Chapter 44: The Master of Feigned Innocence

Just as Ren Tianchuan’s hand was about to come down on Jian Qing’s face, it was Xiao Yunchen who stepped forward at that moment.

“Uncle, let it go.”

He grabbed Ren Tianchuan’s arm and shot Jian Qing a meaningful look, silently urging her to leave quickly, then offered her a cover:

“There’s already been enough trouble today—let’s not make things worse.”

What was Jian Qing’s matter compared to this? Ren Yishan had already lost face enough. Ren Tianchuan was simmering with anger and had intended to teach Jian Qing a lesson, but upon hearing Xiao Yunchen’s words, his fury quickly deflated.

Li Jingche, still holding Jian Qing, didn’t look back as the two of them left. Once they reached the outside, Yan Jin and Yan Ni hurried after them.

“Take my car. It’s in the parking lot—wait here for me a moment.”

Li Jingche nodded, and Yan Jin went to get the car. Yan Ni pushed over the wheelchair that had fallen from upstairs earlier.

“Qingqing, here’s your wheelchair.”

“Thanks, you can set me down now.”

The second half was directed at Li Jingche. He carefully placed her in the wheelchair and draped his jacket over her legs, examining her closely to make sure she hadn’t been hurt while he was away.

“It seems you’re easily bullied when I’m not around,” he remarked bluntly.

Jian Qing could only shake her head; she wanted to protest but found no words. It was simply the truth.

“And the ring?”

“Hao Qing took it. She said she’s going to the police. Since Ren Yishan did such a thing, she’ll have to face the consequences herself.”

Li Jingche withdrew his probing gaze and nodded. At that moment, Yan Jin pulled the car around. Yan Ni took the front seat, while Li Jingche and Jian Qing sat in the back.

As soon as they settled in, Yan Jin began to vent her indignation on Jian Qing’s behalf.

Jian Qing leaned against the window, her calf throbbing and numb. As she spoke, she kneaded her thigh and grimaced.

“You know, there are only two things I despise most in life: being lied to and not being believed. Today, she managed to step on both my land mines. From now on, she and I are sworn enemies.”

After massaging her own leg until her hands grew sore, she gave Li Jingche a light tap, catching him in a distracted moment.

“Massage my thigh for me—it’s gone numb.”

“Hm? Sure,” he replied, still mulling over her earlier words.

She hates being lied to.

That was her bottom line.

Li Jingche licked his lips, a bit uneasy, and bent his head to massage her thigh silently.

Yan Ni watched them in the rearview mirror, while Yan Jin and Jian Qing chatted animatedly. When the car finally pulled up to the Jian residence, the usually silent young woman suddenly spoke.

“Qingqing, is this your new boyfriend?”

Li Jingche’s hand paused. He looked up at Jian Qing, as if awaiting her answer.

“Something like that,” she said.

Jian Qing’s anger melted away as she met Li Jingche’s gaze. Her lips curled involuntarily, and as she recalled his reckless protection on the stairway just now, she nodded softly.

Those three words granted their shadowy relationship a brief respite.

“All right, you two go rest. Nini and I will head off as well. Now that I’ve met Miss Hao, I’ll have to ask about the Li family heir’s birthday party in three days.”

“All right, goodbye.”

Seated in her wheelchair, Jian Qing watched Yan Jin’s car drive away. As Li Jingche began to wheel her inside, she asked,

“What brings you here?”

“I was worried about you.”

Li Jingche pushed her inside; the faint scent of spilled wine lingered on her.

His affection was gentle and candid, making Jian Qing feel a pang of guilt.

“I told you before, we… should keep things physical, nothing more.”

As he pushed her upstairs, Li Jingche removed her jacket and replied,

“Just think of me as cream—something you can use as you wish. Just a little affection, is that too much?”

He sounded so pitiful that Jian Qing felt like a villain.

She fell silent, letting him help her change clothes.

His palms were warm, wrapping around her shoulders like gentle embers. His touch hovered delicately, and finally, his fingertips traced a line down her back, unfastening her bra.

“What are you doing?”

Jian Qing was so startled she nearly leaped up from the wheelchair, blushing furiously at Li Jingche’s calm expression.

“It feels damp—I think it got soaked with wine.”

He was so dignified about it that Jian Qing almost seemed petty.

Her ears burned.

“Fine then… help me take it off.”

They had been intimate before, but it was always in the heat of passion. Now, under the sunlight, with her sitting in the wheelchair and him kneeling to undress her, her heartbeat inexplicably sped up.

Unlike their tangled nights, here she felt like a lychee fruit, stripped of its shell in his hands.

But as soon as Li Jingche undid her clasp, Jian Qing refused to go further.

“Just… just take me to the shower. I’ll do the rest myself.”

Li Jingche didn’t insist. Her bra hung loosely around her shoulders, half-concealing and half-revealing. He pushed her into the bathroom and then lifted her onto the counter.

He moved closer, his body tense with heat.

“There’s still a box left—if we don’t use it, it’ll expire,” he murmured.

“It won’t expire that quickly! Get up!” Jian Qing snapped, glaring at him.

Her skimpy outfit pressed against his body, and she could sense the change in him.

“I’m an invalid, so show some restraint!”

She was supposed to hold all the power in their arrangement, but that power seemed to be slipping away.

Li Jingche didn’t force the matter. He nodded obediently, then lowered his head and kissed her shoulder.

“I’ll wait until you’re not a patient anymore.”

The moment he touched her, his intentions were anything but pure.

A hundred days to heal the bones, the doctor had said her injury wasn’t that serious—so why couldn’t she walk yet?

He set her back in the wheelchair, fetched her clean clothes, and left the room.

His mind was foggy, his fingertips still tinged with her scent.

Inside the bathroom, Jian Qing stood up from the wheelchair with a sudden, practiced motion. She quickly put her dress back on and sat back down, her heart pounding.

Bone dislocations heal quickly, especially in youth. Some don’t even require surgery—just a cast until it sets.

She wasn’t sure what surgery Xiao Yunchen had referred to; perhaps it was a minimally invasive procedure after the car accident. It was her first time being in such an accident, after all—she wasn’t familiar with the process.

But clearly, she was recovering much faster than expected. After a week in the hospital, she felt that once the cast was removed, she’d be able to move freely.

But not yet.

Ren Yishan couldn’t find out.

If not for today’s events, Jian Qing might not have put Ren Yishan on her “people I dislike” list so decisively. She’d always believed in leaving some room for future encounters, especially as sisters.

But now, there was no need.

Her leg would deliver a fatal blow when Ren Yishan least expected it.

The Li family’s birthday banquet might just be the perfect opportunity.

For now, though, the main thing was to avoid Li Jingche, who still hadn’t tamed his predatory instincts.

She took a deep breath and returned to her wheelchair. When she opened the bathroom door, she found Li Jingche standing there, his hair wet and droplets still clinging to his face.

At the sight of her, his distant expression softened.

Putting away his phone, Li Jingche’s voice was hoarse.

“If you’re going to keep me, you can’t just let me stand around and not play. Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty taking your money.”

For the first time, someone being kept dared to speak with such righteous conviction.