Chapter 052: A Bad Premonition

052 An Unpleasant Premonition

Of course, this was never brought up again in the subsequent "hectic and messy" life.

Because Ji Pushu moved into Qin Ce's home under the pretext of taking care of him. This was Qin Ce's own house, not the Qin family's old residence. She planned to take advantage of him before ultimately giving up on him, and she didn't need Qin Ce's permission; she would resort to all kinds of sneaky tactics.

Qin Ce was no longer managing affairs and gradually delegated power to his father and others. He shut himself away and lived a "convalescent" life. The public story was that he was utterly devastated, depressed and frustrated because of his disability, and that the Qin family was seizing power from him. The once-feared "Underworld King" of the business world was gradually fading away.

In short, there was no shortage of gloating and sighs of regret outside, but it didn't affect Qin Ce. Everything was proceeding according to his plan. Except for Ji Pushu. Engaging in a battle of wits with her to protect his chastity, Qin Ce found it more tiring than his actual work.

The Qin family had a swimming pool. Now it was summer, and the house wasn't hot, just a bit stuffy. Ji Pushu happily coaxed Qin Ce to go swimming.

Of course, Qin Ce could only sit in his wheelchair by the pool and watch; he definitely couldn't get in the water. Only Ji Pushu swam.

She had porcelain-white skin, a curvaceous figure, and was very beautiful. Wearing a figure-hugging swimsuit, she posed in front of Qin Ce, confidently showing off her beauty. She was never shy or sparing with her charms.

"Brother Ce, have you taken the photos?" Ji Pushu thought she hadn't posted on Moments in a while and wanted to show off today, so she asked Qin Ce to take pictures of her.

Qin Ce scrolled through the photos. "Done."

Ji Pushu came over, took the phone, and looked. Her happy expression gradually fell into dissatisfaction.

She randomly opened one; all of them only showed above the collarbone. There wasn't a single full-body photo!

"Brother Ce, I want full-body shots, full-body shots, understand? And I want my long legs to look like they're two meters long, like these." Ji Pushu opened some photos she had taken before; each one was beautiful.

Although many of her girlfriends were superficial, having fun together was truly happy, and their photography skills were excellent.

Qin Ce frowned like an old-school traditionalist. His gaze landed on Ji Pushu's swimsuit today. If she posted that, wouldn't too many people see it? He took back Ji Pushu's phone. "This is fine. Very pretty."

Even though he only photographed her head and neck, Ji Pushu was indeed smiling beautifully in the photos, and the photos were well taken.

"I'll help you take some photos of you swimming in the water later." Seeing that Ji Pushu was still unhappy, he changed his approach. "Standing poses are too ordinary; many people take photos like that."

Hearing this, Ji Pushu was appeased again. Ordinary photos didn't suit her taste.

Earlier, when she went bungee jumping with Qin Ce, in order to get good photos, she overcame her fear and managed to strike a pose even while plummeting.

All for the photos, for an enviable, polished Moments feed—what a woman driven to excel!

"Then you have to take good photos, okay?" Ji Pushu reminded him with concern. Feeling her tone wasn't cute enough — after living together day and night, she almost revealed her true nature — she quickly made a heart sign and said coquettishly, "Brother Ce is the best~ I love you~"

Qin Ce: "..." No need for that. She couldn't act normal for even half an hour.

Ji Pushu swam very well, and her strokes were graceful. In the water, she was like a mermaid.

Qin Ce took several photos. One of them caught her emerging from the water, waving her hand, with droplets of water on her face — as fresh as a lotus blossom, smiling brightly, clean and flawless.

After swimming two laps, Ji Pushu got out because she was tired.

She took a towel from the chair and draped it over herself, drying off as she walked over, took the phone Qin Ce handed her, and lay down on the rocking chair by the pool and scrolled through the photos.

This time she was satisfied. She also liked the photo of her waving in the water, but she still needed to pick three to post.

It was her habit: she didn't like a nine-grid or six-grid layout, but she always posted three pictures.

"Brother Ce, how about these three?" Ji Pushu couldn't decide. She held up the phone to Qin Ce for his opinion.

Qin Ce glanced at it, kept his favorite one, and from the remaining five, chose the two most conservative ones that didn't show too much. That left three.

"It's not easy to edit these." Ji Pushu looked at them. They were good, but the angles weren't great; she could only add a filter.

Qin Ce made a rare serious comment: "No need to edit; they are naturally vibrant and beautiful."

He could never understand this. The little coquette's patience was evident here: she could spend half a day picking three photos from hundreds, editing them to perfection, happily posting them, repeatedly looking at them herself. The joy lasted until the next day, then she would look again and think they weren't good anymore. Her mood fluctuated drastically, and whenever that happened, his phone would be bombarded with messages.

"That's true. I'm naturally beautiful—can't help it." Ji Pushu agreed with him. She quickly typed a caption and posted it. Soon, there were many likes and comments. She curved her lips proudly.

My Moments feed is just that exciting!

Ji Pushu was tired from swimming. She played on her phone and fell asleep without realizing it. Her hair was still a bit wet.

Qin Ce held her wrist and shook her awake. "Get up, go sleep in your room."

"No, I'm tired~" Ji Pushu's eyelids were drooping, and her voice was soft as she was about to fall asleep.

"Be good." Qin Ce knew her sleeping posture; if she fell asleep, she might roll off the lounger. "Go back obediently, and I'll give you a reward tonight."

"What reward?" Ji Pushu became energetic. She loved rewards.

"I'll tell you tonight." Qin Ce was mysterious. "But if you don't go back, no reward."

"Of course I'll listen to Brother Ce. I'm going back now." Ji Pushu acted obediently, got up, pushed Qin Ce's wheelchair, and they left.

She was indeed tired. She didn't take the opportunity to get close to him under the pretense of caring for him. She went back, took a shower, did her skincare, and soon fell asleep on the bed.

Qin Ce asked the maids to take care of her, then went to the study, where the assistant was already waiting with documents.

"Boss, this is the next acquisition plan." When the assistant saw Qin Ce come in, he forgot he still had a pink hair clip in his hair. He wanted to laugh but held it back.

Qin Ce took the documents and looked through them for a while. "Increase the pressure. Push them forward. Then wait patiently; their price will drop further."

"Yes." The assistant nodded. "By the way, the gift you prepared has arrived. I've placed it in the collection room."

"Mm." Qin Ce nodded slightly.

The assistant reported a few more things and then left.

The study fell silent. Qin Ce looked out the window, tapped his fingers on the wheelchair armrest, opened his phone, and saved the photos Ji Pushu had posted.

He also set the one he liked best — her with a peace sign in the water — as his chat background and phone wallpaper.

"Silly."

Looking at the person in the photo, Qin Ce chuckled softly.

She added colorful excitement to his boring days.

·

Ji Pushu woke up in the evening, feeling well-rested.

She was still thinking about the mysterious reward. After changing into casual clothes and going downstairs, she began looking for Qin Ce. He was in the living room, watching Animal Planet with nothing better to do.

It was the only entertainment show he watched.

"Brother Ce~ Shushu just had a dream about you~ So happy!"

Ji Pushu happily came to Qin Ce's side, hugged his arm, and rubbed her head against him like a little fox needing to be petted.

"Be quiet. You're disturbing my TV show." Qin Ce said that, but he let her hold his arm anyway.

"What's so interesting about a TV show? Brother Ce, look at me—I'm the one who's pretty." Ji Pushu always knew how to take advantage of a situation. She dared to do this because she sensitively sensed that Qin Ce was indulging her, so she even held his face and forced him to look at her. "Brother Ce, am I pretty or not?"

She chattered on and on, making it impossible to watch the animal documentary. Of course, it had also reached the mating season scenes, so Qin Ce turned off the TV. He caught her mischievous hand and gently stroked her fingers, his voice low. "Not too shabby."

Ji Pushu wasn't a breathtaking beauty, but she had a lively charm. Her smile was endearing, and being with her lifted one's spirits. She was like a sunflower—always warm and vibrant. However, she talked too much and loved having people's attention on her. If someone spoke to her without looking at her, she would make a fuss that no one could handle.

"Liar! You said I looked good at noon!" Ji Pushu wasn't upset; she was always confident. She blinked her sparkling eyes and leaned in, holding out her palm. "Brother Ce, where's the mysterious reward you promised me?"

She'd been dreaming about this. Ever since she was a kid, she loved opening presents. After her birthday parties, her favorite part was opening the gifts.

Even though she lacked nothing and might already own whatever was given, she loved the thrill of wondering what was inside the box before opening it.

Qin Ce knew she was impatient and hated being kept in suspense. "It's in the collection room. Go get it yourself."

"I'll go now!"

Ji Pushu happily went to the collection room. When she opened the door, the motion-sensor lights came on.

The room was bare—just a collection room filled with shelves. On them were numerous auction items worth tens of millions, which Qin Ce had casually purchased when he attended auctions. Different from the other treasures, a pink gift box sat on the middle shelf.

Ji Pushu knew right away it was for her. It was a bit heavy, so she struggled to carry it out.

She placed it on the coffee table. Qin Ce had already turned the animal documentary back on—the inappropriate parts were over, and now it showed lions hunting.

Ji Pushu opened it with great curiosity. Inside was a little princess figurine decorated with pink diamonds, with a crown studded with rubies. It looked exquisitely beautiful. Under the light, the pretty dress had a gradient of colors, lighting up Ji Pushu's eyes.

"Ahhh! I've wanted this forever, but there aren't that many pink diamonds!" Ji Pushu was overjoyed. She cradled it lovingly, grinning from ear to ear.

Not to mention the other materials, the exquisite craftsmanship and design alone were priceless. It was made by an international master who had already retired and was hard to coax back.

Seeing her smile, the corners of Qin Ce's mouth lifted too. As long as she was happy, that was what mattered.

Earlier, Ji Pushu had been talking about how she liked it after watching a childish cartoon, and she kept thinking about it. He remembered and had it designed and crafted over six months.

Money wasn't an issue—as long as she was happy. He wasn't short of a few million. If they set a price, he could pay it.

Ji Pushu took out her phone and snapped a bunch of pictures from every angle. Then she held it up next to her face and asked Qin Ce to take a picture of her with it.

Then she posted on her Moments with the caption: "Reward for eating dinner obediently tonight~". Thinking about how her fake friends on her friends list would be jealous and like it, she felt even happier. She planned to take them shopping another day to rub it in even more.

"Brother Ce, I love your surprise! I'm so, so happy!" Of course, Ji Pushu didn't forget to thank the gift-giver. She carefully put it down, then threw herself into his arms and planted several kisses on his cheek, making loud smacking noises.

Qin Ce was suddenly ambushed. The weight pressed down on his chest, and then his cheek was wet. He was stunned for a few seconds, then had to steady the little tease's waist.

"Be quiet. Stop horsing around all day. Put it back where it belongs. Get ready for dinner." He gently patted her on the hip, signaling her to get up quickly. He was being suffocated; this position was really uncomfortable.

"Hmph!" Ji Pushu was happy. She gave him another kiss on the cheek, then cheerfully carried the gift back to her room. But she couldn't find a suitable place to display it, so she went back to the collection room on the first floor. After looking around, she put it back on the same middle shelf. Although the pink stood out among the other collectibles, it actually matched perfectly.

Qin Ce touched the spot where he had been kissed, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

After dinner, Ji Pushu had some serious business to take care of. Her father had given her some company matters to handle as practice. However, this young lady, who only knew how to spend money, was not skilled at it. She had no choice but to drag Qin Ce over to teach her, and Qin Ce was indeed a crafty old fox, so she improved quickly.

This was also one of the rare times she was quiet. Although she occasionally blurted out, "Brother Ce, you're so awesome~", it was much quieter than her usual noisy self.

Around 9 PM, Qin Ce was going to take a shower. He repeatedly turned down Ji Pushu's hints that she could help him shower. He went into the bathroom and made sure to lock the door to prevent any sneak attacks.

But when he came out, he saw the quilt on the bed was bulging, rising and falling with each breath.

Qin Ce was wearing a dark bathrobe with the collar open, revealing scars. He sat in his wheelchair, wiping the dripping tips of his hair with a towel. When he saw this scene, his brow furrowed.

"Ji Pushu! What are you doing on my bed?" He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, calling her by her full name.

"Brother Ce, I'm taking care of you. I'm worried you might get thirsty or need to pee in the middle of the night and can't find anyone to help. What would you do? I want to sleep in your bed with you." Ji Pushu pulled down the quilt, revealing half her face, and spoke as if she had a good reason.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. Get up and go back to your room." Qin Ce was unmoved.

Ji Pushu knew he might get mad, so she gave in. "Fine! Brother Ce is so annoying!"

She threw off the quilt and stood up. She was wearing a nightgown that was short but not too skimpy, showing off her fair long legs, with slightly thick thighs. She stomped off angrily, leaving a trail of fragrance.

Qin Ce rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Did she really think he was made of stone? But... she still didn't understand anything. Her likes were too impulsive; she only acted based on her preferences.

Ji Pushu had no idea what he was thinking. Frustrated, she returned to her room, threw herself onto the bed, pulled the covers over herself, and lay there. While biting her finger, she thought: Could it really be that he's incapable? But seeing how Qin Jie was, she wavered again. Maybe she should try again... Qin Jie was too dirty!

The next day.

Zhuang Baixuan came to the Qin residence to examine Qin Ce.

When he came out, Ji Pushu secretly pulled him aside and asked in a very low voice, "Dr. Zhuang, Brother Ce seems to have lost his passion. Is it related to the car accident?"

Zhuang Baixuan was taken aback. "Passion?"

Seeing Ji Pushu shy and hesitant, he understood everything. He said meaningfully, "It is somewhat related."

"Then what should we do?" Ji Pushu grew anxious.

"Well, actually, the car accident didn't damage anything. The lack of passion might be psychological. It's tricky, but it's also not tricky—there's a solution, but it's a bit difficult." Zhuang Baixuan said a long string of words, with quite a lot of useless talk.

Ji Pushu had no patience. In front of others, she wasn't coquettish. "Dr. Zhuang, can you get to the point?"

"Ahem, the point is, Mr. Qin needs more stimulation, such as exercise. Exercise can release a person's inner emotions, and sweating is a way to relieve stress, rekindling passion." Zhuang Baixuan emphasized the word "exercise" with strong implication, but Ji Pushu misunderstood.

"Exercise, huh? I see. Dr. Zhuang, take care." She personally escorted Zhuang Baixuan to the door.

"Okay."

Zhuang Baixuan thought happily, Brother, thank me!

Whether he would be thanked or not was unclear; maybe he would receive a "friendly" greeting instead.

Because Qin Ce saw Ji Pushu busying herself, directing the servants to prepare things, and checking his wheelchair several times. This gave him a bad feeling.