The cold wind blew gustily at night, yet Ye Zhinan somehow managed to find some cold wine. She sat in the yard, drinking alone under the moon.
By the time Qin Yihuai noticed, the wine flask was already empty.
He let out a soft sigh, walked up to her, and snatched the wine cup from her hand.
He tilted his head back and drained it in one gulp.
The spiciness spread through his viscera, making him a bit more sober instead.
"Why torture yourself like this?"
Qin Yihuai thought she had been hit during the day and was drowning her sorrows in wine.
But Ye Zhinan raised her head and looked at him hazily, her eyes still misty.
"I don't know what to do."
Her incoherent words made Qin Yihuai retract his intention to console her. He quietly stayed by her side, waiting for her to continue.
Ye Zhinan was quite cooperative. The familiar aura around her made her let down her guard.
The words spilled out involuntarily.
"I feel bad when you don't share your feelings with me. But even when you do, I still don't feel any better."
She seemed to have suffered a great injustice and was on the verge of crying.
Qin Yihuai was quick - witted and covered her mouth, whispering words of comfort.
Only soft sobs remained.
"It's my fault. I'll be more tactful next time."
Ye Zhinan shook her head again and reached out to touch the tip of Qin Yihuai's nose.
The sudden approach of her delicate fingertips made Qin Yihuai freeze all over. He didn't dare to move for a long time.
"What you said makes sense. It's just that I can't take it."
After saying that, she lay on his shoulder and sobbed softly, looking very aggrieved.
It took Qin Yihuai a long time to recover. He looked down at the little head on his shoulder and couldn't help but smile wryly.
He was naturally happy that she cared about him.
But then he thought that she was crying because of him, and his heart ached sharply.
He felt a pang of heartache.
"I won't make you sad anymore."
He murmured as he looked at Ye Zhinan's sleeping face.
The person beside him let out a soft groan. He didn't know if it was a response or a reproach.
Qin Yihuai picked her up, tiptoed to open the door, and placed her on the bed.
When he got up and saw the medicine bottle on the bedside table, his eyes darkened slightly.
The sky was turning pale in the east, but Qin Yihuai had no sign of sleepiness. He still sat in the yard in a daze.
"Boss, I saw everything that happened last night."
Chen Zhenhai rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked up to Qin Yihuai with a sly smile.
Qin Yihuai shot him a glare, but he didn't feel scared at all. Instead, he mustered up the courage to continue.
"Your feelings are already obvious. Why hide them?"
He stared directly at Qin Yihuai, waiting for his answer.
But Qin Yihuai stood up irritably and strode out of the yard.
How could he not know his own feelings? From the first time he saw her, he thought she was lively and cute.
The second time he saw her, all he felt was heartache.
Although he was just a low - ranking official of the ninth rank, he had the means to support himself.
But in the future, the Ye family was going to rise again...
He clenched his hands behind his back irritably and strode towards the brick kiln.
When Ye Zhinan woke up, only Chen Zhenhai was left in the yard.
She rubbed her throbbing head and staggered out.
"You're awake. There's some hangover soup warming on the stove. Go and drink it quickly."
Ye Zhinan walked towards the kitchen but suddenly felt something was wrong. She turned around and looked at him.
"How do you know I drank wine last night?"
Chen Zhenhai smiled guiltily and then had an idea.
"It's Boss Qin! He told me to watch you drink the hangover soup before leaving. Hurry up. I still have things to do."
Ye Zhinan's mind was muddled. She didn't suspect anything and went straight into the kitchen.
Chen Zhenhai watched her back as she left and swaggered away.
He had done his best. As for the rest, it was up to Qin Yihuai's ability.
Ye Zhinan had a terrible headache. She didn't know where the brick kiln was. After drinking the hangover soup, she went back to catch up on sleep.
She didn't know how long she had slept. She woke up groggily and heard noises outside.
"Something's wrong! Inspector Qin is injured!"
She sat up from the bed abruptly, gasping for breath. She thought she was having a dream.
It wasn't until she heard the noises clearly that she casually threw a coat on and rushed out of the door.
The sky had already darkened outside. Only the afterglow of the setting sun shone in the yard.
She looked from afar and saw a person lying on the ground, gasping for breath. There was also blood beside his feet.
She rushed forward and found it was Qin Yihuai.
"What on earth happened?"
"We were walking down from the brick kiln. We don't know what he stepped on, but he suddenly tripped and was injured by a hunting trap in the mountains."
Ye Zhinan looked up at Li Feilong. Seeing his panicked expression, she thought this probably had nothing to do with him.
She vaguely remembered that when they left, they had specifically checked for the set traps.
They were just afraid of missing any and hurting innocent people.
Li Feilong saw her scrutinizing look and quickly waved his hands to explain.
"I can assure you that all the hunting traps were taken back at that time. I don't know where this one came from. Fortunately, his foot wasn't caught. It's just a flesh wound."
Ye Zhinan didn't answer. She lowered her eyelids to examine Qin Yihuai's wound.
The cut was so deep that the bone was visible. If his foot had been caught, this leg might have been useless.
"Leave the rest to me. You can go back and rest assured."
She seemed calm, but in fact, her heart was in turmoil.
She tried hard not to look at the expressions of the people around her, for fear of revealing her true feelings accidentally.
"Then you should be more careful. Don't worry about the brick kiln. We'll make plans after Inspector Qin recovers."
Ye Zhinan nodded and gave Ye Yingfeng, who was standing behind her, a look.
Ye Yingfeng politely invited the people to leave the yard. He deliberately glanced at Wu Yangping before they left.
"Carry him into the room. You stay outside and guard. Don't let anyone in."
She knew clearly that Qin Yihuai was the backbone. He couldn't fall.
Nor could those who were waiting for him to fall succeed.
Qin Yihuai had regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw Ye Zhinan beside him. He forced a smile.
"You look worse when you smile than when you cry. It's going to hurt a bit next. Bear with it."
She smiled and raised her hand, then brought it down hard on the back of Qin Yihuai's head.
Qin Yihuai felt dizzy, and then his vision went black. He lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, Ye Zhinan was still by his side, but she was dozing off with her head propped up.
He tentatively moved his ankle but found he had no feeling at all.
He sat up abruptly. When he saw his foot was still there, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Even you have things to fear."
Ye Zhinan's teasing voice came. Qin Yihuai looked at her and coughed awkwardly.
"No. Miss Ye is so skilled in medicine. I'm naturally at ease."
Ye Zhinan was stunned for a moment when she heard his words.
She had lost count of how many times. It seemed that every time in a life - and - death situation, he would choose to trust her.
Before she could say something emotional, the door outside was suddenly opened.
Ye Yingfeng rushed in, followed by Chen Zhenhai.
Chen Zhenhai was a shrewd person. As soon as he entered the room, he smelled the ambiguous atmosphere. He wanted to find a hole to hide in, but he couldn't stop Ye Yingfeng.
Ye Yingfeng rushed up and checked Qin Yihuai's body over and over again.
"It's good that you're okay. It's good that you're okay."