“Sis, where are we going now?” Yin Zhe’s words abruptly pulled her thoughts back.
“Home.” Shen Xi glanced at him gently, smiling as she replied.
Upon returning home, Shen Xi quickly went to her bedroom, put on her mask again, and then went downstairs for dinner.
After dinner, as soon as she returned to her room, Shen Xi received a video call invitation from Qin Si Ye.
She hesitated for a long time before finally declining and sending a voice message. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Xi Xi, don't you want to see me that much?" Qin Si Ye’s tone was full of sadness.
Shen Xi did not answer his question, but instead sternly questioned him, "Why do you call me that again?"
"I just like calling you that, it feels intimate." Qin Si Ye’s lips curved into a smile.
Shen Xi was so annoyed that she was speechless for a moment.
Sensing her displeasure, Qin Si Ye quickly sent a voice message to explain, "I'm in my bedroom, the door is closed, no one will hear."
Her bright eyes flickered as Shen Xi recalled his bedroom was at the far east end of the second floor.
The soundproofing in the house was excellent, so as long as the door was closed, sounds from inside were indeed difficult to hear from outside.
Seeing her silence, Qin Si Ye spoke again, "You still haven't answered my question from earlier."
Shen Xi frowned, "Why video chat? Didn't I say we can't see each other for a week?"
Qin Si Ye argued, "But you said we could contact each other via phone and WeChat, and video calls are also a form of WeChat."
Shen Xi replied in a firm tone, "I did say that, but it was limited to text messages and voice chats. Video calls would break the punishment."
Hearing this, Qin Si Ye fell silent. After a long pause, he said, "Xi Xi, how can you be so heartless? Don't you care at all about the injuries on my face? My right eye is severely bruised and still stings, I can't see clearly. And... and my lips are swollen too."
At this, Shen Xi’s heart tightened, and she almost gave in to video calling him to see how badly he was injured.
But then she thought, something's not right. When he appeared for the second time this morning, his eyes and lips were slightly red and swollen, but not as severe as he claimed. He must be exaggerating and deliberately playing the victim for her. She wouldn't fall for it.
Finally, steeling her resolve, she said, "Bruises are self-inflicted. If you make mistakes, you have to bear the consequences."
"Alright. It's all my fault, and I'm willing to bear it all. But I just want to see you. Just one look via video call, okay?" Qin Si Ye sighed, his voice almost pleading.
Heaven knows how worried he was, waiting by his phone this afternoon. It wasn't until the bodyguard called to tell him that Su Cheng Yu's car had crashed that his worried heart finally settled. He had wanted to call her when she returned to find out why Su Cheng Yu was pursuing her so relentlessly. Whether there was some past grievance between them. But he felt that even if he asked, he wouldn't get an answer. Shen Xi was still angry, and there was no way she would tell him the truth. She might even blame him for meddling. He'd better investigate it himself slowly. He just needed to quietly ensure her safety from behind the scenes.
"No. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." After hearing him, Shen Xi immediately exited WeChat and tossed her phone onto the coffee table. Really, she couldn't understand this man's behavior. Didn't they already meet twice this morning? Besides, she was still wearing her mask, so what was there to see? Didn't he have that processed photo of them? If he wanted to look, he could just look at that.
Thinking of the photo, Shen Xi picked up her phone again, opened WeChat, and tapped on the chat record with Qin Si Ye. Her fingers scrolled upwards non-stop, and soon she found it. She zoomed in and looked closely. When her gaze landed on Qin Si Ye's handsome and charming face, she couldn't help but reach out and gently touch it twice. Suddenly, remembering his words from earlier, a smile tugged at her lips. What would it look like if his eyes really turned into panda eyes and his lips were very swollen? She tapped the photo on her screen and saved it to her phone's album. She then scrolled back to the end and quickly typed, "Take some cooling medicine and apply an ice pack. It will get better soon."