Chapter 192

Xie Qin peeled the remaining shrimp in a leisurely manner, then pulled out a few paper towels to wipe the oil off his fingers. He half-stood up and placed the bowl in front of her: "Mm. That phone call you made at the time was answered by her."

Shen Li's fingertips holding the chopsticks tightened. Her gaze looked at Xie Qin as if frozen, and a painful emotion spread through her limbs and bones.

She moved her lips, her throat choked, and she was so uncomfortable she couldn't speak. Her eyes also suddenly became a bit moist, and she slowly lowered her head.

The atmosphere became stagnant again, with an excessive, deathly silence.

"At that time... during the period you were in a coma after the car accident, was she the one by your side?"

Xie Qin looked up at Shen Li, who was hanging her head, her very crown revealing her grievance. His Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he put down his chopsticks. He stood up slowly, walked to her side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He rested his head on his hand, looking at her with a lazy posture, as if he didn't care at all: "You know quite a lot."

Shen Li: "..."

Seeing her head lowered, he reached out and pinched both sides of her cheeks, forcing Shen Li to lift her head and look at him. The moment their gazes met, Xie Qin saw that the corners of her eyes were gradually turning red, and there were moist tears in her eyes, threatening to fall.

He stared at her, his voice softening: "What are you crying for?"

"Are you sad because you didn't contact me for six years because of that call, or because of... the car accident?" His fingertips touched her soft cheeks, and he pinched them, finding it amusing.

Tears shimmered in Shen Li's gaze, and the person in front of her became blurry. She replied with a heavy nasal tone: "Both."

In the next second, the tears that had pooled in her eyes fell; she blinked, and a tear hung on her long lashes and 'plop' fell down.

Xie Qin saw the tears she shed, smiling half-heartedly, and curled his knuckles to help her wipe them away: "So aggrieved?"

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. At this, the tears Shen Li cried fell like a broken string. She bit her lip and looked at him without speaking.

Xie Qin coaxed her: "How about... I bring her here and let you beat her up to vent your anger?"

That wasn't the point at all.

Even if she knew it was her, what could she do? It wasn't a crime, and the police couldn't sentence her to jail.

Being delayed was just being delayed.

And that fact couldn't be changed.

"I shouldn't have called you." That way he wouldn't have come to find her, and he wouldn't have had the accident. In the end, the culprit was herself, but she still wouldn't forgive Zhao Zhouyuan.

Xie Qin 'tsked' impatiently, pulled a tissue from the table, and wiped away the tears still flowing. "How many times are you going to say that? You cry every time you say it, and I'm the one who has to suffer and coax you. When you add it all up, I'm the one who lost out."

What he said was still effective.

Shen Li collected her emotions. "Xie Qin, can you stand up for a moment?"

Xie Qin raised an eyebrow, a flash of confusion crossing his eyes. He didn't ask more and stood up. His posture was casual and lazy, not deliberately standing straight.

He lowered his head and looked at the person who only reached his chin, a faint smile in his throat: "And then?"

Shen Li lifted her head and met his gaze. "Can you take off your clothes?"

"Mm?" Xie Qin's dark eyes narrowed, his tone flirtatious, thinking he had misheard something.

He stood still, and Shen Li stared at him without blinking, carrying a rare stubbornness.

Time dragged on, and the air became sticky.

Shen Li lost patience with him and began to reach out, intending to pull the zipper of the black jacket Xie Qin was wearing. Xie Qin 'tsked', and before she could touch it, he grabbed her wrist first, his fingertips applying slight pressure, his tone both lazy and dangerous: "You haven't even caught me yet, and you're already planning to force yourself on me?"

He looked down at her reddened eye corners, his voice dropping lower, carrying a playful warning: "Can you be a bit more reserved?"

"Be careful, if the fire starts, in the end... you won't be able to put it out."

Shen Li was righteous and looked earnestly into his eyes. "I am a doctor, you have to listen to me."

He didn't move: "..."

Shen Li insisted: "I'm just checking, I won't take the opportunity to take advantage of you."

Xie Qin: "You don't play dirty, but your thoughts are quite beautiful. What is our relationship that you want to see my body?"

They were indeed not boyfriend and girlfriend right now, just a pursuer and the pursued.

But Shen Li hadn't forgotten her profession and argued with him: "In a doctor's eyes, there is no distinction between men and women."

This left Xie Qin speechless.

Both of them were quiet, just looking at each other without speaking.

In the past, the Xie Qin in Shen Li's impression was like a hooligan, improper and roguish. Now... he wasn't even willing to take off his clothes.

"Let's talk about this later. Eat your meal first." Xie Qin: "If you don't eat, the food will get cold."

Shen Li pursed her lips and watched him, not moving.

Xie Qin stared at her for a while, and in the end, he had no choice. He lowered his head and let out a soft laugh. "Fine, I'll take it off for you to see."

That tone was as if he had truly accepted his fate, too lazy to struggle anymore.

He first casually took off the black jacket. Shen Li took it from him and draped it over the back of the chair. Underneath was a black short-sleeved shirt. He hooked his fingertips into the hem, looked down at her, and raised an eyebrow: "I'm... really taking it off?"

Shen Li nodded: "Mm."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Qin's fingertips applied a little force, and he neatly lifted the hem of his shirt upward.

His waistline was neatly taut, his shoulder and back lines were smooth, and the faint scar on his waist suddenly came into view.

The moment Shen Li's gaze touched that scar, she took half a step forward, her fingertips hovering in mid-air, trembling slightly, not daring to land. "Is this left over from the car accident?"

Xie Qin noticed the change in her emotions: "Scared?"

Shen Li didn't answer, her fingertips touching the scar lightly, very lightly. "Does it still hurt?" She lifted her head and looked into his dark eyes.

Xie Qin lowered his eyes to meet hers, his tone softening: "It stopped hurting a long time ago."

Shen Li's eyes gradually turned red. She hadn't noticed yesterday, but now, looking at him up close, her gaze flickered, and she discovered that there was more than just this one scar.

Through these scars, she could judge how serious his injuries were at the time.

You must have been in a lot of pain back then.

If it hadn't been serious, he wouldn't have been in a coma for so long before waking up.

Xie Qin watched her gaze dodging in panic, reached out, and gently pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him.

The distance between them suddenly closed, their breaths intertwined.

His eyes were deep, carrying an earnest and seductive temperature: "Finished checking?"

Shen Li's heartbeat skipped a beat: "Mm."

Xie Qin lowered his head, his voice low, hoarse, and bewitching: "Not going to take advantage of such a good opportunity to touch me?"

Shen Li's sad emotions hadn't completely dissipated. Staring into his eyes, she said in a flat, exceptionally earnest tone: "You haven't agreed to my pursuit yet, I can't act like a hooligan toward you."

Xie Qin: "?"

Her gaze swept over his well-defined shoulders and waist, which had a cold, white skin tone. She paused for a second, "Wait until later, is that okay?"

Xie Qin laughed: "You're quite... a gentleman."