Chapter 285: Chapter 275: Zhan Qipei Clings to Qiao Jing’s Feet
She ended up pressed down onto the sofa, Qiao Jing somewhat helpless, planning to get up when a pair of large hands seized her exposed ankles.
Qiao Jing instinctively wanted to retract her feet, but the hands, callused slightly, made her feel a ticklish sensation.
In Chinese culture, a man’s head and a woman’s feet are not to be casually touched, and although Qiao Jing was independent and strong, taking care of herself in all matters, she was after all a woman.
At this moment, the hands holding her ankles had a very strong presence.
Zhan Qipei’s hands were very large, taking off her shoes with ease, he effortlessly lifted her foot into his palm.
Qiao Jing wiggled her toes, trying to pull back, but her foot was trapped in the cradle of his hand, unable to move.
After several attempts, she gave up; Zhan Qipei simply didn’t give her any chance to withdraw them.
When Zhan Qipei felt Qiao Jing stop struggling, he placed her foot into the warm water, and meticulously scrubbed her toes, not missing any crevice.
Qiao Jing reflexively pulled her foot back a little.
“Can you wash faster?”
Zhan Qipei was scheming inwardly, his eyes slightly narrowed, a trace of a smile flickering across them.
“Washing slowly ensures it’s done thoroughly.”
The callused fingertips kept rubbing against her toes as he bent his head down, intently gazing at Qiao Jing’s foot.
Her toes were plump and tender, hinting at a pale pink, and her toenails were neatly trimmed.
Finally, when the water cooled down, Zhan Qipei, worried about Qiao Jing getting cold, quickly lifted her foot out and took a towel that was placed aside to help dry her feet.
The towel was taken by Qiao Jing, who sat on the sofa to swiftly dry off and then returned to the hospital bed to lie down.
By now, the night had deepened further, and the clock had struck eleven; Qiao Jing glanced at Zhan Qipei, who was seated beside her.
“Where will you sleep?”
The hospital room was a VIP luxury single, and the bed was certainly large enough for two, but Zhan Qipei was worried about crowding Qiao Jing, especially since she was not in good health.
So he dismissed the idea of climbing into bed and walked over to the sofa instead.
“I can sleep right here.”
Once Zhan Qipei lay down, his height meant that a good portion of his legs dangled off the edge, forcing him to curl up.
Qiao Jing, seeing Zhan Qipei in this state, felt a bit unsettled; after all, he stayed to keep her company through the night, and now he was cramped on the sofa, on top of the cold weather.
She hesitated before finally speaking up.
“It’s a bit chilly tonight, do you want to…”
Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes dimmed, a look of surprise on his face, as he quickly sat up from the sofa, interrupting Qiao Jing before she could finish.
“Do you want to come to sleep in your bed?”
His gaze was fixed on Qiao Jing, his tone carrying a hint of jest.
As both were ready to rest, Zhan Qipei had turned off the lights in the room, but Qiao Jing could still see his face clearly in the moonlight, and those dark eyes.
Without waiting for Qiao Jing to respond, he continued to speak.
Zhan Qipei said jokingly, “Then would you let me in?”
Qiao Jing paused and frowned, giving Zhan Qipei a peculiar look.
Zhan Qipei also noticed her expression, realizing she had misunderstood him.
He lightly raised his arched eyebrows, a captivating smile on his lips, his scorching gaze resting on Qiao Jing, sizing her up from head to toe.
Qiao Jing felt as though she were being X-rayed, as if she were bare for all to see.
She knit her brows, pulling the blanket over herself with an expressionless face, and muttered softly,
Qiao Jing turned over, using her back to face Zhan Qipei. She had asked him a serious question, and he replied with a bit of hooliganism in his tone.
Zhan Qipei stared at Qiao Jing’s back, and eventually couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
Qiao Jing, with her back to him, heard the chuckle and closed her eyes in annoyance, choosing to ignore him.
Zhan Qipei also closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When Qiao Jing woke up the next day, Zhan Qipei was no longer in the hospital room. She didn’t mind; there was breakfast on the bedside table and a small sticky note.
The note was written in the man’s strong, forceful handwriting.
“Drink while it’s warm, I’ve stepped out.”
By this time, Zhan Qipei had already arrived at Purple Garden. His face was tight, and he had an air of ‘keep away.’
Su Manhan was also just coming out of the house, and she happened to meet Zhan Qipei’s gaze, noticing her son’s expression.
Of course, she didn’t want to have a conflict with her own child, and the old master had already said there was no need for her to apologize. She just wanted to walk past Zhan Qipei.
Zhan Qipei noticed Su Manhan’s intention and called out directly.
“Mom, I have something I want to talk to you about.”
Su Manhan stopped in her tracks. She didn’t know how to respond to Zhan Qipei; her instinct was to walk in the other direction, pretending she hadn’t seen him to avoid confrontation.
But since he had called out to her, she couldn’t pretend not to hear.
She knew Zhan Qipei wanted to talk about Qiao Jing.
The mother and son moved to the living room.
Zhan Qipei sat opposite Su Manhan and picked up a cup of water.
Su Manhan sighed as she looked at her grown son. She hadn’t expected their relationship to become so tense because of a woman.
But with both the old master and Qiao Jing saying an apology wasn’t necessary, what did her son want to talk to her about?
Was he still not giving up on the idea of making her apologize to Qiao Jing?
At this thought, Su Manhan’s expression darkened.
There’s no way she would apologize to a junior!
Zhan Yao sat between the two, glancing at Su Manhan and Zhan Qipei, but remained silent.
An eerie silence continued in the living room.
“Mom, I remember Grandpa and Grandma also had a love affair that was unequal in terms of family status,” said Zhan Qipei.
Su Manhan was puzzled by Zhan Qipei bringing this up at such a time.
Zhan Qipei anticipated his mother would not easily relent and continued.
“I remember when I was little, you told me you envied the love between Grandpa and Grandma. Despite the difference in social status and family backgrounds, they were deeply in love.”
“I also remember you saying love is mysterious and isn’t bound by worldly constraints. Such love is purer, and you envied it too.”
Zhan Qipei put down the water glass and looked straight at Su Manhan.
“Mom, I’m not wrong, am I?”
Su Manhan furrowed her brow tightly, knowing what Zhan Qipei would bring up next. She pursed her lips and stayed silent.
Zhan Qipei’s face was indifferent, showing no excess emotion, making it impossible to discern his feelings.
“How are Qiao Jing and I any different from Grandpa and Grandma? What exactly is wrong with her?”
Su Manhan huffed and started digging up dirt on Qiao Jing.
“She might seem good in front of you, but she’s different with me, not polite at all, and very rude. On her first day here, she even clashed with your sister,” she said.
Zhan Qipei listened patiently, then continued to question.
“But who had the bad attitude first? And how was your attitude towards her?”
Upon hearing Zhan Qipei’s words, Su Manhan was taken aback, her mind flashing back to their first encounter with Qiao Jing, whose clothes were so unfashionable… As she thought more and more, her frown deepened, and her lips pressed tightly together, unsure what to say.
Zhan Qipei didn’t wait for Su Manhan to answer and kept talking.
“Never mind the attitude, you never accepted Qiao Jing from the start, did you? When you dislike someone, everything they do seems wrong in your eyes.
Mom, have you truly tried to understand Qiao Jing?”