They are so different from the Xiao He they know!
It made them feel a sense of alienation and chill!
Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan were both stunned. They looked at each other in disbelief, and saw shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
Qin Peilan, in particular, bit her lip, trying to comfort Wanrou, saying, "Wanrou, you..."
But I just couldn't bring myself to say the rest.
He Wanrou's tongue was burning from the burn, and her mouth felt like it was on fire; she was in great discomfort.
Upon hearing Qin Peilan's words and seeing the shocked and disappointed looks in the eyes of the Shen family elders, he finally realized that he had lost his composure.
It's all Zhou Qiqi's fault! She deliberately scalded her with boiling water, causing her to lose her composure!
She glared fiercely at Zhou Qiqi, then quickly changed her expression, adopting a weak and vulnerable look as if she had been bullied. She sidled up to Qin Peilan's bedside, sobbing and crying:
"Aunt Qin... Waaah... It hurts so much..."
As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Qiqi with teary eyes, sobbing as she accused her:
"Little Qiqi, if you don't like me staying with Uncle and Auntie and want to send me away, you can just say so! I can leave..."
"Why...why did you treat me like this? You've gone too far...waaaah...it hurts so much..."
Her tongue was badly burned, making her speech somewhat slurred and giving her an even more pitiful appearance.
Seeing her pitiful state, Qin Peilan's heart softened again. She also looked up at Zhou Qiqi, her tone filled with confusion and a hint of blame:
"Yes, Qiqi, no matter what... you shouldn't have given her such hot water. If you don't like her, you can just say so."
However, the severity of this reprimand was clearly much lighter than any previous one, and it was more about doubt.
Zhou Qiqi had been hiding in Shen Huaichuan's arms, secretly delighted to see He Wanrou's flustered and embarrassed state.
However, she didn't show it at all on her face.
Now it was her turn to perform. She immediately sprang into action, pinched Shen Huaichuan hard in front of her, her eyes instantly reddened, and she burst into tears, burying her face in Shen Huaichuan's arms.
She looked even more fragile and innocent than He Wanrou, as if she had been frightened by He Wanrou's accusations.
Her voice trembled with aggrieved sobs as she retorted:
"Waaah, Sister He, what are you saying? I...when did I ever say I didn't like you being with Uncle and Auntie?"
She lifted her tear-filled face, glanced at her in-laws (as if intentionally or unintentionally), and asked with clear logic, "..."
"You...you're a nurse, your job is to care for patients, it doesn't conflict with my job...why would I...why wouldn't I like you? What do you mean by saying these things? Why do I feel so scared..."
She paused, as if only then remembering to explain about the water, and added in a softer voice, sounding even more aggrieved:
"Besides... I saw how hard you were taking care of Uncle and Aunt, Sister He, and thought you might need something to perk you up, so I didn't pour you plain water, I poured you green tea... That tea was given to me by the leader from Huaichuan when he visited him last time. My husband and I usually don't even drink it ourselves, but I thought you were a distinguished guest, so I specially brewed it for you..."
Following her gaze, everyone looked at the shattered teacup on the ground and saw that there were indeed many bright green tea leaves left inside.
A faint, elegant aroma of tea wafted in the air, indicating that it was definitely not ordinary tea.
Qin Peilan looked at the tea leaves on the ground, then at Zhou Qiqi, who was crying with tears streaming down her face and looked innocent and aggrieved.
Looking at He Wanrou beside him, who was covering her mouth, her eyes darting around, and her speech muffled, the scales in his heart unconsciously tipped a little more.
However, the bond she had formed after caring for them for so long couldn't be so easily erased. Not wanting the two of them to argue any further, she waved her hand, sighed, and said:
"It's alright, it's all a misunderstanding, Wanrou, don't cry anymore. Qiqi, she meant well..."
Hearing Qin Peilan say this, He Wanrou felt a burning hatred in her heart, but she also knew that she was already at a disadvantage, and continuing to argue would only make things worse.
She could only suppress her surging anger and the sharp pain in her tongue, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace, and mumbled as she went down the aisle, saying:
"Yes, this hot tea is too hot. It made my head spin for a moment, and I accidentally misunderstood. Sister Qiqi, please don't take it to heart."
However, she wouldn't give up easily, and reluctantly apologized.
He abruptly changed the subject, trying to justify himself while subtly undermining Zhou Qiqi's reputation:
"Look at you! You made me tea, but you should have said so earlier! You made me misunderstand. You're really young and clumsy! Look at my clothes, they're all wet, and the floor is a mess, all covered in tea. How are my uncle and aunt supposed to rest?"
Shen Huaichuan was furious when he heard these sarcastic words. He was about to retort when Zhou Qiqi gently tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to be quiet.
Zhou Qiqi lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes red, and apologized to He Wanrou in a nasal voice, her tone full of grievance:
"I'm sorry, Sister He! I really spoke too slowly and didn't think things through. You've said at least 800 or 1,000 words, so you must be really thirsty. It was a lack of consideration."
As she spoke, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, appearing obedient and repentant.
"I'll go get you a towel to wipe it up right away, and I'll try my best to soak up the water on the floor! I'll make sure it's clean and won't disturb your rest!"
After saying that, she turned around and quickly left, leaving behind a seemingly submissive but actually decisive and efficient back view.
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