Qin i wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his body tense. Confusion clouded her eyes.
Jie Jingchen took a deep breath, composed himself, and his taut body relaxed slightly. "It’s nothing."
Qin i poked Jie Jingchen’s back with her fingertip. "You still haven’t answered," she reminded him.
"It’s harder to get noticed at night, especially by the workers from the machinery factory." Jie Jingchen’s deep voice carried an icy tone.
Qin i didn’t understand at first, but a mont later, it all clicked. "For Aunt Zhang, sleeping with your dad is secondary. Her real goal is to make it a public spectacle. She wants to use public opinion to pressure your dad, forcing him to divorce and then marry her."
Director Jie would rush ho, worried about his grandson. If he and Aunt Zhang were actually caught, the story would spread like wildfire: Director Jie used his grandson as an excuse to hurry ho in broad daylight, desperate to tumble into bed with the housekeeper. With his sons and daughters-in-law ho at night—not to ntion his wife—they wouldn’t have a chance. Their only opportunity was during the day, when the house was empty.
"Public opinion?" Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow. The term was unfamiliar to him.
Qin i was annoyed with herself. She had gotten too worked up and let such crude words slip out. Besides, the term "public opinion" wasn’t even used in this era. After thinking for a mont, she explained, "It basically ans rumors."
Jie Jingchen fell silent as they arrived ho. The courtyard gate was shut tight, aning things hadn’t blown up, and there was no commotion from the neighbors. His second sister-in-law was involved, but he wasn’t sure if she had stumbled upon it by accident or been intentionally drawn in.
Jie Jingchen planted his foot on the ground to steady the bicycle, then had Qin i get off.
Qin i dismounted, walked to the entrance, and pushed on the main gate. It was locked from the inside. She looked at Jie Jingchen with a confused expression. "What’s going on?"
Jie Jingchen gazed at her for a mont before saying flatly, "Second Sister-in-law invited a ’master’ to the house."
’Qin i’s interest was instantly piqued by this "master." But she was also completely baffled by Xu Chunyan’s behavior. She had let Aunt Zhang use her son for the plot, but now she’d invited a master to stop it. Did Xu Chunyan want to help Aunt Zhang or get in her way?’
BANG BANG BANG! Jie Jingchen pounded on the door, his foul mood obvious.
"Who is it?" Xu Chunyan’s wary voice called out.
"It’s ," Jie Jingchen said coldly.
Hearing Jie Jingchen’s voice, Xu Chunyan let out a sigh of relief and ran to open the door. When she saw Jie Jingchen and Qin i, her gaze flickered. She looked pointedly at Qin i and demanded, "Fourth Sister-in-law, where did you take Jing Qi? Where is he?"
Qin i sneered inwardly. ’She never shows any concern for Jing Qi. Who does she think she’s fooling with this act?’
"Qin i, hurry," Shen Qing called out. She was standing at the door to Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s room, her usually frosty expression filled with worry.
Jie Jingchen’s heart sank. He dropped the bicycle and strode toward Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s room, pulling Qin i with him.
Xu Chunyan brought the bicycle inside, glanced out one more ti, then shut the main gate and bolted it from within.
Jie Jinghun, Shen Qing, and Xu Chunyan were in Mr. Xie’s room. There were also two elderly people Qin i had never seen before, their world-weary eyes filled with worry. Before Qin i had a chance to figure out who they were, Jie Jingchen pulled her to the bedside.
Under the bedding, Mr. Xie was tightly bound and in a wretched state. His eyes were unfocused, his expression was vacant, and his complexion... For a mont, Qin i couldn’t find the right word to describe it.
"Qin i." Jie Jingchen’s deep voice was filled with worry.
"I’ll take his pulse first." Qin i didn’t say or ask anything more. Just as she was about to sit on the edge of the bed, Shen Qing brought over a chair.
Qin i paused, taken aback, but said nothing as she sat down in the chair. The bed was a ss—not with the traces of an amorous encounter, but with water stains. She figured they must have doused Mr. Xie with cold water to try and bring down his temperature.
’They had tied him up and covered him with the bedding. It wasn’t for warmth, but to hide what was underneath.’
Jie Jinghun saw Qin i reach for the bedding on his father and quickly tried to stop her. "Fourth Sister-in-law!"
Qin i wasn’t foolish. She didn’t pull the bedding all the way back, just a corner. She saw that Mr. Xie’s hands were bound as well. "Jie Jingchen, untie Dad’s hands."
Jie Jingchen ignored the damp mattress and sat on the edge of the bed. His broad fra blocked Qin i’s view as he brusquely untied the ropes on his father’s hands, then held his father’s wrist out to her.
Her smooth fingertips rested on Mr. Xie’s pulse. Qin i’s expression beca serious and grave. She glanced at Jie Jingchen, then at Jie Jinghun, and asked, "Where’s Mom?"
Jie Jinghun was taken aback. He stole a glance at the two elderly people to the side, his gentle voice a bit hoarse. "Should we notify Aunt Qiao?"
"You haven’t told Mom?" Qin i shot back, incredulous. For sothing this serious, they hadn’t even called her mother-in-law.
User Comments
0 comments from readers