Volume One, Chapter 10: Jin Nian, Is That Alright?

Nightfall descended.

After finishing his wash in the courtyard, Jin Nian returned to his room. The moment he entered and switched on the light, he sensed something amiss.

Someone had been in his room.

Though the intruder had meticulously erased all traces, a faint, lingering fragrance floated quietly in the air.

Jin Nian, having smelled it all afternoon, recognized it instantly.

It was Comrade Shen.

But why had she come into his room?

He couldn’t quite figure it out, yet that didn’t stop him from thoroughly inspecting the entire space.

Comrade Shen was very disciplined.

It seemed she had only sat at his desk reading, venturing nowhere else.

Jin Nian’s brow furrowed deeper.

Suddenly, he turned and left the room.

He knew his mother’s intentions well, so without overthinking, he knocked on the adjacent door.

Before his finger could touch it, the door was swung open from the inside—by Shen Nian’an herself.

Startled by the imposing figure before her, she instinctively leaned back, stepping away two paces.

Yet Shen Nian’an seemed to have forgotten one thing.

In the next moment, a sharp pain shot through her ankle. Her face scrunched up in agony as she softly exclaimed, “Ouch.”

Her delicate voice, soft as a feather brushing the heart, stirred something in Jin Nian.

After a moment, the pain subsided, and as she looked up to ask why this formidable man stood before her door, he suddenly bent down.

A wave of weightlessness overwhelmed her, and in panic, she threw her arms around his neck.

Soon, she was gently placed back on the bed.

The man settled on the stool beside it.

“What are you doing in my room?” Jin Nian asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Still lost in the confusing moment of why he had just embraced her, Shen Nian’an blurted out, “You knew?”

The instant the words escaped her lips, realization dawned. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

That shockingly adorable expression made Jin Nian suddenly feel that his persistent quest for answers didn’t seem so important anymore.

---

“Your foot,” he said, shifting the subject so abruptly that Shen Nian’an barely registered before he extended his hand towards her.

Her small, fair foot rested in his broad palm, an inexplicable flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

Surely he didn’t think she was trying to seduce him?

Turning the thought over, she lightly tried to pull her foot back, but his grip was like glue—unyielding and firm.

Damn it! This is just a fake marriage! A contractual relationship! What was this nonsense?

Pouting with frustration, Shen Nian’an demanded, “Let go!”

At her words, Jin Nian finally released her.

“No second injury to the bone,” he stated.

“Huh?” She asked uncertainly. “You were just checking the wound? No other intentions?”

Jin Nian looked up, unusually verbose. “Military training is specialized; I’m no doctor, but I can judge basic conditions.”

So it was… just as she thought.

Comrade Jin was simply helping with her injury, and she had mistaken him for a two-faced scoundrel.

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks; she wished she could vanish into thin air.

At that moment, Jin Nian spoke again, but overwhelmed by awkwardness, Shen Nian’an couldn’t recall what she had said. When she snapped back to awareness, he was already gone.

She let out a long breath.

“So embarrassing! So embarrassing!”

Just as she muttered, the door swung open once more, and the man returned—this time carrying a basin of water.

“Go wash up,” he instructed.

Shen Nian’an was stunned.

Suddenly, memories long buried surged back.

This time, it wasn’t Comrade Jin’s fault—it was she who had agreed.

“Thank you,” she finally said belatedly. “Don’t worry, Comrade Jin, I definitely won’t fall for you!”

Jin Nian frowned. “Wash first. When you’re done, call me. I’ll be right outside.”

The door closed, leaving Shen Nian’an alone.

She gazed into the basin’s clear water, her reflection shimmering with gentle ripples.

A different Shen Nian’an—one who allowed herself to be swept away by the chaos of love.

Her heart stirred like the wavering water.

---

She couldn’t deny it—she had feelings for Jin Nian.

Tall, handsome, and exceptional.

Especially when he held her in his broad arms, strong and secure.

That was something she had yearned for deep inside since her years as an orphan.

So she had allowed her emotions to carry her away.

Learning that Jin Nian used her as a shield brought shame and annoyance.

But upon reflection, aside from the marriage certificate incident, he hadn’t wronged her in any other way—and she herself had harbored secret intentions about that.

She shouldn’t have doubted Comrade Jin’s sincerity just because of her inexplicable affection.

With that realization, Shen Nian’an felt much lighter.

Indeed, love made one useless. She resolved to focus on her research instead.

The cool water washed away the day’s fatigue — and also the nascent sparks of romance that hadn’t yet taken root.

“Comrade Jin, I’m done.”

Jin Nian returned to the room, sensing a change in Shen Nian’an, though he couldn’t quite place it.

A sudden unease stirred within him, a desperate need to grasp something intangible.

“An’an, wait—I’ll get you some water to wash your feet.”

No longer awkward, Shen Nian’an blinked at the affectionate nickname, then smiled warmly.

“Thank you, Comrade Jin.”

“By the way, if it’s convenient, could you help bring my suitcase over? I think it’s still in your car.”

Anxiety deepened in Jin Nian’s chest, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“Jin Nian.”

So that was it.

As fake spouses, calling each other “Comrade” felt distant.

“Jin Nian, is that okay?”

The young woman tilted her head, smiling sweetly. Yet Jin Nian found her smile somewhat dazzling.

“Mm.”

Suppressing his discomfort, Jin Nian stepped out.

After a while, with Shen Nian’an freshly washed and Jin Nian without any reason to linger, he left the room.

He stood outside her door for a moment, about to turn away, when he caught sight of a furtive figure by the staircase.