Li Zhiyan was resolute in his heart; he was determined to complete this mission!
After all, the "quick reaction" attribute could bring him countless conveniences!
While helping Aunt Shen alleviate her pain at the same time,
he could also earn rewards—truly killing two birds with one stone!
With these attributes, he would undoubtedly get closer to his primary goal of achieving a stable and independent life.
"Aunt Shen, don't you think we're kind of fated to meet?"
While waiting for the barbecue to be served, Li Zhiyan asked with a smile.
Shen Hongmei couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully, a hint of flirtation in her expression.
"Fate? What fate? If you actually hurt someone in that fight, it would've turned into a criminal case. Your whole life would've been ruined—you wouldn't even have a shot at becoming a civil servant after that!"
"I wouldn't pass the civil service exams anyway."
Li Zhiyan felt that with his current intellect, he could probably pass, but the life inside the system didn't suit him.
Li Zhiyan still yearned for a carefree, financially independent future.
That was the kind of life he dreamt of.
"Don't be so pessimistic about the future. Sure, it's tough for college graduates nowadays,"
"but you never know."
"Oh, by the way, Qianqian was pretty well-behaved in school, wasn't she?"
Not wanting to dwell on such a harsh topic, Shen Hongmei shifted the conversation.
And the natural connection between Shen Hongmei and Li Zhiyan was Xu Qianqian, so the topic naturally turned to her.
"Her? She's... fine."
Having faced some setbacks, Li Zhiyan wasn't naive.
He certainly wouldn't speak ill of Xu Qianqian in front of Shen Hongmei; after all, the two were biological mother and daughter.
His relationship with Shen Hongmei was much more distant in comparison.
Even though they had experienced a fleeting moment of intimacy the previous night, she still just regarded him as a kid.
When he learned from other sources that Xu Qianqian had long become a "toilet woman," his disgust for the way she used to string him along only grew stronger.
The two of them chatted until twenty minutes later.
Li Zhiyan noticed Shen Hongmei's eyebrows furrow slightly.
But after setting down her chilled orange juice, she still appeared calm.
After putting down her chopsticks, Shen Hongmei lightly pressed her hand against her stomach.
Seeing her discomfort, Li Zhiyan asked, "Aunt Shen, are you on your period?"
"How did you know?"
Such topics didn't faze Shen Hongmei; she wasn't embarrassed like a young girl would be. The mental fortitude of a mature woman was worlds apart from that of a girl.
"I saw you stop drinking the iced orange juice and set aside the skewers you were eating."
"Looks like it might be menstrual cramps, huh?"
"Hmm..."
Talking about her cramps only made Shen Hongmei feel worse at the moment.
"Aunt Shen, how about I use an old remedy from my family to help ease your discomfort?"
"You can relieve it?"
"Of course, Aunt Shen! Let's go to the car, and I'll help you out."
Although Shen Hongmei's rational mind wanted to maintain a distance from Li Zhiyan,
the pain from her cramps was unbearable.
"Alright... let's see if it helps."
"Aunt Shen, you sit here, and I'll go settle the bill. It's my turn to cover this time anyway."
Li Zhiyan could tell that Shen Hongmei wanted to pay; in her heart, she always saw him as just a kid and didn't want him spending money.
"I'll handle it..."
But Li Zhiyan insisted on paying. The meal cost over three hundred yuan—a rather standard price in Shanghai.
Normally, even ordering takeout with meat would cost him over fifty yuan.
Helping Shen Hongmei into the car, Li Zhiyan guided her to the back seat before heading to a nearby convenience store to buy a pack of heating pads.
When he returned to the car, Shen Hongmei had already curled up into a ball, her complexion extremely pale.
Li Zhiyan was taken aback; he had never seen a woman in such severe pain from menstrual cramps before—it seemed less like a period and more like being stabbed.
"Aunt Shen."
"First, put the heating pad on your stomach."
Li Zhiyan climbed into the car from the other side.
"Aunt Shen, sometimes menstrual cramps are mainly related to uterine coldness."
Shen Hongmei looked at Li Zhiyan in surprise; she didn't expect this seemingly innocent young man to know so much. She recalled faint memories of him.
Li Zhiyan was definitely a pure man.
One could tell based on their first time together.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must have cold hands and feet."
"Aunt Shen, let me warm up your hands and feet for you—that's all it takes."
"Especially the feet—they're a magical part of the body. Once your feet are warm, your whole body feels warmer."
"We need to warm them up well, Aunt Shen."
Saying this, Li Zhiyan gently grasped Shen Hongmei's slender, fair hands. Despite her height of 183 centimeters, her hands were still smaller than Li Zhiyan's.
This was the difference between men and women.
"Why are your hands so warm..."
Feeling the heat from Li Zhiyan's palms, Shen Hongmei had an odd sensation that her menstrual cramps were being relieved.
"My hands have always been naturally warm, maybe because I have abundant yang energy."
"Aunt Shen, let me warm up your feet too."
"My body temperature is really high—warming them up should ease the pain."
Sitting on the edge of the seat, Li Zhiyan glanced at Shen Hongmei's feet delicately wrapped in Valentino high heels and stockings.
Holding onto this pair of feet, he felt utterly captivated.
"Alright..."
"Alright then."
Although Shen Hongmei was mentally strong, she truly didn't want to endure the torment of menstrual cramps anymore.
"Aunt Shen, let me take off your heels for you."