Transferred from the operating room to the ward.
After waking up, Jiang Xi felt a calmness as if she had just brushed past life and death, lying on the bed staring at the ceiling,
her gaze steady and unfaltering.
It was her first time undergoing surgery, and to say she wasn’t afraid would definitely be a lie.
Fortunately, it was under general anesthesia.
One blink, and the whole operation was over.
If it had been a cesarean section, fully conscious, listening to the scissors snip through the cloth nearby, her mind would probably have shattered.
Now she wanted to crawl into her parents’ arms and act spoiled; she wanted a crowd around her bed fussing over her… but there was none.
At least, there was still Qin Sheng.
“Auntie! Auntie! Are you okay?”
Qin Sheng, who had been sitting by the bedside the entire time, jumped up from her chair the moment Jiang Xi opened her eyes, looking at her carefully.
The anesthesia wore off, and the pain slowly crept in. Jiang Xi’s hair was damp with sweat, slightly disheveled.
Qin Sheng wanted to help smooth it back, but dared not make too big a movement.
“Mm.”
Jiang Xi adjusted to the abdominal pain a little, breathing in small, cautious breaths for fear of pulling the wound, and murmured softly, “… It’s okay, not as terrifying as I imagined.”
“Of course… These are the best doctors in the entire hospital, extremely skilled! I even specially told them to make the stitches look nice, so the scar wouldn’t look like a centipede when it healed… They all promised. If conditions allowed, they would’ve even tied the stitches into little bows.”
“Hahaha!” Jiang Xi couldn’t help but laugh.
Accidentally tugging at the wound caused a sharp pain, but she felt happy inside.
Cancer—
Two terrifying words, just vanished like smoke and clouds?
It really felt like a dream!
“I remember the doctor said I could be discharged in a week, right?”
“Noooo…”
Qin Sheng held up her right hand, repeatedly making a “ten” gesture, and emphasized with a serious little face: “Seven to ten days! I promised Xiyan I’d take good care of you, don’t even think about sneaking out!”
Jiang Xi retorted, “What do you mean by ‘sneaking out’?”
“Discharging in seven days is sneaking out. The doctor said they need to see how the wound heals… If you rush back and do something strenuous and the wound bursts open, what then? It’s safest to just lie in the hospital!”
She didn’t even have a boyfriend, what strenuous activities could she possibly do?
The most intense thing lately was seeing Qin Sheng’s mouth and Xiyan’s crotch white with fluid, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to clean house.
“Personally, I think… you should stay a full fifteen days.”
“Fifteen days?!”
Jiang Xi’s eyes widened, clearly shocked by the number.
Qin Sheng nodded firmly: “Cancer! Cancer! Staying a few extra days can’t hurt. Besides, it’s reimbursed anyway. Not staying is just wasting it. Doctors and nurses will be at your beck and call—how comfortable is that?”
“What’s comfortable about it? It’s miserable here.”
“I’ll keep you company… Auntie, don’t be stubborn!”
***
Jiang Xi thought:
Sister-in-law relationships really are difficult!
She wasn’t even married in yet, and Qin Sheng dared to make decisions for her—what would happen after marriage?
Not like Lin Ci… who looked like an easy target.
Of course, that was a joke.
“Hey, hey, hey! Qin Sheng? I’m the elder here, right?” Auntie wanted to put her hands on her hips and look authoritative.
But she forgot she was slouched against the headboard. Instead of looking authoritative,
she looked like a salted fish flapping hard but never quite getting up.
Did Qin Sheng fear her?
Not even a blink from Qin Sheng—so brave!
Jiang Xi was both annoyed and amused, reaching out to tap her head, but couldn’t reach. Just as she was about to give up, Qin Sheng put her head forward herself, giving her a pitiful look: “Auntie~~ Would you really hit me?”
Thump—
“What’s there to hesitate about? Alright, alright… we’ll see later, it hurts like hell now.”
Qin Sheng was thinking about her all the time, and Jiang Xi really couldn’t refuse.
“Oh, by the way! Auntie, Xiyan just came by.” Qin Sheng slapped her thigh, as if she’d just “remembered.”
Jiang Xi’s eyes instantly widened, staring straight at Qin Sheng: “Why did he come?”
“He still doesn’t trust you after the surgery, snuck over during lunch break to check on you, so filial!”
Jiang Xi’s pretty face flushed: “… Did he find out?”
“No!”
Qin Sheng said firmly, then hesitated a little: “But I think since it’s already over, whether to tell them or not is optional. If you tell them, they might all want to get checkups just in case, right? It’s one thing if they find nothing, but if they do… it’s over.”
“No need. With me as a precedent, if I ask them to get checked, how could they refuse?”
“… Hmm, that’s true…”
Qin Sheng was a bit disappointed.
Polyps and cancer were two different things. It’d be better if Xiyan knew.
She didn’t want to threaten anyone with such matters—it would make her seem harsh. But if Xiyan wanted to return the favor himself, could she stop him?
Shen Xiyan: Miss Qin Sheng, please allow me to repay you—I’m ready whenever you say so.
So embarrassing~~
“Well, I’m heading home first~~ Auntie, if you need anything just call Aunt Wang.”
“Mm.”
The ward was quiet. Jiang Xi completely relaxed her mind. Her tired body from the past few days finally gave in, and she unknowingly fell asleep.
Before leaving, Qin Sheng adjusted her expression at the door.
Smiles… were for Auntie. Taking them home would look weird.
She also waited a bit for a delivery. The courier arrived on a tricycle with a “toot toot,” brought in over a dozen boxes after signing.
Pushing open the door—
On the living room sofa sat “chatty women” and the “obedient Qin Ge.” Seeing Qin Sheng, Yang Xuan waved warmly, a picture of maternal kindness and filial piety:
“Qin Sheng, your dad and I were chatting, come over and say something?”
“… Not in the mood.”
“You’re such a child!” Yang Xuan shot her a doting glare.
Qin Sheng felt disgusted and stared coldly at Qin Ge sitting primly on the sofa: “Qin Ge, come help me move some stuff.”
“… Me…?”
Qin Ge looked surprised, pointing at himself, disbelief all over his face.
“Yes! Come here!”
Qin Ge frowned, strangely feeling honored.
After thinking it over, he guessed maybe his sister was in a generous mood and giving him a chance to mend their “hostile sibling relationship.” Excited, he got up.
“Coming… Is it just this one box?”
“Wait!”
Qin Ge held the box, watching as time passed and her expression kept changing, holding back the urge to go out and see how many things she actually bought.
“That’s it?”
When Qin Sheng finally leaned against the doorframe, wiping sweat from her brow and panting, Qin Ge struggled to hold six or seven boxes and couldn’t help but peek:
“Are you sure that’s all?”
The boxes weren’t heavy, but holding them was bulky.
“Move them to my bedroom door first. There are more outside.”
“What did you buy?”
Qin Sheng gave him a charming glare: “Why do you ask so much? Just move!”
“Oh.”
Two trips done.
Qin Sheng returned to the second floor and eagerly tore open the boxes in the corridor.
Qin Ge followed behind, looking on longingly. Seeing she didn’t shoo him away, his courage grew bolder until he squatted beside her, even wanting to help.
Qin Sheng immediately refused.
If he accidentally touched something, she wouldn’t be able to clean it off even with disinfectant.
As each box opened, Qin Ge was surprised to find they were all sneakers, some very familiar.
“Wow! Aren’t these limited editions? And this one… holy crap! I’ve wanted it forever but could never get it. How did you get these?”
“I have my ways. How can you compare to me? Relying on mom or your money? Some things money just can’t buy…”
Qin Ge twitched but held back his temper to ask, “Then why buy so many sneakers? With such big sizes, you can’t wear them all yourself. Gifts?”
Qin Sheng glanced up, rifled through the shoeboxes, then threw one with an obviously different size into Qin Ge’s arms, expressionless: “This one’s for you…”
“Me?!”
Qin Ge got excited for a moment.
In just that instant, his mind raced with all kinds of possibilities.
S City was a fashion capital nationwide, and the quality of its beauties was top-tier.
But Qin Sheng towered above them all, unchallenged.
In the Entertainment Industry, maybe some could rival her looks, but those fakes all had a knife here or there—how could they compare to Qin Sheng’s “natural, unadorned beauty, like a lotus emerging from clear water”?
Not to mention her figure was also top-notch; at her age, she already had a tiny waist, a perky behind, and long legs—an intimidating combo. No telling how stunning she’d be in ten years.
Qin Ge’s aesthetic had been ruined from childhood, barely glancing at girls who were even slightly pretty, though he was okay with flirting.
Those so-called girlfriends all bore some trace of Qin Sheng’s features.
Qin Sheng’s willingness to give him gifts was an even stronger signal than her earlier “weakness.”
He needed to let her know who was boss—father to son, husband to wife, no, brother to sister.
“Didn’t I slap you last time? I thought about it for a while. We’re siblings after all… shouldn’t be like that.” Qin Sheng squinted, her tone sounding guilty at first, but her expression was like a lazy, mischievous vixen, full of ill intent.
“It’s okay, I’ve got my faults too…”
Qin Ge tried hard to control his expression, not laughing too wildly: “So all these are mine?”
“Huh? No way.”
Qin Sheng’s expression instantly turned disdainful, as if Qin Ge was no longer her “dear little brother” but a stinky pile of garbage: “What are you thinking? Only that one is yours…”
“Then what about these…”
Qin Sheng ignored him, unpacking the rest and tossing Qin Ge’s coveted sneakers one by one under the door crack into the bedroom.
Not even allowed to look inside the bedroom.
What a joke. The bedroom was full of Xiyan’s photos—something no outsider could see.
“All done! You can scram now!” Qin Sheng clapped her hands.
Qin Ge sensed something was off.
Opening the box in his hands, inside was a pair of crudely made plastic slippers.
His previously excited expression instantly soured.
“… What… is this?”
“Oh, the boss saw I bought so many and insisted on giving me something… But you know, I never take advantage of others, so I said just send slippers, perfect… you can wear them.”
“Then… what about those sneakers?”
Qin Sheng tilted her head, acting perfectly reasonable, almost biting her finger: “Those are for Xiyan! What else?”
Qin Ge was about to lose it.
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