In the quiet car, Sister Zou’s voice was exceptionally clear through the speakerphone.
A breath caught in Qiao Qiao’s throat, and she nearly choked, not daring to catch the expressions of the other two people. After all, she had just said:
“I’m not Qiao Qiao. My name is Nao Nao.”
Nao… my head.
A faint hint of amusement danced in Ni Zijing’s eyes. Seeing Qiao Qiao’s awkward state, she didn’t expose her either.
On the other end, the phone call abruptly shifted tones as Zou Jingzhi grew somewhat excited: “Still, it’s rare for your hype to reach a brand-new high this time. Tell me, who on earth was that person? Huh? How come I’ve never seen her before? Could it be some anti-fan playing tricks? I’m telling you, you have to track her down!”
“Sister Zou…” Qiao Qiao seized a gap to speak, her eyelids dropping as her voice turned flat. “I sprained my ankle.”
A fleeting, mocking smile brushed against the corner of her lips.
“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Zou Jingzhi’s voice pitched higher. “The reports didn’t mention your injury at all. I thought… I’m coming to find you right now. Where is it sprained? Is it serious? Have you been sent to the hospital?”
“Boss,” Ji Qinglin called out, turning her head. “The hospital is here.”
Sister Zou heard the voice as well and hurriedly asked, “Whose voice is that over there, Qiao Qiao? Have you already reached the hospital? Which hospital? You have to be careful, make sure no one is following and filming you…”
“Hang up.” Qiao Qiao lost the desire to listen further and pressed the hang-up button. The moment she raised her head, she saw Ni Zijing watching her.
Ji Qinglin got out of the car herself and ran into the hospital. Feeling a prickle of discomfort under Ni Zijing’s intense gaze, Qiao Qiao asked, “Is there something on my face?”
“Not on your face, but in your eyes.” Ni Zijing frowned, withdrew her gaze, pushed open the car door, and leaned her upper body inside to scoop Qiao Qiao up into a carry.
Qiao Qiao instantly found herself lifted into midair, her hands instinctively hooking around Ni Zijing’s neck. She looked up and only then realized this was a private hospital.
It was quiet, and there was no need to worry about paparazzi trailing them. Sister Can Can had thought things through thoroughly.
“As a manager, she’s worried about public fallout harming your reputation, which is also for your own consideration,” Ni Zijing suddenly spoke up, turning her head to look at Qiao Qiao, who wore a momentary flash of astonishment. The space between Ni Zijing’s brows furrowed again. “If you’re in pain, you don’t have to bottle it up.”
The emotions in Qiao Qiao’s eyes gradually faded as she let out a light, mocking hum. “I said I can endure pain.”
Ni Zijing sighed. “You know I’m not referring to that.”
This little hedgehog was quite stubborn. Clearly in pain, yet refusing to cry out; clearly sad, yet refusing to admit it. Once her disguise was punctured by others, she faced the world with all her quills raised.
She really was a little hedgehog.
A little hedgehog that still yearned for someone else’s care.
Glancing down at her swollen ankle, Qiao Qiao pulled back her gaze. “It looks like you already know who I am.”
Her mood was gloomy now, completely lacking the playful energy she’d had with Ni Zijing earlier.
It was also possible that, having grown somewhat more familiar with Ni Zijing now, she felt that this mafia-like Sister Can Can wasn’t quite as terrifying as she had imagined.
“Your getting hurt is my fault. I shouldn’t have left you alone there,” Ni Zijing said, ignoring her previous remark instead. “I will take responsibility.”
Qiao Qiao offered a small, humorless smile. Responsible? Responsible for what? She wasn’t lacking money.
Ji Qinglin pushed over a wheelchair. “Come, come, the doctor’s appointment is all set.”
Ni Zijing nodded, carefully settling Qiao Qiao into the wheelchair, and murmured, “I’ll push.”
“Fine, fine, if you want to push, you push.” Ji Qinglin yielded her spot and followed closely behind Ni Zijing.
So childish. They even had to fight over who got to push a wheelchair.
After completing various examinations and an MRI, the doctor concluded that Qiao Qiao had suffered a tibial hair-line fracture.
Once the procedural steps were finished, Qiao Qiao was wheeled into an examination room, told that the hospital had found their most experienced veteran physician to take a look at her condition.
Throughout all this back-and-forth, Ni Zijing handled everything willingly and meticulously. When it was time for an examination table, she carried Qiao Qiao there; when it was time to leave, she carried her back to the wheelchair. Knowing earlier that Qiao Qiao had a stubborn mouth, she had already had a doctor administer a pain relief injection beforehand.
Seeing Ni Zijing care so deeply, Qiao Qiao’s own attitude softened significantly. She was polite and fully cooperative with both the nurses and the doctors.
Ji Qinglin had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. Just as Ni Zijing pushed Qiao Qiao to the doorway, the elderly physician called out from inside, “Ah, the patient’s family member, please stay behind for a moment.”
Qiao Qiao turned her head. “?”
“Oh, he’s calling me.” Ni Zijing had been addressed as a family member quite a few times during today’s hospital errands, which was just how the facility conveniently categorized people. Figuring the doctor probably had some instructions to give, and feeling at ease within the hospital, she asked, “Wait for me outside for a bit, okay?”
She leaned forward to meet Qiao Qiao at eye level, her eye sockets deep, her dense black pupils reflecting Qiao Qiao’s face.
Catching sight of Ji Qinglin approaching from the side, Qiao Qiao said helplessly, “Do you think I’m going to run around in this state? Go, go, go.”
Once the examination room door clicked shut, Zhou Yuzheng removed his reading glasses, smiled warmly at Ni Zijing, and motioned for her to sit down.
“I won’t sit, they’re still waiting outside.” Ni Zijing pointed toward the exit, feeling rather embarrassed under his gaze. “Grandpa, could you stop making fun of me?”
“You like her quite a bit, don’t you?” Zhou Yuzheng looked at his granddaughter. At his age, how could he possibly misunderstand Ni Zijing’s intentions? Ni Zijing had never been this nervous over anyone, let alone brought them straight to his own hospital for a personal examination.
Ni Zijing felt the examination room had suddenly grown a bit warm. “Please stop teasing me.”
“Qiao Qiao. That name isn’t bad.” Zhou Yuzheng nodded as he looked over the medical chart. “It just so happens you’re no longer young. Your mother has been bustling around lately trying to get you to meet several young ladies. Have you seen how comfortable your brother’s married life is? Bring her over for a look another day, and I’ll go ahead and report this name to your mother so she stops setting you up with other girls.”
“Grandpa!” Ni Zijing was terribly exasperated, yet she couldn’t snap at an elderly man. “Don’t listen to my mom’s nonsense, or she’ll tear the house apart later.”
“Alright then, just promise me you’ll find a time to bring the young lady over for a meal and host her properly.” Zhou Yuzheng glared at her. “Just a meal! Would you rather have dinner with Qiao Qiao or with the girls your mother arranged?”
Defeated, Ni Zijing muttered vaguely, “Fine, fine, fine.”
“It’s settled then. Now, let me tell you about little Qiao’s condition.” Zhou Yuzheng’s expression turned a bit more serious. “Her tibia was previously fractured, and there are still metal pins inside that haven’t been removed, probably from a fracture a year ago. Now she has another tibial fissure in the same bone, so she must take utmost care during recovery; otherwise, it could very well impact her life down the road.”
“What do you mean?” Ni Zijing’s heart sank, having never heard Qiao Qiao mention a previous fracture before.
Zhou Yuzheng emphasized his tone. “It means you need to take good care of her! Did you hear me? You’re the one who let the young lady get hurt at the ski resort in the first place. You might as well just bring her home to live with you and nourish her with bone broth every single day.”
Ni Zijing: “Grandpa, I’m leaving.”
She pushed the door open to step out, while Zhou Yuzheng’s faint reminder drifted from behind: “Remember now, bring her home for dinner!”
While Ni Zijing was inside receiving instruction from the veteran doctor, Qiao Qiao and Ji Qinglin sat outside in awkward silence.
The atmosphere was rather strained.
Ji Qinglin cleared her throat a few times and remarked, “You look even skinnier in person than you do on TV.”
Qiao Qiao raised the edge of her eye, realizing her identity had indeed been discovered. Swallowing hard, she said with difficulty, “You guys can rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about you guys beating someone up that night, so please don’t come looking for trouble with me either.”
“What trouble?” Ji Qinglin laughed in spite of herself. “You don’t actually think we’re a criminal syndicate, do you?”
Qiao Qiao looked blank. “Aren’t you?”
“Big star, did you hit your head?” Ji Qinglin was amused. “That guy we beat up the other night is named Ling Yang. He owed the boss a huge sum of money, and getting beaten up was getting off light.”
Recalling Ni Zijing’s movements from that night, Qiao Qiao stated, “Her fighting style doesn’t look like that of an ordinary person. It was clearly well-trained.”
Every strike hit a vulnerable spot without being lethal, and her punches were fast, decisive, and packed with far more force than an ordinary woman’s.
“Do you know why I call her Boss?” Ji Qinglin hooked the corners of her lips, squatting down in front of the wheelchair to make a fist right before Qiao Qiao’s eyes, revealing thick calluses bulging over her knuckles.
“We met at an underground boxing ring abroad. Back then, everyone in the fighting circuit was talking about an unusually vicious Chinese woman who had arrived. No one could ever beat her.”
Qiao Qiao suddenly felt her scalp tingle, unable to stop a shudder from running through her.
“You can call her Sister Can Can if you want, because the boss has a nickname in the boxing market: Residual Blood.” Ji Qinglin’s eyebrow ticked upward slightly. “Because she always beats people down until they have only a single drop of blood left.”
Why did Qiao Qiao feel like the identity of a brutal underground fighter was even more terrifying than being in a criminal syndicate?
Standing up with a look of satisfaction, Ji Qinglin saw that Qiao Qiao had gone quiet and knew she had successfully intimidated her.
After digesting this for a good long while, Qiao Qiao finally raised her head. “Neither of you looks like the type who would fight in underground rings just to make a living.”
“It’s purely out of interest,” Ji Qinglin grinned. “The boss does it for interest too, which is why I truly admire her capability.”
“Who on earth is she?” Qiao Qiao felt that Sister Can Can’s identity was shrouded in mist, whereas her own cover had blown immediately.
The door creaked open.
Ni Zijing appeared in the doorway, and Ji Qinglin shrugged at Qiao Qiao, eager to watch the show. “Here she comes, ask her yourself.”
A pair of slender yet strong hands rested on the wheelchair handles, and Ni Zijing lowered her head slightly. “What are you two chatting about?”
Qiao Qiao immediately clammed up. Ever since Ni Zijing came out, she felt a heavy pressure emanating from her, especially when she looked at her. Did she somehow offend or provoke her?
Neither of them spoke, and it wasn’t until they were back in the car for the return trip that Ni Zijing finally broke the silence.
“How did you break it before?” She turned her head to look at Qiao Qiao, her voice very cold. “The doctor said your surgical pins haven’t even been removed yet.”
Qiao Qiao possessed a slender frame. Even while wearing a thick winter coat nested inside the car seat, she looked remarkably tiny. Through the slightly open collar of her sweater, her fine, straight collarbones were visible.
Never expecting Ni Zijing to bring that up, Qiao Qiao paused for a moment before answering, “A fall.”
“Are you really that careless? Where did you fall?” Seeing Qiao Qiao’s indifferent attitude, Ni Zijing felt a flash of annoyance, thinking this person completely disregarded her own body.
A trace of desolation flashed through Qiao Qiao’s eyes, though she quickly curved her lips into a smile. “Fell at home. What else could I do?”
“You…”
Ni Zijing had originally wanted to say, “Doesn’t anyone at your home look after you?”
Remembering Qiao Qiao’s earlier sensitive and stubborn demeanor, she immediately swallowed those unvoiced words, a deep, sinking tone coloring her voice: “The doctor said you need proper care right now.”
“So?”
Tomorrow was the day the film crew was scheduled to arrive, and Qiao Qiao couldn’t possibly slow down the entire production’s progress because of herself.
Ni Zijing looked at Qiao Qiao and spoke slowly:
“Come to my place. I will take good care of you.”