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Chapter 15: Being Too Possessive Is Also…

Wei Xun drove the motorcycle into an indoor parking garage. After parking the vehicle, he noticed the person behind him hadn’t moved. He gently patted the arms wrapped around his waist and said, “We’re here.”

Only then did Que Wanshu snap out of her thoughts. She looked around and slowly got off the bike.

She raised her hand to unfasten the helmet buckle, but after struggling for a while, she couldn’t get it undone. Wei Xun had just taken off his own helmet and placed it on the seat. Seeing her predicament, he walked over and easily unfastened it for her.

As he removed the helmet from her head, he immediately noticed the slight redness in her eyes.

Her hair was a little messy from being pressed under the helmet for the whole ride. Beneath her wispy bangs, her eyes—beautifully round and soft in shape—were slightly red. The dark brown pupils were misted over, filled with a heavy, indescribable sorrow.

Wei Xun was stunned. In that moment, it felt like a sharp needle had pierced his heart.

His breath caught. He wanted to ask why she was crying, but before he could, Que Wanshu quickly turned her head and walked a few steps away, putting distance between them.

Wei Xun pressed his lips together. His mind hadn’t caught up, but his body reacted instinctively. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back in front of him.

“Don’t move,” he said softly as he held her by the arms, then bent down and started removing her protective gear piece by piece.

Que Wanshu just stood there watching his movements, and suddenly her eyes started to sting again.

She wiped her eyes, rubbed her nose, then looked up at the sign that said “Entrance to Mall” and asked, “The mall? Why are we here?”

Wei Xun glanced at her and, seeing her expression had returned to normal, swallowed the question that had risen in his throat.

Putting the protective gear back on the bike and shoving his hands in his pockets, he replied casually, “To buy toys.”

Que Wanshu: “…?”

Wei Xun brought Que Wanshu to a toy store on the seventh floor of the mall. The store carried many well-known domestic and international toy brands. Not only was there a wide selection, but the handmade toys were exquisitely crafted, attracting quite a crowd.

Seeing her confusion, Wei Xun finally explained, “Last time, you said suitable toys for Wei Qian need to meet certain requirements—not just anything will do. My sister and I don’t know much about toys, so I figured we’d just ask an expert.”

Que Wanshu was surprised. So this was the favor he wanted—to help choose toys for Wei Qian?

Wei Xun looked down at her and said, “Do me a favor, Miss Que.”

His tone was calm and even polite, completely different from the sarcastic, antagonistic manner he had in the therapy session.

Even though she thought it was a bit over-the-top to bring her all the way from Yunshan just to pick out toys, Que Wanshu still agreed.

She nodded, glanced around at the signage pointing to various toy categories, and quickly identified a section. “Come with me.”

As a speech therapist for children, due to both her profession and academic background, Que Wanshu had been visiting toy stores, exhibitions, and markets regularly since college. She was very knowledgeable about toys used for children.

Toys used for speech and auditory training didn’t have to be anything special. The teaching aids used in therapy sessions were mostly just toys repurposed in different ways. Even ordinary building blocks, if used creatively and applied to specific therapeutic goals, could be quite effective.

At Wei Qian’s current stage, as long as a toy didn’t have too many lights and sounds but could still produce noise, it was suitable.

As for how to use them creatively, that was often the hard part for the average person. That’s why Que Wanshu often shared her “toy knowledge” with parents during therapy sessions. Wei Qian had only had one class so far, so she hadn’t had the chance to explain much yet.

This was a good opportunity, so she brought Wei Xun to a display and picked up several toys, explaining their functions and how to use them during at-home interactions.

At this stage, the goal was to develop Wei Qian’s awareness of sound and his ability to locate sound sources. Toys like wooden bells, xylophones, hand bells, drums, and clappers were all suitable. Toy cars that made noise when moved, sound-producing environment toys, or interactive books were also good options.

They could also prepare toys like ring toss sets, piggy banks, or pirate barrels. Once Wei Qian could understand commands, these could be used for auditory-response training—e.g., hearing a sound and performing a specific action like placing an object down. That’s also a method for training sound awareness.

Que Wanshu wasn’t usually talkative, but once she entered a familiar topic, she became quite animated. After introducing over a dozen toys and play methods, she finally realized she might have gone overboard.

Seeing Wei Xun staring at her silently, she wasn’t sure if he had absorbed all the information. Feeling a bit awkward, she pointed to the display and said, “Anyway, all the toys in this section are pretty suitable. Take your time choosing—I’m going to look around.”

And with that, she quickly slipped away.

Wei Xun stood there watching her retreating figure. Thinking of how her eyes had lit up as she enthusiastically explained everything, he couldn’t help but smile.

Then he called over a shop assistant and told them to pack every toy Que Wanshu had mentioned.

The toy store was large. Wei Xun walked around for a while without spotting her. When he finally found her, she was crouched near a display by the entrance, intently studying two toys in her hands, looking as serious as if she were inspecting some priceless antiques.

She had always struggled with indecision. In the past, she often held up two seemingly identical items and asked him which to choose. And his usual reply? “If you can’t decide, get both.”

Today was no different. Seeing her tangled in a tough decision again, Wei Xun pointed to the toys in her hands and said to the store manager beside him, “Get one of each of those too.”

The manager, smiling cheerfully at this rare big spender, replied, “Of course!”

He quickly approached and tried to take the toys from Que Wanshu. “Miss, please let me take those—I’ll get you fresh ones.”

Startled by the sudden appearance of the store manager, Que Wanshu didn’t know what to do. Then she spotted Wei Xun not far away.

Realizing what was going on thanks to the manager’s eager attitude, she quickly put the toys back on the display and muttered, “No need, I’m not buying these.”

The manager paused and looked back at Wei Xun, who simply said, “Then just the ones from earlier.”

“Alright, I’ll prepare them now,” the manager nodded and tactfully returned to the checkout counter.

Only then did Wei Xun walk up to Que Wanshu. Glancing at the toys she’d just returned, he said, “If you liked them, I’ll buy them for you—as a thank-you for your help.”

Que Wanshu shook her head. “It’s okay. I was just looking. The designs are interesting, and I was thinking about how they could be applied in therapy.”

“So, did you come up with any ideas?” Wei Xun asked. When she nodded, he followed up, “Then why not buy them?”

“…”

Que Wanshu opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond.

Wei Xun continued to stare at her, clearly unwilling to let the question drop until he got an answer. She had no choice but to be honest: “Because it’s more expensive here.”

Wei Xun froze, clearly not expecting that answer.

Seeing the strange look on his face, Que Wanshu felt a little embarrassed. Before her family went bankrupt, she never paid attention to prices when shopping. She used to buy things as long as she liked them—after all, her parents gave her enough allowance to support her spending.

She wasn’t materialistic, but she had a soft spot for what Wei Xun used to call “beautiful junk.” If she liked something enough, she’d buy it—even if it was overpriced.

Her spending habits often got her scolded by Wei Xun, who would say she was a dumb rich girl with more money than sense.

Though he was wealthy himself, Wei Xun had a much more rational attitude toward money. His rule of thumb was: “It’s okay to buy expensive, but never overpay.” He hated being taken advantage of—and hated seeing people around him get ripped off.

This had happened to Que Wanshu more than once. Eventually, Wei Xun became resigned to it. He’d help her deal with unscrupulous sellers, scold her for being too trusting, and ask, exasperated, “When are you going to wise up?”

Feeling guilty, she would always lower her head like a scolded quail and mumble, “Next time, I promise.”

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Next time for sure. Next time, I’ll still dare.

Wei Xun could hear the subtext in her words. He was both amused and frustrated, thinking to himself that it was a good thing her family was wealthy, and he himself had enough money. If he worked harder in the future, the accumulated wealth would be enough for her to squander for several lifetimes.

But he never imagined that life could be so unpredictable.

When the family empire collapsed and there was no longer a vast fortune for her to spend through several lifetimes, Que Wanshu’s attitude toward spending finally changed.

Yet Wei Xun found it hard to describe what he was feeling at this moment.

His throat suddenly felt dry and tight. He wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say.

Instead, Que Wanshu explained on her own:
“Compared to buying in a toy store, going to a secondhand toy market means you can get more toys for a lower price.”

In fact, she initially bought therapy tools from toy stores, but brand-new toys were expensive. And depending on the age group and treatment goals of each case, the types of toys needed varied greatly. Buying everything new would cost a fortune.

Her spending power was no longer what it used to be. Though she wasn’t exactly destitute, she also couldn’t afford to buy whatever she liked anymore. She had to think carefully before every purchase.

Then a college classmate brought her to a secondhand toy market once.

For just a few hundred yuan, she could buy all the toys she needed there. Some toys were even shockingly cheap. Even though they were secondhand, Que Wanshu had to admit—it was simply irresistible.

After that, whenever she needed to buy toys, she preferred to browse secondhand markets or cheaper toy outlets.

After all, as long as a toy could be used in therapy, it was a good toy. Why care whether it was new or used?

But Wei Xun clearly couldn’t grasp the charm of secondhand toys. As his expression grew increasingly complicated, Que Wanshu began to feel… pitied?

She awkwardly rubbed her nose and said, “Go pay, I’ll wait here.”

Wei Xun glanced at her once more, then turned and headed to the checkout counter.

Once he left, Que Wanshu let out a breath of relief and squatted down again to examine the toys on the shelves. Just then, someone suddenly called out,
“Que Wanshu?”

She turned her head and saw that the one calling her was Zhao Xuanyi.

Zhao Xuanyi was dressed in a black jumpsuit and high heels, standing not far away and looking at her. A few male and female executives in formal business attire, with golden name tags on their chests, stood behind her. Only then did Que Wanshu remember that this mall seemed to be owned by her family.

Zhao Xuanyi looked just as surprised to see her and quickly walked over.
“What are you doing here?”

“Uh…” Que Wanshu was still trying to think of an explanation when Zhao Xuanyi’s sharp eyes spotted Wei Xun at the checkout counter. Her surprise only grew:
“You came here with him?”

She looked up at the sign above the toy store, then at the large shopping bags on the counter, and couldn’t help but let her mind run wild.

Her gaze slowly traveled down Que Wanshu’s face… and stopped on her abdomen.

Understanding the implication in her gaze, Que Wanshu:
“……………”

What on earth is she imagining?!

Her face flushed instantly, and she hurried to explain, “It’s not what you think.”

Zhao Xuanyi thought about it and agreed. Even if Wei Xun had long-term plans, it couldn’t have progressed this fast. But seeing Que Wanshu blushing so hard it looked like she might bleed, she deliberately teased:
“Oh? And what exactly do I think?”

Que Wanshu turned even redder and mumbled, “We’re here… to buy toys for Wei Jin-jie’s youngest son.”

Zhao Xuanyi raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully,
“Someone just had their birthday party recently, and now you’re close enough to buy toys for his nephew?”

Que Wanshu: “…That’s because his nephew is now my patient.”

Zhao Xuanyi: “Well, isn’t that a coincidence.”

Que Wanshu: “…”

Of course she could tell Zhao Xuanyi was deliberately teasing her. What was clearly a proper, non-ambiguous reason was being twisted into something that made it sound like she and Wei Xun were having a secret affair.

Que Wanshu felt both embarrassed and amused. She couldn’t help but laugh and glanced at the executives behind Zhao Xuanyi.
“You on inspection duty?”

“Yeah, working on the weekend, can you believe it?” Zhao Xuanyi frowned. “Work is bullshit.”

Que Wanshu: “………………”

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“All deliveries to the address upstairs, thanks.”

At the checkout counter, Wei Xun had finished paying and instructed the staff to send all the toys to the Wei family estate. Then he turned around to find Que Wanshu, only to see her chatting cheerfully with someone.

When he got a clear look at who she was talking to, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhao Xuanyi was mid-conversation when she suddenly felt a cold, menacing presence. She looked toward the source and locked eyes with Wei Xun’s gloomy, piercing stare.

Zhao Xuanyi: “…”

Not this guy again.

She really didn’t understand what his problem was. It was bad enough that he acted hostile toward any man near Que Wanshu—why did he also dislike women getting close to her?

An overly strong sense of possessiveness was an illness. He needed treatment.

As she mentally complained, Wei Xun had already strode over to Que Wanshu’s side. With a dark expression, he said,
“Let’s go.”

And just like that, he turned and walked off. Que Wanshu quickly said goodbye to Zhao Xuanyi and was about to follow him when Zhao suddenly called out,
“Wanshu, do you have plans later? If not, let me treat you to a meal.”

Que Wanshu paused, a bit hesitant.

Wei Xun hadn’t mentioned any further plans, and their only goal today was to buy toys for Wei Jin. Now that they’d done that… there shouldn’t be anything else, right?

She was just about to reply when a light, pleasant masculine scent suddenly enveloped her from behind, wrapping around her like a mist. The next second, her left hand, hanging by her side, was firmly grasped.

Que Wanshu froze. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her head in shock—and saw Wei Xun’s tense, gloomy profile.

He held her hand tightly and stood beside her in a posture that clearly declared his ownership. With a warning glare at Zhao Xuanyi, he said nothing and simply turned, pulling Que Wanshu along with him.

At that moment, all of Que Wanshu’s attention was focused on the hand he was holding, and she completely forgot about Zhao Xuanyi.

Zhao Xuanyi: “…”

Why does this feel so… nauseatingly familiar?

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