Chapter 25: Chu Li is protecting his own face, not her

10:00 PM.

Qin Yunshu came to see Chu Li.

Qin Xingwan did not enjoy listening to their lingering, sentimental love talk, so she found an excuse to leave the hospital room.

"Sister still dislikes me," Qin Yunshu said, acting aggrieved as usual.

Qin Yunshu's mood had been fluctuating today; she discovered that she could no longer maintain a calm heart toward her sister, Qin Xingwan.

"Her temper is just like that," Chu Li said in a calm tone.

Qin Yunshu still detected a difference.

In the past, Chu Li would have been a bit impatient, more or less feeling that Qin Xingwan was being unreasonable.

But now, his tone carried a hint of indulgence, letting her be.

"Sister has gained the favor of Master Fang; I should be happy for her, but I felt lost inside. I just asked a few questions about her relationship with Fang Shaoye, yet she said my tears were disgusting," Qin Yunshu said, her eyes reddening, full of grievance and loss.

Chu Li frowned; Qin Xingwan was indeed capable of saying such things.

"Afterward, Brother saw it. You know, he has always doted on me; he rushed out to find Sister before I could even explain."

"I've implicated you, A Li."

Chu Li never had the heart to reproach Qin Yunshu; her personality had always been soft.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

He rubbed his brow, and not knowing what he thought of, he asked Qin Yunshu, "Has your father always disliked Xingwan?"

The force of that slap was not small.

If it had truly landed on Qin Xingwan's face, that face of hers would have swollen up.

A trace of heartache and relief welled up in his heart—relief that he had protected her at the time.

Qin Yunshu could not fathom Chu Li's thoughts, so she deliberated for a few seconds and said softly, "He doesn't dislike her, it's just that Sister has always been brooding over the fact that she grew up in the countryside."

"She always feels that we all owe her."

Chu Li did not ask further, but instead asked about work matters.

Downstairs.

Qin Xingwan left under the pretext of having something to do, but once downstairs, she did not know where to go, so she wandered around the area.

After strolling for nearly half an hour, she ran into Fang Yiwen.

Fang Dashi had secretly drunk alcohol at the farewell banquet, and now his high blood pressure was acting up, so Fang Yiwen had come to get his medicine.

As the two chatted, Fang Yiwen asked about Qin Xingwan's visit to his place.

Qin Xingwan did not hide it and told him about the non-disclosure agreement.

Fang Yiwen did not like Chu Li, who was full of merchant-like airs, so he offered Qin Xingwan some advice.

"If you want a divorce, I can introduce you to a suitable divorce lawyer."

"And that sister of yours, Qin Yunshu—she looks innocent, but she's actually a 'green tea' bitch. And Chu Li just happens to like this 'green tea.' You'd best not work with her, or you'll be the one who suffers in the end."

"Our affairs as a married couple need not trouble Fang Shaoye," a cold, indifferent male voice rang out.

Chu Li walked over and gripped Qin Xingwan's wrist firmly.

Fang Yiwen raised the medicine in his hand: "Xingwan, I'm leaving first."

He left with a carefree air.

Chu Li's face darkened.

Was it necessary for their relationship to be called so intimately?

He let go of her hand and turned to walk toward the elevator.

Qin Xingwan followed and asked, "Why did you come down?"

Chu Li sneered and said sarcastically, "Did I come down at a bad time?"

Qin Xingwan was silent; she knew Chu Li was angry, as he had heard with his own ears that Fang Yiwen wanted to find her a divorce lawyer.

President Chu's marriage could not tolerate others pointing fingers.

Returning to the hospital room, Chu Li lay on the bed.

Qin Xingwan thought for a moment, then stepped forward to ask if he was feeling uncomfortable.

Chu Li was in a very bad mood, looking at her with nothing but disdain.

"Oh, I'm honored that you still remember I'm a patient."

Qin Xingwan instantly had the feeling that his brain had truly been damaged by Qin Jianguo's slap.

However, since he could still be sarcastic, he must not be feeling uncomfortable anywhere.

"I thought you would be talking to Qin Yunshu for a long time, so I wandered around downstairs for a while. I only ran into Fang Yiwen later, and I didn't say much to him."

"As for the divorce, outsiders already know about it."

Qin Xingwan explained earnestly.

Chu Li's already ugly expression darkened completely; his chest heaved violently several times before he spoke coldly: "He is genuinely thinking of you, finding you a divorce lawyer, and even slandering Yunshu because he knows you don't like her."

"Who does he, Fang Yiwen, think he is? Relying on the shade of his ancestors, speaking without restraint."

Qin Xingwan pursed her lips faintly; she finally understood the reason for Chu Li's anger.

It wasn't because of the divorce, but because Fang Yiwen had spoken ill of Qin Yunshu.

She did not speak.

Chu Li issued an order: "From now on, you are not allowed to associate with him."

Qin Xingwan was considerate of the fact that Chu Li had taken a slap to the back of his head from Qin Jianguo to protect her, so she remained silent and did not talk back.

But he said she was not allowed to associate with Fang Yiwen.

She could not do that.

"And where was he wrong?"

Chu Li still wore that same expression, but his gaze was like it had been quenched in ice, looking coldly at her.

"You are speaking up for him?"

Both were rhetorical questions, sparks flying everywhere.

The atmosphere became oppressive.

Qin Xingwan did not want to argue; after all, her precious back-of-the-head was important.

She took her phone and went to the sofa, lowering her head to tap at it.

Yet today, Chu Li did not know what had gotten into him, acting like a resentful husband, "Qin Xingwan, for Fang Yiwen to slander a woman behind her back like that, his character is not very good."

Qin Xingwan raised her head from her phone, her expression indifferent: "Isn't Qin Yunshu a green tea?"

"If it weren't for her crying and whimpering, would you have taken that slap?"

"Or did Qin Jianguo slap your brains out?"

"Qin Xingwan." Chu Li's eyes were like ink, filled with anger, "Yun Shu meticulously prepared tonight's farewell banquet, but Elder Fang clearly preferred you; she was just feeling disappointed, you shouldn't have called her tears disgusting."

Qin Xingwan's cold, clear eyes were full of understanding; so it was Qin Yunshu who had complained, and he felt heartache for her.

"Her tears seem like they will never stop flowing, isn't that disgusting?"

Qin Yunshu's tears were a very good weapon, and her husband and family used this weapon to hurt her time and time again.

Calling them disgusting was putting it lightly.

"You..." Chu Li was furious, his head feeling a bit dizzy.

Qin Xingwan saw this, her heart softened, and she put down her phone and walked over quickly, touching his forehead, "Are you dizzy?"

"I'll go call the doctor."

The next second, Chu Li reached out and swatted her hand away.

The back of her hand turned red.

Qin Xingwan was quiet for a few seconds, then let out a soft laugh, "Chu Li, I've said it before, if you like her then marry her, don't ruin me."

The sliver of guilt that had sprouted in Chu Li's heart was instantly snuffed out.

He grabbed his wife's wrist, pulling it hard, his voice chilling.

"Yun Shu is the R&D director; she went to attend Elder Fang's farewell banquet to build a relationship with Elder Fang and ask Elder Fang to nominate the new perfume, but you didn't know the gravity of the situation and ruined everything she had meticulously prepared."

"How much longer are you going to make unreasonable trouble?"

Qin Xingwan thought, human feelings truly have no bottom limit, otherwise why would her long-numb heart start to pull and ache again at this moment.

She had actually been moved because he had blocked that slap for her.

He blocked that slap for her because she was his wife; hitting her was equivalent to hitting his own face.

He was defending his own face, not her.

Thinking all this through, Qin Xingwan suddenly realized her own stupidity.