Chapter 13: The Fall.

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Lin Changchun almost fled the Qin residence. What does it mean to be caught red-handed criticizing others? That was exactly him.

Just the thought of a grown man running into someone else's home to speak ill of the host made his face burn like a monkey’s behind. How could he be so impatient, even rushing straight to Old Qin to say it?

With Old Qin’s current leg condition, knowing his wife laughed and chatted with another man—who even forgot his own mother for her—what did that signify? Anyone could guess with their toes.

What if Old Qin took it to heart? And Su Wan—did she hear it? How much did she hear?

Biting his teeth, he slapped himself twice.

His foul mouth had no filter; it was shameless beyond measure.

Su Wan entered the room. Qin Yi glanced at her briefly, then resumed entangling yarn in his hands. Su Wan asked casually,

“Did Lin Changchun come for something?”

Qin Yi paused, his eyes deep and unfathomable. “He was just bored.”

He was bored!?

Hmph. Qin Yi now exuded an unmistakable tension, as if charged with gunpowder. Su Wan pursed her lips slightly, and as she turned, a sly glint flickered in her beautiful eyes.

“Oh.”

Su Wan’s nonchalant response immediately tightened the yarn in Qin Yi’s hands. He gripped the tightly wound ball so hard that the veins on his hands bulged; he was a little angry.

That dark energy surged uncontrollably inside him, a fire wanting to ignite but finding no outlet.

Su Wan caught Qin Yi’s movement from the corner of her eye and raised her brows slightly, unaware she felt a faint spark of joy in her heart.

Qin Yi asked, “Did you go to the market by yourself today?”

He looked straight into Su Wan’s eyes, missing no subtle expression on her face. She looked open and straightforward, but his heart pounded inexplicably. He both hoped Su Wan would say she went with someone else and feared hearing it from her.

This question was clearly a probe. Su Wan looked at Qin Yi with mild surprise.

She immediately understood—Lin Changchun had come to gossip. Her delicate brows furrowed, tempted to curse.

Lin Changchun should be renamed Lin Big Mouth.

Qin Yi watched Su Wan, waiting for her reply.

“I went alone at first. At the market, I met a classmate who happened to be heading in the same direction, so he gave me a ride back.”

Qin Yi’s question was candid; Su Wan’s answer was clear.

Su Wan had an indomitable spirit deep in her bones. Her tough upbringing forged her resilience. When she suffered losses without power, she endured quietly, but when given the chance, she struck decisively and precisely.

After speaking, she smiled carelessly, busying herself with her work while casually adding,

“So Lin Changchun came just to tell you I came back with another man?”

Qin Yi choked on his words, then responded coldly, “Yeah.”

“Did he also tell you to keep an eye on me, not to let me run away?”

Su Wan’s words were blunt and merciless. At this point, most men would feel their pride wounded and might fly into a jealous rage.

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Qin Yi was no ordinary man. Though crippled and sensitive, he acknowledged his faults clearly. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

“Would you run away?”

Su Wan looked up from her work, half-joking, half-serious. “Do you want me to run?”

Damn! The question bounced back to him. Qin Yi’s brows lowered thoughtfully.

“If you want to hold me, I’d still run; if I don’t run...” He left the sentence hanging, his gaze burning into Su Wan.

Qin Yi knew there was little affection between them. After all, they had never met before their marriage.

Besides, Su Wan had been forced into the marriage by her family. He knew the Su family had originally intended Su Qing to marry him, but upon learning of his disability, they switched to Su Wan at the last minute.

If Su Wan truly wanted to leave, he wouldn’t blame her; no one wanted to spend their life with a cripple.

Su Wan felt there was no real affection from Qin Yi towards her, and he had little patience for her. They were merely nominal spouses now; what the future held was uncertain.

She knew he must feel fragile inside, especially knowing his wife had connections with another man. Even without love, no man desired a green mark on his head.

But as long as she was his wife, she would never act immorally.

Right now, she had no thoughts beyond this: she was comfortable living in the Qin household, and her sole goal was to earn money—a lot of money—and become a wealthy woman.

If possible, she would help Qin Yi recover his leg.

She smiled faintly.

“Whether I run or not depends on how you see it. If you think I will, no amount of my assurance will convince you. No matter what others say, you won’t trust them.”

She looked up at Qin Yi.

“The one who gave me a ride back was Lu Xing. He’s my classmate and happens to live nearby. When I first came to school, I knew nothing. He helped me, and I am grateful, but he’s just a classmate—I only see him as that.”

Qin Yi’s face, usually an eternal ice mountain, remained unreadable. He said nothing. Su Wan wasn’t one to cling to explanations.

She knew trust was not built by words.

Qin Yi was not the sort to be swayed by a few idle words. She had said what needed to be said.

A long silence fell between them.

Only when they lay down to sleep did neither speak again.

The warm fragrance beside him, Su Wan’s scent boldly invaded Qin Yi’s nose.

He watched her; she had already fallen into steady breathing. His eyes darkened. He was not one to procrastinate, but this matter weighed on his mind—not blaming Su Wan, but himself.

Lin Changchun’s words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

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The boy from the Lu family—he knew him. A few years younger, fair-skinned and neat, clearly a refined type girls liked.

He heard the boy was also a good student. Such a boy would naturally attract many girls’ attention at school.

Since they were classmates and thus about the same age, was Lu Xing also someone who appealed to Su Wan?

He believed in Su Wan but not in Lu Xing.

Lu Xing met Su Wan and, for her, could forget even his own mother—what signal did that send? He understood it clearly.

He was irritated, almost wanting to smoke. Qin Yi thought if his leg hadn’t been injured, seeing another man coveting his wife, he’d definitely have beaten the man up.

They say women’s intuition is sharp; men’s is too. Qin Yi didn’t need to witness Lu Xing and Su Wan’s meeting to be sure Lu Xing liked her.

What about Su Wan?

Did she like Lu Xing?

His intuition told him Su Wan felt something unusual about Lu Xing. Though they’d only spent a few days together, he had that feeling.

Qin Yi thought he was going crazy.

Su Wan woke and saw Qin Yi’s dark circles under his eyes. Frowning, she asked,

“Didn’t sleep well? Are you feeling unwell?”

Seeing Su Wan refreshed, Qin Yi’s irritation gently eased.

“Let’s go out for a walk today.”

Su Wan glanced outside. The bitter cold lingered, but the air was thick with the spirit of the New Year. Every household was busy frying festive treats and preparing gifts.

Qin Yi looked at the mother and child depicted in the door painting ahead as Su Wan pushed him forward.

Before they reached it, a middle-aged woman assisting below called out to Qin Yi first.

“Oh, isn’t this Little Qin?”

“Aunt Shen, hello.”

“Well, well, who’s this?”

“This is my wife, Su Wan. Aunt Shen, this is you.”

“Hello, Aunt Shen.”

The young man in the door painting turned and accidentally fell off the ladder.