In comparison with Han Qing’s hand, the young lady’s hand was chilly. Meanwhile, Yan had also realized in astonishment that his palm was exceedingly hot; it wasn’t just the normal kind of hot, but it was scorching like fire. Glancing at the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, she was even more certain that he must be running a fever.
Recalling his unusual behavior downstairs, her heart clenched in utter distress. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you weren’t feeling well but endured it silently? Are you an idiot? If you’d said earlier that you weren’t feeling well, we could’ve come back earlier,” she said reproachfully as she dragged him along.
Initially, Han Qing wanted to leave and get some cool breeze, but unexpectedly, she’d noticed something amiss and mistakenly assumed that he was sick, dragging him back to rest. He was slightly exasperated, but he didn’t know how to explain it to her, so he could only remark with a bitter smile, “I’m a man, so I can handle this by myself. Aren’t you tired? Go back to the room and take a shower. I’ll go downstairs and check whether they have any fever-reducing patch, okay?”
Upon hearing that, Yan’s footsteps stilled, and she turned back to stare at him fixedly. After two seconds, she shook her head. “No. You go back to the room first, and I’ll go downstairs to check for you!” Their room was already close, so she dragged him before the door in a few steps. Then, she asked him for the key card. “Quick, open the door and go in. You rest, while I go downstairs and ask on your behalf.”
Han Qing was rendered speechless. This silly girl!
“Hurry up!” At Yan’s urging, he had no choice but to swipe the key card to open the door. She pushed him in, while she herself stood outside the door. “Wait for me in the room, and drink some hot water first. I’ll go downstairs and ask whether they have any medicine. You’re not allowed to sneak out! And wait for me to come back!” After saying that, she whirled around and ran off without any regard for his acquiescence.
As he stood there, Han Qing stared at the key card in his hand before glancing at her figure as she ran off. Heaving a sigh, he relented and closed the room door. Then, he inserted the key card into the slot to turn on the electricity. In such a situation, how am I supposed to make it clear to her so that she won’t think that I’m running a fever?
After telling her, will she then be afraid of me and think that I’m terrifying? No matter what, he felt that it was best if he took a cold shower first. Instead of boiling the water, he went into the bathroom directly to take a cold shower. When the cold water poured on his body, a certain degree of heat was washed off, but it was merely a temporary relief, for the heat swiftly returned. If he wanted relief, he could only take cold showers the entire night.
He didn’t mind, for his body had always been strong, so he wouldn’t have any objections even if he were to take cold showers the entire night. However, he was staying in the same room as Yan, so if she knew that he was doing so, his young lady would probably be distressed to death.
Time ticked by in seconds and minutes. Han Qing felt that a long time had passed, yet the young lady had yet to return. Feeling rather worried, he turned off the water and exited the bathroom. Sure enough, it was all silent outside the bathroom, not even a silhouette to be seen.
Ding dong! The doorbell rang. His eyes flickered, and as he pondered how he should explain his condition to her when he saw her later, he took steady steps forward.
Swoosh! As soon as the door was opened, a lithe and graceful figure threw herself right into Han Qing’s embrace and hugged his slender waist tightly, her entire body plastered to him like a serpent. Han Qing was stunned for a moment, but when he scented an unfamiliar fragrance, he abruptly shoved the person away. Then, he fixed his frosty gaze on her.
It was Lin Qin’er. She was wearing a long, black silk dress with spaghetti straps, a translucent gauze draped over her, and her long hair hung loose. She gazed at him seductively. “Mr. Han, let me help you out.”
Upon hearing that, the ebony in Han Qing’s eyes darkened considerably, and the corners of his lips went flat. He stared intently at her. “It was you.”
Smiling softly, Lin Qin’er admitted in a soft murmur, “It was me. I merely told the server that I wanted to treat you to a glass of wine, and he obediently did my bidding. Unexpectedly, Mr. Han, you weren’t at all wary, or perhaps it’s not that you weren’t wary, but… it was deliberate on your part? Yan is too young, so she’s definitely not as skilled as I am. If you don’t mind, I can—”
“Get lost!” Han Qing roared in fury before she’d even finished speaking.
An overwhelming cold aura instantly shrouded her. Lin Qin’er’s expression changed a touch, but still, she stepped forward and countered, “Why must you kick me out? Yan is off somewhere, so you’re the only person in the room now. Even if I enter, she won’t know. Furthermore, I know the potency of the drug, and I put in a lot. Therefore, no matter how strong your will is, you can’t possibly escape tonight.”
Han Qing chuckled coldly, and an expression that had never graced his face in the past now manifested, his eyes gleaming with viciousness. “Before you did this, have you ever considered the consequences?”
The petrifying aura emanating from him shocked Lin Qin’er, and she instinctively shrank back. However, she promptly gathered her wits about her and threw herself at him recklessly. “Mr. Han, I’m not asking for anything save tonight. I’ll definitely leave, and I won’t tell Yan about this. In future, you’ll still be together with Yan, but if you need me, I’ll make an appearance. How about that?”
Han Qing didn’t move, and he remained staring coldly at her.
Lin Qin’er couldn’t grasp his thoughts. He isn’t kicking me out, but he hasn’t agreed either. What does this mean? Perhaps he’s wavering? Just when she thought that he’d been moved by her words, Han Qing’s voice rang out without any warmth.
“Do you know what I hate most in my entire life?” Lin Qin’er stood stock-still. “It’s women like you who act shamelessly.” A mocking and contemptuous smile tugged on Han Qing’s lips, and the look in his eyes as he stared at her was as though he was looking at a doomed person.
His final declaration had Lin Qin’er’s face draining of all color. I never thought that Yan’s words were true, and he truly hates people like me, but I even ran over to him and proclaimed that I can come over when he needs me. Hadn’t I just intensified his loathing of me? D*mn it, I’ve already lowered myself this far, yet this man isn’t at all moved. She gritted her teeth in anger. “Why? You and Yan aren’t husband and wife, after all. Since she can’t help you out, won’t you just let me help you out?”
“Do you think you’re worthy?”
Lin Qin’er was struck dumb, and she almost shattered her teeth with how hard she was grinding them. “What about Yan, then? Is she worthy? If she’s truly worthy, why did you let her go? Why didn’t you tell her the truth? Isn’t it because—”
However, Han Qing interrupted her before she could finish speaking. “Haha… Actually, I disdain explaining myself to someone like you, but since you’re so desperate to know, then it doesn’t matter if I tell you. When it comes to her, I hold her dear. I didn’t tell her the truth because I’m reluctant to have her suffer even the tiniest bit of hurt and not because of any of those sordid thoughts you have. Do you understand now?”
Hold her dear? Reluctant to have her suffer even the tiniest bit of hurt? Lin Qin’er recalled how gentle and attentive he usually treated Yan before looking at his restraint and forbearance at the moment. It truly seems as though he’s really reluctant to have her suffer and not because he isn’t interested in her!
