**"For three consecutive days, the city has experienced heavy snowfall. Citizens are advised to exercise caution when traveling to avoid slipping..."**
**"Bang!"**
Before Jiang Xinyue could finish listening to the weather report on the car radio, her vehicle had already made an intimate acquaintance with the rear of the car in front of her.
The incident happened too suddenly. The slippery, snow-covered road made it impossible for her to tell whether she had rear-ended the other car or if it had slid backward into her.
But...
This was a rear-end collision. She was fully at fault.
Jiang Xinyue wasn’t the type to shirk responsibility. If it was her fault, she’d pay for it… but… AAAAAAAAAH… Why did it have to be a Maybach?!
Just as she opened the car door and placed one foot on the ground, she imdiately retracted it.
Sotis… maybe it wasn’t necessary to be *that* responsible. A little avoidance was understandable.
**"Get out. Let’s discuss compensation."**
The man’s voice was icy, his towering figure blocking out the light as he bent down.
**Mistake!**
She’d accidentally hit the window button while getting out, and now the glass had rolled down.
At this point, the man could easily pluck her out like a helpless chick.
**A warrior may die, but she will not be humiliated!**
Jiang Xinyue abruptly raised her head, her voluminous red curls spilling over her cheeks. She had just mustered her most pitiful expression when she was instantly stunned by the man’s striking looks.
**"Imperial Concubine… *cough*—"**
Shen Ye startled himself. Since when had he developed the habit of calling won **"Imperial Concubine"** out of nowhere?
**"Your Majesty… no—"**
She almost let this **"weirdo"** lead her astray.
Jiang Xinyue slowly lifted her gaze, blinking twice against the backlight. The man’s silhouette was tall and imposing, his hand resting on the car window, fingers long and well-defined.
Most importantly—his cufflinks. Unless she was mistaken, they were from **"L Brand"** and worth over a hundred grand.
Who the hell casually wears cufflinks worth that much?!
---
**Café**
Jiang Xinyue hunched her shoulders, eyes widening as she counted the numbers on the white sheet: **"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands—"**
**Three hundred thousand** to repair a Maybach?!
Apologies, but her BMW wasn’t worthy.
It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it, but shelling out 300k out of nowhere on a regular workday still stung.
Wouldn’t that money be better spent on a few designer bags?
She was absolutely filing this as a workplace injury when she got back to the hospital.
Shen Ye had never seen such a kaleidoscope of emotions flash across a woman’s face before.
He expected her to haggle, but instead, she tilted her chin up and said, **"Give your bank account number. I’ll transfer the money."**
**Huh?**
Shouldn’t she be saying, **"Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll send it to you there?"**
Could you even transfer 300k in one go?
Jiang Xinyue didn’t know. Shen Ye didn’t either.
One had never transferred such a large sum before, and the other had assistants handling paynts—he’d never bothered with such trivialities.
To keep things simple, Jiang Xinyue opted for a direct bank transfer.
**"How do I know you’re not scamming ?"**
Shen Ye unlocked his phone. **"Add as a contact. I’ll send the car for repairs first, and you’ll pay the actual cost. I won’t cheat you."**
Jiang Xinyue quickly took his phone and scanned his QR code with her WeChat.
**"Can I go to work now?"**
She was already late. Her perfect attendance record for the month was ruined.
Even with an annual salary in the millions, Jiang Xinyue was determined to claim every penny owed to her. If the company docked even a cent, she’d feel like she’d lost a fortune.
**"Ding!"**
**"Ding!"**
**"Ding!"**
...
The office was empty—no patient appointnts today. Jiang Xinyue slumped over her desk, lethargic and dizzy.
She was definitely coming down with sothing.
Song Nishang placed a packet of cold dicine next to her and felt her forehead. **"You’re burning up."**
Her head felt like it weighed a ton, impossible to lift.
**"Dr. Song, a client’s here for facial contouring. They need you."**
Of course, ergencies always struck at the worst tis.
**"Little Zhang, Dr. Jiang has a fever. Get her leave approved and take her ho."**
Stubborn as ever, Jiang Xinyue hated hospital stays. With no family around, there’d be no one to take care of her.
Song Nishang figured she’d rush over to her place after finishing the surgery.
---
**Shen Corporation Headquarters**
Shen Ye frowned at his phone, where his ssages sat unanswered.
What was Jiang Xinyue playing at?
If she didn’t want to pay, she could’ve just said so. He wasn’t actually going to make her foot the bill.
**"Mr. Shen, this afternoon’s—"**
**"Cancel it. I have sothing to take care of."**
**"Huh?"**
Before Assistant Wang could react, Shen Ye had already grabbed his coat and strode out of the office.
Jiang Xinyue had taken sick leave. Was she ill?
---
**"Tsk…"**
Little Zhang stared helplessly at Jiang Xinyue, who was now too weak to move in the passenger seat. He didn’t know whether to carry her or just support her.
**"Step aside. I’ll handle it."**
A gust of wind later, Little Zhang found himself shoved aside as a strikingly handso man effortlessly scooped Jiang Xinyue into his arms and headed for the building.
Little Zhang blinked left and right. **"Ah! So it’s Dr. Jiang’s boyfriend. That’s a relief."**
Getting the passcode out of a half-conscious patient was child’s play. Jiang Xinyue, in her feverish haze, thought it was just her **"gay bestie"** Little Zhang helping her inside.
---
**One day before New Year’s Eve**
**"This just in: On January 30th, the Shen and Zhu families issued a joint statent denying rumors of an arranged marriage. Miss Zhu Nanxi, the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, is set to announce her engagent to Ye Guanhe, heir of the Ye family. The ceremony will—"**
The TV blared, jolting Jiang Xinyue awake—especially since the news involved one of her clients.
**Near death… yet startled upright by breaking news.**
She found herself on the sofa, the room warm under the heater’s glow, a blanket draped over her, and a steaming cup of ginger tea on the table.
It was so comforting it almost brought tears to her eyes.
Maybe sickness made people sentintal. And today was New Year’s Eve. Jiang Xinyue amused herself with the thought: If Little Zhang were into won, she might’ve married him.
**"Awake?"**
**"Mhm."**
**"Huh?!"**
**"AAAAAAH—WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?!"**
---
Song Nishang, having just removed her mask, gave Little Zhang a puzzled look. **"Boyfriend? Whose boyfriend?"**
**"Dr. Jiang’s!"**
Little Zhang clasped his hands together, starry-eyed. **"Let tell you, he was *the* definition of a top-tier man. Just one glance and my knees went weak. Dr. Jiang’s been hiding him so well!"**
No wonder she’d turned down Shen Ye’s invitation—she already had a **"golden house"** with a hidden gem!
When she got back to work, Song Nishang was *definitely* interrogating her.
---
Outside, snowflakes drifted endlessly, painting the world in pure white after a day and night of snowfall.
The crackling fire in the fireplace provided the only sound. This New Year’s Eve, for once, she wasn’t alone.
Jiang Xinyue, freshly recovered from her **"near-death illness,"** watched as Shen Ye personally cooked her a pot of **"century egg and pork congee."** Out of the kindness of her heart, she allowed him to linger in her tiny apartnt a little longer.
**"Why aren’t you going ho for New Year’s either?"**
**"Stepmother doesn’t want there. Why bother?"**
Two lonely souls, seeking warmth in each other.
Shen Ye’s deep, affectionate gaze settled on Jiang Xinyue. **"Dr. Jiang, may I sincerely propose… marriage?"**
**"Hard pass."**
Jiang Xinyue smirked. **"Dating’s fine. Marriage? Not happening."**
**CEO Shen’s road to winning her heart was going to be a long one.**
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