She leaned into his arms. The obvious and hideous wound in the full-length mirror suddenly did not seem so ugly. In fact, it even seemed quite cute.
“Do you know where they went?”
She thought of how the three children, her uncle, and Ji Ziming’s mother would not be bored along the way, and a smile graced her lips. “I think it must be that mom didn’t want to bring uncle along, but he insisted on following.”
A smile appeared in his dark eyes. “Yes. Mom called me earlier to complain about your uncle. Before she could even finish speaking, I heard your uncle snatching her phone away and hanging it up.”
“Really?”
Pei Ge’s eyes twinkled as she looked up at the man. Her cheeks were dyed slightly pink from her smile.
“It’s true, so don’t worry. Your uncle is someone who knows his limits, so he will definitely help the three children and mom enjoy their excursion.”
His arms went around her as he led her back to the bed, softly reminding, “You can’t touch water just yet, so only take a shower a week from now.”
“Then, what should I do? I’ll stink.”
Pei Ge pouted. Just thinking of how she could not shower this entire week already made her feel as though many ants were crawling on her skin. She could not imagine how she would survive the following week.”
“What are you afraid of? I am here, so I will help you wash up.”
His voice was cool but with a hint of teasing.
“Didn’t you just say that I can’t touch water? Then, how am I supposed to wash up?”
She frowned, not noticing the hidden meaning in his eyes.
“I can help wipe your body clean.”
He suddenly hugged her tighter. A certain part of his body was raising its flag. Pei Ge blushed and tried to push him away, but her hands were being restrained by the man’s hug. As a result of her movements, two buttons on her pink pajamas accidentally came undone and her skin was conspicuously exposed.
There was a long and red mark on her slender arm from when she lay in bed while sleeping. The mark made his heart ache dully.
His voice was tender and soft. “Ge Ge, you…”
“Hurry and let me go. You’re hurting my arms.”
She put on a look as if she had gotten hurt from his abrupt action. When she spotted the flash of heartache in his eyes, she added, “Hurry and let go.”
“Then, what is in it for me?”
Pei Ge was slightly stunned. This was clearly his fault, so why was she the one apologizing?
“Nothing. I don’t need you to wipe my body, too; I can do it myself.”
Her tone was very certain. The look in her eyes made him give a wry smile. “Oh? Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure. You just have to stay far away from me.”
When he finally released her, she hurriedly walked over to the other end of the bed. There was a shell-shaped mirror on the vanity table. She sat in front of the mirror and looked at her clear and makeup-free face. Her skin was still very supple.
“I’ll have someone send you lunch over, so just rest here. If you feel tired, let me know. I’ll be downstairs, having a meeting.”
“You’re having a meeting?”
She looked at him through the mirror. Despite his flawless features and sharp jaw lines, he still had a loving and gentle heart.
“Yes. I found the person who had tampered with your clothes.”
He stopped what he was doing and walked behind her, looking at her through the mirror. “She bought the powder, but unfortunately she’s already dead.”
“Dead?”
She looked at him in surprise. She did not know that it would end up like this. Clearly, the truth was about to be revealed to her, yet when she found out about it, there was only a sense of regret.
“Don’t worry. I will continue looking into this. I will not let anyone who hurts you get away with it.”
He rested both his hands on her shoulders, wanting to reassure her. However, what he said felt more like he was reassuring himself. He did not know how to tell her the truth without worrying her.
“I am fine now. I will go back to work tomorrow. I don’t want to leave everything to you. I can help you, too.”
She patted his hand reassuringly.
“Alright. If you don’t want to rest in your room, then it’s also good if you come help me.”
He nodded, agreeing.
The two of them discussed the recent happenings in the company, but before they reached any decision, both their handphones rang at the same time.
“Son, come bring Pei Ge’s uncle away. I don’t want to stay with him another minute.”
Madam Ji complained on the phone.
“Niece, talk to your mother-in-law. She is so petty. I merely just—”
“Uncle, didn’t you promise me that you wouldn’t anger my mother-in-law?”
A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead as she recalled how Qu Xiujie had just promised her that he would not rile up her mother-in-law the night before. When she heard that Ji Ziming’s mom, the three children, and her uncle had gone out together, she already thought of such a scenario.
“I did not anger that old woman.”
Her uncle’s voice sounded very aggrieved. He could not tell her that he was the one who had insisted on coming with everyone, even pulling the three children along to support him. If he said that, he would be slapping his face.
“Uncle!” shouted his niece.
“Alright, alright. I understand. I’ll try not to anger her anymore. You and Ziming should go do your work. Don’t answer our calls anymore; I’ve already promised, okay?”
He promised softly but was in fact staring hard at Madam Ji as though he were a predator eyeing its prey.
“I dare you to complain to your son again! I’ll make you unable to swipe your card again today!”
Qu Xiujie put the phone away from his ear and covered the mouthpiece, threatening the older woman. “Do you dare?”
“How hilarious. What should I be afraid of? I am the Ji family’s madam. I’ve never been afraid of anyone. Qu Xiujie, let me tell you—you will lose for sure!”
Madam Ji glared back at him. As long as she could win against him, she did not mind any price she had to pay.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone call, the couple was listening closely to them.
