CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 378: PUNCHING COTTON

"I’m not Fang Shaohan’s girlfriend. Just a friend of his. This time, I was entrusted by his parents to take care of him. Once his injuries heal, I’ll leave."

Gu Xiaoqing kindly helped Jiang Limin complete the unspoken words in her mind.

Jiang Limin stood there in a daze for a long time, looking at Gu Xiaoqing as if she were a monster.

On her way here, she had made many plans—how to persuade Gu Xiaoqing, how to threaten Gu Xiaoqing, how to emotionally appeal to her. But none of these preparations matched Gu Xiaoqing’s straightforward statement.

A simple sentence from her made all the preparations go to waste.

It felt as though a punch had landed on cotton, leaving her feeling utterly helpless and frustrated.

What kind of woman is she?

What made Jiang Limin even more annoyed and indignant was why Gu Xiaoqing could talk like this.

The tone was as if Fang Shaohan were just some insignificant commodity. Someone she sees as a treasure, to Gu Xiaoqing, seemed no different from something you could pick up casually off the street.

How could Jiang Limin not be angry?

It was simply unbearable.

This was a blatant slap in the face, and to have it done by a woman who was neither beautiful nor remarkable made it worse.

"Hmph, don’t make it sound so noble. I can see right through you. A few months ago, you were the one caring for Brother Fang. Is this how a regular friendship looks—taking care so meticulously, staying by his side without leaving?

If it weren’t for my diploma still being in progress, and my inability to care for Brother Fang, you wouldn’t have had anything to do with him. You took advantage of that time gap, trying to leave a good impression on Brother Fang and his parents.

With such calculated intentions, no wonder you’ve enchanted Brother Fang.

But now that I’m back, don’t get any ideas. Brother Fang belongs to me. You’d better stay away and leave soon; I am enough to take care of everything here. We don’t need an outsider meddling in our affairs."

Jiang Limin went through numerous possibilities, all with one principal agenda: asking Gu Xiaoqing to leave.

Gu Xiaoqing shook her head with a smile. This girl was stronger than she had imagined and clearly deeply in love with Fang Shaohan. Such a determination to defend her love was indeed more pronounced than her own.

She didn’t have such resolve or decisiveness and often hesitated over many issues, fearing and worrying about the unknowns, leading to repeated deliberations. It couldn’t help but be considered a form of aftershock.

"You’re shaking your head implying refusal, right? I knew your harmless facade and claim of having no feelings for Brother Fang weren’t true."

Jiang Limin saw the kind of ambiguous smile on Gu Xiaoqing’s face, coupled with the head shake, instinctively reading it as a refusal from Gu Xiaoqing.

"I’m not refusing; you’re really overthinking it. What I mean is, if you want to take over, then come at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. We’ll make a handover. I’ll hand everything over regarding the rehabilitation schedule and tasks. I can’t just leave because you say so. Otherwise, you might be clueless and feel I’m purposely setting you up to fail.

Once you smoothly take over, I can leave. I actually have many things I need to attend to, and if you’re willing to take over, I’m more than happy to leave."

Gu Xiaoqing sincerely clarified, making Jiang Limin a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding her. Looking at this girl’s words, there wasn’t a single mistake, nothing unreasonable to pick on.

In contrast, Jiang Limin felt she had been a bit aggressive.

She unconsciously let go of the wariness and disdain. It seemed possible that Fang Shaohan was, indeed, infatuated with a girl who had no romantic feelings for him.

With this prejudice lifted, Jiang Limin quickly changed her perspective on the girl before her. "Alright, I’ll be back by eight o’clock tomorrow morning, and we’ll meet then."

Only then did she believe that this girl wasn’t trying to steal someone away.

Jiang Limin swayed her hips as she walked away.

Gu Xiaoqing returned to the hospital room. It was lunchtime, and after lunch, there would be an hour of rest, followed by rehabilitation time.

She was very busy.

But the happy news was that she was finally about to be freed.

With someone willing to take over caring for Fang Shaohan, Gu Xiaoqing could return to school.

It had already been half a year.

Gu Xiaoqing felt that her university study time was much less than others. This required hard work. Although she went over her assignments under the lamp every night, it didn’t change the fact that she was falling behind in many professors’ courses.

It’s about time to leave.

Fang Shaohan increasingly showed remarkable perseverance and diligence. Since the last slap incident, he started rigorous rehabilitation training day and night, and his leg muscles gradually showed improvement.

Coupled with the doctor’s acupuncture treatment, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Fang Shaohan could stand up.

His attitude toward her was also becoming increasingly ambiguous, casting glances her way filled with warmth and tenderness.

Almost unreservedly showing his admiration for Gu Xiaoqing, even the appearance of Feng Qingyang became a non-concern, unable to stir any emotion in Fang Shaohan.

Of course, Feng Qingyang never really intended to do anything to Fang Shaohan; it seemed more like assistance, making Gu Xiaoqing sometimes confused about the issues between these two. It looked like a deep-seated grudge, but there seemed to be a mutual appreciation beneath the surface.

Could this be the legendary compassion between heroes?

The two couldn’t avoid verbal spars, but the atmosphere was far less tense than the initial confrontation.

They no longer used Gu Xiaoqing as an excuse.

Sometimes, it was even Feng Qingyang who pushed Fang Shaohan to do rehabilitation, and whenever that was the case, Fang Shaohan was like a man reborn. Because of Feng Qingyang’s presence, Fang Shaohan wouldn’t expose his limits, doing his best off his grit.

Gu Xiaoqing felt it was time to leave.

Fang Shaohan was overly dependent on her; even being out of his sight for fifteen minutes made him restless, and this intense reliance left Gu Xiaoqing feeling increasingly helpless.

People’s hearts are made of flesh, and besides, she already had a certain affection for this man, and this day-by-day companionship would only deepen their emotions.

So Gu Xiaoqing was welcoming Jiang Limin’s arrival.

The sooner she leaves, the sooner she can escape all of this.

Gu Xiaoqing was increasingly worried about being unable to bring herself to leave.