Chapter 260: Chapter 234: Qin Xia vs. Chu Zhengran
Chu Zhengran helped Qin Xia walk a short distance, but seeing her limping was too inconvenient, he bent down and picked her up horizontally.
"Hey hey hey hey hey hey..." Qin Xia exclaimed a string of hey’s as he carried her.
Chu Zhengran glanced at her but ignored her, continuing to walk forward with her in his arms.
Both of them had good memories and a good sense of direction.
This labyrinth setup had probably been traversed thoroughly tonight, and he knew clearly how to exit it.
Qin Xia possessed a fresh, bright, and beautiful face along with an ethereal grace.
However, as soon as she spoke, it was like delivering a blow to that ethereal grace.
It made people feel as if they were directly dropped from the Heavenly Realm into a primitive tribe.
Being held by him, Qin Xia’s hands waved uncertainly in front of her as if casting spells, unsure where to place them.
Eventually, she realized her hands could rest on her own body.
She quickly settled them on herself, unmoving.
Chu Zhengran looked at her again and said, "You’ve become so thin, almost gone."
"Who’s gone?" Qin Xia placed her hand on her chest, then after a few seconds, moved her hand around, saying, "It will come back when I gain weight."
Not satisfied, she repeated, "It will come back!"
Chu Zhengran: "...I meant you as a person."
He spoke with a hint of helplessness.
Qin Xia’s angry expression froze; she silently removed her hand from her chest and said after a moment, "People, people can gain weight too."
Suddenly Chu Zhengran laughed.
Upon hearing his laughter, Qin Xia glanced at him, said nothing, and looked elsewhere.
Chu Zhengran carried her to his car.
Placing her in the passenger seat, he casually buckled her seatbelt before heading to the driver’s seat.
As the car started.
Qin Xia glanced at his car, then turned to him, saying, "Why are you here so late?"
Chu Zhengran drove silently.
Qin Xia was watching him.
Seeing her persistence in wanting an answer, he said, "I had some free time."
Qin Xia: "...Well, you certainly have a lot of free time."
"Is that so bad?" Chu Zhengran asked.
"Sure," Qin Xia replied, "Who’s to say you can’t be bored even in outer space?"
Chu Zhengran said no more.
Qin Xia stopped looking at him or paying attention to him, focusing on the night scenery outside the window.
By the time they reached the hospital, she was asleep.
Chu Zhengran carried her out of the car, and it was only after walking a few steps that she woke with a start.
Suddenly awakened, her eyes were filled with panic and vigilance. When she saw Chu Zhengran’s face, her expression eased and she relaxed, leaning on Chu Zhengran’s shoulder.
Chu Zhengran didn’t make a sound, afraid that if he spoke, she might snap back and the slight moment of dependency might be lost.
After a check-up at the hospital.
The injury on her foot wasn’t severe, just a mild ligament strain.
The doctor prescribed some topical medication, and Chu Zhengran carried her out of the hospital and placed her back in the car.
Qin Xia said, "Luckily, I don’t have much work recently."
"If you had work, would you still want to continue?" Chu Zhengran started the car, asking.
"Of course," Qin Xia said, "Not being on set for a day would cost a lot of money."
Chu Zhengran said nothing.
Qin Xia looked at him and said, "Fine, you wouldn’t understand."
Chu Zhengran: "......"
Qin Xia was asleep at home when she was suddenly chased, having only had time to change into casual clothes upstairs and grab her phone.
She checked the time on the phone; it was almost dawn: "Just find a hotel on the way and drop me off; I can’t go back now."
Chu Zhengran glanced at her, his hand on the steering wheel, and asked, "Did you bring your ID card?"
Qin Xia was stunned.
Chu Zhengran continued, "Are you sure randomly choosing a hotel won’t get you snapped?"
Qin Xia’s mouth twitched.
Chu Zhengran mercilessly added, "Qin Xia in sleepwear having a midnight rendezvous with a stranger being dumped halfway—how many days do you want that trending?"
Qin Xia’s lips trembled; she looked at him, pursed her lips, and glared at him.
Chu Zhengran turned his head and glanced at her, saying nothing.
Then, throughout the journey, Qin Xia kept staring at Chu Zhengran, who drove calmly, never once looking at her again.
Chu Zhengran drove straight to his residence.
When the car stopped, Qin Xia looked outside. The place was built like a castle, and she asked, "Where is this?"
Chu Zhengran said nothing, got out, and walked to her side to carry her from the car.
He carried her into the villa, setting her down on the living room sofa before finally speaking, "It’s my place."
Qin Xia’s hand, resting on her leg, suddenly gripped her clothes tightly, looking up at him.
After meeting his eyes briefly, she quickly looked away.
Chu Zhengran gave her a look but said nothing and turned towards the kitchen.
Qin Xia lowered her gaze and pondered for a while, then couldn’t help but look around, finally focusing on the coaster on the coffee table.
Except for being larger in size than the place they used to live together, every part of this living room was the same as where they had lived before.
Identical.
Even the color of the lights and the coaster on the coffee table were the same.
Qin Xia stared blankly at that coaster, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Chu Zhengran poured a cup of water for her.
Faced with the water, Qin Xia came to her senses, blinking her stinging eyes, and took the cup from his hand, holding it in her hands: "Thank you."
Chu Zhengran sat opposite her, watching her.
Qin Xia clasped the cup in both hands to warm her hands, with her gaze lowered.
Neither of them spoke.
There was silence in the spacious living room for a long time.
Chu Zhengran suddenly asked, "Who is Qin Rui?"
Qin Xia was startled and looked up at him, staring for a while before saying, "My brother."
Upon hearing her answer, Chu Zhengran suddenly furrowed his eyebrows, a hint of tremor in the depths of his eyes: "Your brother?"
"Yes," Qin Xia nodded.
"Why did he..." Chu Zhengran asked again.
Qin Xia leaned back on the sofa, casually replying, "Family matters."
Chu Zhengran watched her, waiting for her to continue.
But Qin Xia took a sip of water and said, "I’m feeling a bit sleepy."
Chu Zhengran furrowed his eyebrows slightly, remaining silent.
Seeing him silent, Qin Xia looked at him.
They exchanged glances for a while, and seeing her entirely unwilling to tell him anything, Chu Zhengran softly exhaled, got up, and walked over to take the water cup from her hand, placing it on the table, then bent down to carry her again.
As her body lifted off the ground, Qin Xia instinctively gripped his clothes, looking at him: "What are you doing?"
"You’re going to sleep, what else?" Chu Zhengran replied.
"I want to sleep by myself," Qin Xia said.
"Did I say I’d sleep with you?" Chu Zhengran replied.
"Then why are you carrying me?" Qin Xia asked, "I can walk by myself."
Chu Zhengran carried her towards the stairs: "If you walk by yourself, is that going to take until morning? My stairs dislike people walking slowly."
"Have your stairs become sentient? Disliking slow walkers?" Qin Xia asked.
"Yes, sure have," Chu Zhengran replied three times.
Qin Xia: "...Well well, how impressive."
Chu Zhengran: "......"