Shi Qingyin breathed a palpable sigh of relief when she heard Qin Heye wasn’t with Shi Ning. “That’s good. I have something to tell you,” she began, her voice tinged with a delicate urgency.
Shi Ning, unhurried, hummed softly, a subtle gesture to Qin Heye to remain silent, before activating the speakerphone. Qin Heye, with an air of possessive tenderness, leaned down, offering a cup of coffee to her lips. Shi Ning, however, shook her head, pointing instead to the milk. Coffee was too bitter for her taste.
Shi Qingyin, sensing the silence on the other end, waited for Shi Ning to prod her further, but only received another faint “hmm.” Awkwardly, she continued, “It’s about Brother Xizhou. I don’t know if I should tell you. I’m afraid it’ll affect your relationship with Master Qin.”
“Oh,” Shi Ning drawled, her voice a picture of nonchalance. “If It’ll affect my relationship with my husband. than , don’t say it.”
A stunned pause came from Shi Qingyin. “Uh…”
“Hmm.”
At that precise moment, Qin Heye, with a mischievous glint in his eye, “force-fed” Shi Ning a mouthful of the bitter coffee, causing her face to crumple in disgust.
Shen Xizhou, listening intently from his end, frowned at Shi Ning’s slightly coquettish voice. Shi Qingyin, too, registered the change, and asked with feigned concern, “Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, the coffee is too bitter,” Shi Ning declared, raising her eyes to glare playfully at Qin Heye. His coffee was pure, unsweetened, and incredibly bitter!
Qin Heye, satisfied with her reaction, put the coffee cup down. Shi Qingyin, on the other end, breathed a sigh of relief, clearly worried that Shi Ning and Qin Heye were engaged in more intimate activities during the call. That simply wouldn’t do. Such a thought would enrage her, believing Shi Ning had “defiled” Qin Heye.
“It’s Brother Xizhou, he’s sick…” Shi Qingyin resumed her narrative.
“Hmm…” Shi Ning listened, like a quiet observer.
On the other hand Qin Heye lowered his head, his lips capturing Shi Ning’s, absorbing the lingering bitterness of the coffee from her mouth. Shi Qingyin, hearing the faint sounds, frowned momentarily but then dismissed them, believing Shi Ning was merely reacting to the bitter coffee.
“Brother Xizhou is sick and has a high fever. And last night, someone put him in a sack and beat him up,” Shi Qingyin relayed, her voice edged with false concern. “That person also told Brother Xizhou that if he gets close to the young lady again, he will break his legs…”
Shi Qingyin continued her tale of Shen Xizhou’s plight. Shen Xizhou, listening nearby, waited anxiously for Shi Ning’s reaction: frantic questions, or perhaps an indignant accusation aimed at Qin Heye. But instead thre was nothing but silence on the other side of the line . Than a slight, almost imperceptible sound, like the brush of lips, echoed from the other end of the phone.
Shen Xizhou and Shi Qingyin exchanged a look. Shen Xizhou’s face contorted in an ugly scowl; the thought of Shi Ning and Qin Heye kissing filled him with profound discomfort. Even Shi Qingyin, previously nestled in his arms, felt a wave of unease and instinctively pushed him away.
“Sister, are you listening?” Shi Qingyin asked, a note of panic in her voice.
Shi Ning, having delivered a playful bite to Qin Heye’s lower lip, was finally free. She replied to Shi Qingyin, her voice still a little breathless, “I’m listening, please continue.” Shi Ning’s naturally soft voice, now laced with faint pants, sounded even more alluring, more seductive.
“Sister, is Master Qin really not with you?” Shi Qingyin pressed, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
Qin Heye released Shi Ning and offered her a breakfast sandwich.
“Yeah,” Shi Ning affirmed, taking a bite. “Are you done?”
“Then did you hear what I just said?” Shi Qingyin asked.
“I heard it.”
Shi Qingyin, hearing Shi Ning’s casual answer and receiving no further reaction, felt a surge of anger. “Sister, you heard everything, don’t you have any thoughts? Don’t you care about Brother Xizhou?”
Shi Ning took another bite of the sandwich, a triumphant glint in her eyes. “Shen Xizhou has so many enemies, what can I think about it? Besides, he is your fiancé now, my future cousin-in-law, why should I care about him? Should I care about him so much that I can give you a green dress?” She paused, then added, “Forget it, I don’t have the skills, and I think it’s dirty, you can find someone else.”
Shi Qingyin was absolutely furious. In the past, the mere mention of Shen Xizhou’s name would send Shi Ning into a frantic state, eager to rush to his side. Now, she was completely unbothered, while Shi Qingyin herself was seething. Shi Ning, she concluded, must have regressed, become even stupider than before.
So Shi Qingyin decided to try and guide Shi Ning’s thoughts. “Sister, the person who beat Brother Xizhou mentioned the young lady, so the person who beat Brother Xizhou, could it be…” She deliberately trailed off, leaving the implication hanging.
Shi Ning, however, offered no reaction. After a long, agonizing silence, Shi Qingyin finally couldn’t hold back. “Sister, have you ever thought that it was Master Qin who beat Brother Xizhou?”
Shi Ning’s voice rose, feigning surprise. “You mean Qin Heye put Shen Xizhou in a sack and beat him up for me, and even wanted to break his legs?” Her voice, inexplicably, carried a hint of excitement.
Shi Qingyin, confused by this unexpected reaction, stammered, “Yes… yes.”
Shi Ning clapped her hands, a triumphant cheer escaping her lips. “That’s great! I didn’t expect Qin Heye to care about me so much. I thought he didn’t like women, but it turns out he’s jealous for me!” She paused, then added with relish, “Well done, well done, Shen Xizhou, is like a frog, completly croaked!”
“…”
On the other end of the phone, Shen Xizhou and Shi Qingyin’s faces drained of color, staring at each other in disbelief. Was this truly what Shi Ning said? Shen Xizhou instinctively reached for the phone, wanting to speak to Shi Ning himself.
Shi Qingyin, however, gave him a warning look and continued her charade. “Sister must be mad with anger.” Then, she added, a note of desperation in her voice, “Brother Xizhou is very ill now, still in a coma, and keeps shouting sister’s name.”
Shi Ning, thanks to the omnipresent barrage, knew that Shen Xizhou and Shi Qingyin were currently in bed together, naked. If he were shouting her name in that context, she’d feel utterly disgusted. However, she had to play her part, to set a trap for Shen Xizhou to fall into.
Shi Ning feigned a wavering tone. “He… shouted my name?”
Shi Qingyin nodded vigorously, even though Shi Ning couldn’t see her. “Yes, Brother Xizhou kept shouting Sister’s name, and said that even if he was beaten to death, he would not be afraid and would be with Sister forever.” She added conspiratorially, “Brother Xizhou also asked me not to tell you about this, for fear that you would quarrel with Master Qin.”
Shi Ning stared at Qin Heye, whose face was now a thundercloud of jealousy. “Oh,” she said, her voice dripping with mock innocence. She reached up, pinching his face lightly, a silent coaxing for him not to be jealous.
“Sister, can you come to see Brother Xizhou?” Shi Qingyin finally asked.
“Of course, but tomorrow,” Shi Ning agreed frankly. “I’m not free today.”
Shi Qingyin thought tomorrow would be even better. She could make the entire show more realistic tonight, arrange for a doctor to make Shen Xizhou’s condition appear far more serious. “Okay, but the matter of Master Qin beating Brother Xizhou…”
Shi Ning, feigning righteous indignation, gritted her teeth. “I’m going to settle the score with him. I must make him give me an explanation. He bullied Shen Xizhou… well.”
Before she could finish, Qin Heye, with a swift movement, stuffed the remaining half of the sandwich into Shi Ning’s mouth.
Shi Ning bit down hard on the sandwich, her eyes wide with mock pleading as she stared at Qin Heye. “It’s too big,” she managed to mumble. “My mouth is full… uh.” She tried again, “Take it out a little, I can’t swallow it.” Finally, a choked plea, “Hubby, please… uh.”
Who feeds a sandwich like this? Are you trying to choke her to death?
On the other end of the phone, Shen Xizhou and Shi Qingyin’s faces dramatically changed.