"What nonsense are you talking about? Jing Qi, is this any of your business?" Jie Jingchen got up and pushed Jie Jingshan out of the kitchen.
Qin i didn’t leave. She remained slumped over the table, her fingernail picking at the corner of a dishcloth. ’If we hurry and have kids now, we can have an extra one. Once the eighties arrive and the family planning policy is implented, we’ll only be able to have one child.’
After taking Jie Jingshan back to her room, Jie Jingchen saw that Qin i hadn’t gone back to hers. He went to the kitchen and stood at the doorway, watching her slumped over the table, sighing in frustration. A faint glint appeared in his eyes. He watched for a mont longer before stepping over the threshold. "What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about having kids..." Qin i blurted out. Realizing what she’d just said, she snapped her mouth shut, looked up at Jie Jingchen, and explained, "Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not what you think."
The corner of Jie Jingchen’s mouth quirked up slightly. He sat down across from Qin i and looked at her, his expression serious. "Qin i, we’re a married couple."
Qin i’s almond eyes tensed. She averted her gaze, lowered her head, and went back to picking at the corner of the dishcloth. "I know," she murmured, her voice soft.
A thoughtful expression flickered in Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes. Looking at the distant Qin i, he felt a slight ache in his chest. "Your back injury has healed."
Qin i’s heart skipped a beat, but her tone was perfectly level. "I know."
’Acupuncture, herbal dicine, and dicated plasters... If it hadn’t healed in a month, I would have inherited my grandfather’s legacy for nothing.’
Qin i understood Jie Jingchen’s subtle hint. She was even a little excited, but she didn’t let it show. ’I have to be composed,’ she chanted inwardly. ’I have to be composed.’
Jie Jingchen sighed. He took the dishcloth she was fiddling with, his deep voice laced with resignation. "Qin i, I won’t force you. Do you understand what I an?"
Qin i paused, her sowhat droopy eyelids lifting slightly to et Jie Jingchen’s deep eyes. Provoked by his placid expression, she snapped, "I don’t understand."
’Even if I did understand, right now I’d pretend that I don’t.’
Jie Jingchen was slightly stunned. Just monts ago, Qin i’s attitude had been distant, so indifferent it seed nothing could cause the slightest ripple on her surface. "So?"
Qin i sat up straight, her posture instantly becoming formal. Her gaze on Jie Jingchen was focused and serious. ’Even though I’m just the one picking up the pieces in this marriage, I still have the right to an opinion.’ "Jie Jingchen, do you want to make a life with ?"
Jie Jingchen fell silent, not rushing to give her an answer. ’The Qin i before her amnesia... I didn’t want to live a life with her. But the Qin i after her amnesia? After spending the last two months with her, I do.’
Seeing Jie Jingchen remain silent, Qin i wondered, ’What is that supposed to an? Is it a yes by default, or is it a no?’
Qin i took a deep breath and said, "A marriage can’t be forced. Jie Jingchen, if you have no feelings for , then there’s no reason for to invest my emotions in you."
Jie Jingchen was thrilled by Qin i’s words, but he didn’t let it show. His expression remained placid, revealing no hint of his feelings.
Qin i continued, "Jie Jingchen, that face of yours is just too tempting. My willpower is weak; I won’t be able to resist for long before I’m completely worn down."
’I have my pride, too. If Jie Jingchen isn’t even willing to pretend to make this marriage work, then I’ll just give up. I’m not a woman of this era, and I haven’t been indoctrinated with the beliefs they drill into won these days. I’m not afraid of divorce.’
’However, my wings haven’t fully grown yet. If I divorce Jie Jingchen now, I’ll have to leave the Jie Family. In these sensitive tis, it won’t be easy to get by on my own without the support of Jie Jingchen and his family.’
’Jie Jingchen’s subtle words just now clearly showed he didn’t want to maintain the status quo. I could tell he intended to move our relationship forward, and I wasn’t opposed to it. But then he handed the reins over to . I should be grateful for his consideration, but for so reason, I just feel inexplicably angry.’
’Even I think it’s contradictory, but I can’t help feeling annoyed.’
A smile touched the corners of Jie Jingchen’s lips, and they parted slightly. "You like my face?"
Qin i’s gaze faltered. ’Is that the important part?’ She admitted it frankly. "That’s right. I like your face."
A hint of concern crossed Jie Jingchen’s otherwise impassive face. He asked in a low voice, "And what about ?"
’Is there a difference?’ Qin i didn’t think so. Instead of answering directly, she let her aningful gaze sweep over Jie Jingchen from head to toe. After a mont of thought, she said, "I like your body, too."
Jie Jingchen felt like that was what he was asking, but at the sa ti, sothing felt off.
"What if I were ugly?" Jie Jingchen asked.
"I’m superficial. I wouldn’t have even given you a second glance," Qin i said, her tone exceptionally haughty.
Jie Jingchen was suddenly at a loss for words, his heart sinking. At Modu Hospital, she had mistaken him for soone else. She had taken such ticulous care of Xie Jingchen, but when it ca to him, she’d been utterly cantankerous and impatient, finding fault in everything.
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