Xu Qiao merely smiled without speaking, which only made her seem more mysterious. Su Jiaojiao pestered her for answers.
A while later.
“Your method is brilliant! Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re the one studying psychology. I admit I’m no match for you, sis!” Su Jiaojiao exclaimed excitedly.
Just imagining the future scene made her unable to suppress a smile.
Although Qiaoqiao had never been in a relationship, she came up with one method after another. Where on earth did she learn all this?
“Hey, Qiaoqiao, I suddenly feel a bit sorry for Jiang Wangye. Why isn’t he the Qiyun Zhi Zi?”
Su Jiaojiao raised an eyebrow and grinned. “If he were, I bet you wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—he’d pack himself up and deliver himself to you.”
Hearing this, Xu Qiao paused, recalling the content from the listening device earlier, and offered no rebuttal.
That guy might be easy to Capture, but his possessiveness was simply too strong.
If he really were the Qiyun Zhi Zi, successfully Conquering him would probably bring her a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, the very person who had gone to buy medicine had already arrived at Song Zhiyu’s private lounge.
As soon as the man opened the door, he saw the bruised and battered Eldest Young Master Jiang standing outside with a strange expression, holding a transparent plastic bag.
“What? Didn’t get enough earlier? Want another round?” Song Zhiyu’s eyes were cold, his tone sharp.
Still, he stepped aside to let the other man in.
The usually arrogant Jiang Wangye surprisingly didn’t retort. Carrying the items, he walked familiarly to the table in the lounge and took out the medicinal solution from the bag.
“I acted impulsively this time. I’m here to apologize—you can ask for anything.”
Song Zhiyu glanced sideways. The golden-haired, brown-eyed youth showed a remarkably sincere attitude of remorse, already opening the bottle of ointment for bruises as if ready to apply it for him. His earlier anger subsided a little.
This guy would do anything for that childhood sweetheart of his, even to the point of life and death—it was beyond comprehension.
Especially in the past two years, he’d done plenty of absurd and foolish things.
They’d been brothers for years; there was no need to truly hold a grudge.
“Since your attitude is sincere, I’ll hold off on making a demand for now,” Song Zhiyu said, not pushing his advantage.
Though getting Jiang Wangye to bow his head was a once-in-a-century occurrence.
He walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down beside the man, gesturing for him to apply the medicine, his expression softening slightly.
Having been brothers for years, Jiang Wangye naturally understood that Song Zhiyu’s gesture meant he was letting it go.
Feeling relieved, he began applying the medicine, his mouth not staying idle either. “Good brother, it’s all my fault. I believe you weren’t eyeing Qiaoqiao. Could you tell me about the day you ran into her?”
Song Zhiyu’s expression stiffened, but he held back from saying anything, only to hear his “good brother” continue chattering away.
“How did you two bump into each other that day?”
“Did she talk to you?”
Though he’d come to apologize, his words soon turned accusatory.
“You bumped into Qiaoqiao—was she angry? She’s quite delicate; you must have hurt her. Did you take her to the hospital?”
After the accusations came envy.
“Ah, if only I had been the one to bump into Qiaoqiao that day. She might have talked to me, maybe even…”
The man’s smile was utterly shameless.
Song Zhiyu’s face darkened completely.
Unable to hold back any longer, he snapped, “Are you here to apologize or to pry about your childhood sweetheart?”
With that, he couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh, bringing up old grievances again. "I remember a certain dog who got drunk not long ago, called me crying and wailing, saying something about never seeing someone again?"
Jiang Wangye was choked by these words, his throat tightening. His movements faltered, and his calloused finger accidentally jabbed directly into the man's injured spot, causing Song Zhiyu to hiss in pain.
The usually calm and composed man immediately covered his face and stood up, his tone furious. "Jiang Wangye, what kind of medicine application is this? I think you're deliberately trying to get back at me!"
"Sorry, sorry, I really didn't notice." Only then did Jiang Wangye realize what he had done. Seeing the bruise around Song Zhiyu's eye darken even more, his guilt deepened.
He hurriedly apologized and admitted his mistake, repeatedly promising to be gentler from then on. Only then did Song Zhiyu relent.
He decided not to bother with this foolish dog any longer, wanting to finish applying the medicine quickly and send him on his way.
But he hadn't expected Jiang Wangye to be so fixated on that childhood sweetheart. No sooner had he lightened his clumsy touch than he stubbornly continued asking about what had happened that day.
Song Zhiyu knew that if he didn't speak today, given this dog's temperament, he might pester him for ten days to half a month. Just thinking about that scenario gave him a headache, so he had no choice but to recount everything that had happened from start to finish.
"Only a hundred thousand? That's way too little!"
After hearing the whole story, a certain man completely forgot he was there to apologize. He sprawled boldly into a chair, speaking with righteous indignation.
Standard simp talk flowed effortlessly from his mouth. "You bumped into Qiaoqiao and didn't even take her to the hospital for a check-up? Only a hundred thousand for massage fees? How can anyone be so stingy?"
"You're the second son of the Song Group, with mountains of gold and silver at home, and you only pull out a hundred thousand from your pocket?"
Before his brother, whose face had turned as dark as charcoal, could retort, the man began fantasizing with heartache. "Qiaoqiao must have been in such a bad mood that day, running into an ice block like you. I wonder if she's still hurting? If I had been there, I definitely wouldn't have…"
Song Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh.
Letting Jiang Wangye, this dog, into his home today was undoubtedly the worst decision he had ever made.
At that moment, he even felt relieved that he hadn't mentioned bumping into Xu Qiao's chest. Otherwise, given the temperament of the dog beside him, he might have ended up with a knife wound.
Half a quarter of an hour later, with a loud "bang," Eldest Young Master Jiang, still bruised and battered, was thrown out of the lounge.
"Good brother, just let me see your chat history with Qiaoqiao! I'll agree to any condition you name!"
The man's shameless voice echoed through the corridor, but the wooden door before him remained firmly shut.
"Brother Jiang, how did it go? What did Brother Song say?" As soon as Jiang Wangye emerged, Fang Gao, who had been waiting downstairs, hurried over to meet him.
The man's mischievous peach-blossom eyes were fully alight. Despite his bruised and reddened face, it did little to diminish his arrogant and noble aura.
"You were right. That ice block really has no interest in Qiaoqiao!" Jiang Wangye curled his lips into a smile.
Hearing this, Fang Gao immediately felt relieved.
If Brother Song also had feelings for Miss Xu, he swore that, given Brother Jiang's temperament, they would definitely become sworn enemies.
Thank goodness!
Jiang Wangye had set up special alerts on the school forum for keywords like Xu Qiao, Miss Xu, and campus belle.
So when that post appeared early this morning, he saw it immediately. At that moment, his worry was even stronger than his anger.
Having been childhood sweethearts with Qiaoqiao for over a decade, he knew all too well how much that girl valued good looks.
That ice block Song’s face was undoubtedly a major threat—even he didn’t dare underestimate it.
Over the years, he had guarded against it meticulously, even going so far as to befriend that ice block Song, all to eliminate any chance of him meeting Qiaoqiao.
And the guy had been cooperative, showing no interest in women, his eyes only on experiments.
But he never expected that they would still cross paths.
What damnable luck!
Fortunately, though, he really had no interest in Qiaoqiao, and Qiaoqiao had no interest in that ice block either.
Jiang Wangye led Fang Gao off campus, where the Jiang family driver was already waiting at the school gate.
Fang Gao got into the car and realized they weren’t heading to the club or back to the Jiang residence. He quickly asked, “Brother Jiang, where are we going?”
“The hospital,” the man with a smile still lingering at the corner of his mouth answered casually.
As he spoke, he casually reached out and, to Fang Gao’s surprise, pulled out a mirror the size of a book from who knows where.
The moment he saw the injuries on his face, the smile in his eyes vanished instantly.
Damn that ice block Song, he had actually beaten his face up like this.
He had to see a doctor, he absolutely had to!
Qiaoqiao’s picky eyes didn’t like ugly things.
Thinking of this, Jiang Wangye couldn’t help but curse viciously, hoping that ice block Song’s face would be left with some scars!
The kind that were hideously ugly.
After all, during the fight earlier, he hadn’t held back at all, and the jab he’d delivered hadn’t been light either.
Evening.
“Hello, I’m the patient from Room 8016 on the 8th floor, here to settle the bill.” A young man with cold eyes and brows walked up to the payment counter, tapped on the window, and handed over his ID card.
The receptionist took the document, scanned the information skillfully, and after confirming it twice, said, “Sir, your hospitalization fees have already been settled by someone. There’s still a balance of fifty thousand yuan in your account that hasn’t been used.”
Noticing the lingering bruises on the young man’s arm, the receptionist added, “Would you like to stay a few more days for observation?”
Hui'an Yiyuan was a private hospital, with treatment standards and fees higher than public hospitals. Although this young man was dressed plainly, he was staying in a high-end private room, and there was still a balance in his account, suggesting he likely wasn’t short on money.
That’s why the receptionist couldn’t help but ask.
But unexpectedly, the young man’s attitude was firm. “No.”
Pei Jinchuan didn’t ask who had paid his hospitalization fees—he had known from the start.
It was just that after sending him to the hospital and arranging for a male caregiver, that person had never shown up again.
He could have been discharged a week ago.
Over the years, injuries had come and gone, healing over time, and he had developed a physique that recovered quickly. Those injuries were nothing to him.
He had waited an extra week in the hospital, but aside from an annoying woman who kept coming, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of that person.
Seeing Pei Jinchuan’s resolute attitude, the receptionist didn’t press further. “Sir, regarding the balance in your account, would you like to withdraw it or leave it for future use?”
“Withdraw it.”
“Alright.”
The hospital receptionist worked efficiently, and the extra fifty thousand yuan was transferred to his account within ten minutes.
Pei Jinchuan also asked her to print an itemized bill of his hospitalization expenses. He then transferred all the money listed on the bill, along with the fifty thousand yuan that had just been deposited, into a separate bank account.
After that, he took a taxi home.
The taxi turned into the traffic flow, passing through many intersections. Along the way, it encountered a car accident and detoured around it. After winding through several turns, it finally stopped in front of an old residential complex in an urban village.
After paying the fare, the young man first went to the vegetable market outside the complex to buy some ingredients.
It was already evening, and the vegetables weren’t very fresh, but they were on sale, making them much cheaper.
After buying enough ingredients for the next few days, the young man headed toward the last dilapidated building in the complex.
From the outside, the building looked shabby, its walls entirely gray, with many areas stained black and yellow.
The air carried a damp, rotting smell, like spoiled food in the dead of winter, topped with a layer of greasy residue.
There was no elevator. Pei Jinchuan carried a large white plastic bag and walked up to the fifth floor himself.
Some floors had working motion-sensor lights, while others didn’t. In the flickering light and shadows, his silhouette appeared and disappeared intermittently.
Just as he reached the door, he heard the clattering sound of pots, pans, and dishes shattering.
The young man lowered his eyes, his gaze hidden beneath the bangs on his forehead, filled with deep disgust.