Chapter 20: She Was Very Timid Around Strangers

He furrowed his brows tightly, lowering his gaze to the woman weeping before him. Yet in his chest, it felt as though something had been stirred, as if a blade had gently traced its way across his heart…

This unfamiliar sensation was something he neither recognized nor understood.

He had witnessed the despair and agony of many who had lost everything, seen people cry in far greater misery than this, but his heart had never once been moved. Until now. She was the first person whose tears could ripple the stillness within him.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, interrupting her sobs.

“No one is trying to send you away.”

He had never said he would send her away.

Zhou Bei had also walked over by now and continued to explain to her.

“Miss Lin, I’m only taking you to see the psychiatrist. As soon as your appointment is over, I’ll bring you right back.”

But the moment Zhou Bei, with whom she had barely interacted, approached, she shrank closer to Shen Hanzhi’s side, her beautiful eyes flickering with fear.

For her, only his presence offered a sense of safety.

Seeing this, Zhou Bei felt a bit troubled. He could only turn to Shen Hanzhi, appealing with a hint of helplessness.

“Sir, this…” Miss Lin clearly seemed afraid of him, though he had never done anything to her—not even met her face-to-face before.

“Sir, I think Miss Lin is simply unfamiliar with Zhou Bei, which is why she’s frightened,” Aunt Xu offered, stepping forward. “Why don’t Zhou Bei and I accompany her together?”

She had spent a few days with Lin Nanxun and understood her a little.

The girl was painfully shy.

Shen Hanzhi didn’t respond, but his silence signaled assent.

Only then did Aunt Xu move to Lin Nanxun’s side, gently taking her by the wrist and smiling softly.

“Miss Lin, let me go with you.”

Yet as soon as she spoke, Lin Nanxun once again edged closer to Shen Hanzhi, her voice trembling with fright.

“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Aunt Xu sighed. She had thought that after these days together, Lin Nanxun would have learned to trust her, but clearly that was not the case…

In the end, Aunt Xu could only turn to Shen Hanzhi, speaking tentatively.

“Sir, Miss Lin seems to rely on you quite a bit. Perhaps…”

It was strange, really. Normally, the gentleman was cold and unsmiling, his expression perpetually stern. By all rights, Lin Nanxun should have been afraid of him. Yet, as things stood, she seemed to depend on him most of all.

It was remarkable, in its way.

After Aunt Xu finished, Shen Hanzhi lowered his gaze to Lin Nanxun, who was huddled by his side. His cold eyes grew deeper, more contemplative.

Just as he pressed his lips together, about to refuse instinctively, his gaze happened to fall on a small, inconspicuous red birthmark on the back of her left hand. His eyes paused there, and the words died on his tongue.

After a moment, he turned his gaze away and replied curtly, lips pursed.

“All right.”

With that, he turned his face away, concealing whatever expression lingered there.

At his response, both Aunt Xu and Zhou Bei were momentarily stunned, exchanging a look of surprise.

Aunt Xu was especially taken aback. She had only made the suggestion on a whim, never expecting him to agree.

Naturally, Shen Hanzhi sensed their astonishment. He frowned slightly, then pressed his lips together and offered a terse explanation.

“I have errands outside later anyway.”

He had never before explained his schedule to subordinates, yet now, he found himself doing just that—something he had always disdained.

“I see,” Aunt Xu replied without further thought, nodding in understanding.

Shen Hanzhi cast a glance at the woman still softly sobbing beside him, then gently lifted his hand, and as she held on, she followed. He turned and walked toward the villa’s entrance.

Seeing him leave, Lin Nanxun was momentarily stunned…