Chapter 192
Silence. An eerie silence.
[Is it a distortion of human nature, or a collapse of morality? What on earth is he talking about?!]
Qin Xian was dumbfounded, insisting on his innocence.
Wasn't this just normal courtesy?
Since Yu Zhi wanted to lie about being seriously ill, he simply acknowledged her illness and wished her recovery - perfectly reasonable, right?
But his logical response had stunned everyone into silence.
Even Zhu Lingling, who had been aggressively questioning him, was left speechless and dazed.
As for Yu Zhi, whether from genuine distress or forgetting to maintain her carefully crafted image of misty-eyed beauty in her confusion, tears began falling directly down her face.
When everyone finally came to their senses, several people around her scrambled to comfort the crying Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi also snapped back to reality, quickly putting on a brave face and explaining, "I'm fine, it's just... some chili pepper got into my eye."
Though her mind was still in a daze, years of acting experience instinctively led her to choose the most sympathy-inducing response.
Sure enough, her behavior made everyone even more critical of Qin Xian.
Some wanted to speak up, but reason told them that Qin Xian's response was actually impeccable - how could they lecture him? Should they say he shouldn't have offered well-wishes?
Meanwhile, Qin Xian acted as if nothing had happened, having said what needed to be said, as though simply completing a task.
Noticing Ji Fei's empty bowl, he picked up a crab leg and continued peeling crab meat for his wife.
This time, Ji Fei saw Qin Xian's actions and felt completely uncomfortable.
It wasn't that she found his attentiveness inappropriate - he had done this before when they dined together, and she had simply attributed it to his sense of responsibility as a husband.
But doing this right now was completely unreasonable!
[Could it be... hatred born from love! Is he angry that she left without explaining the truth back then?!]
Qin Xian's movements froze.
Here we go again?!
This time he didn't put down the crab leg, after all, Ji Fei's bowl was empty.
He could only continue peeling while suppressing his frustration.
[No, wait... he seems genuinely indifferent, almost like he wants to avoid the situation. Could it be... my guess was wrong? Was he telling the truth before? Did he really move on after their breakup?]
Qin Xian paused again, his anger dissipating as a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Sure enough, as long as he stayed true to himself and acted with integrity, the truth would eventually come to light.
Qin Xian poured Ji Fei some ginger tea, whispering like lovers do, "Stop eating after this bowl."
Ji Fei responded with a dazed "mm-hmm."
Though quiet, everyone at the table could hear them.
Witnessing his completely different attitudes, people still couldn't figure out whether this was deliberate or if there was some mystifying truth to it all.
Unable to make sense of it, they could only awkwardly curl their toes in discomfort.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhi was choking back sobs, though trying to keep them quiet, making everyone at the table even more uncomfortable, not to mention the stares from other directions.
Even Ji Fei couldn't take it anymore and leaned closer to Qin Xian.
When Qin Xian felt Ji Fei moving closer, his body instinctively leaned toward her without thinking, their heads almost bumping together before Ji Fei managed to stop.
She whispered even more quietly: "She's... crying, you..."
Ji Fei naturally wasn't suggesting that Qin Xian should comfort Yu Zhi, as they already knew Yu Zhi wasn't a good person, and her current performance was 90% acting.
Ji Fei just couldn't read Qin Xian's true feelings, and she felt like she was stumbling blindly through this drama like a confused animal in a melon field.
She desperately wanted to ask WHY! Why are you reacting this way?!
But Qin Xian looked at Ji Fei seriously and said, "She's not crying."
[Are you blind?! When did that happen?!]
Qin Xian: ...
The commotion at the table quieted down.
Qin Xian raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't it just chili pepper getting in her eye that caused the irritation?"
The silence at the table grew even more bizarre.
Even the sobbing stopped.
Ji Fei suddenly felt a laugh bubbling up, almost bursting out.
[Hahahahaha, what is he even saying?! Hahahahaha, though I don't know why he's saying this, why is it so funny?! Everyone else is reading between the lines, but he's just taking everything literally?!]
Hearing Ji Fei's wild laughter in her mind, Qin Xian also smiled.
Well, that's what she said herself.
If previously Qin Xian had maintained some friendship with his ex-girlfriend Yu Zhi despite their love being a misunderstanding, after learning about her various lies and her intention to break up his marriage with Ji Fei, he now felt nothing but disgust toward her.
"Qin Xian, you..." Zhu Lingling seemed to have finally found her voice again. "How could you be so cruel!"
Qin Xian looked at her in confusion, his cold gaze making Zhu Lingling's words catch in her throat. Her eyes even reddened.
[This Zhu Lingling, is she really just protecting her friend? She... ah! So that's it, I see now!]
Qin Xian was startled, becoming curious.
He had always thought Zhu Lingling was rather brainless. Although others at the table might have once hoped for him and Yu Zhi to be together, they had never mentioned such things after his marriage, at most just thinking about it.
The reason was simple - breaking up someone's marriage and supporting a third party was wrong, so how could anyone openly do such things?
So Qin Xian was really curious about what was going on in Zhu Lingling's head.
[So she's been secretly in love with Qin Xian all along!]
Qin Xian: ... Well, he wasn't that curious anymore.
[So, she's both a fangirl of Qin Xian and a shipper of him with Yu Zhi? In other words, besides Yu Zhi, she won't accept anyone else being with Qin Xian. Tsk tsk, that's an illness that needs treatment.]
Qin Xian: Yes, she's sick.
[Oh, Yu Zhi knew about her feelings, so she's just using her as a tool?]
Qin Xian: ... Even more disgusted now.
But others certainly didn't know this, they just thought Zhu Lingling was standing up for Yu Zhi. They also felt that given their past relationship, Qin Xian's current reaction was really hard to accept...
Aliali: 6748bd42c4f3f33ac47d6fd0"Zhu Lingling, stop," Yu Zhi waited a while for Zhu Lingling to speak up for her, but finally had to step in herself. Then, with a tearful smile, she said, "It really was the chili pepper that made me cry. Oh, and Qin Xian, thank you for your well wishes. I have recovered, though the treatment process was difficult, but there was always one belief supporting me... I've said too much. I'm fine, I'm really fine."
Her trembling voice made listeners' hearts ache.
Then Yu Zhi turned to Ji Fei and said, "Seeing how happy you both are now, I can rest easy. I wish you happiness."
At this, Zhu Lingling finally remembered her mission.
"What happiness? Qin Xian, do you even know what your wife has been doing behind your back?"
Ji Fei, who had been watching Yu Zhi's performance, was startled.
[What did I do?]
Qin Xian, ignoring Yu Zhi's act, also looked at Zhu Lingling in confusion.
Zhu Lingling took out her phone and began denouncing Ji Fei's actions to everyone at the table.
"Yu Zhi once sent you messages, wanting to meet in person to clear up the misunderstandings from back then, but look at what your wife did - not only did she read your emails secretly, she also warned Yu Zhi off while pretending to be you..."