Chapter 44: Jiang Qi, Don’t You Want Me To Be Your Girlfriend?

Because Jiang Qi had promised Zhi Qi he’d cook for her that evening, the two of them didn’t return to the hospital after leaving the rescue center. Instead, they detoured to the supermarket.

While shopping, Zhi Qi couldn’t help but feel uneasy, thinking back to their encounter with Jiang Chi. Her mood was low, and she was distracted as she picked things out.

Jiang Qi noticed her absent-mindedness, but being naturally quiet and not good with words, he didn’t know what to say. After thinking for a moment, he simply asked, “Zhi Qi, what do you want to eat?”

He leaned in close, looking up at her with hopeful eyes—like a puppy.

Zhi Qi looked at him and couldn’t help but laugh. The gloom in her heart seemed to vanish instantly.

“Chicken wings, maybe.” She pulled a bag of frozen wings from the nearby freezer and tossed it into the cart. “Haven’t had them in a while.”

Seeing her smile, Jiang Qi finally relaxed.

Besides food, they picked up a few other things. By the time they left the supermarket, the sky was already darkening.

“Oh no, the rehab center wants us back before eight.” Zhi Qi glanced at her watch after getting in the car and sighed, leaning over the dashboard. Her dark eyes sparkled mischievously as she said, pretending to be regretful, “Looks like we won’t have time to cook after all. What should we do?”

It was already seven. Cooking and eating would definitely take too long.

“Then let’s not go back today,” Jiang Qi said without hesitation. “We’ll go back tomorrow.”

Even school has holidays—why not a hospital holiday?

Zhi Qi wasn’t trying to treat Jiang Qi like a grade-schooler, so she just smiled at his response and didn’t object.

---

The two of them returned to Jiang Qi’s rental apartment, which had been unoccupied for over half a month. As soon as they stepped inside, the cold air seemed to carry a layer of dust, making Jiang Qi frown instinctively—he liked cleanliness. After a moment’s thought, he decided to clean the place up first.

He tidied the sofa and had Zhi Qi sit down to watch TV, then busied himself like a little housekeeper, moving back and forth as he cleaned the apartment.

Zhi Qi had never done housework in her life—she’d grown up pampered, her hands never touching even spring water. Now, she sat cross-legged on the sofa, snacking while watching Jiang Qi move around the apartment with practiced ease.

As she munched on her donut, it gradually lost its flavor.

Jiang Qi must have done a lot of this kind of work to be so efficient. She had known that already, but seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.

Pouting slightly, the girl thought for a while, then shuffled over in her slippers, ready to help him clean.

“Zhi Qi.” But Jiang Qi stopped her, blocking her path. “Just sit down.”

“I’ll help you wipe the table,” she offered.

“No need,” Jiang Qi said firmly, stubbornly. “This kind of work is mine to do.”

…

Jiang Qi was practically a model of “perfect boyfriend behavior.” Zhi Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked at him.

In the end, she listened and went back to being a couch potato.

It seemed that in all the time she’d spent with Jiang Qi, she had never felt this kind of peace. The two of them, tucked away in a small apartment, cleaning, cooking—just like countless ordinary couples in the world.

Simple, and happy.

Even though the sounds of Jiang Qi cleaning and cooking still echoed in the background, Zhi Qi curled up on the sofa and couldn’t help but feel drowsy.

Half-asleep, it felt like she was sinking into a cloud of soft cotton—warm and lulling. Before she knew it, she had drifted off.

She didn’t know how long she’d been napping, but the delicious aroma of food eventually roused her. Still half-dreaming, she instinctively licked the corner of her lips like a lazy, hungry kitten.

“Jiang Qi?” she murmured without opening her eyes, her voice soft and sweet.

A reply came almost immediately: “Mm?”

Startled, Zhi Qi opened her sleepy eyes and found herself face-to-face with Jiang Qi’s gaze—his pupils a pale, glassy color, like crystal.

She didn’t know when he had knelt in front of the sofa to watch her sleep, or how long he had been watching.

Zhi Qi froze for a moment, and her fair cheeks slowly turned red.

“W-what are you looking at?” she stammered, sitting up quickly. Her long, chestnut hair was slightly tousled, a few strands clinging to her jawline. She looked like a sleepy, fluffy little bunny.

Jiang Qi stared at her and smiled gently. “You.”

His answer was so serious, it made her feel even more flustered.

Zhi Qi curled her toes on the sofa, her pale little feet standing out against the gray fabric.

Jiang Qi’s gaze flicked downward, and his eyes darkened slightly.

Her feet… still the same as before—small and fair, like they could fit perfectly in one hand.

Noticing his gaze, Zhi Qi instinctively pulled her feet back.

Jiang Qi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed, then he looked away and said calmly, “Let’s eat.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Zhi Qi quickly nodded and followed him to the dining table.

On the table were three dishes and a soup: glossy Coca-Cola chicken wings, translucent shrimp stir-fried with cucumber, garlicky stir-fried romaine lettuce, and a clay pot of lotus root and pork rib soup, simmered until tender.

As soon as Zhi Qi stepped closer, her stomach let out an embarrassing grumble.

She immediately covered her flat belly, biting her lip in embarrassment.

But Jiang Qi, ever the oblivious “straight man,” didn’t notice her awkwardness at all. Instead, he asked, “Are you hungry?”

….

Zhi Qi couldn’t help but glare at him.

But Jiang Qi’s eyes were so pure and innocent that she couldn’t bring herself to get angry, so she just softly responded with an “Mm.”

Jiang Qi’s cooking skills were genuinely impressive—far better than any cafeteria or takeout Zhi Qi had ever had, and not much worse than the meals prepared by the housekeeper at her home. Maybe it was because “Jiang Qi made it” that it tasted even better to her.

She had always had a small appetite—people around her often joked that she ate like a cat—but today, she finished the entire bowl of rice Jiang Qi had served her.

After eating, she felt so full it was almost uncomfortable.

Zhi Qi looked down and touched her stomach, pouting slightly in frustration. “Will I get fat?”

Jiang Qi was cleaning up the dishes and simply replied with two words: “Nonsense.”

Maybe girls are always dissatisfied with their weight, but in his eyes, Zhi Qi was so thin she was practically skin and bones. She should be eating at least one full bowl of rice every meal.

Both of them were slow eaters, and with the time spent tidying up and cooking earlier, the clock on the wall had quietly ticked its way to 10 p.m.

Yet Zhi Qi never mentioned going back to school. Jiang Qi tried twice to offer to take her back, but each time, she subtly interrupted him.

She only said, “Let’s wait a bit.”

Then, the two of them sat side by side on the sofa—doing nothing in particular, just watching TV out of boredom. But even something so simple was a “first time” for them.

Zhi Qi absentmindedly watched the TV for a while, then suddenly turned to look at Jiang Qi’s tense jawline and asked with a smile, “Jiang Qi, is this the first time we’ve watched TV together?”

Jiang Qi’s body stiffened involuntarily, and he responded with a hoarse “Mm.”

“Hehe.” Zhi Qi scooted a little closer, gently resting her delicate head on the boy’s slender, angular shoulder, murmuring, “This feels so new.”

In truth, she had longed for this for a very long time—just to sit quietly like this with Jiang Qi.

But Jiang Qi was growing more and more nervous, to the point where he didn’t know what to do with himself.

In this dim and enclosed room, the distance between them could only be described as “within arm’s reach.” The atmosphere was charged with an undercurrent of tension—when no one spoke, it felt both obscure and ambiguous. It was… it was enough to make the boy’s heart restless, his fingers tightening slightly where they rested.

The girl leaned against him, and the scent from her hair and clothes was soft and distracting.

“Qiqi,” Jiang Qi’s usually cool voice was tinged with a husky edge as he reminded her, “I should take you back to school.”

Zhi Qi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Is it okay if I don’t go back tonight? There’s a guest room here.”

Jiang Qi’s brow twitched, and he instinctively refused, “No.”

“Why not?” Zhi Qi seemed a little disappointed and sighed softly. “The dorms at our school are already locked at this hour. If you send me back now, I’ll lose credit points.”

…

So Zhi Qi had been deliberately stalling for time earlier!

Jiang Qi felt both exasperated and amused. He looked down helplessly at the girl’s fair profile. “Why don’t you want to go back?”

“I have to make sure you go to the hospital tomorrow morning,” Zhi Qi yawned, her voice lazy and muffled. “If I don’t watch you, I’m afraid you’ll skip it.”

Jiang Qi opened his mouth, wanting to say that of course he’d go—but saying it wouldn’t change anything.

After all, Zhi Qi had made it clear: going back now would cost her credit points.

But the guest room… didn’t have clean bedding. There were disposable toiletries in the bathroom, since Qiu Mi occasionally stayed over when his schedule was tight or it was too late to go home.

Still, the bedding in the guest room had been used by Qiu Mi. How could he let Zhi Qi use that?

Jiang Qi frowned and said directly, “You sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll take the guest room.”

Zhi Qi smiled and didn’t argue.

Because once Jiang Qi made up his mind—especially when it concerned her—there was no point in arguing.

“Then let’s not sleep just yet. I’m not tired,” the girl said, wrapping her arms around Jiang Qi’s arm, her voice drowsy. “I’m not tired.”

She changed her mind every few minutes, adorably capricious, leaving Jiang Qi frozen in place, unable to bring himself to move.

—Until his phone on the table began to buzz.

Jiang Qi frowned in surprise. On this new phone number, aside from Zhi Qi, only Shen Lei, Qiu Mi, and the hospital had his contact. Who could be calling?

Puzzled, he picked up the phone—and sure enough, the screen showed the name “Shen Lei.”

He hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“Ah Qi, were you around the West District shelter earlier today?” Shen Lei’s voice rang out sharply through the phone speaker, cutting through the quiet room. Even Zhi Qi, hearing it, furrowed her brows and sat up straight.

Jiang Qi responded with a confused “Mm”: “Brother Shen, how did you know?”

“How did I know?” Shen Lei actually laughed at that, then replied, “It’s trending, that’s how. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the hot search? Not just you—your little girlfriend too.”

Right now, one of the top trending topics was: #JiangQi suspected to be seen with girlfriend on the street#.

The media had attached several candid photos taken from a distance. In the pictures, Jiang Qi wore a hat and mask, so his face wasn’t visible, but his slim figure was unmistakable.

Zhi Qi, on the other hand, wasn’t fully disguised, though the angle of the shots didn’t capture her face clearly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qi immediately thought of the talent agent he’d run into earlier who wanted to “have a talk.” His gaze turned cold.

Then he said calmly, “Shen-ge, I uninstalled Weibo.”

Whether it was trending or not, he didn’t care anymore.

With that, Jiang Qi hung up the phone.

He looked nervously at Zhi Qi—only to see the girl had already opened Weibo and was eagerly scrolling through the trending topic.

Naturally, she didn’t bother looking at the comments—she could already guess they wouldn’t be “kind.” Instead, she focused on the few candid photos of her and Jiang Qi walking together.

“These are so blurry,” Zhi Qi said, showing the photos to Jiang Qi with a hint of surprise. “People can recognize you from this?”

The person who took the photos was clearly far away, and the angle was off—they only managed to capture side profiles and backs, all fuzzy and indistinct. The most recognizable feature was Jiang Qi’s long legs. Still…

Before Jiang Qi could respond, Zhi Qi added seriously, “But we actually look pretty good together in these.”

No wonder the headline was crafted to grab attention.

Zhi Qi was smiling as she spoke, giving no indication of whether she was upset or not about being dragged into the trending topic and labeled as his “girlfriend.”

Especially when Jiang Qi remembered how she had avoided answering when Jiang Yu teased her earlier that afternoon.

Feeling uneasy, Jiang Qi hesitated, then lowered his voice and said, “I know it’s a misunderstanding.”

Zhi Qi blinked, confused. “What misunderstanding?”

“This whole ‘suspected girlfriend’ thing,” Jiang Qi avoided her gaze, murmuring with a hint of sadness, “I won’t take it seriously.”

The moment he said that, the previously warm atmosphere suddenly turned stiff. It was a while before Zhi Qi spoke again, her voice soft and almost to herself: “You’re right, you don’t need to take it seriously.”

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Jiang Qi still felt his heart sink.

“But it’s not suspected,” Zhi Qi said next, and her words brought him back to life. She turned to look at him, smiling brightly. “Jiang Qi, don’t you want me to be your girlfriend?”

She had wanted to ask this question for a long time. She had long wanted to define their relationship.

And today, Zhi Qi finally found the courage to ask.

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