Jiang Shining’s ears twitched slightly. This overly intimate form of address felt a bit unfamiliar to her, as she had never experienced maternal love before.
“Don’t call me that.”
It made her feel like a child.
Jiang Wan looked at her shy daughter and smiled. “Mom is really happy to be treated this way by Little Ning.”
Jiang Shining didn’t say anything.
She lowered her head and silently finished wrapping the bandage.
After three months of living together, she had also felt a kind of maternal love from Jiang Wan that she had never experienced before. But the more she felt it, the less she understood why the original owner of this body had always argued with her mother.
She sighed silently in her heart.
But it didn’t matter—she wasn’t the original owner.
Even if the original owner returned, the fact that she had briefly experienced this, that Jiang Shining could have these memories, was enough for her.
At least she had briefly had a mother.
Thinking of this, she carefully and solemnly placed Jiang Wan’s foot back on the ground.
“Cough, cough, cough—”
Jiang Wan’s coughing started again.
Jiang Shining quickly handed her the bottled water from the table. “Water.”
Jiang Wan took the water, drank it, and caught her breath, feeling much better afterward.
But when her gaze swept across the scene in the distance, Jiang Wan’s eyes suddenly turned panicked.
“Little Ning, if they keep fighting over there, something bad might happen!”
Jiang Shining was taken aback.
She immediately turned her head to look at the spot where they had been earlier.
The three hooligans who had been arrogantly harassing them were now lying on the ground.
The most severely injured was the one called ‘Brother Qiang.’ He was barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in. A large pool of blood had spread across the ground, and he was clearly in shock.
Having been the one to break up with him repeatedly over the past week, Jiang Shining knew Qin Wang was holding in his anger.
Now, these people had walked right into his line of fire, practically volunteering to be Qin Wang’s punching bags.
But hitting someone this hard could land him straight in jail.
Jiang Wan took a sharp breath and nervously tugged at her daughter’s arm.
“Little Ning, why don’t you go and try to talk Qin Wang down?”
After all, this person seemed to have been called here by her daughter.
Jiang Wan didn’t want someone who had come to help them to get into trouble because of them.
Jiang Shining nodded.
She stood up and walked straight toward the spot where they had been earlier.
…
She wanted Qin Wang to help her.
But she also didn’t want Qin Wang to end up in jail because he helped her, even though Qin Wang had already been in and out of jail countless times.
The closer she got to the two of them, the more horrifying the scene on the ground became.
Jiang Shining could also feel the violent aura radiating from Qin Wang.
“Qin—Wang.”
In the night, she called out Qin Wang’s name.
Her voice wasn’t loud—it was even quieter than the pleas of the two sidekicks nearby.
But Qin Wang’s fist, which had been about to strike, stopped in mid-air.
Drip.
Blood dripped from his fist onto the concrete ground.
In the darkness, Qin Wang turned his head.
He looked at her.
Their eyes met.
Qin Wang, covered in blood and driven into a frenzy, had red veins visible in his eyes, making him look like a bloodthirsty demon.
In this area, Qin Wang’s nickname was also ‘The Fierce God.’
But after spending so much time with Qin Wang, Jiang Shining had grown accustomed to it.
In fact, the longer they were together, the less he seemed like ‘The Fierce God’ and more like a dog she had raised.
No, that wasn’t quite accurate.
He was fiercer than a dog—more like a wolf… dog.
She shook her head, dismissing the chaotic thoughts in her mind.
“Stop hitting him. That’s enough… I don’t want you to end up in jail.”
Qin Wang continued to stare at her.
Seeing that Qin Wang still hadn’t gotten up, Jiang Shining’s delicate eyebrows furrowed.
“Be good.”
Telling a gang leader who had just been covered in blood to ‘be good.’
Jiang Wan, not far away, was stunned.
The newly recruited underling, Wang Bing, frowned with dissatisfaction and was about to speak, but when he turned to look at the newly acknowledged big brothers, he found they hadn’t uttered a word, instead lowering their heads.
Wang Bing also silently lowered his head.
The street fell into a brief silence.
A few minutes later, Qin Wang lowered his gaze and withdrew the fist he had raised in the air.
“Alright.”
He stood up.
Without another glance at the bloodied figure lying on the ground, he walked straight toward Jiang Shining.
Stopping in front of her, he extended his hand.
Looking at that hand.
Jiang Shining took a step back.
Seeing her reaction, the ferocity in Qin Wang’s eyes vanished completely, replaced instead by a hint of disappointment. His hand withdrew slightly.
He said hoarsely, “Don’t be afraid.”
He wouldn’t lay a hand on her.
“I’m not afraid.”
Jiang Shining knew full well that Qin Wang wouldn’t hit her.
She slowly squeezed out a word.
“Dirty.”
She was afraid of pain, and she was afraid of getting dirty.
The hand that had just caved in Wang Qiang’s face, both palm and back, was stained with sticky blood.
Qin Wang was taken aback, then the disappointment in his eyes vanished entirely.
He picked up a tissue from the stall and carefully wiped the blood from his hands before daring to touch her.
So soft and tender.
Completely different from those who spent their lives fighting and struggling, soft as a marshmallow, fragile as a porcelain doll.
Thankfully, the porcelain doll he had carefully nurtured was unharmed.
Qin Wang was relieved he had arrived in time, yet regretful he hadn’t protected his girlfriend better.
“There are people around, don’t touch.”
Jiang Shining glanced sideways at her mother, who kept looking over, and nervously nudged him.
If he kept touching her, she was really afraid her mother would notice something was off.
Qin Wang withdrew his hand.
He assumed Jiang Shining was just shy and didn’t continue touching her.
The remaining mess was left for Lao Hei to arrange the cleanup.
Jiang Shining helped Jiang Wan back to the apartment, with Qin Wang following behind.
“I never expected you and my daughter to be so close, Qin Wang. Thank you so much for today…”
In the stairwell, Jiang Wan expressed her gratitude while keeping an eye on her daughter and Qin Wang.
However, Jiang Shining’s expression remained unchanged.
Qin Wang stayed silent, simply following behind them.
Until they returned to the apartment.
After bidding farewell to Qin Wang, Jiang Wan pulled her daughter back inside and closed the apartment door.
“What is your relationship with Qin Wang?”
Jiang Shining had long anticipated Jiang Wan asking this question.
But she hadn’t expected it to come so late.
They had been together for over two months, and only now was her mother asking.
Jiang Shining repeated the answer she had prepared in advance.
“What else could it be? We’re just neighbors.”
“Just neighbors helping each other out. Mom, you know I hardly ever go next door. This time, I only went to ask the neighbor for help because I got your call.”
“But I really didn’t expect Qin Wang to be such a kind-hearted person, cold on the outside but warm on the inside.”
Jiang Shining answered calmly.
She even slapped the label of “kind-hearted person” on Qin Wang.
Given that they were neighbors, she never did anything in the apartment—it was always at a hotel.
She wasn’t afraid of being discovered by her mother.
“Really?” Jiang Wan still had her doubts.
Jiang Shining smiled and nodded.
After being scrutinized by Jiang Wan for a while, Jiang Wan couldn’t find anything amiss and gradually let go of her suspicions.
“It’s good if there’s nothing between you.”
“My little Ning baby is so well-behaved. Mom hopes you’ll find someone gentle and caring, not some troublemaker who spends all day fighting and does nothing productive…”
Just moments ago in the stairwell, she had been praising Qin Wang.
However… in such a chaotic environment, it would be strange if Mom had a good impression of the gang leader.
Jiang Wan walked into the bedroom and came out again with gauze and medicine in hand.
“Take these to the neighbor.”
Jiang Shining looked at the items and didn’t refuse, taking them and turning around.
“Wait.”
“And this, these are the pineapple cakes we bought last time. Take them to Qin Wang too.”
Jiang Wan stuffed a box of pineapple cakes into her arms, adding, “Remember to thank him properly. He really helped us out this time.”
Jiang Shining agreed.
She opened the door and walked out.
In the hallway, she looked at the medicine and pastries in her hand and smiled helplessly.
Slowly raising her hand, she knocked on the door.
Knock.
Just one knock, and the door was pulled open. Immediately after, Jiang Shining was quickly pulled into the apartment by a hand.
The door closed instantly.