However, she couldn’t figure out why he would possibly do that.
Causing an accident for Yan and making Han Qing suffer wouldn’t benefit He Lianjing at all. On the contrary, Xu Yanwan would dislike him even more and regard He Lianjing as a very volatile person.
Back then, Xu Yanwan was reluctant to entertain him. Firstly, he was too much of a skirt-chaser. Secondly, the unstable aura he gave off had been too strong. Every time she looked into his eyes, Xu Yanwan had a feeling that she was looking into a beast’s eyes instead—the kind of wild beast that lurked in the night and sent chills down your spine once it set its sight on you.
She didn’t like it—not one single bit.
He Lianjing, are you the one behind this?
Xu Yanwan’s mind was completely muddled. She bit her lip, hoping that Han Qing would be able to survive this safely.
When they reached the hospital, Xu Yanwan watched from the side as Lin Xuzheng spoke with Han Qing. Her heart ached uncontrollably when she took in the injuries riddled all over his body.
Han Qing couldn’t leave the hospital because Yan was being hospitalized there. Coupled with his severe injuries and the fact that Yan was still unconscious, Han Qing kept himself by Yan’s side. Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou kept urging him to rest, reassuring him that they would stay with Yan as their duties as parents. However, Han Qing didn’t heed them at all; he still insisted that he would keep her company.
In the end, they simply followed his wishes as they were unable to convince him.
Han Qing wasn’t the only one there; even Han Muzi stayed by Yan’s side as well. However, she still had Little Sprout waiting for her at home. In the end, Han Muzi could only leave some words before returning home.
When Lin Xuzheng brought Xu Yanwan over, Han Qing only spoke to him; not even once did he look at Xu Yanwan properly. When they left at last, Xu Yanwan was still upset.
The first thing Xu Yanwan did when she went home was to call He Lianjing.
After she dialed his number, the message that greeted her instead was one telling her that He Lianjing’s phone had been switched off. She was a little curious and confused; where had he gone off to? Was he actually the one who started the fire that nearly burned Yan to death?
Xu Yanwan was deep in thought when she pushed her door open, but she immediately became rooted to the spot. Lying on her bed was He Lianjing, whom she hadn’t seen all this while. He even squeezed out a smile when he saw her enter. “Back already?”
Xu Yanwan jumped in fright; her steps were stilling where she was, not taking another step forward. She watched He Lianjing warily.
“Why are you here? What are you doing here? Don’t you know that this is my room? Also, how did you get in?”
Her guarded look hurt He Lianjing’s feelings. He sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you being so wary around me? I was even the one who brought you home after you got drunk last night. I simply grabbed your keys while I was at it. Got a problem with that?”
As he spoke, He Lianjing conjured a set of keys into his hand. Xu Yanwan’s expression shifted suddenly when she saw those keys.
“He Lianjing, what’s the meaning of this? Why did you take my keys? Don’t you know that taking things without permission is theft?”
“Theft?” He Lianjing smiled in amusement. “With my relationship with you, how is taking your keys theft? Besides, I asked you about it last night and you agreed. You may have been drunk, but an agreement from a drunk person still counts, right?”
Xu Yanwan had been so drunk last night that she had fallen unconscious; she didn’t remember anything else after that. There were no memories during that period. How could she possibly have said anything then?
“Besides, I helped you out with something. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Upon hearing that, Xu Yanwan’s breath hitched as her expression shifted again.
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying that…”
She had been so surprised by He Lianjing’s sudden appearance in her bedroom that she had forgotten to ask him about the fire that happened earlier today; she had planned to ask him during her earlier phone call. Now that He Lianjing himself had brought it up, Xu Yanwan didn’t even need to question him to know for sure that he was the one behind it.
As she thought things over, He Lianjing got up and walked over to her side, his arms encircling her waist wantonly before pressing her over to the door. His voice was low. “Do you like the present I gave you?”
Now that she knew that he was the arsonist, Xu Yanwan felt that her heart had been strung up. Her face was completely devoid of color as she eyed him in utter shock.
Just what kind of person could do something that would potentially kill someone? How much apathy would they need to have?
He Lianjing’s eyes crinkled up, the smile on his face growing malicious. “It seems like you’re trembling.”
Xu Yanwan didn’t speak, but her body quivered even more violently.
“Are you that scared?” He Lianjing’s fingertips roved over her neck, finally coming to a stop on her face. He leaned in closer. “What are you scared of? It’s not like I’ll hurt you. I told you before that I would be at your service; whatever you don’t have the courage to do, I have already helped you to do so.”
“L-Let me go.” When Xu Yanwan spoke, her words no longer came out smoothly. Her eyes were filled with fear as she eyed He Lianjing. She had known that he wasn’t someone to be crossed, so she never wanted to give him any hope. However, she hadn’t expected him to follow her here, and she certainly hadn’t expected him to dig deep into all of her affairs. Why? Why did he do this?
“Don’t be scared.” He Lianjing moved his arm, pulling her even closer to himself. He lowered his head to take a whiff of the fragrance on her body. “I simply like you. I’ve done so much for you, so please give me a response, alright?”
She didn’t answer him. He Lianjing felt the woman in his arms tremble even more violently than before, which displeased him to no end. He had committed arson because he wanted to win her over, not make her fear him.
Xu Yanwan only regained her senses and her voice after a long pause.
“H-He Lianjing, what you did is illegal. You’re going to go to prison for this.”
“I know.” He Lianjing’s lips quirked up. “That’s why I’m going to leave soon. Do you want to come with me?”
“No!” Xu Yanwan shook her head furiously. “That’s impossible. Are you going to run?”
“Of course. I don’t want to live the rest of my days stuck in there.”
Xu Yanwan looked at He Lianjing. She didn’t know what she was thinking as she suddenly blurted out, “Turn yourself in.”
Upon hearing her words, He Lianjing frowned and looked at her in confusion.
“If you surrender yourself, you can lighten your sentence. You may have started the fire, but I already saw it myself when I went to the hospital—they’re alright. As long as they haven’t lost their lives and you turn yourself in in time, I’m certain they will reduce your sentence.”
Xu Yanwan truly didn’t want to admit there was a relationship between the two of them, but at the thought that he had done such a thing for her, how could she live with herself if he went to prison because of her?
Hence, all she could do was advise him to surrender.
“Turn myself in? Heh, Yanwan, do you think I’m the kind of person who’d just turn myself in? Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you agree to always wait for me until I’m released if I hand myself over.”
