Chapter 32 : Confession

“Fan Yanxing, you have no shame.”

When Liang Qingqing was scolding someone, her voice was particularly loud. However, her naturally soft and delicate tone made it neither painful nor itchy to Fan Yanxing instead, it only made him curl his lips in a smile.

Seeing his reaction, Liang Qingqing knew that she had vented her frustration, which only made her more annoyed. If not for the fact that he was injured, she would have likely already made a move against him. She had a tendency to be quite aggressive when she was in a bad mood, often using both her mouth and her hands.

“Are you not calling me ‘Brother Yanxing’ anymore?” Fan Yanxing inexplicably wanted to tease her. Before she could get even angrier, he coaxed her, “Whatever you call me, I’m happy to hear it.”

Liang Qingqing rolled her eyes with displeasure. Knowing that he wouldn’t be affected by anything, she could only angrily change the subject, her finger poking his chest. “So do you like me?”

Fan Yanxing was reminded of a previous time in the country town when Liang Qingqing had asked him if he liked her, and he had denied it then.

“Yes, I like you,” he admitted openly this time, adding, “I also want to be in a relationship with you and marry you.”

It was essentially repeating what he had said before, but this time he was sincerely stating the facts.

Although Liang Qingqing had expected this answer, it still made her heart tighten. She looked at him and said coquettishly, “Just because you want to be with me, does that mean I have to be with you?”

Fan Yanxing felt somewhat helpless. From her actions, he knew she didn’t dislike their interactions and even took steps towards him. He couldn’t believe she didn’t like him or want to be in a relationship with him.

But she stubbornly resisted, deliberately keeping him on tenterhooks.

“So what do you want me to do for you to agree?” Fan Yanxing’s gaze was gentle but his hand around her waist began to move restlessly. She instinctively shrank back, trying to avoid the source of irritation.

Liang Qingqing glared at him and challenged, “Being in a relationship with me isn’t simple. Are you prepared for that?”

“Prepared,” he answered decisively.

“You don’t even know how complicated it is! Aren’t you going to ask? What if you regret it later?” Liang Qingqing stared at him, seemingly trying to detect any hesitation, but her efforts were in vain.

Fan Yanxing was stubborn once he decided on something, he wouldn’t look back no matter what was said.

“I won’t regret it,” he replied, looking at her with such seriousness that it was impossible to find fault with his words.

Actually, Liang Qingqing’s previous comment had already been a round about way of agreeing, but she coldly huffed and said, “Then you should show me how well you can perform. When I’m willing, we can start a relationship.”

Fan Yanxing was stunned for a moment because he didn’t expect her to say that. But just in that moment, Liang Qingqing pouted with dissatisfaction and said, somewhat aggrieved, “I knew you were just lying to me. You’re not even willing to spend time and effort on coaxing me before we’re even together. What will it be like in the future? It’s a good thing I didn’t agree to you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she tilted her head and tried to get up, but Fan Yanxing quickly reached out to hold her back. He spoke gently, “When did I say I wasn’t willing? Don’t wrong me like this.”

Even if Liang Qingqing hadn’t mentioned it, Fan Yanxing had already planned to make a good impression and win her over, hoping to leave a better impression on her.

Besides, he had never expected her to agree easily. Even though he had guessed it, hearing her outright refusal still left him with a bit of an uncomfortable feeling.

“You’re not wronged,” he said, “Time will tell.”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing turned her head and leaned against his shoulder, pouting her rosy lips. Her cheeks were puffed up like little buns, showing a spoiled and willful demeanor. Although she spoke sternly, her body was close to him, and it was clear that she understood his way of dealing. He, on the other hand, loved her temper and was more than willing to indulge her.

“Alright.” Fan Yanxing lightly stroked Liang Qingqing’s cheek with his fingers. She blinked and glanced at the handsome man beneath her. At first, she thought he was quite pleasant to the eyes, but then she suddenly remembered something. She reached out and took his hand, frowning, “You should put on some clothes. Aren’t you cold? What if you catch a cold?”

It had been raining for several days and the temperature had dropped as well. She felt comfortable enough in her long sleeves, but Fan Yanxing had been bare-chested since he changed his bandages. She didn’t know if he was just oblivious or what, but it seemed like he didn’t even notice the cold.

If she hadn’t asked, he might have forgotten that wearing clothes was even an option.

“I’m not cold.” He was naturally warm, but her concern made him feel good. He casually draped his outerwear over himself, and when she mentioned catching a cold, he reached out to touch her forehead.

“How are you feeling? I didn’t hear you cough this afternoon.”

Liang Qingqing shook her head. “I feel fine. I’ll be okay once I finish the medicine the doctor prescribed.”

Her illness was only particularly bothersome when she had a fever last night, she felt much better after getting up this morning.

“I’ll change out of these sick clothes once the others are dry.” If she had spare clothes, she wouldn’t want to be seen in this get-up, which made it seem like she was seriously ill.

“No need to wait for the clothes to dry.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head in confusion.

Fan Yanxing then lifted her onto the sickbed and got up to retrieve a package from the nightstand. Inside was a blue and white checkered flannel dress, which looked quite expensive and had a lace trim around the neckline.

However, to Liang Qingqing, who had worn various high-end fashion pieces in the future, this dress seemed somewhat outdated and overly conservative. It didn’t catch her eye at all. Still, it was a trendy item that every city girl had to have nowadays, and it was quite pricey.

It was only then that she vaguely remembered Chu Qi mentioning that Fan Yanxing had asked him to buy a flannel dress. At that time, she had been distracted by egg cakes and peaches and hadn’t paid much attention, not realizing that this was the dress he had bought for her.

“Put this on first.” Fan Yanxing handed her the flannel dress.

The fabric felt incredibly comfortable, even more so than all the clothes she had worn in Daping Village combined.

“Is this a gift for me?” Liang Qingqing asked knowingly, a hint of a smile in her eyes. Fan Yanxing also smiled and nodded.

“Thank you” she said, accepting it graciously. Her face lit up with a bright smile, her eyes curved happily. “I really like it.”

Now that Fan Yanxing’s intentions were clear, instead of being awkward and rejecting the gift, it was better to accept it decisively. She was happy to receive it and he was happy to give it. In the future, he would likely be even more eager to give gifts.

Seeing her joy, Fan Yanxing felt relieved. It was good that she liked it, he was afraid she wouldn’t. “Why don’t you try it on? See if it fits. If it doesn’t, we can exchange it.”

At this time, the supply and marketing cooperatives were similar to some modern malls if you had a receipt, you could freely exchange sizes.

“Okay.” Liang Qingqing nodded. A flannel dress bought at a high price should fit well otherwise, it would be a waste of money.

“Then you go out first. I’ll change here.” She clutched the blue-and-white dress, looking at it lovingly, her fair profile as charming as ever, making it hard for anyone to look away.

Perhaps noticing that he hadn’t left yet, she finally looked up at him with her shy, beautiful eyes and playfully said, “Aren’t you going to leave?”

Fan Yanxing withdrew his gaze from her face and smiled. “I’ll step outside and keep watch for you.”

With that, he fastened his buttons, turned quickly and left the room.

Once Fan Yanxing was gone, Liang Qingqing drew the curtains shut and began changing clothes. The rustling sound of the fabric in the silent room was particularly noticeable and, of course, reached Fan Yanxing’s ears as he stood just outside the door.

It was clear that a hint of color soon appeared on his face.

After an unknown amount of time perhaps a few minutes, maybe longer he finally heard a light call from inside, “I’m done changing.”

Fan Yanxing took a deep breath, turned around, and opened the door. With a creak, the sight of the woman inside came into view. Upon seeing her, his breath caught, and he suddenly felt that the phrase “clothes make the man” had some truth to it.

He had always known Liang Qingqing was beautiful, but today her appearance was even more striking. Previously, she had dressed in a more plain and casual manner, but now in her rare dress, everything around her seemed to lose its color, leaving only her in focus.

“Do I look good?” she asked.

How could she not look good?

Liang Qingqing stood by the window, the curtain drawn halfway to let in the soft light from outside. She adjusted her long hair with a confident expression, clearly aware of the answer she was seeking, so she didn’t care about his next response.

As she moved, he couldn’t help but focus on her glossy black hair, then her delicate face, bright eyes, and white teeth. Her skin was as smooth as jade, and the blue and white dress made her look gentle and serene, though it couldn’t hide the bold and glamorous features of her face.

Despite being contradictory descriptions, they harmonized perfectly on her.

Fortunately, his choice was good. The size he asked Chu Qi to buy was just right slightly loose, but comfortable to wear. The dress reached her ankles, covering her beautiful legs, but it cinched her waist perfectly, accentuating her slender waist and full curves, making it hard for anyone to look away.

“You look very good.”

Actually, just saying “good” would have sufficed, but he added “very” to it, causing Liang Qingqing to focus her attention on him. Her face showed genuine happiness. “How come I never knew you were so good with words?”

Fan Yanxing raised an eyebrow slightly. “There will be plenty of time to discover more.”

In other words, there was much more she didn’t know, and she would gradually find out.

“Alright.” She rarely agreed with him without any argument and instead smiled.

However, in the end, Liang Qingqing didn’t wear the flannel dress. Instead, she changed back into her hospital gown. One reason was the lingering chill in the air, the dress had short sleeves and she was afraid the cold might make her illness worse. The other reason was that she disliked the fact that the dress, bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, had likely been handled by many people and hadn’t been washed yet.

Fan Yanxing glanced at her and silently noted it down.

The two didn’t spend much time alone in the room before Chu Qi and Liang Junqiang returned with several lunch boxes full of food. Thanks to Chu Qi and Fan Yanxing, the siblings enjoyed a feast they hadn’t had for a long time.

Chu Qi wasn’t wrong about Liang Qingqing’s preference for sweet and sour flavors; the sweet and sour ribs were the dish she picked up the most.

After eating to her satisfaction, Liang Qingqing patted her slightly full belly, thinking that choosing to pursue Fan Yanxing was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the chance to wear the flannel dress and enjoy such a wonderful meal.

People all want to live good lives, and the methods they use to achieve their desires can vary as long as they aren’t too dirty.

Given this and after Fan Yanxing had expressed his feelings earlier, Liang Qingqing was resolved and didn’t spare Chu Qi another glance. Instead, she took the initiative to go to the hot water room to fetch some hot water.

After dinner, it was time for the patient to take her medicine.

The subtle change in their relationship went unnoticed by everyone else.

Only Chu Qi glanced at Fan Yanxing with some suspicion, wondering if the time Fan Yanxing was out had allowed him to speak badly about him to Liang Qingqing. After all, Liang Qingqing, who had been friendly before, was suddenly acting cold.

In reality, her coldness only meant she no longer initiated conversations with him. Everything else was normal, she still responded politely whenever he spoke but it wasn’t exactly warm.

Chu Qi comforted himself, thinking that perhaps he was overthinking. It was their first meeting, and the novelty had worn off. A quieter atmosphere was to be expected as they had less to talk about.

With that thought, he eagerly started discussing things about the capital city the ancient and majestic Great Wall, the grand and magnificent Forbidden City, unique local delicacies…

When Liang Qingqing heard descriptions that were slightly different from the future, she couldn’t help but ask a few more questions, her eyes filled with curiosity and brightness, since that was her old home in her previous life.

Seeing her interest, Fan Yanxing noticed her longing. No one dislikes a big city, and she was no exception. Thinking about the plans he had at home, he absentmindedly stroked his fingers.

While he couldn’t take her to the capital city in the short term, he could still let her try other interesting and delicious things.

As time passed and the sky darkened, Liang Qingqing yawned. She wasn’t usually this sleepy at this time but today she felt very tired, possibly due to the medication.

Fan Yanxing, who had been paying close attention to her, directly interrupted Chu Qi’s incessant chatter. Had he always been this talkative?

“If you’re tired, you should go rest first,” he said.

Hearing this, everyone finally noticed that Liang Qingqing’s eyelids were drooping.

“You’re just starting to recover from your cold, so go get some sleep. I asked the nurse’s station, and that room is empty. We can borrow it for the night.”

Liang Junqiang also spoke up.

“Alright.”

Liang Qingqing nodded, planning to wash up and then return to her room to sleep. As she reached the door, she suddenly turned back, smiled brightly, and said—though it was unclear who she was addressing“You should also go to bed early.”

Without waiting for anyone to react, she closed the door behind her.

Since Liang Junqiang had been the last person to speak with Liang Qingqing, he naturally assumed that her words were directed at him. So, he said, “I haven’t had much sleep these days, so I should go to bed early.”

“Chu Qi will sleep here tonight. Junqiang, you should stay with Qingqing,” Fan Yanxing said, withdrawing his gaze from the door and subtly curling his lips into a smile.

“Alright.” Liang Junqiang had no objections. Besides, Fan Yanxing and Chu Qi hadn’t seen each other for a long time and would surely have a lot to talk about tonight, so he was quite perceptive.

After that, Liang Junqiang stood up and left.

The room fell into silence. Chu Qi stood by the window and Fan Yanxing sat by the hospital bed. The two exchanged glances, and there was actually a faint spark of confrontation between them.