CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: LET ME TELL YOU A STORY

After returning to bed, Ye Manman’s mind went blank for a moment, and most of the emotions that made her feel ashamed to the point of death faded away.

Counting this life post-transmigration, she had never been so embarrassed in two lifetimes, and she had truly fallen flat on her face because of He Chen.

Seeing that he not only didn’t mind, but even took the initiative to empty the chamber pot, Ye Manman was stunned.

Everyone’s adults now, and to be so unconcerned about helping someone with such a private matter, Ye Manman admits, she absolutely couldn’t do it.

Maybe it was due to confirming her place in his heart, or perhaps because in such an overwhelmingly embarrassing moment she subconsciously chose to ask him for help, Ye Manman suddenly realized that He Chen’s importance in her heart had markedly changed.

From initially thinking he would be a future big shot and trying to cozy up to him, to the heartfelt care and protection he had shown her before, and now, his complete disregard for her dirtiness.

Ye Manman felt like a frog in warm water, ready to be cooked, yet she didn’t want to resist one bit.

The sound of movement came from the doorway again, as He Chen returned.

His face flushed as he placed the clean chamber pot back at the foot of the bed and stood awkwardly beside it.

"Manman, don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. I don’t mind these things; I’m happy to do them for you. As long as you need me, I’m always willing to do anything for you, don’t overthink this or worry about me minding you."

"Really, I will never mind, so don’t think you’re bad or overexert yourself by doing things that are inconvenient; it will only hurt you."

"You need to understand that this situation is because you’re injured, and I’m very willing to care for you. We are a couple, and we don’t need to be so concerned about these things. In the future, if you need anything from me, feel free to ask."

"Don’t cry, it will break my heart, really break my heart."

He Chen clumsily crouched beside the bed, for the first time proactively saying these emotional words, even though his face was so flushed from saying such cheesy things, he continued to look into Ye Manman’s eyes.

He wanted to share his true thoughts with her.

He couldn’t let her continue to be strong and get hurt like before.

Ye Manman hadn’t noticed she had started crying again until He Chen’s rough fingertips touched her face. Only when seeing the moisture on his fingers did she suddenly realize she was, indeed, moved to tears.

He Chen’s expression was heartbreaking, filled with concern, worry, and profound tenderness.

How can such a good person exist?

Ye Manman couldn’t comprehend, but she indeed felt relieved from all those past feelings due to his heartfelt words.

She pouted while crying and laughing.

"Hmph, I know, just wait for me to summon you every day, Director He!"

"And your hand is too rough, my face is almost scratched up."

She spoke to him with her usual tone, although her tears hadn’t dried, the smile on her face was genuine.

He Chen then confirmed she truly accepted it without having random thoughts or doing anything silly.

He belatedly touched the back of his head, awkwardly retracting his hand.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Does your face hurt? Let me wipe it with a towel for you."

He Chen swiftly brought a towel to wipe away her tears, yet Ye Manman felt quite uncomfortable.

"My face feels so dry, all because you made me cry. Now it’s too dry, I need a wet towel to wipe my whole face and apply some cold cream."

Having accepted He Chen in her heart, she felt no pressure to command him.

He Chen was pleasantly surprised by her change in attitude, showing no impatience as he quickly fetched a wet towel to carefully wipe her face.

As he wiped, Ye Manman lifted her neck.

"My neck needs wiping too, as do my arms and legs. I fell on the floor earlier, it’s so dirty."

"Will the bed be dirty?"

She worried about bringing dust to the bed, but He Chen reassured her.

"It’s fine, even if it gets dirty, it’s no big deal. At night, you can sleep in my bed. I’ll wash the blankets tomorrow."

He carefully and cautiously cleaned most of her skin, outside the clothes, even though his heart was racing, he didn’t shy away from looking.

Those heartfelt words weren’t just to convince Ye Manman; He Chen was genuinely realizing that they should not be so distant.

He should attend to her properly, with undivided attention when needed, and the shyness can be discussed later. As long as Ye Manman was willing to accept him, he felt anything would be fine.

After helping her manage everything, He Chen went to stew chicken soup and personally fed her at dinner.

Ye Manman felt her injury wasn’t that severe, but He Chen was treating her like a paralyzed patient in need of intensive care.

He didn’t let her get out of bed or touch anything, lying there boringly, feeling mushrooms would grow on her.

"Ahhh, I’m so bored, He Chen, I slept so long in the afternoon, now I can’t sleep! Chat with me a bit~"

As night fell, Ye Manman lay on He Chen’s bed, unable to sleep, asking him to help her sit up against the pillow.

He Chen sat at the bedside, attentively covering her with the quilt, avoiding her hands and knees, and earnestly rubbing her calves, afraid they might cramp from sitting too long.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"How about I tell you a story?"

His expression was gentle, unlike before, awkward and stiff, without a flushed face or tongue-tied, and surprisingly, a sense of poise flowed around him, but his large hand would still tremble slightly when placed on her leg.

He Chen had changed a lot, Ye Manman could see it, and she liked this change of his. A person’s mental shift can often determine many things.

Just like how she no longer considered herself an outsider or bystander in this world; she truly began to accept him in her heart, and He Chen also realized his actual responsibility towards Ye Manman.

His admiration for, impulsiveness, and awkward fantasies about Ye Manman were his instincts, whereas overcoming these instincts and genuinely breaking their barriers to care for her was what he should learn.

And he was diligently studying.

"Alright, I love listening to stories."

Ye Manman looked at him with bright eyes, under the dim light, He Chen’s gaze was profound, and looking at her somehow quickened her heartbeat.

Obviously, he wasn’t looking at her with a passionate gaze.

Silently blaming herself for being self-absorbed, Ye Manman then heard He Chen speaking slowly.

"Once upon a time, in a very poor mountain village, there was a little boy who had parents that loved him dearly. His family lived a tough life, but the little boy felt very happy, and he came first in elementary school every year. Every time he came first, his parents rewarded him with delicious food."

"Sometimes it was wild rabbits caught in the mountains, sometimes it was candy they usually couldn’t afford to eat. When the little boy was ten, he won first place in the whole school one day, thinking he could receive another reward when he returned home."

"But before he got to finish school, someone came to find him. That person took him home and told him his parents were gone."