Chapter 183 Then come up and sleep here.

Qiao Xing quickly put away her phone, opened the bathroom door, and saw Qin Ce standing outside, looking her up and down.

Are you alright?

Qiao Xing was taken aback, not understanding why he asked that. "I'm fine, what's wrong?"

Qin Ce raised his hand and glanced at his watch. "You've been inside for thirty minutes. I thought you'd fallen in."

"..."

Don't take this so seriously when you're joking.

"Oh, I'm on the phone with my cousin. He just transferred 50,000 yuan to me, and I'm wondering how to return the extra to him."

Qin Ce was silent for a while before solemnly telling her, "Why would you return it? The fact that he transferred the money to your card means he doesn't want you to return it. If you return it, he'll think you're being distant."

"Is that so..."

"You're always like this, you're too clear about things, and you push away the people who really want to be good to you."

Qin Ce didn't say the second half of his sentence: the people she attracts are all those who want to take advantage of her.

Qiao Xing froze, probably because Qin Ce had struck a nerve, making her face turn pale.

Qin Ce said, "Go wash up first and get a good night's sleep."

After saying that, he closed the door for her.

Qiao Xing's mind was filled with his words, and she took a shower absentmindedly in the bathroom.

After she finished washing, she realized she hadn't brought any clothes in!

She glanced at the clothes in the basket; because there was no sliding door, they were all wet.

Qiao Xing patted her forehead. She paced around the bathroom, looking worried. After thinking it over, she finally took out her wet clothes and put them on.

She cautiously opened the bathroom door. Joey and Xue Ling weren't there, but the old man and Qin Ce were still talking in the living room.

Qiao Xing simply went back and squatted in the bathroom to wait for the old man to go to sleep.

The old man said, "I've heard about what happened with those groomsmen. I've spoken to their parents, so they shouldn't cause any more trouble."

Qin Ce nodded, "Actually, it's not necessary. You don't need to take action."

The old man said irritably, "I know, but even if I feel better, I should still do something, right? It can be done with just a word, why make it so complicated?"

Qin Ce glanced down at his watch again, somewhat absentminded.

The old man glanced at him and said, "That young man surnamed Lei, I heard he survived, but he's now in a vegetative state. It's uncertain whether he'll wake up."

"I know."

"If you already know, then I won't say it."

That person wasn't an important figure. The Lei family had so many sons, and he was an uneducated and incompetent son, so the family wouldn't pay much attention to him.

"Xiao Ce, what are you thinking about? You're not paying attention when I talk to you!" The old man was getting a little angry.

Qin Ce looked up at the old man and said, "Qiao Xing has been in the restroom for an hour."

The old man was taken aback. "Then go and see if anything has happened."

Qin Ce twitched the corner of his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

What do you want to say?

Qin Ce didn't say it out loud, but simply said, "You should go to sleep first."

The old man glanced at his mysterious expression, pursed his lips, grabbed his cane, and got up to leave.

Anyway, he swore that if he interfered in the young couple's affairs again, he would be Qin Ce's grandson.

We must never go back on our word.

After the old man returned to his room, Qin Ce went to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

After waiting for about ten seconds, the bathroom door slowly opened, and Qiao Xing peeked out with half her face, glancing into the living room.

"Is Grandpa asleep?" she asked softly.

"Hmm, your clothes are all wet." Qin Ce noticed her clothes at a glance and frowned.

She was wearing a white undershirt, and you could vaguely see a large patch of skin showing through her shoulders.

The pants were also wet; the jeans on both legs, all the way to the cuffs, were a very dark color.

Wearing wet clothes in this cold weather will make you catch a cold.

"Ah..." Qiao Xing clutched her chest, her face flushed. "I'm going to change now, please make way for me."

Qin Ce stepped aside to let her out.

Qiao Xing ran back to her bedroom quickly, closed the door, and changed her clothes.

Qin Ce didn't work overtime tonight; he went back to his bedroom and sat on his personal sofa.

Qiao Xing habitually covered his head while sleeping.

But I didn't sleep well and kept having nightmares.

One moment it shows Lily jumping down, the next it shows Lily talking to her, and then Lily suddenly jumps down right in front of her.

Qiao Xing instinctively reached out to grab it, but still couldn't catch it in the dream.

The panic and sense of emptiness I felt during the day were amplified infinitely in my dream, making the emotions a hundred times stronger than in reality.

Qiao Xing suddenly woke up with a start, the glaring light hitting her eyes, the emptiness and melancholy from her dream still lingering in her heart.

She gasped for breath, the scenes from the daytime flashing before her eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A deep male voice sounded above her head. Qiao Xing turned her head and found that he had sat down next to her at some point.

Seeing Qin Ce, Qiao Xing's anxious heart calmed down a little.

She suddenly shifted her body closer to him and then hugged his waist.

Qin Ce was slightly taken aback and looked down at her.

After a long while, he stretched out his slender fingers and placed them on Qiao Xing's head.

He had just noticed that the person in the bed was trembling, which is why he sat down.

Qiao Xing pressed her face against his leg and whispered, "Now, whenever I close my eyes, I dream about Lily."

"I was able to catch her several times in my dreams."

"If I were closer to her during the day, I could have caught her."

"Why don't I get closer to her..."

Her voice was soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet bedroom.

She blamed herself.

Even if it wasn't Lily, but just a passerby, if someone jumped in front of you and you tried to stop them but failed, you would still feel this kind of guilt.

Besides, they are people I know.

Qin Ce sat quietly beside her, gently stroking her hair. "That was her own choice. Try to think of it in a positive light. Maybe it's a relief for her?"

Qiao Xing didn't say anything, but tightened her grip on his arms.

"I can't sleep."

"It's only two o'clock, don't think about it, go to sleep, I'll stay here with you."

Qiao Xing suddenly looked up at Qin Ce's face.

Under the light, his features were deep and three-dimensional, and his eyes looked down at her, seemingly unfathomable, yet as if they could see right through her.

Compared to his usual indifference, something seemed to have changed.

But upon closer inspection, nothing can be discerned.

"Then come up and sleep here." Qiao Xing said as if possessed. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head shyly and almost bit her tongue.

Qin Ce stared at her intently for a long time, his gaze sharp. "Are you sure?"

Qiao Xing let go of him, turned around, wrapped herself in the blanket, and wriggled a long way, saying, "Whatever."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a pair of hands embraced her from behind, and a man's breath pattered against her neck.

"Don't go back on your word."

Qiao Xing buried her head in the pillow, biting her fingers, unable to think of a reply for a moment.