Ch. 1451..1460
51
Ever since He Lianjing was young, he had lived in an environment where his father would beat his mother up every day. Whenever he had a bad day or his mother talked back to his father, his alcoholic father would pick up anything to beat his mother.
He Lianjing had been heavily influenced since young; he would hold extreme views while holding grudges against his father at the same time. Moreover, he had gradually gotten more extreme as he grew older. From feeling sorry for his mother, he had become hateful toward his mother for her cowardness.
Whenever he asked his mother to leave the monster that was his father, his mother would always hold his head in his arms and say, “Silly boy, we won’t be able to live on without him.”
He Lianjing would say, “I will make money, Mother. When I’m all grown up and able to take care of you, we shall leave the He Family, alright?”
His mother shook his head while crying before she wrapped him in her arms. “Lianjing, don’t say this in front of your father. He will get mad if he hears you saying that. I’m doing fine, so please don’t hate your father. Your father has treated me well in the past; it’s just that he has changed now. We need to believe that your father will get better one day, alright?”
He Lianjing, who was still young at that point in time, really believed what his mother had said; he was pure and innocent back then. After all, he really thought his father would change for the better.
However, what happened after that? His father had indeed changed, but he no longer had feelings for his mother anymore. Mr. He had affairs with all kinds of women out there. His mother did not realize it at first, but she noticed a lipstick mark on Lianjing’s father’s shirt one day—that was when she had fallen out with him. Lianjing’s father, whose heart was fluttering outside, was being ignorant toward his mother. However, his guilt might have caused him to not lay his hands on his wife.
However, a woman came knocking on their door. At that moment, He Lianjing was hiding behind the door and could clearly hear the conversation between them.
The woman told his mother, “I’ve been with your husband for quite some time now, so why don’t you divorce him? I’ve heard that he really hates you and is disgusted because of the marriage between the both of you. He even doesn’t want to take a glance at the child you’ve given birth to. Why don’t you divorce him? Are you worried that you’re not able to bring up your child by yourself?”
The face of He Lianjing’s mother had turned ghastly pale after the woman had talked to her; even her body was shivering.
“W-What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Nonsense? I’m not talking any nonsense. Your husband has promised me to marry me later on. As for you, you’re just a deserted wife. If you’re sensible enough, please leave on your own just in case it becomes unsightly in the future. You’ll still be able to keep your dignity if you initiate the divorce!”
“One more thing.” The woman had bright red lipstick on as she smiled at Lianjing’s mother. “I’m pregnant and your husband likes me very much; you won’t stand a chance by then.”
After the woman had left, He Lianjing ran out and into his mother’s arms. “Mother, let’s leave father, alright?”
However, He Lianjing’s mother still firmly believed that his father would change. At night, his mother begged piteously when his father had returned. He Lianjing saw his mother kneeling down on the floor through the slit of the door, and her head had even started to bleed from all the kowtowing.
He clenched his fist while his lower lips were harshly bitten.
He did not understand why his mother had to act cowardly. His father was such a b*stard, but why did she kneel down upon him? He Lianjing immediately pushed the door open and shouted.
“Mother, don’t kneel down in front of him. He doesn’t deserve this—he’s a bad person.”
The couple was startled before his mother pounced toward him and wrapped him in his arms. “Stop it, Lianjing.”
“I don’t want to!” He Lianjing gritted his teeth while staring dead at his father. “You don’t qualify to be my father!”
He Lianjing was really going too far for saying that in front of his father. His father immediately landed a kick on his mother’s body. “It’s all because of you, you b*tch. You must’ve told him malicious remarks about me, right? How do you even teach your son? How do you teach him?”
Kicks after kicks landed on his mother’s face. He Lianjing wanted to protect her, but he was too little. As for his mother, she held onto him tightly until she was sent to the hospital after passing out.
When they had returned from the hospital, that woman had actually moved into the He Family’s residence. He Lianjing’s mother was too tired to even beg or fight. She simply said in a weak manner, “Forget it. If he really wants to let her stay, I can’t control him. Lianjing, you shall stay obedient from now on. Don’t ever curse your father ever again. He’s still your father no matter what, okay?”
“I don’t have such a father!”
“Shut up! Don’t ever say things like this!”
“He’s not my father. I don’t have a father like this!”
He Lianjing was slapped. He staggered for a while before he fell onto the floor. He then looked at his mother with utter disbelief.
“Lianjing, if you say things like this about your father again, I will abandon you!”
Why? He Lianjing did not understand why his mother was not able to stay tough whenever she faced his father, who was always beating her up. She only knew how to beg and endlessly hoped that his father would change one day. However, she would always be strong in front of him, but why?
He Lianjing became untalkative after he was slapped by his mother.
He then ran into his father and the woman exercising in the living room afterward. The woman looked at him and let out a smirk. Later on, she even came to him again and said, “Did you see that? He’s not your father anymore. Why aren’t you and your mother leaving? Do you want to stay here until I chase you out after my child is born? What a shameless kid—don’t look at me like that.” The woman mocked He Lianjing cruelly.
He Lianjing stared at the woman in a vicious way, his eyes similar to a killer’s. The woman then flung her hand to give him a slap on the face as she had gotten angry after being stared at in such a way.
“B*stard, how dare you stare at me with that look on your face. Do you believe that I will dig your eyes out? How can you look so vicious at such a young age? No wonder you are your mother’s child. Once I give birth to my child, I’ll drive you and your mother out!”
The woman even kicked He Lianjing in his tummy after she had finished her sentence. She was completely discontented.
How could He Lianjing, who was so young back then, withstand a kick from a vicious adult? His tiny body immediately fell back, which made the woman put on a satisfied smile. Then, she turned around and was about to head downstairs.
A sense of ruthlessness flashed across He Lianjing’s eyes when he caught sight of her heading down. A dreadful thought abruptly popped into his mind, and he slowly helped himself up while he stared dead at the woman from her back.
The next second, the little silhouette moved. He Lianjing quickly dashed forward, pushing the woman down the staircase.
“Ah!”
He had great speed, and his strength was both powerful and immaculate. The vicious woman was pushed in the waist, and she tumbled down the stairs before she could even react.
She then rolled down the stairs with an immense speed.
At the same time, the sound of the woman yelling was heard.
He Lianjing finally felt relieved after witnessing this scene.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1452
He Lianjing had no idea how many times he had suppressed his feelings ever since that incident happened. His feelings had been bottled up for a long time until the seed of the devil finally sprouted in the depths of his heart.
Then, the sprout broke through the soil and shot up rapidly as though its growth had been accelerated.
The woman lost consciousness soon after she tumbled down the stairs. He Lianjing stood there without any response while placing his hand over his stomach, which hurt from being kicked. Finally, he went back to his room expressionlessly.
He did not know how much time had passed from then until the woman was discovered. Then, as the world outside was thrown into disorder, He Lianjing buried himself under his blanket with nothing on his mind.
Now that he had done it, the woman would absolutely squeal on him to the big bad guy after she regained consciousness. However, he was not afraid at all. He thought to himself, If the big bad guy dares to hit and scold me again, I’ll risk my life with him!
The woman was hospitalized for many days; as expected, she lost her baby as well.
Most tragically, the doctor informed her that the injuries she suffered this time were too extensive, so she could no longer bear children in the future. Upon hearing the doctor’s words, the woman instantly sobbed her heart out; she then grabbed He Lianjing’s father’s hand and said viciously, “Hubby, it was Lianjing who harmed me by pushing me down the stairs. He wanted to kill our baby!”
He Lianjing’s father felt slightly displeased deep down inside when he heard that she could no longer bear children. He had already disliked He Lianjing in the first place, for he thought of the latter as an ingrate; he somehow felt that the look in his son’s eyes was too poisonous whenever his son looked at him. Because of that, he wanted to have a child with this woman, but who would have expected that she could no longer bear children?
He grew even more agitated at the thought of it, so when he heard the woman squealing on He Lianjing, he lost his temper immediately. “What? Lianjing was the one who pushed you?”
“Yes, hubby. He killed our unborn baby, so you must avenge our child!”
That night, He Lianjing heard the servants talking about the event. They said that the woman had miscarried her baby, but it did not surprise him the slightest bit; that was what he wanted. It’s great that she miscarried her baby! He Lianjing thought to himself.
After that, he even heard the servants saying that the woman had lost the ability to bear children.
He Lianjing was quite surprised at the news, but he soon thought it was probably poetic justice. The woman held her head up after stealing someone else’s husband, so it was simply karma for her to lose the ability to bear children.
Soon after that, however, He Lianjing’s father came to see him. He greeted his son with a loud, hard slap.
The slap made He Lianjing’s ear rang as blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
“What an unfilial son you are! How could you push Aunty Hui down the stairs? Don’t you know that she’s pregnant? Are you happy now that she has miscarried?”
He Lianjing sat up with a sinister smile dangling from his lips. “I know that—I even know that she can’t bear children anymore. If you ever shout at me again, I’ll make you die childless!”
He Lianjing’s father was taken aback when he heard the words ‘die childless.’ He stared at the 12-year-old boy in front of him in disbelief as he thought to himself, Is this something that a 12-year-old kid would say? To make me die childless?
Then, He Lianjing continued, “If you bring other women into our home again, I’ll push them down the stairs whenever I see one.”
“You!”
At this moment, He Lianjing’s mother, who caught wind of her husband hitting his son, hurried over to He Lianjing’s defense. “What’s wrong? What has Lianjing done wrong, hubby?”
He Lianjing’s father was furious at first, but he dared not hit He Lianjing again because of the poisonous look in the latter’s eyes. Now that He Lianjing’s mother had come, he vented his anger on her right away.
Getting beaten as soon as she came over, He Lianjing’s mother immediately crouched down and ducked with her head in her hands, for she dared not resist at all.
The seed of the devil in He Lianjing’s heart transformed into a towering tree instantly when he saw his mother being so weak.
He lunged forward and sank his teeth into his father’s hand, refusing to let go of it no matter how hard his father tried to shake him off. Unexpectedly, he even managed to bite a piece of flesh off his father’s hand in the end!
“Aaaah!” screamed He Lianjing’s father in pain. Taken aback by the sight of the scene, He Lianjing’s mother stayed rooted to the spot in stupefaction.
The 12-year-old He Lianjing looked as ferocious as a wild beast. After spitting the piece of flesh out of his mouth, he glared at his father and said, “If you dare to hit my Mom again, I will kill you!”
He Lianjing’s father looked at this ferocious boy once again after having a piece of flesh bitten off him. He simply couldn’t believe that this boy used to be his obedient son, who lay meekly at his feet when he was little. He couldn’t figure out why his son had suddenly sprouted fangs, but unbeknownst to him, he was the one who had driven his son into growing his fangs.
Clamping his hand over his wound, he fled in panic and went to the hospital to treat his wound.
The servants in the house were scared out of their wits after having witnessed everything; they held their breaths in fear.
He Lianjing’s mother was frightened too. Staring blankly at He Lianjing, she dared not even speak; it was as though she was afraid that her son would suddenly lunge at her and bite her.
He Lianjing walked up to her and tried to help her up, but she suddenly shrank back in fright. Then, she proceeded to back into a corner and looked at him as though he was a monster. “D-Don’t come near me,” she said.
He Lianjing hated it very much when his mother looked so weak; she never resisted nor hit back whenever she got beaten. Even so, he never failed to hit out at his father for her—He Lianjing did not want to see her constantly suffering from domestic violence. He hoped his mother would fight against his father even just a little bit, but she never did so.
Not only did she never resist, she even kneeled to plead with the man!
He had become like this simply because he wanted to protect her. However, little did He Lianjing expect his mother to look at him as if he was a monster.
The viciousness in He Lianjing’s eyes vanished as he took a few steps toward his mother. “Mom?”
“Don’t come near me, you monster!” screamed He Lianjing’s mother as she ran away, leaving He Lianjing’s tiny figure standing in place.
Nobody saw his hands shaking violently as they were hidden in his sleeves.
After that, He Lianjing became increasingly unsociable and eccentric. Nobody at home dared to mess with him again, and everyone avoided him like the plague whenever they saw him. As he grew up, he evolved from the confused and helpless kid into a stone-hearted man.
He Lianjing’s *sshole father was of bad character, but he had a large business. Naturally, He Lianjing had always been the sole heir of the He Group because of his perverse ruthlessness.
As the entire He Group would be his in the future, lots of women appeared around him.
Most of them had taken a fancy to him because of his wealth. Even though they were so scared of him that they trembled while speaking to him, they couldn’t stop themselves from approaching him because of his money.
That had been the case until he met Xu Yanwan at a banquet. Wearing an evening dress to the event, she looked as pure and beautiful as an angel.
At the time, He Lianjing turned his nose up at all women. To him, there were only three kinds of women: timid weaklings like his mother, homewreckers that destroyed other people’s families, and those who only had eyes for money.
His status alone was tempting enough to lure a lot of women into becoming the third kind of woman. Of course, he wasn’t interested in the first kind of woman at all.
Therefore, he immediately flirted with Xu Yanwan, who showed him slight courtesy in the beginning as she did not know who he was. When she heard his self-introduction later and realized that he was the womanizing He Lianjing, she immediately lost her interest in talking to him.
At first, He Lianjing thought that she was either being sanctimonious or playing hard to get. He showered her with all kinds of gemstones and presents, but she did not even take a look at them.
At a later time, he heard her saying to her friend, “I have fallen in love with someone.”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1453
Later on, he noticed the expression on Xu Yanwan’s face whenever she spoke of the man she loved; he had never seen such an expression before.
The expression on her face was not one of infatuation; instead, it was one of sacred yearning.
This was the first time He Lianjing had ever seen such an expression on a woman’s face who was around him. When she spoke of the guy, the look in her eyes was of yearning and nothing else, for she was purely in love with him.
Initially, He Lianjing deliberately showered Xu Yanwan with presents because he couldn’t get her to give him her heart. However, his romantic overtures became genuine later, for he desperately wanted to be the man she longed for.
His parents had spent their entire lives without knowing what it was like to fall in love, and all the people he’d seen around him valued their interests above all else. Because of that, he desperately wanted to get hold of Xu Yanwan at all costs, but little did he expect that he still blundered in the end.
Xu Yanwan finally began to find him disgusting.
Meanwhile, Yan wasn’t quite in her right mind ever since she regained consciousness. She fell into lethargic sleep for long hours every day, but she kept mumbling in her sleep, constantly telling Han Qing to run as she did not want something to happen to him.
Her condition did not improve even after Han Qing had taken her home for two days. Since Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou were both worried about her, Han Qing arranged for her parents to stay with them immediately. In the meantime, Han Muzi came to visit her twice, but every time she wanted to speak to Yan, the latter would either start raving again or fall asleep.
Judging from Yan’s condition, she seemed to be conditioning her subconscious mind into forcing herself to have nightmares.
In the beginning, it did not look like she had changed much after being in such a condition, but as it dragged on, she would soon have a screw loose if she did not adjust her emotions or relieve her stress.
It would be another matter if she had a screw loose.
After thinking it over, Han Muzi thought the matter was so serious that it couldn’t be allowed to drag on like this anymore. She wanted to advise her brother, persuading him to send Yan back to the hospital for treatment. However, she eventually bit her lip when she saw the dark circles under Han Qing’s eyes from looking after Yan.
Now that he had taken Yan out of the hospital, he would certainly refuse if she advised him to take her back to the hospital.
However, as Yan’s former close friend and current sister-in-law, Han Muzi could not stand to see her being in such a mentally deranged state.
Therefore, she met Han Qing and discussed the matter with him seriously. “We can’t let her go on like this; I’m afraid that she’ll suffer from mental illness if time goes on.”
Han Qing looked at her with a pair of weary-looking eyes as he asked helplessly, “Do you think that I’m not afraid of that?”
He was afraid. In fact, he was more afraid than anyone else. He had failed to keep Yan safe at the wedding; even though he rescued her out of the fire later, the state she was currently in troubled him so much that he was sleepless all the time. Because of that, he could only watch over her day and night.
Han Muzi also felt awful deep down inside when she saw Han Qing looking like this. After contemplating for a while, she suggested, “Qing, if you are unable to advise and coax her, I would advise you to take drastic measures.”
“Drastic measures?”
“Yeah.” Han Muzi nodded. “Qing, you have never been a mother, so you don’t know what it’s like to be one. Now that Yan is pregnant, her baby would be the most important thing to her besides you. If she keeps going on like this, she might lose her baby—who she had barely managed to keep. Try mentioning this to her and tell her to calm down.”
Upon hearing her words, Han Qing knitted his brows; he was clearly worried about the possible consequences following Han Muzi’s suggestion.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1454
Han Muzi said, “Qing, you have to think of it in this way—if we let her go on like that, she’d still be the one getting hurt at the very end. You only have to be slightly careful when you speak to her. Moreover, I don’t think that she wouldn’t consider the baby’s safety after hearing this from you.”
Han Qing was easily persuaded by her words this time. He said in agreement, “Okay. I’ll find an opportunity to try out your suggestion.”
Han Muzi left soon after that.
Even though Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou were both staying at the villa, Han Qing had been the one looking after Yan’s daily needs. He helped her to wash her face, brush her teeth, and rinse her mouth.
Yan’s condition wasn’t considered terrible; although she often had nightmares, there were also times when she was in her right mind. Sometimes, she could even brush her teeth by herself, but every so often, she would hypnotize herself into believing that she was trapped in the fire again, unable to flee from it.
According to the doctor, she had been traumatized by the fire, which was why she had been unable to recover from the traumatic experience.
However, Yan was unusually obedient that evening. When Han Qing told her to have dinner, she sat down at the table quietly without thrashing around. After that, she waited for Han Qing to fill the rice bowl for her.
Han Qing filled a bowl with rice and handed it to her. Watching as she took the rice bowl from him and held her chopsticks, his heart was filled with helplessness. At the same time, he thought she was unusually cute and obedient when she behaved like this. Therefore, he reached over to ruffle her hair and asked softly, “This evening’s dishes are all your favorites. Taste them and see if you like them.”
Yan obediently ate a mouthful of rice and nodded. “I like it,” she said.
“That’s good to hear.” Han Qing smiled faintly. “You have to eat well. After you eat your fill, you may watch some television before taking a bath after that.”
However, Han Qing’s heart clenched as he spoke, thinking about how he should try out Han Muzi’s suggestion earlier that day. He had to admit that what Han Muzi thought was right, and he might actually try it out.
As the thought occurred to him, he put some food into her bowl with his chopsticks. Then, he tested her reaction by saying, “Since you’re under special circumstances right now, you have to eat something else other than rice—you’ll need to eat more food that is nutritious.”
Yan froze visibly when she heard him saying that her case was special. However, she continued to eat silently without responding to him after that.
Seeing that she did not overreact, Han Qing carefully tested her reaction once again by saying, “Lack of proper nutrition will be harmful to the baby’s growth.”
Yan’s hands froze when she heard Han Qing’s words. As she stared at the scene before her, something crossed her mind, and her vision began to shake and blur.
Han Qing narrowed his eyes upon noticing that something was wrong. Worried that she would get emotional, he could only grab her wrists as he said, “Stop thinking about that incident. We escaped from the fire—both you and I are alright, and our baby is safe as well.”
“L-Let go of me,” replied Yan, whose voice had begun to quiver. Her chopsticks had dropped out of the hand Han Qing was grabbing; her other hand, which was still holding onto her bowl, had become visibly shaky.
Han Qing saw the evasiveness that filled her eyes, but he couldn’t fathom the reason behind it. Therefore, he could only take another drastic measure by asking, “I can understand that you’re traumatized, but we have escaped from the fire right now, yet you have nightmares like this all day long. What do you want me to do? What are you going to do with the baby in your womb? Do you no longer want me and our baby to be with you?”
Stunned by Han Qing’s questions, Yan dropped the bowl in her hand to the ground with a clatter, shattering it into pieces that flew in all directions.
She looked up and stared at Han Qing in stupefaction.
Han Qing continued to clasp her wrist to prevent her from running away. He asked, “I need you, and so does our baby. Please stop going on like this, okay?”
With that, the shaky images that turned into flames before Yan’s eyes began to clear up, gradually turning into Han Qing’s face.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1455
As a matter of fact, the incident was awful. Han Qing had a phobia of fires, for seeing even the tiniest flicker of a flame would remind him of what had happened in the past. Therefore, the day she encountered a fire was a time when he found it excruciatingly difficult to overcome his phobia.
In the end, however, he overcame his phobia of fire for her sake.
Even so, little did he expect Yan to suffer from the exact same phobia in the end.
Could this be a test that God has subjected to the both of us? he thought to himself.
Nonetheless, no matter how rigorous the test was, he could take these tests and pass them as long as he and Yan were not parted in life or death.
However, he had to ensure her safety.
Yan kept trying to evade Han Qing upon hearing his words, but the latter continued to clasp her hand in a vice-like grip.
He said, “Don’t run away, don’t be afraid, and listen to me. The danger is over; we are very safe now. We can spend our lives like this as long as you and our baby are safe. However, what about our baby and me if something happens to you? Promise me that you’ll stop going on like this, okay?”
Yan still did not utter a word, but her eyelashes were moistened with drops of tears.
Then, Han Qing continued, “Do you know why I’ve never celebrated my birthday? That’s because I got my Dad killed in a fire while celebrating my birthday when I was little. Since then, I have been deeply afraid of my birthday and flames, which was why my mind was flooded with the memories of my past when you celebrated my birthday the other day. My mind was preoccupied with those memories even when I plunged into the fire to save you. I was scared that I couldn’t overcome my fears, but I was even more scared that you would get killed in the fire as my Dad did, so how could I be immersed in my deepest fears without considering your life? Therefore, it can be said that you have saved me. You pulled me out of my trauma so that I stopped being afraid of these memories and faced them bravely, but now, you ended up being traumatized instead—this is not the ending I want.”
As he continued to speak, Yan’s eyelids quivered more and more rapidly.
She was initially touched by Han Qing’s mention of their baby, followed by his confession about the incident on his birthday. When they made up after that incident, she promised at the time that she wouldn’t fuss over that issue again; moreover, she was unwilling to reopen old wounds within him.
However, he chose to tell her the truth behind his trauma right now, which meant that he had opened the old wounds within him once again.
When she heard him telling her that his father had died in a fire on his birthday, she could even imagine the hesitation and the psychological struggle in his mind when he plunged into the fire that day.
He knew that he had a phobia of fires, yet he plunged to her rescue at the risk of his safety.
Even the slightest bit of carelessness would get him buried in a sea of flames at the time. Because of that, Yan could tell that her life was more important to him than his own.
Tears began falling from her eyes. Ever since she escaped from the fire, passed out, and regained her consciousness, she had never shed a single tear, but she had nightmares and mood disorders all day long.
However, after listening to what Han Qing had to say, her tears fell uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string, hitting the back of his hands.
Her heart ached terribly as though something was digging into her heart. At the same time, though, she felt as if some emotions had gone out of her chest.
When Han Qing took her into her arms, she finally had a breakdown and sobbed, “I was so scared. I was really scared. When I saw you dashing toward me in the fire, I thought all three of us were going to die there.”
“No, we won’t. I won’t die, and I won’t let you and our baby die either.” Han Qing could only try his best to comfort her.
Yan sobbed so hard that Han Qing could feel his shoulder getting drenched in tears, but he did not feel depressed at all. Instead, he felt very relieved—that was because Yan was probably letting out her long-suppressed emotions by crying this time. Han Qing thought to himself, Well, we have got to hand it to my younger sister, for women do understand women. If there’s anything that I can’t figure out in the future, I’d better ask Muzi for advice.
Yan’s uncontrollable sobbing was gradually reduced to quiet weeping before she eventually lay in Han Qing’s arms and fell asleep.
Since she had been sobbing so aggressively moments ago, she continued to tremble and hiccup in her sleep.
Han Qing’s heart ached a lot, but when it occurred to him that she would be back to normal after she woke up, he thought it was good for her to shed more tears.
He carried her to the bed, tucked her in, and left the room.
As soon as he pushed the door open, he bumped into his parents-in-law, who were eavesdropping outside the door.
Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou looked visibly embarrassed when they met Han Qing’s gaze.
However, Luo Huimei reacted quickly as she immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Why did I hear Yan crying so loudly? Is her condition still the same as before? Qing, why don’t we take Yan to the hospital? Things aren’t going to work out if the situation drags on like this. As of late, she’s been having a poor appetite and low-quality sleep—not to mention that she had suffered injuries during that fire and nearly miscarried her baby. What if she miscarries her baby in the future should things continue to go on like this?”
Luo Huimei’s words sounded unpleasant, but what she said was indeed possible.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I think the problem should be solved by now, but we still have to give Yan some time. Don’t force her too much; she is exhausted and wants to rest right now, but she should be okay when she wakes up later.”
Luo Huimei was quite surprised. “Really? Would she be okay when she wakes up later?”
Han Qing smiled. “Probably. Even if she doesn’t get any better, I’ll stay by her side and try hard to help her get better.”
This son-in-law of mine is so positive and considerate that my help isn’t needed at all, Luo Huimei thought to herself.
For a brief moment, she was at a loss for words. Luo Huimei and her husband had wanted to look after Yan when they came to stay at Han Qing’s home, yet they couldn’t offer any help over the last few days despite being served good food and good drinks. The most they could do was to have a little chat with their daughter, but the latter would break down again as they spoke.
“Rest assured, Mom and Dad. You two just have to stay here while I take care of Yan.”
“You have gone through a lot of trouble lately, so you need to take care of your health. Let us help you if you can’t endure it any longer. Now that you and Yan are married, we have become a family; you don’t have to be so polite to us.”
Luo Huimei felt sorry for Han Qing when she saw his haggard face and the dark circles under his eyes. As Yan’s mother, she even felt that she had not been taking much care of her daughter.
Mr. Zhou nodded in agreement and said, “Huimei is right. You have to take good care of yourself so that you can take good care of Yan. Therefore, you have to rest and eat when you should. If you can’t endure it any longer, just ask your Mom and me for help. Got it?”
“Okay.”
As Yan’s state of mind improved, she managed to sleep for as much as five hours this time. She had a very deep sleep; not only did she not talk in her slumber, but she also did not have any nightmares.
Luo Huimei was amazed as she stayed at her daughter’s bedside.
After waiting for a while longer, Luo Huimei discovered that Yan’s condition was still stable. Therefore, she said to Han Qing, “Get some rest. Yan’s condition seems quite stable right now, so I can watch over her myself.”
Han Qing turned to glance at Yan before compressing his lips. Then, he recalled Mr. Zhou’s words.
You have to take good care of yourself so that you can take good care of Yan.
Indeed, it was time for him to get some rest; he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep for several days, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“Alright. In that case, I’ll go get some sleep. Sorry for troubling you here, Mom.”
“Just go to sleep. You should sleep a while longer since you don’t have to come here in a hurry.”
After that, Han Qing proceeded to leave Yan’s room. However, instead of going back to his room, he took his keys and went out instead.
His eyes were bloodshot, but the look in them was chilling. “How did the investigation go?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1456
Yan slept until very late that day. When she woke up, the sky outside had already darkened.
This was the most peaceful sleep she had ever experienced since the incident happened to her.
Luo Huimei continued to stay by Yan’s side all the while. Unwilling to sleep, she kept her eyes open until she was bored to death, yet she dared not do anything for fear of waking her daughter up. After all, this was the first peaceful sleep Yan had finally gotten since that incident, so Luo Huimei was afraid that she might scare Yan again if she accidentally woke her up.
Because of that, Luo Huimei noticed at once when Yan had opened her eyes.
“Are you awake, Yan?” Luo Huimei asked Yan in a whisper; it was as though she was afraid that she might frighten the latter if she raised her voice just a little.
“Mom.” Yan sat up while putting her hand over her head. She looked at Luo Huimei with a confused look in her eyes as she asked, “How long have I slept for?”
“You have slept for an entire day. Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something to eat?”
Yan initially had a poor appetite, but upon hearing Luo Huimei’s question, she was surprised to find herself feeling increasingly hungry.
She felt famished, so she nodded and said, “Yes, please.”
Luo Huimei could hardly describe how happy she was when she heard Yan saying that she was willing to eat. Therefore, she immediately stood up to prepare some food for her daughter.
Yan looked around to discover that she and Luo Huimei were the only people in the room. “Mom, where is Han Qing?”
Han Qing was there when she fell asleep. However, when she thought about it, his absence did make some sense. It was unreasonable for Han Qing to be here as well when Luo Huimei was staying here.
“You silly girl. Qing stayed by your side for so many days without getting a wink of sleep; wouldn’t he be exhausted after that? How could you look for him as soon as you wake up? Can’t you let him rest a while longer?”
Yan was guilt-ridden deep down inside when she heard Luo Huimei’s words.
Not only was Han Qing worn out because of the fire, he was also tired because of her psychological issue. Yan recalled how Han Qing had looked before she fell asleep. Not only were his eyes bloodshot, but he also had huge dark circles under his eyes; he even had newly-grown stubble on his usually clean-shaven chin.
Han Qing had always kept himself scrupulously clean and tidy, but he ended up looking like that because of her.
Yan bit her chapped lips before saying, “I got it, Mom. It’s not that I want to look for him—I just want to ask what he’s doing.”
“Qing really wore himself out for your sake these days. It’s great that you’re fine now, but don’t scare us like this again in the future. Your Dad and I are old, so our hearts aren’t able to bear such a scare.”
“I won’t, Mom. Don’t worry—I’ll take good care of myself from now on, and I’ll control my emotions carefully.”
“Good to hear that from you.” Luo Huimei stroked her daughter’s hair tenderly as she continued, “In that case, I’ll be leaving to make some food for you.”
“Alright.”
When Luo Huimei turned and left the room, she ran into Han Qing—who had just come home—at the door. “Qing, why are you back already? Why don’t you sleep a while longer?”
Right after she finished her sentence, she noticed that something was amiss. Han Qing was still wearing the same clothes as before, and he did not seem to look better. Instead, he looked even wearier, and the dark circles under his eyes had grown darker.
Oh, this brat! Didn’t I tell him to get some sleep? Where did he go for the whole day?
However, Han Qing replied flatly, “I have rested enough. Let me take over from here while you get some rest, Mom.”
Luo Huimei waved her hand and said, “In that case, have a chat with her first. I’m going to make something to eat, and I’ll send the food over in a while.”
Yan kept looking outside expectantly after she had heard Han Qing’s voice. When he came over later, she hastily lifted her blanket and tried to get out of bed, but Han Qing quickened his pace and went up to her before holding her hands.
He said, “Why are you getting out of bed? Sit down.”
Instead, Yan stared at his face anxiously and noticed that Han Qing looked quite haggard with dark circles under his eyes. Moreover, his eyes were visibly more bloodshot than before, which made his eyes look frighteningly crimson.
“Didn’t you get some rest? Where did you go?”
Instead of answering her question, Han Qing asked her attentively, “Did you just wake up? Are you hungry? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Yan shook her head. “I’m fine, and I don’t feel unwell anywhere. How about you? Mom told me that you left to take some rest, but why do you still look so lethargic? Why are your eyes bloodshot?”
When Han Qing saw Yan fussing over him and noticing the strangeness of how he looked, he instantly knew that she had completely gotten over her fear. Moved and overjoyed, he hugged her immediately.
He then said, “I’m fine. My eyes are probably so bloodshot because I have just woken up from sleep. It’ll be fine after a while.”
“That won’t do.” Yan pushed him away. “Hurry up and get some rest. Stop staying awake like this.”
“If I am asleep, what about you?” he asked her in a low voice.
“What do you mean by that? I can look after myself. Hurry up and get some sleep.”
Yan pushed him with all her might, but Han Qing stayed motionless as his gaze fell steadily upon her. Having no other choice, she could only bite her lower lip lightly and speak to him in another way. “Do you know that your eyes look frightening right now? They look as bloodshot as a demon’s.”
Her words had startled Han Qing, for he never expected her to say that so suddenly. Unfortunately, he did not have a mirror, or he would’ve wanted to see if his eyes were really that bloodshot to a frightening extent.
“That’s why I don’t want to stay with you. Please hurry up and sleep—don’t come and see me if your eyes are still so bloodshot,” said Yan as she pushed him. Finally amused by her childish behavior, Han Qing reached his hand out and ruffled her hair with a look of resignation and affection in his eyes.
“Alright, I know that you want me to get some rest. Won’t I make you worry for nothing if I don’t go to rest now?”
“Since you clearly know that, why aren’t you resting yet?”
“That’s because I want to keep you company for a little while longer.”
Yan blinked her eyes. “In that case, could you tell me what you did during the day before you go to sleep?”
The smile on Han Qing’s face faded, and a murderous look flickered across his eyes. However, the murderous look disappeared quickly before Yan could catch a glimpse of it, making her wonder if she had made a mistake.
“What are you thinking about? All I did in the daytime was get some rest. If you’re worried, I’ll be resting for another few hours before I visit you later.”
Yan immediately nodded. “Alright. Hurry up and go to sleep then.”
At Yan’s persuasion, Han Qing returned to his room; he washed his face and lay down for a rest. As he had stayed awake for too long, he found it difficult to fall asleep at this moment. It was extremely painful to close his eyes, which were very sore and dry.
He had exhausted himself, yet he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.
The purpose of him going out on that day was none other than to deal with the matters that he previously had no time to attend to. Those who wanted to lay a hand on Yan must pay the price correspondingly.
No, I must make that person pay ten times the price. Do you think you can be exempt from punishment by going to prison? Things aren’t that easy, thought Han Qing to himself.
This was the first time Han Qing had thought of killing someone. However, he couldn’t kill anybody, for today’s society was bound by the legal system.
Even so, there were numerous ways to make a person suffer.
Since that guy had nearly killed his wife and baby, he would strip that guy of everything.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1457
A day later, all papers were headlined with news about He Lianjing—the heir of the He Group—going to prison. Reports on the He Family made headlines in major newspapers, magazines, entertainment tabloids, and news applications.
He Lianjing had long been an eyesore to many due to his usually arrogant and unscrupulous demeanor. Upon seeing the news coverage, they immediately seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire by exposing his numerous past scandals, including all kinds of brutal violence that he had committed.
Because of that, the He Group’s share prices plummeted, and all the company’s business partners ended their partnerships with the company in advance.
Normally, if partnership contracts had been signed before the news broke out, business partners would have to wait until the contract expired before ending their partnerships with the He Group. However, a mysterious man pressured these companies behind the scenes and promised to compensate for their losses. Because of that, all companies—large and small— ended their partnerships with the He Group instantly.
Furthermore, many of these companies were linked. Even though some of the companies had close dealings with the He Group, they wanted to shrink back and play it safe when they saw so many large companies severing their ties with the He Group overnight; that was because these companies were scared of getting themselves dragged into trouble.
After all, the forces behind this must be enormously powerful, for it had uprooted a company as large as a He Group overnight.
As these companies followed suit, the He Group’s share prices plummeted to an unprecedentedly low value.
When He Lianjing’s father learned of the news, he was so angry that everything went black before his eyes. He asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t I have the news crushed? Why did the news break out again? Has all the money I spent earlier on gone down the drain?”
“I heard that someone spent a lot of money expressly to bring the entire He Group down.”
“Who is it?”
“President He, the person whom Young Master He tried to burn to death was none other than the newly-married wife of Han Qing, the President of the Han Group.”
“I know that. The Han Group is powerful, but it can’t possibly have such tough measures.”
“There’s something that you aren’t aware of, President He. The wife of Ye Moxuan, the President of the Ye Group, is Han Qing’s younger sister…”
When He Lianjing’s father heard that, he felt even dizzier to the point that he nearly passed away then and there.
It turns out that my son has offended two business conglomerates—the Ye Group and the Han Group—at the same time. No wonder… No wonder they took such swift action! Now that the two business giants have joined forces, how can the He Group possibly survive?
Still, He Lianjing’s father considered himself and the He Group lucky, for the He Group was not based domestically. Even if the company’s local branches were wiped out, it still had overseas branches. In the worst-case scenario, the company might as well not expand its business domestically.
However, He Lianjing’s father learned that even his overseas companies were affected that very night. After all, the He Family, of course, were not the only family who based its companies overseas; it took just a word from the two business groups to lay a hand on these companies.
The He Group fell from grace at stupefying speed. Those ignorant of the story behind its fall couldn’t help discussing among themselves, whereas those in the know dared not add a word lest they dragged themselves into trouble. After all, such tough measures from the two figures really struck terror into their hearts.
On the other hand, Yan was totally unaware of everything going on. She had not been using her cell phone lately, for she had been concentrating on taking rests every day to take care of her baby. Two days later, she took the initiative to speak to him about the matter after he was well rested.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“Uh-huh?”
“It’s weird—I didn’t notice anything wrong at the time, but the more I thought about it over the last few days, the more I feel that something was wrong that day. Why would the room catch fire all of a sudden? Moreover, by the time I realized that the room was on fire, the fire was already serious, but it had not spread over yet. I ran to the door, but I couldn’t pull the door open, and my cell phone was missing. Even more strangely, I have been unable to figure out why I slept so soundly at the time. Even so, I did not feel myself losing consciousness at the time. Therefore, when I think about it now, I still feel that something isn’t quite right.”
While she had brought up the matter on her own initiative, Han Qing had already finished dealing with the affairs outside. No matter what sort of doubts she had, the truth had come out by now.
Therefore, Han Qing merely replied with a faint smile, “The matters are all resolved, so just put this memory behind you in the future. I’ll never let something like this happen to you ever again.”
Han Qing had never stumbled upon such incidents in the past, so he had no idea that a person could be so frenzied to such an extent. Now that he had learned his lesson, he would make all the necessary arrangements no matter the occasion, and he would never leave Yan’s side easily.
“The incident has already been resolved?” Yan blinked her eyes in surprise. “How did it get resolved?”
“You shouldn’t have to worry about such things. The most important thing you should do right now is to take care of our baby. All you have to do every day is to eat and sleep to your heart’s content.”
All I have to do is to eat and sleep to my heart’s content? Yan thought to herself. Is he treating me as a pig? Moreover, I’m just pregnant; I’m not trying to gain weight.
“I just want to know the whole story about the incident. Why won’t you tell me anything?”
“This is not something good, so you’d better not know too many details about it. Either way, I’ll never let you suffer from something like this ever again.”
In the end, no matter how Yan asked him, Han Qing refused to explain how the incident was resolved. Feeling sleepy, Yan was no longer in the mood to ask him again. Ever since she had gotten over the incident, her sleep quality had improved as well. As an expectant first-time mother, she craved sleep and food as other mothers did.
Since Han Qing did not want her to know the incident’s details, she decided not to ask him again. After all, this was probably one of his ways of protecting her.
Meanwhile, Xu Yanwan was stunned when she saw the published news reports. She had never expected Han Qing to be so ruthless to such an extent. A company as large as the He Group being crumbled to dust like that in complete silence! Such a piece of news would certainly cause an uproar among business circles, yet Xu Yanwan had no idea how big the uproar would be.
Because of that, Xu Yanwan felt even more stressed out. After all, He Lianjing had perpetrated that incident for her sake. Even though she did not agree with what he did at the time, she was still guilt-ridden deep down inside.
Now that the entire He Family was gone, what would He Lianjing think? Should she visit him in prison to tell him the news? However, wouldn’t that be too cruel? Nevertheless, He Lianjing had the right to know the truth.
Xu Yanwan’s mind nearly exploded as she pondered over the matter. Why? she thought to herself.
Why did such things happen? I never wanted to hurt anyone. All I wanted was to come back to take a look at the man I love. I didn’t expect him to have someone by his side, and there was a moment when I failed to suppress my inner demons. Even so, I have never thought of harming anyone’s life, yet both Yan and He Lianjing have ended up like that because of me.
Two days later, Xu Yanwan asked Han Qing out for a meeting. At first, Han Qing told her that he had matters to attend to, and she could talk to Su Jiu if there was anything she wanted to talk about.
However, Xu Yanwan changed his mind with just a sentence. “Don’t you want to know why He Lianjing did so?”
Upon hearing her words, Han Qing immediately narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Does this incident have something to do with you?”
Xu Yanwan held her cell phone as she nodded in both despair and resignation. “Yeah, you can say that this has something to do with me, so I want to talk to you about it. If you’re busy right now, you can find time to meet with me when you’re free.”
With that, Han Qing made an appointment with her, but their meeting was to take place at Han Qing’s office.
Xu Yanwan came ahead of time. She held the documents in her hand while thinking about how she should explain everything to Han Qing later.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1458
After quite some time, sounds of footsteps could finally be heard outside of the meeting room. Immediately, Xu Yanwan turned her head toward the source of the footsteps. She hadn’t seen Han Qing for a short while, but the latter already seemed much more skinnier. Clearly, Han Qing was unable to get any good rest during this period of time as his eyes were bloodshot. He must be exhausted because of Yan’s matter. Not only did he have to worry about Yan, but he also had to take care of the He Family; both matters definitely consumed much of his energy.
The guilt in Xu Yanwan’s heart grew even deeper when she saw Han Qing in such a state. Everyone had gotten hurt because of her. Perhaps, she shouldn’t have returned to the country at all. If she had stayed overseas, things would not have turned out this way. She was unsure if Han Qing was treating her even more coldly because of this matter too, for he did not even bother to greet her. After pulling out a chair, he sat down and stared at her in a distant manner.
Xu Yanwan knew what was going on; although she felt miserable, she did not utter a single word. Instead, walked up to Han Qing and handed him several documents. However, Han Qing did not take the documents from her. Xu Yanwan extended her arm and placed the documents on the table. “These are all the important information about the company.”
Han Qing squinted his eyes upon hearing this, looking as though he did not understand what she was up to today. “He Lianjing and I got to know each other because I found out about Yan’s matter. He did all of this because he was standing up for me. Although he’s the actual culprit, I am partly responsible for it too. I cannot accept your help in reviving the Xu Family anymore, so that’s why I have gathered all this information.”
Han Qing did not flip through those documents; he did not give her a reply either. He simply fixed his gaze on her and asked after a few moments, “I only want to know if you had known about the arson.” In other words, he was insinuating whether she had known that someone was going to set the place on fire. Did she know about the fire and is confessing to it in silence, or does she really have no idea about it at all?
Looking at him, Xu Yanwan pursed her lips before sitting down in front of him. “Taking this arson into account, this matter has already happened twice. It happened once in a coffee shop when I asked Yan out. He Lianjing was already plotting to hurt her at that time, but I managed to stop him. I told him that I did not want to put anyone’s life at risk. I thought that… he wouldn’t do this anymore. I did not expect…”
Never would she have expected He Lianjing to do such a thing on their wedding day. Most importantly, he had even involved her in his plot. Perhaps, he was not afraid of going to jail at all, Xu Yanwan only came to this realization toward the end.
“In that case, you knew that he might’ve been plotting to harm someone, yet you kept it a secret and did not report it?” The warmth in his gaze vanished, and Han Qing seemed like he was looking at a corpse.
This was the first time Xu Yanwan had ever seen such a gaze from Han Qing. Even though he had never liked her since young, he thought of her as his own sister at the very least. Although he did not like her, he did not despise her either. But now, this gaze was completely different.
Xu Yanwan’s heart was in agony; it was as if it had been pierced by a needle. She was hardly able to breathe. “No, it isn’t like that.” She anxiously explained, “The night before your wedding, I went to have a drink and got completely wasted. I only remembered that I had to attend your wedding when I woke up the next day. I like you a lot, Han Qing. In fact, I’ve liked you since young. I used to hope that you would spare me another glance, and I looked forward to the day I became your wife. However, you never liked me at all; my Xu Family’s principles have taught me not to put anyone’s life at risk, and I really did not know anything about it.”
Upon hearing this, Han Qing let out a sarcastic chuckle.
“You don’t believe me?”
“If you had taken it seriously, you would’ve told me and warned me about it as soon as possible. Although it wasn’t your responsibility, you did not take it seriously. Therefore, you have no right to say this in front of me today.”
Xu Yanwan looked at him in a dumbfounded manner. “Are you believing that I’m an accomplice?” Feeling amused, she reached her hands out toward him. “In that case, do you want to call the police now and handcuff me? You already think that I’m an accomplice in this case anyway.” Xu Yanwan knew that she was overreacting, but she was feeling very upset.
“If I had proof, you wouldn’t even be standing here and talking to me right now.” Han Qing stood up and looked at her with a cold expression on his face.
His reply struck Xu Yanwan like a thunderbolt. If he really had proof, he would probably send me to jail for real.
“If Uncle Xu and Auntie Xu were still alive, they would surely not want to see their daughter spiraling down into such a state. Xu Yanwan, reviving the Xu Family is something between Uncle Xu and I. It has nothing to do with you at all—if you don’t want the company anymore, feel free to leave.” With that, Han Qing left immediately, leaving Xu Yanwan standing alone on the spot.
She thought that Han Qing would furiously take away all those documents, and she would be left with nothing once again. She would lose the familial love she had, her relationship, and her beliefs, causing her to plunge into the bottomless abyss once more. However, Han Qing did not take away those documents. However, he was already blaming her. Perhaps, what he said was true—he did not pursue the matter any further for the sake of her parents.
You really are pathetic, Xu Yanwan.
…
Xiao Su was rather occupied during this period; he had to go to the company every day to handle a lot of affairs. Naturally, Jiang Xiaobai was also aware of what he was handling. After that night, everyone had a tacit understanding and did not bring the matter up anymore. Xiao Su was also afraid that Jiang Xiaobai would get angry again, so he did not utter a single word.
However, Jiang Xiaobai still witnessed the process of the He Family’s downfall. She had even read rumors about the Han Family and the Ye Family joining hands to bring down the He Group, leaving them with no chances of survival.
In much more brutal terms, they were going to make the He Group fall completely apart, leaving them with no chances of getting back on their feet whatsoever. Although it seemed a little excessive, Jiang Xiaobai still understood the purpose of doing so. After all, the He Family had nearly caused Han Qing to lose his wife. Not only was he injured in the process, but their wedding had been ruined as well. Although everyone was fine in the end, what good would it be if they only acted when things could not be altered anymore? Therefore, they had to take necessary precautions regardless of the result.
The woman whom Xiao Su liked had a rather good insight. At the very least, she had chosen a man who would treat her right for the rest of her life. After putting down her phone, Jiang Xiaobai couldn’t help but let out a sigh. There were some people who were naturally fortunate; unlike her, Jiang Xiaobai had slept with someone and lost her virginity. Even after getting into a relationship, her boyfriend went to rescue the woman in his heart instead.
Nonetheless, Jiang Xiaobai had always been self-confident; she rarely argued much about such matters. Moreover, she did not blame Yan for it. It was a good thing that she was safe and sound this time. She was only contemplating if she wanted to continue this way with Xiao Su. Her plan had sidetracked now that their acting had become so real to this extent.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1459
Jiang Xiaobai’s original plan was to use Xiao Su as a tool; she wanted to stop her mother from getting her to go on blind dates or to find a boyfriend. After all, Jiang Xiaobai simply wanted to carry on with her bachelorette life peacefully.
However, who knew things would turn out like this?
When Xiao Su came back from work, he bought some snacks for Jiang Xiaobai; this was something he would do every day as of late. Besides, his will for survival was so strong that when he found out Jiang Xiaobai liked these kinds of little gifts, he actually bought a small gift for her every few days.
He would buy her a necklace one day and a bracelet on the next. After two days, he would buy her earrings. Now, Jiang Xiaobai’s cupboard was full of small gifts from Xiao Su. She felt that her jewelry box would be full very soon if Xiao Su continued to do so.
“I’ve got a gift and some snacks for you.”
Today, Xiao Su passed the box to Jiang Xiaobai as usual. She sat up on the sofa and held out her hand lazily to take the box from Xiao Su. “What did you bring me again today?”
“See for yourself.”
Jiang Xiaobai opened the box and took a look inside. She noticed that Xiao Su actually bought her a ring today; the ring’s design was very unique, and it looked expensive too.
Jiang Xiaobai didn’t slide it on her finger immediately. Instead, she stared at Xiao Su and asked teasingly, “Are you proposing to me?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Su froze in place as he was removing his suit coat. He looked at her in puzzlement.
“What’s the matter? Why did you buy me a ring if you don’t plan on proposing to me?” Jiang Xiaobai swayed the ring in her hand, which shone brightly under the fluorescent light. She curled her lips teasingly and said, “Xiao Su, we just started dating not long ago; are you really that eager to propose to me?”
“I…”
“Don’t explain anything!” Jiang Xiaobai raised her hand to interrupt him. “I know what you are going to say. You’re afraid that I’ll reject you, right?”
Xiao Su was slightly speechless with Jiang Xiaobai. In fact, he didn’t think too much of it when he bought the ring—the salesgirl had even recommended an expensive one to him. Recently, he had been using the money he saved previously to buy Jiang Xiaobai these gifts.
The reason why Xiao Su bought a ring today was because he had already gotten her other accessories. Hence, he thought that he would get her something different today; that way, she wouldn’t get angry if he bought her the same thing again.
To his surprise, Jiang Xiaobai had actually misunderstood him.
What should he say then? Should he deny it?
If he denied it, based on the girl’s cheeky mischievous personality, she would press him for more answers again. She would ask whether it was true that he didn’t think of marrying her at all even though they were dating now.
If he didn’t deny it, then…
Since Xiao Su had been tricked by her multiple times throughout their time together, he wasn’t as honest as he used to be anymore. On second thought, he felt that it would be better for him to keep quiet and not say anything at all.
Jiang Xiaobai wasn’t very pleased when she noticed that he wasn’t saying anything; she thought that Xiao Su would argue with her and defend himself. Why is he being so quiet about it?
Thus, she was upset and decided to find fault with Xiao Su.
“Why won’t you say something? You don’t want to admit it, right? In that case, who did you buy the ring for?”
Xiao Su thought that she would be very pleased and put the ring on; little did he expect Jiang Xiaobai to bombard him with even more questions. He hung his suit coat on the hanger, walked toward Jiang Xiaobai, and took the ring from her.
The expression on Jiang Xiaobai’s face changed slightly. “You’re reluctant to give it to me, aren’t you? Fine then, you can take it back…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a cold sensation between her fingers; it turned out that Xiao Su had taken the initiative to slide the ring on her finger.
“Are you still asking me such questions right now? Don’t you know who I bought the ring for? Is there anyone else in the house besides you and me? Unless, do you think I bought it for myself?”
It was her first time hearing Xiao Su being so quick-witted with his sharp tongue; it surprised Jiang Xiaobai very much. She pouted her lips and took a glance at her finger, admiring the finger where Xiao Su had slid the ring on. Then, she retorted, “Who knows? You might have really bought it for yourself.”
Xiao Su was slightly embarrassed when he heard this. “Do you think I can wear it even if I bought it for myself?”
Jiang Xiaobai didn’t say a word. She stared at the ring on her finger; the more she looked at it, the fonder she grew of it. Although she felt elated, she didn’t show it on her face.
“Since you’ve given me so many gifts, wouldn’t you be using up all your savings in the end? Let me tell you this, Xiao Su—you are the one who’s willing to buy me all these gifts. If we break up some day in the future, I won’t be giving these back to you.”
Initially, Xiao Su was still holding her hand and both of them were still sharing a harmonious moment together. However, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly talked about breaking up unexpectedly, completely ruining the harmonious moment between them.
He raised his eyes and looked at her helplessly. “Can you stop talking about breaking up during a moment like this in the future?”
Jiang Xiaobai simply stared at him without responding.
“You completely ruined the moment. You should be happy after receiving these gifts; I don’t want you to think about such nonsense when I buy you these gifts.”
“In that case, tell me first—would you ask me to give it all back to you?” Suddenly, Jiang Xiaobai moved forward and stared at him attentively. “Hypothetically speaking, if we were to break up one day, would you really ask me to return everything to you? All of this is quite expensive…”
“I’ve already given them to you, so they are all yours. Naturally, I won’t ask you to give them back to me!”
“Xiao Su!” Jiang Xiaobai shouted at him loudly. Since she was very close to him, her loud voice had deafened Xiao Su as he felt his eardrums vibrating violently in his ears. He became stupefied almost instantly. He didn’t expect that Jiang Xiaobai, who was so close to him, would get angry all of a sudden. Her cheeks puffed with fury as she yelled, “You actually thought of breaking up with me before!”
The corner of Xiao Su’s mouth quivered; it turned out that it was another trap set by Jiang Xiaobai. It was his fault for being too young to realize that.
“Aren’t you supposed to say that ‘we will never break up, and you don’t have to give me back all these gifts either; they are all yours, and you can do whatever you want with them’?”
Xiao Su, who possessed a very strong desire to survive the catastrophe, apologized immediately, “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me. I’ll change next time!” As he finished, he held Jiang Xiaobai’s hand immediately. “Don’t be angry, okay? Aren’t you hungry? Check out the snacks I bought you!”
Jiang Xiaobai took a glance at the snacks in the bag. She still wanted to say something, but the snacks had quickly caught her attention. Instead, she gave Xiao Su a brief death stare. “Alright then, I’ll let you off the hook for now.”
Almost immediately, Xiao Su felt relieved when he heard that.
While Jiang Xiaobai indulged in her snacks, she would feed Xiao Su some from time to time. Feeling embarrassed, Xiao Su would blush from time to time. However, he soon got used to that and no longer blushed.
“You should go and take a shower first; I’ll help you apply the ointment on your wounds after your shower.”
Xiao Su still had to apply some ointment over the wounds on his body every day. Seeing that he had recovered pretty well recently, the doctor allowed him to apply the ointment himself at home. Besides, he could take showers now. However, he needed to shower with warm water so that it wouldn’t burn his wounds. After all, newly grown skin over burn wounds were very delicate.
Xiao Su didn’t protest, and he went to take his shower immediately. Then, he removed his shirt and lay face downward on the bed, allowing Jiang Xiaobai to apply the ointment over his wounds.
Once he removed his shirt, Jiang Xiaobai was rather petrified when she saw those dense wounds all over his body. This guy doesn’t care about his body at all! If she was the one who had these wounds on her body, it would hurt so much that she wouldn’t want to move at all. It’s incredible that he can actually go to work every day like nothing happened at all.
When she thought of that, Jiang Xiaobai complained grudgingly, “Is your company so busy that you can’t even take a couple of days off work first?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1460
Xiao Su noticed that she was concerned about himself when he heard her words. His lips curved into a faint smile as he said quietly, “There is a lot of work to be done at the company, and Young Master Ye is busy taking care of his family right now. Since he doesn’t have the time to work at the company, I have to work harder.”
“Hmph!” Jiang Xiaobai snorted in disdain. “No matter how much of a family man he is, he can’t just leave his own company unattended, right? He’s such a typical family guy! If he doesn’t take care of his company and loses it some day, what is he going to support his wife with?”
Xiao Su’s expression became serious when he heard this. Perhaps it was because he trusted Young Master Ye’s ability very much, so he defended his boss when Jiang Xiaobai badmouthed him.
“With his abilities, Young Master Ye won’t lose his company. Even if everyone else in the entire world cannot manage their companies well, it would be impossible for Young Master Ye to handle his company poorly.”
“Based on your tone when you spoke about him, it seems like you admire Young Master Ye very much.”
“Young Master Ye is very incredible indeed, but it’s not that I admire him.”
Fine then. What was the matter with Jiang Xiaobai? She had actually gotten jealous when she heard Xiao Su complimenting another person. Luckily, he was complimenting a guy. If he had complimented another girl in front of her, she would’ve definitely ripped his wounds apart.
After applying the ointment on his back, Jiang Xiaobai held out her hand and patted Xiao Su on his arm. “I’ve finished applying ointment on your back, now flip over.”
Xiao Su froze for a moment when he heard her last words. The corners of his mouth quivered awkwardly.
For some unknown reason, she made it sound like he was a piece of steak being grilled on a skillet. When one side of the steak was cooked, it was time to flip it over and grill it on the other side.
As Xiao Su thought about this, he slowly got up by pressing his palms against the bed. Then, he sat up on it.
Because his back was covered in ointment, it would not be suitable for him to lie down anymore. However, when Xiao Su got up, he hadn’t noticed how close Xiaobai was sitting next to him, so he directly bumped into her.
Jiang Xiaobai was still holding the ointment in her hands and waiting to apply it on his wound again when he sat up. However, she had not expected him to bump into her. This caught her by surprise, so Jiang Xiaobai—who was sitting on the edge of the bed—fell off immediately. When her head was about to hit the floor, a pair of long arms held her waist and pulled her back again. As a result, Jiang Xiaobai fell right into Xiao Su’s embrace with the bottle of ointment still in her hands.
Following that, Jiang Xiaobai heard him let out a low groan; she had probably bumped into his wound. Hence, she moved backward immediately and checked on his wound.
“Are you alright? Did I bump into your wound?”
In a panic, Jiang Xiaobai moved her hands all over his body; she was completely oblivious of how dangerous her actions could be. Even though Xiao Su could be quite insensitive most of the time, he was a normal young man. In fact, he was at the age where his sexual drive was at its prime.
Since the time when the both of them had gotten drunk, they hadn’t had any intimate contact again.
For men, it was better if they did not experience any sexual relationship at all. However, once they experienced that, they would automatically think of it during a certain time.
For example, they would think about it when they woke up in the morning. Either that, they would be thinking about it now…
Jiang Xiaobai wasn’t aware of the danger at all. She still had her hands pressed against his body while she stared at his wounds seriously. “Does that hurt? Do you want me to place some ice over your wounds first? It has been a long time since you got these wounds, so why haven’t they recovered yet?”
Noticing the look of concern in her eyes, it looked as though the wounds were on Jiang Xiaobai’s body. Xiao Su was touched when he knew she was worried about him.
He swallowed nervously as his voice became slightly hoarse.
“It has only been a while, so how can new skin regrow itself over all my wounds so fast? Is it even possible for wounds to recover instantly? Do you think I’m an immortal?”
Jiang Xiaobai froze when she heard this. Then, she raised her head and glared at him.
“Why do you have to act so clever now? You’re seriously injured, so why can’t you just stay and rest at home properly? Why do you still have to go and work at your stupid office every day? You have a girlfriend, you know? Even your Young Master Ye knows how to spend time with his wife at home, so why can’t you learn from him and spend more time with your girlfriend here?”
Her mouth moved as she spoke; her pink, delicate lips appeared strikingly tantalizing against her fair complexion. Xiao Su could barely move his gaze away from her lips.
He only managed to look away after a while, but the fiery passion within his eyes intensified as he did.
“I came back as soon as I finished work, didn’t I? Also, I bought you gifts.”
Upon hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai pouted her lips and glared at him. “You can’t be thinking that I’m that kind of girlfriend whom you can persuade easily just by buying me some stupid gifts, alright? It’s very important to spend time with your girlfriend too; you can’t replace companionship with anything else. Once today has passed, there won’t be another today anymore. Even if you have time to accompany me in the future, still, it’s not today. It means something different all together!”
She continued with her words matter-of-factly. She kept saying things that Xiao Su couldn’t understand at all. He only knew that he was beginning to lose control of himself slightly. He inched slowly toward her until his thin lips touched the tip of her nose. Jiang Xiaobai, who was still mumbling non-stop moments ago, finally stopped. Then, she stared at his attractive face, which was just inches away from hers. She became so nervous that her eyelashes quivered. “T-Talk properly if you want to talk. Why did you move so close to me all of a sudden?”
As she finished, Xiao Su tilted his head and touched her lips softly with his thin lips.
Jiang Xiaobai was dazed.
Then, Xiao Su moved backward a bit and gazed at her closely.
“If I do this, will today be more meaningful to you?”
Jiang Xiaobai blinked, looking slightly disoriented.
“I just want you to spend more time with me. I didn’t ask you to…”
Xiao Su didn’t move very far away from her. As soon as she talked, he moved forward and kissed her again. He then moved back to check on Jiang Xiaobai’s reaction.
Noticing how she didn’t reject him, he kissed her again. This time, it wasn’t a light kiss anymore. In the beginning, he just attached his lips on hers gently without doing anything else. Then, he started to suck on her lips tentatively while holding her cheeks with his large hands. The way he did it was very gentle and cautious, as if he was kissing a precious treasure.
Jiang Xiaobai felt as though her heart was being tickled by a feather. Following that, the tingling sensation spread quickly from her heart toward her arms and legs; it felt just like an electric current running through her body. She couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.
Her moan seemed to have encouraged Xiao Su as he no longer kissed her gently. He slid his tongue through her teeth and into her mouth, filling her mouth cavity with his breath.
Jiang Xiaobai was still holding the uncovered ointment bottle in her hands. Now that he was holding her face and kissing her on her lips, she didn’t know where to place her hands; she could only leave her hands hanging in the middle of the air.
After that, Xiao Su still wasn’t very content with this stage, so he glided his hands downward to her ears along her cheeks. Then, he slid his hand to the back of her head before he pressed her head against his. Jiang Xiaobai’s arms and legs went limp; she could only hold onto his waist and kissed him with her head tilted upward.
Probably due to the previous incident, their desire for each other intensified. Therefore, no one said anything about what was going to happen next, and no one rejected that either. While Xiao Su unbuttoned her shirt, she unbuckled Xiao Su’s belt. Her action made Xiao Su’s ears turn red. So, she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck directly before moving in and biting his ear.
Xiao Su pursed his thin lips so hard that it almost became a straight line, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. He pulled her down underneath him and looked at her. He wanted to say something but didn’t say it.
Jiang Xiaobai blinked and raised her eyebrow. “What do you want to say? I suggest you should just say it. You want it, don’t you?”