Chapter 51: Downpour

Shen Baoying gave Jiang Linhai a look, and they quietly slipped out of the room. The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward.

Especially with her eyes closed, Jiang Si could feel Qin Shen’s well-defined hands pressing rhythmically into her body with startling clarity.

Her body felt at ease, as if Qin Shen had unblocked her governor and conception vessels, but her mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t help but speak up to relieve her inner tension.

"Would it be just as effective if I massaged myself?"

Qin Shen’s hands paused for a moment before he said, "You can try."

"Oh."

Jiang Si obediently sat up and turned, coming face-to-face with Qin Shen.

Not expecting him to stay put, Jiang Si averted her gaze, coughed lightly, and tried to mimic his earlier movements, applying pressure to her still-aching arm.

Qin Shen corrected her technique. As soon as he took over, her body’s reaction was completely different. It was so soothing, as if every pore on her body was breathing.

No matter how she massaged herself, or how closely she mimicked Qin Shen’s technique, it was just like when Shen Baoying did it—completely useless.

It still hurt. The pain would intensify shortly after Qin Shen stopped.

It made her wonder if she was becoming addicted to him.

But Qin Shen’s rock-steady expression and calm, effective technique made her think she was overthinking it. ’It must be that my own technique just isn’t good enough.’

Jiang Si sat with her back to Qin Shen as he diligently massaged her without complaint.

She couldn’t resist stealing a sideways glance at him. Qin Shen’s expression was serious, with not a hint of flirtation in his eyes.

Jiang Si genuinely felt that Shen Baoying’s decision to have him stay was the right one. Without his help, she didn’t know how she would have gotten through this episode.

She wondered if this was caused by the energy stone. But she had no way to remove the energy stone from her body, and she was afraid that if she did, her space would collapse along with it.

As Jiang Si’s thoughts drifted and she started to get drowsy, Qin Shen seemed to flex his wrist, as if his hand was getting sore.

A pang of guilt hit her. She decided that once they found a safe place to settle down, she would give Qin Shen extra supplies and food.

Feeling a little more at ease, Jiang Si asked, "Qin Shen, can this condition of mine be cured?"

Having been reborn, every second was a bonus. She truly hoped to live this life peacefully. But if these episodes were going to get worse each time, she had to prepare for the worst and make arrangements for her family as soon as possible.

Qin Shen fell silent. Jiang Si assumed it was impossible and felt a faint ache in her heart.

Then, he suddenly spoke. "It will get better over time. Don’t worry."

’It’s probably just to comfort me,’ she thought, ’but his rare, gentle tone is quite something.’

Jiang Si snuck a few glances at him, the corners of her mouth turning up in a slight smile. "Then I might have to trouble you again in the future."

"It’s no trouble."

His indifferent tone was like the chill after a rain.

A flash of disappointment crossed Jiang Si’s heart. In that instant, without even realizing it herself, she had developed a peculiar feeling for Qin Shen.

Jiang Si felt they had grown a bit more familiar, so she asked curiously, "Massage is a part of traditional Chinese medicine, right? When did you start learning it?"

The pressure from Qin Shen’s hands suddenly increased a notch. It felt so good that Jiang Si nearly rolled her eyes back. When he gave a perfunctory, "Not long," she couldn’t be bothered to press him further.

Jiang Si fell asleep. Qin Shen watched her quietly for a few moments, tucked the blanket around her, and turned to leave.

As the door closed, Jiang Si’s eyes snapped open. Recalling Qin Shen’s gentle actions, her cheeks grew warm. ’A few more times like this,’ she mused, ’and I’m afraid I’ll actually start to fall for him.’

Jiang Si stayed alone in her room for two hours before her mother quietly came in.

Seeing that she was awake and lying in bed, she immediately rushed over and asked anxiously, "Sisi, are you feeling any better?"

Jiang Si nodded. "Much better. It doesn’t hurt at all now."

Shen Baoying relaxed slightly, then said guiltily, "Your father and I practiced for so long, but it had no effect on you at all. We had to trouble Qin Shen again. He was massaging you for over two hours this time."

Jiang Si’s expression froze. She suddenly felt that something wasn’t right.

Even if they were beginners, massaging acupressure points shouldn’t be completely ineffective.

But her body, oddly enough, only responded to Qin Shen’s hands.

This was too strange.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had overlooked something.

’Wait, could he have intentionally taught everyone the wrong technique just to get close to me?!’

Seeing Jiang Si lost in thought, Shen Baoying turned her daughter’s face toward her and said, "That kind of muscle strain will lead to rheumatoid arthritis when you’re older. You should take him some medicinal patches to express your gratitude, you know?"

Jiang Si glanced at her, knowing exactly what was on Shen Baoying’s mind.

She was already suspicious of Qin Shen; how could she possibly date him?

’However, bringing him the patches might be an opportunity to test him.’

Jiang Si agreed at once. "Okay."

Shen Baoying’s face lit up with a smile, as if she had already decided Qin Shen was her future son-in-law. Just a short while ago, she was worried about his background, and now she was already trying to pack her daughter off.

Holding the medicinal patches, Jiang Si knocked on Qin Shen’s door. "Are you in there?"

Qin Shen wasn’t in the room. The sound of scrubbing came from the swimming pool on the yacht’s top deck.

Jiang Si climbed the stairs and found Qin Shen in the rain, cleaning leaves and dirt from the bottom of the pool.

Jiang Si had deliberately put those leaves there as a cover. There weren’t many, but there weren’t few either. Qin Shen was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging to his perfectly lean body. With his damp hair, short, rough stubble, and the deep, quiet black eyes that looked up at Jiang Si, he exuded a raw, untamed aura.

Jiang Si was taken aback by his stunning appearance, and her gaze lingered for a moment longer than intended.

Instead, it was Qin Shen who walked over to her and said, "The rain’s too heavy. You should go back inside."

A warmth spread through Jiang Si’s chest. She went down to the hallway with him, quickly opened her door to grab a towel for him, and asked, "Are you cleaning the pool to collect rainwater?"

Qin Shen nodded. "That’s the plan."

Jiang Si said, "You should have told us. We could have all done it together."

"It doesn’t require many people; the pool isn’t large." Qin Shen didn’t seem to mind doing the extra work. Instead, he asked, "Did you need something?"

’For a man this proactive, capable, steady, and graceful,’ Jiang Si thought, ’even if he is plotting something, as long as it’s nothing too serious, it doesn’t really matter.’

Jiang Si pulled the medicinal patches from her pocket and emphasized, "My mom said your hands must be sore after massaging me for so long, so she told me to bring you a few of these."

Qin Shen took them. "Thanks."

Jiang Si shook her head. "Don’t mention it. I’m the one who should be thanking you."

"Mm."

Qin Shen looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to leave so he could go back to his room and change out of his wet clothes. His expression was completely blank, making her suspicions feel incredibly presumptuous.

Jiang Si returned to her room and let out a heavy sigh.

’I’m never going to let my imagination run wild again. That was so damn embarrassing.’