So much has happened at ho?
Wang Jian genuinely didn’t know about this. He frowned, wanting to ask, but he held back and continued to listen to Xu Qian.
"As for why it fell through, I don’t know either. When I asked him, he wouldn’t say. Later, when I ca back for the New Year, I asked Dad, but surprisingly, he didn’t know either."
"It’s actually quite funny, now that I think about it," Xu Qian said with a self-deprecating laugh. "After the New Year, a thug ca to our house. If I hadn’t been cooking with a knife in my hand and managed to chase him away, who knows what might have happened."
"I told your older brother about it later, and he even comforted at first. But within a couple of days, he started being sarcastic and accusatory, testing to see if I had been unfaithful. By that ti, village gossip had surely reached his ears."
"He’d ask if other n were coming to see , if I was happy without him around to control , free to find other n. He even accused of wanting to harm him, of wanting to be a modern-day Pan Jinlian..."
"After that, whenever he ca ho for a holiday, if I made him a al, he’d be afraid I had poisoned it. Nothing I said could convince him otherwise."
...
Hearing this, Wang Jian suddenly asked, "Did his suspicions about you start increasing after that, getting more and more intense over ti?"
"Hmm..." Xu Qian thought for a mont, then nodded. "It seems... that’s exactly what happened."
"..."
A possibility ca to mind—paranoid schizophrenia. It was a ntal illness, not his area of expertise, so it was just speculation for now.
"What’s wrong?" Wang Jian’s silence made Xu Qian curious. She reached out, took his hand, and asked softly, "Do you think there’s a problem?"
"If my brother has beco like this because he’s sick, what would you think?" Wang Jian looked at Xu Qian and asked quietly. The question had been forming in his mind the mont he realized his brother might truly be insane.
Xu Qian was still holding his large hand. The lines on his palm felt almost magical as they rubbed against hers, soothing her chaotic heart. The terror she felt from nearly being killed began to subside.
She didn’t answer his question. At this point, it no longer mattered to her. After all these years, the psychological trauma she carried couldn’t be erased by a simple diagnosis. Instead, she was more concerned about sothing else. She asked in return, "Xiao Jian, do you like ?"
Xu Qian patted the spot next to her. "Co sit closer."
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
As Wang Jian fell into deep thought, Xu Qian managed a small smile, hiding her disappointnt. "If it’s too hard to answer, you don’t have to say anything," she said gently.
"I do."
"What?"
"I said, I like my sister-in-law... I like you, Xu Qian."
Wang Jian finally spoke, squeezing her small hand tighter. Once so things were acknowledged and then spoken aloud, everything changed.
He continued, "The mont that knife ca down, I knew you were in my heart. Your title... it doesn’t matter anymore."
" too."
That huge kitchen knife had missed her face by re centiters. Xu Qian felt as if she’d just walked back from the gates of hell. In that terrifying mont, she had thought of far less than Wang Jian had; his was the only face that had flashed through her mind. A person doesn’t really have ti to think about much when they’re about to die. She understood that today, and she also saw her own feelings with perfect clarity.
Xu Qian herself might not have realized it, but in Wang Jian’s eyes, her gaze was incredibly tender, and the smile on her face was more charming than ever.
Wang Jian swallowed hard. Aware of the people outside, he avoided her gaze and looked away. But just then, Xu Qian sat up and hugged him from behind. The softness of her chest was not sothing two layers of cotton could conceal. The heat from her body seeped through his clothes, warming him. He knew that after today, his relationship with Xu Qian would beco even more delicate.
"Don’t move!"
Sensing Wang Jian start to struggle, Xu Qian rested her head on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I’ll just hold you for a little while. I won’t do anything."
"..."
Despite her words, their body temperatures rose quickly. Wang Jian swallowed again. To be honest, now that the unspoken barrier between them was broken, he found it hard to contain his desire. Being held like this from behind, feeling her warmth—how could he possibly resist?
To make matters worse, Xu Qian’s hand was far from still. She let go of his hand and began to trace his abs, her fingers sliding slowly downward until they closed around him.
"Xiao Jian, your body is much more honest than you are."
As soon as she spoke, her hand began to move.
Wang Jian sucked in a sharp breath and tensed, sitting up straighter. The movent pulled at Xu Qian’s injury, causing her to grip him even tighter. This only made it more thrilling. Wang Jian wanted to turn around and press her down, but she whispered in a delicate, breathy voice, "Don’t move around. My ribs are broken."
Great, so he had to be both the good guy and the bad guy. Wang Jian rolled his eyes. She was clearly the one moving.
He couldn’t see her expression, but her face was a mixture of shyness and playful mischief. Sensing his restraint, a sparkle lit up her eyes. She was clearly doing this on purpose. Xu Qian’s hand didn’t stop as she continued to hold him, leaning in to kiss his ear. The soft, slick touch on such a sensitive spot sent shivers through him.
Outside, the room was noisy as Li Shuang shooed away the curious villagers. The thrill of doing sothing illicit while people were right outside the door heightened the atmosphere. Wang Jian even closed his eyes to savor the mont.
But the good tis didn’t last.
Li Liping, who was lying behind Xu Qian, had already woken up. Her face no longer hurt, but when she opened her eyes and saw Xu Qian hugging Wang Jian, a pang of sadness hit her, and inappropriate emotions began to stir. She thought they were just hugging, having not seen where Xu Qian’s hands were. After cursing silently, Li Liping shifted slightly, hoping the two would take the hint. But she had clearly overestimated their awareness. Lost in the mont, they didn’t notice a thing and continued their embrace.
Li Liping silently rolled her eyes again and cleared her throat. "Since when are you two so close?"
Her voice made them both freeze. Wang Jian instinctively tried to stand up, but Xu Qian held him down. A sudden movent would only give them away.
Xu Qian remained still, simply turning her head to whisper, "Oh, you’re awake. I broke my ribs, so I can’t lie down properly. I just asked Xiao Jian to support for a bit."
"Your ribs are broken?" Li Liping grew anxious. Seeing them ignore her, she pulled Xu Qian away, catching a glimpse of Xu Qian’s embarrassed face and, more importantly, where her hand had been. Li Liping’s eyebrows shot up. She looked at Xu Qian as if seeing her for the first ti, a sting of jealousy in her heart. She didn’t expose them but remarked sourly, "Even with broken ribs, you can still feel embarrassed, huh?"
"Alright, alright," Wang Jian coughed twice. Li Liping’s presence was like that of a fearless little devil. Of course he and Xu Qian were embarrassed. He was just thankful the little devil hadn’t been awake when they were confessing their feelings to each other.
Wang Jian didn’t dare stand up; the shape of his shorts would have given him away. He could only pretend nothing was wrong and ask, "How are you feeling? I checked on you earlier, but how do you feel now?"
"Okay, I guess. My face is still a little sore," Li Liping said, glancing between the two. "You really owe . If it hadn’t been for , who knows what you’d be doing at the train station."
Wang Jian nodded. He really did have to thank Liping for this. He recounted everything that happened after she had passed out. Li Liping fud as she listened. "Even if that guy is sick, he can’t just go around trying to kill people! If I’d been awake, I would’ve snatched that knife from him and shown him what real self-defense is."
"Sure you would," Wang Jian said with a wry smile. It was a good thing she hadn’t been awake, or things might have gotten even more chaotic.
Just then, the sounds of an ambulance and police sirens grew louder outside. "Since you’re okay, help Xu Qian get outside," Wang Jian said quickly. "Her ribs are broken, so she needs to get to the hospital."
Li Liping nodded. As she helped Xu Qian out, she leaned in and whispered to Wang Jian, "So... who was better?"
Wang Jian froze, not understanding her aning at first. As Li Liping was already helping Xu Qian out the door, he saw her put a hand behind her back and make a quick stroking motion. Understanding dawned on him instantly.
This girl really is a little devil...
But he had to admit, Li Liping’s personality offered a different kind of thrill. His mind flashed back to that night, to the sight of Li Liping kneeling before him.
...
The police arrived. With nurous witnesses to both dostic violence and attempted murder, they were there to take Wang Xiang into custody. As they approached the kitchen, Wang Jian quickly explained to the officers that Wang Xiang might be ntally ill.
"Do you have any proof?" an officer asked. Murder was no small matter. If anyone could just claim insanity to get a suspect released, what would be the point of the police?
Wang Jian was montarily stunned. He had no proof right now and could only watch helplessly as the police handcuffed his brother. However, the officers weren’t completely heartless; they took everyone’s statents on the spot so as not to delay their trip to the hospital.
After seeing the police and Wang Xiang leave, Wang Jian made a point to call Cai Xing. The city’s psychiatric resources couldn’t compare to what the Cai Family had access to, and he’d be an idiot not to use them. Only after a doctor from the Cai Family provided a psychiatric certificate could he have Wang Xiang transferred to a proper hospital.
When Cai Xing heard what had happened, he imdiately told Wang Jian to send Xu Qian to the Cai Family’s private hospital as well. The service there was mostly one-on-one and far better than at a large public hospital. However, he and Xu Qian were already in an ambulance on their way to the City Hospital, so he had to let the idea go.
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