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墨書 Inktalez
He said that sometimes it's enough to try your best, and there's no need to force the outcome.
Suddenly, it started to rain. Yuan Kai and I hurried back to the inn, clutching our unfinished bottles of wine. We stood awkwardly at the door of our room, glancing at the bottles in our hands, and exchanged a smile.
With a slight buzz from the alcohol, I began to notice Yuan Kai more clearly—his appearance, his personality, his gentleness, and his attentiveness. Since that night, an unspoken secret feeling had developed between us. The dynamics between us had become subtly complex.
As the lantern festival came to an end and we prepared to part ways, Yuan Kai invited me to stay with him a little longer, assuring me that he would take care of everything. However, still worried about He Qi, I declined his invitation. I didn’t respond to the feelings hidden in his words; instead, I turned and boarded the carriage, only remembering Yuan Kai's slender figure and disappointed gaze at the city gate.
After returning home, I immediately sent someone to inquire about He Qi at Qiu Residence. I soon learned that He Qi was indeed very ill; despite being examined three times a day, there was still no sign of improvement. Although I still harbored resentment towards Qiu Qinrui, the child was my weakness. After hesitating for a moment, I decided to go to Qiu Residence.
When Qiu Qinrui saw me arrive, he began to explain: “Recently, I've been busy with matters at the trading company. For the past few days, I haven’t had time to attend to He Qi. I entrusted him to Mu Shu’s care, but unfortunately, she didn’t take it seriously. By the time we noticed, he had already developed a high fever.”
Listening to his explanation ignited my anger. How could he trust Mu Shu with He Qi’s care? “Qiu Qinrui, you are the child's father. How could you be so careless as to leave He Qi in her hands?”
“I’ve been busy with business every day and return late at night. I thought since Mu Shu is also He Qi’s aunt, it would be fine for her to look after him for a few days; nothing would go wrong.”
How ridiculous. When I was ill, there was no one to care for He Qi either; the servants were incompetent and couldn’t meet my expectations. I had no choice but to drag my sickly body to take care of him myself.
What was Qiu Qinrui doing during that time? Was he comfortably handling official matters in his study or chatting over tea with Mu Shu? He never once thought to ask how I was doing.
Did he truly trust Mu Shu or simply not care about He Qi at all?
I dared not think too deeply, fearing I would arrive at a chilling conclusion. At that moment, Mu Shu hurried over, her voice trembling as she explained, “I had no idea He Qi was so weak. I thought it was just a slight chill; if I had known, I would have stayed by his side without leaving.”
Qiu Qinrui looked at her coldly. “He Qi said you visited him and that he told you he was unwell. Yet you lied to me, claiming he was fine?”
A flicker of panic crossed Mu Shu's face, but she quickly composed herself. “I only lied because I didn’t want brother Huichuan to worry. I didn’t think it through.”
At that moment, He Qi woke up and spoke in a detached tone, “Auntie, you really do tell a lot of lies.”
“He Qi, you—”
“Don’t call my name, Auntie. You leave me alone in the manor every day, either searching for Father or out shopping and dressing up. Ever since Mother left, all you care about is pleasing Father. When I told you I was weak and unwell, you merely impatiently dismissed me as being overly precious.”
As soon as He Qi finished speaking, Mu Shu seemed to want to respond but found herself at a loss for words. I approached the doctor to inquire about He Qi’s condition.
“The old man has already administered acupuncture and prescribed medicine for your son. Once he wakes up and takes the medicine, and his fever subsides, he will be fine,” the doctor said.
“Thank you, doctor.”
I then sought out the elderly maid who had been caring for He Qi. “You’ve taken care of He Qi since he was little; how could you let him get into such a state?”
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