“Heh… good friends? I’m afraid your relationship is far more than that, isn’t it?”
Su Qianqian let out a cold laugh, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
It was obvious that she did not believe a single word Jiang Qingyue had said.
“This…”
Jiang Qingyue lowered her head, her face flushed, as if someone had exposed her hidden thoughts.
Seeing this reaction, Su Qianqian’s suspicion was instantly confirmed, and her expression grew even colder.
As a woman, how could she fail to see Jiang Qingyue’s feelings?
That shy look clearly showed she did not regard Lin Mo as just a friend.
As for what she regarded him as, only she herself knew.
“Qianqian, our relationship isn’t what you think,” Lin Mo hurriedly explained when he sensed the tension.
But Su Qianqian refused to listen. She looked at him coldly, as if staring at a faithless man.
“When did the two of you get together?”
“N… no, it’s not like that.”
Jiang Qingyue noticed that Su Qianqian seemed to have misunderstood something and quickly said, “We met at the hospital. Last year he fractured his arm, and I was his attending physician. Over time, we became familiar with each other.”
“Fracture?” Su Qianqian frowned slightly, suspicion in her eyes as she turned to look at Lin Mo. “What happened?”
They had lived together for three years. She had never heard that Lin Mo had been injured, and this had happened last year.
They had practically spent every day together. There was no reason she would not know if he had fractured his arm.
Before Lin Mo could speak, Jiang Qingyue answered for him, her voice filled with indignation. “He had applied for a caregiver job, looking after a female patient. But that woman went crazy and pushed him down from upstairs.”
She sighed. “What a pity he refused my help. Otherwise, he would have quit that terrible job long ago.”
As she spoke, she grew more animated, not noticing Su Qianqian’s increasingly dark expression.
Su Qianqian remembered.
Last year, Xiao Jibo had been entangled ambiguously with another woman overseas. After learning the truth, she had lost control emotionally and wanted to jump from the second floor.
Lin Mo had stopped her, standing in front of her and refusing to let her jump.
In her agitation, she had accidentally pushed him down the staircase.
At the time, she had thought the height from the second floor to the first was not very high. With the stairs there, it should not have been serious.
So after pushing him, she returned to her room alone.
Later, when Lin Mo continued taking care of her, he mostly used his right hand. But she had been immersed in heartbreak and did not pay attention.
Now that she thought about it, Lin Mo had indeed been injured because of her.
At this moment, when she looked at him again, there was a trace of guilt in her eyes.
“Sister Qingyue, that’s enough,” Lin Mo interrupted awkwardly before Jiang Qingyue could say more.
“Fine. But that woman really went too far. Why don’t you just quit? I could… I could support you.”
As she said this, Jiang Qingyue lowered her head shyly, her cheeks bright red.
She had the means to say that.
Although she was a doctor and earned 10,000 yuan a month, that was simply because she liked the profession. That was her limit, not her family’s.
Anyone could tell what she meant.
It sounded like a joke, but it was essentially a confession.
Yet Lin Mo did not catch the deeper meaning.
He shook his head gently and said earnestly, “No, Sister Qingyue. I’d rather rely on my own efforts.”
Though disappointed, Jiang Qingyue was not discouraged. Instead, her eyes shone brighter.
She liked a man like Lin Mo.
Even in adversity, he retained his dignity. If he could achieve something by himself, he would never accept help from others.
Wasn’t this exactly the kind of man she had been searching for all these years?
Lost in her thoughts, she did not even realize her face had grown hot.
“Enough!”
Seeing the two of them exchanging glances right in front of her, Su Qianqian could no longer endure it.
For some reason, watching Lin Mo and Jiang Qingyue interact so warmly made her chest tighten painfully.
Suppressing her anger, she said coldly, “Lin Mo, come back with me.”
“Qianqian, don’t make a scene. I’m having dinner with Sister Qingyue,” Lin Mo replied patiently, caught off guard by her sudden temper.
But Su Qianqian’s anger flared even more. “Dinner? A man and a woman sitting alone together, aren’t you afraid of gossip? Lin Mo, don’t forget, we’re not divorced yet.”
“I…”
Lin Mo fell silent. He could not understand why she was angry.
He also did not understand why she was openly acknowledging their relationship in front of Jiang Qingyue.
After all, she had been the one who insisted on keeping it a secret. What was she doing now?
“What? You… you’re husband and wife?”
Jiang Qingyue’s face showed shock.
“Yes. I’m the female patient you were talking about,” Su Qianqian replied with a cold smile.
“Lin Mo, is that true?”
Ignoring Su Qianqian, Jiang Qingyue looked directly at Lin Mo.
He nodded.
Her eyes dimmed completely.
“Lin Mo, I’ll say it again. Come back with me,” Su Qianqian said coldly.
Lin Mo hesitated, then shook his head. “Qianqian, I’m sorry. I can’t go back with you. Xiao Jibo is about to return. It wouldn’t be appropriate. And Sister Qingyue invited me today. I can’t ruin her evening. You should go back first.”
“You…”
“Lin Mo, don’t forget, our contract still has three days left. That means we are still husband and wife in name. You have the obligation to take care of me. Unless… you want to breach the contract. You know the consequences.”
Her face dark, Su Qianqian’s tone carried a clear threat.
Jiang Qingyue’s eyes lit up at the word “contract.”
So their marriage was contractual? Just a cooperation?
Lin Mo looked at Su Qianqian’s stubborn expression and felt a bitter taste in his heart.
He had taken her money. And she did still need someone to care for her.
Turning to Jiang Qingyue, he said apologetically, “Sister Qingyue, I’m sorry. I might… have to stand you up again.”
“It’s alright. Since she needs you, go ahead. It’s only three days anyway,” Jiang Qingyue said gently, though disappointment was clear in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Su Qianqian’s eyes were almost blazing with anger.
Hearing Lin Mo call Jiang Qingyue “Sister Qingyue” again and again made her feel even worse.
With a cold snort, she turned her wheelchair and left.
Lin Mo gave Jiang Qingyue an apologetic look and followed after her.