Chapter 193 Ingratiating
The scar was still very new and was very noticeable under the light.
Qu He's gaze was instantly fixed on that scar!
She recalled the accident that had happened not long ago.
He recklessly drove his car into her, using his own car and body to shield her from the falling, deadly billboard.
Is this scar from back then?
He stayed behind to save her.
The maid had already brought a blanket and was waiting on the side. After the two got ashore, Aunt Wang quickly wrapped Xiao Zhuangxi tightly with the blanket.
Looking at Zhuang Bieyan, who was also soaked to the bone and dripping wet, she exclaimed with concern, "Oh dear! Ayan! Quick! Put this blanket on! The doctor warned you that you mustn't catch a cold since you've just recovered!"
Qu He acted faster than she thought; she grabbed a blanket handed to her by a nearby maid and wrapped it around the wet Zhuang Bieyan.
Her heart tightened again when her fingertips touched his cold skin.
Zhuang Bieyan was slightly taken aback when he sensed her movement.
He then tightly grasped the hand she was using to gather the blanket around him and leaned towards her.
His hair was still dripping wet, and water droplets fell on her dress, spreading out small wet patches.
“Ahe,”
His voice was a little hoarse, "Xiao Xi is fine, don't worry, I'm fine too."
The surrounding guests were stunned. No one expected that Zhuang Bieyan would have such a "vulnerable" side.
Zhuang Xi was quickly carried back by the maid to take a hot bath.
Zhuang Liuyue was about to follow him in when she glanced up and saw Shang Shijin still standing by the pool, also soaking wet.
He stood in the shadows on the shore, his black hair wet and hanging over his forehead.
He seemed somewhat bewildered, raising his hand to brush the dripping black hair from his forehead back, revealing his deep-set eyes and brows.
"Take Mr. Shang to his guest room to change his clothes," Zhuang Liuyue said.
Several servants immediately stepped forward and respectfully said to Shang Shijin, "Mr. Shang, please come with us."
But Shang Shijin stood still, staring at Zhuang Liuyue with a look of confusion in his eyes.
Zhuang Liuyue suddenly realized something.
She hesitated for a moment, then made a "change clothes" gesture to him.
Shang Shijin's eyes lit up, and he slowly nodded.
Shang Shijin's hearing aid fell into the water.
Hearing someone shout "Xiao Xi fell into the water," he almost instinctively jumped in.
When he grabbed Zhuang Xi's hand, a sharp ringing suddenly struck his ears, and he couldn't hear anything anymore.
The hearing aid fell into the pool.
Without his hearing aid, his world instantly became silent.
He couldn't hear the shouts of the people around him, Zhuang Liuyue's voice, or the servants' words.
He was like a person trapped in a glass dome, able to see everything outside but unable to communicate with it.
But he understood Zhuang Liuyue's gesture.
As Shang Shijin turned to leave with the servant, he couldn't help but glance back at Zhuang Liuyue's retreating figure.
She wore a long, red, floor-length dress, the hem billowing in the evening breeze like a burning flame.
It felt like a fire was burning inside him, causing him excruciating pain.
Back in his room, Zhuang Bieyan quickly took a hot shower.
He came out wearing gray loungewear, his freshly dried hair hanging over his forehead, making him look unusually docile.
When Qu He saw him come out, she carried over the brown sugar ginger tea that Aunt Wang had just brewed and said, "Drink this to warm yourself up."
Zhuang Bieyan didn't immediately pick up the bowl, but instead grabbed her wrist.
He looked up at her, his amber eyes clear and pleading, as if they had been washed with water.
"What are you doing? Stop spilling. Do you want some or not?"
Qu He struggled, but couldn't break free.
Seeing his still somewhat pale face, and thinking of the scars on his chest and Aunt Wang's words, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to forcefully shake him off.
Although his tone was still firm, it wasn't as cold as before.
"Drink it. I'll do whatever you say."
Zhuang Bieyan said in a low voice, with a hint of ingratiation.
But he didn't let go. Instead, he held her hand, lowered his head slightly, and drank from the rim of the bowl, sip by sip.
He drank slowly, his shallow breaths brushing against his wrist.
Qu He felt a mix of emotions as she looked at his submissive manner.
The anger at being deceived remains, but the heartache, worry, and the love he proved with his life have never disappeared.
The bowl of ginger tea was quickly emptied.
It warmed my body and my heart.
"It's very sweet." Zhuang Bieyan looked up at her, his gaze focused.
"Aunt Wang cooked it, and she added sugar, so of course it's sweet." Qu He looked away and tried to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.
"Ahe, you said before that you would give me a chance to make it up to you. Does that promise still stand?" he asked.
Qu He met the anxious eyes and remained silent for a moment.
"Zhuang Bieyan, you've lied to me so many times. How can I still believe you?"
Zhuang Bieyan held her hand tightly, his voice utterly earnest. "This time, I'll tell you everything—the good, the bad, the despicable, the unbearable. Everything, completely and without reservation. I just ask that you believe me one last time."
Outside the window, the night was deep.
The room was still filled with the sweet aroma of brown sugar ginger tea.
Their clasped hands conveyed each other's warmth.
Qu He looked at the sincerity in his eyes and nodded gently.
Zhuang Bieyan suddenly pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
"Ahe, thank you, thank you..."
His voice trembled slightly as he said, "I will never let you down again, never again."
Qu He leaned against him, smelling the faint scent of his shower gel, and her heart finally felt at ease.
...
Zhuang Bieyan's fear was never about Qu He remembering those long-buried past events, but rather about her remembering that afternoon when he failed to appear as promised, making her the prey of human traffickers.
That was a thorn he had kept hidden in his heart for ten years, and every time he thought about it, it would pierce deeper into his heart.
When they left Qujiadu that year, they made a promise to meet again before Quhe started school and to attend her opening ceremony.
But he still broke his promise.
On the morning of the appointed day, he, who had been looking forward to it, went out with the gift.
He found a Suzhou embroidery master and had the swallows she had drawn in her notebook embroidered onto a silk scarf to give to her.
However, they were blocked at the door by several uncles who suddenly barged in.
"Bie Yan, is that wheelchair you're using for show?"
They stared intently at his legs, hoping to find even the slightest weakness to use against Zhuang Yi.
At that time, Zhuang Liuyue and Zhuang Yi were sent away, and those people even threatened him to stand up with the help of the family's housekeeper.
He had no choice but to play along and deliberately rolled down the stairs in front of everyone.
When the excruciating pain struck, he didn't think about his own injury; all he could think about was that little girl, wondering if she was going to cry again.
When he awoke from his drowsy state, the sun had already set outside the window, and the appointed time had long passed.
Ignoring the doctor's advice, he went straight to Yujia Ferry despite his injuries.
The car had barely left the hospital when it was spotted by people lying in wait.
In an attempt to shake off their pursuers, the bodyguard's car changed lanes but accidentally crashed into a van parked on the side of the road.
The van driver was also in a panic; in his haste, he turned the steering wheel incorrectly, and the entire van plunged into the river.
When he arrived at Yujia Ferry, all that was left was the wind swirling fallen leaves on the ground.
Qu He is gone, and the whole house is empty.
It wasn't until later that he learned from the police that the van that was hit belonged to a human trafficking gang, and that Qu He was in that van.
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