Chapter 15: Getting Cozy

With two hours until the end of work, Jiang Nai hurried back to her desk to grab her bag and asked Yao Qi to help her request leave.

“Are you in a rush? Is something wrong at home?” 

Jiang Nai replied, “It should be fine, I just want to go check.”

“Alright, you go ahead. I’ll help you with the process.”

“Thanks, Yao Qi.”

Jiang Nai went downstairs and took a taxi to the hospital, following the address Chen Min had given her. On the phone earlier, Chen Min told her that Li Qingji had been in a car accident on his way to an auction in West City and was now being treated at the Second Hospital.

His life was not in danger, but he had sustained some injuries.

“Miss Jiang!” Upon arriving at the hospital, she saw Chen Min already waiting for her.

“What exactly happened?”

Chen Min said, “He has multiple fractures, a mild concussion, and the other tests came back normal.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai followed Chen Min into the hospital’s VIP ward and soon noticed that Li Qingji’s parents were sitting in the living room. She quickly greeted them.

“Dad, Mom.”

“Jiang Nai is here,” Li Jingnian said. “Go in and take a look.”

“Mm!”

The ward was quite spacious, with a living room and a bedroom. As Jiang Nai pushed open the door, she saw Li Qingji lying on the hospital bed. He had changed into a hospital gown, his right leg in a cast, and his hands had various injuries wrapped in bandages.

He was awake and turned to look at her as he sensed someone entering. Although he seemed to be seriously injured, he didn’t look disheveled at all. Aside from being a bit pale, he showed no signs of pain.

Jiang Nai walked to the side of the bed, opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. Instead, she asked, “Are you okay?”

Li Qingji replied, “I’m fine. Why are you here?”

Jiang Nai sat down on the chair beside him. “If I didn’t come, that would be strange, right?”

That statement made sense.

Li Qingji asked, “Did you take leave?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you explain it?”

“Just… I said there was an accident in my family, and I came to check on things.” Jiang Nai pointed at his leg, then at his hand. “Can you still move?”

Li Qingji reassured her, “Don’t worry, I can.”

“Oh…”

The whole situation was so sudden. How could Li Qingji be injured? Jiang Nai silently sat nearby, thinking that Yao Qi’s earlier words had come true.

Wanting the boss to take it easy… well, he certainly had… he was lying down now…

“Qingji, Qingji!” Not long after, an elderly voice came from outside the living room. Jiang Nai turned to see two elderly people entering, the one leaning on a cane was Li Qingji’s grandmother, Fu Rongzhen. Upon seeing her grandson lying in bed, her eyes turned red.

“How did this happen? Qingji, does it hurt?”

The two elders rushed over upon hearing the news, and Jiang Nai made space for them.

Li Qingji replied, “I’m fine, don’t worry, Grandma.”

“How can you be fine? Oh dear, you need to drive safely. How could this happen?” 

“It was caused by someone’s malicious interference,” his mother, Fang Shuying, said coldly. “They went to great lengths to keep Qingji from attending the land auction.”

Fu Rongzhen: “What? Is that why you got hurt?”

Grandpa Li Chongfeng furrowed his brow: “Have you found out who did it?”

“Not yet.”

“Since you haven’t found out, don’t jump to conclusions.” The elder, having held a high position for many years, exuded an aura of authority without needing to raise his voice.

Fang Shuying lowered her head: “It’s just that I heard from the driver, Xiao Zhao, that someone deliberately cut them off on that road. That road happens to be the most desolate one coming out of Xicheng, without any surveillance cameras; it’s obviously intentional. Dad, although we haven’t found out who did it, it’s a critical moment for the land in Xicheng…”

“Qingji,” Li Chongfeng interrupted Fang Shuying, turning to the person in the hospital bed, “You should focus on recovering; we can discuss other matters later.”

Li Qingji replied flatly, “Yes.”

However, Grandma was unhappy, insisting that they must find out who did it. Afterward, she stayed in the hospital for a long while until everyone persuaded her to go home and rest.

“Mom, Jiang Nai is here; you don’t have to worry. Go home and rest, and come back another day,” Fang Shuying said.

When Jiang Nai was mentioned, she immediately responded, “Grandma, I will take good care of him, don’t worry.”

Fu Rongzhen said, “Alright then… I won’t disturb Qingji’s rest any longer. Jiang Nai, thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing; it’s my duty.”

…

Finally, everyone in the room was sent away.

Li Qingji closed his eyes, feeling a bit tired: “You should go home and rest; I don’t need any help here.”

“Where can I go now? I promised Grandma I would stay here to take care of you.”

Li Qingji replied, “No one will know whether you stayed or not.”

Jiang Nai muttered, “But I’m not that heartless…”

Li Qingji looked over: “What?”

Jiang Nai said, “Last time I had a stomach ache, you waited at the hospital for me for a long time.”

Li Qingji smiled slightly: “What, are you repaying a debt?”

Jiang Nai: “… Not exactly.”

“Forget it, do as you please.”

Jiang Nai asked, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

“No need, I’ll rest for a bit.”

“Alright, I’ll sit outside; let me know when you want to eat.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Nai stood up and walked outside. Chen Min was still waiting in the living room and poured Jiang Nai a glass of water when she came out.

Jiang Nai thanked her and quietly asked, “How is Xiao Zhao doing?”

Chen Min replied, “His injuries are relatively minor; he’ll just need to stay in the hospital for observation for a day.”

“Oh, so this car accident really was caused by someone’s malicious intent?”

Chen Min paused and said, “According to Xiao Zhao, that person intentionally tried to block them because today was supposed to reveal the final ownership of the land in Xicheng. If the person in charge didn’t show up… they would lose their qualification.”

Jiang Nai frowned: “Who are the competitors?”

“There are three real estate companies, and then there’s Hengchuan…” Chen Min paused, not continuing.

Jiang Nai realized something: “Is there anyone else from Hengchuan besides Li Qingji?”

“Different subsidiaries under Hengchuan operate independently and are in competition with each other. The boss’s second brother is also involved in this competition.”

The second brother, Li Zhixun, is the son of her uncle, whom Jiang Nai had met before.

But since he’s family, he shouldn’t…

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she hesitated again. In their kind of family, anything was possible. Siblings turning against each other so violently, if it weren’t for good luck, he might have lost his life. 

Thinking of this, Li Qingji seemed quite pitiful…

—

At dinner time, Fang Shuying came by again, bringing dinner with her. Li Qingji’s right hand was injured, making it inconvenient for him to eat; he needed someone to help him once he sat up. At such times, Jiang Nai naturally couldn’t stand too far away and sat down by his bed.

Li Qingji glanced at her.

Jiang Nai picked up some chopsticks: “Um… I can help you pick up some food. Can you use your left hand?”

Li Qingji’s left hand had a scrape and was bandaged, making it somewhat inconvenient, but he could still manage to hold a spoon.

“Mm.”

Jiang Nai nodded, picked up a small piece of meat, placed it in the spoon, but then felt uncertain and said, “How about I hold the spoon too?”

Li Qingji looked at her again. She was focused on him, quite eager to help, but there was also a deep sympathy in her eyes.

“The injury isn’t serious; I can eat with my left hand. No need to look at me with that pitying gaze as if I’m completely helpless.”

Jiang Nai replied, “I’m not! I just thought… it looks really painful.”

Li Qingji paused for a moment before responding, “It’s okay; it doesn’t hurt now.”

Jiang Nai continued to pick up food for him: “Oh… so you’re quite tolerant.”

Li Qingji didn’t reply, simply lowering his head to eat the food she had picked for him. Seeing Jiang Nai there, Fang Shuying felt much more at ease. After they finished dinner, she decided to leave.  Chen Min then offered to take Jiang Nai home since she needed to stay overnight at the hospital. Jiang Nai wanted to go back to shower first.

After taking a shower, she thought of bringing some clothes over for Li Qingji.

She grabbed her travel bag, but when she opened the drawer of the closet, she saw two neat rows of men’s underwear and suddenly felt at a loss. After struggling for a moment, she took a deep breath and reached in, grabbing a few pieces.

The soft fabric barely lingered in her palm for two seconds before she tossed them into her bag.

“Phew…”

She closed the wardrobe, feeling her ears heat up.

After calming down, she thought about going to the bathroom to grab her toothbrush and other toiletries when her phone rang. It was a call from Yao Qi, checking in on how her husband was doing.

Jiang Nai asked, “How did you know it was… my husband?”

Yao Qi replied, “Aren’t you living with your husband? Or are your parents living with you?”

“Not at all.”

Yao Qi said, “Then I guessed it must be your husband.”

“Oh… right, husband. Don’t worry, it’s just… a fever, nothing serious.”

“That’s good,” Yao Qi said. “Oh, by the way, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“I just heard from Wang Wenbo that our big boss had a car accident today.”

Jiang Nai froze: “Huh? How did he find out?”

“He overheard the finance director mention it,” Yao Qi said. “Apparently, it’s quite serious. He won’t be coming to the office for a while. Tsk, you know, I was joking about him lying low… but I swear I wasn’t cursing him into an accident!”

Jiang Nai chuckled, “Mhm.”

Yao Qi continued, “But at least we can relax a bit for the next couple of days. Also, if your husband needs you, take the day off tomorrow. I’ll approve it for you.”

Jiang Nai glanced down at her luggage bag… which contained her boss’s underwear.

She definitely couldn’t relax over the next couple of days.

“I’ll see how things are tomorrow and let you know if I need it.”

“Okay, I won’t bother you anymore. Get back to what you were doing.”

After hanging up, Jiang Nai continued to pack Li Qingji’s belongings. Once she finished, she went downstairs where Chen Min was waiting and opened the car door for her to head to the hospital. When Jiang Nai arrived at the hospital room, Li Qingji was still resting. She didn’t go in to disturb him and instead settled in the living area and pulled out her laptop to work.

Chen Min left shortly after, and apart from the occasional nurse, there was no one else around.

Jiang Nai finished the tasks she hadn’t completed at the office and stretched. Just then, she heard some movement from the bedroom and quickly got up to check. Li Qingji was already awake and sitting at the edge of the bed.

Jiang Nai was startled, “What are you doing? Lie back down.”

Li Qingji replied, “I can move.”

“Even so, be careful and don’t get out of bed.”

Li Qingji paused, raising his eyes to look at her, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Jiang Nai blinked, “Huh?”

“Help me up.”

Jiang Nai was momentarily flustered, “Uh, how should I help you?”

“Come here.”

Jiang Nai hesitated before stepping up beside him, extending her arm to support his. But instead of leaning on her arm, Li Qingji placed his hand directly on her shoulder.

He stood up on one leg, which brought her close to his chest.

The thin hospital gown did little to block the heat or feel of his skin, pressing warmly against her back. Jiang Nai’s ears flushed instantly, though she wasn’t sure if it was due to the man holding onto her or the overwhelming weight leaning into her.

Li Qingji glanced at her red ears and chuckled silently, “Let’s go.”

“Mm… be careful.”

The two moved slowly toward the bathroom. Worried he might fall and hurt himself further, Jiang Nai cautiously reached behind to hold his waist. As she did, Li Qingji glanced down. Her arms were slender, and on her wrist was a red cord with a small bead, tightly gripping his clothes.

“I’m not that easy to topple. You don’t need to be so tense.”

“Okay, but will you be able to stand when you’re in there?”

It was an innocent question, but after she said it, an awkward silence fell between them.

Jiang Nai stammered, “I-I mean…”

“Can’t stand, so you’ll hold me up?” Li Qingji asked with a hint of amusement.

Jiang Nai: “…Is that appropriate?”

Li Qingji, seeing her embarrassment, which spread down to her neck, suddenly felt the urge to tease her more. “Why wouldn’t it be? You’re here, calling someone else would be strange, wouldn’t it?”

Jiang Nai didn’t notice the playful glint in his eyes and pondered earnestly, “That would be strange… fine, if you don’t find it awkward, I’ll help. I’ll close my eyes.”

After she spoke, she felt Li Qingji laughing, truly laughing, as she was pressed against his chest and could sense the slight tremors.

Jiang Nai looked up at him, “What are you laughing at?”

Li Qingji lowered his eyes, “Nothing, help me in.”

“Oh…”

Jiang Nai was genuinely ready to help Li Qingji to the bathroom, even preparing herself to assist with taking off his pants if necessary.

However—

“Go out.”

“Huh?”

“Close the door and wait outside.” Seeing that she hadn’t moved, Li Qingji added, “Or are you really planning to stand here and watch me?”

“Of course not!” Jiang Nai shot him a glance. “But are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Nai patted the sink beside him, “Alright then, hold onto this firmly. Call me if you need anything.”

Li Qingji’s lips curved into a slight smile, “Got it.”

After making sure he was stable and wouldn’t fall, Jiang Nai finally let go and stepped out, closing the door behind her. She waited by the door, listening carefully for any sounds, though the good soundproofing meant she couldn’t hear anything at all.

It wasn’t until her phone rang with a call from Li Qingji inside that she quickly pushed the door open and went in.

Taking care of a patient wasn’t completely unfamiliar to Jiang Nai. When she was little, there was a period when she often took care of her sick mother. After school, she would rush to the hospital to bring tea, serve food, help feed her mother, and assist her to the bathroom—she did it all.

—

Night fell, and after the doctor came for one last check on Li Qingji, it was time to rest.

The hospital room had a bed for an accompanying caretaker, but it was narrow and not very comfortable. Jiang Nai turned over several times but found it hard to sleep.

“The bed isn’t comfortable, is it?” Li Qingji’s voice broke the silence.

Jiang Nai, embarrassed to admit it, turned over to face him and said, “I have trouble sleeping in a new place; it takes me a few days to get used to it. It’s fine.”

“Come up here and sleep.”

Jiang Nai froze, “Huh?”

Li Qingji’s voice was calm, “I know it’s the bed that’s uncomfortable. Come up.”

The hospital room was a VIP suite, and even the patient’s bed was large enough to easily fit two people.

But at that moment, she didn’t dare to move.

“You’re injured, I’m afraid of touching and hurting you.”

“It’s not that bad.”

The bedside lamp clicked on, casting a soft light that illuminated Li Qingji’s composed yet authoritative gaze.

“Come up, or do you need me to come down and fetch you?”

Jiang Nai felt a little embarrassed. In the end, she surrendered under his gaze, taking her small blanket and getting out of her bed.

“I’m lying down then…” she hesitated, “Are you sure I won’t disturb you?”

“You won’t.” Seeing her hesitancy, Li Qingji added, “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before. Are you embarrassed?”

Jiang Nai stammered, “No, I’m not!”

As if to prove a point, she lay down in the empty space next to him. “Hmm… it really is much more comfortable.”

Li Qingji chuckled softly and turned off the light.

The hospital was quiet at night, with not a sound in the corridor outside. Afraid of bumping into him, Jiang Nai stayed close to the edge of the bed. Even so, it was far more comfortable than the narrow caretaker’s bed.

Eventually, perhaps because she was tired from running around all day, she fell asleep quickly. She even woke up later than Li Qingji the next morning. The sound of conversation roused her, and she blinked her eyes open groggily, only to see the hospital gown right in front of her face.

She was startled to realize her face was almost touching Li Qingji’s arm, warm breaths brushing against it as if she were leaning right against him. Thankfully, her body had subconsciously kept a respectful distance from his injured leg.

Still, the position was uncomfortably intimate, even closer than when they used to sleep at home!

Jiang Nai’s mind went blank, and she awkwardly shifted away a little. It was then that she noticed two nurses on the other side of the bed, attentively asking Li Qingji about his condition.

“Alright then, if you’re not feeling any discomfort, I’ll be back later to set up your IV,” one nurse said gently.

Li Qingji gave a slight smile, “Thank you.”

The nurses left.

The person beside her moved slightly, turning his head. Without knowing why, Jiang Nai immediately closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep. After a while, guessing that Li Qingji was no longer paying attention to her, she slowly opened her eyes as if she had just woken up.

“Finally awake?”

To her surprise, she met Li Qingji’s gaze the moment she opened her eyes.

Even though she had shifted back a bit earlier, they were still very close. From this angle, she could clearly see his light-colored irises shimmering in the morning light, his long eyelashes, and the flawless skin that Yao Qi had once raved about.

Jiang Nai’s heart skipped a beat, as if jolted awake by his beauty.

“W-What? I was just sleeping, sorry.” She scooted back a few more inches. “Why didn’t you wake me when you woke up?”

Li Qingji decided not to call her bluff and replied, “You seemed to be sleeping soundly.”

“I don’t sleep that deeply. If you called me, I would’ve woken up.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Jiang Nai wasn’t sure if she really did sleep deeply or not. She just remembered the two nurses who had been in earlier… they must have been surprised to see the caretaker sleeping in the patient’s bed.

She got up, her face flushing with embarrassment. “…What time is it?”

“Eight.”

“Then I’ll go get some breakfast.”

“No need, let Chen Min bring it over.”

“Oh.”

“Go to work after having breakfast.”

Jiang Nai: “Are you sure? Sister Yao Qi said I could take leave.”

Li Qingji: “I don’t know how many days I’ll be here. Are you planning to take leave the entire time?”

Jiang Nai hesitated. She certainly didn’t want to keep taking leave right after being made permanent, even with her boss right in front of her.

Li Qingji understood and said, “I’ll have someone else come over. You should go to work.”

“Oh, alright then…”

—

Although she agreed easily, she felt a little guilty after arriving at work.

It didn’t seem quite right for a “wife” to leave her injured “husband” alone in the hospital.

“Jiang Nai, Jiang Nai?”

Jiang Nai snapped out of her thoughts. “Huh, what’s up?”

Yao Qi said, “Nothing, just asking if this dish is good.”

It was lunchtime, and a few people from the team had decided to have a meeting and then eat together at the restaurant.

Jiang Nai said, “Oh… this pork rib? It’s pretty good.”

Yao Qi: “You seem distracted. Are you still worried about your husband? Maybe you should go take care of him this afternoon since he’s sick with a fever.”

To avoid any suspicion from her colleagues, Jiang Nai had only mentioned: her husband had a fever.

This was to distinguish it from the “boss’s car accident.”

Their colleague Xu Xiao paused for a moment and glanced up at her.

Wang Wenbo: “Yeah, I can handle your work for you.”

Jiang Nai: “No, he… has other family members with him, so it’s not necessary for me to be there. I’ll take care of him after work.”

Yao Qi: “Good that other family members are there. So your husband is a local?”

Jiang Nai: “Yes.”

Yao Qi: “A native of Minghai, huh? He must be well-established then. No wonder locals usually find other locals to marry!”

Jiang Nai: “Well… I’m not too sure. I don’t think there’s such a restriction.”

Wang Wenbo: “True, especially if you met through a matchmaker.”

Xu Xiao still said nothing, focusing on his food.

Yao Qi chuckled, “Oh right, next time we have a team gathering, you should bring your husband along. Maybe we can even have a group hangout. Which company is he with?”

Jiang Nai really wanted to skip this topic and, forcing a smile, said, “He’s self-employed. He’s quite… introverted, so maybe not.”

“Hiding him well, aren’t you, Jiang Nai?”

Jiang Nai smiled shyly. “I’m done eating. Going to grab a drink—do you want me to bring anything back?”

“Wait, wait, I’ll come with you too.”

Finally, the conversation ended as lunch wrapped up. After work in the afternoon, Jiang Nai went home to take a shower before heading to the hospital. When she arrived, there were people in the hospital room. Jiang Nai heard Xiao Zhao’s voice and, not wanting to disturb them, waited for a moment in the living room.

“They’ve already found out, and he was called in for questioning today. Old Li was furious. But this hasn’t been made public…”

Li Qingji: “I figured as much. He wouldn’t openly expose him.”

“But… after all, you suffered these injuries. If he gets off without consequences, wouldn’t your suffering be for nothing…”

“No, it won’t be. The old man enjoys watching us fight, but he detests underhanded moves like this. I can give him the land for now, but without the old man’s support, he may not be able to hold on to it…”

Jiang Nai could only catch bits and pieces of the conversation, enough to know they were discussing the car accident. She sat on the sofa and poured herself a glass of water. Within a few minutes, Xiao Zhao came out. Except for his left arm being in a sling, he seemed fine.

“Miss Jiang.” Xiao Zhao was momentarily surprised to see her, but he quickly greeted her.

Jiang Nai: “Is your arm okay?”

Xiao Zhao: “I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”

“Good. Just now… were you talking about Li Qingji’s second brother?”

Xiao Zhao nodded.

“So, it really was him?”

Xiao Zhao: “Yes.”

Jiang Nai murmured, “He went too far.”

Xiao Zhao didn’t respond.

Jiang Nai added, “By the way, have you had dinner? If not, stay a bit longer, we can eat together soon.”

“No need, I have some things to take care of at home. I’ll head back now.”

“Alright then, I’ll go in to see him.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai turned and walked into the bedroom, while Xiao Zhao glanced at her back before leaving.

Went too far…

When it came to ruthlessness, no one was as ruthless as his own boss, who was willing to bet even on himself for his goals. Xiao Zhao remembered that day on the road when the man had swerved, collided, and then tried to drive away after successfully causing a delay.

Normally, they would just have to accept the misfortune, but then, from the back seat, he heard the sound of a seatbelt unbuckling—a soft click—followed by a cold voice.

“Is your seatbelt secured?”

Xiao Zhao was confused at the time: “Huh? Of course. Boss, you…”

“Then hit the gas now and crash back into them.”

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