Chapter 84
Chapter 84
When He Qian got home, she opened the door and saw her mother-in-law sitting in the living room watching TV.
“Mom, you’re still up?” He Qian said.
Her mother-in-law asked, “Where did you go this afternoon?”
“Oh, I went out with Xinxin for a facial.”
“I messaged you, but you didn’t reply.”
“Sorry, Mom. I might have fallen asleep during the treatment.”
He Qian’s mother-in-law gave a nasal little “Mm,” then turned back to the television.
He Qian took off her shoes, changed into slippers, and went to wash her hands.
Out of nowhere, her mother-in-law said, “Why are you so dirty?”
He Qian froze. “Huh…?”
“You didn’t notice? You’re covered in dust.”
He Qian looked down at herself and patted her clothes a couple of times. Then she casually used her best friend’s name as a shield. “Oh, Xinxin’s been busy moving lately, so I helped her carry a few things. I must’ve gotten dusty.”
“You went to Xinxin’s place after your facial? Doesn’t her family have two dogs bigger than people?”
“I was only there for a little while. I mainly just helped her move some stuff.”
“If you can avoid going to her house, then don’t go. Dogs are covered in bacteria and parasites. If you get any on you, it’ll make it harder to get pregnant! Just wait until she wants a child, do you think she’ll still keep them? She’ll definitely give them away! You need to be careful when you hang out with her too. She must have a lot of bacteria on her as well!”
He Qian said nothing.
“Hurry up and change out of those clothes. Throw them in the washing machine. They’re filthy.”
“Okay, Mom.”
He Qian went upstairs to the second floor, took off her clothes, and stuffed them straight into the trash can.
She took a slow shower, dried her hair, and buried herself under the covers.
She didn’t want to scroll on her phone, and she didn’t want to sleep. She just held her head and stared blankly into space.
She heard movement in the living room downstairs. Qin Song was home.
He exchanged a few words with his mother before coming upstairs and pushing open the bedroom door.
“Qianqian,” Qin Song called softly, “you’re still awake?”
He Qian looked at him and gave a quiet, “Mm.”
Qin Song was holding a box. “A gift for you. See if you like it.”
Suspicious, He Qian sat up and took the box from him.
She opened it, and a pair of studded high heels came into view.
This was the second time she’d seen those shoes today.
The first time had been when she was lying under the bed like a rat, watching with her own eyes as her husband helped another woman take them off.
That girl had complained they were hard to wear. Qin Song probably couldn’t bear to throw them away, so he’d cleaned them up and brought them home.
This was the “gift” he had prepared for her today.
He Qian stared at the shoes and suddenly started laughing. As she laughed, two streams of tears rolled down her face.
Qin Song was startled. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
He Qian wiped at her tears. “You really are absurd.”
“What did I do?”
“When have I ever worn high heels? And this pair is hideous. Absolutely hideous. It’s covered in spikes.”
“This style is popular right now. Look it up online. Shoes like these are really expensive.”
“Take them away.”
“Fine… But even if you don’t like them, there’s no need to cry, honey. Worst case, I’ll get you something else next time.”
He Qian dropped back onto the pillow.
Qin Song went to the storage room to put away the shoe box. More and more tears spilled from He Qian’s eyes, all of them running into her ears.
After He Yuchuan finished listening to He Qian tell him everything, he set down the coffee cup in his hand in surprise. “And… and then? Then you just did nothing?”
He Qian looked out the window. “Mm.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“How are you feeling emotionally right now? Have you shown any symptoms of depression?”
“Not yet. I’m a bit of an ostrich. Most of the time, I selectively avoid things and forget them.”
He Yuchuan nodded. “That’s good. If you’re an ostrich, then be an ostrich. There’s nothing shameful about it. It’s your self-protection mechanism. Right now, we make sure your mental health is stable first, then we figure out what to do.”
“Figure out what? You still want to help me?”
“If I don’t help you, who will? Shouldn’t I help you? What I said before is exactly what I’ll do now.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. You should focus your life on more serious things.”
He Yuchuan looked into He Qian’s eyes and said earnestly, “Saving you is my serious thing.”
He Qian’s nose stung.
He Yuchuan said, “You’re the person I liked when I was young, and you still are. If you were living well, I would disappear from your world forever. But you’re not. You’re being humiliated and bullied. So I’m telling you openly and honestly right now: I will help you solve this problem. And then I have to be with you.”
“We can’t be together openly and honestly.”
“Then forget ‘openly and honestly’! I don’t care about that description at all. I only want to be with you.”