Chu Li placed a pillow behind Qin Xingwan’s back, then rolled up his shirt sleeves, exposing his strong forearms.
He opened the insulated container on the bedside table and poured out some soup.
The aroma filled the room, and Qin Xingwan’s stomach obligingly growled.
She reached for it.
Chu Li moved it out of her reach and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’ll feed you.”
His expression was gentle now, almost tender.
For a moment, Qin Xingwan was dazed, as if they had never argued over Qin Yunshu.
“I can manage it myself,” she said, refusing Chu Li’s offer.
Unhurriedly, Chu Li brought the spoon to Qin Xingwan’s lips.
Qin Xingwan frowned. She couldn’t read Chu Li’s intentions. In the car, he had blamed her for bullying Qin Yunshu and told her to apologize.
Now he was acting as though nothing had happened.
Could those words in the car have stirred what little conscience he had left?
Qin Xingwan looked at the milky-white soup in the spoon. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
A trace of tenderness showed in Chu Li’s deep, dark eyes. “What happened to the baby was my fault. I want to make it up to you.”
He sounded sincere.
Tears welled at the corners of Qin Xingwan’s eyes, and bitterness churned in her chest.
Make it up to her?
How could he possibly make it up to her?
The soup in the spoon suddenly looked repulsive.
“I’m not hungry. I don’t want any.”
“Don’t be difficult.” Chu Li’s expression darkened.
“If you still love Qin Yunshu, I’m willing to let you be together.”
“Let’s part on good terms,” Qin Xingwan said earnestly.
Chu Li set the bowl down and leaned close to Qin Xingwan’s face.
Their gazes met.
“When we got married, it was only a marriage of convenience—”
She cut him off. “I know. When we signed the agreement, we agreed to three years. Now there are only three months left.”
Her nose stung, and her voice had already gone hoarse.
Their marriage had indeed begun as a transaction, but she had put her heart into it.
She had treated Chu Li as her husband, as family she could spend her life with.
But perhaps what wasn’t hers had never been meant for her from the start.
“There’s a one-month cooling-off period for divorce—”
“Even if there were only one day left, you’d still be Mrs. Chu.” Chu Li suddenly grew angry.
He picked up the bowl again. “Taking care of my wife while she recovers from a miscarriage is what I’m supposed to do as her husband.”
Holding back her tears, Qin Xingwan drank the soup.
So he was only fulfilling the duties of a husband.
It wasn’t guilt, or any other feeling.
By the time she finished the bowl, the atmosphere in the room had grown oppressive.
Qin Xingwan slowly lay back down and closed her eyes.
Chu Li put the insulated container away. His gaze settled on Qin Xingwan’s bloodless face. She was clearly weak, yet she still got angry over inexplicable things and made such a fuss…
He couldn’t understand women.
Early the next morning, Qin Xingwan woke to find that Chu Li had left at some point. The household servants had arrived early and stayed with her while she ate breakfast.
Just as she finished, an elegantly dressed, middle-aged woman barged in, demanding an explanation.
“What did you do to Yunshu?”
Qin Xingwan leaned against the headboard and looked at the woman impassively. This was Zhou Yalan, her mother by both blood and law.
Madam Qin disliked this daughter, and Qin Xingwan’s expressionless face only made her dislike her more. She spoke sharply.
“Your younger sister just got back from overseas. As her older sister, you should be helping her, not bullying her in front of outsiders. What are you trying to do?”
“You insisted that Yunshu take off that dress for you, then refused it when she did and gave it to a waitress instead. With so many people watching, how could you humiliate your own sister like that?”
Word of the dress incident had already spread through their social circle. Qin Xingwan was already well known for her exceptional skill at blending fragrances and her reserved manner—and Chu Li had been there the day before, too.
Overnight, Qin Yunshu had become a laughingstock and the subject of gossip. She had cried until her eyes were swollen.
Qin Xingwan swallowed the bitterness in her heart. She waited for her mother to finish, then said flatly, “I’m in the hospital.”
Zhou Xue froze. Of course she knew Qin Xingwan was in the hospital; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come here.
But this was probably just another one of her tactics.
Her daughter had been raised in the countryside and had little manners.
For the past month, she had been throwing tantrums to win her son-in-law’s affection.
“A-Li and Yunshu grew up together. What’s the point of throwing these tantrums?” She frowned, her words plainly reproachful.
Bitterness tightened Qin Xingwan’s chest. Like Chu Li, her mother thought she was doing it on purpose.
That she was fighting for his attention.
“I lost my baby.” She lifted her chin. Her pale face remained as impassive as ever.
Madam Qin was utterly stunned.
She had lost the baby?
She was speechless.
Qin Xingwan watched her, feeling both scornful and bereft. Deliberately drawing out her words, she said softly, “The night you were celebrating Qin Yunshu’s birthday, I called you over and over. But neither of you answered.”
In a light, matter-of-fact tone, she recounted all the despair and pain of that night in the pouring rain.
Madam Qin’s expression stiffened. Of course she had seen Qin Xingwan’s calls that night. But she had never liked this daughter, so she had deliberately ignored them.
Afterward, she had meant to call back, but she had gotten busy and forgotten.
“Xingwan, I…” She instinctively wanted to apologize, but couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
What mother apologized to her daughter?
Besides, it had been an accident. No one had wanted it to happen.
And her losing the baby had nothing to do with them—least of all with Yunshu.
Thinking that, she seemed to find her confidence again.
“This had nothing to do with Yunshu.” Madam Qin furrowed her delicate brows, unable to understand why Qin Xingwan was taking her anger out on Qin Yunshu. “Besides, you’re still young. You can have another child.”
“You shouldn’t have humiliated your sister in front of so many people. We’re family. We share in one another’s honor and disgrace. Do I really have to teach you that?”
Qin Xingwan thought of the report in her hand. Madam Qin’s voice droned in her ears, grating on her nerves.
Over and over, she insisted Qin Xingwan shouldn’t blame Qin Yunshu for the baby’s death and disgrace her at the Perfume Conference.
“Could you stop?” Qin Xingwan could take no more and interrupted her mother.
“I want to rest.”
Madam Qin was displeased. One reason she disliked Qin Xingwan was her personality.
Cold and distant, she kept everyone at arm’s length, as if the whole world owed her something.
“Yunshu is crying her eyes out at home. Call her and apologize.” At last, Madam Qin stated the reason she had come. “Family should get along. Besides, you’re the older sister…”
“So being the older sister means I deserve to be treated like dirt?” Qin Xingwan shot back coldly.
“What kind of way is that to speak?”
“You raised her like a precious treasure, but left me in the countryside, neglecting me. What do I owe her that I should always give in?” Qin Xingwan’s eyes reddened.
She had swallowed these words for three years. Now, at last, they poured out of her.
Madam Qin was furious. “Your Dad was struggling to get his business off the ground back then. We had no choice. We never deprived you of food or clothes. Why are you still so full of resentment?”
Resentment was exactly the right word.
Qin Xingwan did resent them, and that was why she had grown so cold.
“Yes, you were struggling to get your business off the ground. But you could afford to raise Qin Shen and Qin Yunshu, just not me.” Qin Xingwan gave a desolate laugh.
Being challenged by her daughter left Madam Qin both humiliated and furious. Beneath it all, there was also a flicker of guilt she herself didn’t recognize.
She gave a perfunctory reply. “Even if we wronged you, Yunshu is innocent. She cares about you as her older sister…”