Plunder-Chapter 46 - Stay by My Side
Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Stay by My Side
Chapter 46 -46 Stay by My Side
“It was I who told Doctor Ding.”
Qiao En turned around and saw An Kexin approaching, holding a silver thermal flask.
She walked in her stilettos, her waist twisting, a tender pink dress swaying gracefully.
“Your brother was in a critical situation at that time, and the hospital couldn’t contact you. Just so happened I was there, so I used my connections to go to your brother’s school and found your parents’ phone number. Secretary Qiao, you wouldn’t mind what I did, would you?”
With her big, sparkling eyes, An Kexin looked truly benevolent.
Her every move had thrown The Qiao Family into disarray.
“Miss An, thank you!”
Qiao En thanked her, though her gaze was as cold as frost.
An Kexin’s eyes glittered with triumph and wildness, “Secretary Qiao, why act so formal with me? We’re friends, aren’t we? I was happy to help you.”
Qiao En was a smart person; she knew An Kexin had done it on purpose.
Despite having the heart of a beast, she still needed to play along.
“I will certainly remember Miss An’s kindness.”
The chill in Qiao En’s eyes flickered again.
“You really should thank Miss An properly. She advanced the medical expenses for your father and brother, and these past few days, she has been taking care of your parents in the hospital and even hired a nurse for your brother. Qiao En, having a friend like Miss An is truly your good fortune!”
Leaning against the wall with hands in his lab coat pockets, Ding Hao sang praises for An Kexin.
Qiao En genuinely admired An Kexin. She clearly despised Qiao En, yet had to feign closeness.
Speaking insincerely and acting against one’s heart, wasn’t she tired?
“I should be thanking Secretary Qiao. I haven’t been in the country for several years, and she has been taking care of Brother Zhou for me. Friends should stand up for each other when needed. Being able to do something for Secretary Qiao is my honor.”
It was her honor, yet it was Qiao En’s disaster.
“Having the honor to be Miss An’s friend is also my fortune.”
Qiao En met An Kexin’s gaze—hers clear as water and calm, while turbulence hidden within An Kexin’s.
“Oh dear, I’ve been so involved in talking to you, the chicken soup I brought for Qiao De is going to get cold.”
An Kexin averted her gaze and entered the sickroom.
As soon as she did, Qiao De’s face bloomed with a smile again.
“Sister Kexin, don’t bother making soup for me anymore; it’s too much trouble.”
An Kexin placed the thermal flask on the bedside table, signaling the nurse to open it and feed Qiao De the soup.
“It’s no trouble at all. We have a maid at home, she made it, and I just brought it over on my way. Take your time drinking it, I’ll come again tomorrow.”
An Kexin said and then twisted her waist, walking out of the sickroom.
Against the light, her entire being was shrouded in darkness, her face eclipsed as well.
“Doctor Ding, you must take good care of Secretary Qiao’s father and brother.”
With a flirtatious smile, she patted Ding Hao’s arm, her mannerism intimate.
“Got it!”
Ding Hao winked and flashed a roguish smile.
An Kexin was leaving, and Qiao En escorted her to the elevator.
“Miss An, thank you for all the trouble.”
An Kexin paused; it seemed she had something to say, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it.
“It indeed took some effort, but it’s good that you know.”
An Kexin’s words were layered.
She pressed the down button, stepped into the elevator, and as the doors were about to close, she smiled.
“Secretary Qiao, I forgot to tell you, your father’s condition seems to be not too good.”
The elevator doors closed, and her smile disappeared.
Qiao En’s heart tightened in an instant.
Without time to think further, she rushed to her father’s ward.
He lay on the hospital bed, looking very haggard. Qiao En’s mother, hunched over, was wiping his mouth with a towel.
Only when Qiao En drew closer did she realize that her father’s face had become crooked.
“Enya, why did you only come now?”
Qiao En’s mother had swollen, red eyes and broke down crying again.
Her tears made Qiao En’s eyes red as well.
One of Qiao En’s father’s eyelids drooped, the other eye murky, and though he tried to speak, his words were slurred, saliva dribbling continuously from the corner of his mouth.
Qiao En’s mother wiped away her tears while cleaning her husband’s mouth, “The doctor said your father had a stroke, half of his body is paralyzed; he’s afraid he might not recover to his previous state.”
Qiao En’s father uttered muddled sounds, which Qiao En struggled to comprehend, as she clasped his hand.
“Dad, don’t worry, I will definitely get you better.”
Mr. Qiao nodded laboriously, tears streaming down the corners of his eyes.
“This time, we really owe it to your friend Miss An. If it weren’t for her staying with me all the time, En ya, Mom couldn’t have made it through. When your dad gets a bit better, we must properly thank her,”
The Miss An in Mrs. Qiao’s mouth was An Kexin.
In the two days Qiao En was absent, she rapidly gained the trust of the Qiao Family.
Qiao En gave a bitter smile. An Kexin was really “attentive”.
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In front of Mrs. Qiao, she said nothing but responded, “Okay.”
At ten o’clock at night.
Feeling a bit hungry, Qiao En went downstairs to buy some late-night snacks.
The alley outside the hospital was full of snack vendors.
She ordered two bowls of wontons, a bowl of thin porridge, had them packed up, and was just walking to the entrance of the alley when she unexpectedly bumped into Zhou Jin’an’s car.
The window was half open, revealing only half of his gloomy face.
“Secretary Qiao, Director Zhou wants to see you.”
Cheng Lu approached her.
“I’m very busy right now, I don’t have time.”
Qiao En refused, stepping quickly to leave, but Cheng Lu moved forward to block her.
“Secretary Qiao, don’t make things difficult for me.”
He wanted to see her, and she couldn’t not see him.
But how could Qiao En dare to see him? Every time she saw him, she was unlucky, and her family couldn’t withstand such turmoil.
“I’m sorry.”
Qiao En apologized, walked around Cheng Lu, and quickened her pace even more.
She almost jogged to the hospital lobby, where the elevators were busy. Qiao En pressed for an upward elevator, but none came down.
Her head hung low, filled with indescribable sadness.
She didn’t know if it was because of herself or because she had just run into Zhou Jin’an.
Or perhaps, she simply didn’t want him to see her in such a sorry state.
After waiting quite a while, the elevator finally arrived, and Qiao En hurried in.
However, just as the elevator doors were about to close, Zhou Jin’an suddenly entered.
He carried a cold aura, and the temperature in the elevator cabin seemed to plummet.
Qiao En leaned back against the wall, retreating, while Zhou Jin’an closed in step by step.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked in a cold voice.
Qiao En turned to the side, avoiding direct confrontation with Zhou Jin’an.
“Mr. Zhou, I’ve already made myself clear to you.”
Zhou Jin’an’s face was ashen, his lips pressed into a lone and cold curve.
“Have you made yourself clear?” he demanded in a low voice.
Qiao En’s eyelids drooped; indeed, she couldn’t make things clear, but what would it take to be clear?
“Mr. Zhou should know, your mother and fiancée, they both don’t want us to get close. So, Mr. Zhou, please stop pursuing this, okay?”
She had already made her point very clear.
Whether it was for love or money, she would not be with him again.
She was just a minor character; her fate was not her own. She had followed him out of necessity and had already paid the price for it; she couldn’t afford to play this game anymore.
“Do you think they will let you go just because you leave me?” Zhou Jin’an’s eyes furrowed even tighter.
“Mr. Zhou, it’s not just about me, I have a family too. I am not like you; I need to stay alive first before I can think about anything else.”
After all was said and done, she was still determined to leave him.
Zhou Jin’an’s anger surged higher and higher.
“As long as you are willing to stay by my side, you won’t have to worry about these things.”
The bait was enticing.
It was nice to cool off under a large tree; with Zhou Jin’an’s umbrella of protection, Qiao En could indeed be spared from the storm.
But, she was not foolish.
The storm she was currently experiencing, wasn’t it all because of him?
Qiao En looked up at Zhou Jin’an and smiled.
The next second, she metaphorically threw a bucket of cold water over Zhou Jin’an’s head.
