Chapter 88: Once those matters are brought up, a violent storm will follow

When Qin Xingwan returned to Beicheng Villa, Chu Li arrived right on her heels.

He was in a great mood today and gave her a lingering kiss the moment he entered.

The servants hurriedly looked away.

Qin Xingwan was shy and annoyed, pounding on his chest, "Stop it."

Chu Li simply picked her up and went straight upstairs.

When a man is willing to lower his status to coax, and a woman is willing to soften her posture to accommodate, matters in bed become a pleasure.

After it was over, Chu Li kissed Qin Xingwan's sweaty forehead, suddenly feeling that all the unpleasantness of this period had vanished.

His palm rested on Qin Xingwan's lower abdomen, anticipating that a life would be conceived there.

He even thought about whether it would be a boy or a girl.

"Xingwan, our child will surely be very beautiful," he whispered tenderly.

Qin Xingwan turned on her side, burying her face in his chest.

She did not want him to see her true expression.

She did not wish for the child to come so quickly.

This child was not the fruit of love, nor was it something she looked forward to.

"Mm," she mumbled.

Chu Li was filled with tenderness; the way she lay in his arms, so obedient and gentle, made him feel completely satisfied.

Seeing that it was getting late, he casually threw on some clothes and went downstairs.

The servants were keeping dinner warm, and seeing him appear, they immediately asked if he needed them to remake any dishes.

Chu Li took a few dishes at random, brought up the medicinal soup, and returned to the bedroom.

The servants whispered behind his back about the two of them making up, all of them very happy.

Chu Li helped Qin Xingwan up, half-forcing and half-coaxing her to eat something, before finally bringing over the medicinal soup.

It had already gone a bit cold.

He was about to set the soup down, "Forget it, don't drink it."

Qin Xingwan grabbed his arm, "I can drink it."

She finished the medicinal soup, clutching her chest in slight discomfort.

Chu Li felt sorry for her, "If you can't drink it, you won't have to drink it anymore."

Qin Xingwan smiled reluctantly, "Good medicine tastes bitter, it's fine."

She drank some warm water to dilute the bitterness, then turned over and lay down.

A man's words in bed cannot be trusted; otherwise, he wouldn't have forced her to drink another bowl after she threw up before.

Now that he was saying she didn't have to drink it if she didn't want to, it was somewhat ironic.

Besides, if she really didn't drink it, he would start doubting her motives again and would likely go back on his promise to save Ping'an.

Chu Li sent the things back downstairs.

Assistant Wu was already waiting in the living room.

He handed the organized documents to Chu Li.

"This is the information found so far. What the Madam said is basically true; there was indeed a big fire three years ago that burned two people to death, and it was the Madam who handled the funeral arrangements."

Chu Li felt relieved; Qin Xingwan had not lied.

He saw the last part, and his gaze suddenly narrowed.

"They looked very similar?"

Assistant Wu hurriedly said, "Yes, this is what people living in the vicinity said. They said that Boss Wen of the flower shop had two apprentices who looked seventy or eighty percent alike, but their personalities were completely opposite—one was lively, the other quiet."

"It is said that the one who burned to death was Boss Wen's foster daughter, Cheng Wan, who grew up in an orphanage."

"The information gathered also said that Cheng Wan was a very disobedient child from a young age. When she was in the orphanage, she often stole food, and was later kicked out, which is how she came to be taken in by Boss Wen."

"But she was never very obedient and even had a scandal break out about being pregnant out of wedlock."

In a place like Bali Town, being pregnant out of wedlock meant being mocked and pointed at, not to mention that Cheng Wan had been burned to death in a fire.

Chu Li didn't speak; he was thinking of Qin Xingwan.

Her personality could be considered quiet, yet at times she was very stubborn, as if she had to fight for right and wrong in everything.

What did this mean?

Chu Li suddenly paused; why was he comparing Qin Xingwan to Cheng Wan?

He handed the documents to Assistant Wu, "Thank you for your hard work."

On the second floor, Qin Xingwan stood at the top of the stairs, her back against the wall, her heart feeling desolate.

Once those past events were brought up, what would follow would be a violent storm.

It was just that she couldn't take her grandmother away yet; she had to wait for Wen Ping'an's surgery.

Lowering her eyes, she returned to the bedroom without a sound.

Downstairs, Chu Li thought for a few seconds and ordered, "Help me contact the previous team; we are preparing for a wedding."

His marriage with Qin Xingwan had always lacked a wedding announced to the world.

He wanted to compensate her.

Assistant Wu hurriedly agreed to make the contact.

Qin Xingwan was not sleeping very deeply, so she woke up when the edge of the bed moved slightly.

A body with a chill pressed against her.

Qin Xingwan clenched her fingers, letting the man pull her into his arms.

At seven in the morning, Qin Xingwan woke up.

Sensing something unusual beside her, she turned her head to look, and her lips were kissed.

The lingering morning kiss almost spiraled out of control.

It was not because Chu Li restrained himself, but because Old Master Chu had called.

"You brat, get to the Yiyuan immediately." The old man was very angry.

Chu Li could only reluctantly let go of that tenderness and get up to wash.

It was rare for him to want a warm morning, yet it was ruined nonetheless.

Thinking that Qin Nainai was also at the Yiyuan and worrying that something might be wrong, Qin Xingwan followed him there.

In Qin Nainai's hospital room, Madam Chu's voice was shrill and acerbic, the loudest of all.

"I was wondering why you keep running to the Yiyuan for no reason; turns out you've taken a fancy to this old vixen. At your age, aren't you ashamed?"

"And you." Madam Chu scolded Qin Nainai, "Truly, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew. The old one seduces the old one, and the young one follows suit, equally restless—divorced and still keeping a man in bed, shameless."

Old Master Chu's face turned livid, "Shut your mouth."

Madam Chu had cast all caution to the wind; the mere thought that Chu Li had rejected a socialite like Cheng Mingzhu for the sake of Qin Xingwan made her exceptionally furious.

If she couldn't bully Qin Xingwan, could she not at least deal with the old one?

Qin Nainai's expression was unsightly; no matter how broad-minded she was, being pointed at and scolded like this made her unable to suppress her anger.

"Shut up."

Chu Li walked in, his one sentence cutting off Madam Chu's incessant tirade.

Qin Xingwan had already stepped forward to embrace Qin Nainai, soothing her in a low voice.

Madam Chu felt aggrieved and pointed at Qin Nainai to complain to her son.

"I originally thought the old man had taken a fancy to Qin Xingwan, which is why he insisted on adopting some god-granddaughter; now I realize he has taken a fancy to the old one."

"If this gets out, that you two, father and son, fancy this grandmother and granddaughter, will our Chu family have any face left?"

She had been noble her entire life and valued reputation above all else.

This matter was even more unacceptable than the so-called god-granddaughter from before.

After all, a god-granddaughter at least had a title, but what excuse could Qin Nainai use?

Old Master Chu was not a man who followed rules; as Madam Chu made a scene, he simply stated: "Since it has come to this, I will speak plainly. I missed out on her when I was young, and I don't want to have regrets in my old age. I am going to marry her."

He had harbored this thought for a long time, but Qin Nainai had not agreed.

Qin Nainai had lived with another man for most of her life; although her son was good for nothing, that man had truly been good to her in every way.

Even though her husband had passed away later, the feelings from those years remained deeply embedded in her heart.

As for Old Master Chu, he was merely a passerby in her life.

She had long since stopped liking him.

As for marriage, it was simply ridiculous.