Chapter 55 p2
…
Qin Qianrou returned to the living room, holding a glass of water, but she didn’t feel like drinking it. The warmth in her hand gradually dissipated, and Shen Yiqiu hadn’t returned yet. The call hadn’t been long, but to Qin Qianrou, it felt like an eternity.
Shen Yiqiu’s thoughtfulness and care didn’t seem to be reserved only for her. Her endless nagging and reminders towards the person on the other end of the line made Qin Qianrou imagine that person smiling helplessly, yet fully accepting her concern. It was annoying, and also a little… enviable.
As Qin Qianrou’s thoughts wandered, she didn’t even notice someone sitting beside her until Shen Yiqiu’s gentle voice broke through her reverie.
“Jiejie, what’s wrong?”
Shen Yiqiu, after ending the call, saw Qin Qianrou sitting in the living room, holding a glass of water, clearly lost in thought.
Qin Qianrou looked at her intently, as if trying to decipher something from her eyes. However, after a long while, she saw only her own reflection, and Shen Yiqiu’s unconcealed concern.
“Jiejie…” Shen Yiqiu rarely saw Qin Qianrou like this and couldn’t help but worry.
Qin Qianrou asked directly, “Are you this kind to everyone?”
Shen Yiqiu was taken aback, puzzled.
“Are you always this concerned and caring towards everyone? Asking if they’re comfortable, what they ate, if they ate well, if they’re dressed warmly, if they’ll catch a cold.” Qin Qianrou paused, then continued, “Do you say these things to everyone?”
To her, to Li Wan, to Rong Fei, to the “Yuan” on the phone, Qin Qianrou even thought, perhaps she also said these things to Zhang Meng.
Qin Qianrou’s question stunned Shen Yiqiu. How could she possibly be so concerned about just anyone? The only person she genuinely cared about right now was Jiejie!
She had even felt a slight pang of guilt just now, focusing on Jiejie and neglecting her cousin. Thankfully, it was just a stomachache, if it had been something more serious, she would have felt terrible.
Her silence angered Qin Qianrou further, her breathing becoming uneven after that series of questions, her hand holding the glass trembling slightly. But Shen Yiqiu didn’t answer, as if tacitly admitting it.
Qin Qianrou felt a wave of sadness and disappointment. She suddenly realized she was being strangely possessive, actually caring about how a child treated others compared to how she treated her. She also felt a little ridiculous, losing her composure and asking such a question, it made her seem petty and unreasonable.
Qin Qianrou composed herself, placed the glass on the coffee table, picked up her laptop, and prepared to return to her room to continue working.
She couldn’t stay here and face Shen Yiqiu anymore; she didn’t know what other irrational actions she might take.
Just as she was about to stand up, her hand was grabbed tightly.
Qin Qianrou looked down; Shen Yiqiu was holding her hand, preventing her from leaving.
“Jiejie, I care about and am concerned for everyone who is important to me.”
Qin Qianrou smiled faintly, acknowledging and understanding her answer, but her heart couldn’t accept it.
She needed time to process this, but Shen Yiqiu wasn’t letting her go.
“Alright, I understand. I was just asking casually, don’t worry about it.” Qin Qianrou felt exhausted, explaining weakly, hoping this child would believe her, like before.
Before she could say she was going back to her room, she was enveloped in a warm embrace. This time, Shen Yiqiu’s body was still trembling slightly, but her embrace wasn’t as loose as before, she was holding her tightly.
“But Jiejie, my concern for others is less than a tenth of my concern for you, you’re the most important person to me.”
Shen Yiqiu’s voice trembled as she spoke, not out of flattery or deceit, but because it was the truth.
True feelings were often difficult to express openly. Shen Yiqiu hadn’t intended to reveal them so soon, she was afraid of scaring Jiejie. But the sadness in Qin Qianrou’s eyes, no matter how subtle, was enough to pierce her heart.
“Okay, I know.” Qin Qianrou paused, then responded softly, trying to reassure her.
She didn’t reach out to touch Shen Yiqiu, nor did she struggle against the embrace. She could even feel Shen Yiqiu’s heartbeat.
She knew Shen Yiqiu’s heart was racing, and her own heart seemed to be following suit.
After a long while, Qin Qianrou finally pushed Shen Yiqiu away.
“You should go study, and I have work to do.”
The words Shen Yiqiu had been wanting to say caught in her throat. She had thought Jiejie would continue questioning her, but Qin Qianrou seemed to have recovered completely.
“Okay.” Shen Yiqiu looked at her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Qin Qianrou looked away, gathered the scattered documents on the sofa, and returned to her room with her laptop. Only then did her heart finally calm down, and she replayed the earlier scene in disbelief.
If she hadn’t been mistaken, Shen Yiqiu’s actions just now had seemed…
The conclusion in her heart was about to surface, and Qin Qianrou’s composure crumbled.
Unable to focus on work, Qin Qianrou went to the bathroom; she needed to clear her head.
It wasn’t just Shen Yiqiu’s actions that had unsettled her, but her own unusual behavior.
Everyone was capable of self-deception, but Qin Qianrou didn’t want to. This wasn’t like her, she hadn’t expected to find herself in such a situation.
She cared about Shen Yiqiu, perhaps even more than she should. That was why she had been so inexplicably possessive, so easily angered, yet so overjoyed by Shen Yiqiu’s honest confession.
She couldn’t deny the joy she had felt when Shen Yiqiu said she was the most important person to her. The frustration that had been weighing on her heart had instantly vanished, and she hadn’t even resisted that warm embrace.
Qin Qianrou leaned against the bathtub, feeling helpless about how she had unconsciously reached this point. How had she become so careless, allowing this child to gradually permeate her life, then unknowingly enter her heart?
After careful consideration, she realized something didn’t add up. If Shen Yiqiu’s affections were directed at her, then what about that man? She hadn’t heard the voice on the phone clearly, but she was certain it was a man.
That man must be Yuan. If things were progressing smoothly with Yuan, why would Shen Yiqiu act like that towards her? Qin Qianrou still couldn’t figure it out, but she couldn’t help but wonder about Shen Yiqiu’s true intentions.
That child liked older people, this much seemed certain. But her preferred gender was… ambiguous. The more Qin Qianrou thought about it, the more confused she became, because she couldn’t even determine whether she wanted Shen Yiqiu to like men or women.
Lost in thought, she had unknowingly lingered in the bathroom for a long time. By the time she finally snapped back to reality, she felt a chill.
As expected, the next morning, she woke up with a fever.
Fortunately, it wasn’t severe, but she still had a headache.
Shen Yiqiu, seeing this, was distressed and fussed over her, not letting her move, practically gluing her to a chair.
“I should have made you some congee, light and refreshing. Did you eat something too greasy last night, or did you work too late and catch a cold?”
Shen Yiqiu’s concern was always so detailed and all-encompassing, making Qin Qianrou both resistant and touched. Perhaps being sick made one more vulnerable, because she couldn’t even be bothered to explain, simply leaning back in the chair, listening to Shen Yiqiu’s nagging.
A faint smile played on her lips, until Shen Yiqiu sat beside her.
“It’s too late for congee, just have some rice porridge for now. There are some pickled vegetables in the fridge, you can have them with the porridge.”
They were both from Hai City; rice porridge with pickled vegetables was a simple yet comforting meal.
“Don’t worry about me, just eat your breakfast and go to school.”
Shen Yiqiu shook her head, pushing the bowl slightly closer to her. “I don’t have any important classes today, and I’ve already asked for leave. I’m staying home to take care of you.”
Qin Qianrou felt Shen Yiqiu was overreacting; it was just a fever, not a serious illness. A day of rest and medication, and she would probably be fine. During her field assignments, she had often slept in drafty, dilapidated shacks for days without any problems.
“You rarely get sick, we can’t be careless.” Her tone was gentle yet firm, leaving no room for argument.
Qin Qianrou parted her lips, then, without saying anything more, started eating the rice porridge.
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