Chapter 1991: Must You Expose It Now? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Qingqiu looked at him. “My legs are almost crippled, why can’t I cry?” “You also know that you’re going to be crippled? You usually look like you’re going to die of pain when the color changes slightly. Now that you’ve been running around with others for three days, you’re so happy that you’ve forgotten about home.” Ye Qingqiu lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, “It’s quite interesting.” Li Tingshen looked at her solemnly. Ye Qingqiu grabbed the blanket and slid in. “I’m fine now. You can leave first.” Li Tingshen didn’t leave her bed. After looking at her for a while, his gaze landed on the phone on the bedside table. The latest model was the same as the one he saw last time. She reached out to pick it up. The woman didn’t even bother to set the lock. She found the address book and there were only two contacts inside. One was Ye Ze. Pei Yunze. There was also a number on the phone. Li Tingshen deleted Pei Yunze’s number expressionlessly. He couldn’t call her, and neither could she. After he was done, he looked down at the woman who was watching him quietly. He called himself on her phone and handed it to her. “Put my phone number in.” “Your phone is in your hands. Can’t you save it yourself?” “No.” Li Tingshen’s tone was firm. “Yes.” Ye Qingqiu frowned and snatched the phone away. “Are you looking for trouble?” Li Tingshen remained silent as he stared at her phone. She found the call log and saw the phone number. It was extremely familiar. She typed the words “Li Tingshen” and saved it. Seeing the two phone numbers in her contact list, Ye Qingqiu’s face turned cold. “Did you delete my contact list?” “What’s the point of me admitting it myself?” Ye Qingqiu paused and suddenly chuckled. “Meaning… I probably want to hear the meaning behind your deleting my address book.” She took a deep breath and said, “Forget it. If you don’t want to say it yourself, I can’t be bothered to listen. I suddenly feel that the meaning of deleting my address book is quite boring. Can you leave now? I’ll feel terrible for the next few days or even ten days to half a month, so don’t appear in front of me. Even if you call me, I won’t answer. I think you’ve won. There seem to be a lot of things to do now. I won’t cause trouble for you, so don’t cause trouble for me.” Li Tingshen watched her finish her sentence quietly with his long and narrow eyes. His pale face looked sickly, delicate, and beautiful. “You don’t want to see me for half a month and you won’t answer my calls. Will you stay at home alone? Or do you want someone else to accompany you?” Ye Qingqiu lay on the bed and looked at his expressionless and handsome face. She felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s been so many years. Ten days to half a month shouldn’t be a big deal. Li Tingshen, don’t care who I want to accompany me. As long as it’s not you, it’s fine, right?” Li Tingshen’s eyes were dark and bottomless. When he heard her words, the outline of his eyes moved imperceptibly. The emotions in his eyes were like ripples from an unknown creature hidden in the deep sea. When they surged to the surface, there was only a faint ripple left. It was not worth mentioning. “Do you want Pei Yunze to accompany you? You’ve been having a good time with him these few days,” he said expressionlessly. Ye Qingqiu didn’t deny it. “I guess so. Can you stop asking?” “Ye Qingqiu.” Li Tingshen’s cold voice suddenly sounded. “Do you want to break up with me?” Ye Qingqiu pursed her lips and said, “I don’t want to talk about this now.” “Even if you want to break up, you can’t get too close to another man before that. That’s a matter of principle.” Ye Qingqiu was silent for a long time. Too long… She grabbed the blanket tightly and looked at Li Tingshen. After countless hesitation and restraint, she finally closed her eyes. “Alright, it’s only ten days to half a month at most. It’s not like I can’t make it without someone to accompany me.” A warm touch landed on her eyebrows and her eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes and Li Tingshen’s hand that was caressing her brows gradually slid across her face. His fingers slid into her soft hair and he leaned over, his dark eyes gradually closing in. When he spoke again, his voice was low and hoarse. “You made yourself like this just because you don’t want to see me?” Ye Qingqiu’s eyes flickered and she wanted to turn her head to the side to avoid Li Tingshen’s gaze. However, he pulled her hand back and caressed her hair. “If we break up, will you be with another man?” The word “break up” pierced Ye Qingqiu’s heart like a needle. “Didn’t you say that you wanted to talk to me after I’ve completely recovered? Or are you determined to tell me about this today? After breaking up, of course I’ll be with another man. Do you want me to be a spinster for the rest of my life?” “I don’t have the ambitious dreams of other women. I don’t have the ability or the energy to be a successful career woman. I don’t want to die alone. I want to be in a relationship, get married, have children, and have a complete family to rely on for the rest of my life. This is my father’s biggest wish in life. I have to fulfill it. I can’t let him worry about me all the time. There’s nothing I can do for him. The only thing I can do is to live a good life. So if it’s not you, it must be another man! The questions you ask are nonsense!” Of course she had to be with other men. Dating, getting married, having children… Every word made Li Tingshen’s face darken. Dating another man, marrying another man, and having children with another man? His fingers tightened in her hair. “Don’t you love me? Hmm? If you love me, you can be with other men. Get married… and have children?” He seemed to have chewed the last few words before spitting them out. Ye Qingqiu suddenly felt her scalp tingle. “Don’t say these words to make me angry.” Li Tingshen pressed his forehead against hers, his hoarse voice laced with forbearance. “Did you hurt yourself on purpose to anger me?” Deliberately… Ye Qingqiu reacted a few seconds later and her eyes widened. “What do you mean on purpose? You… Mmm…” She denied repeatedly, but before she could complete her sentence, the man kissed her lips. A long, deep kiss. Ye Qingqiu didn’t even close her eyes as she was stunned by this man’s sudden action. The man’s handsome face was right in front of her. His dark eyes were also looking at her quietly. Their gazes met, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping. Instead, he deepened the kiss. Ye Qingqiu reacted and raised her hand to push him away, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed it above her head. She could feel his body pressed against hers. She could feel his strength and warmth through the blanket. Ye Qingqiu wasn’t unfamiliar with his kiss, but she wasn’t familiar with it either. Being pressed down on the bed with plundering and passionate kisses, the memory of what she had experienced in the hospital not long ago was enough to make her blush and her heart race. Perhaps it was the resistance she had planned to interrupt from the middle that made him plan to kiss her again. She didn’t stop for a long time. The temperature between the two of them kept rising. Ye Qingqiu’s already weak body went limp from the kiss. She was pressed against the blanket, waiting for him to stop. However, her wanton lips were buried in her neck. The buttons on her shirt had been pulled open at some point. When the wetness wrapped around her ears, an electric current spread throughout her body. She gasped and shrank. Almost reflexively, she reached out to push his shoulder away. She panted softly and her heart skipped a beat when she met the man’s deep eyes. She turned her head to look away, but he corrected her and forced her to face him. His deep voice was hoarse. “You’ve never wronged yourself.” He stared at her intently. “You’re doing it on purpose, and you’re doing it on purpose to humiliate yourself like this… You’re heartless, but you’re the best at manipulating people.” She wanted him to feel even more heartache and guilt. She also wanted him to care about her future plans with another man. In terms of manipulating people, no one could compare to her. Ye Qingqiu bit her lips and said, “I’m the best at manipulating people’s hearts? Have I controlled your heart? If I had, I wouldn’t have chosen such a stupid method. You’re the smartest in the world. You know what I’m doing, so you clearly know that I’m doing it on purpose. You can’t even wait for half a month. Do you have to expose me now?” “If I don’t expose you now, how are you going to spend the next few days?” “You don’t have to worry about that…” “Ye Qingqiu.” Li Tingshen suddenly interrupted her. His dark eyes stared quietly at her beautiful face as his fingers gently caressed her fair skin. When her gaze landed on his face, he said slowly, “Let’s get married.” Ye Qingqiu’s gaze froze on his face. After a long while, she asked, “What did you say?” Li Tingshen pursed his lips, straightened his body and retracted his hand. “You don’t want to be separated from me. If you use this method to escape this time, you might hurt yourself in the same way next time. You shouldn’t let your imagination run wild after getting married.” Ye Qingqiu was still shocked, but she was still rational. “…Am I really overthinking?” “…No. This decision was made on the spur of the moment. Perhaps I’ll go back on my word the next moment. So you have to give me an answer immediately. Do you want to marry me?” “What’s your last-minute decision? Sympathy for me? Or do you think that your actions have been overboard recently, or do you feel guilty towards me?” “If I said both, would you not agree to get married?” Ye Qingqiu was silent for a while before saying, “…Marriage is an important matter. If I respond to you now, will you be responsible for my current decision?” Li Tingshen didn’t speak for a while as he stared at her, deep in thought. Ye Qingqiu suddenly panicked. “Don’t tell me you’re regretting it now.” “Marrying me might not be a good thing for you.” “Are you saying this because you don’t want me to agree?” Li Tingshen kept looking at her. The two of them competed in the dark. He chose to lose in the end. “No. I’m proposing. Your agreement is the result I want to hear the most.” Ye Qingqiu nodded and said, “No one can determine the future. I only know what I want now. Li Tingshen, I believe that you won’t say this easily. You don’t have to make any promises to me. I didn’t even ask for your love. Promises are too hypocritical.” Now, promises were the most ironic and worthless thing. Only betrayal would reveal the value of its existence—the most ridiculous irony.