After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 22

He Roushuang’s fingers trembled slightly, unsure where to place them. She could only blink gently and gaze at Shi Qing.

“How long have I been holding you like this?”

He Roushuang had been about to apologize, but she abruptly stopped herself. Come on, a President wouldn’t do that.

“I don’t know.”

In truth, Shi Qing knew perfectly well. Only eight hours had passed since she had quietly wrapped her arms around He Roushuang in the early morning.

“Ah…”

He Roushuang closed her eyes, a small frown creasing her brow. (How could I do this?) she thought. (Taking advantage of sharing a bed to openly flirt with the female lead…)

“It’s okay, Sister. You can be even more forward if you want.”

Shi Qing leaned closer, deliberately whispering provocative words of affection. These were lines Qin Wenlu had taught her, a stark contrast to her own blank-slate romantic experience.

Qin Wenlu’s life, by comparison, was like that of a butterfly flitting among flowers. Fresh young men were always lining up to offer themselves to her.

With her striking beauty and witty charm, Qin Wenlu never lacked for suitors.

“No,” He Roushuang said, her lips pressed into a stubborn line. “I don’t feel anything for you yet.”

Her words were a flimsy excuse. In truth, she had already fallen for Shi Qing countless times, but she refused to admit it. She knew that falling in love with the female lead would only lead to a tragic end for herself.

“Really…”

“Why don’t you like me?” Shi Qing’s expression was tinged with hurt.

“Because falling for someone so easily would be superficial, wouldn’t it?” He Roushuang countered. “Like my brother. I don’t want that.”

She shook her head in rejection, but her words carried a sliver of genuine feeling. Shi Qing nodded thoughtfully, her reaction far calmer than her previous tearful outbursts.

“I’ll work hard…”

“To make you fall for me.”

Shi Qing slowly leaned closer, her fingertips, warm beneath the covers, gently touching the back of He Roushuang’s hand. Her gaze was earnest, like a deep, fathomless pool.

He Roushuang could feel her heart pounding wildly. (This Shi Qing is truly the female lead material—such a tease!) she thought, overwhelmed by a thousand emotions.

She nearly lost her composure, almost lunging forward to pin Shi Qing to the bed and kiss her.

Shi Qing resigned from her job, shifting her entire focus to two people: her mother and, naturally, He Roushuang.

However, He Roushuang worked during the day, so Shi Qing spent most of her days with her mother—
and enduring the daily, jealous, and sour expressions from the patient in the adjacent bed.

Whenever her mother’s spirits improved, Shi Qing would make a special trip to the flower shop to buy the freshest blooms, arranging them by her bedside.

Not the tightly budded flowers meant to last over ten days in a vase, but rather vibrant, fully opened blossoms.

“Mom, should I get you a private room?” Shi Qing asked.

She was constantly being stared at by the other patients, and some even knelt before her, begging for money.

“Miss, your family received such a large donation. You must have plenty of funds for life-saving treatments. Please lend us a few tens of thousands. If we can just get through this crisis, I’ll repay you double!”

These people spoke from the depths of their hearts, tears streaming down their faces.

But Shi Qing wasn’t the type to let her kindness overflow. She was still struggling in her own quagmire—how could she extend a hand to save others?

Although Miss He had given her a substantial sum of money…

Still…

Shi Qing didn’t want to waste a single penny.

“Our family’s money is barely enough to cover the hospital debt,” she would always say, using this excuse to turn people away. Some would leave grudgingly, but others refused to take no for an answer.

“I’m begging you on my knees…”

“Please save my son!”

“Please save my mother!”

The countless pleas mingled together. Instead of reaching for her wallet, Shi Qing knelt down herself. The ancient proverb “A man’s knees are worth gold” once symbolized a man’s dignity in feudal society.

But this was no longer feudal society.

By kneeling, Shi Qing was shattering her own dignity.

“I’m begging you too—please let me save my mother. I truly don’t have any extra money. I received a donation from Tianze Group, but my mother needs surgery…”

“No extra money.”

Seeing her daughter drive away those asking for loans, Huo Wenlan was stunned. Her surgery had already been performed; the only concern was the potential for cancer metastasis.

When her daughter suggested moving to a private room, Huo Wenlan didn’t object too strongly. She was more concerned about preventing her daughter from kneeling to others than about the cost of the room.

“I’ll arrange it right away,” Huo Wenlan said.

Seeing her mother nod, Shi Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

(At least Mom cares about me,) she thought, remembering how her mother had watched her kneel repeatedly to drive away the people asking for money.

(She couldn’t bear to see me do that.)

Just as Shi Qing stood up, her vision went black. This was likely due to her irregular eating habits and the fact that she had eaten very little that morning.

Her vision blurred, showing signs of a hypoglycemic episode.

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped her arm. Shi Qing’s ears rang, as if a train whistle were blaring right next to her.

She instinctively murmured a thank you to the person supporting her. Her voice was barely audible, like a wisp of air.

“You’re welcome,” the man chuckled softly.

Shi Qing tensed. She recognized the voice—it was He Shanjian!

Such was the curse of her exceptional memory. Even a voice she had heard only once or twice would be etched in her mind, whether she wanted to remember it or not.

Shi Qing’s expression darkened. She desperately tried to free herself from the man’s grip, but he held her wrist with a tenacity that bordered on brutish.

“Shi Qing, how much is my sister paying you?”

“Considering your mother is still in a shared hospital room, you must be short on cash, right?”

“Come with me, and I’ll give you two million.”

He Shanjian’s tone dripped with arrogant certainty. He had thoroughly investigated and knew his damned sister would never spend that much on her.

“Don’t say such things in front of my mother,” Shi Qing hissed, lowering her voice. She hated dragging her mother into these matters. He Shanjian’s words had crossed a line.

“What’s wrong with saying it?”

“It’s an undeniable fact that you’re relying on my sister…”

He Shanjian was brimming with arrogance. From childhood, his mother had groomed him as the future crown prince of the Tianze Group, dismissing He Roushuang, the rightful heir, entirely.

Shi Qing’s patience snapped, but she refrained from slapping him in front of her mother. Instead, she wrenched her arm free with a violent jerk.

“Let’s talk outside,” she said, glancing at her mother.

“Mom, he’s a new colleague from work. We’re just going out to chat for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

A smile flickered in Shi Qing’s eyes. She was relieved she had spoken softly, and her mother, already weakened by illness, likely hadn’t heard clearly.

Her mother nodded.

Seeing Shi Qing willing to leave the hospital with him, He Shanjian smirked triumphantly. He was handsome, but his smile revealed an unmistakable predatory gleam.

Even the protagonist’s aura seemed to dim in his presence.

They reached a quiet corner of the corridor, the same spot where Shi Qing had spoken with He Roushuang earlier. Now, with a different companion, even the blooming gardenias seemed displeasing to her.

Only now did Shi Qing truly understand.

So…

The way one feels when admiring flowers varies depending on the person beside you.