Qin Mei rolled her eyes. ’Yeah, right. Keep up the act. At least try to make it convincing.’ If Gao Hai hadn’t described it to her in such lurid detail, she might have actually believed him.

"It was a woman. You even brought her home to meet your parents. They couldn’t stop praising her, were completely smitten, and had already picked out a wedding date." Qin Mei deliberately added fuel to the fire.

Jie Jingchen’s face darkened. He knew Gao Hai wasn’t one to spout nonsense. Even though he knew Qin Mei was saying it on purpose, he still explained, "That’s absurd. I didn’t bring her home to meet my parents, I brought her back to treat Jing Qi’s leg. My parents praising her was just them being polite. As for picking a wedding date, that’s sheer nonsense."

"Jing Qi’s leg... did she heal it?" Qin Mei sneered.

Jie Jingchen reached out to caress her cheek, but Qin Mei ruthlessly swatted his hand away. "We’re talking, so just talk. Don’t get handsy," she warned.

Jie Jingchen withdrew his hand and tried to butter her up. "Qin Mei, her claims of being a great doctor were just boasts. You’re the one with real talent."

"Hmph!" Qin Mei lifted her chin arrogantly. "Of course. I wouldn’t dare make such a bold claim if I didn’t have the skills to back it up. If you don’t have the diamond drill, you don’t take on the porcelain repair."

"But she did." Jie Jingchen gave a bitter smile. "Doctor Du really did. I have no idea where she heard about Jing Qi, but when I was on leave, she insisted on coming home with me to treat his leg. She even boasted that she could definitely heal it. I actually believed her and brought her home. She put Jing Qi through the wringer, and the result was a massive disappointment."

"As if she wanted to treat Jing Qi’s leg. She obviously just wanted to go home with you and meet your parents," Qin Mei said in a huff. ’Even if you’re desperate for a cure, there should be a limit.’

Jie Jingchen fell silent. Qin Mei had amnesia; there were some things he couldn’t properly explain to her.

Seeing that Jie Jingchen wasn’t talking, Qin Mei asked, "Were your parents pleased with her?"

Jie Jingchen answered. "My mom wasn’t pleased with her medical skills. As for my dad, I don’t know. Wait, what do you mean, ’pleased’? I brought her back to treat Jing Qi’s leg, not for my parents to meet."

Ignoring him, Qin Mei asked again, "What about you? Did you like her?"

"No." Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow. ’Is she ever going to drop this?’

Jie Jingchen had said no without the slightest hesitation. Qin Mei was very satisfied, but she deliberately put on a serious face and asked, "Why not?"

"I just didn’t, that’s all. Why does there have to be a reason?" Unwilling to continue the conversation, Jie Jingchen rolled over to his side, his back facing Qin Mei.

Qin Mei raised an eyebrow, staring at his back. ’He actually turned his back on me.’

"Jie Jingchen." Qin Mei grabbed his shoulder and forcefully rolled him flat on his back.

Forced to lie flat, a meaningful smile appeared on Jie Jingchen’s devilishly handsome face. He looked at Qin Mei with a profound gaze, his expression intriguing. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Qin Mei froze for a second, baffled by his question.

There was a hint of something deeper in Jie Jingchen’s eyes, and his tone was teasing. "What do you think?"

"What are you even talking about? What are you trying to say?" Meeting Jie Jingchen’s scorching gaze, Qin Mei felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt.

’Guilt? I actually feel guilty? How strange. What do I have to feel guilty about?’

Jie Jingchen opened his mouth, but he hesitated several times, his gaze a complex tangle of emotions.

"It’s nothing. Sleep." After he spoke, Jie Jingchen rolled back onto his side, once again showing Qin Mei his back.

Qin Mei was stunned, her outstretched hand frozen in mid-air. She suddenly lacked the courage to roll him over again and demand a clear answer. What on earth was Jie Jingchen trying to imply with that cryptic comment?

’Could it be that the body’s original owner had suitors, too?’

Qin Mei withdrew her hand and rubbed her nose. If that were the case, she really had no explanation. ’Jie Jingchen knows I have amnesia, so asking me is pointless. He must have decided not to ask and just got moody about it himself.’

Qin Mei silently lay down, hugging the covers as she turned onto her side. She tried hard to remember, wanting to peek into the original owner’s memories, but found only a blank void, followed by a throbbing headache. Qin Mei immediately gave up, stopped forcing herself to think, and focused on her breathing. A short while later, she fell asleep.

Once asleep, Qin Mei was not a peaceful sleeper. She rolled over, wrapped her arms around Jie Jingchen, and threw a leg over him.

Jie Jingchen sighed helplessly. He slowly turned over and pulled her into his embrace. He gazed at her sleeping face, his mind a tangled, melancholy mess, as Qin Mei’s arrogant and brazen words echoed in his head.

"Hmph! This may be my second marriage, but I’m not secondhand goods. Jie Jingchen, you know that full well. You can just wait to take responsibility for me."

Qin Mei’s first husband... Jie Jingchen had never been curious before, but now he was. He wanted to know what had happened in her first marriage. But Qin Mei had amnesia. Asking would be pointless, and it would only leave her more confused.