Shen Qi spaced out for a second before nodding. Once Song An was done packing her things, Shen Qi went home with her.
It was already evening, and the street lamps were switched on by the time they left the hospital. The lights illuminating the houses in the city and the neon lights across the roads and junctions overlapped. Shen Qi felt chilly as a gust of night breeze blew against her, so she buried her neck deeper into the collar of her clothes instinctively and hugged herself tighter.
“Put the jacket on if you’re feeling cold. Wait for me right here. I’ll get the car.”
“All right, Aunty.” Shen Qi was getting used to calling Song An her ‘Aunty’ as time passed.
It was autumn now, and Shen Qi felt rather cold while waiting in the night at the entrance of the hospital with the chilly wind blowing against her. After a moment of hesitation, she finally put Ye Moxuan’s jacket over her shoulders.
His suit jacket was large, and it felt like there was a large cloak over her shoulders, effectively shielding her from the chilly wind.
Shen Qi lowered her head for a sniff, and she inhaled Ye Moxuan’s scent on the jacket. The scent felt somehow desolate, and it was similar to the scent of tobacco.
Shen Qi blinked her eyes several times when she realized that and pulled the jacket closer to herself. After waiting for about two minutes, Song An arrived with her car, and she parked the car nearby. Shen Qi walked over to open the car door and got into the car.
“Remember to fasten your seat belt,” reminded Song An before driving the car away.
The car drove into the traffic as Shen Qi stared at the neon lights beside the streets. Suddenly, she heard Song An’s question. “How did you sustain these injuries today? What happened between you and Moxuan?”
Moxuan and I…
“The soundproofing in the office isn’t great, and you were most probably still awake earlier, so I’m sure you heard our conversation as well,” Song An added without waiting for Shen Qi’s reply.
Shen Qi was stunned for a few seconds, and her ears and cheeks blushed a deep red.
Who would have thought Song An would be so observant? She managed to guess even that. What about Ye Moxuan? He must know about it since his aunt has figured it out as well.
“In that case, let me ask you this. Are you sincerely planning to spend your life with Moxuan?”
How should I answer her? Shen Qi forced a smile and answered with a quiet voice, “Aunty, I know that you are a good person. However, you can’t force something like feelings and love. It is rather complicated between Moxuan and me. Furthermore, I was not the one who wanted to marry him.”
“Xiao Su told me everything about the two of you, and I know that you married into the Ye family in place of your younger sister. The Shen family believes that Ye Moxuan, who has both his legs crippled, is an unfortunate torture, and they think that marrying their daughter into the Ye family is a hopeless move.”
Shen Qi did not counter her because Song An was right, so Shen Qi remained silent with her head lowered.
“Previously, I told Moxuan that you are a very decent child by marrying into the Ye family even though you were replacing your younger sister and knew that Moxuan is disabled. Furthermore, I know that you treat Moxuan well. So, can you tell me something?”
Shen Qi looked up at Song An when she heard that. “What would you like to know?”
“Do you love Moxuan?”
Shen Qi was stumped by that question.
Song An broke into a grin and asked, “Was that too blunt? In that case, let’s phrase it in another way. What do you think of this marriage? Although it started out as a marriage of convenience, most marriages of convenience results in both parties developing feelings for each other too. You’ve been with him for several months now. How do you feel about him?”
“I…” Shen Qi wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t even come up with an answer when Han Xueyou asked her about it, let alone Song An who was her senior. Hence, Shen Qi was at her wit’s end.
“It seems like you are quite confused,” commented Song An while shaking her head. “I think the two of you still need some time.”
Shen Qi lowered her eyes while speaking in a soft voice. “Aunty, please don’t talk about it anymore because Ye Moxuan will never love me.”
Song An burst out laughing when she heard that. “I wouldn’t have guessed that you are able to read others’ minds. Why don’t you ask him for yourself whether or not he loves you to get an accurate answer?”
There’s no need to ask. In fact, I’ve asked him that question before, Shen Qi thought to herself.
Previously, Ye Moxuan questioned me whether I had fallen for him, and I threw the question back at him to ask if he was in love with me. But Ye Moxuan’s expression and gaze gave me a clear answer.
He is still disgusted by me.
Perhaps some feelings might develop after two people interacted for a period; however, if a knot were to form in the heart, a relationship would forever be imperfect.
“Many things require asking. How would you know what he is thinking if you do not ask him? Besides, even if you do, the other person’s answer might not be what they have in their heart.” Song An paused and smiled while looking at somewhere seemingly far away. “There are often two sides to everything, and when I asked you earlier, you were conflicted with your answer, and it is most probably because of countless reasons. It’s not that you are not in love with Moxuan. It’s just that due to certain reasons, you feel as if you shouldn’t be in love with Moxuan. In fact, you feel as if you are not good enough for him. Am I right?”
Shen Qi was shocked, and she stared at Song An in surprise. “Aunty, aren’t you a surgeon? Wh-Why do you even know psychology too?”
Shen Qi stuttered with her question, and Song An shot her a glance swiftly. When Song An noted how shocked and confused Shen Qi’s expression was, Song An couldn’t help but chuckle in delight.
“Haha, you are such a silly girl. You are about to be a mother, but why are you still like a child? No wonder…”
No wonder Ye Moxuan changed so much. Ye Moxuan has much more emotions now than before, and he considers her feelings too.
In the past, Ye Moxuan thinks of nothing but revenge because he has vowed to take over Ye Group, and that is why there has never been a woman around him.
Initially, Song An was quite worried when Old Master Ye arranged a marriage for Ye Moxuan out of the blue. However, fate was a miraculous thing because no one would have expected Ye Moxuan to end up with Shen Qi. Their current development was not something within Song An’s expectations too.
Shen Qi was slightly embarrassed, and she bit her lower lip reflexively.
After that, Song An drove her back to her home. Song An had her own apartment. The residential community was peaceful, and the apartment was decorated warmly and cozily.
“Have a seat first. I’ll change my clothes before phoning Moxuan to inform him that you are with me. He can pick you up later.”
“Thank you, Aunty.”
After Song An left, Shen Qi sat down on the couch, and she started eyeing the decorations in the house. After a while, Song An returned.
“What’s wrong? Are you reluctant to take the jacket off despite being indoors?”
Shen Qi blushed furiously when she heard that, and she answered hastily, “I forgot.”
Then, Shen Qi reached out to pull the suit jacket off in a hurry, and she was most probably too rough because there was a clatter when she took the jacket off. It sounded as if something fell onto the floor.
“What is that?” asked Song An.
Shen Qi was about to bend down to search for it, but Song An beat her to it and crouched down in front of Shen Qi. Song An picked a small box that ended up just beside her feet.
“What is this?” Song An asked while handing Shen Qi the box. “I saw it falling out of the pocket of the jacket.”
