Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Why hurt yourself?
Composing herself, Qin Qiao returned to the ward door, took a deep breath, and knocked twice.
Chen Jiashu's clear and distinct voice came from inside the room:
"Please come in."
Not feeling weak or listless, Qin Qiao felt relieved and pushed open the ward door.
When Old Song saw that it was the same lady who had come last night, a flash of surprise crossed his face, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Just as he was about to speak to remind Chen Jiashu that the visitor was Ms. Qin, the man on the hospital bed propped himself up on his arms, sat up against the headboard, and tilted his neck slightly forward: "Qiao Qiao?"
When the blurry figure appeared at the foot of the bed, Chen Jiashu was not sure until the familiar cold fragrance entered his nose, then he was certain.
Qin Qiao nodded.
The man in the hospital bed was wearing a hospital gown. The gauze over his right eye had been removed, and there were a few streaks of red blood on the white of his eye, but otherwise there was nothing unusual.
"Chairman Chen, I've come to visit you."
Chen Jiashu leaned back, a gentle smile playing on his lips: "There are chairs here, please sit down." His tone was as warm as a spring breeze.
"Chairman Chen, I'll head out now," Old Song said.
Chen Jiashu nodded, a smile still on his face.
The black shadowy figure walked past Qin Qiao from behind. After the door closed, his gaze returned to Qin Qiao's face: "What did Jia Yue tell you?"
Qin Qiao stepped forward, pulled out a chair, and sat down: "Yes, I just ran into Jia Yue."
She lifted her eyelids and met Chen Jiashu's unblinking eyes: "Are your eyes alright?"
She was wearing a light yellow top, styled like a shirt, which was both casual and sophisticated.
Fortunately, he wasn't deprived of all his vision this time. Although it was blurry, he could still appreciate her outfit for the time being.
Chen Jiashu replied, "It's alright."
He let out a muffled laugh from his chest, raised his hands, and placed them on the blanket: "I'm not lying to you. This time I had silicone oil filling done, which caused a slight loss of vision in the corner of my eye, but everything else is fine."
Loss of peripheral vision.
He said it so casually...
A stinging sensation welled up in her eyes, and a burning sensation spread through them. Qin Qiao blinked quickly and turned her phone around, trying to distract herself.
"What happened to your hand?" he suddenly asked in a low voice.
Qin Qiao was taken aback, and her gaze followed his eyes to the back of her clenched fist.
It was covered in bright red blood and messy teeth marks. He had poor eyesight, and Qin Qiao had thought it wouldn't matter whether she hid it or not, but he never expected that he would find out.
"Chairman Chen." She hesitated.
The red was so deep that it was hard to ignore.
Chen Jiashu leaned forward, and taking advantage of her inattention, quickly grabbed her arm and slid it down to her wrist.
When the pad of his thumb touched the indentation, his fingertip paused, and she showed signs of pulling back. Chen Jiashu took the opportunity to cup her slender hand and stroked over the intricate teeth marks. Each one looked like a bloody cut, making his heart ache.
He said sternly, "Don't move!"
Startled by him, Qin Qiao dared not back down.
"What are you doing? Why are you hurting yourself?"
The man's voice trembled out of tune.
He suddenly let go, turned around, touched the wall with his hand, and groped around on it.
Seeing that he was looking for the call bell, Qin Qiao immediately stood up, stepped forward and grabbed his wrist to stop him: "There's no bleeding, you don't need to see a doctor at all!"
She spoke very loudly, and this time Chen Jiashu was stunned.
His fists clenched tighter and tighter, and Qin Qiao's chest rose and fell slightly. His flustered and concerned demeanor seemed so contrived to her that it stung her eyes.
Her hands lost their strength, and whether it was her imagination or not, at this moment, Chen Jiashu was like a pine tree that had been struck by lightning and broken off a cliff.
Dejected, lost, and powerless to struggle.
He leaned back and gazed at her intently, his eyes shimmering with emotion, but he remained silent.
Qin Qiao's eyes flickered, realizing she had gone too far. But she didn't know why; every time she saw Chen Jiashu, she felt a tightness in her chest, an unbearable feeling of stagnation.
She sat down again.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only their breathing remaining.
She broke the silence first: "It's really nothing, just a bad habit."
"Qiaoqiao..." Chen Jiashu called her softly, then asked, "Was what you said that day true?"
The voice was like a question emanating from the depths of one's soul.
Her crimson lips parted slightly, and Qin Qiao felt a slight burning sensation on her index finger. She lowered her eyes and saw that her nail had split open, with bloodstains in the crack.
However, without waiting for her reply, or rather, without expecting her to reply.
Chen Jiashu sat up straight, his eyes deep and his tone exceptionally serious: "Maybe I'm overestimating myself, but I still want to try again. Last time I asked you about your two children, and you didn't answer. I know you have two children, from your deceased husband. Qiaoqiao, I don't care how many children you have. I still want to pursue you again. Of course, you can 'care' about some trouble in the future."
"Currently... all my savings, as well as readily liquidated bonds and trust funds, can avoid this situation and will not affect any of your lives. I know this is not a negotiation, but proving with numbers that I can take care of you is the most dignified way right now."
He had clearly rehearsed these words for a long time, delivering them without pause, his wording as precise as a contract.
This is so Chen Jiashu; he's used to 'make up' for her with material things. She used to enjoy it, but now... what is their relationship?
If she heard correctly, there was another layer of meaning behind those words.
Her fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly as Qin Qiao took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
"...You think we divorced back then because you were 'trouble'?" she said, trying to remain calm, but a lump formed in her throat. "So now you tell me, you—you've come up with a way to 'solve' your own problems."
absurd.
What kind of logic is this?
“What I mean is…” His expression was gentle, and he even curved his lips into a slight smile, pausing for only half a second before speaking: “You don’t need to worry about the future, I can—”
"But wasn't it you who suggested divorce?!" Qin Qiao stood up abruptly, the wooden chair legs scraping against the floor with a harsh creak.
The anger that had been suppressed was rekindled by his deliberately softened and gentle demeanor, his self-righteousness and self-righteousness.
A nerve in her temple kept throbbing, a mixture of emotions pressing unbearably against her chest. She suddenly exploded: "For your little bit of personal heroism, how... how did it become that I left because you were 'trouble'? Is this what you've been thinking every day all these years?!"
The tremor in his voice and his anger echoed throughout the room.
Chen Jiashu panicked, frantically throwing off the covers and stepping barefoot onto the floor. Before he could even steady himself, he reached out and grabbed her shoulders: "No, Qiaoqiao, listen to me, I just wanted to give you assurances, I didn't—"
A sudden stinging sensation shot through her nose, and Qin Qiao hastily tilted her head back to force the moisture back down.
She knew that his body had not yet fully recovered and she should not upset him, but, but, what exactly was Chen Jiashu saying?
The scene of their reunion played in her mind like a slow-motion movie, and she laughed in exasperation.
The child of the deceased husband...
Why did it turn out this way? Why did he believe Yang Shuhua so easily? Why didn't he come to confirm with me all these years?
Instead—they presumptuously imagine themselves as "trouble"?
Why?
Can anyone tell her why?
The smile faded from her face, and the resentment in her heart gradually cooled. Qin Qiao pried his fingers off one by one and coldly told him, "Let go... I won't leave now... Go lie down on the bed, I'm fine... I need to calm down, don't say anything."
Chen Jiashu lowered his hands, slightly closed his eyelids, looked at her, his lips moved and then closed tightly.
The sound of raindrops pattering against the window.
It's raining outside. That's how summer is; the weather changes in an instant, and the rain starts whenever it wants. Through the half-open window, raindrops are blown in by the wind, and Qin Qiao catches a glimpse of a puddle on the ground.
She went to close the window, then went into the bathroom to get a mop and cleaned up the puddle of water on the floor.
Chen Jiashu: "Back in Qiaoqiao's day—"
Qin Qiao glanced at him: "I don't want to hear it right now."
She went into the bathroom again, this time locking the door behind her.
She turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She had put on light makeup, and the water washed it off, so she simply washed it all off.
As soon as the door opened, Chen Jiashu stood in the bathroom doorway, his eyelashes lowered: "I'm sorry..."
"Do you need to use the restroom?" Qin Qiao asked him.
He answered, "No."
Qin Qiao walked past him and heard him turn to follow. She stopped abruptly, and he couldn't stop in time, bumping into her back. The next instant, he instinctively put his arm around her waist.
After confirming that she was alright, he hurriedly withdrew, looking like a frightened quail, showing none of his usual decisiveness.
Qin Qiao turned around: "Do you mind if I help you?"
"Thanks."
Qin Qiao walked to his left, took his forearm, and led him toward the bed.
He said, "I'd like to sit on the sofa for a while."
"good."
Qin Qiao led him to the single sofa.
He leaned down, reached into the air with his hand, grasped the armrest of the sofa, and then slowly sat down.
"I have to go back to the station," Qin Qiao said in a flat tone.
Chen Jiashu looked up at her and nodded, "Go."
She hummed in agreement, and just as she lifted her leg, she heard him ask, "What's your phone number now?"
Phone number.....
Qin Qiao's voice carried a hint of anger: "My phone number hasn't changed." Her patience was entirely based on her guilt towards him and the fact that he was currently unwell, so she didn't want to hold it against him.
Chen Jiashu looked towards the bed, and Qin Qiao instinctively asked, "What are you looking for?"
His phone was on the bedside table. Qin Qiao glanced at it and, without waiting for his reply, said, "I'll get it for you." She walked over, took it from him, and put it in his hand.
Chen Jiashu swiped the touchscreen to unlock the phone and brought it close to his right cheek. Because he had vision in his right eye, he held the phone close to his right cheek.
He said in confusion, "I thought... you had blacklisted me."
blacklist?
“I didn’t block you,” she said without thinking. “Maybe your phone is broken.”
This made it noticeable that his phone was a new phone.
He seemed quite pleased, his eyebrows raised, as if he had thought of something funny.
Chen Jiashu: "It's broken?"
Qin Qiao also found it strange. She sat on the armrest and naturally took the phone from his hand: "Could you have accidentally blocked me?"
She asked casually, then looked down to help him find the problem.
The font size on this phone is probably at its maximum; there are only four or five characters per line.
As the swiping speed slowed down, out of the corner of his eye, Chen Jiashu wasn't staring at the screen but intently looking at her profile.
My fingertips paused for a moment.
She knew she couldn't be alone with Chen Jiashu, and sighed inwardly.
She wasn't on the blacklist, so Qin Qiao returned the phone to him.
Her toes unconsciously pointed towards the door: "I know, go check your old phone for the problem, it might be there."
Chen Jiashu's lips twitched slightly: "Why isn't it a problem with your phone?"
"Me?" She hated being wrongly accused and exclaimed, "How could that be? My eyes aren't damaged."
Her tone was extremely confident. Chen Jiashu paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll go back and see whose historical problem this is."
A note from the author:
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