As Qin He walked out of the hotel lobby, she spotted a car parked not far away.
She paused for a moment, then said to Qin Yun beside her, "Brother, wait for me for a bit."
Qin Yun had also seen the car and the person getting out of it. "What is Gu Qichen doing here?"
Qin Yun still disliked Gu Qichen, but since he had saved Qin He multiple times, they weren't as confrontational as before.
Seeing Gu Qichen approach, Qin He whispered, "I need to say a few words to him. You go ahead and get in the car."
Qin Yun reluctantly got into the car.
Gu Qichen had already reached Qin He. Seeing her in a dress, he pursed his lips and took off his suit jacket to drape it over her.
Qin He felt a bit awkward. "Thank you, but why are you here?"
"I'm waiting for you. There are some things I want to say to you," Gu Qichen said, his gaze lowered. In the darkness, his skin was pale, and his eyes were as deep as ink.
"What?" Qin He stammered.
Gu Qichen's eyes glowed faintly. "Before you were discharged from the hospital these past few days, I thought about it a lot. Qin He, can you give me a chance to compensate you?"
Qin He immediately took a step back. "What do you mean?"
Her wary reaction sent a pang of pain through his heart.
Gu Qichen pursed his lips, his hand by his side clenched into a fist. Wasn't this the right time?
"I just realized I was very foolish before, believing Song Nuan and doing many things that hurt you." Gu Qichen gave a faint smile, forcefully suppressing his overflowing affection, which made his chest ache. "So, please accept this get-well gift."
Qin He was taken aback, then patted her chest.
"You scared me! I thought you were going to confess your love to me."
Gu Qichen tightened his grip on his hand and handed over the gift.
Qin He smiled. "What is it?"
It was a large gift box. Gu Qichen said, "It's not convenient to open it here, so you can open it when you get back."
Qin He nodded and smiled. "Thanks, I'll be heading back then."
Seeing Gu Qichen standing still, she added, "I invited friends today, and they might not like you much because of past events. So, I was thinking I'd invite Master Liu Xing'an and Shen Bin later, and then include you. You know them all."
Gu Qichen smiled faintly. "Okay, I understand."
Qin He's face flushed, but thankfully, it was in the darkness. She quickly turned and got back into Qin Yun's car.
Qin Yun saw her return with a gift box. He glanced at Gu Qichen, suppressed his feelings, and nodded at him.
After all, Gu Qichen had saved Qin He several times. This was the most he could do.
Qin Yun drove away from the hotel entrance, merging into the traffic.
As he drove, he glanced at the box in the rearview mirror. "Did Gu Qichen give that to you?"
"Mm, a get-well gift," Qin He replied, her voice sounding a bit unsteady.
She looked out the window, her clear eyes filled with confusion.
Gu Qichen had been waiting at the hotel entrance. How long had he waited, just to give her this gift?
Qin He's hand grazed the box. It felt as if it were burning her hand, a warmth spreading from her fingertips through her limbs and finally to her heart.
The stirring feeling made Qin He clench her fist.
She thought to herself, *Calm down, calm down. It's foolish to pursue what you know you shouldn't, especially when everyone is telling you that you've already made a mistake once!*
*A good horse doesn't eat its old grass!*
Upon returning to the Qin residence, Qin He carried the box upstairs.
She placed the box on a small table, looked at it for a few seconds, and then went to the bathroom to wash up.
After washing up, Qin He, holding her phone, tried to ignore the box, but in the end, she sat down in front of it.
She untied the ribbon on the box. Qin He estimated its size; it was larger than a shoebox.
After opening the outer layer of paper, she found a box made of rosewood. The exquisite carvings immediately captivated her.
She opened the box.
Unexpectedly, the box didn't contain jewelry or beautiful clothes, but a stack of papers.
Qin He picked them up and glanced at them, her brows immediately furrowing.
This stack of papers contained several contracts.
They were all things that Gu Qichen had transferred to her name, including villas in Qingcheng, Haicheng, and even Jiangcheng.
There was also a winery in country M, and the small Western-style house they had stayed in when they went to country L to invite Liu Xing'an.
Flipping further down, she found a key to a safe.
The key was at the very bottom, and it seemed to be the most valuable item. However, Qin He started to panic.
What did Gu Qichen mean by this?!
She recalled his words from tonight: he wanted to compensate her.
So, was this the marital property that she hadn't "received" during the divorce?
Qin He frowned. This gift was too valuable; she didn't know how to accept it.
But returning it also seemed difficult.
Gu Qichen had said it was a get-well gift and had waited outside the hotel for so long just to deliver it.
Qin He rested her chin on her hand, staring at the contents of the box and falling into a state of anxiety.
Putting aside the safe key, the value of just the properties and vehicles in this box alone ran into the tens of billions.
Qin He hesitated for only a short while before taking out her phone to send Gu Qichen a message.
Qin He: [This gift is too valuable. How about I pick one item to accept?]
Gu Qichen: [Once something is given, it's no longer my concern. You handle it as you see fit.]
Qin He gritted her teeth and finally put all the items back into the box.
The contracts in this box all had notarized seals, so there was no fear of them being lost. However, the key looked extraordinary, even its pendant was inlaid with gemstones.
Qin He placed the box of contracts under a cabinet in the cloakroom, while she played with the key in her hand.
She was very curious about what would be inside the safe.
Lying in bed, Qin He suddenly startled. Her thoughts had involuntarily drifted to matters concerning Gu Qichen, and she hadn't even realized it herself!
She placed the key on the bedside table and immediately turned off the light to rest.
*Don't think about it anymore. The more I think, the more confused I become!*
The next day.
Qin He arrived early at the West District Joint Department.
She first visited Liu Xing'an's office. Liu Xing'an was currently in a state of having a position but no work, spending his days with a teacup, playing with mortise and tenon puzzle toys in his office.
When Qin He arrived, he was assembling a small box.
"President Qin is here," Liu Xing'an glanced at Qin He.
Qin He felt quite flustered by the title "President Qin." She said with a wry smile, "Uncle Liu, are you angry?"
Liu Xing'an maintained a stern face and ignored her.
Qin He sat beside him, watching Liu Xing'an assemble the small box. When he finished, Liu Xing'an placed the small box in front of her.
"Try to disassemble it."
Qin He looked at the perfectly fitted small box and tried pushing in several places, but none could be opened.
"Uncle Liu, you're making things difficult for me."
"What's wrong with making things difficult for you?" Liu Xing'an's voice was indignant. "You got out of the hospital and didn't even call to let us know you were safe. Your aunt cried several times!"
Hearing this, Qin He immediately became anxious. "Is Aunt Liu's health alright?"
"She's fine. She's been taking the medicine you prescribed. She's just worried about you." Liu Xing'an snorted and pointed to the small box in Qin He's hand. "Press here."