Chapter 60: Why did it become like this?

Qin Nanfeng took a deep breath, restraining the urge stirring inside him.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. I’ll come by to check on you again when I’m free tomorrow, alright?”

With that, he already stood up, making a move to leave.

The girl, still sipping quietly, froze at his words.

Isn’t it… fine, if you want to leave then just go? But what’s with that tone like you’re coaxing a child?

Lin Xinyuan internally scoffed at herself for thinking this way, but despite the annoyance, she didn’t actually want the damn yellow-haired guy to leave so quickly.

So she immediately spoke up, “Hey, since you already skipped class, don’t leave so fast…”

Hearing this, Qin Nanfeng paused mid-step, tilting his head slightly as if to hear more.

Seeing his expression, Lin Xinyuan instantly realized he wasn’t really in a hurry to leave.

Her mind started racing, brainstorming reasons to get him to stay.

In the end, she felt a little embarrassed but said, “I… I… my stomach still hurts. Can you not leave so soon…”

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, fading almost to nothing by the last word, but Qin Nanfeng understood exactly what she meant.

The young man’s dark eyes flickered, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, invisible to the girl.

“Alright, hurry up and let me touch it again,” Qin Nanfeng joked as he sat back down at the bedside.

Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan instinctively retorted, “Who said it’s that!”

Though she said it aloud, her heart was conflicted.

Logic told her she shouldn’t indulge this feeling, but it really did feel nice…

“Then should I leave?”

Qin Nanfeng made another move to stand, and the girl hurriedly said, “Hey hey hey, can’t you just chat with me for a bit?”

“I can, but I prefer other things. This can only be an added reason,” Qin Nanfeng said with a serious face.

Other things?

You mean touching my stomach?

Damn! Bro, you really are starving!

Lin Xinyuan thought this, her expression a little horrified. “You… you’re a pervert, right?”

“Hm?” The young man’s response sounded both puzzled and affirmative. “Just say yes or no.”

“Um…” Lin Xinyuan hesitated but ultimately didn’t refuse.

Forget it… I don’t even know how long you’ve been touching already, no point pretending to be coy!

Besides, the yellow-haired brat already knows I’m not really a girl.

As long as it’s not disgusting, how could I be so picky when I’m this hungry?

“Fine then…”

Mumbling the words awkwardly, Lin Xinyuan immediately pulled the blanket over her head.

This is ridiculous! That I’d ever beg like this…

The girl felt as if something inside her had shattered, her face and ears flushing red…

Qin Nanfeng watched the girl now completely wrapped in the blanket like a rice dumpling, but he didn’t immediately reach inside.

Instead, he waited quietly, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Sure enough, after just a few minutes, the girl inside the blanket couldn’t take it any longer.

She pulled the blanket slightly away, revealing a pair of bright eyes. “Hey… are you coming or not? I feel awful…”

Though only her beautiful eyes were visible, Qin Nanfeng seemed to see the grievance in them.

He said nothing more and reached his hand inside the blanket, just like before.

“Mm…”

The person inside let out a sound of comfort that was hard to control…

Around noon, close to mealtime, Qin Nanfeng rejected Lin Xinyuan’s suggestion to order takeout and went out to grab two packed lunches instead.

After eating, he told the girl he had to leave again.

This time, Qin Nanfeng was telling the truth—he really had some things to deal with in the afternoon and couldn’t stay.

Before leaving, he helped the girl clean up the trash.

“If there’s anything urgent, call me. And remember to apply medicine on your wound… By the way, do you still have your meds?”

“Yes, the staff at the infirmary gave me some.”

“That’s good,” Qin Nanfeng nodded, holding the garbage bag as he walked out. Turning back, he said to the girl, “I’m off now, don’t forget to close the door properly.”

“Okay.”

Lin Xinyuan nodded.

The painkillers she took earlier were starting to work, and the pain in her abdomen was now bearable, so standing wasn’t as painful as before.

“Take care!”

She watched Qin Nanfeng leave, then closed and locked the door again.

“Phew…”

Lying back down and slipping under the blanket, the residual warmth made the girl think of what had just happened.

“Lin Xinyuan… why did you end up like this…”

Thinking about her own actions, the girl felt a bit bitter. “It’s all that jade bracelet’s fault, all yours. Otherwise, how would I be like this? Impossible…”

Her pale hand reached toward her abdomen, but there was nothing but a layer of separation—only a coolness she could feel.

“Why does my own hand feel so cold…”

She couldn’t understand why her hand was so cold, while that large hand, though covered by clothing, still felt so scorching.

Lin Xinyuan scratched her head and finally pushed that strange thought aside.

Picking up her phone, she transferred the money for lunch to Qin Nanfeng.

She’d eaten at that place before and knew the approximate price.

At the same time, she remembered the meal Zeng Yan bought for her that night and decided to repay that too.

No matter what others said, debts should be repaid, regardless of the relationship—and it wasn’t even a lot…

“Ding!”

On the other side, Qin Nanfeng had just come downstairs when his phone received the transfer from the girl.

He didn’t say anything, just accepted it.

Looking at the amount, he noticed there were two extra yuan.

This guy…

Qin Nanfeng shook his head, then suddenly thought of something.

He opened his dialer and called a number.

“Beep…”

After a moment of busy tone, the call was quickly answered.

“Hey, can you help me investigate something…”

“Mm-hmm, sure…”

“Make it quick…”

He hung up, pocketed his phone, and strode away with long legs.

Friday passed, and the weekend arrived.

Lin Xinyuan didn’t need to take leave and could continue resting at home.

The flow over the past two days was lighter than on the first day, but she still changed sanitary pads at almost the same frequency.

After all, the sticky, uncomfortable feeling in that area was hard to bear, and unsurprisingly, she still needed painkillers to suppress the intense abdominal pain.

During these two days, Lin Xinyuan had been hoping for some news from her family.

But Qi Yan’s words were like they had never been said.

There was no message from her parents—no calls, no messages on WeChat…

“Figures…”

Lin Xinyuan’s mood was complicated.

She had been separated from her parents since childhood, raised by her grandmother alone.

In fact, her parents only appeared in her life during New Year’s.

Normally, they contacted her only once in a while, and it was almost always about living expenses.

Her father was somewhat better—when he did contact her, he at least cared about her studies, asking after her and showing some concern.

It seemed like he cared.

But her mother was cold and distant, mostly just sending money without a word.

Even during the yearly Spring Festival reunion, she was indifferent and neglectful.

Because of this, Lin Xinyuan rarely reached out to them on her own.

She didn’t want to communicate.

Others said their parents had either loving relationships or constant fighting, but her parents were like strangers—cold and indifferent.

When her grandmother was alive, she turned a blind eye to it.

So the New Year scene often went like this:

She would be at the dining table eating with others, relatives would ask about her studies, and her mother would just eat silently, caring for no one…

Thinking of this, Lin Xinyuan felt like a stone had dropped in her heart, but at the same time, it felt as if there was no stone at all, just wind-eroded dust.

Without a doubt, Lin Xinyuan’s academic ability was good; otherwise, she wouldn’t have escaped that environment and gotten into a well-known key university.

But since starting university, her father had contacted her even less.

The happiest she remembered him was when he smiled while talking about her getting into Tianbei University…

So, he only cared about her studies?

Lin Xinyuan gave a bitter smile…