Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Young Master Qiao’s wife,” Gao Qiang gasped. ”Young Master Qiao is demanding a betrothal gift, and it’s for his wife. So Jiali asked his wife to borrow the money, just to give it back to Young Master Qiao?” Gao Qiang had to admit, he was impressed by that maneuver. ”Did she agree to lend it to you?”

”She didn’t agree at first, but then she did.” Xu Jiali wrapped her arms around Gao Qiang’s neck.

Gao Qiang leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. ”What did she want in exchange?”

”She wants me to go with her to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.” Xu Jiali felt very guilty. They were concerned about her health, but she had used her own well-being to pressure them.

”Is she sick?” Gao Qiang asked.

”No, my stomach problems flared up.” Xu Jiali shook her head. It was no secret that she had stomach problems.

Gao Qiang’s face filled with tension. ”Why did they flare up all of a sudden?”

Xu Jiali said sheepishly, ”They wouldn’t lend me the money, so I went on a hunger strike, and my stomach problems flared up.”

”Jiali.” Gao Qiang’s face was stern. He glared at Xu Jiali and warned, ”Don’t you ever do that again. You can’t use your health as a bargaining chip, no matter what.”

”You’re being mean to me.” Xu Jiali’s face fell, but inside, she was bubbling with happiness.

”I was wrong.” Gao Qiang immediately admitted his mistake.

”Hehe, just teasing you.” Xu Jiali broke into a smile as bright and radiant as the sun.

”Jiali, come on. I’ll take you out,” Gao Qiang said. When he was with Xu Jiali, his favorite pastimes were eating, drinking, and having fun.

”Okay.” Xu Jiali was ecstatic. She hadn’t been out with Gao Qiang in a long time. Now that she’d finally managed to sneak out, she was determined to have as much fun as possible.

「The Hospital.」

Qin Mei had thought Jie Jingchen was taking her to the hospital to see Doctor Zhang. He was the Qiao Family’s physician and knew the most about Xu Jiali’s stomach condition. Instead, Jie Jingchen led her to a private, high-end hospital room.

Qin Xiang was lying face down on the hospital bed with a blanket over him, reading a book.

Hearing the door open, Qin Xiang looked up. When he saw it was Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei, he called out excitedly, ”Little Sis!”

Qin Xiang didn’t dare move, afraid of pulling at the wound on his butt.

The two walked into the room, and Jie Jingchen closed the door. Qin Mei said nothing, simply staring at Qin Xiang on the bed with a very strange look in her eyes.

She recalled the scene in private room 209. Jie Jingchen had said he was helping her big brother with his undercover mission and that such work required sacrifices. An inappropriate image surfaced in Qin Mei’s mind.

”Big Brother, did someone force themselves on you?” Qin Mei asked bluntly. It wasn’t her fault for thinking that way; Xiangjiang was a chaotic place, especially when it came to sexual preferences. With her brother’s devilishly handsome looks, it was only natural for people to covet him.

’He even ended up in the hospital. How tragic!’

The book slipped from his hand. A colorful series of expressions crossed Qin Xiang’s pale face. ’How did my little sister’s mind get so dirty? Who corrupted her?’

”Jing Si, what are you doing bringing my sister to the hospital?” Qin Xiang asked coldly. He had specifically told Jie Jingchen not to let his little sister know he was injured. Jie Jingchen was a real ”good brother,” alright—he’d brought her straight to the hospital to see him.

Jie Jingchen suppressed a laugh, bent down to pick up the book that had fallen on the floor, and casually tossed it aside.

”Meimei, let’s have a look at your brother’s wound.” Jie Jingchen reached out to pull back the blanket on Qin Xiang.

”Don’t—Qin Mei!” Qin Xiang couldn’t stop him in time. Jie Jingchen ruthlessly yanked off the blanket, and a sudden chill washed over him. He curled his toes into the bedsheet in embarrassment.

Jie Jingchen saw that Qin Xiang wasn’t wearing anything, his butt wrapped in gauze. Hongqi had only said Qin Xiang was injured, not that he was injured on his butt. Jie Jingchen reacted quickly, swiftly covering him back up with the blanket.

Jie Jingchen’s position blocked Qin Mei’s view. She didn’t see any of the important parts, only Qin Xiang’s legs and his bare torso.

Jie Jingchen turned to Qin Mei and said, ”His wound is in a peculiar spot. It’s not appropriate for you to examine it.”

Qin Mei rolled her eyes. ’In a doctor’s eyes, there’s no distinction between genders.’ ”Is it serious?”

”It shouldn’t be too serious, I think,” Jie Jingchen said, sounding uncertain.

Qin Mei pushed Jie Jingchen aside and stood over the bed, looking down at her brother. Afraid that Qin Mei would do the same thing Jie Jingchen had and just rip the blanket off him, Qin Xiang clutched it tightly with both hands.

”How did you get hurt? Who did it?” Qin Mei’s face was cold, looking like she was ready to get revenge for him.

Qin Xiang glanced at Jie Jingchen and said what he was allowed to say. ”Brother Xiong ran into some enemies, and I took a knife for him.”

’So he wasn’t violated.’ Qin Mei breathed a sigh of relief. ’Even someone with the strongest mental fortitude would need therapy after an ordeal like that.’ ”Did you volunteer to take the hit for him, or did he push you in front of him and force you to?”

”I did it voluntarily,” Qin Xiang said. And he really had. To gain Brother Xiong’s trust, sacrifices were necessary. Fortunately, Brother Xiong’s ”enemies” had been arranged by Jie Jingchen. He had managed to take a minor injury without revealing his skills, earning both Brother Xiong’s trust and his guilt.

The trust was for him, and the guilt was directed at Jie Jingchen. After all, in Brother Xiong’s mind, he was Jie Jingchen’s man. Jie Jingchen had entrusted him to Brother Xiong’s care for a few days, only for him to get hurt—and for taking a knife for Brother Xiong, no less.

”Good thing they only slashed your butt. If they’d chopped... something else off... Mom and Dad would have one more daughter and one less son,” Qin Mei mocked mercilessly.

”Pfft!” Jie Jingchen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Qin Xiang’s face darkened. He glared at Qin Mei and said through gritted teeth, ”Little Sis, can’t you wish your big brother well for once?”

Qin Mei fell silent. She had been pleasantly surprised to run into her brother in Xiangjiang. She didn’t know if he had died during an undercover mission in Xiangjiang in her past life. But in this life, with Jie Jingchen helping him, her brother definitely wouldn’t die.

”Jing Si, get my sister out of here. If Brother Xiong’s men come back and see you two...”

”You’re Jie Jingsi’s boy toy. Your boy toy gets hurt, so he comes to the hospital to see you. Isn’t that perfectly normal?” Qin Mei interrupted him.

Hearing the two words ”boy toy,” the expressions on both Jie Jingchen’s and Qin Xiang’s faces soured. Qin Xiang pursed his lips and said, ”It’s normal for Jing Si to be here, but it’s not normal for you to be here.”

”Meimei, let’s go.” Jie Jingchen also felt they shouldn’t stay any longer.

Qin Mei gave Qin Xiang a few words of caution. Just as they were about to leave, Brother Xiong’s voice sounded from outside the door. Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei froze. Qin Xiang nearly leaped out of bed. Brother Xiong was a suspicious man; he had only just gained his trust with this self-harm ploy. He couldn’t let it all go to waste now.

”Hide in the bathroom,” Jie Jingchen decided instantly.

”What if he needs to use the bathroom?” Qin Xiang asked.

”I have an idea.” Qin Mei saw a white coat on a nearby chair, walked over, and swiftly put it on. Her movements were slick. Seeing Qin Mei in the white coat, Qin Xiang had to admit, she really looked the part.

”There are masks in there,” Qin Xiang said to Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen pulled open a drawer, took out a mask, and helped Qin Mei put it on.

”I don’t want it.” Qin Mei covered her mouth, full of resistance. She was disgusted by the idea of wearing a mask someone else had worn.

”It’s new,” Qin Xiang said. Qin Mei eyed him suspiciously, suspecting he was lying just to get her to wear it obediently. Qin Xiang promised, ”I guarantee it. If you don’t believe me, try it on.”

Jie Jingchen sniffed it and said to Qin Mei, ”It’s new.”

Only then did Qin Mei believe them. She lowered the hand covering her mouth and obediently let Jie Jingchen put the mask on for her.

There was no strange smell; it was a new mask. Only then was Qin Mei satisfied.

Qin Mei had intended to leave the room, but Brother Xiong opened the door and walked in. He was clearly stunned for a moment to see Jie Jingchen in the room, but his face quickly filled with a fawning smile. ”Young Master Qiao, you got the news so quickly?”

A shadow fell over Jie Jingchen’s bewitchingly handsome face, and an intimidating chill emanated from him, making one want to keep their distance. His deep voice was cold and sharp. ”Brother Xiong, I asked you to look after him for a few days. Is this how you do it?”

”Young Master Qiao, it was an accident. A complete accident.” Brother Xiong looked ashamed. He had always considered his territory to be the safest. Who would have thought his enemies would be bold enough to run into his turf and try to assassinate him?