Chapter 95: Do you really, truly, have no feelings for Wen Ping'an?

Qin Xingwan's heart sank.

She feigned ease to soothe her grandmother: "It's okay, Grandma, it doesn't matter if they find out, no one will investigate."

Qin Nainai was filled with sorrow, her tears flowing even more torrentially, "If they find out... if they find out... what will you do?"

That was a dead end.

If it were found out, she would be shattered to pieces.

Qin Xingwan took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in her heart, not letting her grandmother see a shred of it.

"Even if they find out, it's fine; it's nothing more than bearing some infamy, I am mentally prepared."

"You go, Xingwan, go far away." Qin Nainai seemed to have made up her mind, tears streaming down her face, "You have already accompanied this old woman for three years, that is enough."

"What about Ping'an? Ping'an is still waiting for Chu Li to save his life, how can I leave?" Qin Xingwan smiled bitterly.

She could not abandon Ping'an.

Qin Nainai struggled to stand up, "I will go beg Chu Li, beg him to save Ping'an."

Qin Xingwan hurriedly soothed her grandmother, "Grandma, I didn't steal or rob, I'm not afraid."

Outside.

Qin Yun Shu's eyes were red as she spoke to Chu Li, "Brother, Ping'an is not Sister's child at all, you know this; Father was wrong in this matter, but it was Sister who hid the truth first."

"I will have Father go apologize to the child, do you think that will work?"

Chu Li's expression did not soften in the slightest, "Uncle Qin has limited ability, yet he is overly ambitious; he deserves to learn a lesson. As for you, with me here, your life will not change."

Qin Yun Shu understood in her heart that this was already the best promise Chu Li could give.

But she could not leave her father to his own devices.

Just as she was about to speak again, Lady Qin pulled her away and whispered, "Enough, Yun Shu, do not beg A Li for your father's affairs anymore."

"But..."

"Yun Shu, your friendship with A Li cannot all be wasted on your father."

Lady Qin saw things clearly; her husband was useless, and if they wanted to continue living a good life in the future, they had to rely on the big tree that was Chu Li.

If they defied Chu Li's wishes time and again, in the end, Chu Li would inevitably grow displeased.

Men like submissive women.

She softly instructed her daughter, "Your relationship with A Li will only grow more solid in the future; you must not annoy him at a time like this."

Although Qin Yun Shu did not quite understand why her relationship with Chu Li would grow more solid, she knew her mother's words made sense.

Her father and Qin Shen had the exact same personality: they both thought themselves clever, but were actually foolish.

They could be saved this time, but not the next.

"I... I will listen to Mother."

Besides, the situation was not without a turning point; it just required time to wait.

Qin Xingwan hired the caregiver back; Qin Nainai had agreed to it herself, and since Qin Xingwan paid the wages, neither Lady Qin nor Qin Yun Shu dared to say anything.

In the car leaving the Qin Family, Qin Xingwan was in a foul mood, staring out the window, lost in thought.

Chu Li could not bear it any longer; he gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her into his arms.

Qin Xingwan snapped back to reality, her eyes holding a look of disgust she hadn't managed to hide in time.

Chu Li was shocked, and also stung.

"Xingwan."

Qin Xingwan pushed his hand away, her voice filled with deep exhaustion: "Chu Li, I am a bit tired, I want to rest."

"Are you tired because you see me?" Chu Li pressed, his dark eyes filled with anger.

Qin Xingwan had matters weighing on her mind and had no energy to entangle with Chu Li.

She simply stopped speaking.

Chu Li, however, grew angry and pinched her chin, "Qin Xingwan, do you not trust me at all?"

"I told you that Yun Shu took the wrong cup by accident, not on purpose."

He thought she was still angry about that incident.

He did not know that her heart was so heavy at this moment that she could barely breathe.

Qin Xingwan closed her eyes, her face full of endurance, "Chu Li, whether Qin Yun Shu did it on purpose or intentionally, you know in your heart; I don't want to argue about this anymore."

She had heard it with her own ears: Qin Yun Shu said she had intentionally taken the wrong cup so that Chu Li would drink the alcohol.

But as long as Qin Yun Shu did not admit it, she had no evidence.

Therefore, arguing was useless.

Chu Li, however, felt she was being perfunctory.

He felt extremely uncomfortable, and his tone was not good.

"I have already promised you to save Wen Ping'an, and during this time I have been following your wishes to quit drinking and be self-disciplined; it was just an accident, yet you are so petty, thinking I did it on purpose."

"Qin Xingwan, one must have a conscience."

He had already done this much, what more did she need for her to be at ease?

It was as if he were eager to go save that little brat.

"I am not blaming you." Qin Xingwan was mentally exhausted.

No explanation worked.

Whenever Qin Yun Shu was involved between them, their relationship would immediately drop to freezing point.

He blamed her for not trusting him, blamed her for targeting Qin Yun Shu.

And no matter what the relationship between him and Qin Yun Shu was, she could not bring herself to calmly accept him being good to Qin Yun Shu.

"Chu Li," Qin Xingwan said his name earnestly, "I know I was anxious yesterday, my tone was bad, and I blamed you. I apologize to you."

"I believe you genuinely want to save Ping'an, and that you can do what you say."

"But I have no way to trust Qin Yun Shu, do you understand?"

Chu Li let go of her, his lips curled in coldness, his eyes filled with irritation and gloom, "I have actually always wanted to ask, Wen Ping'an has no relation to you at all, yet you are desperately saving him—is it really just because he is the son of your life-saving benefactor, or because he is the son of Wen Lvzhong?"

He turned his head to stare into her eyes, his voice cold: "Or, to be more blunt, have you really never had any feelings for Wen Lvzhong?"

Qin Xingwan opened her mouth, her throat suddenly becoming extremely dry.

"I..."

Chu Li suddenly raised his voice, "Qin Xingwan, I want to hear the truth."

Even if the truth was hurtful, he still needed to know if the woman he loved was secretly in love with someone else.

Qin Xingwan could not say a single word, her hands clasped tightly together, her knuckles turning white.

Time passed second by second.

Silence was the best answer.

Chu Li slumped back against the chair, the anger in his eyes gradually subsiding, settling into a trace of pain.

He had thousands of words he wanted to say in his heart, but in the end, they were all swallowed back down.

Saying anything more would be futile.

It could not change the fact that she had liked Wen Lvzhong.

No, not had liked.

It was liking.

Perhaps even now, she still liked Wen Lvzhong.

"Chu Li, those are all things of the past," Qin Xingwan said, her voice hoarse as she explained.

She had indeed admired Wen Lvzhong back then.

But after learning that Wen Lvzhong had someone else in his heart, she had completely let go of those feelings.

Now that three years had passed, she had even less of those feelings.

She really just wanted to save Wen Ping'an.

Harboring thoughts of reconciliation, she reached out to tug at Chu Li's sleeve, softening her stance: "A Li, can we not fight?"

Chu Li's eyes were bloodshot; in his view, her softening was all for the sake of Wen Ping'an.

She was afraid he would go back on his word, which was why she was being so humble.

He brushed her hand away and told the driver to stop.

The car stopped on the side of the road; Chu Li did not look at Qin Xingwan, only saying coldly: "Get out."

Qin Xingwan's face was deathly pale, her black-and-white eyes filled with disbelief.

"Chu Li, Wen Lvzhong and I are only doing this for Ping'an."

Chu Li sneered, "Whether that is true or not, you know in your heart."

"Every time you sleep with me, do you feel quite aggrieved? But who told Wen Lvzhong to be so incompetent, forcing you to come and sleep with me to save his son's life?"

The wanton humiliation made Qin Xingwan feel mortified, the corners of her eyes moistening.

Trembling with anger, she pushed the door open and got out, "Chu Li, aren't you and Qin Yun Shu also involved in something unclear?"

Her and Wen Lvzhong's business was all old news, and the kind where nothing had even happened.

Yet he had always been defending Qin Yun Shu.

She returned his words to him exactly as they were.

"Chu Li, you say I don't trust you, but you are the same; you have never trusted me."

She closed the door and turned to leave immediately.

Chu Li's expression was gloomy and equally unpleasant.

He called Assistant Wu, "I will go to the project in F Guo. You make the arrangements."

Assistant Wu was surprised, "Wasn't someone else already arranged..."

"I will follow up on it personally."