She Seems to Struggle with Having a Wife - Chapter 9

Qin Mu looked up, her gaze falling upon the frail figure before her, a sight that tugged painfully at her heart. She could find no trace of the gentle senior from her memories, the one who had always been brimming with vitality and laughter in this person. There was nothing to connect the two as one and the same.

What had she gone through after graduation?

What could change a person’s nature so completely?

Swoosh the curtain was suddenly pulled open.

Startled out of her deep thoughts, Qin Mu turned her head abruptly.

A nurse entered with medicine and said, “If everything is fine after this IV drip, you can be discharged.”

“Okay,” Qin Mu replied. As she lowered her head, her eyes fell on the bandage wrapped around the other woman’s right hand. “Will she need another dressing change for this wound before being discharged?”

After changing the dressing and tidying up the medicine bottles, the nurse replied, “Yes, one more change is needed. After that, it should be changed every one or two days.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“No problem.”

Qin Mu stood up to see the nurse out.

When she returned, the rib soup shop owner happened to call. Qin Mu informed Wei Qing’an and went downstairs to pick up the meal.

Wei Qing’an responded with a faint smile and a soft “Mm.”

After Qin Mu left, Wei Qing’an stared blankly at the curtain, only to find her mind completely occupied by thoughts of Qin Mu. When she realized this, she laughed at herself mockingly.

Wei Qing’an, oh Wei Qing’an. You know you don’t deserve her, yet you can’t bring yourself to let go. What exactly are you trying to do?

A short while later, Qin Mu returned with the rib soup.

She opened the lid, set out the spoon and chopsticks, and even prepared a small bag for discarded bones.

Watching this, Wei Qing’an felt nothing but guilt.

“Sorry for troubling you.”

Qin Mu filled a bowl and handed it to her, saying, “If you know it’s trouble, then don’t let yourself get hurt next time.”

Her tone was far from friendly, even carrying a hint of reproach, yet Wei Qing’an felt a warmth spread through her heart.

Wei Qing’an was already ravenous. The moment she caught the aroma, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

When Qin Mu placed a small bowl of rib soup on the bedside table, Wei Qing’an picked up the spoon and took a sip of the savory broth. Then she tried a piece of the tender, fall-off-the-bone meat. The flavor was excellent, and she said contentedly, “The rib soup is delicious.”

After that, she lowered her head and focused on eating, as if she hadn’t eaten for days though her movements remained graceful.

Seeing her good appetite, Qin Mu finally felt relieved.

Once Wei Qing’an finished, Qin Mu placed the entire container of rib soup in front of her.

Just as Wei Qing’an was about to pick up her chopsticks, she paused and looked up at Qin Mu. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Qin Mu shook her head. “I just ate this morning. I’m not hungry. You go ahead and eat, I’ll go handle the discharge procedures.”

“Okay,” Wei Qing’an replied, suddenly feeling a pang of reluctance.

Qin Mu took her phone and wallet and left.

The portion of rib soup was generous, and Wei Qing’an was truly hungry, so she ate quickly. In no time, the large bowl was nearly empty, with only a thin layer of broth left at the bottom. Afterward, she tidied up the trash and threw it into the bin.

When Qin Mu returned after completing the procedures, she instinctively went to clean up, only to find that Wei Qing’an had already taken care of it.

So she handed her bag to Wei Qing’an and said, “You fainted last night and didn’t go to work today. The museum staff will surely ask about you. You should take a couple of days off and rest at home.”

Wei Qing’an reached out to take it, but hesitated for a moment upon hearing the word “leave.” She slowly took the phone and opened it to find numerous messages and missed calls from her superiors at the museum, all asking why she hadn’t shown up.

Wei Qing’an replied to each one, but only requested leave for that day.

She didn’t dare tell Qin Mu.

After the IV drip, the doctor changed the dressing on Wei Qing’an’s right hand and gave her some instructions. The two then drove home.

The car ride back was quiet.

Qin Mu remained silent, focusing intently on driving.

Wei Qing’an had a lot she wanted to say to her but didn’t know how to bring it up like the matter of the self-criticism letter.

Once home, Qin Mu slipped off her shoes and asked, “Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

“You go ahead. I’ll sit for a while.”

“Alright.”

As she agreed, Qin Mu pulled off her jacket with both hands behind her back and tossed it casually onto the sofa. She turned and walked toward the bedroom, unbuttoning her shirt as she went, her black waterfall-like hair swaying gracefully behind her.

This time, Qin Mu waited until the door was closed before taking off her shirt.

Wei Qing’an averted her gaze, quickly masking the raw possessiveness in her eyes toward Qin Mu.

Wei Qing’an walked over to the sofa and sat down. With one hand, she picked up Qin Mu’s discarded jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa. Then, she took her phone out of her pocket and replied to Yan Huan’s message.

Yan Huan: How many points did your wife give you?

Wei Qing’an: She hasn’t graded it yet.

Yan Huan: Why not? It’s been a whole night. Were the two of you too busy in bed to even score it?

Wei Qing’an: …

Wei Qing’an: Qin Mu and I haven’t done it.

Yan Huan: …

Yan Huan: You old-fashioned fossil! You’ve been married for a year? You haven’t done it? That’s just absurd.

Wei Qing’an: You’re better off not digging into this.

Yan Huan conceded: Fine, I’ll be there tomorrow.

Wei Qing’an: Okay.

Qin Mu finished her shower quickly. After drying her hair, she came out and saw Wei Qing’an sitting obediently on the sofa. Remembering that Wei Qing’an couldn’t get her hand wet while showering, she went to the kitchen for plastic wrap and then to the living room drawer for tape.

She sat down beside Wei Qing’an, took her hand, and placed it on her thigh, carefully wrapping the plastic wrap around it in circles.

Wei Qing’an watched intently, then lifted her gaze to study Qin Mu for a moment before suddenly asking, “How many points are you going to give my self-criticism letter? I wrote it very sincerely.”

“Zero.”

Wei Qing’an sharply inhaled.

This woman was being rather harsh.

After wrapping the plastic wrap around her hand a few times, Qin Mu pinched the edges at the pulse point and began securing it with tape.

Wei Qing’an asked, puzzled, “Why?”

Qin Mu gave her a reasonable explanation: “Three hundred words, ten typos, three sentences that don’t make sense. Sent exactly at six o’clock. I suppose our esteemed scholar Wei rushed to finish it in the last few minutes, just to meet the word count.”

By the time she finished speaking, Qin Mu had also finished wrapping.

Wei Qing’an wasn’t embarrassed at being exposed and even chuckled. “Are you a psychology major?”

“So, you didn’t treat your injury because you were rushing to write the self-criticism, and that’s why you lost so much blood?” Qin Mu looked up and met Wei Qing’an’s eyes seriously.

The question was too sudden. Wei Qing’an had no time to evade her gaze, and it felt as if Qin Mu had instantly seen right through her.

Seeing her hesitation, Qin Mu pressed on firmly, “So, is that what happened?”

In truth, the self-criticism letter had more than just ten typos.

For Wei Qing’an, someone so outstanding and disciplined, how could she allow herself to make so many mistakes?

Moreover, some of her words were completely nonsensical.

Last night, Qin Mu had even gone to ask the doctor, who said her wound was at least two to three hours old. When Qin Mu saw Wei Qing’an at the museum, it was already nine o’clock. Counting back two to three hours would make it around six.

Qin Mu’s gaze was too intense, and Wei Qing’an couldn’t find an excuse to cover up the lie, so she had to admit, “Yes, but I got injured at the studio. I didn’t handle it properly and only rinsed it with water.”

Hearing this, Qin Mu felt somewhat relieved.

At least she wasn’t lying.

Qin Mu released her hand. “Go take a shower.”

“Alright, I’ll go shower.” Wei Qing’an stood up and only then noticed how thoroughly Qin Mu had wrapped her hand.

It turned out that plastic wrap and tape, when combined, could create an artistic feel.

Wei Qing’an went in to shower and closed the door.

Hearing the sound, Qin Mu lowered her head, rubbed her temples, and yawned. An overwhelming drowsiness began to set in.

But now wasn’t the time to sleep. Qin Mu still had to go to the supermarket to buy groceries. The fridge was empty, the milk had run out yesterday, and she needed to get some nutritious supplements for Wei Qing’an.

Qin Mu got up, fetched a hat from the bedroom’s walk-in closet, put it on, changed into sneakers at the entrance, and went out.

Before leaving, she sent Wei Qing’an a message.

She said she was going to the supermarket and to let her know if there was anything she wanted.

The supermarket wasn’t far from the residential area, just a few minutes’ drive. Qin Mu parked her car near the elevator entrance of the supermarket and, as she walked, jotted down the items she needed to buy on her phone otherwise, she was afraid she’d remember something she’d forgotten only after returning home.

First, she needed to buy milk and vegetables. For meat, she’d get some steak, pork, and chicken. Oh, and she had to buy ribs too Wei Qing’an had really enjoyed them this morning.

To make rib soup, she’d need potatoes, corn, radishes, and what else?

Qin Mu didn’t know, so she simply looked it up on Baidu.

An hour later.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Beep. Qin Mu, carrying two large bags and panting heavily, stepped out of the elevator, stopping abruptly at her doorstep to set them down.

She was so tired that she placed her hands on her hips, a layer of sweat beading on her forehead.

While shopping, she always felt it wasn’t enough, but only when she carried it all did she realize just how much she had bought.

After catching her breath, Qin Mu took out her keys and opened the door.

Pushing the door open, she bent down to pick up the two heavy bags that had left red marks on her palms, gritted her teeth, and carried them to the kitchen.

Wei Qing’an, dressed in a black suit, emerged from the bedroom, intending to go downstairs to meet Qin Mu, only to see her returning with such heavy bags. Her brows furrowed, and she quickly walked over.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to go with you? And why did you buy so much?”

How did she manage to carry it all up by herself?

Qin Mu knew her face must be flushed and unattractive at that moment. She didn’t want Wei Qing’an to see, so she pressed down the brim of her hat and walked to the fridge, opening it as she said, “It’s fine, I can manage on my own.”

Wei Qing’an looked at Qin Mu’s flushed face, visible even behind her ears, and for the second time felt a pang of regret and guilt. Why hadn’t she treated her wound promptly last night? Why had she let it bleed uncontrollably, forcing the person before her to endure so much on her behalf?

“Qin Mu,” Wei Qing’an called out.

Qin Mu hummed in response, not daring to turn around, only tilting her head slightly. “What is it?”

Wei Qing’an took a step forward, wrapped her left arm around Qin Mu’s waist, and pulled her into an embrace.

Then a soft kiss landed on Qin Mu’s cheek.

The warmth of her cheek and the cool touch left Qin Mu momentarily frozen in place, her right hand gripping the refrigerator door tightly.

Wei Qing’an lowered her head, struggling to contain her emotions, and whispered close to Qin Mu’s ear. Her voice was gentle and captivating, so near that Qin Mu felt as if she were speaking directly against her heart.

She said, “It’s nothing. I just suddenly wanted to kiss you and couldn’t hold back. Do you mind?”

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