Chapter 2: Last Night, You Kissed Me
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The atmosphere was frigid.
Qiao Xi covered her heart, which was pounding wildly, and shuffled her buttocks before tentatively asking, "You... you're awake?"
The man had his eyes open for a long time but made no movements or sounds.
Qiao Xi tentatively reached out to cover his eyes with her hand, feeling a slight itch in her palm.
Huo Xingzhou slowly closed his eyes.
She turned over and sat on the edge of the bed, sweating coldly. Eventually, she pinched the sleeve of her garment and wiped all the lipstick marks off Huo Xingzhou's face, then, feeling guilty like a thief, she covered his entire body with the blanket.
He still did not wake up.
Only then did Qiao Xi comfort herself, perhaps it was just an illusion.
The voice from before must have been an auditory hallucination because she was too tired.
She sat by the bed for a long time, and the night grew deep. In the latter half of the night, she yawned while covering her mouth and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, she dreamt again of that chaotic scene from many years past. Qiao Xi turned over in her sleep, missing the moment the man's eyes opened once more.
Dawn broke.
Qiao Xi was awakened by a commotion, and she opened her bleary-eyed.
Aunt Qian stood by the bed with a washbasin, "Young Madam, please wash and cleanse the Young Master."
"Me, wash him?"
"Of course."
"Who did it before?" Huo Xingzhou had been in a coma for a month.
"It was the caregiver, but how could an outsider compare to one's own wife?" Her tone was certain, leaving no room for discussion.
Wearing the big red wedding dress, Qiao Xi, with pursed lips and a sense of helplessness, took the towel from Aunt Qian, wrung out the water, and gently wiped the handsome face of the man.
He kept his eyes tightly shut, his eyelashes did not move; last night had indeed been an illusion.
Qiao Xi couldn't ignore his handsome features, and her cheeks flushed red. Aunt Qian supervised as she wiped over the man's eyebrows, eyes, lips, neck, and chest.
Inch by inch, the towel brushed over the skin, and her fingertips followed closely.
"The Young Master likes cleanliness. Please make sure to wipe thoroughly. After wiping, you must massage the whole body to effectively prevent muscle atrophy. Caring for our Young Master must be meticulous."
Aunt Qian's eyes were sharp, leaving Qiao Xi no room to cut corners. She could only comfort herself by thinking of Huo Xingzhou as one of the patients she had treated before.
With this thought, her movements became even more careful and professional.
Aunt Qian watched and nodded silently.
Qiao Xi held his wrist and unfolded his fingers with the towel, wiping them one by one. Huo Xingzhou's fingers were fair and slender, with distinct joints, quite beautiful.
"Hmm?"
The pulse she felt as she pressed her fingertips was strong and throbbing. Qiao Xi made a noise of confusion.
"What's wrong?" Aunt Qian asked.
Qiao Xi shook her head, and Aunt Qian looked at her calmly and said, "You and the Young Master are already a married couple. I've been through it myself; be more open."
She wrung another towel and handed it to Qiao Xi, "There's still the bottom part to wipe."
Which bottom?
The blush on Qiao Xi's cheeks spread like wildfire.
He's a patient!
He's just a patient!
Grandpa Cheng once said great doctors heal the sick, calm the spirit, and maintain a desireless state. She must strive to focus solely on the task, treating every patient as if they were stones or wood.
Qiao Xi took a deep breath and exhaled the hot air. She gripped the towel and tentatively reached into the sheet, moving down along the man's abdomen, feeling the contours of his muscles even through the thin towel.
Her mind muddled, she thought, this man's looks and physique were truly blessed by heaven, perfect for practicing acupuncture on.
Suddenly!
Her wrist was grasped by a cool yet warm hand.
In her ear, a fine, resolute male voice, tinged with slight annoyance, said, "No need, no need... to wipe the lower part."
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Clang!
Aunt Qian's washbasin fell to the ground, and after a moment of shock she screamed and ran out of the room, "Madam, the young master has awakened!"
Huo Xingzhou had woken up?
Qiao Xi's heartbeat sped up as she stood up and turned to look at the man on the bed. Those obsidian-like eyes were mixed with coldness and embarrassment, staring straight at her.
Qiao Xi, holding a towel, lowered her voice, "I... I was following Aunt Qian's instruction to wipe your body."
"Last night."
Huo Xingzhou's voice was husky, his gaze cold, and with a tone of accusation, he spoke deliberately, "You stole kisses from me, many times."
Qiao Xi stiffened, truly wishing she could find a block of tofu to smash her head against.
...
Chaotic footsteps echoed through the corridor, and the villa was thrown into disorder. The bedroom soon filled with white coats, and all unrelated individuals were squeezed out of the room.
Qiao Xi slowly exhaled a breath of relief and stood in the corner, eyeing the closed bedroom door, feeling more relaxed.
She was finally spared from facing Huo Xingzhou alone.
"The madam has arrived."
"Madam."
The crowd in the corridor parted, and a woman, dressed in a simple and elegant cheongsam, exuding a refined air, walked over and looked at her.
This was Huo Xingzhou's biological mother, the Huo Family's second madam, Du Juan.
Subconsciously, Qiao Xi stiffened her back, feeling a bit nervous.
"You did well."
The second madam of the Huo Family held her hand, repeatedly saying, "It's all thanks to you that Xingzhou could wake up."
She hadn't expected the desperate remedy to actually work!
She slipped off a luxurious, emerald green jade bracelet from her wrist and put it onto Qiao Xi's hand.
"Madam, this is too valuable!"
"Good child, don't refuse." Du Juan patted the back of her hand and said, "This is my gift to the daughter-in-law I accept."
Qiao Xi pressed her dry lips together, managing a faint smile, "Madam Huo, I am not from the Su Family..."
"I know. Su Heng brought over a stepdaughter, seeing our second branch in decline. But even a dying camel is bigger than a horse, Xingzhou still holds a major project, and we'll have our comeback..."
She paused then continued, "Anyway, from today onwards, you're the only daughter-in-law I, Du Juan, acknowledge."
The second madam of the Huo Family looked at her beautiful face and felt increasingly pleased with her.
"Our Xingzhou will rely on you to take care of him. You're a person with good fortune, also bring some of that to my son. From now on just call me 'Mom'. He also has a sister who went to the temple to pray for safety and blessings, and his dad is busy cleaning up a mess. Another day, our family should have a good meal together."
Qiao Xi looked at the sincerity in her eyes, her eyes becoming a little moist. Not all mothers in the world were selfish.
The country folk always said she was a jinx, the bringer of bad luck, a lone evil star. Her own father had died because of her influence, and her mother had run off with a wealthy man.
It was the first time anyone had said she was fortunate.
Squeak.
The master bedroom door suddenly opened.
The leading doctor took off his stethoscope and mask, saying, "The young master's physical functions are gradually recovering, and brain and nerve functions have not been damaged. However, there are multiple spots of bruising in the bone marrow of his legs, and he has no sensation, the surgical risk is very high."
"So he can't be treated?"
Unwilling to believe it, Du Juan pressed.
"Yes, the young master's legs are disabled, which will affect his fertility," the doctor said harshly.
"I am sorry. Unless…" he pushed his glasses up, "Unless you find the national medical expert Master Cheng Han, he has had successful cases. But he retired to care for his health, and for many years no one has known his whereabouts, so the hope is slim."
Having heard the doctor, Madam Huo's face drooped with defeat. Who in the world could find the National Doctor Cheng Han now!
A flicker of confusion passed through Qiao Xi's eyes, but Huo Xingzhou's legs were clearly…
As she hesitated over whether to speak, the phone in her inner pocket started to vibrate.
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