Chapter 24: Which One Do You Prefer?

Qin Yi returned to the hospital room to find Su Wan enjoying her meal. She handed him a piece of meat.

"Is the new son-in-law back? What did your father-in-law and mother-in-law have to say to you?"

Seeing the playful look on her face, Qin Yi gently tapped her nose. "They told me to take good care of you."

Su Wan curled her lip. She knew exactly what the Su family was like; they would tell Qin Yi to take care of her, yet they wouldn't lift a finger to help her themselves.

No, wait—they had contributed something. They gave five hundred yuan. When she got married, they hadn't been willing to part with a single cent, so this was unlike them!

Su Wan eyed Qin Yi, her tone lecturing. "In the future, if anyone offers money, you must take it. Don't you dare refuse."

Seeing his little wife's money-loving side, Qin Yi couldn't help but curve his lips. He hadn't expected her to be such a little miser. "Whatever you say."

Aside from his inability to walk, Qin Yi was as attentive as could be when it came to caring for Su Wan. She teased him, "Comrade Qin is quite meticulous, isn't he!"

"I was well-trained by my wife!"

Su Wan laughed at his joke. She had never heard Qin Yi tell a joke before, let alone deliver one with such a straight face.

The nursing aide brought in hot water to wash Su Wan, but Qin Yi, seeing that Su Wan was gradually recovering, took the initiative to volunteer. "I'll do it."

The aide wisely stepped out. Su Wan turned around to let Qin Yi wash her back, but his fingers accidentally brushed against her skin. Both of them flushed crimson, simultaneously thinking about the fact that they hadn't yet reached that final step in their relationship.

Su Wan was the first to regain her composure, and she glared at him playfully. "Are you going to keep washing or not?"

Qin Yi wrung out the towel and continued. Su Wan hooked her fingers around his, causing his Adam's apple to bob. He gently brushed her hand away once he finished, but his eyes remained fixed on the fair, delicate skin of her body. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Just you wait!"

Su Wan burst into laughter at his expression. Qin Yi, looking cold and stern, could only resort to empty threats since he could see it but couldn't touch it.

Su Wan continued to tease him mercilessly as he squeezed her leg with a threatening glint in his eye. "You won't be laughing once you're out of the hospital."

Just as they were messing around, a knock came at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Lu Hang walked in, carrying a bag of fruit. He saw Qin Yi sitting by Su Wan's bedside, looking frustrated, while Su Wan wore a wide smile. Lu Hang felt a pang in his heart and coughed a few times to mask his disappointment, forcing himself to appear natural.

"Classmate Su, how are you feeling?"

Su Wan looked at Lu Hang, the memory of him saving her flashing through her mind. She looked at him with gratitude. "Classmate Lu, thank you so much for arriving in time that day. I’m only safe because of you. Thank you."

"No... it's nothing. It was the right thing to do." Lu Hang felt bitter inside. He didn't want Su Wan's gratitude; he wanted... but it was useless to think of anything now. What he wanted would never come to pass.

Qin Yi looked at Lu Hang and kindly handed him an apple. "Lu Hang, you should call her 'Sister-in-law' from now on."

Su Wan narrowed her eyes at Qin Yi; she knew he was being sly. Lu Hang’s expression stiffened, his eyes filled with hurt.

"Lu Hang, once your sister-in-law is discharged, I’ll bring her to your house to thank you personally. If you hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable," Qin Yi continued. "We’ve been talking about this for the past few days. Both of us are incredibly grateful."

Qin Yi, usually a man of few words, was relentless, each sentence a sharp, bloodless strike to the heart. Hearing Qin Yi repeatedly refer to her as "your sister-in-law" and "the two of us" made Lu Hang's chest tighten even more. Pale-faced and not wanting to lose his composure in front of Su Wan, he forced a smile.

"You're right, Brother Qin. I... I have things to attend to, so I'll be going now. Su... goodbye, Sister-in-law."

Lu Hang practically fled in a panic. He had only just been released from confinement by his father, Lu Chengjun, that day. After he saved Su Wan, he had been given a severe thrashing by his father at home.

Lu Chengjun had warned him, "I know why you ran off to save that girl, but let me tell you, don't get any ideas you shouldn't have. From today on, you aren't leaving the house until school starts without my permission. If you dare embarrass me again, I'll break your legs!"

Lu Hang didn't remember what else his father said. He only knew he had been locked at home, his mind constantly filled with the image of Su Wan covered in blood. He had been desperate to know how she was doing. When he tried to probe his mother, Shen Qingxia, she had ruthlessly shut him down.

"Don't try that with me, don't even think about fishing for information," she had said. Knowing that the girl Lu Hang had abandoned her to save was Su Wan, she had spoken to her son earnestly. "Son, no matter how good Su Wan is, she is Qin Yi's wife. I'm telling you, we cannot do something as despicable as breaking up someone else's marriage."

Lu Hang had remained obediently at home. Perhaps seeing that he had calmed down, Lu Chengjun finally let him out today, and he had come to the hospital to see Su Wan, almost unable to control himself.

On the other side of the room, Su Wan watched Qin Yi carefully trimming her nails. "Were you doing that on purpose just now?"

"Yes." Qin Yi didn't try to hide it, answering with complete frankness.

"You're so petty."

"She's my wife. No one else is allowed to set their sights on her."

Qin Yi said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Su Wan looked at his buzz cut and his serious expression as he spoke such sweet words, and her heart skipped a beat. "Qin Yi, has anyone ever told you that you're quite the closet pervert?"

"No."

"Well, true. Your face is so intimidating that people would be scared to death before they could even say that to you." Su Wan giggled.

"I prefer being open about it." As Qin Yi said this, he looked at her with a perfectly straight face. Su Wan had thought she was shameless enough, but she hadn't expected Qin Yi to be even worse.

She had grown up with her foster mother, listening to her spew vile insults. At first, she was afraid, but as she grew older, she learned to hurl the same insults right back, which earned her quite a few beatings. She learned her lesson: she wouldn't resist openly, but she would take her revenge in the shadows.

Once, when her foster mother went to the bathroom at night, she "accidentally" stepped on a nail she had left by the door. The nail nearly pierced through her foot. As she lay in bed, she had to eat the food Su Wan served her while hopping to the bathroom repeatedly. Compared to what her foster mother had done to her, Su Wan didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.

Su Wan knew she wasn't a delicate flower, but she wanted to be one—a delicate flower with a sharp tongue and a decisive nature. Looking at Qin Yi, she felt he was a natural. Thinking back, he had lost his parents in his teens; he must have faced his fair share of unfair treatment as well.

"Which type do you prefer?" Qin Yi whispered into her ear.

"I... I'm fine with either." Su Wan was sharp with her words, but in the face of Qin Yi’s audacity, she felt she couldn't keep up. She shrank her neck back.

"Then we'll try both."

Try both what? Open perversion or the closet variety? Qin Yi appeared indifferent on the surface, but Su Wan noticed his ears turning bright red and smiled to herself. She had actually thought he could keep a straight face through everything.

"Qin Yi, are you like this with everyone else?"

"They don't get the chance to see it."

Su Wan looked at him, truly feeling that she could never compete with his thick skin. She really couldn't. Qin Yi’s righteous-looking face was just a facade to deceive others; he looked serious, but in reality, he was sly and held grudges. And when he spoke, he was completely uninhibited.

A nurse walked in with her equipment. "Su Wan, it's time to remove the stitches."