Chapter 246 - 95: I Didn’t Mean To
Qin Mei laughed self-deprecatingly. "Blame you? For what? Mistrust? Heh, Jie Jingchen, how long have we known each other? Trust takes time to build. I’m hardly confident we’ve established any in such a short amount of time."
Jie Jingchen lowered his eyes, lost in thought for a long while. When he looked up again, Qin Mei was gone. His gaze faltered for a moment, but then he heard a sound from the bathroom and sighed in relief.
It was unclear how much time had passed before Qin Mei came out of the bathroom, walking with an odd gait. She made it to the side of the bed and flopped face-first onto it.
"You..."
"Don’t move, and don’t touch me. My legs are asleep," Qin Mei interrupted.
Jie Jingchen’s expression was peculiar. His body was rigid, his features tense.
As the pins and needles subsided, Qin Mei finally noticed where she had landed. Through the quilt, she could feel his... reaction. Qin Mei was mortified; she wished a hole would open up and swallow her.
’Oh my god! Could the timing be any worse?’
"Jie..." Horror filled Qin Mei’s eyes, and she wanted to bury her head in the quilt. She was in a very compromising position.
"Don’t move." Jie Jingchen’s deep voice held a forceful command. His dark eyes, full of desire, were fixed on Qin Mei as if he wanted to burn her to cinders.
Qin Mei bit her lip, looking up at Jie Jingchen with a sense of grievance. But when she saw his strained and forbearing expression, her gaze flickered. Her frustration was instantly replaced by an indescribable mix of guilt and embarrassment.
"I didn’t do it on purpose," Qin Mei mumbled. She really hadn’t. She’d been squatting in the bathroom for too long and both her legs had fallen asleep. Every step had sent a jolt of painful numbness through her; it was a miracle she’d even made it to the bed. She had been aiming for his legs, but who knew she would land on his...
’AAAH! This is so embarrassing.’
It took a long time for Jie Jingchen to calm down. Qin Mei remained frozen, not daring to even breathe, terrified of setting him off. If he lost control and pushed her down... in her current state, if they really *did it*, the scene would be absolutely horrifying and spectacular. How could a blood-soaked tryst be anything but?
Jie Jingchen steadied his breathing as the desire in his eyes slowly faded. His voice was deep and hoarse. "Qin Mei, get up."
Hearing this, Qin Mei felt a wave of relief. She rolled off of Jie Jingchen, then rolled once more to get as far away from him as possible. Curling into a ball, she didn’t even dare to pull at the quilt.
Seeing this, Jie Jingchen sighed helplessly, lifted the quilt, and draped it over her.
"I’m not cold." Qin Mei pushed the quilt away. ’One quilt isn’t enough,’ she thought, ’I should consider buying a new one. Then we can each have our own, and we can keep to our own sides without bothering each other.’
"Don’t worry, I won’t do anything rash. Your health comes first," Jie Jingchen promised. He wanted her, but he wouldn’t do it without considering her physical condition.
Qin Mei wasn’t reassured by Jie Jingchen’s promise. Before his back injury healed, he might have been willing, but he wasn’t able. Now that his back was better... it was probably best not to provoke an older man who’d been celibate for so long.
Jie Jingchen saw her deliberately keeping her distance and didn’t force the issue. The bed was only so big; unless she maintained that exact position, it would be difficult to avoid any physical contact.
Jing Qi’s leg had been healed, yet she had hidden it from him. Jie Jingchen decided not to press the issue and just let it drop.
Before long, Qin Mei fell asleep. Hearing her steady breathing, Jie Jingchen shook his head helplessly, covered her with the quilt, and turned off the light before lying down. He had just closed his eyes when the sleeping Qin Mei snuggled closer, expertly finding a comfortable spot in his arms before falling soundly asleep.
Jie Jingchen held her. He had already grown accustomed to sleeping with her in his arms; now, he couldn’t fall asleep unless she was there.
The next day, Jie Jingchen went to work, Jie Jingshan was studying in her room, and Qin Mei was sleeping in.
A commotion in the courtyard woke Qin Mei. Just as Jie Jingchen had predicted, a neighbor had brought her pregnant daughter-in-law to their door, asking Qin Mei to take her pulse.
"Zhang, when is the Fourth Wife of Jing going to wake up?" The voice was unfamiliar to Qin Mei.
"Sufen, the Fourth Wife of Jing is fortunate and capable. She sleeps until she wakes up naturally every day," Aunt Zhang said, chatting with Sufen.
"Mom, maybe we should just go home for now," Sufen’s daughter-in-law said timidly.
"Go back? What do you mean, go back? We came all this way, we’re not leaving until she’s taken your pulse," Sufen said, glaring at her pregnant daughter-in-law.
"Tiezhu’s wife, don’t be anxious. Let’s just wait a little longer. The tea’s gone cold, let me get you a fresh pot," Aunt Zhang said with a smile.
"Zhang, don’t stand on ceremony with me. If it’s cold, it’s cold. Just sit and chat with me for a bit," Sufen said, pulling Aunt Zhang to a stop.
Aunt Zhang and Sufen made small talk, while Tiezhu’s wife sat anxiously in a wicker chair, stroking her swollen belly.