The person playing chess
"Me?" Qin Xue was stunned for a moment.
"Yes."
Li Wei nodded.
"What do you want me to do? As long as it helps Bingbing, I'll do anything!"
Qin Xue's tone carried not a hint of hesitation.
"Good."
The corners of Li Wei's mouth curled up slightly.
He leaned into Qin Xue's ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, laid out his entire plan.
As Li Wei spoke, Qin Xue's eyes grew wider and wider.
Her pretty face, which had just regained a bit of color, instantly turned pale again.
By the end, her face was filled with terror and disbelief.
"No!"
As soon as Li Wei finished speaking, Qin Xue pushed him away abruptly, waving her hands repeatedly, her voice changing pitch.
"Absolutely not! Li Wei! Are you crazy? This is too dangerous!"
Her reaction was entirely within Li Wei's expectations.
He didn't rush to argue, but simply pulled her back into his arms, soothing her with an unquestionable tenderness.
"Xue'er, don't get excited yet, listen to me."
"This is the only, and the best, way I can think of."
"Think about it, besides this way, do we have any other choice?"
Li Wei's words left Qin Xue instantly speechless.
It was true, there were no other choices.
They had reached the edge of the cliff, with no room to retreat.
"But... but what if..."
Qin Xue's voice carried a sob, "What if something happens to you?
I... I can't let you take such a risk!"
"There are no 'what ifs'."
Li Wei interrupted her, his hands gently cupping her tear-stained face, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Xue'er, look into my eyes."
"When have I, Li Wei, ever done something I wasn't sure of?"
His gaze was deep and confident.
Qin Xue looked at him, her mind unconsciously drawn in by him, and her panicked heart slowly settled down.
"Then promise me."
Qin Xue bit her lip and stated her condition.
"Swear that you absolutely won't let yourself get hurt!
Not even a little bit!"
Seeing her worried yet serious and cute expression, Li Wei couldn't help but laugh.
He held up three fingers and said with a serious face:
"I swear, if I get even a tiny scratch in this operation, let me... let me spend the rest of my life only being able to look at beautiful women like you but unable to do anything!"
This oath was truly "venomous."
Qin Xue let out a "pfft" and finally broke into a smile through her tears.
She reached out her small fist and gave him a playful punch.
"You're never serious!"
With that laugh, the oppressive atmosphere in the hospital room finally dissipated completely.
The two of them lingered in the ward for a while longer.
Li Wei's hand naturally circled her waist.
His other hand wandered with just the right pressure over her voluptuous curves wrapped in her professional skirt.
"Xue'er, why do I feel like you've lost weight?"
His voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Is it because you haven't been resting well these past few days? Look, there's less meat here."
His hand "inadvertently" gave her already proud fullness a gentle lift.
Qin Xue's face turned beet red in an instant.
She quickly slapped away Li Wei's wandering hand and gave him a bashful glare.
"Stop it..."
Her voice was soft and lacked any real deterrent power.
Li Wei chuckled, his gaze falling on her long legs partially hidden by her skirt.
"Why aren't you wearing stockings today? I still prefer seeing you in stockings; it has a special charm."
Qin Xue was so stirred by his explicit words that her whole body felt hot and her heart raced like a deer.
She felt that if she stayed any longer, she would be devoured whole by this man.
"It's good that you're fine. I'm going to Bingbing's... I'm leaving now!"
She hurriedly tidied her somewhat disheveled clothes and almost fled from the ward.
Watching her graceful yet somewhat flustered figure retreat, the smile on Li Wei's face slowly faded.
The chess piece had been placed.
Now, he just had to wait for the game to begin.
Not long after, the ward door was pushed open again.
Yang Yun walked in carrying a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, and an elegant tea fragrance instantly filled the air.
She placed the teacup on the nightstand, her beautiful eyes darting around.
"Qin Xue is dealing with a mountain of trouble right now, and you're still bullying her like that. Are you even human?"
Yang Yun walked to the bedside and gave him a mock-annoyed look, her words carrying a hint of reproach, but more of a sense of sisterly solidarity.
"I call it 'comforting'."
Li Wei talked nonsense with a straight face, pulling Yang Yun into his arms and letting her sit on his lap.
Yang Yun made a token struggle before letting him have his way.
Her hand gently brushed over the fake bandages on Li Wei's chest, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.
"What were you two chatting about so secretly?
I asked her just now, and she was all hesitant, her face as red as could be, refusing to say a word."
"Nothing much."
Li Wei's hand naturally circled her soft waist, "I just asked about Qin Bing's situation."
"Just that?" Yang Yun clearly didn't believe him.
"Of course."
Li Wei didn't even blink.
"I also helped her with some psychological counseling. After all, she just went through such a major upheaval and her emotions are unstable. As her best friend, you should show some concern."
These words were spoken with such high-sounding justification that they were airtight.
Although Yang Yun felt something was off, seeing his composed manner, she couldn't find a reason to argue for the moment.
She decided not to dwell on it and turned to serious matters.
"By the way, I've already had the lawyer handle your discharge procedures."
Yang Yun's expression turned a bit more serious.
"The hospital has agreed, and Dr. Smith's medical team has provided professional home recovery advice. The police were reluctant, but they couldn't find a reason to stop it."
"However, the hospital requires us to sign a waiver.
It means that after you're discharged, if any further accidents occur, it has nothing to do with them."
"Do whatever you think is best," Li Wei said nonchalantly.
This was the result he wanted.
A free environment, away from the close monitoring of the hospital and the police.
"Alright, then I'll let the lawyer handle it." Yang Yun nodded.
Looking at the man in her arms who seemed weak but was actually sharper than a monkey, she felt both proud and a little worried.
"So, the discharge time is set for tomorrow?"
"No." Li Wei shook his head.
He looked at Yang Yun, the corners of his mouth curling into a mysterious arc.
"Postpone the time by two days."
"Why?" Yang Yun was stunned.
She didn't understand why, since the procedures were done, he wanted to stay in the hospital for two more days.
Li Wei didn't explain.
He just tightened his hold on the beauty in his arms and leaned down to plant a kiss on her red lips.
"Just listen to me."