, let him get this close to feed her?
Shen Xiaoxing noticed the girl's head lowered, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Thinking she might be unwell, he raised a hand to her forehead. "Does your head still hurt?"
The man's palm was scorching hot, making her breath catch and her heart race even faster. "N-no, it doesn't hurt."
Shen Xiaoxing's thin lips parted slightly, about to say something else, when a knock came at the door.
It was Butler Xu. Seeing An Ruo awake, he first gave a slight bow in greeting, then gently urged, "Young master, you haven't eaten in hours. How about having some dinner?"
An Ruo froze, looking at the man with confusion. "You haven't eaten yet?"
Before he could answer, Butler Xu quickly spoke up for him. "Young mistress, you were unconscious for a while. The young master was worried that if he left, you'd wake up with no one to care for you, so he stayed by your bedside for hours."
Shen Xiaoxing glanced at Butler Xu, who, thinking he was being scolded for speaking out of turn, quickly lowered his head in fear.
An Ruo's ears echoed with Butler Xu's words over and over. She stared at the man in disbelief—this proud, aloof man had stayed by her side for hours.
"Um..." she spoke weakly. "I'm hungry."
The man raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hungry again?" Hadn't she just eaten?
"Yeah."
The man had Butler Xu bring up dinner. Since An Ruo was injured, she could only eat light foods, so he instructed the kitchen to keep it simple. He knew the girl had a taste for spicy food and loved unclean snacks. Now, with her injury forcing her to eat bland meals, he worried she might feel upset, so he gently reassured her, "Once your head wound heals, you can have the kitchen make whatever you want."
An Ruo looked at the table full of bland dishes and really had no appetite, but hearing the man's words, her heart felt sweet.
She picked up some vegetables and placed them in the man's bowl, her voice soft and clear. "You should eat more."
Shen Xiaoxing's gaze flickered, a faint light shining in his deep, dark eyes. He curled his lips slightly. "You should eat more too."
The atmosphere between them warmed up. An Ruo took small bites—she wasn't hungry; she had lied just to get the man to eat.
...
During the days she was injured, the man took meticulous care of her. Everything—eating, drinking, and bathroom breaks—happened in the bedroom. Even when she needed to use the toilet, he would lift her onto his lap, then maneuver his wheelchair to bring her to the toilet.
This... An Ruo's face flushed with embarrassment. "I only hurt my head; my hands and feet are fine..."
"Your fingers are connected to your heart. Moving your body with a head injury will still make you uncomfortable."
Ha, what kind of twisted logic was that? But since the man didn't mind the trouble, she got used to the shyness after two times.
Stuck at home recovering, An Ruo was incredibly bored. Her days were spent eating, sleeping, or watching movies with the man.
"Eat more fruit; it helps with the wound." Now that her eyesight had recovered, she could freely peel fruit and pour water without having to lie to hide anything.
The man peeled an orange for her, along with some washed fruit. The servants cut them into small, beautifully arranged pieces. An Ruo watched a movie, skewering pieces with a toothpick and popping them into her mouth.
"Young master, that woman calling herself An Qing is here again. She's at the door, demanding to see you..."
At the mention of that name, An Ruo's hand froze mid-motion as she was eating fruit. She whipped her head toward the man. Shen Xiaoxing's expression was indifferent as he raised his chin in a gesture. "Send her away."
The news that she had married him in An Qing's place had caused such a stir in the Shen household—there was no way the man didn't know. But he had never brought it up. Why?
"Mr. Shen..." An Ruo twisted her fingers together, lowering her eyes slightly. "There's something I've never told you."
Shen Xiaoxing continued peeling fruit, cutting it into pieces and pushing them toward her.
"I lied to you. My real name is An Ruo. I'm an orphan adopted by Grandma An before she passed away, not An Qing, who was betrothed to you..." She bit her lip lightly. "Thank you for taking care of me all this time. The fault is mine. Whatever conditions you propose, I'll accept."
Whether it was being sent to the police station, swapping back, or having An Qing take her place in the villa, she would accept it all.
The man wiped the fruit knife clean, set the dangerous object aside, and leaned back slightly against the chair. "Really? Any condition?"
"Yeah."
When Shen Yu and the others wanted to send her to prison, she refused to accept it—because the deception was indeed her fault, but the An family shouldn't have stood by and done nothing. So she wouldn't yield. But with Shen Xiaoxing, aside from his harsh words to her before, now... he was good to her, and her guilt ran deeper.