Quadruplets’ Charm: The Tycoon’s Hidden Heirs
Chapter 472 - 471: Advance by Retreat

Chapter 472: Chapter 471: Advance by Retreat

Xing Ling went downstairs, out the door, and indeed saw Ye Sihan sitting on a bench in the distance.

As she approached him, she was unhappy, "Why aren’t you resting in your room with your injury?"

Ye Sihan lifted his face to look at her, his calm demeanor appearing innocent.

Xing Ling pursed her lips, "What’s making you uncomfortable? It’s not that your wound has opened up, is it?"

"I don’t know."

"I’ll call the doctor to come over," Xing Ling turned around to leave.

Her hand was suddenly grasped, freezing her in place.

"Will you stay with me?" Ye Sihan’s voice was rather pleading.

Xing Ling pulled her hand back, turning away with a resistant look on her face.

"I’m here alone, and I only know you."

At that moment, a maid came over with a porcelain bowl in hand, "Mr. Ye, here is your medicinal soup."

As the maid passed by Xing Ling, she smelled the scent of the medicine, "What is this for?"

The maid was about to speak when Ye Sihan cut in, "It’s for replenishing the body."

After he finished drinking, the maid took the bowl away.

Xing Ling remembered Xing Yanjie saying that Ye Sihan had not been well during the past three years and had even suffered from stomach bleeding.

Now he had nearly lost his life because of a gunshot wound.

Xing Ling didn’t leave, feeling absurdly soft-hearted – why had she allowed herself to be moved?

"Aren’t you tired standing?" Ye Sihan saw her stubborn look, his dark pupils reflecting a gently rippling warmth. "I didn’t ask you to sit on my lap."

Xing Ling’s face tensed, what was he saying? She turned around and sat down cross-legged on the grass.

"These three years, have you been well?" Ye Sihan asked.

"Of course, I’ve been very well without you around."

"I... have come to terms with it now," he said.

Xing Ling was skeptical of his words, looking into those dark eyes.

Ye Sihan deliberately looked away and said, "We can go get the divorce certificate at any time, so you don’t have to be afraid when you see me."

This was unexpected for Xing Ling.

Had Ye Sihan actually brought up divorce?

Hadn’t he just been holding her, saying those words?

He couldn’t think she was reluctant, could he?

"I’m not afraid. Once you’re better, we can get the certificate," Xing Ling said.

"Okay," Ye Sihan looked at her face and agreed.

Later on, Xing Ling wondered if Ye Sihan had a change of heart after his narrow escape from death?

"Can you sit by my side now?" Ye Sihan asked.

Xing Ling was baffled. Why was he still obsessing over whether she sat beside him or not?

"You can think of me as a friend," Ye Sihan said.

A friend? The term felt jarring to Xing Ling when applied to her relationship with Ye Sihan.

Turning an enemy into a friend?

"Or is it that you still care about me too much to come closer?"

Hearing him speak like that, Xing Ling felt an inexplicable irritation.

She absolutely couldn’t let Ye Sihan think she harbored any feelings for him.

After hesitating, she stood up and sat down on the bench, beside him.

Ye Sihan restrained the depth in his eyes, his lips revealing a barely noticeable curve.

"The kids have been raised well by your side. My decision back then was the right one," Ye Sihan said.

"They wouldn’t have been worse off staying with you," Xing Ling said.

"With me, they wouldn’t be as happy as they are now," Ye Sihan said. "I can’t even take care of myself."

Xing Ling was slightly moved, "I heard from my elder brother... that your stomach isn’t good?"

"That’s just how it is when work gets busy. Over time, it’s inevitable to have some minor problems," Ye Sihan said with an indifferent tone.

However, Xing Ling felt that it wasn’t as trivial as he made it seem.

Stomach bleeding indicated it was quite serious.

There was also insomnia.

When he was injured and in the hospital, could he not sleep either?

"You’d better take care of yourself, your child is only eight years old."

Ye Sihan laughed out loud.

Xing Ling looked at him incredulously, laughter filling Ye Sihan’s dark pupils.

It was the first time she had heard Ye Sihan laugh like that.

In the past, even his laughter was grim, particularly terrifying.

"Don’t worry, I should at least be able to live until they’re adults," Ye Sihan comforted her.

Xing Ling didn’t feel comforted at all; on the contrary, it upset her.

The child would be an adult in just ten years—what nonsense was he spouting?

"Disasters last a thousand years, you’re sure to live a long life," she said with irritation.

Ye Sihan chuckled, "Whatever you say."

The atmosphere suddenly grew silent, and Xing Ling felt very awkward.

In contrast, Ye Sihan seemed quite at ease, his body relaxed, slightly leaning on Xing Ling.

Just as Xing Ling was about to remind him that he was too close, she felt a heaviness on her shoulder and stiffened in fright, "Ye Sihan, what’s wrong with you..." He couldn’t be having chest pain, then passing out, could he?

But the breath hot on her neck was naturally even, as if he had fallen asleep?

The bodyguard behind them drew near, whispering softly, "Mr. Ye needs sleeping pills to sleep at night; it’s impossible for him to fall asleep in the daytime without any medication, so please, Miss Xing, bear with us a little longer."

Xing Ling really wanted to push him away, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to do it and slowly relaxed her body to serve as Ye Sihan’s pillow.

The only problem was, the hot breath against her neck was much too intense, her entire skin feeling almost scorched.

Sitting on the bench, Xing Ling looked straight ahead, pondering what the bodyguard had said earlier.

Ye Sihan needs sleeping pills to sleep at night?

She remembered that Ye Sihan used to be the type with minimal sleep needs, but now, he needed sleeping pills to fall asleep. How could his body be well that way?

Xing Ling silently sighed.

Did she owe Ye Sihan something in her past life? Why else would such troubles find her?

The head on Xing Ling’s shoulder finally moved, burying even deeper into her neck, then fell motionless again, her body stiff to the extreme.

Had he woken up or not? It had been half an hour.

About five minutes later, a deep and slightly hoarse voice said, "That was really comfortable."

Feeling offended, the impulse to flee surged through Xing Ling, but as she tried to break free, her waist tightened, held in an embrace.

"I meant the sleep was really comfortable," Ye Sihan added.

Xing Ling frowned, "I don’t care, let go of me right now."

"I wanted to keep pretending to sleep; that way, I could stay close to you longer, but I couldn’t help but speak up, worried your shoulder couldn’t bear it," Ye Sihan said in a raspy voice, threatening to unleash some dangerous desire.

Xing Ling’s heart seemed to be infused with fresh blood, rhythmically speeding up.

She pushed him away with force, got up, and fled in disarray.

Back in her room, Xing Ling’s heart raced even faster.

She didn’t know if it was because of the running, or because of the considerate words Ye Sihan had said.

In any case, she was deeply affected.

Returning to the floor-to-ceiling window with little strength left, Xing Ling could easily see the black figure still sitting on the bench on the lawn from that angle and height.

She felt the urge to retreat.

But she restrained herself.

What exactly was she afraid of? That she would be targeted by Ye Sihan again?

But Ye Sihan had already agreed to the divorce.

Which meant he had given up on her.

Just as Xing Ling stared at the dark figure in a trance, Ye Sihan turned his face and looked her way.

Xing Ling, half a beat too slow, retreated frantically, hiding behind the curtain.

Despite the distance, Ye Sihan’s sharp gaze still caught the slight movement of the curtain, and a smile appeared on his face.

Three years had been long enough; he couldn’t wait any longer.

Divorce? How could that be possible? It was simply a strategic retreat...