Chapter 22: Agreeing to Treat Jing Qi’s Legs
Jie Jingchen’s face was grim. He spoke helplessly, "Everyone understands the reasoning, but Jing Qi is only fourteen. Watching her sink deeper into depression day by day, we’re anxious too. Forcing her will only drive her mad, and we can’t bear to hurt her. We have no choice but to go along with her."
"Fine. You can keep indulging her, keep watching her waste away. Let her self-loathing consume her until she dies of depression." Qin Mei’s words were blunt, cutting straight to the quick. A terrifying hostility instantly clouded Jie Jingchen’s face.
Qin Mei snorted, a disdainful smile playing on her lips. "The way I see it, you’re not indulging her. You’re just giving up on her in a different way."
The atmosphere instantly grew taut, like a tightly wound string.
Jie Jingchen clenched his fists. His amber eyes filled with disbelief. He found he couldn’t refute a single word Qin Mei had said.
An outsider sees things more clearly.
’He’s right. It looks like indulgence and doting, but isn’t it also a form of giving up?’
"Jing Qi is only fourteen," Qin Mei reminded him.
Jie Jingchen was speechless.
"She’s young. She’s immature and can’t envision a proper future for herself. Jie Jingchen, you’re all adults. You come from a family of intellectuals. With that kind of upbringing, your way of thinking shouldn’t have failed. Her legs are disabled, and she has given up on herself, but you shouldn’t give up on her. She’s disabled, not brain-dead." After speaking, Qin Mei was shocked at herself. ’I really need to stop being so nosy.’
’In this era, I’m basically all alone in the world. I don’t have the original owner’s memories, so I can’t even turn to her family for help. It’s a good thing the original owner found herself a husband, and an even better thing that Jie Jingchen is a responsible man. Otherwise, I’d truly be on my own.’
Jie Jingchen lowered his eyes, Qin Mei’s words plunging him into deep self-reproach. If his parents heard this, they would be even more mortified. When Jing Qi had her accident, he was away in the army, only able to check on her during his family visits.
Suddenly, a thought struck Jie Jingchen. A wave of excitement washed over him, and he stared at Qin Mei as if he were clutching at his last lifeline.
"Don’t look at me like that." Qin Mei took a step back. She was all too familiar with that look. It was the same look her grandfather saw whenever he met patients with terminal illnesses—the look of people on the verge of despair who had just seen a glimmer of hope.
Most terminal illnesses were beyond saving.
Jie Jingchen was silent for a long moment. Then, his thin lips parted, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you have a way?"
’Western medicine has already passed a death sentence on Jing Qi. They’ve tried traditional Chinese medicine too, with no effect. But what about Qin Mei?’
"I’m not very familiar with her condition." A doctor’s heart is a benevolent one. Qin Mei neither refused nor made any grand promises.
Without one hundred percent certainty, Qin Mei would never make a blind guarantee.
Giving someone hope only to snatch it away was the cruelest way to drive them to despair.
"Qin Mei." His thin lips finally formed a sound after a long pause. Immense hope spread through Jie Jingchen’s heart, and he excitedly grabbed Qin Mei’s hand.
"Ah!" Qin Mei cried out in pain. Jie Jingchen had grabbed the very hand that Jie Jingshan had scratched and bitten. "It hurts! Let go."
Hearing this, Jie Jingchen slowly loosened his grip. He looked at the scratches and bite marks on the back of her fair hand, and his deep, dark eyes filled with pity and a hint of guilt. "I’m sorry."
"Whether her legs can be treated or not, I’ll have to take a look first. Don’t get your hopes up too high. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. I have no intention of becoming the one to blame." Qin Mei blew on the back of her stinging hand. ’The wound hasn’t been disinfected; it might get infected.’
"Could it possibly be any worse than it is now?" Jie Jingchen gave a bitter smile. Seeing her was like seeing hope itself.
Qin Mei paused, glancing sideways at Jie Jingchen. In his eyes, Jie Jingshan’s current condition was terrible, and she had to admit, it really was.
"Do you have any disinfectant in the house?" Qin Mei asked.
Jie Jingchen understood. He turned and walked out, returning a moment later with medicine and gauze. "Come here."
Qin Mei remained seated on the edge of the bed, not moving an inch. She took the opportunity to put on airs, reminding him, "Jie Jingchen, you’re the one asking for my help right now. You should at least look the part."
Jie Jingchen’s mouth twitched. He carried the medicine and gauze to the bed, squatted down, and knelt on one knee. He took her hand. On the back of her fair skin were three long scratches and a bite mark, the blood already congealed.
Jie Jingchen looked up, gazing at Qin Mei, his eyes like a pair of deep, unfathomable pools. "Does it hurt?"
"What do you think?" Qin Mei retorted, rolling her eyes. ’Of course it hurts to be scratched and bitten.’
Jie Jingchen was speechless. He gently applied the medicine and bandaged her hand. "Did you clean Jing Qi’s room?"
"Obviously," Qin Mei shot him a look. ’Who else is there in this house besides me?’
"Thank you," Jie Jingchen said gratefully.
Qin Mei didn’t reply. She watched him, momentarily lost in thought as he focused on his task. His features were exquisite, his bone structure refined and noble. The man possessed an impeccably handsome face.
"Where’s your sister?" Qin Mei asked.
"I pushed her back to her room," Jie Jingchen replied.
"Jie Jingchen!" Qin Mei flared up. Seeing his bewildered expression, she took a deep breath and raised her voice. "I went through all that trouble to get her into the courtyard, and you—you just pushed her right back into her room!"
Jie Jingchen remained silent. ’Under the circumstances, what else could I do besides push Jing Qi back into her room? Was I supposed to just leave her in the courtyard by herself?’
"Jie Jingchen, you’re the biggest stumbling block on my path to treating Jing Qi’s legs!" Qin Mei stood up in a huff and stormed out of the room.
Jie Jingchen felt a bit wronged. He stood up, pressing a hand to his back, and followed after Qin Mei.
Qin Mei suddenly stopped and spun around. Seeing this, Jie Jingchen immediately halted. Qin Mei glared at him and demanded in a cold voice, "Why are you following me?"
Jie Jingchen’s eyes flickered. "I..." he began.
"If you don’t want to be a burden, then stay in the room and don’t come out," Qin Mei cut him off sharply.
It was the first time anyone had ever accused him of being a burden, but Jie Jingchen didn’t get angry. He understood what she meant. He understood, but he was still worried. He reminded her, "Qin Mei, you can’t be too hasty. Give her some time to adapt."
Qin Mei’s gaze was sharp, her voice frosty. "If you doubt someone, don’t use them. If you use them, don’t doubt them. Don’t you understand that principle?"
"But..." Jie Jingchen wasn’t an indecisive person, but when he thought about how Qin Mei had dislocated Jing Qi’s jaw, he worried she would do something drastic for the sake of a quick resolution. He might understand, but would his parents? And especially Jie Jingjue?
"If you don’t trust me, then find someone else." Qin Mei’s expression was mocking, her tone casual.
’It’s not like I absolutely have to treat Jing Qi’s legs. Anyway, she’s his sister, not mine.’
"I was wrong. I was judging a noble person by my own petty standards," Jie Jingchen said with righteous gravity.
Seeing how adaptable he was, Qin Mei felt a complex mix of emotions. She envied their sibling bond. As an only child, she could never experience that kind of familial love between siblings.
With these complicated feelings, Qin Mei arrived outside Jie Jingshan’s room. She knocked on the door as a sign of respect, but before Jie Jingshan could answer from inside, she pushed the door open and went in.