novelraw Chapter 196 I Don't Want to Touch You
Chapter 196 I Don't Want to Touch You
As soon as Lu Xiran entered the villa, she smelled a faint floral fragrance.
It wasn't the scent of fresh flowers, but some kind of incense, sweet and heavy. Without thinking much of it, she quickly went upstairs.
Jin Qiqi was lying in bed.
The blanket was neatly tucked in, revealing only her face. Her complexion was rosy, her lips were not dry, and her breathing was even, as if she were in a deep sleep.
"Qiqi?" Lu Xiran sat down on the edge of the bed and gently nudged her shoulder. Jin Qiqi didn't react, she just turned over, mumbled something indistinctly, and then fell into a deep sleep again.
Lu Xiran breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head, and looked at Lian Bichen standing in the doorway. "Second Aunt, what's going on?"
Lian Bichen slowly walked in, carrying a glass of orange juice. She handed the orange juice to Lu Xiran.
Then, she sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to tuck the blanket around Jin Qiqi. Her movements were very light and gentle, like any mother who worries about her daughter.
"Ranran, I was just about to call you." Her voice carried a hint of relief, "Qiqi just woke up and said she took sleeping pills. That child, she scared me to death."
"Sleeping pills?" Lu Xiran frowned. "Qiqi never has insomnia."
"I don't know what happened either." Lian Bichen sighed, her gaze falling on Jin Qiqi's face, full of heartache. "I was really scared when I couldn't wake her up. I thought you were nearby and were her best friend, so I called you."
Lu Xiran nodded, a weight finally lifted from her heart. She picked up the orange juice from the bedside table, preparing to drink it—
Lian Bichen's eyes were fixed on the glass of orange juice.
That gaze wasn't casual; it was persistent, like an invisible thread binding her eyes to the glass of orange juice. Lu Xiran's fingers paused, the glass resting at her lips. She looked up; Lian Bichen had already looked away, now bent over fixing Jin Qiqi's hair, her face still bearing that gentle and proper expression.
Lu Xiran looked at the orange juice in her hand. The orange juice was freshly squeezed, with a perfect color, and a thin layer of pulp clung to the glass.
"Second Aunt, it's good that Qiqi is alright." Lu Xiran put the orange juice back on the bedside table, her movements so natural that it seemed like she was just casually tossing it aside.
Lian Bichen's gaze followed the glass of orange juice as it fell, then rose again, landing on Lu Xiran's face.
"Ranran, you must be thirsty after rushing over, right? Your second aunt remembers you love orange juice the most." She picked up the orange juice and put it in Lu Xiran's hand, her fingertips touching the back of her hand, which was cool. "What's wrong? Don't you like the juice your second aunt makes?"
Lu Xiran held the cup but didn't drink.
She looked around. She'd been to this room many times; it was Jin Qiqi's bedroom. She could practically draw its layout with her eyes closed. But today, something felt different. The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out all sunlight. Only a bedside lamp shone, its dim light falling on Jin Qiqi's face, illuminating her sleeping features like a painting. It was too quiet.
It was unusually quiet.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind—like lightning, like a blade, like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.
Three and a half years ago, she "accidentally" met Su Lanzhi's people at the Gu family's old house. Three years ago, Lian Bichen asked her to deliver flowers, but she was kidnapped by Su Lanzhi. At Qiqi's wedding, Lian Bichen asked her to deliver corsages, and she was almost humiliated by Song Zhihe. And today—Lian Bichen called to say that her best friend and godson had fainted, and she rushed over anxiously. Lian Bichen poured her a glass of orange juice.
Is all of this just a coincidence?
Lu Xiran's fingers began to grow cold. She looked at the orange juice in her hand; the golden liquid swirled slightly on the glass, reflecting the light of the lamp. She couldn't drink it.
She couldn't gamble with her own child.
"Ouch—" Lu Xiran's wrist twisted, and orange juice spilled out. The golden liquid splashed onto the bedside table, dripping down the edge and wetting a small patch of carpet. "How could I be so careless?" Her voice carried just the right amount of annoyance. "Second Aunt, I'm afraid you'll have to clean this up."
She raised her head and looked at Lian Bichen.
Lian Bichen's eyes changed. It wasn't anger, nor disappointment, but something deeper, more profound—ruthlessness. It was as if a perfect mask had suddenly cracked, and the light shining through the crack sent chills down one's spine.
But that was only for a moment. The next second, Lian Bichen was already smiling, gently and sweetly.
"It's alright, it's alright. It's good that everyone's alright." She picked up a tissue, bent down, and wiped the juice off the table bit by bit, her movements elegant and composed, just like usual.
Lu Xiran stood up, walked to the sofa, and picked up her bag.
"What do you want to do with the bag?" Lian Bichen's voice came from behind. It was no longer a gentle inquiry; there was something in her tone, like interrogation, like scrutiny, like something she had never seen in Lian Bichen before, something that sent chills down her spine.
Lu Xiran turned around. Lian Bichen stood behind her, still clutching the soaked tissue in her hand. His gaze fell on her face, then on the bag in her hand, and finally on her lower abdomen. His gaze was slow, as if he were measuring something, confirming something, or making a decision.
"I'm checking my phone, afraid Yan Shen might call me." Lu Xiran's voice was very steady, so steady that even she herself didn't expect it.
Lian Bichen didn't move. She just looked at Lu Xiran, at her eyes, at her fingers gripping the bag strap, at her slightly tense abdomen. Then she smiled. That smile was different from usual; it was no longer gentle, proper, or impeccable, but a smile that Lu Xiran had never seen before, a smile that froze her blood.
The next second, Lian Bichen suddenly reached out and snatched Lu Xiran's bag away.
"Second Aunt, what are you doing?" Lu Xiran took a step back, her calf hitting the sofa armrest, almost falling. She steadied herself by holding onto the backrest.
Lian Bichen tossed her bag aside; it landed on the ground with a dull thud. She looked at Lu Xiran, her gaze no longer gentle or loving, but as if she were looking at prey, a prey that had finally fallen into a trap with nowhere to escape.
"Lu Xiran, I didn't mean to target you." Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking about something she regretted. "You had already left, why did you come back?"
Lu Xiran's heart sank. "Second Aunt, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Lian Bichen took a step forward. She reached out and grabbed Lu Xiran's wrist. The force was so strong that Lu Xiran couldn't break free.
"I don't want to touch you." Lian Bichen's voice was still so soft, but what pressed down on that softness sent chills down Lu Xiran's spine. "But since you've walked right into my trap, don't blame me."
"Second Aunt, let me go—" Lu Xiran struggled, but Lian Bichen's hand remained unmoved. She looked into Lian Bichen's eyes, which held no anger, no madness, only a despairing calm.
Lian Bichen's gaze slid down her face and landed on her lower abdomen.
"Blame it on the fact that you're carrying Gu Yanshen's child."