After being reborn, I became the big boss's darling.

A moment later, Ji Nianci came downstairs with a thick red envelope in her hand.

"Come here, Aunt Lin. Congratulations to the newlyweds on your marriage."

"Oh dear, this is too much, madam. The sentiment is enough." Lin Ma waved her hands repeatedly in refusal.

"It's not much, how could it be much? This is just a token of my appreciation. I'll be upset if you don't accept it." Ji Nianci said coquettishly, but still managed to stuff the red envelope into Lin Ma's arms.

"Oh, this...this...thank you, Madam."

"Why are you being so polite? Go back now, these things can't be delayed." Seeing the happiness on Lin's mother's face, she was genuinely happy for her too.

"Alright... I'll be going now, goodbye Madam."

"Yes, goodbye, and happy marriage!"

After watching Lin Ma leave, Ji Nianci felt a deep sense of exhaustion wash over her.

She dragged her heavy steps upstairs, and collapsed onto the bed as soon as she entered.

Perhaps because of Zhou An's threats and the argument with Shen Ceyan today, Ji Nianci felt a terrible headache, had no strength left in her body, and her eyelids gradually became heavy, so she fell asleep.

"Sigh, is this really a good idea for us?"

"What are you afraid of? The master and Lin Ma are away these two days, so we can finally give her a good beating. Opportunities like this don't come around often."

"But... what if the master comes back and finds out?"

"What's there to worry about? Haven't you noticed? The master doesn't care about that woman at all. I heard before that they were forced into an arranged marriage and have no feelings for each other. Have you ever seen either of them give each other a kind look? I reckon the master is already thoroughly fed up with her, but he just hasn't shown it. Even if we do something, the master won't get angry."

“What you said makes sense… I do not like her either, and I think the master feels the same way.”

"Besides, we didn't intend to do anything to him, just a little punishment. I just can't stand her haughty attitude, putting on airs for whoever she's trying to impress. Her background is nothing compared to the master's, and she's just climbing the social ladder by marrying into the family."

"But she's been pretty good to us too..."

"Ha, if it weren't for her, I would have been in the master's study a few days ago. Why would I be here with you as a servant now?"

Outside the master bedroom, their conversation gradually faded into the darkness.

Late at night, Ji Nianci was awakened by the cold.

The room was dark when Ji Nianci opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and she felt cold all over, but her body was burning hot. With the last bit of strength she had left, she turned on the bedside lamp.

The dim yellow light spread out, and Ji Nianci covered her eyes uncomfortably.

She had a vague feeling that she was sick.

Her slender arms groped around on the bed. Ji Nianci wanted to use her phone to call the maid to summon a family doctor, but she couldn't find it. She began to feel weak and couldn't stay upright any longer, so she wrapped herself in the blanket and drifted back to sleep.

Jiangcheng.

Shen Ceyan sat in the conference room, listening to the managers seriously discussing the company's future development strategy around the conference table. This was a company under the Shen Group, and he, as the president, had come down to inspect the work. Everyone was doing their best to offer suggestions for the company and strive to gain his appreciation.

The meeting had been going on for nearly three hours, and no one dared to relax.

Sitting in the main seat, Shen Ceyan seemed somewhat indifferent, frequently glancing at his phone.

The people below were getting uneasy. General Manager Shen was always meticulous and serious about his work and rarely showed such impatience. Could it be that the report was too poor and made General Manager Shen dissatisfied?

When Shen Ceyan opened WeChat for the fourth time, the chat history in the top box remained unchanged.

That heartless brat hasn't sent a single message all day.

Shen Ceyan edited a message, paused for a while, and then clicked delete.

Ci opened her eyes groggily. Faint sunlight streamed in through the curtains, and the bedside lamp was still on.

The headache and weakness hadn't gone away; in fact, they'd gotten worse. She touched her forehead; although she couldn't really feel it, it was still burning hot.

I can't sleep anymore, or I'll go crazy from the fever if I don't take my medicine soon.

She struggled to sit up, glanced around the bed, but still couldn't find her phone. She vaguely remembered that she hadn't been able to find her phone last night, and then she had fallen asleep.

Could it be that it was left outside? She thought vaguely, and having no other choice, she got out of bed and went outside.

The moment Ci Ci's feet touched the ground, she stood up and immediately collapsed.

"hiss……"

She hadn't had a drop of water all day, and her whole body was limp and weak, unable to muster any strength.

She struggled to her feet, supporting herself on the bed, and slowly walked to the door, holding onto the wall. The moment she grasped the doorknob and pulled it down, her heart sank.

The door was locked.

Undeterred, Ci tried to open the door several more times, but it was still locked from the inside. She tried to call for help, but her throat felt like it was being shoved with sand; every time she opened her mouth, a tearing pain shot through her, and she couldn't speak. Desperate, she pounded on the door, but after a long while, no one responded.

Her heart sank completely.

Ji Nianci's mind was in a complete fog, and she didn't know what to do. Her body was shivering from the cold, so she instinctively wanted to go back to bed to warm up. She had only taken a couple of steps when everything went black, and she lost control and fell forward, hitting her head on the cabinet. She lost consciousness completely, and a faint pool of blood appeared on the floor.

Inside the hotel, Shen Ceyan opened his phone again. He was still not getting a reply to the message he had sent her half an hour ago, and he was getting a little annoyed.

"It's past 11 o'clock, she's probably asleep..." For some reason, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to see her. When did he become so accustomed to her company? He didn't know himself. He suddenly felt a little pathetic; she clearly still couldn't forget her ex-boyfriend, yet he still couldn't stop thinking about her.

Shen Ceyan made a phone call to Lin Cheng.

How much work is scheduled for this business trip?

"Sir, there are two cocktail parties tomorrow that require your attendance. The guests are the founders of several small companies in this area."

"Cancel everything. You can send someone from here to handle it. Then buy two of the earliest available tickets to go back."

"Sir, now?"

"Correct."

"Yes, sir, I checked, the earliest flight is at 6 a.m.

"…OK."

……

"Xiaolan, are we really okay with letting her go hungry like this? She hasn't made a sound all day..."

"Don't worry, I've never heard of anyone starving to death after just one day. We'll bring her breakfast again tomorrow morning. I just want her to suffer a bit and understand that without your protection, she's nothing."

……