Chapter 225: Side Story (6)

After showing her, she discovered there were over a hundred photos of Shen Li inside.

There were pictures of her eating, reading, walking, and even sleeping—dense and numerous, a full hundred of them. Each one was shot with great clarity; it was evident that Xie Qin had taken them secretly and kept them hidden for a long time.

Some photos were even taken back when they had just started dating at Chengde University.

Shen Li asked him in surprise, "Where did you get so many photos of me?"

Xie Qin confessed, saying directly, "I took them when you weren't paying attention."

Shen Li noticed one among them was of himself; it was the only one she had ever taken of him.

She took his phone, and memories immediately flooded her mind.

It was during winter break.

He had come to Haishi to find her, and Shen Li had secretly gone out on a date with him behind her family's back.

It was right at the Haishi Technology Museum.

In the photo, Xie Qin was wearing a black jacket, his chin slightly lifted as he looked at the lens. His gaze was cold, sharp with intense edge, and carried a hint of reluctance.

Looking at this photo instantly brought tears to her eyes.

"I remember, I took this photo of you." Shen Li's voice trembled slightly. "I didn't keep it safe; my mother found it and tore it up. I looked for it for a long time but couldn't find it."

"Xie Qin... can you give this photo to me? I want to have it printed and keep it safe, so I never lose it again."

Xie Qin looked at her reddened eyes and frowned slightly. "Print it if you want, it's no big deal. Not just this one, take all of them from the phone. Let's have them bound into a new photo album."

Shen Li nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with tears, but the corners of her mouth slowly lifted as she replied softly, "Mm, okay."

…

After more than two hours, before going home, Shen Li went to a print shop to have Xie Qin's photos developed.

There were too many of Xie Qin's photos, so she first added the owner on WeChat and sent them over one by one. Once the album was customized, they would go back to pick it up.

Xie Qin held her hand, looking down at her. "It's just a photo, is it worth being this happy?"

Shen Li nodded. "Mm. Because these are memories of our past. When I saw that you still had this photo saved on your phone, I was truly happy."

Xie Qin led her into the elevator and curled his lips. "I'll allow you to sleep while hugging my photo tonight."

"Thank you." Shen Li stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of his lips.

Xie Qin chuckled. "Silly."

By the time they returned home, the sky had turned completely dark.

Entering the password and opening the door, the living room was pitch black.

Xie Qin felt for the wall switch, and as soon as the light turned on, he caught Shen Li off guard and scooped her up.

Startled, Shen Li subconsciously hooked her arms around his neck. "What are you doing?"

Xie Qin kicked the door shut, then lowered his head to kiss her lips firmly. "Sleeping."

She did not resist, knowing what he wanted to do; considering the photo, she could reward him.

Shen Li was placed on the bed. She didn't struggle, watching Xie Qin as he knelt on both sides of her body at the foot of the bed, undressing. She said slowly, "Xie Qin, today is not my safe period. Be careful, I'm afraid of getting pregnant."

"Mm, I'll be careful." After undressing, Xie Qin pressed down on her, his upper body bare. He didn't undo her bra clasp, but instead lifted her clothes directly and pushed them up. Shen Li held his head, looking at the chandelier above, and closed her eyes, enduring that strange sensation.

After the intimacy, Shen Li wore a camisole nightdress, held in his arms. She was too tired to move, staying quiet without speaking.

Her hand was wrapped in his palm, being kneaded as if he were playing with it.

After a long while, Shen Li spoke weakly, "Xie Qin... let's have a child."

Xie Qin thought he was hallucinating. "Hm?"

After a few seconds, to confirm he hadn't misheard, Xie Qin adjusted the woman beside him, supporting Shen Li's hips so she sat on him, and pinched her chin. "I didn't hear you clearly just now. Say it again."

Shen Li stared into his eyes and said clearly, word by word, "I'm in my first year of doctoral studies now, so I'll focus on that for a year. By the second half of my second year, or the beginning of my third, we can prepare for pregnancy. It won't delay my studies."

"Why do you have this thought?" Xie Qin asked, his gaze fixed on her.

"Probably because of the things you said to me this year that moved me. You said... you'd be a good father in the future." Shen Li thought for a moment and added, "Also, last time, when you were holding that child and asked me if I wanted to have one, I had thought about this question too."

"It's just that I didn't reply to you then because I felt I should consider it; I couldn't make a decision so quickly."

"Oh, so... we aren't married yet, haven't even registered, and you're already thinking about having a child with me?" Xie Qin 'tsked', then changed his tone. "But I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible."

Shen Li felt a sharp pain in her heart at his words.

Was she... going to be abandoned? Did he not want her?

Xie Qin met her aggrieved gaze and patted her hip. "Because I haven't had enough of our two-person world yet. I haven't planned for any children for the next three years."

Even after three years, Shen Li would only be twenty-eight or twenty-nine; having a child at that age wasn't considered too late.

They had lost those six years and hadn't even made up for them yet, and she wanted him to take care of a child? She had a high opinion of herself.

Hearing his thoughts, Shen Li felt it was better to let him decide. She curved her lips, nodded, and leaned over to kiss his lips. "Mm, I'll listen to you."

…

The three-day holiday ended, and life returned to its usual busy rhythm.

Xie Qin seemed very busy lately, going on business trips to other cities every few days. With him away and only Shen Li at home, facing the empty, cold house, she still wasn't quite used to it.

Even her meals became makeshift.

In the morning, she wanted to sleep in, so she stopped cooking for herself. Even if she went to buy food near the hospital, if she saw a long line, she wouldn't eat.

Returning home at 9:30 PM, she would send him a message and chat for a while, but within half an hour, she would be unable to resist the sleepiness and fall asleep.

By the last day of the week, the weekend.

Shen Li had just gone to the hospital cafeteria with a colleague to eat when her phone in her pocket vibrated. She took it out and saw a WeChat message from Xie Qin.

Xie Qin: 【Be back before 8:30 tonight.】

Shen Li: 【Okay.】

Her female colleague beside her, Wen Xia, was complaining about recent events in the department. Both were first-year doctoral students of the same cohort, having joined the department and the same mentor at the same time as Shen Li.

She could be considered Shen Li's work buddy; during the time Shen Li wasn't at the hospital, she had been miserable.

After Wen Xia finished complaining, she saw Shen Li sending a message and asked, "Is your boyfriend messaging you again?"

Shen Li nodded. "Mm. He's finished his business trip and is coming back tonight."

Wen Xia sighed. "I'm so envious of you, having such a handsome boyfriend. Unlike me, ever since I started studying medicine, let alone a boyfriend, I've almost forgotten what it feels like to hold hands and fall in love."

Shen Li curled her lips slightly. "Don't worry, you'll find someone."

Wen Xia: "It'd be a miracle if I did, I'm busy to death every day."

Just then, Zhang Zixin sent another message: 【I'm at the hospital where you work, come out to eat.】

Just after reading the message, Shen Li heard someone call her name, "Shen Li."

She followed the sound and saw Zhang Zixin at the entrance of the first floor of the cafeteria.

Shen Li apologized to the person beside her, "My friend is here to see me, so I won't be able to accompany you."

Wen Xia: "It's fine, go ahead."

Still wearing her white coat, she walked toward Zhang Zixin outside. As soon as Zhang Zixin approached, she linked her arm with hers. "Who was that person just now?"

Shen Li: "My colleague, same age as me."

Zhang Zixin asked her: "Are you two very close?"

Shen Li nodded slightly: "It's okay, we just have more contact since we're in the same department."

Zhang Zixin hugged her arm tighter, saying with a hint of jealousy: "I don't care, we are the best friends in the world, you can't cheat, you know?"

Shen Li looked at her. She didn't quite understand the word; could it be used for same-sex friends?

After thinking about it, it should be fine.

She followed her lead and continued: "Mm, I won't cheat."

Zhang Zixin: "Then is she better, or am I better?"

Shen Li: "You are better."

"Am I prettier, or is she prettier?"

"You are prettier."

"Are you closer to me or to her?"

This series of somewhat childish questions made Shen Li unable to help but curl her lips, laughing softly as she said: "You are the best."

Hearing her say those three words, Zhang Zixin was satisfied: "That's more like it."

They found a restaurant nearby and ordered some food.

Afterward, Zhang Zixin began to interrogate her again: "How did it feel when you went home with Xie Qin last week to meet his parents? Did you figure out their background?"

Shen Li truly considered Zhang Zixin her best friend with whom she could talk about anything. Since Xu Zhouyuan and Xie Qin were also best friends, she felt there were some things she could share, so Shen Li told her many things.

A moment later, Zhang Zixin let out a shocked sound, causing surrounding customers still eating to look over.

Realizing she was being a bit uncomposed, she immediately lowered her voice: "Xie Qin's parents are so generous, they gave you a one-million-yuan check just like that?"

Shen Li raised her hand to cover her mouth, making a shushing gesture, her fingertip against her lips: "Don't flaunt wealth."

Zhang Zixin nodded.

She lowered her hand.

Zhang Zixin: "Sister, you've hit the jackpot."

"Xie Qin's family runs a listed group company, and his father is the most famous painter. Sister, your life is too good." Zhang Zixin was genuinely happy for her, and then she went on a rant on her phone: "I checked for you, one of Xie Qin's father's paintings, when auctioned, goes for six or seven figures."

"Are his family members good to you?"

Shen Li thought of them, and a smile appeared on her lips: "Mm, they are very good. I plan to finish my studies in Wuchuan and then return to Di Du with Xie Qin."

"I quite like living with them."

Zhang Zixin: "Have you told Xie Qin about this?"

Shen Li nodded: "Not yet, it's still too early. My first year isn't even over, so I thought it wouldn't matter if I told him later."

"Sob sob sob, if that's the case, we won't be able to see each other very often."

Shen Li comforted her: "That won't happen. As long as I have time, I'll come to Wuchuan to find you, and you can come to Di Du to find me."

Zhang Zixin drank her juice and sighed: "That's great. Thinking about it now, it still feels like a dream. It's been so many years, and we haven't changed boyfriends; we've been dating until now, and we're almost getting married."

"Honestly, apart from you, the friends I had inside and outside Chengde University have all lost touch."

"A few people have messaged me, but I didn't reply."

"I just felt there was no need to reply."

"Don't look at how many people we could hang out with back then; there were very few we could really talk to or confide in."

"Now that we've grown up and entered society, there are hardly any people we can truly gather with to chat."

Shen Li nodded: "How are things with you and Xu Zhouyuan? Planning to have children?"

Zhang Zixin took a sip of juice and told her: "Xu Zhouyuan's mother wants us to have children early, and she wants three. I don't even want to talk about it; I'm not a pig. Even if we have children, I think two is enough. Three... would be too chaotic."

Shen Li: "Won't your mother-in-law help take care of them?"

Zhang Zixin pursed her lips and tugged at the corner of her mouth, smiling not very pleasantly: "Forget about her. Even if the children were born, they'd be thrown to a nanny. I plan to raise them myself, otherwise, the children won't be close to us when they grow up."

"Don't just talk about us, what about you and Xie Qin? What are your plans?"

Shen Li: "Xie Qin said he plans to go to my home to propose first, then we'll get our marriage certificate. We haven't thought about the wedding yet. As for children... Xie Qin said he still wants to enjoy our two-person world for a while longer, so he's not in a hurry."

Zhang Zixin laughed: "You two are something else. You've already planned the future, but Xie Qin is right. After having children, most of your focus will be on them; where would you find time for a two-person world?"

"His idea is actually quite good."

Shen Li shook her head: "At first, I planned to have a child with Xie Qin, but he was the one who suggested not to be in a hurry, so I listened to him."

"Isn't it you who calls the shots at home?"

"I listen to him on big matters, and he listens to me on small ones. But most of the time, I still listen to him." When Shen Li smiled, her face was filled with happiness.

"That's also quite good." Zhang Zixin added: "Unlike Xu Zhouyuan, he's so annoying, he has no opinion of his own. He leaves everything to me, and I get a headache just thinking about it."

"By the way, do you remember Bai Chuyue?"

Shen Li: "That name sounds a bit familiar."

Zhang Zixin: "Right... you didn't have much contact with her, so you must have forgotten. She was the 'girl-bro' who confessed to Xie Qin at school and was very close to him. She was in the same high school as Xu Zhouyuan and the other three."

"I remember now." Shen Li had a vague impression; she had thought of her once before but couldn't recall the name. "What happened to her?"

"I heard from Xu Zhouyuan that she's in a pretty miserable state now. Let me think where to start..." Zhang Zixin organized her thoughts and continued: "Bai Chuyue confessed to Xie Qin, and wasn't she rejected? Later, she participated in the preliminary round of the Mathematics Competition and won a second prize, but was eliminated in the finals."

"The second year, she repeated a year and got into a university of technology in Di Du. In college, she dated a boyfriend who was similar to Xie Qin, probably because she couldn't forget Xie Qin and wanted to find someone similar."

"You don't know how much of a bastard Xie Qin used to be!"

Shen Li: "..." ===== CHAPTER 226 =====