Chapter 115: Chapter 114: A Force-Ripened Melon Is Never Sweet
Qin Shen walked her to her door. Just as Jiang Si was about to go inside, he suddenly stopped her.
Jiang Si looked at him, confused. Noticing how close they were, she abruptly took a step back.
As if he were some fearsome beast, Jiang Si subconsciously explained, "You startled me."
Qin Shen apologized, "Sorry." Then he added, "And thank you for helping me out of that situation earlier."
The matter had already been settled, but Qin Shen just had to bring it up again.
Jiang Si had just managed to calm down, but now her thoughts were in turmoil once more.
"Um, well, I’m going in now."
She put on a calm expression.
Qin Shen’s gaze fell on her face as he said very seriously, "Can you do me a favor?"
Jiang Si froze. ’A favor?’
’It’s not *that* kind of favor, is it?!’
This was the second time Jiang Si had entered Qin Shen’s room. Compared to hers, it was much more spartan—just as cold and aloof as the man himself.
When he had uttered the word "cuddle," Jiang Si felt that he was hiding a volcano inside him, one that could incinerate a person at any moment.
’He helped you, so you have to help him back!’
And so, Jiang Si had followed Qin Shen into his room.
But unlike last time, Qin Shen instantly transformed into his original form. The intense visual shock of him filling the entire room nearly made Jiang Si cry out.
Qin Shen’s enormous head and pitch-black eyes, which gleamed with a faint light, made him indistinguishable from a wild beast.
But then he suddenly spoke. "Sorry to trouble you for the night."
Jiang Si was curled up on his soft belly, which was exceptionally warm and comfortable. She had a soft spot for fluffy things and subconsciously snuggled against him.
Qin Shen was about to say more, but his voice suddenly cut off. The atmosphere grew a little strange. Jiang Si looked up, completely oblivious, with a tuft of Qin Shen’s white fur on her face and his scent clinging to her.
This was dangerous for a beast who lost control during a lunar eclipse.
Qin Shen unconsciously moved closer to Jiang Si. Sensing something was off, she placed a hand on his head to stop him. The moment of contact brought his sanity back. He retracted the tongue that had been a hair’s breadth from lolling out and said, "Let’s sleep. Good night."
Jiang Si lay back down. Listening to his powerful heartbeat, she couldn’t sleep, and she knew he wasn’t asleep either. "Why did you transform into your original form?"
’Could it be that he’s embarrassed?’
Qin Shen opened his eyes and revealed his greatest weakness to Jiang Si. "I sometimes lose control during a lunar eclipse and turn into a bloodthirsty beast. I only calm down after the eclipse is over. But that doesn’t happen when I’m with you."
Jiang Si suddenly recalled that when she first met Qin Shen, he had been very cold toward her.
But after the appearance of the great white beast, he had started paying much more attention to them.
If that was the only reason Qin Shen was showing interest in her, Jiang Si felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.
But on second thought, if she had a way to regain her sanity, she would probably make the same choice.
Besides, she was in no position to blame Qin Shen. When she was feeling unwell, hadn’t she sought his help too?
’The fact that Qin Shen is willing to tell me this must mean he trusts me a lot now.’
Qin Shen kept looking at her, seemingly waiting for her response.
Jiang Si buried her head in his chest and whispered, "It’s okay. You can always come to me in the future."
Qin Shen froze for a second. Then, his ears involuntarily flattened back, and his fluffy tail began to thump up and down excitedly, though he kept the movement small.
Jiang Si didn’t see or hear it. Her mind was filled with the anxious thought: ’He understands this is just mutual assistance, right?’
Nestled in Qin Shen’s embrace, she didn’t need a blanket at all. No matter how she lay, it was incredibly comfortable.
Jiang Si slept until broad daylight. When she woke and saw a man in the bed, she reacted on pure instinct, kicking Qin Shen straight to the floor with a sudden jolt.
Qin Shen fell to the floor, sitting there completely naked.
Jiang Si’s eyes flew wide open. A quick glance revealed that Qin Shen’s clothes had all been torn to shreds when he transformed into his original form last night.
Qin Shen looked up at her. Jiang Si’s face turned beet red as she scrambled to throw the blanket at him. "S-Sorry!"
’Even though I’ve seen it before, and it’s practically a work of art... still, this is way too intense for first thing in the morning!’
Qin Shen wrapped the sheet around himself and stood up. "It’s fine."
He was poised and didn’t seem to mind at all.
Jiang Si’s attempt to force herself to stay calm failed. She fled in a panic. "I’m leaving now!"
"Wait."
But Jiang Si didn’t wait. She needed to cool down!
SLAM! The door shut. She had just let out a sigh of relief when she found herself facing two pairs of astonished eyes belonging to Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying.
As she was now—disheveled, guilt-ridden, face flushed, and looking flustered—she looked exactly like someone fleeing the scene of a crime.
Jiang Linhai’s expression grew serious. Jiang Si hurriedly explained, "It’s not what you think! Let me explain!"
Looking more like an angry father than ever, Jiang Linhai reached out to knock on Qin Shen’s door.
Suddenly, the door opened before he could touch it.
Qin Shen was already fully dressed, standing ramrod straight before him.
Jiang Linhai narrowed his eyes, waiting to see what he would say. Qin Shen took the initiative. "Uncle Jiang, Aunt Shen, I have feelings for Sisi. Please give me a chance to pursue her."
Jiang Si was stunned. She never expected Qin Shen would be the one to confess, and right in front of Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying, no less.
Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying looked at each other, equally surprised. They hadn’t realized that Jiang Si could emerge from Qin Shen’s room and still not be dating him.
’Don’t tell me our Sisi slept with him and now she’s trying to shirk responsibility!’
’Qin Shen is such a good kid, how could Sisi do this to him!’
After a minute of wild, melodramatic speculation, Shen Baoying and Jiang Linhai were all smiles. "Good, good, good! We’ll definitely help you give her a good talking-to!"
Jiang Si was dragged back to her room by Shen Baoying and Jiang Linhai for a harsh interrogation. "What’s going on? How come you were coming out of his room *again*?"
Jiang Linhai’s eyes widened. "’Again’? There was a ’last time’? Why didn’t you tell me?"
Shen Baoying suddenly looked guilty. "I was just worried you’d get upset and disrupt the young couple’s budding romance."
Jiang Linhai turned his furious glare back to Jiang Si. "Fine, keep secrets from your father! But what do you really think of Qin Shen?"
They had seen the sincerity in that boy’s eyes as clear as day. From their time together, they knew Qin Shen was the type to risk his life for everyone’s safety. His character was impeccable. They truly felt that he and Jiang Si were a good match.
Of course, if Jiang Si truly wasn’t interested, they would have to consider how to maintain a respectful distance from Qin Shen in the future.
To say she wasn’t moved by Qin Shen would be lying to herself.
But having grown accustomed to the vile and ugly side of human nature in the apocalypse, Jiang Si felt she might truly be incapable of loving someone with her whole heart.
She would always be on guard, always be suspicious, and she couldn’t help but weigh the consequences, wondering if they were something she could bear.
So, faced with this formal questioning from Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying, she thought about it carefully before answering, "We could try it out first? Take it slow?"
"Don’t rush me! A melon that’s forced to ripen is never sweet!"
