Chapter 18: Not Forgiving

When Lady Qin arrived with Qin Shen and Qin Yunshu, Qin Xingwan had just finished her third treatment.

Her ankle didn't hurt as much anymore, but the swelling in that area was still shocking to behold.

Lady Qin offered a show of concern that was hard to tell as genuine or fake: "Xingwan, are you in pain?"

"You tell me, does it hurt?" Qin Xingwan did not stand on ceremony.

Lady Qin's expression stiffened, and she managed to squeeze a few smiles onto her face: "Mom knows you've been wronged."

Qin Xingwan curled the corner of her lips; she knew their intentions, so such an opening line seemed exceptionally hypocritical.

"Ashen is here to apologize to you." Lady Qin nudged the son beside her, "Didn't you say at home that you knew you were wrong? Hurry and apologize to your sister."

Qin Shen spoke reluctantly: "I'm sorry."

When he saw that video, he simply couldn't believe his eyes and was furious, but anger was useless; he could only come to apologize to Qin Xingwan.

Qin Yunshu stood to the side, looking soft and fragile, acting as a peacemaker: "Sister, Brother already knows he was wrong. Won't you forgive him?"

She said it as if it were only natural; even though this matter started because of her, she spoke as if it were all Qin Shen's fault.

However, Qin Shen was willing to play the fool.

Lady Qin added: "That's right, I have already scolded him. Xingwan, forgive him this once."

"I won't forgive him." Qin Xingwan stated her stance bluntly and coldly.

"Xingwan, he is your brother." Lady Qin hurriedly played the family card.

Qin Xingwan pursed her lips faintly, "He is Qin Yunshu's brother, not mine."

A layer of mist welled up in Qin Yunshu's eyes, and she bit her lip gently, revealing her grievance.

"Sister, please don't be angry with Brother because of me."

Watching Qin Yunshu's submissive appearance, Qin Shen's eyes were filled with heartache.

For the sake of Qin Yunshu, he was willing to lower his posture in front of Qin Xingwan.

"I was just acting in the heat of the moment; I wasn't targeting you. You and Yun Shu are both my sisters."

Qin Xingwan pointed toward the door, "You can leave now."

She did not want to look at them for even a second longer.

Qin Shen finally couldn't help but ask the question in his heart: "Was it you who had that video of me posted online?"

"It was."

Since Qin Xingwan had done it, she had no intention of hiding it.

"It really was you." Qin Shen clenched his fists, anger roiling within him.

"Qin Xingwan, I am your brother; how can you be so vicious?"

Lady Qin clutched her chest, her voice trembling with anger: "Xingwan, he is your brother! You are dragging his name through the mud."

Qin Shen was her only son and the heir to the Qin Family; because of Qin Xingwan, he now had a stain on his reputation.

Qin Xingwan chuckled: "Am I dragging his name through the mud?"

"You..." Lady Qin nearly fainted from anger.

Qin Yunshu hurriedly supported her mother, her fair face covered in pleading.

"Sister, Brother only lost his composure because he was too worried about me, which is why he accidentally bumped into you. He didn't mean it. If you are angry, you can hit me or scold me, just don't hurt Brother."

As she spoke, she choked with sobs, "It's all my fault. It's my fault for making Sister angry."

Every word she spoke was about how it was her own fault, looking incredibly wronged.

Qin Xingwan watched with cold eyes. Before, every time Qin Yunshu cried, she would hurry to think if she had really done something wrong that made her sister cry.

Later, she discovered it wasn't that she had done poorly, but that Qin Yunshu liked to shed tears.

By shedding tears, she could gain everyone's doting affection.

"Xingwan, if you want clothes, bags, or jewelry, Mom will satisfy you, okay?" Lady Qin moved closer to the hospital bed and took hold of Qin Xingwan's hand, "We are a family; we can discuss things."

Qin Xingwan pulled her hand back without mercy.

Her good mother had not spoken like this before when it came to Qin Yunshu.

A son is different after all; otherwise, back in the countryside, she wouldn't have chosen to take only Qin Shen away.

Qin Shen was furious and said to Lady Qin with disgust: "I told you, she is clearly just trying to make us beg her."

"Xingwan." Lady Qin was helpless and deeply disappointed.

Qin Xingwan pressed the bell to call the nurse to kick them out.

Qin Shen was tough and left with long strides, while Qin Yunshu moved one step at a time, large tears falling down.

Qin Xingwan remained unmoved.

It was they who had wanted to sacrifice her first to preserve Qin Yunshu's reputation.

Now, she was merely paying them back in their own coin.

In the gap while waiting for the elevator, Qin Shen said viciously: "We shouldn't have brought her back in the first place."

Lady Qin's face was haggard; she looked at her son with worry, then stroked her daughter's face: "Xingwan has resentment in her heart."

She is bitter about the fact that she grew up in the countryside.

"Can she just act unreasonably because she has resentment?" Qin Shen was extremely disgusted, "It's not like we haven't been good to her since she came back."

Qin Yunshu sniffled, her beautiful face covered in tear tracks.

The things those netizens said were truly nasty; they said she was seducing her own brother-in-law and called her a slut.

But clearly, she and A Li were childhood sweethearts.

In the evening, Chu Li came over. Qin Xingwan had expected him to come and hold her accountable, but he did not mention the matter online.

Since he didn't ask, Qin Xingwan naturally wouldn't bring it up.

Until the quilt on her body was lifted.

Chu Li helped her sit up, his words concise.

"Take a bath."

Because of the pain in her ankle, Qin Xingwan had broken out in quite a bit of sweat, and she did indeed feel sticky and uncomfortable.

She let Chu Li carry her to the bathroom.

"You go out, I can do it myself." Qin Xingwan struggled to get down to the floor, leaning against the wall.

Chu Li tested the water temperature, and only when it was suitable did he let her into the bathtub.

He turned around to support Qin Xingwan and went to take off her clothes.

"Chu Li." Qin Xingwan was embarrassed and angry, her clear eyes full of shyness.

They had been husband and wife for three years and had been intimate with each other; it was a common occurrence for Chu Li to bathe her during their most intimate times.

But now their state of mind was different, and she was very unaccustomed to such intimacy.

Chu Li said nothing, carried her into the bathtub, and was careful that the ointment on her ankle could not touch water.

He simply propped that foot up on his own shoulder.

Qin Xingwan bit her lip, her face flushing in the swirling steam; this posture was truly ambiguous and shameful.

She wanted to put her foot down.

Chu Li held it fast, "Don't move."

His voice was incredibly hoarse.

Qin Xingwan bit her lip and turned her head away, her body stiffening severely.

With his wife stark naked right before his eyes, Chu Li felt a bit stirred.

By the time he finished washing her, he restrained himself and lowered his head to kiss her.

Qin Xingwan was unwilling and began to push him away.

Her strength was not a match for his to begin with, let alone while injured and in the water.

In the end, it caused a splash of water to fly everywhere.

……

After finishing the bath and coming out, there were two more people in the hospital room, though it was unclear when they had arrived.

Qin Nainai, who was smiling broadly, and Qin Jianguo, who had a complicated expression on his face.

Qin Xingwan's cheeks burned.

She did not know when they had arrived or how much they had heard...

Fortunately, she quickly calmed down, "Grandma."

She did not call out to Qin Jianguo.

Anger rose in Qin Jianguo's eyes; he only felt that Qin Xingwan was very ill-mannered.

Qin Nainai gripped her granddaughter's hand tightly and stroked her flushed cheeks, her cloudy eyes brimming with relief.

She had always thought that the relationship between her granddaughter and her granddaughter's husband was not good, especially after Qin Yunshu returned, as the relationship between them had become worse and worse.

Moreover, she had heard Qin Shen mention more than once at home that Chu Li did not like Qin Xingwan, so she had been deeply worried all along.

Now it seemed that they were very loving.

The stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.

"Wanwan, how is your foot?"

Qin Nainai wanted to see, but Qin Xingwan hurriedly stopped her; she did not want Grandma to worry.