Chapter 5: He Does Not Like Others Touching Him

“If you don’t quiet down, I’ll throw you into the lake.” His face was cold, his voice devoid of anger, carrying only a faint trace of displeasure and impatience.

He had always disliked noisy things, and he especially loathed women who wept and wailed.

Yet this voice made Lin Nanxun pause; she turned her head slowly, blinking her pretty tear-filled eyes to look at him.

When her gaze met the man’s face, she was startled.

It was the same handsome man she had glimpsed before fainting.

His features were strikingly beautiful, far more attractive than anyone she had ever seen—so much so that even the elegant women she’d admired on television paled in comparison.

She had never seen someone so breathtaking. For a moment, her wide, clear eyes stared at him in a daze.

Seeing her finally quiet, the man’s slightly furrowed brow eased at last. By now, he had approached the bedside. He lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over her hand resting on the quilt, finally pausing at the unremarkable little red birthmark on the back of her hand.

His gaze stilled.

Lin Nanxun’s eyes widened as she stared at him for a while before regaining her senses. In a small, fearful voice, she spoke, “I won’t cry anymore… I’ll be good and obedient, so please don’t throw me into the lake.” She pouted her rosy lips, sniffling as she tried to stifle her sobs, pleading with him.

She couldn’t swim—she would drown.

Though she tried her best to hold back, the soft, sniffling sobs kept escaping her.

Shen Hanzhi looked down at her clean, pale, yet anxious face; a complex expression flitted across his handsome features and his brows drew together slightly.

Because the girl’s intermittent, delicate sobbing didn’t irritate him at all.

This realization brought a flicker of confusion to his eyes.

Lin Nanxun’s hands clutched the quilt nervously. After hesitating for quite some time, she finally mustered all her courage and asked, “Can you help me find my uncle?”

She was terribly shy and could not speak to strangers; her heart would race with anxiety and fear.

But she wanted to find her uncle…

Her words made Shen Hanzhi’s expression darken. Just as he was about to refuse, the girl nervously reached out and gently grasped his hand, which hung naturally by his side.

The sudden touch made Shen Hanzhi’s face change instantly.

He disliked being touched by others.

He disliked it even more when a woman touched him.

And yet… when he lowered his gaze and looked at her small, soft hand—so much smaller than his own, and slightly cool to the touch—his body froze, unable to shake her off as he intended.

The expected annoyance and repulsion didn’t come. He looked at her hand, his eyes flickering.

“Please…” the girl’s tiny voice, as faint as a mosquito’s hum, sounded again.

She lifted her head and looked straight at him.

When he met her gaze, he saw eyes as pure as crystal, with not a single trace of impurity—only sincerity and yearning.

Unlike others, she did not instinctively shrink back from his cold, unfriendly look.

He had only ever seen such pure eyes on the faces of innocent children.

His brows knitted, a touch of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“Why do you want to find him?” After a moment, he pressed his thin lips together and asked her quietly.