Chương 71: Explanation

Lin Che, carrying a paper bag containing carefully selected gifts, gently pushed open the door to Su Yuqing's room. The room was dark, as the lights were off.

Su Yuqing was curled up on the bed, clutching the blanket with both hands, her body slightly turned towards the door. Her eyes appeared exceptionally bright in the dim light, yet they carried a suppressed, indescribable unease.

His heart tightened, and he quickly walked to the bedside, casually placed the paper bag on the bedside table, and then sat down next to her. The mattress creaked slightly under his weight.

"Mom said you're not in a good mood, what's wrong?" Lin Che's voice was gentle, with an undisguised worry.

He tried to see her expression, but the dim light and her gripping the blanket tightly while she looked down obstructed his view.

After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively guessed, "Did something unpleasant happen while you were shopping today? Did you have a falling out with your friends?"

Su Yuqing gently shook her head and remained silent.

Lin Che felt even more nervous. If it wasn't a fight with her friend, then what could it be? Was it something to do at school? Or... was there something she didn't want her family to know?

"So... did something unpleasant happen at school? Was it a problem with your studies, or did you encounter some difficult problems?" He changed the subject and continued asking questions, his tone tinged with urgency.

Su Yuqing shook her head again, curled up even tighter, and buried her head in the blanket, making it impossible for Lin Che to see her expression.

Seeing that she wouldn't open her mouth no matter how he asked, Lin Che felt a sense of helplessness. He picked up the paper bag on the bedside table and handed it to her.

"This is a gift I picked out for you. See if you like it," he said softly with a smile, trying to distract her with the gift and at least make her a little happier.

Su Yuqing hesitated before reaching out and taking the paper bag. Her fingers were a little cold, and her movements as she took the bag were also somewhat hesitant.

Moreover, she didn't open it immediately; she just held it in her arms, her body still curled up, and there was no happy expression on her face.

Seeing the girl's sullen expression, Lin Che's smile gradually faded, replaced by a serious look.

He could clearly sense that Su Yuqing's mood was not simply bad; something was very wrong with her.

That tension, that closed-off attitude, was something he had never seen in Su Yuqing since his rebirth. It reminded him of certain things from his past life, and worry immediately surged up like a tide.

Meanwhile, Su Yuqing was also going through a huge internal struggle. She had been waiting for Lin Che to come back today so that she could ask him directly for clarification.

But now, facing him, seeing the genuine concern and worry on his face, the questions she had rehearsed countless times in her mind just wouldn't come out. They were like fish bones stuck in her throat, making her uncomfortable, yet she couldn't spit them out.

At this moment, she felt a tremendous sense of injustice and absurdity. Buying a gift shouldn't have taken this long—an entire afternoon! What had he been doing since returning from the mall? Where had he gone? Had he really been with Xiaoli the whole time? What had they done? Had their relationship improved?

She thought about all the effort she had put into bringing them together—actively creating opportunities for them to be alone, and even being punished by her mother by having to wash the dishes for several days in a row.

These memories flooded back, making her feel that everything she had done was so ridiculous and laughable. She was trying so hard like a clown, and what was the result?

But the two of them became so close without her knowledge, and that intense feeling of being excluded tore her heart apart.

"Yuqing, what exactly happened?" Lin Che's voice rang out again, his tone unusually serious.

"Tell me, okay?"

Su Yuqing bit her lower lip, her heart in turmoil. She wanted to ask, she wanted to cry, and she wanted to pour out all her unease and grievances.

But at the same time, the deep-seated fear of being abandoned made her hesitate.

She was afraid that if she asked, she would hear an answer that she couldn't bear. She was afraid that her insecurity would annoy Lin Che and push her further away. She was also afraid that once this conflict was triggered, the originally harmonious family would become oppressive.

In the end, she didn't speak immediately. Instead, she turned her body to the side, not wanting to face Lin Che, and her hands were still tightly gripping the blanket.

Seeing her withdrawn state, Lin Che knew she must be enduring immense pain. He didn't force her anymore, but simply sat quietly by the bed, waiting.

The room fell silent, with only the soft breathing of the two people and the occasional noise of the city outside the window.

After an unknown amount of time, just when Lin Che thought she might not speak at all that night, Su Yuqing's voice finally rang out. Her voice was low and trembling noticeably.

"... Tell me first, where did you go today?"

"I went to the mall with Xiaoli to pick out a gift," Lin Che answered truthfully, a hint of confusion in his expression.

"Didn't I tell you that yesterday?"

When Su Yuqing heard him mention yesterday's events, her curled-up figure stiffened slightly. She didn't speak immediately, as if she was processing this information.

"And then?" After a long pause, she finally asked, seemingly incredulous.

"Is that all? And then what? Does picking out a gift take that long?"

Upon hearing her question, Lin Che suddenly realized that her unusual behavior was likely due to... something she had seen in the mall.

The scene where I pulled Luo Bingli into my arms to protect her at the gift shop entrance could indeed have been seen by people in the distance and caused misunderstandings.

He looked at Su Yuqing's curled-up body and tried to ask, "Yuqing, did you... see something at the mall today?"

Su Yuqing's body trembled violently. She knew the other party had guessed, so she didn't answer, but simply nodded slightly.

When Lin Che heard her affirmative answer, he was first taken aback, and then a smile mixed with helplessness and amusement appeared on his face.

"... Just this?" he couldn't help but ask, his tone a mixture of amusement and relief.

Seeing this reaction, Su Yuqing's emotions instantly surged: "Is this a small matter?! I saw it... I saw you holding Xiaoli! You were holding her in your arms!" Her voice was filled with suppressed grievance.

But for some reason, seeing Lin Che's "That's it?" reaction and hearing his somewhat helpless voice, the immense unease and grievance she felt due to the misunderstanding miraculously eased a little.

It was as if his calm attitude itself possessed a power to resolve all misunderstandings.

Seeing that although she was agitated, she didn't seem to have broken down, Lin Che breathed a sigh of relief and then sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry, I showed you something that could easily cause a misunderstanding."

He explained the situation to the other party. When they arrived at the entrance of the gift shop, someone accidentally bumped into the shelf, and an ornament was about to hit Luo Bingli. He instinctively pulled her aside and shielded her in his arms.

He explained in detail and frankly, without avoiding any details, just to let her know that it was just an accident, a protective action, without any other meaning.

Su Yuqing listened quietly, replaying Lin Che's explanation in her mind and comparing it with the scene she had seen.

She recalled that she had only seen Lin Che protect Xiao Li in his arms for a moment, and she hadn't noticed what happened after that or before. At the time, she was only focused on being shocked and flustered, and she hurriedly left with her friends to cover it up.

So that's how it is...?

The iceberg in her heart was rapidly disintegrating, and the misunderstanding was melting away like snow under the sun. The repression and pain that had accumulated throughout the afternoon due to the misunderstanding were released at this moment.

"... That's it?" she asked in surprise, her voice filled with the relief of someone who had just escaped a disaster.

"That's it." Lin Che nodded seriously, his eyes completely calm.

A blush rose on Su Yuqing's cheeks, whether from the misunderstanding being cleared up or from Lin Che's direct gaze, it was hard to tell.

She stammered, "But... but Xiaoli was wearing such beautiful clothes... completely different from usual..." She couldn't help but bring it up again; that unusual outfit remained a mystery to her.

"This means she's opened up a lot and is willing to dress up nicely for going out shopping." Lin Che smiled helplessly.

"Isn't that a good thing? It shows she's willing to try to make changes."

Su Yuqing was speechless for a moment. She recalled Luo Bingli's usual plain appearance, and then thought of how she had dressed up specially today. A sense of relief welled up in her heart. She knew that Lin Che was right, this was a good thing.

The misunderstanding seemed to have been completely cleared up, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became relaxed. Su Yuqing sat up from the bed, and a smile returned to her face.

Seeing her regain her energy, Lin Che couldn't help but tease her, "See? I told you it was a misunderstanding, but you insisted on making things up."

"Who's thinking nonsense!" Su Yuqing immediately retorted, reaching out to pinch his arm, and the two started playfully bickering as usual.

Just then, Su Wanyi's voice came from downstairs: "Yuqing! Xiaoche! Come down for dinner!"

"Coming!" Lin Che responded, stood up and walked towards the door.

"Let's go eat."

"Okay." Su Yuqing nodded, then got off the bed and prepared to leave the room. But when she reached the door, she suddenly stopped.

Although the misunderstanding had been cleared up, one last question remained deep in her heart, pricking her like a tiny thorn.

"Speaking of which... what did you do all afternoon?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Were you picking out gifts with Xiaoli the whole time?"

Lin Che paused for a moment at the door. Due to the overwhelming sense of crisis, after leaving the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, he transformed back into Xing Shuang and found a secluded place to practice magic manipulation for a while, which is why he returned home so late.

But he couldn't tell the other party about this matter or his previous experiences at the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs. Those were responsibilities he had decided to shoulder alone, secrets he had to protect alone, and these were things he absolutely couldn't tell the people he cared about.

"No, she went back after we had lunch together." He shook his head.

Su Yuqing pressed, "What were you doing all afternoon? You've been making me overthink things."

"I met up with some friends I know." Lin Che chose a common excuse, deliberately not going into details, and only giving a vague answer.

He then said, "Hurry up and come downstairs to eat, don't keep your parents waiting."

Su Yuqing stood behind Lin Che, watching his tall and straight back without saying a word, just silently watching him open the door and walk out.

She knew that Lin Che rarely got together with friends, let alone for an entire afternoon, and that he had paused for a moment when he spoke just now.

She could tell he was lying.

The relief that had just been eased by the resolution of the misunderstanding was now replaced by a new unease. It wasn't the fear of being betrayed in the relationship, but a deeper sense of bewilderment and worry about Lin Che's "concealment" of the situation itself.

Why did he lie to me? What is he hiding?

Su Yuqing was once again confused.