Chapter 381: Are You Also Her Husband?
The three people in the room all turned their heads.
Qin Shu leaned against the door, twirling a pair of sunglasses around his finger. His long, loose hair swayed, and he looked incredibly carefree.
"What are you doing here again?"
The memory of Qin Shu helping Yi Nuo in this very hospital room made Qin Muye furious. He tsked and immediately tried to shoo him away. "Get lost. Jiang Qingli doesn’t have time to deal with you."
"You’re lying." A fluffy head poked out from behind Qin Shu, its owner chiding him, "Sister wouldn’t ignore us."
Fang Chi was dressed in hospital pajamas, his long wolf tail tied in a small braid, making him look surprisingly docile.
Staring at that rather pretty face, Qin Muye instantly grew wary. "And where did you pop out from?"
Qin Muye had been confined to his hospital room since waking up, and the medical staff didn’t dare make small talk with him. As a result, all he knew was that Jin Li’s younger brother had gone to the First District for treatment and returned with his mind addled. He had no idea that Jiang Qingli had healed Fang Chi.
Even though Fang Chi was over twenty, Qin Muye’s instincts told him that the "Sister" coming out of his mouth could only be Jiang Qingli.
’Who knew if he’d developed a secret crush on Jiang Qingli back in the First District? He could be just like all the other shameless bastards, desperately looking for any excuse to get close to her!’
Fang Chi, oblivious to Qin Muye’s wariness, simply said, "I’m here for a check-up, but I’m mainly here to see Sister."
He sounded so familiar with "Sister" that Que Feiling felt a sudden sense of pressure. "The sister you’re referring to," he asked, "is that Miss Jiang?"
Fang Chi nodded. "You know Sister Qingli, too?"
Upon hearing that name, Que Feiling’s expression shifted. He began to meticulously size up Fang Chi, as if comparing the other man to himself.
Seeing the look on that dead bird’s face, Qin Muye couldn’t help but sneer.
’Sister this, Sister that.’
’He sure says it affectionately.’
’Jiang Qingli isn’t a psychiatrist, is she? What’s the point of him looking for her when his brain’s fried?’
Seeing Qin Muye’s hostile aura, Qin Shu reined in his desire to just watch the show. He raised a hand and gave a simple explanation. "Fang Chi was seriously injured a while back, and Qingli saved him. He has the mind of a nine-year-old now and has kind of imprinted on her. It’s normal for him to call her Sister Qingli."
Qin Muye: "..."
’Normal my ass.’
But then he remembered that Fang Chi’s mind had been broken on a mission. For the sake of the Empire, Qin Muye swallowed the curse on the tip of his tongue.
The Prince, who considered himself mature, decided there was no point in stooping to a nine-year-old’s level. With a sullen expression, he nodded, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall in silence.
From the hospital bed, Yi Nuo shot Qin Muye a glance, a flicker of ridicule in his eyes, before getting up and heading into the walk-in closet.
Qin Shu jutted his chin toward the room. "Fang Chi, find a spot and sit down for a bit."
"Okay." Fang Chi nodded and obediently sat on the sofa.
There were two sofas in the room. Fang Chi happened to sit down opposite Que Feiling and greeted him politely.
The red-haired young man gave a reserved, polite nod in return, but his eyes were discreetly sizing the other man up.
’He wasn’t familiar with Fang Chi, but he knew of him.’
’The man had a roguish charm and a devil-may-care way of speaking, but when it came to male virtue, he was on par with me. Plenty of females were interested in him.’
’In a video game, he’d be the "pure-hearted casanova" archetype—high attack, low defense.’
’Could it be... Miss Jiang likes that sort of contradictory type?’
’Then again, Yi Nuo looks so reliable and honest, but he’s capable of inviting a female to his bed behind her back. His actions also betray a strong possessiveness... Doesn’t that also count as a contradiction?’
’Should I try to create some kind of contradiction, too?’
’Otherwise, with so much competition, I have absolutely no advantage...’
Que Feiling grew anxious.
With the several males in the room lost in their own schemes, the atmosphere took on a strangely harmonious quality.
...
A few minutes later, Jiang Qingli pushed the door open to the sight of the Prince standing against the wall with a sour look on his face, his gaze darting between the various males in the room.
"What’s wrong?" Jiang Qingli asked, puzzled. "Why is everyone so quiet?"
"Waiting for you." In front of all the other males, Qin Muye strode up to her and slid one arm around her waist with practiced ease—an extremely arrogant, possessive gesture. "Let’s go. I’ll go with you to report the mission."
The walk-in closet door opened, and Yi Nuo, now in a set of casual clothes, walked out to stand behind Jiang Qingli.
He kept close enough to follow her, yet not so close as to be intimate.
The young man’s face was still pale with exhaustion, but he followed her obediently. With his gray eyes slightly downcast, he looked rather innocent.
A thought suddenly occurred to Jiang Qingli—
’The first wolf ever tamed by man must have followed its human with this same expression.’
She couldn’t help but soften her voice. "Let’s go."
Yi Nuo didn’t reply, instead glancing at the arm wrapped around the girl’s waist.
Jiang Qingli squeezed Qin Muye’s hand. "All right, now. Yi Nuo has to report with me. It’s work."
"Thank you, Miss, for speaking on my behalf." Yi Nuo’s voice was very soft.
’Damn green tea.’
Qin Muye’s face darkened further. "It’s just work. Who spoke up for you? Don’t get so full of yourself over a work matter."
Yi Nuo looked at Qin Muye with a sincere expression. "Thank you for your understanding, Prince."
Qin Muye: "..."
’Who the hell said I understood?!’
’These guys must have caught it from Baili Jing. Every last one of them is a manipulative bastard!’
Gritting his teeth, Qin Muye pulled Jiang Qingli away from the hornet’s nest.
As they left the hospital room, he suddenly sensed a few too many sets of footsteps trailing behind them.
Jiang Qingli turned back and her eyes met with the sizable entourage following them.
Que Feiling smiled. "Miss Jiang, I happen to be on my way to see Marshal Yuan Liang, too."
Fang Chi’s lips trembled. "Sister, I’m a little worried about you..."
Bringing up the rear, Qin Shu just shrugged. "Passing through."
Qin Muye: "..."
In the end, while Jiang Qingli and Yi Nuo gave their report, a line of people stood waiting outside the door.
Qin Muye stood directly opposite the door, closer than anyone else, ensuring he would be the first person Jiang Qingli saw when she came out.
Sensing Fang Chi, who was beside him, glance his way several times, Qin Muye asked, "What is it?"
Fang Chi hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something.
Before his accident, Fang Chi had worked with Qin Muye and held a good impression of him. From a child’s perspective, Qin Muye radiated power. When he was quiet, he was quite intimidating, which could easily inspire a sense of awe in a kid.
So, sensing no malice from Qin Muye, Fang Chi grew a bit bolder.
He thought for a moment before asking, "Are you Sister Qingli’s husband, too?"
"’Too’?" Qin Muye raised an eyebrow. "How many others have you met, little brat?"
"Nine years old isn’t a little brat," Fang Chi said. "I’ve met Sister’s other husband. He’s... not like you at all."
’The little brat sure knows a lot.’
With nothing better to do, Qin Muye decided to humor the kid. "What’s he like?"
"He’s ice-cold, really tall, and really mean. He glares at me whenever I get close to Sister, but he really likes Sister..." Fang Chi struggled to find the words with his limited vocabulary. "He’s... pitch-black."
The more Qin Muye listened, the deeper his frown grew.
At first, he thought the kid was talking about Ye Linyuan.
But given Fang Chi’s condition, the only place he could have been was the supervision facility.
The number of males who could have accompanied Jiang Qingli to the supervision facility could be counted on one hand.
And he was ’black’...
Qin Muye’s pupils trembled, and a curse immediately burst from his lips.
"Fuck!"
’His base was being raided!’