The flirty atmosphere instantly froze over. Realizing her stare had been too brazen, Qin Mei gave a light cough. Her fair cheeks flushed a deep crimson, like a cooked shrimp.
"Ahem." Qin Mei coughed awkwardly, her gaze shifting from between his legs to Jie Jingchen's devilishly handsome face.
'This man is just too good-looking,' she thought again.
"Jie Jingchen, don't get the wrong idea. I was just worried you might have some lasting effects that could... affect your ability to carry on the family line," Qin Mei explained, her voice barely a whisper. But with his excellent hearing, he caught every word.
A normal person, upon hearing this, would have felt their pride was challenged and snapped back in anger. Clearly, Jie Jingchen was no normal person. "The Jie Family has more than one son," he said, completely unconcerned. "Even if I have no heirs, the family line won't end."
His open-mindedness, his resilience, his enlightened thinking—Qin Mei was impressed. Utterly and completely impressed.
"Open your mouth." Qin Mei relented. If he wasn't going to eat by himself, she would be thoughtful enough to feed him.
'He hurt his waist, not his hands. When Xiao Liu was taking care of him, he could eat by himself. Now that it's my turn, he suddenly can't manage on his own. He's doing this on purpose. Definitely on purpose.'
Jie Jingchen froze, looking extremely unnatural. He cleared his throat. "I'll eat by myself."
"Fine, here." Qin Mei didn't press the issue. As long as he was happy. When taking care of a patient, their mood is very important. Qin Mei's main strategy was compliance.
Taking the aluminum lunch box, Jie Jingchen began to eat. He was very hungry, but his table manners were elegant; there was none of the shameless gobbling of someone who was starving. It was clear Jie Jingchen had received an excellent upbringing.
Qin Mei guessed Jie Jingchen's family must be well-off.
Qin Mei sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand and watching him. 'Looks really are important. Jie Jingchen is so handsome that just watching him eat is a pleasure. If he were ugly, forget it being a pleasure—I'd be lucky not to get depressed.'
"Have some water." Seeing that Jie Jingchen had finished eating, Qin Mei picked up the enamel mug and handed it to him.
A glint appeared in Jie Jingchen's eyes, and a faint smile touched his thin lips. He handed the lunch box back to Qin Mei, took the mug from her, and drank a large mouthful. "The money and tickets... Mmph..."
Before Jie Jingchen could finish, Qin Mei clamped her hand over his mouth.
Jie Jingchen's gaze turned cold, and his sharp eyes fixed on Qin Mei.
Qin Mei met his icy, grim stare. She glanced warily at the next bed and raised an eyebrow, reminding him, "Keep your voice down."
'She didn't want to return either the money or the tickets.'
Jie Jingchen placed the enamel mug on the bedside cabinet and pulled away the small hand covering his mouth. Her skin was soft and smooth, and her hand felt almost boneless.
It felt as if something had struck him in the chest, a tingling, tender sensation. Feeling the delicate skin under his palm, Jie Jingchen's fingertips couldn't help but brush against the back of Qin Mei's hand a few times.
A memory from half a year ago surfaced in his mind.
"Get out." His low voice carried a terrifying aura.
"Hmph! This might be my second marriage, but I'm not secondhand goods. Jie Jingchen, you know that better than anyone. Just you wait to take responsibility for me." Qin Mei's tone was arrogant and defiant as she calmly got dressed.
"Qin. Mei." Rage shot to the top of his head. Jie Jingchen ground the words out through clenched teeth.
But who would have known that Qin Mei would get up too quickly? Her foot caught on Jie Jingchen's leg, and she tumbled headfirst from the bed to the floor. The next second, everything went black.
At the hospital, Jie Jingchen sat by the bed, looking at the person lying in it. A dark, gloomy shadow clouded his deep eyes.
"Ahem." An awkward cough sounded.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Jie Jingchen looked up and stared at the person standing in the doorway.
"Jing Si." The man's gaze toward Jie Jingchen was complicated, tinged with a bit of sympathy.
"Captain," Jie Jingchen replied.
Captain Jiang walked into the room, glanced at the person in the bed, and asked what he already knew: "Has Comrade Qin Mei woken up?"
"No." Jie Jingchen's expression was rather grim.
"Jing Si! Comrade Qin Mei is Qin Wu's younger sister. She... ahem, well, regardless of the reason, the result is that you two... ahem. Although Comrade Qin Mei is on her second marriage, she's a widow, not a divorcée, so her character is still..." Captain Jiang truly couldn't bring himself to speak the words that went against his conscience.
Jie Jingchen and Qin Xiang were his right-hand men, and Qin Mei was Qin Xiang's sister. She had come to the military base to visit family. While Qin Xiang was away on a mission, Qin Mei had... taken down Jie Jingchen. Thinking of Qin Mei's character and her actions during this period, Captain Jiang broke out in a cold sweat.
Jie Jingchen's eyes lowered, his expression dark. He gave a cold laugh. "I'll take responsibility."
Hearing this, Captain Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. He handed a brand-new marriage certificate to Jie Jingchen and said, "Here. This is your marriage certificate. You have a mission tomorrow, and Comrade Qin Mei still isn't awake. You'll need to make arrangements."
Jie Jingchen looked at the bright red booklet in his hand and sneered in contempt.
...
"Jie Jingchen, that hurts." Qin Mei cried out in pain. Jie Jingchen's large hand was clamped around her wrist, tightening with his shifting emotions as if he wanted to crush her bones.
Jie Jingchen snapped back to reality, pulling himself from his memories. He looked at Qin Mei, his expression complex and cold. A hint of resentful embarrassment showed in his amber eyes.
"Jie Jingchen, let go." Fury colored Qin Mei's eyes. 'If he doesn't let go now, he can't blame me for what happens next.'
He was a patient, and she could be compliant, but she wouldn't let him bully her.
Zhou Hongyi shot them a curious glance. Seeing the two of them looking so tense, she froze for a moment. She started to speak but was stopped by Xie Jingchen.
Jie Jingchen's grip loosened, and Qin Mei immediately pulled her hand back. A red mark was already forming on her fair wrist where he had squeezed. She shot a resentful glare at Jie Jingchen and rotated her wrist, relieved that no bones were hurt.
Jie Jingchen saw the stark red mark on her wrist, and a flicker of guilt crossed his face. The Qin Mei from six months ago and the Qin Mei of today were like two different people. Jie Jingchen stared at her, his deep eyes probing.
'Is she really Qin Mei?'
"Sorry," Jie Jingchen's voice was barely audible.
"How ridiculous. I don't accept your apology." Qin Mei huffed haughtily and angrily grabbed the aluminum lunch box to go wash it.
'What was that about? Slap me and then offer a sweet date?'
When Qin Mei returned to the ward, Doctor Li was examining Xie Jingchen. He looked up, saw Qin Mei, and said to her, "Comrade Qin Mei, the patient is recovering very well. In a few days, we can remove the gauze, and he won't need bandages anymore."
"Haha." Qin Mei gave an awkward laugh. Pointing at Zhou Hongyi, she said to Doctor Li, "Doctor Li, you don't have to tell me about his condition. His family is here. Comrade Zhou Hongyi is Comrade Xie Jingchen's wife."
Doctor Li was a bit dumbfounded. He glanced at Zhou Hongyi, then turned a strange look on Qin Mei. "You're not..."
"I'm not," Qin Mei cut him off, speaking very quickly.
Doctor Li looked stunned for a moment. He stared at Qin Mei and asked in confusion, "But you were taking care of him..."