"Jing Si," Qin Mei said. She was pinned to the chair by Jie Jingchen, forced into an uncomfortable position and bearing his full weight.
"Mm," Jie Jingchen responded with a hum. The sharp pain had eased, but he had no intention of getting up.
Qin Mei was about to tell him to get up, but she bit her tongue and changed tack. "Why don’t I check it for you?"
"Are you sure?" Jie Jingchen’s gaze deepened, and an unusual flush appeared on his devilishly handsome face.
Normally, she wouldn’t even look at it, let alone soothe it, resisting him fiercely. No matter how he cajoled her, she would either squeeze her eyes shut and play blind or lie there motionless, playing dead.
Qin Mei gazed at him deeply, her soft hand caressing his smooth face. Suddenly, Jie Jingchen grabbed her wrist and slowly guided it downwards, until...
Qin Mei’s entire body stiffened, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment.
"Checkup complete. The foundation is unharmed," Qin Mei said shyly, trying to pull her hand back.
A flicker of satisfaction flashed through Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes. Before Qin Mei could move, he stopped her from pulling away.
"Jing Si." Qin Mei was flustered, her body stiff and her expression unnatural.
"Your examination was too perfunctory," Jie Jingchen said, dissatisfied.
"How do you want me to check it?" Qin Mei asked bashfully.
"Check. It. Carefully," Jie Jingchen enunciated, each word slow and distinct.
Qin Mei gritted her teeth. ’I’m not an andrologist!’ The lovely blush on her face spread all the way to the tips of her ears.
Realizing Jie Jingchen was deliberately teasing her, a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. Qin Mei’s voice turned alluring. "Fine. Go lie down on the bed, and I’ll give you a thorough examination."
’She agreed just like that?’ Jie Jingchen stared at her suspiciously.
Qin Mei shot him a glare, a mixture of shyness and annoyance. "I can’t exactly check it properly with you like this."
Jie Jingchen hesitated for a few seconds before relenting and getting up. Qin Mei let out a sigh of relief, straightening her rumpled shirt and jutting her chin toward the bed. "Go on, lie down."
Jie Jingchen studied her with a scrutinizing gaze. Feeling a little guilty, Qin Mei urged him to lie down. This time, Jie Jingchen obeyed, walking over to the bed, taking off his shoes, and lying down.
Jie Jingchen was on the bed, but Qin Mei had already made a run for it.
Jie Jingchen sat up and watched Qin Mei’s hasty retreat. The smile on his lips deepened, his eyes brimming with doting fondness.
Qin Mei fled the room, breaking out in a sweat. She touched a hand to her burning-hot face.
Xu Chunyan took Jie You to the Lin family’s home to see Lin Yaru, but the door was slammed in her face. Li Axiu and Mr. Lin absolutely refused to let Xu Chunyan into the yard.
"Old Lin, you should take the next few days off work, too. I’ll also request leave. We’ll take turns guarding our daughter," Li Axiu earnestly told Mr. Lin. "Our daughter only ended up like this because she was led astray by Xu Chunyan. We absolutely cannot let Xu Chunyan get near Yaru before the wedding banquet."
"I know," Mr. Lin nodded. "I think we can’t let Xu Chunyan get near Yaru until after the baby is born."
Li Axiu fell silent. She knew in her heart that it wasn’t realistic. Yaru and Xu Chunyan both taught at the elementary school. School was on break now, but they would inevitably see each other again once the vacation ended.
"I’m just so worried Xu Chunyan will do something to hurt Yaru at school," Mr. Lin said.
"Maybe Yaru should quit her job," Li Axiu suggested. Other than that, she really couldn’t think of a better solution.
"No," Mr. Lin said, flatly rejecting the idea. "If Yaru loses her job, they won’t be able to live on Jing Er’s meager salary."
"If Jing Er can’t support them, Director Jie can." Li Axiu wasn’t even counting on Mrs. Xie anymore. ’Stepmothers are the least reliable. In a crisis, you have to count on the birth mother.’
Mr. Lin shook his head. "Her job is Yaru’s security. Jing Er is unreliable."
Li Axiu felt the same. A man who would abandon the wife who stood by him through thick and thin the moment he was threatened was truly unreliable. As the saying goes, a wife who shared your hardships should never be cast aside.
Xu Chunyan took Jie You to the bus stop to head home. Before they got to the platform, Mr. Xie was on his way back from work.
"Honey, look. Isn’t that Xiao You up ahead?" Mr. Xie asked Mrs. Xie beside him.
Mrs. Xie glanced through the car window. "It is Xiao You."
"Xiao Wang, pull over," Mr. Xie told the driver.
"Right away, Director." Xiao Wang stopped the car, and Mr. Xie got out.
"Xiao You!" Mr. Xie called out, crouching down with his arms wide open.
"Grandpa!" Jie You was overjoyed to see her grandfather. She let go of Xu Chunyan’s hand and bolted toward Mr. Xie.
Mr. Xie caught the little girl and lifted her up. She was too heavy for him to lift high, so he just hugged her and spun around in place a few times, making her giggle with delight.
Feeling a little dizzy, Mr. Xie stopped spinning, but the little girl wasn’t having it. "Grandpa, spin!"