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The scene that unfolded yesterday was repeated by Xu Zhiqiao again today.
Hua Niuniu, holding the milk she was given, politely said, “Thank you, Sister.”
Ji Huailuo: “Say one more word and I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
“……” Xu Zhiqiao felt speechless and realized that in their circle, it was always the sky, the earth, or a four-year-old child that was to blame, never themselves.
No infighting in the rich young master group.
“Brother,” Xu Zhiqiao tried to leave, “I’m in a hurry.”
Ji Huailuo scratched his head. “Little mute, let’s send Sister off…”
Xu Zhiqiao: “No need, someone might see us. Aren’t you afraid people will find out about our relationship?”
“……”
Seeing his face darken again, Xu Zhiqiao hurriedly added, “Brother, you haven’t walked Er De yet…”
Ji Huailuo: “It’s gone.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “?”
Gone?
Dead?
“Ji Huailuo!” Xu Zhiqiao’s scalp tingled, her courage rising, “That was a life! Did you kick it to death last night?”
No wonder there was so much noise in the backyard yesterday.
“……” Ji Huailuo’s face darkened. “What did you call me? Ji, Huai, Luo?”
Xu Zhiqiao: “Calling you Ji Huailuo is giving you face! You violent, dog-killing criminal!!”
Ji Huailuo’s neck tensed, veins popping. “It was reported by Zhou Cong! You being allergic is the thing he used to blackmail me! As a result, Er De was taken away and I got the reputation of being a violent freak and a dog killer!”
“……”
“Xu Zhiqiao,” Ji Huailuo ground his teeth, “You better leave now, or I swear I’ll bury someone in the backyard!”
Xu Zhiqiao quickly cooled down from her previous outburst, her guilt now growing.
She glanced at Ji Huailuo. “Brother Zhou Cong… how could he…”
“No need to worry about him, he’s already getting his karma,” Ji Huailuo flexed his wrist. “The so-called Zhou Family’s young master got hospitalized for food poisoning. People will laugh if they find out!”
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao’s mind was struggling to process everything.
Food poisoning?
Last night, Ji Huailuo said the doctor wouldn’t let Zhou Cong eat dinner.
Zhou Cong had eaten the casserole with her at noon.
He even had two servings.
Could it have been the casserole?
But she didn’t have any problems.
For a moment, Xu Zhiqiao was unsure whether she felt guilty for Er De being taken away or for the food poisoning incident with Zhou Cong.
“Brother…”
“Who the hell are you calling ‘brother’? I’m Ji Huailuo!”
“……” Xu Zhiqiao awkwardly stretched her hand out, pinched the corner of his shirt, and shook it. “Brother, I was wrong.”
Ji Huailuo glanced down, then raised his gaze. “Giving me face again?”
Xu Zhiqiao, embarrassed: “Being able to call you ‘brother’ is you giving me face.”
Ji Huailuo snorted.
Xu Zhiqiao patted Hua Niuniu’s head and almost retreated into the car.
The car drove away.
Ji Huailuo lowered his gaze and met Hua Niuniu’s eyes, who was holding the milk.
“Why did I bring you here? And now we lost a box of milk.”
Hua Niuniu took a few gulps. “Brother, you’re a bit stingy.”
The brother from yesterday had given her a diamond bracelet.
Ji Huailuo sighed. “Forget it, knowing that a four-year-old can talk is some weird, useless knowledge I’ve gained.”
Hua Niuniu: “……”
This brother was hopeless.
—-
Xu Zhiqiao spent the whole ride anxiously thinking about Zhou Cong’s food poisoning.
When the car neared the casserole shop, Xu Zhiqiao suddenly told the driver to pull over.
Outside the run-down casserole shop, a group of people were arguing, with the owner trapped in the middle, while a police car had just arrived.
Through the half-open window, Xu Zhiqiao’s sharp ears caught phrases like “food poisoning,” “the seafood was rotten,” and “smelly.”
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao’s heart skipped a beat.
She didn’t get food poisoning because she didn’t eat seafood?
Zhou Cong, with his sophisticated palate, didn’t notice that the seafood was problematic?
But no matter how she looked at it, the blame would fall on Xu Zhiqiao’s head.
She had even made him eat two bowls.
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Zhiqiao opened Zhou Cong’s chat window and carefully typed: [Brother Zhou Cong, is it because of yesterday…]
Unhappy with it, she deleted it.
After a while, Xu Zhiqiao typed again: [Brother Zhou Cong, have you been discharged yet?]
She sent it.
—
Old Master Zhou didn’t agree to let Zhou Cong be discharged so soon. The grandfather and grandson had a long argument in the hospital room before Zhou Cong won.
After completing the discharge procedure, Zhou Cong sneered frequently. “Are you sure you want me to come back and eat every meal at your place?”
“How?” The old man was still in good spirits, “Do you want to kill your grandfather?”
Zhou Cong looked at him. “You’re so strong. How about I find a grandmother for you?”
Old Master Zhou hit him with his cane. “You little brat…”
Worried that he might fall, Zhou Cong had to support him. “Be careful of the steps, steady yourself.”
Old Master Zhou shrugged him off, glanced at the sky slowly turning to autumn, a trace of sadness creeping into his eyes.
“Get married quickly, and Grandpa can help you take care of the kids.”
Zhou Cong: “……”
The phone in his pocket rang, and Zhou Cong took it out, glancing at it.
A brief silence.
“Grandpa.”
“What now?”
“…Maybe I should stay another two days.”
“……”
“I’m still feeling a bit unwell,” Zhou Cong put his hand on his stomach, his tall frame slightly bent, a hint of weakness unexpectedly leaking out, “You were right, Grandpa. I should stay a couple more days in the hospital.”
“……”
—
Xu Zhiqiao chose the bed furthest inside, against the wall. The room still hadn’t been occupied by a roommate, and the air was filled with the musty smell of dust from the two months it had been uninhabited.
Sister Li was grumbling about how the dorm conditions weren’t as good as at home while quickly making the bed and setting up the curtain.
Xu Zhiqiao did a quick clean-up.
When she received Zhou Cong’s message, she had just thrown the trash away.
[No, the doctor won’t allow it.]
Xu Zhiqiao thought it must be serious since it had taken him so long to reply. Maybe he was still undergoing treatment.
The phone rang again.
Zhou Cong: [Since you know, you should also know the reason, right?]
Zhou Cong: [Shouldn’t you come and visit your Brother Zhou Cong?]
“……”
After hesitating for a few minutes, Xu Zhiqiao decided to go to the hospital and, by the way, return the money.
—
Xu Zhiqiao had never visited a patient before, and she wasn’t sure what to bring. After this incident, she was even more hesitant to bring anything to Zhou Cong.
But going empty-handed would be awkward.
After thinking for a while, Xu Zhiqiao respectfully messaged him: [Brother, are you allergic to flowers?]
Zhou Cong: [？]
Xu Zhiqiao: [If you’re allergic, I’ll bring you a bouquet.]
Zhou Cong: [……]
Zhou Cong: [Look carefully at what you sent.]
Xu Zhiqiao took another look.
A thunderclap.
She had accidentally typed “if you’re allergic” instead of “if you’re not allergic.”
She missed one word!
Zhou Cong: [You want me to die, don’t you? Want to come over and give me a final blow?]
Xu Zhiqiao wanted to cry from her own stupidity.
Zhou Cong: [Don’t bring anything, our Little Bao can’t even make a few bucks.]