The moment the blanket was lifted, a sudden gust of chilly air blew right between Qin Yuhe's bare legs, where he was going commando.
Having one's legs spread open for others to admire—no one could stand that.
A look of panic flashed across Qin Yuhe's eyes.
To make matters worse, his hands were injured. Both were tightly wrapped in gauze, rendering him unable to move them.
The instant Old Madam Qin lifted the blanket, Qin Yuhe felt like he had nothing left to live for.
He was about to face the greatest humiliation of his entire life.
Everyone peered toward the bed.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Song Xinya reached out swiftly and decisively, pressing the blanket firmly down.
The crowd saw absolutely nothing.
His dignity preserved, Qin Yuhe looked at Song Xinya and said sincerely, "What a great wife."
Song Xinya tilted her chin at him. "You're welcome. It's the least I could do."
Old Madam Qin was completely baffled, her face full of confusion. "Yaya, I just want to see if Little He is badly hurt. Why won't you let me look?"
Song Xinya: "It's not appropriate right now."
Old Madam Qin: "Since when is it a matter of being appropriate or not to check on his injuries?"
Qin Hanxiao: "Mom, don't you get it? Your precious grandson is so badly injured that it's reached a point where he can't let anyone know."
Old Madam Qin's heart skipped a beat, and she grew even more anxious. "Where exactly is our Little He hurt that he doesn't even dare let others know?!"
"How can you just hide something this major? This child has always been so sensible since he was little. He always solves his own problems and shoulders his own hardships. Little He, Grandma knows you're worried about making me sad, which is why you don't want to lift the blanket and let me see!"
"But today, Grandma absolutely must lift this blanket and take a good look!"
Old Madam Qin reached out to lift the blanket again.
"Don't be afraid, my good grandson. Grandma will just take one look, just one look."
Qin Yuhe's faint, helpless voice rang out, "I'm not wearing any pants."
Old Madam Qin's hand abruptly froze mid-air.
After all that fuss, the reason she wasn't allowed to look was because her grandson wasn't wearing pants?
Qin Yuhe looked at his troublesome grandmother. "Do you know the reason now?"
Old Madam Qin laughed awkwardly, pulling her hand back. "I know, I know. Oh my, it's just not wearing pants, it's no big deal. Grandma watched you grow up. When you were a little baby, Grandma changed your diapers every day, wiped your bottom every day, and helped you pee every day. Oh, right, when you went to get circumcised at age four, it was Grandma who carried you there."
President Qin's proverbial pants were practically being pulled down by his own grandmother.
Qin Yuhe: "I don't think you need to mention those things."
Old Madam Qin: "You don't want Grandma to talk about it? Fine, Grandma won't say another word."
She turned to look at Old Master Qin and Qin Hanxiao. "What are you two still standing around for? Hurry up and help Little He put his pants on."
Qin Yuhe: "No need. My wife will help me put them on."
The intimate relationship between a husband and wife was something no one else could compare to.
Certain things would be embarrassing even in front of one's own parents, but doing them with a partner felt perfectly natural.
Old Madam Qin, Old Master Qin, and Qin Hanxiao all walked out.
Song Xinya lifted the blanket and helped Qin Yuhe put on the pants he hadn't managed to get on earlier.
Qin Yuhe lay on the bed. Dressed in a hospital gown, his hair fell naturally and smoothly. His eyes were clear and moist like they had been soaked in warm water, and his lips were a pale, soft color, making him look gentle and harmless.
He reached his arms out toward Song Xinya, gesturing for her to help him sit up.
Seeing the way he stretched out his arms, Song Xinya was reminded of a little baby reaching out for its mother to hold it.
The corners of her lips curled up, and she let out a soft chuckle.
Qin Yuhe: "What are you laughing at?"
Song Xinya: "I can't tell you."
Qin Yuhe: "What could there be that I don't know? Just tell me."
Song Xinya: "I'm afraid you'll get mad if I say it."
Qin Yuhe: "I won't get mad."
So Song Xinya told him: "The way you asked me to hold you looked just like a little baby asking its mommy for a hug."
Qin Yuhe's expression shifted. He was a twenty-nine-year-old man who stood 1.9 meters tall—a little baby?
At that moment, Song Xinya leaned over close to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The ends of her hair brushed against his chest, and her soft, beautiful white neck leaned toward his face.
Qin Yuhe lifted his head, opened his mouth, and bit her neck.
His warm, soft lips pressed against her delicate skin, his sharp teeth scraping over it. It was a little painful, a little ticklish, and a little thrilling.
Song Xinya let out a startled gasp, "Ah~"
Her tone was slow and lingering, the trembling end of her voice laced with a charming, bone-deep allure.
It sounded nothing like the kind of voice she would make in a normal state.
She scolded him playfully, "What are you doing?"
Qin Yuhe: "Punishment."
And he said he wouldn't get mad. What a big liar.
His teeth continued to gently bite her neck. Song Xinya asked, "Can you let go now?"
Qin Yuhe stuck out his tongue and licked her neck.
"Now I can."
The wet, soft sensation glided over Song Xinya's neck, sending a thrilling, tingling shudder through her.
A tender flush of pink spread from Song Xinya's neck all the way down to her smooth back.
Meanwhile, Old Madam Qin, Old Master Qin, and Qin Hanxiao were standing by the window in the hallway, watching this scene unfold.
Old Madam Qin was like a hardcore shipper who had fallen completely down the rabbit hole. She covered her mouth and giggled, "They're so sweet. It even makes an old woman like me blush."
Old Master Qin's eyes crinkled in a smile as well. "The two of them seem to have a wonderful relationship."
Qin Hanxiao: "Every relationship is like this at the beginning. It's passionate, fresh, and romantic. They only have eyes for each other, and the passion is like fire. But as they spend day after day together and get to know each other more, the novelty fades. Patience wears thin, conflicts pile up, and just seeing the other person becomes annoying. Eventually, it heads toward a breakup. The result is always the same."
Old Madam Qin rolled her eyes. "If you're a scumbag yourself, just say you're a scumbag. What's this nonsense about eventually heading toward a breakup and the result always being the same? Do you think everyone is like you, having their wife run off with another man?"
Qin Hanxiao: "Stop constantly bringing up my wife running off with another man to expose my flaws."
Old Madam Qin: "Hit a nerve, did I? Now you think it's embarrassing. Why didn't you think it was embarrassing when you were being a scumbag? If you ask me, you deserved it. Who told you not to cherish that girl back then? If you don't dote on your own wife, another man will do it for you. If you don't love your own wife, another man will love her for you."
Qin Hanxiao: "Hurry up and go check on your precious grandson. Stop focusing on me."
The hospital room door opened, and Song Xinya stood in the doorway. "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, come on in."
The three elders walked into the room and saw Qin Yuhe sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling toward the floor.
Old Master Qin looked at his gauze-wrapped hands and asked in a deep voice, "Where exactly are you hurt?"
The doctor walked in at that moment and said, "A wooden stick pierced through Mr. Qin's abdomen. Fortunately, it missed his internal organs. The stick was less than a millimeter away from Mr. Qin's stomach. Just a tiny bit closer, and his stomach would have been punctured. You could say Mr. Qin narrowly escaped death."
"Furthermore, Mr. Qin's palms were severely burned in the fire. Every day, wire sponges and abraders must be used to scrape away the necrotic flesh until new tissue grows back."
Old Madam Qin kept wiping away her tears as she listened.
Old Master Qin looked stern.
Qin Hanxiao pressed his lips tightly together.
Song Xinya kept her head lowered, not daring to look directly at the three elders opposite her.
How could she not feel guilty? Qin Yuhe hadn't been injured going about his own business; he had suffered such severe injuries to help her save her sister. It was all for her.
A noble young master who should have been living a pampered, smooth, and comfortable life had nearly lost his life because of her.
Song Xinya was consumed by guilt, panic, and unease. She wanted to apologize to the three elders, but she felt that the words "I am sorry" were too flimsy, too casual, and lacked the gravity needed to express her deep remorse.
How could a simple apology ever be weighed against a human life?
Song Xinya's shoulders hunched inward, her limbs stiff and her head bowed. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, and she wrung her fingers together until they turned deathly pale.
Qin Yuhe stood up from the bed, walked over to Song Xinya, and looked directly at the three elders opposite them. "My injury has nothing to do with my wife. She didn't want me to go in the first place; I was the one who insisted on following her. If you must blame someone, you can only blame me."
