Chapter 2039: Love Is a Shackle

Everyone had spent their entire lives working hard for a perfect outcome.

But now that she had it, she realized that the most difficult thing was to protect this goal that she had achieved in advance.

This was because there were too many unexpected reasons.

Time and time again, she had hoped that he would love her. It wasn’t that she was greedy and wanted more.

It was because she suddenly realized that love was a shackle.

She needed this shackle to keep Li Tingshen by her side.

She loved him, but she didn’t have to keep him.

And if he loved her, as she did him, he would not leave her easily.

But this shackle only locked her.

With the key in his hand, he could leave anytime.

He was like a lunatic.

There was a moment of silence in the car. The coldness in the night wind seemed to be filled with needles, and it was bone-chilling.

“Ye Qingqiu.” After a long while, Li Tingshen spoke slowly. His voice seemed to have been frozen by the cold wind and was slightly stiff.

“Don’t be too greedy. Why do you have to insist on that word? Other than being unreasonable, it has no meaning. Putting us together with that thing… is an insult to each other.”

Corny?

Insulting each other?

Yes, had they insulted love?

It was as if a huge hole had been torn open in his chest. Cold wind surged in, and even his blood seemed to have frozen.

Her expression was dazed as she stared blankly at his face.

“Do you have to use such straightforward words to drag me into reality? A man’s mouth is indeed best used to lie.”

Even if he lied to her and weaved a fantasy world full of lies for her, it was much better than him pulling her into reality and stabbing her with a knife again and again.

“If you don’t believe me, why should I humiliate myself?”

Ye Qingqiu pursed her lips, her legs stiff and numb from the wind.

“That seems to be the case. It seems that whatever you do, you’re wrong.”

Li Tingshen suddenly tightened his grip on her wrist again. “We have too many reasons to be together. There are also many reasons why I won’t leave you. That’s not the only thing that can tie two people together.”

He leaned over and grabbed the seatbelt beside her. “Sit tight. I’ll send you home first.”

Ye Qingqiu suddenly grabbed his hand that was holding the seatbelt. Her beautiful eyes were slightly dazed and filled with mockery.

“Indeed, that’s not the only thing that can bind two people together. For example, guilt, responsibility, and… a life-saving grace.”

Li Tingshen’s dark eyes suddenly settled, and the cold seemed to be brewing a silent snowstorm.

Even the eyebrows under his long eyebrows were like cold blades, cold and sharp.

“Do you have to be so aggressive? Ye Qingqiu, no matter what I say or do, have you already sentenced me to death?”

Ye Qingqiu gripped the pillow tightly, squeezing the high-end velvet inside.

“It sounds like I’m more like a muddle-headed judge who doesn’t know anything and easily sentenced someone to death.”

“But Li Tingshen.” Ye Qingqiu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Perhaps it’s because I’m muddle-headed that even if you try to lie to me once, I might choose to pardon you.”

“You think such a hypocritical life is interesting?”

Ye Qingqiu smiled faintly and shook her head. “I think it’s boring too. I’m probably just being pretentious.”

“I still have to rush back for dinner. If you have something to do, go ahead. Are you going to look for Liang Xuer? I’ll take it that you’re going to have a gathering with Yin Ruijue and the rest.”

In the end, she opened the car door completely and the cold wind surged in.

One of her toes hit the ground first, but her other injured foot did not dare to land due to the pain from the emergency brake.

She gripped the car door tightly to prevent herself from making any mistakes.

Once he noticed something, he would probably find it ridiculous. Speaking of pretentiousness, it was really pretentious.

Li Tingshen watched her actions coldly. His eyes were like a storm, silent and desolate.

“You’ve implicated Liang Xuer and me time and time again. No matter what you say or do, it can’t change the deep-rooted understanding in your heart… Now that I think about it, since I’m already such a bad impression in your heart, why don’t I calm down and consider if I really like Liang Xuer or… I really want to try with her.”

Ye Qingqiu, who had just steadied herself, suddenly jolted and looked up at the man who was sneering at her.

“Since you insist on getting off here, it’s useless no matter what I say.”

He leaned over and reached out his long arm to grab the car door. His gaze swept past her hand that was holding the car door tightly and landed on her beautiful face.

Her calm and indifferent voice sounded, “Call Ye Ze and get him to pick you up.”

With that, he exerted some force and Ye Qingqiu loosened her grip on the door.

Li Tingshen’s eyes darkened before he slammed the door shut and stepped on the accelerator. The car sped away.

*

Ye Qingqiu stood rooted to the ground and watched blankly as his car disappeared from her sight. Then, she called Ye Ze mechanically.

He had to seriously consider whether he liked Liang Xuer or not.

So was he really going to the hospital to give it a try with Liang Xuer?

Perhaps it was because the weather was too cold and the blood in her body was frozen, but the pain in her ankle seemed to have lessened.

She was still holding the doll pillow in her hand as she stood on the desolate roadside. She was as lonely and helpless as an abandoned child.

She didn’t know how Ye Ze had arrived in less than ten minutes.

When Ye Ze saw Ye Qingqiu standing alone on the empty road, his shocked and anxious voice sounded as if the sky was about to collapse.

“Missy!”

He got out of the car and immediately took off his jacket to put it on the woman who seemed to have lost her senses.

Her face was filled with helplessness and disappointment.

Such a young girl’s complicated expression surprised him.

Her clothes were not warm.

A girl had a car when she went out and warmth when she entered. If she didn’t go out to shop, she wouldn’t look bloated and cumbersome in so many clothes.

“Brother Ye Ze, my foot… touched something. It hurts.”

The girl’s voice was cold and emotionless. Her nose and eyes were red.

Ye Ze opened the passenger door and bent down to carry her. He carefully placed her on the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

Her breathing quickened because of her anxiety.

“I’ll send you to the hospital.”

The word ‘hospital’ finally gave Ye Qingqiu a reaction.

She blinked and hugged the pillow tightly. “I’m not going to the hospital. I want to go home for dinner now. Grandpa and Dad are still waiting for me.”

“But…”

“Brother Ye Ze, I’m hungry.”

Ye Qingqiu’s expression clearly didn’t allow him to continue.

Ye Ze could only nod in agreement.

*

The car sped on the highway and the window was lowered. The cold wind blew into the car and hit Li Tingshen’s cold face.

The anger in his chest almost burned him to ashes.

The steering wheel’s leather cover was completely deformed by him. Ye Qingqiu’s face kept changing into different emotions.

Sarcasm, mockery, indifference, indifference…

All his expressions seemed to be telling him how ridiculous he was.

He was ridiculously greedy.

She had to take whatever she wanted openly.

If she liked him, she had to give. She had to be honest and let everyone know that she liked him.

She didn’t hide her disgust and disdain.

Innocent, arrogant, and self-righteous.

Then, she felt that everyone had to be like her.

Even if she liked him, she wouldn’t pretend.

Ha.

He sneered.

The strong cold wind rushed into his lungs, and a piercing chill covered most of the fire in his chest.

In the end, her panicked and helpless expression when she stood outside the door flashed across his mind.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and the sharp sound of brakes echoed throughout the empty city.

The car suddenly slowed down and the steering wheel turned.

A series of honks sounded one after another. The cars behind them braked and honked in shock. They rolled down their windows and cursed at the luxury car driving against the highway.

Li Ting turned a deaf ear to her. His face was tense as he passed through the gaps of every car. The windows were rolled up and he turned the heater to the maximum. The passenger seat was also heated up.

After ten minutes, Ye Qingqiu was no longer there.

He opened the car door and got out. He couldn’t find any traces of her.

He was suddenly angry at himself for leaving her alone on the road with her injured foot.

The car with the siren stopped beside his car.

Unable to suppress his frustration, he closed his eyes.

*

As the car drove into the Ye residence, Ye Qingqiu said calmly, “Don’t tell Grandpa and Dad where you picked me up today.”

Ye Ze’s face stiffened, but he still replied, “Yes.”

When Ye Ze carried them into the living room, Old Master and Ye Jianyun beamed with joy.

“You’re back.”

The servant immediately pushed the wheelchair over and asked Ye Ze to place Ye Qingqiu on it.

Ye Qingqiu frowned unhappily and said, “The food today doesn’t suit my taste. To think that I deliberately emptied my stomach for the entire day. I thought I would eat something stunning.”

“It’s only because I’ve spoiled you that your taste is so bad.”

“Yeah, I wonder who spoiled her.”

The moment Ye Qingqiu returned, the atmosphere became lively.

Uncle Ye quickly called them to the dining room.

“Miss, I heard that you’re back for dinner. Old Master and Master didn’t eat much.”

Ye Qingqiu suppressed the bitterness in her throat. “Alright, you can eat more with me.”

Uncle Ye smiled and said, “That’s what I mean. The more people there are, the merrier.”

When everyone was seated, the old man looked out of the dining room. “Where’s Tingshen? Why didn’t he come back with you?”

“Oh, Yin Ruijue asked him to go to a drinking party, so I asked him to go. He’s been busy these days. It’s not easy for him to have his annual leave, but he has to take care of me… I feel terrible if he doesn’t go and have some fun… I spent a lot of effort to chase him away…”

Hearing this, Ye Jianyun nodded. “That’s true. Alright, let’s eat.”

Ye Qingqiu picked up a mouthful of food and placed it in her mouth.

Ye Qingqiu ate a lot for dinner, more than she usually did.

Her stomach felt a little uncomfortable.

The three generations were having tea in the living room and watching the gala. Ye Qingqiu rubbed her stomach and watched the trending searches on her phone.

Almost all of them were trending topics.

Just as she turned on her phone, she received a message.

It was from Ye Ze.

“I bought some medicine.”

Ye Qingqiu looked at the two old men who were watching a skit and replied, “Get someone to put it in my room.”

“Okay.”

Less than two minutes later, Ye Ze suddenly appeared in the living room and walked to her side.

Ye Qingqiu looked up at him.

Old Master and Ye Jianyun also looked at him.

Ye Ze was expressionless. “You just sent a message saying that you wanted to wash up.”

Ye Qingqiu was speechless.

She couldn’t deny it in front of the two elders and could only let Ye Ze carry her upstairs.

Ye Ze carried Ye Qingqiu to the bathroom.

Ye Qingqiu realized that the bathtub was already filled with water.

She looked at Ye Ze and said, “I didn’t tell you.”

Ye Ze nodded and admitted, “You’d better treat your leg as soon as possible.”

After saying that, he turned around and said, “You can shower first. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Ye Ze had just left when a servant walked in.

“Miss, let me help you.”

Indeed, Ye Qingqiu couldn’t shower alone now. Entering and exiting the bathtub was a problem.

It turned out that Li Tingshen had been the one who stripped her naked and carried her into the bathtub.

Now, Ye Ze obviously couldn’t do that.

She didn’t shower for long and came out half an hour later.

When she came out, she was wearing a clean and dry nightgown. The servant helped her to the bathroom door. Ye Qingqiu held the door frame and frowned, feeling tired.

Ye Ze stood at the bedroom door and heard the commotion. “Missy, I’m coming in.”

After taking a bath, her body heated up and the pain in her feet became more obvious. She couldn’t be bothered to walk on her own and responded. Ye Ze appeared beside her in a few seconds.

Then, he bent down and picked her up. He walked to the bed and placed her down.

The negligee she was wearing was considered average. In summer, she was wearing a small strap and hot pants.

However, in winter, where skin was rarely exposed, her outfit looked a little visual.

Ye Ze looked straight ahead and knelt on the ground, placing Ye Qingqiu’s injured leg on his knee.

Layers of wet bandages were removed.

The area that she had twisted was even more swollen than before.

Ye Qingqiu looked at the foot and bit her lips before shifting her gaze elsewhere.

Ever since she was young, she had never been injured. Even if she fell when she was young, the entire Ye family would be in chaos.

She didn’t even dare to imagine such an injury in the past.

Ye Ze’s face was tense as he looked up at her. His hand was suspended in mid-air and he couldn’t do anything.

“I’ve studied medical nursing. I’ll try my best to be careful. You… bear with it.”

Ye Qingqiu bit her lips and hummed softly.

“You can relax a little.” Ye Ze lifted her foot. Her slender calf was very close. He took a closer look at her sprained ankle before picking up the ice pack he had prepared beforehand and wrapping it with a towel.

Ye Qingqiu’s body trembled and she gritted her teeth even harder.

Ye Ze held the ice bag and looked up at her again. “…I think I’ll have to wait another ten days to half a month before I can walk.”

Ye Qingqiu blinked and turned to look at him with a wronged expression.

There were still three to five days before she could get out of bed and walk on her own.

Ye Ze said nothing.

Ye Qingqiu could sense his forbearance.

She wondered if it was because of her.

She didn’t mention it.

After maintaining the same posture for more than ten minutes, Ye Ze took off the ice pack and took the medicine he had bought. He bandaged Ye Qingqiu’s wound skillfully and carefully.

Compared to just now, the pain seemed to have lessened a lot. Ye Qingqiu’s tense nerves relaxed a little.

“In my memory, you’ve always been busy. Why would you think of learning nursing?”

Ye Ze’s hand paused for a moment before continuing. He didn’t look up as he bandaged her wound carefully.

“When you were ten years old, you were flying a kite in the courtyard. You fell into the flowerbed and your arm was cut by a tree branch. You cried in pain and refused to let go. It seemed to hurt more than when I broke my arm when I fell from the tree.”

Ye Qingqiu blinked, as if she had recalled that there was such a thing in the past.

“Ah, I remember that you climbed up the tree to get me a kite… In the end, you were reprimanded by Uncle Ye and locked up for a week.”

Ye Ze nodded and said, “I didn’t do well to hurt you when I was with you.”

The smile on Ye Qingqiu’s face faded.

“But I feel that I’ll definitely be negligent in the future. I can’t stay by your side all the time. If I’m injured, I can still salvage the situation.”

Ye Ze still didn’t look up and continued to apply the medicine on her.

“It seems like I was right back then. Now, I can use it.”

Ye Qingqiu lowered her gaze to look at Ye Ze’s serious expression. After being by her side for so many years, she had always taken it for granted.

“Brother Ye Ze, if it weren’t for you, I might not be who I am now. I can be capricious because I know that you won’t leave me and will definitely solve any problems for me. You won’t let me have any worries. Thank you so much…”

Ye Ze’s voice was calm. “You’re not willful. It’s my responsibility to settle things for you. I did it willingly. If you don’t do anything, what’s the point of my existence?”

He seemed to be saying something normal, but the meaning he expressed was shocking enough…

Ye Ze lived for Ye Qingqiu.

Ye Qingqiu had never thought of it that way, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that ever since Uncle Ye brought him to her side, he had always done so.

Li Tingshen’s driver’s license was temporarily invalid and he couldn’t even find a designated driver on New Year’s Eve. The traffic police officer on duty was dragged back to the Ye residence in a police car.

Seeing Li Tingshen alighting from a police car, the servant outside had a strange expression.

When he entered the house, he saw Old Master and Ye Jianyun watching a show on the sofa.

When Old Master saw him, he asked curiously, “Why are you back so early? It’s rare for you to go out…”

Li Tingshen’s eyes flickered and he clenched his fists tightly.

His body and voice were tense. “Where’s Qingqiu?”

“She’s washing up upstairs. You’re back just in time. Go up and pick her up to prepare for the New Year.”

“Okay.”

The bedroom door wasn’t closed. Just as Li Tingshen reached the door, he heard voices coming from inside.

He heard every word that Ye Ze said.

If Ye Qingqiu didn’t do anything, what was the point of his existence?

Li Tingshen’s eyes darkened. It turned out that the man who had always been by Ye Qingqiu’s side had always had unusual feelings for her.

He walked in and stood at the blind spot of the cabinet. He saw Ye Qingqiu sitting by the bed with her eyes lowered, staring at Ye Ze.

The expression on her face softened.

It was a stark contrast to his expression tonight.

Ye Ze wrapped the last bandage around her before fixing it.

However, such pure actions were no longer pure in Li Tingshen’s eyes.

Her slender legs were held in his hands.

Her legs under the nightdress revealed too much when she lifted her feet. As for Ye Ze’s kneeling posture, he could see more if he looked up slightly.

“Done.”

Ye Ze suddenly spoke and placed his bandaged leg aside.

Then, he looked up at her and asked, “Do you want to sleep or go down?”

Without thinking, Ye Qingqiu said, “I’m going down to accompany Grandpa and Daddy.”

“Okay.”

Ye Ze’s words were concise. He picked up the cotton slippers and gently put them on Ye Qingqiu.

Then, he stood up and walked towards Ye Qingqiu. He bent down naturally and Ye Qingqiu reached out to hug his shoulder.

Perhaps he had seen Ye Ze hug her before, but he had never felt so disgusted before.

He walked in and grabbed Ye Ze’s shoulder before pushing him aside.

Ye Qingqiu’s raised hands were suspended in mid-air.

When she regained her senses, her face darkened.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Li Tingshen turned around and looked down at the woman who was sitting on the bed and glaring at him with a dark expression.

There was moisture in her hair and behind her ears.

She exuded an even clearer scent of shower gel than when she was in the car. Her light makeup had been washed clean.

“Have you showered?”

He raised his hand to brush her wet hair away, but the woman turned her head away.

“I’ve indeed just showered and I don’t want to do it again. So, don’t touch me.”

Her tone was cold.

She was calling him dirty.

Anger swirled in Li Tingshen’s heart.

“Did you shower yourself today?” he insisted.

Ye Qingqiu smiled lightly and said, “Can’t I shower without you? You’re not the only one who can.”

Li Tingshen’s deep eyes looked at her fair and beautiful face. She didn’t have any exquisite or light makeup on and her hair wasn’t messy at all. Her slightly wet hair was naturally scattered around and curled up. A casual and simple aura of life was naturally displayed.

This was a side that only appeared in front of it. Now, it could even face Ye Ze.

In fact, he had seen no more than Ye Ze.

There were too many gaps between them, and Ye Ze had always been there.

He didn’t pursue who had helped Ye Qingqiu shower. He convinced himself that no matter how close she was to Ye Ze, she wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.

“Grandpa and Dad are waiting for you. I’ll carry you downstairs.”

“I planned to go down even if you didn’t tell me.” After Ye Qingqiu finished speaking, her gaze landed on Ye Ze. “Brother Ye Ze, carry me down.”

Li Tingshen stood rooted to the ground with a cold smile on his face.

Ye Ze walked around him and planned to carry Ye Qingqiu from the other side.

However, his shoulder was suddenly grabbed and a strong punch landed on his face. Even though Ye Ze reacted quickly and dodged in time, he was still punched in the face.

He staggered and grabbed the edge of the bed to steady himself.

Ye Qingqiu was stunned for a moment before she turned pale with fright.

“Brother Ye Ze…”

Ye Qingqiu turned her body to the side to help him, but Ye Ze reached out to stop her. Then, he stood up slowly and wiped the liquid from his lips.

“Miss, since you call me brother, I have to accept it.”

He said calmly before his face, which he was used to, suddenly turned vicious. He raised his hand and swung it at Li Tingshen.

Li Tingshen didn’t expect that the emotionless robot who had always been by Ye Qingqiu’s side would suddenly attack.

He took two steps back.

Ye Qingqiu felt her head swelling as she stared blankly at the sudden scene before her.

Ye Ze took two steps closer to Li Tingshen. The man who was arranged to be beside Ye Qingqiu must have extraordinary skills.

He was very fast, but as he closed in on him, he did not attack again. Instead, his bloodshot eyes stared intently at him as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“I don’t know why you chose to leave her alone by the roadside after injuring her foot again on New Year’s Eve. But no matter how many reasons you have, even if your mother died suddenly, it’s not forgivable!”

Li Tingshen’s eyebrows, which were as cold and sharp as iron swords that had been polished countless times, paused when he heard Ye Ze’s vicious and furious words.

He looked over Ye Ze’s shoulder at the woman sitting on the bed.

The woman’s eyes turned red. When she met his gaze, she put on a cold and stubborn expression and turned her head away.

His heart sank and his gaze landed on her bandaged foot.

Thinking back, her expression changed.

“What kind of urgent matter could make you do such a thing? Did the company go bankrupt or did your mother die? You didn’t even say a word of comfort when you came back. Who are you going to settle scores with?”

Ye Ze’s words lost his composure as a man of few words. They were sharp and merciless.

However, Li Tingshen couldn’t retort. No matter how much his words crossed his bottom line, he couldn’t speak.

He had left her alone on the cold and empty street on New Year’s Eve. It was enough to make him realize the seriousness of the situation.

Now, it turned out that he had injured her foot again.

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