Chapter 199: I just want it to be more formal, okay?

At nine-thirty at night, Xie Qin was driving. The streetlights retreated one by one, and the warm yellow light swept across the car window, casting flickering lines on his side profile.

Shen Li sat quietly in the passenger seat, turning her head to the side, her lips pursed into a faint arc, her gaze falling on the hand resting on the steering wheel.

For the past two days, Shen Li hadn't paid too much attention to whether there was anything wrong with his hand, nor had she looked closely to see if his hand was injured again.

"Shen Li..."

He spoke suddenly, and their gazes collided abruptly.

Shen Li responded softly, her voice soft and clear: "Mm?"

"Wipe away your drool."

Shen Li: "..."

He still held the steering wheel with one hand, looking straight ahead, his posture calm and composed, but his tone was arrogant and cynical, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel, treating himself as her possession.

"Now that I'm yours, body and soul, you don't need to... stare at me so hungrily. If you want to look, look when we get back; you can look anywhere."

Seeing she didn't speak.

Xie Qin's tapping on the steering wheel paused, he glanced at her, seeing her lowering her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes. She had no smile, no emotion, and was quiet to an excessive degree.

His heart tugged slightly, and his tone softened, "Sleepy?"

Xie Qin knew her biological clock; she did indeed rest early. Today, they had chatted happily and lost track of time.

It was already nine-thirty, and by the time they got back and tidied up.

It would be almost ten o'clock.

He pressed the accelerator lightly.

Shen Li responded indifferently: "It's okay."

Xie Qin: "If you're sleepy, just sleep in the car for a while."

Shen Li was indeed a bit sleepy, "Mm." Afterward, she leaned against the car seat and closed her eyes.

How could she dare to tell Xie Qin that she had depression and had even attempted suicide?

She would rather carry all the darkness alone and digest all the despair by herself than have him tainted by even a fraction of the gloom because of her.

Just like he hid the injuries on his hand for fear of her heartache, she also wanted to hide the festering in her heart for fear of his sadness.

It was only because they were both afraid of the other's heartache that they each hid their weaknesses, unwilling to expose their most fragile sides to each other.

He didn't want her to know, so she would pretend not to know.

After returning home.

Xie Qin didn't intend to pester her for intimacy, and Shen Li was also afraid he would pull her to do some indescribable things; her spirit would really collapse if that happened.

So she wanted to finish showering and get into bed immediately, then sleep.

Shen Li took a final look to see if there were any messages that needed replying to, then put her phone on the bedside table to charge.

Xie Qin had showered in the outer bathroom. Having just finished, his skin was even colder and whiter, carrying the dampness of the mist. He pushed the door open wearing black pajamas, his fingertips holding his phone, his eyes lowered as he didn't know whose message he was replying to. When he looked up, he happened to meet Shen Li's gaze, and he naturally took the initiative to report: "My mom asked me when I'm bringing you home so she can meet you."

After replying, he tossed his phone aside, set it to silent, and ignored it.

"Meet... the parents?"

He lifted the quilt to get into bed, reached out to pull her into his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly with a dangerous smile: "Not willing?"

Shen Li didn't react for a moment, shaking her head: "Won't our progress be too fast?"

Xie Qin chuckled, his tone casual and relaxed: "Some people see each other on a blind date and get their marriage certificate the next day; our progress is slow, not fast at all."

After a moment of silence, he seemed to suddenly see through her thoughts, dragging out his tone slowly: "Are you afraid?"

Then he softened his tone, soothing her softly: "There's nothing to be afraid of; they won't eat you. You just need to show your face, and when the time comes, I'll give you the red envelopes I receive too. If you don't go, you'll be losing out big time."

After a pause, he added: "The red envelope... isn't small either."

This wasn't about the red envelope at all.

Shen Li leaned gently against his shoulder, looking at their clasped hands, a sense of surreal trance floating in her heart. She was always afraid that all of this was just a fragile, beautiful dream, and when the dream woke up, he would disappear. But as long as she stayed by his side, she felt incomparably stable, and no matter what she faced, she could slowly calm down.

As for meeting the parents and such.

It always made her feel a bit panicked and uneasy.

She said softly, expressing her concerns: "I'm afraid... your father and mother won't like me."

Xie Qin raised his hand, his fingertips gently lifting her chin, forcing her to look up and meet those deep, casual eyes of his. He smiled and spoke, his tone forceful: "Shen Li... the one living life with you in the future is me, why do you care about them!"

"Still thinking about the car accident?"

"How long ago was that."

"They aren't unaware of it."

Shen Li looked at him, asking in a small voice: "Then have you told your uncle and aunt? That the person you're dating now is me."

"Told them, they've always known." Xie Qin curled his lips into a rebellious smile, "Even if they have opinions, they have to keep them to themselves."

He lowered his voice, his knuckles slightly bent, gently scraping her small nose: "Don't think about the car accident; if you want to blame someone, blame that driver for being blind. It has nothing to do with you, and it's not your turn to blame yourself, you hear me?"

"Forget about this matter quickly."

"Did you hear me?"

A sour and warm emotion surged in Shen Li's heart. He clearly knew everything, yet he considered her feelings everywhere, afraid she would keep dwelling on it, afraid she would carry too much, which was why he soothed her like this over and over again.

She responded muffledly: "Mm."

"Then what about you? When are you taking me to go through the motions?" Xie Qin knew everything; his parents were divorced, she followed her sick mother, and he also knew she had some conflicts with her family, but Xie Qin felt some processes still needed to be gone through, "Send a message and notify them."

Shen Li looked at him: "..."

Xie Qin raised an eyebrow: "How long do you want to keep me hidden?"

"..."

"Even if we don't have a meal, shouldn't... the people on your side know you're dating me?"

He deliberately dragged out his tone, pretending to be a bit hurt: "I'm not that unpresentable, am I?"

"I just want it to be more formal, okay?"

Shen Li looked at his anxious appearance, the gloom in her heart gradually dissipating, and the corners of her mouth curled into a soft smile involuntarily: "I know, I'll tell them."

She actually wasn't sure if her parents would like Xie Qin.

But then she thought about it.

Her thoughts were the same as Xie Qin's.

In this lifetime, apart from him, there wouldn't be anyone else.

Whether they liked him or not didn't seem that important.

Seeing her smile, Xie Qin pinched her chin, lowered his head to kiss her, his movements not hurried, seducing her without a sound, gently containing her lips, gentle and lingering, "Do you want to sleep with me again?"

He continued to kiss her, his hoarse voice slurred, falling into her ear.

"I've washed up very cleanly."

Shen Li: "..." ===== CHAPTER 200 =====