Volume One, Chapter 12: Holding Her Close in His Arms

Jiang Qin withdrew her hand from her bag, her palm damp with a cold sweat.

She heard the tremor in her own voice as she softly responded with a faint "Okay."

Stepping out of the restaurant, it was already half past eight in the evening; the sky was pitch black.

Thanks to Su Lejia’s thoughtful care, Jiang Qin, who had lost her appetite earlier due to the turmoil in her heart, had actually eaten quite well.

After leaving, Jiang Qin had intended to stroll nearby with Su Lejia, chatting as sisters do, but unfortunately, Su Lejia received an urgent call from a subordinate about a project mishap, forcing her to leave early.

The night was thick and heavy; Jiang Qin watched the white BMW fade into the distance, and once again found herself in the familiar solitude she had known these many years.

The streetlights stretched her shadow long; she stood by the roadside, cars passing intermittently in front of her, while hurried pedestrians moved behind.

She looked up at the sky, blinking—uncertain whether to ease the fatigue in her eyes after a long day or to hold back the stinging tears that loneliness threatened to summon.

But this moment lasted only three seconds. After that, Jiang Qin pulled out her phone and called a car back to Yunhai Mansion.

Tomorrow was Saturday, and as Hosley had told Xie You’an earlier, the whole day would be filled with social engagements.

And the person accompanying him was none other than herself.

Jiang Qin always kept work and personal matters separate. Since she hadn’t resigned yet, she was determined to do her job well.

The car stopped outside the main gate of Yunhai Mansion. Jiang Qin got out and walked inside. Before reaching the door, she heard a familiar, pitiful voice from the brightly lit lobby.

“Ouch, Brother Sli, it hurts, it really hurts.”

Jiang Qin’s pupils contracted; she couldn’t believe her ears. She had heard this voice just earlier in the day, how could she not recognize it?

That was clearly Li Xueqian’s voice!

Hosley had brought Li Xueqian home?

Jiang Qin’s fingers curled slightly. A figure hurried toward her—it was Housekeeper Wang.

“Madam,” Wang called out with a complicated and sympathetic expression.

Jiang Qin understood this was a warning about what was happening inside. She nodded, forcing a faint smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and walked straight to the elevator without looking away.

But barely a few steps inside, a man called out, “Jiang Qin, come here.”

Jiang Qin hesitated, pinching her fingers before turning around. There was no avoiding it—the two figures came into her view.

Hosley and Li Xueqian sat together on the same long sofa, with a small stool in front of Li Xueqian.

She had changed her outfit, wearing a modest long dress with a fairly long hem, her long hair tied into a bun—a stark contrast to the chic style Jiang Qin had seen earlier that day. Now, the hem was hiked up, revealing a pale leg carelessly resting on the stool.

Hosley held a cotton swab dipped in iodine, with iodine and two tubes of ointment on the coffee table.

Looking up, Jiang Qin noticed the obvious slap mark on the woman’s face. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and her gaze shifted again. She saw a moderately sized but clearly bleeding wound on Li Xueqian’s calf... What was going on here?

“She’ll stay here tonight. Arrange a room for her,” Hosley interrupted her thoughts.

Jiang Qin looked up and met his dark, profound eyes. She could not fathom what was running through his mind.

Nor could she understand why, when he clearly had a mouth, he wanted her to arrange a room for Li Xueqian.

Still, thinking it over, Jiang Qin smiled slightly and nodded. “Then, shall Miss Li stay in the master bedroom?”

It was just right—she did not want to share a room with him now. After sleeping in the bathroom last night, and with him having removed the bathroom lock, it was clear she couldn’t sleep there again tonight.

Hosley’s expression darkened. “Jiang Qin.” His voice sounded gritted and cold, as if frost lay between his teeth.

Jiang Qin felt utterly baffled. She had been generous, so what more did he want?

At night, bringing someone home was obviously to spend time with his beloved, wasn’t it?

Yet, under his gloomy and warning gaze, she wisely changed her words.

“Then the guest room on the third floor,” Jiang Qin said, “It’s quite spacious and cleaned regularly. It will be clean.”

Besides, he was a powerful figure in the capital’s circle, while she was just an ordinary person. Moreover, she still planned to visit the hospital for another check on whether she was pregnant. Provoking him would bring no benefit and might only sow disaster for her later. It was better to avoid trouble.

“President Hosley, is there anything else? If not, I’ll head upstairs to rest,” Jiang Qin glanced at him.

Hosley said nothing, watching her. Jiang Qin stepped back and turned toward the elevator.

Suddenly, Li Xueqian spoke, “Secretary Jiang.”

Jiang Qin frowned momentarily and turned around. “Miss Li, is there something you need?”

“No.” Li Xueqian’s voice was coquettish. She glanced at Hosley before looking back at Jiang Qin. “Secretary Jiang, please don’t misunderstand Brother Sli. If you don’t want me here, I can just take a taxi and leave.”

Jiang Qin found this amusing internally but kept her expression professionally gentle. “Miss Li, what are you saying? President Hosley said you’re staying here, so stay here. You don’t have to mind me.”

With that, Jiang Qin strode toward the elevator, her figure disappearing behind the closing doors.

Late into the night, Jiang Qin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Perhaps she had eaten too much dinner, or maybe she just couldn’t settle. She finally switched on the bedside lamp and sat up.

It was already past midnight. Hosley hadn’t come to the master bedroom, nor had she heard anyone else come upstairs.

Jiang Qin suddenly remembered she hadn’t applied ointment to the glass wound on her calf. Opening her bag’s zipper made her chuckle softly at herself.

Perhaps not enough time had passed yet. Hosley’s earlier actions had indeed hurt her so much that she had fled to bed immediately after showering, even forgetting to open the gift Xie You’an had given her.

She first applied ointment to her wound, then washed her hands and began to unwrap the gift.

Just as she untied the ribbon, she heard the steady footsteps of a man in the corridor.

Jiang Qin glanced at the ribbon in her hand, thought for a moment, and decided to put the gift back in her bag, turned off the light, and quickly lay back down.

At that moment, the door handle was pressed down.

Jiang Qin clearly heard Hosley’s footsteps drawing near. She turned over under the covers, facing away from where he habitually looked.

The bed dipped slightly as the man lay down on the other side.

Jiang Qin frowned slightly, eyes closed, and was about to shift closer to her side of the bed when an arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

Strong and solid, his body heat warmer than hers, Jiang Qin froze and dared not move.

Suddenly, warmth pressed against her back as well. His muscular chest held her close, the faint scent of wood entwining around her, leaving Jiang Qin even more confused.

Li Xueqian was in this house tonight; yet he didn’t embrace the woman he favored but held her instead. What was this about?