Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Qin Wanshu dreamed she was entangled by a giant python. She struggled to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the tight grip, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Qin Wanshu suddenly opened her eyes, relieved to find it was just a nightmare. She let out a slight sigh, noticing that Zuo Qinghuan's arm was resting on her chest, explaining why she felt so constricted in her dream. Looking at the sleeping Zuo Qinghuan, she couldn't help but reflect on the events of the previous night. It was clear that the so-called fruit juice had contained alcohol. Remembering the kiss from last night made Qin Wanshu frown slightly. As she pushed away the arm pressing against her chest, she noticed something else—her clothes had been changed, and it was obvious that these weren't the ones she had worn.

Zuo Qinghuan was awakened by Qin Wanshu's movements. "Good morning," she said, flashing a dazzling smile.

Not good at all, Qin Wanshu thought to herself. "What happened yesterday? Didn't I go home?" She pretended not to remember to avoid embarrassment.

"Can you really not handle any alcohol? You got drunk after having the fruit wine," Zuo Qinghuan said, feigning surprise.

"Fruit wine is not the same as fruit juice." Although it was just a difference of one word, the concepts were clearly distinct.

"To me, fruit wine is equivalent to fruit juice," Zuo Qinghuan retorted. It was a somewhat valid argument, as for someone like Zuo Qinghuan who had a high tolerance for alcohol, fruit wine did indeed seem like juice. Furthermore, Zuo Qinghuan hadn't realized how sensitive Qin Wanshu was to alcohol when she made the drink for her; it was purely accidental.

Clearly, Qin Wanshu couldn't find fault with Zuo Qinghuan's reasoning, so she decided to change the subject and resolutely avoid mentioning last night's kiss.

When Zuo Qinghuan saw Qin Wanshu get up and head to the bathroom, she followed her in.

"Don't you remember what happened last night?" Qin Wanshu didn't want to bring it up, but Zuo Qinghuan was eager to discuss it.

"Uh-huh," Qin Wanshu nodded, continuing to feign amnesia.

"Last night, after you got drunk, you kissed me and pinned me down…" Zuo Qinghuan said shyly. She truly was a talented actress; her expression looked almost genuine. Since Qin Wanshu couldn't recall, she felt free to twist the facts as she pleased.

Sure enough, Qin Wanshu's usually calm demeanor shattered. She hadn't expected Zuo Qinghuan to distort the truth so much. After a moment, she regained her composure.

"Is that so?" Qin Wanshu raised an eyebrow in response.

"Uh-huh," Zuo Qinghuan nodded. Internally, she was almost bursting with laughter; the fleeting look of distress on Qin Wanshu's face had been too adorable.

"I was drunk, so I don't remember clearly," Qin Wanshu deflected, putting all the blame on her intoxication—after all, ignorance is no crime.

"Regardless, you kissed me. Since you did, shouldn't you return the favor with another kiss?" Zuo Qinghuan asked mischievously, her smile wickedly gleeful.

Qin Wanshu looked at Zuo Qinghuan and suddenly felt a wave of powerlessness wash over her. Clearly, it was Zuo Qinghuan who had taken advantage of her, but now it seemed like she was the one in the wrong.

"Things that happen when drunk can't be taken seriously," Qin Wanshu countered, refusing to admit it.

"Why can't they be taken seriously?" Zuo Qinghuan insisted on pursuing the topic.

"Zuo Qinghuan, enough is enough!" Qin Wanshu said, her tone becoming slightly colder. She didn't want to continue the conversation. Just thinking about how to face Han Shibin's questions later gave her a headache; Zuo Qinghuan had made things even more complicated.

In Zuo Qinghuan's mind, Qin Wanshu had always been easy to talk to; even when displeased, she rarely showed it. Now, Zuo Qinghuan didn't dare to push further.

"I want to take a shower. Could you step outside for a moment?" Qin Wanshu asked, seeing that Zuo Qinghuan had relented. She quickly returned to her usual gentle demeanor.

"Alright, I'll go make breakfast. You can eat and leave afterward," Zuo Qinghuan said, exiting the bathroom and bustling off to the kitchen.

In the bathroom, Qin Wanshu let the shower water flow over her skin, closing her eyes. Deep down, she knew she wasn't truly angry; she just disliked how Zuo Qinghuan wouldn't let the topic drop. Yes, she had been somewhat drunk last night, but she wasn't entirely unaware. She recognized that she had been indulging Zuo Qinghuan's advances, yet before she could figure things out, she didn't like Zuo Qinghuan pursuing her so closely. There were many things she found difficult to decide at once.

After a quick shower, Qin Wanshu came out and checked her phone, finding dozens of missed calls and countless messages from Han Shibin. This was troublesome; she sighed inwardly, feeling that things weren't looking good.

Qin Wanshu returned a call to Han Shibin.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Han Shibin had probably been looking for her all night without sleeping, which made her feel somewhat guilty. Although he had cheated first, he had still treated her well.

"Where have you been? Why did you turn off your phone and not answer? Do you know how worried I've been? I almost went to the police to report you missing!" Han Shibin fired off a barrage of questions and reproaches as soon as he heard her voice. His concern and frustration were palpable.

At that moment, Zuo Qinghuan came out of the kitchen. Seeing Qin Wanshu on the phone, she gestured for her to keep quiet.

"I'm fine. I'll explain everything when I get back," Qin Wanshu said. With so many questions, she couldn't answer them all at once, and fabricating another lie wouldn't be easy.

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up!" Han Shibin insisted. He regretted not having insisted on picking Qin Wanshu up last night, which had led to an entire night of worry and sleeplessness.

"No need. I'll be home soon; my phone is about to die, so I have to hang up," Qin Wanshu said, ending the call. Just thinking about how to face Han Shibin and his barrage of questions made her head ache.

"Your husband's phone?" Zuo Qinghuan asked.

"Mm." Qin Wanshu nodded.

"Let's have breakfast," Zuo Qinghuan changed the subject. She found herself increasingly reluctant to mention Han Shibin to Qin Wanshu, the man who used to be a bridge between her and Qin Wanshu, now felt like an obstacle.

There wasn't much conversation in between, and breakfast time soon came to an end.

After finishing breakfast, Qin Wanshu immediately drove home. On the way back, she made a phone call.

When Qin Wanshu entered her house, she found Han Shibin sitting on the living room sofa, smoking a cigarette and waiting for her.

"I thought you quit smoking," Qin Wanshu said淡淡地 (淡淡地 means "calmly" or "lightly").

Han Shibin knew that Qin Wanshu disliked the smell of smoke, so he never smoked at home. But after searching all night, feeling exceptionally restless, he couldn't help but light up.

When Han Shibin looked up and saw Qin Wanshu, most of the dissatisfaction and reprimand he had built up faded away. Qin Wanshu had a kind of magic; she could make people unable to get angry in her presence.

"Where did you go last night?" Han Shibin asked, pinching the cigarette butt. He had called the Qin family and was told that she hadn't returned home. He asked Shi Yuyang, who said that Qin Wanshu had driven home. He had asked nearly everyone familiar with Qin Wanshu, and no one knew where she was, which nearly drove him to report her missing.

"Later, I answered a call from Qin Teng. He asked me to help him with an asset evaluation for a company he recently acquired. I got busy with Qin Teng and forgot about it. My phone was probably turned off," Qin Wanshu used Qin Teng as a shield, since Qin Teng was a bit of a scoundrel normally.

Han Shibin had called almost everyone but had somehow missed calling Qin Teng. It couldn't be helped; the relationship between the brother-in-law and the younger brother wasn't very good. Han Shibin certainly wouldn't link the usually reliable Qin Wanshu with the often unreliable Qin Teng.

"He's going to acquire that company? Is it really that urgent?" Han Shibin asked, puzzled as to how his usually perceptive wife could forget to tell him.

"Yunyang Holdings," Qin Wanshu lied but made sure to be convincing. Qin Teng indeed wanted her to do an asset evaluation for him, but she had refused before. Now she had to make Qin Teng lie for her to agree to help him with the asset evaluation for Yunyang Holdings.

"He's going to acquire Yunyang?" Han Shibin was somewhat surprised. There had been rumors that new capital speculators were interested in Yunyang Holdings, and it seemed the news was true; it was indeed Qin Teng who was going to acquire Yunyang.

"Mm." Qin Wanshu nodded, knowing that Han Shibin believed most of it. She felt that ever since she met Zuo Qinghuan, the number of times she had lied had been on the rise.

"From now on, no matter what, remember to call me first," Han Shibin instructed.

"This time, it was my oversight," Qin Wanshu said, feeling a bit guilty. But many things had changed unconsciously.

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