123: Chapter 123 How could you be like this?

"Do you need me to run the hot water for you?"

"N-no need."

Han Qing's voice was a bit strained.

"I can do it myself."

"Then go ahead."

Then he walked to the bedside, sat down, picked up a book from the nightstand, and opened it.

Han Qing stood where she was, looking at him.

He was just... letting her go take a shower?

She thought he would...

She thought he would...

What did she think he would do?

Han Qing's mind was a mess.

She bit her lip and turned toward the bathroom.

After taking two steps, she stopped and looked back at Qin Lin.

Qin Lin had his head down, turning a page, his expression focused as if it were some world-renowned masterpiece.

Han Qing suddenly felt a bit Life Qi.

She had already taken the initiative to speak, she had already walked into his bedroom, and he was just like this?

Where was the Qin Lin from a few days ago who held her hand in the Medical Room and said, "You need me"?

Where was the Qin Lin who fought several battles without rest at night, becoming braver with each fight?

Where was the Qin Lin who would look for a few extra seconds every time she wore a black knit dress?

Now he's pretending to be such a gentleman!

"I... I'm going to shower now."

"Mm." Qin Lin didn't even look up.

"Don't set the water temperature too high; it's easy to get dizzy."

Han Qing: "..."

She pushed the bathroom door open forcefully and then slammed it shut.

The bathroom wasn't large, with separate wet and dry areas; there was a white bathtub in the shower area.

She stood before the mirror, looking at her flushed cheeks, and bit her lower lip resentfully.

Undressing.

Running the water.

Testing the water temperature.

While doing these things, her ears were perked up, listening for any movement outside.

Qin Lin didn't follow her.

He really was reading.

Han Qing sat in the bathtub dejectedly as the warm water washed over her body.

She leaned against the edge of the tub, staring at the ceiling, feeling a blockage in her chest.

She had finally made up her mind to take the initiative once, finally mustered the courage to walk to his door, and finally came up with the lame excuse of "borrowing the bathroom."

And yet he just left her hanging here?

What did he mean by "Don't set the water temperature too high; it's easy to get dizzy"?

Did she need water temperature advice?

What she needed was...

Han Qing closed her eyes and buried her face in the water.

Thirty-seven years old, yet living like a seventeen-year-old.

She laughed at herself mockingly.

With the sound of splashing water, she leaned back against the tub again, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders.

The dense steam blurred the mirror and also blurred her vision.

Forget it.

At least she got in; at least she spoke up.

At worst, next time... next time she'd be a bit more brave.

She comforted herself this way.

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

Han Qing suddenly sat bolt upright, water splashing everywhere.

Qin Lin stood at the door, leaning against the frame, looking at her.

He had already taken off his jacket and was only wearing a form-fitting dark gray T-shirt, his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows.

His hair was a bit messy, as if he had just run his hands through it outside.

His gaze moved from her startled face slowly to the changing area.

Her black knit dress, which she had just taken off, was draped there.

He smiled.

It wasn't his usual gentle smile, but a kind of... triumphant smile.

It carried three parts roguishness, three parts realization, and four parts doting that even he hadn't noticed.

"Aunt Qing."

He spoke, his voice lower than usual.

"Is the water still hot?"

Han Qing opened her mouth but couldn't say a single word.

She subconsciously shrank back into the water, then felt that this action was too much of an obvious cover-up.

The water in the bathtub was clear; it couldn't hide anything.

"You... why did you come in!"

Her voice was urgent and light, like a startled cat.

"Didn't you say you wanted to borrow the bathroom?"

Qin Lin walked in and closed the door behind him.

The bathroom wasn't large to begin with; once he entered, the space immediately became cramped.

Steam rose and mist swirled, making even breathing feel thick.

"I-I said borrow the bathroom."

Han Qing was incoherent.

"I meant I would wash by myself; I didn't say you could join..."

"But Aunt Qing."

Qin Lin walked to the edge of the tub, knelt down, and looked her in the eye.

"You came to borrow the bathroom, right?"

Han Qing nodded.

"This is my bathroom, right?"

Han Qing nodded again.

"Then is there any problem with me being in my own bathroom?"

Han Qing: "..."

She glared at him, her eyes a bit red, unsure if it was from the steam or from Qi.

Seeing her like this, the bit of playfulness in Qin Lin's heart suddenly softened.

He reached out and gently brushed away the wet hair clinging to her cheek.

"Aunt Qing."

His voice became very soft.

"Was borrowing my bathroom really just for taking a shower?"

Han Qing didn't dodge.

She looked into his eyes so close to her; there was no teasing, no jesting, only a certain kind of gentle certainty.

"I..."

Her voice was very light.

"I don't know."

Qin Lin didn't press further.

He stood up and began to undress.

Han Qing's breath hitched; she turned her face away but couldn't help looking out of the corner of her eye.

The T-shirt came off, revealing the smooth lines of his shoulders and back.

His physique wasn't the exaggerated muscular type, but it was firm and powerful, his waistline well-defined, and his shoulder blades moving with his actions.

Then came the pants.

Han Qing turned her face to the other side, her ears so red they looked like they might bleed.

The sound of water splashing followed.

The water level in the tub rose slightly.

He had gotten in.

"You..."

Han Qing's voice was almost squeezed through her teeth.

"How can you..."

"How can I what?"

Qin Lin sat down beside her; the bathtub was large, and it wouldn't be a problem for three people.

"How can I shower with Aunt Qing? It's not like we haven't showered together before."

His tone was casual, as if discussing what to have for dinner.

Han Qing didn't dare look at him.

She stared at a tile on the opposite wall as if it held the unsolved mysteries of the world.

"Aunt Qing."

She didn't respond.

"Han Qing."

She still didn't respond.

Qin Lin sighed softly.

Then he reached out and grasped her clenched fist under the water.

"You know, sometimes I'm quite afraid of you."

Han Qing finally turned her head, looking at him in astonishment.

"Afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you being too sensible, afraid of you carrying everything yourself and refusing to say anything."

"Afraid that even when you clearly want something, you stubbornly say you don't."

"Afraid that you'll feel you have no value on this vehicle, afraid that one day you'll decide that leaving is best for everyone."

Han Qing's eyes reddened again.

"I didn't..." she said softly.

"You did. Ever since the day Xu Xue joined us on the vehicle, you've been thinking about these things."

"You wore that black dress not to look good for yourself, but to make me look at you a few more times."

"You think I don't know?"

Han Qing was speechless.

"I know everything."

Qin Lin held her hand, slowly interlacing their fingers.

"I know you're anxious, I know you're insecure, I know you feel you're old, can't conceive, and have no value."

"I also know that every time you leave my place, you sit in the Medical Room for a long time."

"I even know that you clearly want to stay, yet you're always the first to leave."

He paused and looked at her.

"So, Aunt Qing."

"I'm very happy you came to borrow my bathroom tonight."

"Because this is the first time you didn't leave."

"You..." she choked out.

"How can you be like this..."

"Like what?"

"Clearly seeing through everything yet pretending not to know."

She sniffled.

"Clearly knowing what I want yet intentionally teasing me..."