Chapter 388: I Saw You as a Big Bro, and You Want to Hit on My Wife?
Before she left for the Twelfth City, Lin Xiyue had packed Jiang Qingli a bag of recovery supplements and a handful of condoms.
The tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears turned red. "I’m going on business," she stressed, "not to... do *that*!"
Back then, Lin Xiyue had patted her shoulder and said earnestly, "Girl, last year Xiao Yan was on a business trip in the Sixth District for three months. When I went to visit him, he wore me out so much I couldn’t get out of bed for days."
"Xiao Yan is a black panther, and your husband is a snow leopard. They’re similar species, and you two haven’t seen each other in so long! You have to be prepared!"
Jiang Qingli had been speechless at the time.
But since it was a gesture of concern from a friend, she’d stuffed them into her suitcase anyway.
In the very bottom layer.
But after a night of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" with Qin Muye, Jiang Qingli watched the light brighten through the gap in the curtains, then glanced toward the bathroom where he was showering. Suddenly, she felt that Lin Xiyue had truly been remarkably perceptive.
She really did need to recover.
Jiang Qingli wanted to get out of bed to find her luggage, but they had just finished, and she was simply too exhausted.
Her arms were weak, and her legs were even weaker. After a great deal of effort, she had only managed to shift from the left side of the bed to the right, in what could only be described as a wiggle.
When Qin Muye emerged from the bathroom, looking refreshed and invigorated, he was greeted by the sight of Jiang Qingli wiggling on the bed like a little caterpillar.
A smile touched his lips. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, asking with a chuckle, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Qingli averted her gaze from his naked form and paused for three seconds. "...To the walk-in closet to change."
She was too embarrassed to say she wanted to take some supplements to recover. It would make her seem like she couldn’t handle it.
’A female can’t admit she can’t handle it!’
Jiang Qingli had her pride, too.
Completely unaware of her intentions, Qin Muye just didn’t want her to overexert herself. He stood up. "Which outfit do you want to wear? I’ll get it."
After a few steps, he added suddenly, "Although, putting on clothes is such a hassle."
Jiang Qingli’s eyes went wide. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself, exclaiming in shock, "Qin Muye, aren’t you afraid of fucking yourself to death?!"
There was an element of exaggeration in her words, and Qin Muye couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
He reached out to ruffle her hair, pretending not to understand. He even put on a stern face to reprimand her. "What’s going on in that head of yours? I ran a bath for you. Why would you wear clothes in the bath?"
But the teasing smile in his gray-blue eyes was impossible to hide.
Jiang Qingli was speechless.
’She’d only teased him a few times last night, and he’d held a grudge long enough to get her back this morning.’
But in the end, Qin Muye’s teasing skills were still lacking.
The moment Jiang Qingli glared at him with a straight face, he surrendered, crouching beside her and tucking a strand of hair stuck to her cheek behind her ear.
Not quite knowing how to make a smooth transition, Qin Muye changed the subject directly. "Want to bathe now?"
"What else?" Jiang Qingli huffed, holding out her arms to him like a demanding young lady. "Carry me."
"As you command."
Qin Muye’s lips curved. He effortlessly swept the girl into his arms, strode into the bathroom, and placed her in the tub.
The bathtub was spacious, so Qin Muye simply got in as well, holding her from behind and washing her hair.
When Qin Muye washed his own hair, he was very casual about it—a rough scrub, prioritizing efficiency and just getting it clean. After all, he was tough-skinned and couldn’t be easily damaged.
But he couldn’t be like that with Jiang Qingli.
Her skin would turn red with the slightest pressure, and her hair was fine and soft.
So, Qin Muye was exceptionally careful, his touch as gentle as if he were performing a delicate task. He would occasionally ask Jiang Qingli if the pressure was okay.
"It’s so comfortable I’m about to fall asleep," Jiang Qingli murmured, leaning against the side of the tub and shamelessly enjoying his service. She took the opportunity to praise him, "I knew my little puppy was smart. You’re good at everything."
"Hmph. As long as you know."
Coddled like this, Qin Muye’s snow leopard tail swayed unconsciously beneath the water.
He also didn’t forget to try and steal his love rival’s job. "Once Yi Nuo returns to the military district, there’s no need to hire another butler. This Prince will personally take care of your every need."
The smile on Jiang Qingli’s lips faltered.
Qin Muye, completely oblivious, continued rinsing her hair.
After the bath, Qin Muye lifted her onto the bathroom counter. Just as he picked up the hair dryer, he heard Jiang Qingli say softly, "Actually... Yi Nuo isn’t planning to go back to the military district. He’s going to stay with the Jiang Family."
Qin Muye’s pupils constricted. A curse almost escaped his lips.
But with Jiang Qingli right there, he could only force it back down, squeezing out a smile that looked magnanimous but was actually strained. "Fine."
’It’s okay,’ he told himself. ’It’s not her fault.’
’Yi Nuo must have played the victim in front of Jiang Qingli, using his family background to beg her to let him stay.’
’You do get used to a servant after using them for a long time.’
’But servants are replaceable.’
’Once Jiang Qingli returns to the First District, he’d have the Imperial Family send eight or ten butlers to the Jiang Family. It wouldn’t take more than a few days to replace Yi Nuo.’
Qin Muye nodded, finished drying the girl’s hair, and carried her back to bed.
She was tired from last night; it was time to catch up on sleep.
Anyway, she was on vacation for three days. There was still time to... continue.
Jiang Qingli was exhausted, too, and snuggled into the young man’s arms.
She had just rested her face against his firm chest when the buzzing of a terminal sounded.
"Who is it?" Jiang Qingli asked.
Qin Muye propped himself up, glanced at the screen, and sneered, "Who else could it be? That shameless homewrecker!"
His voice was dripping with resentment. Jiang Qingli rubbed her eyes, a little confused.
"Isn’t Xie Youchen in a meeting...?"
"Stay away from that bastard from the Yuan Family—"
They spoke at the same time, then both froze as they registered what the other had said.
Jiang Qingli hadn’t quite heard clearly. "Yuan?"
A muscle in Qin Muye’s brow twitched violently. "Xie?"
In an instant, something clicked in his mind like a jolt of electricity.
The rumors about Xie Youchen, Xie Youchen’s hostility toward the Jiang Family’s Beast Husbands, Baili Jing’s pointed attitude toward Xie Youchen...
Countless seemingly unrelated fragments pieced themselves together in that moment, forming an unbelievable possibility—
The shameless, despicable homewrecker wasn’t Yuan Shiyao—it was Xie Youchen!
As if a fire had suddenly ignited in his chest, Qin Muye could no longer bear it. He shot to his feet.
Jiang Qingli’s eyelids were too heavy to open, but she sensed something was wrong with his mood and reached out to hook a corner of his clothes. "Where are you going?"
"I just remembered, Uncle Yuan called me for a meeting."
Qin Muye suddenly became very calm. Even he was surprised at how composed he could be, casually fabricating a plausible excuse.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he bent down, kissed Jiang Qingli’s cheek, and said softly, "Go to sleep, honey."
"Mhm... I want to see you when I wake up."
Jiang Qingli nuzzled his fingers, the picture of complete trust.
The thought that the shameless bastard Xie Youchen had also seen this side of Jiang Qingli made Qin Muye want to kill someone.
But he still managed to whisper, "Okay."
Having received Qin Muye’s affirmative reply, Jiang Qingli drifted into a deep sleep.
Qin Muye stood there for a moment, watching her sleep. He tucked the corner of the blanket around her before turning to leave.
Just as he was about to reach the door, he spun around and strode back to the bedside.
He snatched up Jiang Qingli’s terminal, deleted the message from that other idiot who hadn’t even made his move yet, and only then did he quietly depart.
-
Dark clouds pressed down gloomily. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning darted through the cloud cover.
With a grim expression, Qin Muye walked toward the administrative area when he suddenly heard someone call his name.
He turned to see Yuan Liang, and his expression softened slightly.
Yuan Liang approached, gesturing with his terminal. "Is now a good time for a call?"
"Who?"
Qin Muye had yet to recover from his towering rage. He bit out the word through clenched teeth, and his irrepressible anger startled Yuan Liang.
Yuan Liang asked with concern, "What’s wrong? In a bad mood?"
Qin Muye said, "No."
Just one word.
He looked at the terminal in Yuan Liang’s hand, prompting him to answer his earlier question.
Yuan Liang said, "It’s Marshal Xie. He happens to have something to discuss with you."