124: Chapter 124 What are you waiting for?

Qin Lin smiled.

"Wasn't it because I was afraid you'd be embarrassed?"

"And now you're not afraid of me being embarrassed?" Han Qing glared at him.

"It's different now. You're already inside."

He paused and added, "Besides, you've taken your clothes off. You're different now than you usually are."

Han Qing: "..."

She punched him in the chest.

It wasn't heavy; it was more like acting spoiled.

"Rogue."

Qin Lin grabbed her wrist and pressed her hand against his heart.

"Yes, a rogue only for you."

The steam in the bathroom grew thicker.

Outside the window, the snowy plains were vast and boundless.

In the bathtub, their two bodies were very close, separated only by the warm water.

Han Qing lowered her head, looking at their joined hands.

"Qin Lin."

"Yeah."

"What if I... can never get pregnant?"

Qin Lin didn't answer immediately.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

"Then we won't have children."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'." Qin Lin interrupted her.

He turned his head and looked into her eyes.

"If you really can't get pregnant, then so be it. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

Han Qing's tears welled up again.

This time she didn't hide or wipe them away; she just let them flow.

"Keep your word."

"I will."

"No going back on it."

"I won't."

"Then..."

Han Qing paused, her voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.

"Then do you still want a child?"

Qin Lin looked at her.

Her face was very red, and her eyes were red too. She clearly looked a mess from crying, yet she insisted on putting on a calm, questioning front.

He couldn't help but smile.

"I do, but not because of the Mission. It's because of you."

Han Qing was stunned for a moment.

Then she lowered her head and leaned gently against his shoulder.

"Then... what are you waiting for?"

Her voice was muffled, almost drowned out by the sound of the water.

Qin Lin turned his head and kissed her wet hair.

"I'm not waiting anymore."

The water in the bathtub was no longer that hot.

But Han Qing didn't feel cold.

Leaning in Qin Lin's arms with her back against his chest, she could clearly feel his steady, powerful heartbeat.

The ripples swayed gently with their breathing, occasionally making faint splashing sounds.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long time, Han Qing spoke softly.

"Do me a favor."

Qin Lin looked down at her beet-red earlobes.

"What favor?"

"Help me..."

Han Qing paused, her voice getting even smaller.

"Help me scrub my back."

Qin Lin was startled for a moment, then he laughed.

"Alright. But Aunt Qing, if it's scrubbing your back, how could once be enough?"

Han Qing's ears turned even redder.

"Then how many times do you want to scrub?"

"No amount is enough."

Qin Lin leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice.

"And just scrubbing your back won't do. Since I'm helping, I might as well be thorough."

Han Qing's breath hitched.

She heard the teasing in his voice, but she didn't pull away as she usually did.

She just gave a soft "mm."

Qin Lin picked up the body wash from the edge of the tub, squeezed it into his palm, and rubbed it into a fine lather.

"Turn around."

Han Qing obediently turned around, her back to him.

Her shoulder blades were beautiful—not the bony, gaunt kind, but with a rounded curve.

Her butterfly bones rose slightly, and the spinal groove ran straight down, disappearing into the waterline at her waist.

Qin Lin placed his palm on her.

Han Qing trembled slightly.

His palm was warm, and with the slippery foam, he began to rub slowly and meticulously starting from her shoulder blades.

The pressure wasn't heavy, yet it carried an irresistible certainty.

"Here?"

"...Mm."

His thumbs pushed down along both sides of her spine, vertebra by vertebra, as if measuring some precious scale.

Han Qing bit her lip and didn't speak.

But her previously tense shoulders gradually relaxed under his palm.

The steam billowed, and the bathroom lights were softened into a gentle halo by the mist.

The mirror was a blur, making it impossible to see any figures, with only the occasional sound of water and suppressed breathing.

Qin Lin's palm moved from her spine to her side.

Han Qing's waist was very slender; even after having a child, she still maintained a smooth curve.

His fingers traced along her waistline, pausing for a moment at the small of her back.

"How about here?"

He asked, his voice somewhat low and raspy.

"...Mm."

It was impossible to tell if her response was an affirmation or an unconscious murmur.

Qin Lin withdrew his hand and squeezed out more body wash.

This time, his palm landed on her lower abdomen.

Han Qing suddenly tensed up.

"Here..."

She pressed down on his hand, her voice trembling.

"No need for here..."

"Why not?"

Qin Lin wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"This place is very important too."

Han Qing didn't say anything.

She lowered her head, looking at her own hand resting on the water's surface and Qin Lin's palm covering her abdomen.

Through the thin skin and warm water, there was nothing there.

But Qin Lin's palm was pressed there as if waiting for something, and as if promising something.

"Aunt Qing."

He whispered in her ear.

"Did you know? When you're nervous, you clutch the hem of your clothes."

Han Qing was stunned for a moment.

"When you entered the room just now, you clutched it three times. When Li Ying praised your clothes for looking good, you clutched it five times."

"When I first entered the bathroom, you clutched the edge of the tub so hard you left water marks."

Han Qing: "..."

"So you don't need to clutch your clothes anymore."

"Clutch mine instead."

He stretched his hand out in front of her.

Han Qing looked at that hand.

It was the hand she was familiar with, the one she had held countless times that night.

She gently took hold of it.

Then she turned her head and looked at Qin Lin.

Her face was very red, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Do you think I'm very silly?"

Qin Lin thought about it seriously: "A little."

Han Qing glared at him.

"But cutely silly."

Han Qing wanted to hit him, but her hand was being held and she couldn't break free.

"You..." She was exasperated.

"Getting a bargain and still acting like the victim."

"Then what does Aunt Qing want me to do?" Qin Lin looked at her with a smile.

"Want me to apologize?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"I should. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have praised you for being cute while helping you scrub your back."

Han Qing: "..."

She realized there was simply no reasoning with this man.

But when he admitted his fault, his eyes were clearly smiling.

This man.

This man had her completely figured out.

Han Qing suddenly didn't want to struggle anymore.

She let go of his hand, turned around, and faced him.

The water in the tub rippled, and a few drops spilled onto the floor.

"Qin Lin."

She called his name, no longer looking away.

"Yeah."

"I want a child."

"Not because of the Mission, not because I'm afraid of having no value. I just... want to bear your child."

She paused, her voice as light as a sigh.

Qin Lin looked at her.

Amidst the swirling steam, her face was very red and her eyes were red too, but her gaze was steady.

No looking away, no backing down.

The 37-year-old Han Qing, the Han Qing who would uncomfortably pull at her hem when wearing a Black Knitted Dress.

The Han Qing who would flee when praised for her good figure, the Han Qing who clearly wanted something but was always shrinking back.

She was incredibly rational during the day, yet so wild at night.

It was the ultimate contrast.

Sitting in the bathtub now, soaked through and completely exposed, she was more open than ever before.

Qin Lin reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Okay."

He said in her ear, "Then we'll have one."

Han Qing buried her face in the side of his neck and gave a muffled "mm."

Then she said softly, "Then what are you waiting for?"