"Yes." Mia Ginger nodded.
Koa Jackson was silent for a moment.
Mia Ginger looked at his sharply defined profile and thought briefly before speaking seemingly casually, "I thought you two were very familiar, everyone says you’re preparing to get engaged."
"Hmm, there is such a thing." Koa Jackson’s response was unexpected.
Mia Ginger quietly watched him.
Momentarily speechless.
"After I returned to the country last year, both families were quite proactive about this, Lydia Williams proposed getting engaged during the summer, I knew about it."
Koa Jackson spoke with a neutral tone, as if discussing someone else’s matter.
"You agreed?" Mia Ginger gripped the seatbelt tightly with one hand.
"Three days before I heard you were coming home, Grandpa agreed," Koa Jackson still maintained his usual calm tone, "I haven’t agreed yet, but promised to meet once."
When Mia Ginger previously went to see him at the hospital, he didn’t know, so the original meeting should have been his first with Mia Ginger.
Unexpectedly, Mia Ginger’s return led to the meeting being canceled.
Mia Ginger suddenly understood.
Her lips trembled, and for a moment, she couldn’t find her words.
She pulled her wandering thoughts back, slowly saying, "If I hadn’t come back, after your meeting, you would have probably gotten engaged, right?"
"This hypothesis is meaningless." Koa Jackson glanced at her.
"Zuri Ginger is twenty-one, looks good, has a gentle and quiet personality praised by everyone, good in studies, and is already quite a famous writer even before graduating. If Grandpa Jackson agreed, you wouldn’t refuse, right?" Mia Ginger looked at him steadily, asking again.
"Grandpa, nearing a hundred, has always been quite concerned about my marriage." Koa Jackson slowed his driving a bit, "He is a man of his word."
"What about you?" Mia Ginger’s gaze was intense, "If I didn’t come back, would you follow Grandpa Jackson’s wishes and marry her?"
"I said this hypothesis is meaningless."
"Would you marry her?!"
Koa Jackson turned to her, his deep black eyes carrying a sharp gleam, "You’re already back, so there’s no ’what if’ in this matter."
His tone was severe, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold and tense.
Mia Ginger turned her head away.
Looking out the window.
Feeling extremely wronged, suffocating from the pressure.
Who should she blame?
Charlotte Chester lost her, Camilia Davis deceived her, Aiden Jiang adopted Zuri, Zuri replaced her, Bob Ginger rejected her... Each of them, from their own perspective, had their grievances and considerations.
Mia Ginger kept looking out the car window.
Koa Jackson also didn’t say a word.
Driving into the neighborhood, he called Uncle Lewis.
The four people at home all went out to wait, moving everything from the back seat and the trunk inside.
Mia Ginger picked up her bag and was the first to return to her room.
Threw herself onto the soft bed, kicked off her shoes, turned over, and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.
She knew it wasn’t Koa Jackson’s fault, but her emotions were uncontrollable.
Making her appear aggressive.
The few people bringing things in naturally noticed she was angry.
Looking at each other.
"Just leave everything at the door, and go about your own business." Koa Jackson passed by and instructed, then stepped directly into his room to shower and change clothes.
More than half an hour later, he came out with iodine and anti-inflammatory ointment.
Frowning, he glanced at the mountain of shopping bags at the door, knocked, and called out, "Mia Ginger."
No response from inside the room.
Koa Jackson called again, still no answer.
He furrowed his long eyebrows, went back to get the room key.
Koa Jackson opened the door and entered.
As soon as he entered, he saw the backpack tossed on the floor, took a few more steps into the bedroom, and shoes were haphazardly thrown at his feet, he looked up—
Mia Ginger was curled up asleep on the blanket.
Her long dress wrapped around her thin back, her whole body curled up like a shrimp, her slender pale legs extending from the hem of the skirt, her little feet small and pitiful, just right for his palm.
Koa Jackson frowned, let out a small sigh.
Placed the iodine and ointment on the table, picked up the shoes, and set them straight, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then took the medicine and sat by the bed.
Mia Ginger, having run around all day, was sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking.
Koa Jackson had no choice but to cradle her in his arms.
Using a cotton swab, he carefully applied some iodine to the slender scratch on her neck, once done, he spread some anti-inflammatory ointment on her palm.
Mia Ginger, clearly uncomfortable in his arms, turned over and hugged his waist tightly.
Amelia Miller carefully entered and happened upon this scene.
Koa Jackson side-eyed her.
"I... Aunt Lee sent me to ask, wondering what Miss would like to eat tonight?"
Koa Jackson, seldom smiling, always appeared exceptionally cold, especially when suspecting he and Mia Ginger were upset outside, causing Amelia Miller to stammer through her words.
"Make her some sweet corn soup and two refreshing side dishes." Koa Jackson thought briefly, then gave a light order.
"Got it." Amelia Miller hurriedly backed out.
Koa Jackson held Mia Ginger’s arm, moved her from his embrace, pulled the air conditioning cover aside, and laid her flat inside.
Then tidied her messy short hair to the side, revealing her delicate face.
Eyebrows furrowed tightly.
She was evidently uneasy even in her sleep.
Koa Jackson’s long fingers touched her, slowly smoothing the crease between her brows, feeling a complex sense of empathy, foreign to him.
This girl had a stubborn nature, her words often came with hostility, leading her to suffer in interactions.
He pressed on the center of his brows, turned, and stepped out the door.