Chapter 158 - 66: Qin Mei, You Have to Push Yourself
"Come here." Qin Mei didn’t budge, deliberately making things difficult for Jie Jingchen.
Jie Jingchen, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, shook his head in resignation. He stood up and walked over to Qin Mei. Given their height difference, it was easier to put in the eye drops with her standing than lying down.
As the cool liquid dripped into her eye, Qin Mei flinched. Jie Jingchen held her eyelid open, and though she couldn’t blink, her eyeball darted around. "Don’t move. The drops are all coming out."
"Let me put them in for you and see if you can stop yourself from blinking," Qin Mei snapped.
It was a natural reflex to blink when eye drops were administered.
"But my eyes aren’t injured," Jie Jingchen said, lowering his head and gently blowing on her eye.
"Jie Jingchen, are you doing this on purpose?" She could barely stand the drops in her eye, and now he was blowing on it. This unexpected move of his truly left Qin Mei a little stunned.
Unable to take it anymore, she shoved Jie Jingchen away and raised a hand to rub her eye, but he swiftly stopped her. "Have you forgotten what the eye doctor told you?"
With both of her wrists pinned by Jie Jingchen, Qin Mei’s left eye throbbed with discomfort, which in turn made her right eye feel itchy. "I won’t rub my left eye, I’ll just rub my right one! Jie Jingchen, let go of me! I can’t take it anymore!"
"I’ll rub it for you." Jie Jingchen let go, and before Qin Mei could react, he began to gently rub her right eye for her. "Better?"
Qin Mei rolled her eyes, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. She turned away and gently pressed on her left eyelid, which finally brought some relief.
"When Jing Qi was little, she was closest to Aunt Zhang. After her accident, I was away with the military. When I came home on leave, Aunt Zhang was taking meticulous care of her, but I still sensed something was off." Jie Jingchen’s low voice drifted over.
Qin Mei paused, realizing he was answering her earlier question. She turned to face him. "If that’s the case, why didn’t you investigate it thoroughly?"
Qin Mei was a little surprised to hear that Jing Qi had been close to Aunt Zhang as a child. But on second thought, it made sense. If Jing Qi hadn’t liked Aunt Zhang, his mother would never have entrusted her care to the woman.
"When I got a moment alone with Jing Qi, I asked if Aunt Zhang was secretly hurting her. Her reaction was violent—she scratched and bit me. Even I could barely handle it, let alone Aunt Zhang." Jie Jingchen paused before adding, "Mom checked Jing Qi’s body every day. There were never any signs of abuse. On the contrary, Aunt Zhang was the one who would get scratched or bitten by her from time to time."
"But Jing Qi does have injuries," Qin Mei said, her cool voice laced with scorn. "New ones on top of old ones. They’re so obvious, I don’t believe his mother didn’t see them."
Jie Jingchen stared at Qin Mei, his expression complex and unreadable. A profound, suffocating sadness swirled in the depths of his dark eyes. "Two years ago," he said heavily, "Jing Qi started self-harming."
"Self-harm?" Qin Mei gasped.
Qiao Jingshan had once mentioned in an interview that because her legs were disabled, she had suffered from depression and attempted suicide multiple times. That is, until she met a benefactor who changed her life and made her the person she is today.
’A benefactor? Who was this person Qiao Jingshan met?’
’My appearance has also changed the course of Jing Qi’s life. Will she still meet that benefactor now?’
"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen called out.
Qin Mei snapped out of her reverie, collecting her thoughts and looking at Jie Jingchen.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"About Jing Qi self-harming," Qin Mei answered. Her gaze drifted past the window to Aunt Zhang, who was in the yard plucking a chicken. She continued in a meaningful tone, "Self-inflicted wounds on top of abuse from someone else... they’re all injuries. It would certainly be difficult to tell whether Jing Qi was hurting herself or being hurt by another."
Jie Jingchen fell silent, his expression grim. An icy frost seemed to settle in his deep eyes.
There was no proof, and Jie Jingshan wouldn’t talk. They couldn’t press her, as it would only backfire. All they could do was wait patiently for Jing Qi to open up and tell them herself.
The experience was too terrible to willingly recall.
Qin Mei lowered her gaze, then glanced sideways at Jie Jingchen. She stretched lazily, her voice carrying a hint of a warning. "As the saying goes, a long illness is a trial for any caregiver."
Jie Jingchen looked at her. Of course he understood what she was implying.
"Does your eye still hurt?" Jie Jingchen asked.
Qin Mei, who had been twisting her waist, froze. ’He hasn’t given up on making me exercise, has he?’ The hand she had on her hip moved to cover her left eye. "It hurts! Of course it hurts! Have you already forgotten how hard you poked it?"
Jie Jingchen watched her, his expression impassive. His eyes seemed to say, ’Go on. Keep up the act.’
"I can’t do it. My eye hurts, I feel dizzy, my limbs are weak... I need to lie down and rest." Qin Mei took one step, but Jie Jingchen’s imposing frame blocked her path. When she moved left, he moved right. When she moved right, he moved left, preventing her from passing. "You can have the bed. I’ll go lie down on Jing Qi’s."
As Qin Mei turned, Jie Jingchen grabbed her arm. "Jie Jingchen!"
"Exercise," Jie Jingchen uttered, the single word leaving his thin lips.
Qin Mei ground her teeth and wailed dramatically, "I really can’t do it!"
Jie Jingchen sighed. "Qin Mei," he said with grave seriousness, "you have to push yourself."
Qin Mei shook her head, her expression just as serious. "But I’d rather give myself a break."
Jie Jingchen fixed his gaze on her, his expression faltering for a moment.
Qin Mei took a deep breath. "Jie Jingchen, life is short, you have to enjoy it. I want to eat what I want, drink what I want, relax when I want, and sleep when I want. I don’t want to exercise."
"Xu Anshan is out," Jie Jingchen said gravely.
"So soon?" Qin Mei’s pupils contracted. ’It’s only been a few days and he’s already been released? He wasn’t even locked up for long over that "miscarriage" incident, which only caused me more trouble. The Xu family is clearly not to be underestimated.’
"Xu Anshan despises evil with a vengeance, and he’s an extremely skilled fighter." An icy chill filled Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Qin Mei thought for a moment, then used her free hand to pat Jie Jingchen’s shoulder. "Then you’d better be careful."
"He wouldn’t dare to touch me," Jie Jingchen said, resolute.
Qin Mei’s hand froze on his shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, confused, "Then what are you worried about?"
"You." Jie Jingchen gazed at her, his eyes clouded with worry.
Qin Mei blinked, then pointed at herself. "Me?"
Jie Jingchen nodded gravely. "Xu Anshan won’t dare come after me, so he’ll come after you. Qin Mei, you may not be his match, but you have to be able to protect yourself."
’His words are a contradiction,’ Qin Mei thought. ’If I’m no match for him, how am I supposed to protect myself?’ "Jie Jingchen, you just said Xu Anshan is incredibly strong. If he really comes after me, what’s the difference between a few days of exercise and sharpening your blade right before a battle?"
"A blade sharpened at the last minute might not be sharp, but at least it shines," Jie Jingchen replied.
Qin Mei fell silent. No matter how she looked at it, Jie Jingchen was dead set on making her train.
In the end, Jie Jingchen was victorious. Qin Mei had lost the battle.
In the yard, a thin mat had been placed on the ground, with a neatly arranged quilt on top. Dressed in loose-fitting clothes, Qin Mei lay on the quilt while Jie Jingchen instructed her on how to do a floor press.
Done plucking the feathers, Aunt Zhang was at the sink gutting the chicken. Seeing the two in the yard, she couldn’t help but ask, "Jing Si, what are you two doing?"
Jie Jingchen ignored her, and Qin Mei was in no mood to reply. The mindset for voluntary exercise was completely different from being forced into it.
Getting snubbed, Aunt Zhang sensibly shut her mouth, but her gaze turned sinister.
Hu Wan’er came out of the house in a simple dress, toying with the braid that lay across her chest. She walked up to Aunt Zhang. "Mom, I’m going to go for a stroll."
"Alright." Aunt Zhang didn’t even look at her, her focus entirely on cleaning the chicken intestines. She offered a few words of instruction to Hu Wan’er and said no more.
"Fourth Brother Jing, Sister-in-law, I’m heading out," Hu Wan’er said, coming to a stop in front of them. She must have just been scolded by Aunt Zhang, as she seemed much more subdued and wasn’t as brazen with her attention toward Jie Jingchen.
Hu Wan’er was standing close to where Qin Mei was lying down, giving Qin Mei a clear view up her skirt. ’Doesn’t she feel cold wearing a dress in this weather?’ she wanted to ask.
"Qin Mei." Jie Jingchen’s face darkened when he saw her staring up Hu Wan’er’s skirt.
Qin Mei turned her head to glare at Jie Jingchen and challenged, "What? Are you the only one allowed to look?"