Jie Jingchen wasn’t asking for much, yet he deluded himself into thinking he could replace Jie Jingling in her heart.
The smile on Qin Mei’s face didn’t falter in the slightest. "Jie Jingsi, the six months I spent with your older sister are not the same as the six months I’ve spent with you."
Jie Jingchen said nothing. He just pulled her into a hug, his arms tightening around her until it felt like he might snap her slender waist.
"Forget six months. Even a year, or ten years, couldn’t replace the six months I spent with your older sister," Qin Mei told him unequivocally.
’She had been transported to this strange era, helpless and terrified. Jie Jingling had been like a beacon, guiding her out of the darkness and into the light.’
Jie Jingchen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I understand."
"No, you don’t." Qin Mei shook her head. ’Only someone who’s been through it could possibly understand. Jie Jingchen is a man of this era; how could he ever grasp what she’d gone through?’
"Meimei, I regret it." Jie Jingchen buried his face in the crook of her neck. ’He shouldn’t have left her with his sister when she was unconscious. He never dreamed she would lose her memory.’
’He could only imagine how panicked and unsettled she must have been—suffering from amnesia, in a strange place, surrounded by strangers. It was no wonder she grew so dependent on his sister.’
"Regret what? Marrying me?" Qin Mei deliberately misinterpreted his words.
"I regret leaving you with my sister." Jie Jingchen’s slender, well-defined fingers caressed her cheek. ’He knew Qin Mei was like a poison, but he was willing to drink it to quench his thirst.’
"If you hadn’t left me with your sister, who would you have left me with?" Qin Mei stared at his devastatingly handsome face.
"My mom." ’It would have been better for her to rely on Mom than on my sister,’ Jie Jingchen thought. ’At least we live with Mom. My sister is too far away.’
Qin Mei’s lip twitched. ’Her condition had been terrible back then. She highly doubted his mother would have been as patient as Jie Jingling. Given his mother’s temper, she probably would have mistaken her for a lunatic and thrown her straight into a mental hospital in Xiangjiang.’
"So, if it wasn’t your sister, it would have been your mom. To put it bluntly, you just found me a nuisance and didn’t want to take care of me yourself." A silver needle suddenly appeared between Qin Mei’s fingers, and she jabbed it into the back of his hand. Jie Jingchen cried out in pain and reflexively let go. Qin Mei took the chance to flip over and lie down beside him.
Jie Jingchen stared at the silver needle embedded in the back of his hand, his eyes flickering. He turned his head and looked at Qin Mei with a helpless expression. "Meimei."
"Hmph!" Qin Mei grumbled, shutting her eyes.
Seeing she was ignoring him, Jie Jingchen had no choice but to pull the silver needle out himself. He didn’t return it to her, nor did he toss it on the bed. Instead, he got up and placed it on the vanity.
He got back into bed, lay down, and nudged her arm with his elbow. She ignored him.
"Meimei, I wasn’t trying to get rid of you. I had to go on a mission and couldn’t take care of you myself, so I had no choice but to ask my sister for help," Jie Jingchen explained, a flicker of guilt in his amber eyes.
’In truth, he’d had ulterior motives for leaving her with his sister. To be blunt, she had drugged him, and he held a grudge. Marrying her was about taking responsibility. As for actually building a life together... he hadn’t considered it. Otherwise, he would have brought her back to Shijiu City right after he was injured and discharged from service.’
"Tch!" Qin Mei’s eyes snapped open, her gaze incredibly sharp. "Do you even believe that yourself?"
Jie Jingchen was speechless. ’Did he dare admit that what he said was only half-true? The first part was a lie, but the second part was the truth.’
’He didn’t dare! If he admitted it, Qin Mei would flip out.’
Qin Mei didn’t press the issue and closed her eyes again. ’The original owner of this body made the mistake, but she was the one who had to bear the consequences.’
’She had taken over the original owner’s body, so it was only fair she take the blame for her, too. Thinking of it that way, Qin Mei felt a sense of balance.’
’Qin Mei felt lucky that the original owner had good taste in men and had picked Jie Jingchen. If she’d had... unique taste and chosen some ugly loser, Qin Mei shuddered at the thought. She was a total sucker for a handsome face and would have bolted in a heartbeat.’
"Meimei, are you cold?" Jie Jingchen’s concerned voice sounded by her ear.
Qin Mei ignored him. ’Just ignore him. Pretend he’s not there.’
"Meimei." Jie Jingchen rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
Qin Mei lost her composure. Her eyes flew open, and she pushed against him with both hands. "Jie Jingsi, it’s the middle of the day! Don’t you dare try anything."
’More importantly, Jie Jingling was in the next room, and the walls weren’t very soundproof. What if she couldn’t help but cry out and her sister heard them? The thought of them getting intimate in broad daylight was enough to make her want to die of shame.’
’She wasn’t worried about Jing Qi hearing. The bed was far from the wall on his side. As long as they weren’t too loud, they wouldn’t disturb him.’
"So, you’re saying we can, once it gets dark?" Jie Jingchen propped himself up on his hands, afraid of crushing her.
’Was that what she meant? No way! That wasn’t what she meant at all. They had gone wild just last night; she could barely get out of bed this morning.’