Encroachment Chapter 46 and Chapter 47

Chapter 46

Shen Shuman took a brief nap and woke up. As she was dressing, she noticed her chest was covered in marks he had left behind—kisses and finger imprints.

Her n*pples were a vivid red. Even a slight touch of fabric caused discomfort, making it difficult for her to figure out how to wear a bra.

Bored at home after finishing a movie, she thought for a moment and decided she should inform a few of her closer friends about her marriage.

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Within seconds, the previously quiet group became lively once again.

Jiang Xia and Cheng Tong kept bombarding her with questions about her spouse. Who was he? How did they meet? When did they start dating and confirm the relationship? When did they get married? Why didn’t she tell them earlier…

So many questions. Shen Shuman smiled.

【Shen Shuman: My spouse, well, he’s a man, 188 centimeters tall, very handsome, intelligent, plays the piano, cooks… and even knows how to use a surgical scalpel.】

【Cheng Tong: A doctor… Wei Shi?】

【Jiang Xia: Wei Shi?】

Seeing Cheng Tong and Jiang Xia simultaneously guess the name, Shen Shuman was momentarily taken aback. How did they figure it out so quickly?

【Shen Shuman: When are you free? We haven’t hung out in a long time.】

【Jiang Xia: Around 6:30 in the evening, I’m taking Xiaoxiao to her grandparents’ house.】

【Cheng Tong: My flight is at 5:00 in the afternoon, so I can’t make it this time. How about next time?】

After arranging plans with Jiang Xia, Shen Shuman got up, freshened up, and sent a message to Wei Shi, telling him that she had plans to meet friends for dinner in the evening.

In the early evening, Shen Shuman and Jiang Xia appeared as planned at the Mu Feng Lou by the riverside. They picked a window seat and looked outside—

A half-sunken red sun hung on the horizon, forming a complete circle with its reflection in the vast river, casting a rosy glow all around and bathing the entire river in red.

“Why is it so difficult for us to get together?” Shen Shuman sighed. After taking a photo, she put her phone down.

“Isn’t that normal?” Jiang Xia poured tea for her. “After graduating, everyone went their separate ways, forming their own circles.”

Jiang Xia put the teapot down and smiled, “I didn’t expect that you would end up with him in the end.”

“Huh?” Shen Shuman furrowed her brows. “Do you know something?”

Jiang Xia glanced at her, looking at her as if she were a fool. “Forgot? When we were in seventh grade, when the test papers were handed out, you changed your name to ‘Wei Shi.'”

“… How come I didn’t know your memory was this good? You remember embarrassing incidents from so many years ago… until now.” Shen Shuman blushed with embarrassment, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

It was a very ordinary afternoon, just like any other day after school.

Because she was preoccupied with memorizing classical Chinese texts and poems for the upcoming exam the next day, she wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings as she walked home.

Suddenly hearing someone scream, she didn’t have time to react before her head was heavily struck by an object from above, almost splitting her skull open.

The pain quickly spread, and she held her head, wailing.

“A thud—” the object fell to the ground. Taking a closer look, it was a thick notebook.

Opening the first page, two bold characters were imposingly written on the blank page — “Wei Shi.”

“Oh damn, I’m so sorry! I apologize!” a boy wearing the Hua’en High School uniform rushed to her side, even reaching out to gently rub her head.

However, before he could touch a strand of her hair, his hand was smacked open with a “snap.”

He yelped in pain, turning to the person next to him, complaining, “It was just an accident, why are you so aggressive?”

Shen Shuman glared at the boy with an angry expression, but suddenly noticed the person standing beside him — tall, elegant, with a face resembling jade and a posture as noble as an orchid.

Wei Shi?!

The frustration she had been holding in her chest dissipated in an instant.

With an annoyed glance at the boy, Wei Shi coldly remarked, “If you keep tossing things around, I won’t lend you my notes.”

After speaking, he gave her a lukewarm look, turned around, and walked away.

The boy hastily picked up the notebook, apologized to Shuman again, and hurriedly followed Wei Shi.

Ever since elementary school, Shuman had often seen Wei Shi’s name on the academic ranking lists and various honor roll charts, but this was the first time she saw so clearly how he wrote his own name.

That night, she didn’t have much inclination to study; she spent her time imitating his handwriting.

The next day during the exam, she instinctively filled his name into the “Name” field.

And then… when the exam papers were distributed, “Wei Shi” ranked first in the entire grade.

During that time, Jiang Xia had been persistently asking her about who Wei Shi was.

Shen Shuman remained tight-lipped, but her cheeks blushed bright red.

***********

Chapter 47

Shen Shuman vividly remembered the events of that year.

Jiang Xia tucked the ear-length hair that had slipped onto her cheek behind her ear, casting a cunning glance at Shuman with almond-shaped eyes. Quite pleased with herself, she remarked, “We’ve known each other for nearly twenty years… I know all about your affairs.”

Shen Shuman toyed with the tea cup in her hand, “Knowing but not revealing is a form of wisdom.”

“‘Though the heart senses something, it remains unresolved’ — isn’t that also a form of wisdom?” Jiang Xia responded.

“Hmm?” Shen Shuman met Jiang Xia’s gaze. They were so familiar with each other that she didn’t need to think to understand what Jiang Xia meant. “I don’t have that kind of wisdom. Don’t misunderstand me… I really didn’t know before…”

If Shen Shuman and Wei Shi could be considered childhood friends, then Shen Shuman and Jiang Xia were bosom buddies.

They went through elementary school, middle school, high school, and even pursued postgraduate studies together. They were truly inseparable best friends.

What was originally their own story took an unexpected turn in their first year of high school when another person entered the picture — Xiao Ran.

On that evening, Shen Shuman had only gone out to buy half a watermelon with the money Mrs. Li had given her.

On her way back, she took a shortcut for convenience.

The alley was three people wide, with a street lamp every 20 meters providing illumination.

That night, after a bout of autumn rain, the air was humid, and the pockmarked road was covered in puddles.

She hopped over the water puddles, navigating the dark and slippery path. Her foot hit something unknown, causing her to nearly trip.

She looked closely and saw a drenched, thin boy sitting against the wall. One bloodied arm rested on his bent knee, while the other leg extended across the path.

He suddenly raised his head to look at her. In the dim light, his face was sticky with dark red, except for his distinct black-and-white eyes, shining like stars.

Shen Shuman froze. Did her watermelon juice leak onto his face? Or… did he have a head injury?

A terrified scream caught in her tight throat. She held onto the watermelon tightly, turned to run, but he grabbed her ankle.

He spoke, his voice hoarse, his tone slow and leisurely, “Girl, help this young master buy some medicine~”

Girl? Young master? Buy medicine?!

Her eyes rolled over, and she responded quickly, “Alright, wait for me. I’ll go buy medicine for you.”

The boy let go of her. She feigned calmness, briskly walking away and running home once she exited the alley.

When passing by a pharmacy, she didn’t even glance sideways, secretly vowing never to buy watermelon at night again; it was too gory!

After that incident, half a month passed, and a senior from the second year of high school lay in wait at the school gate, cornering her.

Shen Shuman was scared and instinctively pulled Jiang Xia to the side.

But before she could even move, the tall and skinny senior suddenly burst into loud tears, taking the lead in the confrontation, “I thought you were a kind-hearted person, but you actually stood by and did nothing?!”

Shen Shuman and her companions were all stunned!

In that moment of shock, her brain suddenly flashed back to the bloody scene of that night. She shivered, her legs trembling, and a stronger desire to escape.

Seeing her reaction, the senior shamelessly caught up to her, trailing behind and crying, attracting numerous passersby to stare and gossip.

Honestly, despite growing up, Shen Shuman had never seen someone so shameless. That senior from the second year kept on complaining—

“Why didn’t you help me in time that night? If it weren’t for you, how could I have lost so much blood that I went into hemorrhagic shock and fainted, accidentally banging my forehead and leaving an ugly scar? Sigh, my unparalleled beautiful face is ruined. My boyfriend thinks I don’t look as good as before and even wants to break up with me… You tell me, isn’t this your fault?”

Shen Shuman was utterly confused. How was this her fault?

And furthermore, he was a guy and he actually had a boyfriend?

A boyfriend?!

Later, she found out his name was Xiao Ran, an art student in the second year.

According to some gossip Jiang Xia had gathered, after Xiao Ran got into Hua’en High School, he became a troublemaker who didn’t care about studying at all. He got into fights and caused trouble every day, forming small cliques. He was a real tough nut for teachers and parents to deal with.

And… he seemed to have a penchant for seeking attention.

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