Rumor had it that Xiao Chuyin came from an excellent family background and was exceptionally talented herself.
It was said that she excelled in both dance and piano, and at such a young age, she was already considered one of the best in her field.
Qiao Xi listened so intently that she failed to control the strength in her hand. The sharp edge of a broken glass shard suddenly sliced across her palm.
Blood immediately welled up, yet Qiao Xi herself didn’t even notice.
It was Butler Gao, sharp-eyed as ever, who spotted it first and hurriedly exclaimed, “Miss Qiao, your hand!”
With the scene as it was now, it looked exactly like Qiao Xi had become jealous over Nangong He’s “white moonlight” first love and, in her emotional collapse, accidentally cut herself.
This unexpected incident instantly made her acting seem even more convincing.
Nangong He reacted swiftly, grabbing her wrist and tossing the shard aside.
Lowering his voice, he said, “How could you be so careless?”
Then he turned toward the old master.
“Ah Xi is no worse than Xiao Chuyin. I chose her. When you belittle her, you’re also belittling my taste.”
It sounded as though he was defending her, but only Qiao Xi herself knew it was merely part of their act.
Especially when Nangong He held her hand with concern—she felt as though a leopard was grooming its prey.
Before the old master could speak again, Nangong He pulled Qiao Xi to her feet.
“I’ll take her to treat the wound first.”
The moment they stepped outside, Nangong He released her hand and said indifferently, “The front desk should have emergency medicine. Also, Grandpa’s heart condition is bad. He speaks harshly, so don’t argue with him.”
Qiao Xi replied carelessly, “Don’t worry, I still have that much professional ethics. I can handle being scolded without talking back or fighting back in front of your grandfather.”
Acting, after all, meant putting on one face in public and another in private. Both of them understood that perfectly well.
Besides, since childhood, she had heard far worse things than this.
Fortunately, the cut from the porcelain shard was shallow. The nurse disinfected it with alcohol and put on a bandage, and that was the end of it.
When she returned, she saw Nangong He standing against the light, his indistinct face carrying a faint gloominess.
His voice was cold and low.
“Three years, and this is all you’ve managed to find? If you still can’t locate her, then all of you can get lost.”
Who was he investigating?
Curiosity stirred in Qiao Xi’s heart.
The moment he saw her approaching, Nangong He ended the call.
He glanced at her lightly and asked, “Done?”
Qiao Xi raised the hand with the bandage and replied nonchalantly, “I already told you, I’ve had injuries way worse than this before. This is nothing.”
“And besides, my mental endurance has always been strong. I can survive another ten minutes of your grandfather scolding me. Come on, let’s go back in.”
Nangong He lowered his gaze slightly and looked at her as though she were an idiot.
“You may want to listen, but I don’t. We’re going home.”
Qiao Xi pursed her lips, thinking that his psychological endurance wasn’t even as good as hers.
The two walked side by side down the corridor. Passing doctors and nurses kept casting subtle glances toward them.
After they walked by, some people couldn’t help whispering among themselves.
“Did you hear? This is the wife Nangong He picked for himself. She’s nowhere near as good as Xiao Chuyin.”
“Who is she? I only heard she’s the Qiao family’s daughter, but I’ve only ever heard of Qiao Ying’er, never her.”
“Oh, she’s the daughter the Qiao family found later on. She doesn’t have any outstanding qualities and never entered high society, so it’s normal you haven’t heard of her.”
“How strange. How could Nangong He fall for her?”
“He never admitted he likes her. Maybe there’s some sort of deal behind this~”
“Come on, as if she’s worthy. Does the Nangong family need to make deals with the Qiao family? She probably used some tricks!”
They didn’t even bother lowering their voices while gossiping. Their words grew louder and louder, and both of them could hear everything clearly.
Nangong He’s expression remained calm. He didn’t even spare them an extra glance, though his proud, forward-looking demeanor clearly carried a trace of impatience.
Qiao Xi sneered and said sarcastically, “If you enjoy meddling in other people’s business so much, why not apply to the neighborhood committee and become gold-medal mediators?”
“And since you think I’m not worthy, are you worthy instead? Want to take my place?”
The two gossiping women were startled by Qiao Xi’s sudden retort.
They hurriedly turned around, bowing and apologizing repeatedly before fleeing hand in hand in embarrassment.
While she had been snapping back at them, Nangong He never stopped walking and had already reached the entrance.
Qiao Xi jogged a few steps to catch up. He cast her a sideways glance.
“Looks like you’ve adapted well to your role. You’re already acting like my wife.”
“If they insult me, then indirectly they’re insulting your judgment too. How could I let my partner suffer that kind of grievance?” she replied smoothly, smiling brightly.
Naturally, Nangong He knew it was nothing more than flattering hypocrisy.
He said coolly, “The Nangong family’s status can bring you glory and make your path easier.”
“But if you use this identity to scheme or play tricks, then whatever consequences arise, clean them up yourself.”