Xu Moqian was quite irritated by Zhan Qipei’s gaze, but since the latter had already gotten into the car with Qiao Jing, he couldn’t chase after them to stop them.
He wasn’t sure if Zhan Qipei did it on purpose, but while reversing the car, he deliberately moved closer to Xu Moqian’s side, almost, just by a hair, hitting his legs with the car’s rear.
Just as he was about to speak up and stop them, Zhan Qipei’s car shot out like an arrow off the string, leaving Xu Moqian eating exhaust fumes.
At that moment, Xu Moqian’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, staring at Zhan Qipei’s car’s tailpipe for a long while until the vehicle disappeared from view before he finally took his gaze back,
He glanced down at his empty hands and remembered the feeling of Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
Finally, Xu Moqian, frustrated, ruffled his hair and looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky, which seemed as turbulent as his mood at that moment.
"Zhan Qipei definitely did that on purpose, pah! Anyway, since it’s not a done deal yet, I refuse to believe that I can’t win over Sister Jing!"
He would definitely not give up on Sister Jing just because of these minor setbacks!
With that in mind, Xu Moqian’s spirits were revived as he looked around and, finding no one in sight, suddenly felt inspired and let out a loud howl.
"Xu Moqian! You can catch up!!"
Zhan Nanqing had just walked out of the research institute when she heard Xu Moqian shout such an adolescent line. The worry that had been on her face vanished, and she laughed involuntarily and without restraint.
"Hahaha— What are you doing, Xu Moqian?"
She had gone past the canteen and hadn’t seen Qiao Jing, so she was about to make a call to ask around when a janitor happened to be cleaning the canteen, approached her, and asked if she was looking for Professor Qiao?
Then she learned that Qiao Jing had sprained her ankle and was heading towards the entrance of the research institute. She immediately rushed out to see if the other party had left yet?
That’s when she heard the line Xu Moqian had roared, almost bursting into laughter.
Xu Moqian had not expected Zhan Nanqing to hear that line, and he was momentarily stunned.
Originally feeling a bit embarrassed, as soon as he saw Zhan Nanqing sarcastically mocking him, he forgot all about his embarrassment and was filled with annoyance.
"What are you laughing at, you?!"
Zhan Nanqing made a mocking noise and crossed her arms.
"You say such a cheesy line yourself, and you don’t want others to laugh? Do you need me to remind you what exactly you were saying just now?"
Seeing her reaction, Xu Moqian immediately spoke out to stop her.
"Shut up, will you! Annoying, much? Isn’t it immature mimicking others?"
Zhan Nanqing wanted to go head-to-head with Xu Moqian and repeated the line he had just said.
"’Xu Moqian, you can catch up!’ So? Who can you catch up with? Don’t say you’re going after Qiao Jing, dream on!"
Xu Moqian clenched his fists, silently reciting the mantra ’a good man doesn’t fight with women’ a few times in his head to quell the anger.
"It’s none of your damn business!"
He had come to realize that this Zhan Nanqing was deliberately making life hard for him, always seizing opportunities to belittle him.
The elder and the younger of the Zhan family, none of them were good news! The elder one was competing with him for Sister Jing, while the younger one was always putting him down!
Meanwhile, inside Nantai Apartment.
Qiao Jing was helped to the door by Zhan Qipei. She had tried to walk on her own during the journey, but the man just wouldn’t let go, insisting on Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
She made several attempts but couldn’t break free from Zhan Qipei’s grasp, and finally allowed him to help her.
It was only when Zhan Qipei was opening the door that Qiao Jing found the opportunity to withdraw her hand.
After the door to their home was open, she leaned against the wall and slowly walked in.
But before she could take a few steps, a strong hand wrapped around her waist.
Immediately following, Qiao Jing felt herself suddenly lifted into the air, swept up into Zhan Qipei’s arms.
The man’s enveloping presence assaulted her, seemingly wrapping her up in layers.
Qiao Jing’s brow furrowed lightly, and she struggled subconsciously, wanting to get down from Zhan Qipei’s embrace.
But she was also mindful of the injury on her foot and didn’t dare struggle too much, so she could only speak up,
She now felt oddly relieved that Zhan Qipei, this damn man, hadn’t carried her out of the car straight away, or she would have been carried all the way upstairs.
At least now, they were at home, and only the two of them knew about it, which made her feel less embarrassed.
Zhan Qipei, seemingly deaf to her words, quickened his steps and eventually laid Qiao Jing down on the bed.
After setting the woman down, he turned and left the room.
Watching Zhan Qipei finally leave, Qiao Jing breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to get off the bed and fetch the medicine box from the room.
She had already given herself a simple massage in the car, and it wasn’t as painful as before; she could at least walk now.
Just as Qiao Jing was about to set her foot on the ground, someone hurriedly approached the door.
Zhan Qipei walked in with an ice pack in his left hand and a medicine box in the right.
Seeing Qiao Jing about to get off the bed, his thick eyebrows pulled together tightly, and he briskly walked to the woman’s side and crouched down.
Confusion flickered in Qiao Jing’s eyes, as she had thought Zhan Qipei went out because he was busy, which would have given her time to deal with her ankle.
But now it seemed that the man had left to fetch something.
Just as she was about to speak up and try to handle the wound herself, her injured foot was gently cradled by Zhan Qipei’s hand.
Zhan Qipei carefully held Qiao Jing’s delicate foot, the swollen and bruised ankle deeply paining his eyes.
His palm fully pressed against the woman’s foot, he went silent, dutifully applying the ice pack to her ankle without a word.
Qiao Jing looked down, watching Zhan Qipei, who was crouched at the bedside, gently applying the ice pack to her ankle, and noticed his face filled with worry and heartache.
She pursed her red lips and, without thinking, said,
"It’s not that serious."
She didn’t like seeing someone show this look of worry and heartache because of her; it made her feel as if she was affecting someone’s mood for the day.
After hearing Qiao Jing’s words, Zhan Qipei’s brows furrowed even tighter, and his deep voice resonated with concern.
"If this isn’t considered serious, then what is?"
Qiao Jing glanced at the foot Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
"It’s nothing, it should be much better by tomorrow. Aren’t you curious how I twisted it?"
Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes deepened, the heartache flooding them overflowing visibly.
"That’s not the point. The priority right now is to treat your injury."
As he said this, he moved the ice pack again, applying it to a different spot.
In the process, he adjusted Qiao Jing’s foot once more, and the tips of his fingers accidentally brushed across the sole.
Qiao Jing immediately felt Zhan Qipei’s calloused fingertips brushing lightly over the sole of her foot, sending a ticklish sensation through her.
Instinctively, she arched her foot, trying to pull it back, but the man gently grasped the sole, rendering her immobile.
Zhan Qipei’s gaze never left the woman’s ankle, his voice heavy with worry as he spoke.