Chapter 21: Sprained Ankle

As they were finishing their meal, Lin Shuangshuang suddenly sat down beside them.

With a concerned expression, she spoke: “Mingyue, is your mother really Yu Beibei?”

Before Jiang Mingyue could respond, Lin Shuangshuang continued,  “You two look so alike, it must be true. So, does her statement mean she doesn’t want you anymore? I heard before that your parents are divorced, your father has a new family, and now your mother doesn’t want you either. Doesn’t that mean you’re an orphan now?”

Her voice grew louder as she spoke, almost as if afraid others wouldn’t hear her.

While speaking, she even squeezed out two drops of tears.  

“Ah, you’re so pitiful. But don’t be too sad. The entertainment industry is full of all sorts of people. Your mother had no choice but to earn money and fame.”

Under the guise of concern, she was pricking at old wounds, adding sarcasm and mockery.

It turned out Lin Shuangshuang was quite the actress as well.

Since their last conversation on WeChat, every time she had seen Jiang Mingyue, she hadn’t given her a friendly look. Now, she was putting on another performance.

Well, if she wanted to play this game, Jiang Mingyue would play along.

She put down her chopsticks, sighed deeply, and with a sorrowful face, said: “Ah, thank you for your concern, but this is my personal matter, so there’s no need for you to worry. You’ve been stressing so much about my affairs, your liver must be on fire.”

Lin Shuangshuang was a bit confused: “My liver is fine…”

Jiang Mingyue held her nose and moved slightly away from her,  

“Excessive liver fire can cause bad breath. Just look at how bad your breath smells, ah.”

Lin Shuangshuang instinctively covered her mouth: “Y-You’re talking nonsense!”

Jiang Mingyue stood up,  “If I’m talking nonsense, you’ll know after going to the hospital for a check-up.”

She then turned to Qi Ze,  “Have you finished eating?”

Qi Ze also stood up,  “It’s too stinky, I can’t eat anymore.”

“Poof—”

Jiang Mingyue couldn’t help but laugh at his serious expression as he spoke those words with such a straight face.

Lin Shuangshuang realized she was being mocked and slammed her hand on the table, standing up: “You guys…”

Then she remembered her “white lotus” persona. She suppressed the anger on her face and put on a look of someone who had been wronged.

The two emotions on her face caused her otherwise delicate features to twist slightly.

Jiang Mingyue simply bypassed her and left.

After placing the trays at the return station, the two washed their hands at the sink.

Jiang Mingyue washed her hands carefully, always remembering the standard hand-washing method her kindergarten teacher had taught her.

Every time she washed her hands, she made sure to clean from her fingers to the spaces between them.

Qi Ze stood beside her, washing his hands seriously while secretly watching Jiang Mingyue’s expression in the mirror.

She lowered her eyebrows, her eyelashes thick and curled.

Although he couldn’t see clearly, he knew that beneath them were eyes that shimmered with starlight.

Her lips were slightly parted, and the corners of her mouth lifted just a little.

Her expression was cheerful, showing no sign of sadness at all.

Qi Ze suddenly spoke, calling her name: “Jiang Mingyue.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Jiang Mingyue turned her head to look at him, her brows and eyes carrying a smile, her voice crisp.

“It’s nothing.”

Qi Ze suddenly felt a bit awkward and coldly dropped two words.

Jiang Mingyue pulled out a tissue to dry her hands: “Shall we go then?”

“Let’s go.” Qi Ze gently tossed the paper ball into the trash can.

Jiang Mingyue suddenly remembered something: “Wait, put your hand out.”

Qi Ze asked: “Why?”

“Just give it to me.” Jiang Mingyue grabbed his hand.

It was icy cold, probably from just washing his hands.

She leaned in to sniff his fingertips.

Her warm breath brushed over his fingers, and Qi Ze immediately pulled his hand away, his eyes slightly widening.

Jiang Mingyue chuckled softly,  

“Your fingertips still smell a bit like the braised shrimp.”

Qi Ze: “…”

He turned around, preparing to wash his hands again.

Jiang Mingyue grabbed his arm,  

“It’s hard to wash off. Let’s go back to the classroom first. I brought some hand sanitizer, it can get rid of the smell, and it smells nice too.”

Qi Ze hesitated for a moment before turning and walking back.

Jiang Mingyue followed him, her voice tinged with delight as she smiled and said,  

“Actually… I gave you the shrimp on purpose. I really wanted to eat it, but I didn’t want to peel it, I was so worried that my hands would smell.”

Qi Ze wasn’t surprised at all. He spoke lightly,  “I could tell.”

“You knew—ah—”

Jiang Mingyue had intended to step forward and walk alongside him.

However, she stepped on something and slipped, falling hard to the ground. One knee slammed into the floor.

Her upper body crashed into Qi Ze’s legs, or else it would have been a rather embarrassing fall.

“Are you okay? Where did you fall? Let me see.”

Qi Ze quickly helped her, his voice filled with concern, a tone he didn’t even realize he had.

Jiang Mingyue was in so much pain that she didn’t want to move. She tightly gripped Qi Ze’s arm, her face twisted in agony as she said,  

“Wait, don’t move me, let me catch my breath.”

“Alright.” Qi Ze steadied her, not making any further movements.

It hurt so much!

Her tears were nearly about to fall.

Jiang Mingyue glanced down at the chopsticks by her feet,  “Ugh, who’s the careless fool who dropped chopsticks and didn’t pick them up? I nearly broke my neck.”

Behind her was the careless fool who had dropped the chopsticks. It was Qiang Wei and she was preparing to go over and pick them up: “…”

Walking alongside Qiang Wei was Qi Moyang, he said: “…If you’re unlucky, you can’t blame others.”

Jiang Mingyue turned her head towards the sound.

Qi Moyang raised an eyebrow and looked down at her from above.

Qiang Wei, looking guilty and unsure, hesitated before speaking,  “I’m sorry, the chopsticks were dropped by me…”

After speaking, her gaze subconsciously flickered toward Qi Ze.

Jiang Mingyue turned her head,  

“…It’s fine, just my bad luck.”

Qi Ze furrowed his brows,  “How is it? Can you stand up?”

“I’m feeling a bit better. Let me try.”

Jiang Mingyue leaned on Qi Ze’s arm and slowly stood up, but she couldn’t put any weight on her right leg; it hurt too much.

“No, no, I can’t. My right leg hurts too much. It’s not broken, is it?”

Qi Ze immediately crouched down,  “Come on, get on my back. I’ll carry you to the infirmary.”

“Alright.” Jiang Mingyue didn’t hesitate and climbed onto his back.

Qiang Wei hesitated for a moment, picked up the chopsticks from the ground, and tossed them back into the return station, following the two.

Qi Moyang followed her,  “Where are you going?”

Qiang Wei replied,  “Ultimately, it was my fault. I’ll go check on her; otherwise, I’ll feel guilty.”

“You’re too kind.” Qi Moyang said.

“The bones are fine, it’s just a sprained ankle and soft tissue damage to the knee. It’s not very serious, but you need to take of it and have a proper rest. It should be better in ten days to two weeks.”

The doctor placed ice packs on her ankle and knee,  “Here, hold it with your hand to reduce the swelling.”

Qi Ze took the ice pack from her ankle, lowered his head, and seriously helped her press it against the injury.

Jiang Mingyue held the ice pack on her knee,  “Thank you, doctor.”

Qiang Wei, with a look of deep apology, stepped forward,  “Jiang Mingyue, I’m really sorry. Do you… do you need any compensation? Or… if you need anything during this time, I can help.”

Saying this, she felt uncertain, as given Jiang Mingyue’s previous attitude, she was afraid she might take this opportunity to make things difficult for her.

Jiang Mingyue replied indifferently,  “It’s fine, it wasn’t on purpose. There’s no need for compensation, and I don’t need your help with anything.”

Qiang Wei felt a bit awkward and lowered her head,  “I… I don’t want to owe you anything…”

Qi Moyang, seeing Qiang Wei’s uncomfortable expression, immediately frowned,  “What’s with your attitude? This isn’t her fault, it’s your own bad luck. Apologizing is already enough.”

Jiang Mingyue was speechless,  “What attitude?”

Qi Moyang snorted,  “If she doesn’t want to owe you anything, how much do you want? We’ll pay you, and then we’ll be done with it.”

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Lucia: Bro is gaslighting us. He wants us to believe that it’s Yueyue’s fault!

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