Chapter 87 She was licking that scar—…

Upon hearing this, Lin Xi stood there stunned.

She had certainly seen Fu Qingli's scars, the half-finger-wide wounds, their surface grotesque and terrifying.

When they first met, she asked Fu Qingli how she got injured.

He downplayed it, saying he was accidentally cut by glass.

How can a knife wound and a glass cut be the same?

But he didn't investigate further and actually believed his nonsense!

No wonder Ji Jiali and Zou Song were so reluctant to talk about Fu Qingli's illness.

Even Zhou Qi didn't know what had happened back then.

No wonder Xiao Tao seemed hesitant to speak that day; I had only assumed he was talking about the difficulties of starting a business.

How could I be so slow to react?

She didn't know what to say. She felt a surge of heartache, sadness, and relief all at once. Unable to bear it any longer, she buried her face in her arms on the table and burst into tears.

Zhou Leyan had never seen Lin Xi cry so sadly before. Not knowing how to deal with such a scene, she could only awkwardly comfort her: "Xiaoxi, don't cry. Fu Qingli is fine now, isn't he? It's all over. He's perfectly fine now and has no aftereffects."

"Oh dear, I'm telling you this not to make you sad, but because I feel we owe him so much, and we need to treat him better in the future!"

To his surprise, the more he spoke, the harder Lin Xi cried.

The commotion was so loud that it attracted a crowd of onlookers, and even the waiters came over to ask if they needed any help.

If the shop assistant hadn't recognized Zhou Leyan as the policeman across the street, they would have almost thought he had done something to help Lin Xi call the police.

Zhou Leyan was at a loss and almost cried herself.

"Lin Xi, Lin Xiaoxi, please, stop crying! Think about Fu Qingli. He did so much but didn't let you know because he couldn't bear to see you cry like this. If you cry like this now, aren't you just letting him down?"

When Fu Qingli was mentioned, Lin Xi finally listened.

She tried to suppress her sobs, but the emotions in her heart had not yet been fully released. She missed Fu Qingli terribly and just wanted to see him immediately.

"I want to see Fu Qingli. I miss him. I want to see him."

"Okay, okay," Zhou Leyan was willing to do anything as long as she didn't cry. "I'll take you to the airport now and we'll go back right now, okay? Please don't cry, okay?"

"Okay." Lin Xi nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

Fortunately, the earliest flight to Haicheng is in an hour and a half, and if they depart now, they will make it in time.

Zhou Leyan was worried about Lin Xi going back alone, so she cautiously suggested, "How about I call Qingli and ask him to come over?"

Although Lin Xi was immersed in her own emotions, she still had basic rationality: "No, don't tell him! He has an important meeting to attend tonight and can't be distracted. I can go back by myself."

"Okay, but I'm worried, I'll take you back."

Zhou Leyan took leave from the bureau and didn't feel at ease until he escorted Lin Xi to the hotel where she was staying in Haicheng.

After several hours of travel, Lin Xi finally calmed down and realized that her reaction had been somewhat excessive.

She checked the time: "Why don't you stay here for the night before you leave? I'll arrange a room for you."

Zhou Leyan had already bought a plane ticket back to the city on her phone and needed to rush back to the airport: "I only took a few hours off. I still have a case to handle when I get back, so I won't stay any longer."

"It's okay, I can sleep for a while on the plane, I won't be too tired."

Lin Xi lowered her head, her tone full of apology: "I'm sorry, I was too willful and made you run around like this."

As she spoke, she seemed about to cry again.

Zhou Leyan looked on anxiously, scratching her head: "Don't cry, don't cry. I'm used to running around every day, it's really nothing."

“It’s normal to feel sad after hearing about that. I was in a similar state yesterday. How can I leave you alone to wait for Fu Qingli like this? Are you sure you can manage alone? If not, I’ll stay with you until he comes back before I leave.”

Lin Xi shook her head: "I can manage on my own, you should set off now."

"You go up first, I'll leave after you get there. When you see Fu Qingli, remember to thank him for me."

“You should tell him that yourself.”

Knowing Zhou Leyan's temper, Lin Xi didn't waste his time saying anything more and jogged to the elevator, looking back every few steps.

Seeing that a hotel butler was taking care of Lin Xi, Zhou Leyan felt relieved and didn't delay any longer. She hailed a taxi and headed straight for the airport.

-

This meeting was an internal deployment meeting for the Haicheng project company, and the project was scheduled to officially commence the following day.

The meeting ended after 11 p.m., and Zou Song treated the senior executives who attended the meeting to a late-night snack.

Fu Qingli would never normally participate in such activities.

But tonight, thinking that Lin Xi isn't here, I'll be all alone when I get home.

It gave me the illusion of returning to those lonely and hopeless days when I couldn't find her.

Fortunately, there was still a picture of Lin Xi saying "goodnight" on his phone, which made him feel a sense of her reality.

But he didn't want to go back to being alone in his empty room, so he accepted Zou Song and Ji Jiali's invitation to attend the party.

However, when I went there, I found that I wasn't used to those social and lavish environments.

He only stayed for half an hour, drank a few glasses of wine, and then left the table early.

Lin Xi wasn't there, and Fu Qingli didn't like having outsiders around, so she didn't have the hotel butler accompany her and swiped her card to enter.

He sensed something was wrong as soon as the door was cracked open.

The living room, which should have been dark, was now illuminated by a floor lamp, casting a warm glow throughout the room.

He frowned, about to turn around and ask the butler about the situation, when he heard a familiar sound of someone running in slippers.

He was overjoyed.

He turned around and pushed open the door, and the little girl threw herself into his arms, filling the emptiness in his heart that he had felt that night.

"Xiaoxi? Why are you back?" His voice was filled with barely suppressed surprise.

Lin Xi buried her head in his chest, feeling his heartbeat, and said in a muffled voice, "I missed you."

Fu Qingli reached out and used his arms to lift her up, so that the little girl was hanging on him and their eyes met face to face.

"If you miss me, just tell me, and I'll come find you. Why are you being so naughty, running back by yourself? And you even lied to me and said you were asleep, huh?"

His words were reproachful, but the smile on his lips betrayed his delighted mood.

He was just worried that she would get tired.

Lin Xi pouted and said coquettishly, "I want to give you a surprise."

Fu Qingli carried her inside, saying, "It's a pleasant surprise indeed."

As he walked, he lowered his head slightly, searching for her lips. His tongue pressed against her lips and probed inside, seizing that sweet taste that captivated him.

He soon noticed that his girl was unusually cooperative and enthusiastic that day.

Not only did she actively tease him during their kisses, but her fingers also deftly unbuttoned his shirt, slipping inside the seam and circling around his waist and abdomen.

He struggled to pull himself away from the embrace of pleasure, his breathing erratic, his voice low and husky with desire: "How much did you miss me?"

The girl, who was usually very shy and would blush easily at the slightest lewd remark, was unusually bold today. She looked directly at him with her bright almond-shaped eyes and spoke each word with great tenderness: "Yes, I want you!"

This one sentence instantly ignited the flames of the night, making it even more humid and brimming with desire than usual.

The grand, sweeping movements ultimately culminated in trembling.

After a brief blank in her mind, clarity gradually returned, and Fu Qingli felt an unusual softness and moisture covering her chest and abdomen.

She's licking...

Before her desire could rekindle, Fu Qingli suddenly realized something, and the tingling sensation throughout her body vanished in an instant, replaced by a chill down her spine.

She was licking the scar—

Fu Qingli grabbed Lin Xi's wrist and pulled her in front of him, and unsurprisingly saw that Lin Xi's face was covered with tears.

So those tears just now weren't just because he served me comfortably, but also because—

"Why didn't you tell me? I got injured while looking for me." Lin Xi was already crying uncontrollably, her whole body trembling as she leaned against Fu Qingli.

Fu Qingli comforted her, saying, "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd cry if you found out. So, Xiaoxi, be good and don't cry, okay? Your crying breaks my heart."

Lin Xi had already cried her heart out before, so she was mentally prepared and able to control her emotions. But when she remembered how he had lied to her, she clenched her fist and punched him: "You even lied to me that it was a glass cut. Fu Qingli, do you think I'm stupid for making up such lame excuses to fool me?"

She paused, then said, "I was so stupid to believe your nonsense!"

Fu Qingli couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly suppressed her laughter and earnestly coaxed, "I didn't think you were stupid, I was the stupid one. I couldn't find any other excuse. Please forgive me, okay?"

His good attitude in admitting his mistake silenced Lin Xi.

She leaned against him and sobbed for a while, then asked with heartache, "Was it very painful back then?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Lin Xi was so angry that she couldn't help but hit him: "You lied to me again!"

Fu Qingli's whole body was stiff, and Lin Xi's little bit of strength felt like a tickle to her.

But he was worried that Lin Xi's hand would hurt, so he quickly grabbed her hand and held it in his, rubbing it: "I'm not lying to you, I was dizzy at the time, so I really didn't feel any pain."

He was clearly in so much pain he almost fainted, but he made it sound like he was asleep.

But Lin Xi couldn't get angry this time; all she felt was heartache.

"Thank you. If you hadn't risked your life, the murderer who killed my father wouldn't have been caught so quickly."

“Xiaoxi, don’t thank me. Dad is a very important person to me. And—” Fu Qingli paused, her smile tinged with guilt, “I’m sorry to Dad. He’s gone, but I used to resent him for taking you away.”

During the initial period when Linxi could not be found.

He had suspected that Lin Fengyuan had deliberately taken Lin Xi away because he was incapable of protecting her.

He resented Lin Fengyuan for saying he wouldn't object to him being with Lin Xi and for promising to help persuade Lin Xi to go abroad with him, but instead abandoned him and quietly took Lin Xi away.

But the truth turned out to be so cruel.

The thought that Lin Fengyuan had already passed away, yet she had resented that loving elder, filled Fu Qingli with self-loathing.

This has become a hurdle he has been unable to overcome for the past few years.

After listening to his heartfelt analysis, Lin Xi hugged him tightly: "In the days before the accident... Dad was busy at work and didn't have a chance to talk to me about going abroad. If he had had the chance, he would have definitely persuaded me to go with you."

“I know.” Fu Qingli buried her face in Lin Xi’s neck. “I just knew he would, and that’s why I hate the part of myself that doesn’t believe him even more.”

"Dad won't blame you. He truly considers you family. Among family members, even a temper tantrum can be forgiven."