Jiang Xiao had always had excellent hearing.
His ear twitched slightly as he quietly turned his face, glancing with the corner of his eye toward the direction of the approaching footsteps, an emotion he could barely suppress surging in his gaze.
He saw small beads of sweat matting the girl’s jet-black, soft bangs into little seaweed-like strands, sticking in an irregular pattern to her flushed cheeks.
She must have run all the way here, or at the very least, walked at a brisk pace.
The best proof of this was her beautiful apricot-shaped eyes, their pupils shimmering with moisture, the corners tinged with a faint red—redder than when they had last parted.
And her neck was really red.
Whenever Song Qiuyu was emotional, crying, or shy, her neck would always flush.
Anyone could see the worry and anxiety Song Qiuyu was displaying right now.
She looked just like the world would collapse if anything happened to him.
He withdrew his gaze and simply sat there without moving, gripping his palm tightly, forcibly suppressing the urge to stand up and rush over to hug her, to comfort her.
For now, he was the injured boyfriend, waiting for his girlfriend to come take him home.
He was curious to see what Song Qiuyu, as his girlfriend, would do next.
Although she still wouldn’t admit to that identity.
“Jiang Xiao!”
As Song Qiuyu neared, she called out. Jiang Xiao, who had been quietly waiting on the chair, finally turned to look at her, a faint smile curving his lips.
“Song Qiuyu, how did your exam go?”
“Mm, I think it went pretty well. I knew almost all the questions.”
Song Qiuyu was momentarily startled.
She wasn’t just saying that to comfort Jiang Xiao; she was confident she could get an excellent score on the English Level Four exam this time.
“That’s great! You worked hard.”
Jiang Xiao’s smile was brilliant.
Song Qiuyu stared blankly at Jiang Xiao, not sure what to say. Her steps slowed.
“Here, your phone.”
Jiang Xiao had naturally noticed all her reactions, but he said nothing more, simply extending his left hand to hand over the phone he’d been holding.
Song Qiuyu took it, clearly feeling the lingering warmth of Jiang Xiao’s hand on the phone case, her grip unconsciously tightening.
She really shouldn’t have messed up like this today!
“Is it really okay for you to leave the hospital right away, without observation?” she asked, trying to sound calm as she sat down on the chair to Jiang Xiao’s right.
She glanced at his arm in the plaster cast, pondered, and then gingerly poked it twice with her finger.
“Uh…”
Jiang Xiao’s expression changed abruptly, making a sound as if he were in pain.
Song Qiuyu’s finger froze, a little guilty.
But then she remembered how, when he had fallen, his face had twisted in pain, yet he hadn’t made a sound.
Her eyes immediately grew suspicious.
Jiang Xiao wasn’t troubled by her stare; it wasn’t guilt that made him uneasy, it was her intent gaze—he could barely stand it.
The urge to hug her, kiss her, lift her up in his arms almost overwhelmed him.
His breath caught, and he couldn’t help turning his face away.
But the moment he did, Song Qiuyu immediately caught on, speechless.
Huh?
So he was faking it after all. Ha, Jiang Xiao’s innocent little tricks were just too easy to see through!
Still, she played along: “Does it hurt a lot?”
Jiang Xiao nodded slightly, composing himself before looking back at her, his eyes fixed on her beautiful ones. “Well, it is a fracture, after all.”
“True, then I won’t touch you anymore!”
Song Qiuyu raised both hands, her cherry-pink lips pressing together.
Jiang Xiao seemed momentarily dazed.
“But Jiang Xiao, you got hurt because of me, so I think it’s my responsibility to take care of you!” Song Qiuyu’s eyes sparkled with resolve and accountability.
Hearing that, Jiang Xiao’s face lit up with satisfaction.
Looking at her, he smiled and said, “Then I’ll just lie here and accept your care from now on, Song Qiuyu!”
If a cat only knew how to bite, then after being taught a lesson and abandoned, it deserved to wander alone.
But if the cat could learn from its mistakes, was grateful, and was even cute—
Then maybe it was worth keeping as a wife.
“It’s not even the first time. Last time, when you had a cold and fever, I took care of you too.”
Song Qiuyu saw Jiang Xiao smiling like that and felt a bit uneasy.
She scratched the back of her slightly heated neck and looked away. “So, did the doctor say how long it’ll take your arm to heal?”
“Mm, the doctor said that since I exercise regularly, as long as I rest properly, it should recover in just over half a month.”
Jiang Xiao tilted his head and glanced at his arm in the plaster cast.
“Just over half a month, huh.”
Song Qiuyu looked at it too, her brows furrowing and her expression troubled.
She wasn’t sure whether this was good or bad. Jiang Xiao was the leading actor in the stage play—they needed him to perform at the New Year’s Eve Gala in half a month.
If it were any longer, she could have just discussed swapping him out with the Drama Club President. But this timing was simply too awkward.
“Song Qiuyu, are you thinking about replacing the male lead now?” Jiang Xiao’s eyes grew a bit darker as he looked at her and spoke.
“I did think about it. It’s too much to ask you to rehearse while injured. Besides, if you can’t get the plaster off by the day of the performance, then…”
Song Qiuyu sighed dejectedly.
“So, for us to perform together, I’ll have to rely on you from now on, Song Qiuyu.” Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but lean closer, stretching out his left hand to gently pinch her soft, delicate cheek.
Song Qiuyu froze for a second, then suddenly grabbed the back of Jiang Xiao’s hand and gave him a glare, pretending to be fierce.
“Jiang Xiao, don’t think you can do whatever you want to my face just because you’re the patient now!”
She pulled out his phone and waved it at him, “Don’t forget our deal. I’m still holding your phone.”
Ugh, this guy is addicted to pinching, huh?
“All right, all right… Let go, let go, this is my only usable hand left, I can’t have it getting hurt again!” Jiang Xiao found her fierce cuteness irresistible and surrendered quickly.
If this kept up, he wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“Good that you know!”
Song Qiuyu rubbed her pinched cheek, her little nose giving a soft snort, expressing her discontent as fiercely as she could.
Her small hand, which had just pinched the back of his hand, tightened slightly.
“And besides, you wouldn’t want all your sweet memories with Xixi to be deleted by me, right? So, keep your hands to yourself.”
She put Jiang Xiao’s phone away, lowering her gaze to his right arm, which looked especially bulky with the plaster cast.
“But now that your right hand is in a cast, you’ll have to use your left hand for the upcoming exams this month.” Jiang Xiao nodded and sighed.
For a right-handed person, that really was a disaster.
Luckily, when he was accidentally handcuffed earlier, he’d been forced to write with his left hand, so he had a rough idea of his left-handed writing skills.
Legible, but very slow. It should be enough for the simple questions that didn’t require much writing.
“This is going to be tough.”
Song Qiuyu frowned, her face darkening.
She could help Jiang Xiao with everything—except answering exam questions.
She couldn’t possibly make him fail his classes because of her…
Her eyes reddened even more.
She owed him so much already; now she owed him even more.
“Why are you looking so miserable? I’ll just practice more, that’s all!”
Jiang Xiao couldn’t stand it anymore.
He reached out with his left hand and rubbed her head. If he wasn’t afraid she’d get mad, he’d have hugged her too.
Song Qiuyu pressed her lips together in silence, quietly letting Jiang Xiao ruffle her hair.
“Come on, we still have Drama Club rehearsal this morning. We need to get over there. And this afternoon there’s the advanced math exam—I’ll need time to practice writing with my left hand.”
With that, Jiang Xiao clenched the left hand that still held the lingering softness of her hair, rose from the chair, and looked toward the exit of the hospital.
“Oh, right, Jiang Xiao, why don’t we ask the doctor for a note and apply for exemption from Physical Education for the fitness test? Your arm can’t handle strenuous exercise, right?”
Song Qiuyu got up as well.
As she spoke, she picked up her phone, preparing to contact the Drama Club President on QQ about Jiang Xiao’s arm fracture.
This wasn’t just an issue between the two of them; it concerned everyone in the stage play, so everyone’s opinion needed to be considered.
If…
As long as no one objected, for the next half month, she swore she’d do everything she could to help Jiang Xiao recover!
She could act as his right hand for now—washing up, eating, or anything else, she’d help him with it all!!
Just then, with a “ding,” her phone received a new QQ message first.