Han Muzi said, “Qing, you have to think of it in this way—if we let her go on like that, she’d still be the one getting hurt at the very end. You only have to be slightly careful when you speak to her. Moreover, I don’t think that she wouldn’t consider the baby’s safety after hearing this from you.”
Han Qing was easily persuaded by her words this time. He said in agreement, “Okay. I’ll find an opportunity to try out your suggestion.”
Han Muzi left soon after that.
Even though Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou were both staying at the villa, Han Qing had been the one looking after Yan’s daily needs. He helped her to wash her face, brush her teeth, and rinse her mouth.
Yan’s condition wasn’t considered terrible; although she often had nightmares, there were also times when she was in her right mind. Sometimes, she could even brush her teeth by herself, but every so often, she would hypnotize herself into believing that she was trapped in the fire again, unable to flee from it.
According to the doctor, she had been traumatized by the fire, which was why she had been unable to recover from the traumatic experience.
However, Yan was unusually obedient that evening. When Han Qing told her to have dinner, she sat down at the table quietly without thrashing around. After that, she waited for Han Qing to fill the rice bowl for her.
Han Qing filled a bowl with rice and handed it to her. Watching as she took the rice bowl from him and held her chopsticks, his heart was filled with helplessness. At the same time, he thought she was unusually cute and obedient when she behaved like this. Therefore, he reached over to ruffle her hair and asked softly, “This evening’s dishes are all your favorites. Taste them and see if you like them.”
Yan obediently ate a mouthful of rice and nodded. “I like it,” she said.
“That’s good to hear.” Han Qing smiled faintly. “You have to eat well. After you eat your fill, you may watch some television before taking a bath after that.”
However, Han Qing’s heart clenched as he spoke, thinking about how he should try out Han Muzi’s suggestion earlier that day. He had to admit that what Han Muzi thought was right, and he might actually try it out.
As the thought occurred to him, he put some food into her bowl with his chopsticks. Then, he tested her reaction by saying, “Since you’re under special circumstances right now, you have to eat something else other than rice—you’ll need to eat more food that is nutritious.”
Yan froze visibly when she heard him saying that her case was special. However, she continued to eat silently without responding to him after that.
Seeing that she did not overreact, Han Qing carefully tested her reaction once again by saying, “Lack of proper nutrition will be harmful to the baby’s growth.”
Yan’s hands froze when she heard Han Qing’s words. As she stared at the scene before her, something crossed her mind, and her vision began to shake and blur.
Han Qing narrowed his eyes upon noticing that something was wrong. Worried that she would get emotional, he could only grab her wrists as he said, “Stop thinking about that incident. We escaped from the fire—both you and I are alright, and our baby is safe as well.”
“L-Let go of me,” replied Yan, whose voice had begun to quiver. Her chopsticks had dropped out of the hand Han Qing was grabbing; her other hand, which was still holding onto her bowl, had become visibly shaky.
Han Qing saw the evasiveness that filled her eyes, but he couldn’t fathom the reason behind it. Therefore, he could only take another drastic measure by asking, “I can understand that you’re traumatized, but we have escaped from the fire right now, yet you have nightmares like this all day long. What do you want me to do? What are you going to do with the baby in your womb? Do you no longer want me and our baby to be with you?”
Stunned by Han Qing’s questions, Yan dropped the bowl in her hand to the ground with a clatter, shattering it into pieces that flew in all directions.
She looked up and stared at Han Qing in stupefaction.
Han Qing continued to clasp her wrist to prevent her from running away. He asked, “I need you, and so does our baby. Please stop going on like this, okay?”
With that, the shaky images that turned into flames before Yan’s eyes began to clear up, gradually turning into Han Qing’s face.
