Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 369 The Secret of Three People

Liu Qingqing's beautiful body was on full display before him. Wu Zhiyuan turned his face away, grabbed a bath towel, and covered her with it.

"Aunt Qingqing, wake up, wake up..." Xu Yunxi knelt beside her, holding Liu Qingqing's hand, tears streaming down her face.

Liu Qingqing is her stepmother, but this stepmother is more like her sister and her best friend.

Wu Zhiyuan learned first aid skills while working at the National Security Bureau.

He checked quickly.

Liu Qingqing's pupils reacted to light, her breathing was weak but steady, and her pulse was normal.

There were no signs of drowning, and the lips were not purple.

He suddenly smelled a faint scent of alcohol.

Upon closer inspection, a wine glass was placed on a small table next to the bathtub, with a little red wine remaining at the bottom.

Wu Zhiyuan roughly guessed the reason why Liu Qingqing fainted.

Liu Qingqing said that she was too tired from rehearsing for the new play recently, and she walked a lot while shopping tonight, so she took a bath to relax. She probably wanted to drink some red wine while taking a bath to relieve her fatigue.

However, the water temperature in the bathtub is high, and the hot water will accelerate blood circulation, allowing the alcohol to enter the bloodstream more quickly.

Combined with her physical fatigue, the combined effects of hot water and alcohol caused vasodilation, a drop in blood pressure, and insufficient blood supply to the brain, leading to fainting.

This is probably not an illness, but rather a temporary fainting spell caused by soaking in the bath for too long, using water that was too hot, and drinking alcohol.

"Yunxi, don't panic, Teacher Liu is alright," Wu Zhiyuan comforted her. "She probably just fainted because she soaked in the bath for too long, the water was too hot, and she drank alcohol."

Let her lie flat for a while, she'll wake up eventually.

With tears welling in her eyes, Xu Yunxi looked at Wu Zhiyuan pleadingly, "Brother Zhiyuan, really? Should we call an ambulance?"

"Yunxi, I think she's alright. Look, her breathing is steady, and her complexion is slowly returning to normal."

At this moment, Liu Qingqing's eyelids twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Xu Yunxi exclaimed excitedly, "She's awake! Aunt Qingqing is awake! Brother Zhiyuan, you're amazing!"

"Where am I?" Liu Qingqing was momentarily lost in thought.

Liu Qingqing's gaze fell on Xu Yunxi's tear-streaked face, and then on Wu Zhiyuan's face.

Then, she saw the bath towel on her body and her exposed body parts.

She suddenly realized something.

"I……"

"Aunt Qingqing, don't get agitated. You fainted while taking a bath. That's dangerous! Zhiyuan and I..."

Liu Qingqing was extremely shy.

Wu Zhiyuan had already turned around, his back to her, and his voice sounded very unnatural: "Teacher Liu, it's good that you're alright."

I'm going out now. Let Yunxi help you put on your bathrobe.

Wu Zhiyuan's heart pounded. He left the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

The scene from just now kept replaying in his mind.

He closed his eyes, trying to banish the images from his mind, but the more he did so, the clearer they became.

Liu Qingqing leaned against the edge of the bathtub with her eyes closed, her long, wet hair clinging to her fair shoulders, water droplets rolling down her smooth skin.

And when I picked her up, the places I accidentally touched were soft, warm, and smooth.

Her body was so beautiful and sacred that no one dared to have any filthy thoughts.

Even the slightest improper thought is a serious crime, an unforgivable crime.

In the bathroom, Liu Qingqing was fully awake.

"Yunxi, you just said that you and Zhiyuan carried me out of the bathtub?"

"Yes, Aunt Qingqing, you don't know, I was so scared I cried. I thought you..."

After a pause, Xu Yunxi continued, "I'm not strong enough to carry you out of the bathtub by myself. The water temperature in the bathtub is getting lower and lower, and you are unconscious."

In a moment of desperation, I instinctively thought of Brother Zhiyuan; he was strong.

Liu Qingqing blushed and her heart pounded.

This is so embarrassing!

Wu Zhiyuan saw me completely naked just now!

Xu Yunxi seemed to have guessed Liu Qingqing's thoughts.

"Aunt Qingqing, please don't blame Brother Zhiyuan. He didn't want to come in on his own. I let him in in a moment of panic."

"Yunxi, how could I blame Zhiyuan? He meant well; he was trying to save someone."

"Aunt Qingqing, Brother Zhiyuan is really amazing. He saw the wine glass and knew that your fainting was caused by drinking alcohol and hot water, not by any illness."

"Really?" Liu Qingqing asked absentmindedly.

Since she grew up, no man other than Xu Youwei has ever seen her naked.

Tonight, there's another Wu Zhiyuan.

Although there was a reason for it, Liu Qingqing still felt extremely ashamed, as if a little deer was running wild in her heart.

After putting on her bathrobe, Liu Qingqing said softly, "Yunxi, could you go out for a bit? I'd like to be alone for a while."

Xu Yunxi understood Liu Qingqing's feelings at that moment and nodded sensibly: "Okay, Aunt Qingqing, I'll be right outside the door. Call me if you need anything."

Then, she left and gently closed the bathroom door.

Liu Qingqing was the only one left in the bathroom.

She slowly stood up, her legs still feeling a little weak.

I walked up to the mirror and saw my face flushed.

Her heart was in turmoil, and she kept reassuring herself that it was Wu Zhiyuan, not some other man, who had carried her out of the bathtub.

She had a very good impression of Wu Zhiyuan; he was handsome, sunny, kind-hearted, had a strong sense of justice, and was exceptionally capable.

She dried her hair and waited until the blush on her face faded and her heartbeat calmed before leaving the bathroom.

Xu Yunxi, who was standing guard at the door, rushed forward to support Liu Qingqing when she saw her come out: "Aunt Qingqing, how are you feeling? Are you still dizzy?"

"I'm alright, just a little weak. Is Zhiyuan on the second floor?"

"Yes, she was just texting me asking how I was doing."

"I'm fine now, tell him not to worry. By the way, Yunxi, can we just keep what happened tonight a secret between the three of us?"

Xu Yunxi knew that Liu Qingqing didn't want outsiders to know, mainly because she didn't want Xu Youwei to know, since it was a rather awkward matter.

"I understand, Aunt Qingqing. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Zhiyuan won't tell either."

Liu Qingqing nodded.

Xu Yunxi helped Liu Qingqing into the bedroom.

Liu Qingqing sat on the edge of the bed and said softly, "Yunxi, what do you think Zhiyuan will think?"

"Aunt Qingqing, Zhiyuan isn't that kind of person. He did it to save you; he wouldn't think anything of it."

"I know, but I always feel really embarrassed when he sees me like that."

"Aunt Qingqing, you're overthinking it. In a doctor's eyes, patients don't have a gender distinction."

In Zhiyuan's eyes, you were someone who needed help back then.

"Yunxi, you've grown up and you know how to comfort people now." Liu Qingqing felt a warmth in her heart and hugged Xu Yunxi, who was sitting next to her.

"Aunt Qingqing, please don't overthink things, okay? Tonight's incident was just a minor incident. Nobody knows about it except the three of us, including my dad."

"Mmm." Liu Qingqing rested her head on Xu Yunxi's shoulder. "Yunxi, although I am your stepmother, you know that our relationship is more like that of sisters and best friends."

These days, many open-minded mothers treat their daughters like best friends. Besides, we're not even related by blood.

"Yes, Aunt Qingqing, in my eyes you are my stepmother, but more like an older sister or best friend. I tell you everything on my mind."

"Yunxi, thank you for your trust. Are you truly determined to marry Zhiyuan?"

Xu Yunxi asked shyly, "Aunt Qingqing, if I said yes, would you think I'm incredibly shameless?"

Liu Qingqing laughed: "Silly child, what's so shameful about liking someone?"

What era are we living in?! Girls also have the right to pursue their own happiness.

"Aunt Qingqing, every time I see Brother Zhiyuan, my heart feels like a deer is pounding in my chest."

When I can't see him, I look at his photos and the messages he sent me, over and over again.

Sometimes when I can't sleep at night, I wonder, what is he doing right now?

Have you been eating on time? Are you too tired?

I know it's silly, but I just can't control myself.

Aunt Qingqing, tell me, have I really gone mad with desire?

Liu Qingqing shook her head: "It's not that I've gone mad, it's that I've truly fallen in love. In what year did you first feel this way?"

"When I first met him in Longcheng back then, I was inexplicably moved."

However, at that time, I was very closed off and dared not express myself.

After entering university, I realized that I had grown up, become an adult, and could bravely pursue what I wanted.

That's why I kept expressing myself and getting closer to him.

Even if I don't get what I want in the future, at least I tried, and I won't regret it.

"Yunxi, Zhiyuan is a good man, worth waiting for. It's just that the person in his heart..."

"Aunt Qingqing, there is someone in Zhiyuan's heart, someone who may never come back."

But I don't care, I'm willing to wait.

If she comes back one day and Zhiyuan chooses her, I will bless them and then turn away.

If she really can't come back, then I hope that the person who can stay by Zhiyuan's side is me.

Liu Qingqing hugged Xu Yunxi tightly: "Silly child, why are you so silly?"

"Aunt Qingqing, this isn't called being foolish, it's called being infatuated, it's called love."

To love someone is to want them to be happy, isn't it? As long as they are happy, I am happy.

"Yunxi, I hope you're happy. It's getting late, you should get some rest."

"Yes, Aunt Qingqing, you should get some rest too."

Xu Yunxi went downstairs and headed straight for Wu Zhiyuan's bedroom.

"How is Teacher Liu now?" Wu Zhiyuan asked as his first question.

Xu Yunxi smiled slyly: "Zhiyuan, you're doomed. Aunt Qingqing said you saw her body, and she's going to hold you accountable!"

"But Yunxi, the situation was urgent, and we had no choice but to do it," Wu Zhiyuan explained, guessing that Xu Yunxi was lying.

Xu Yunxi chuckled and said, "How could Aunt Qingqing be angry? She asked me to tell you to thank you."

"Yunxi, when did you learn to make jokes like that? You scared me."

"Hehe, it's your fault for being so indifferent to me all day long!"

By the way, Aunt Qingqing specifically told us that what happened tonight will forever remain a secret between the three of us.

"Who would I tell? Why would I publicize something like this?"

Xu Yunxi wanted to tease Wu Zhiyuan again: "Brother Zhiyuan, what did you feel after seeing Aunt Qingqing's body? Don't lie!"