Chapter 98: So You Still Care
Chapter Ninety-Nine: So You Still Care
On the way back, Xia Yang remained silent. Qing Tian felt stifled in the car, her chest and mind both heavy. What had Situ Jingyi and Xia Yang discussed that made Xia Yang fall into deep thought after they parted?
Qing Tian watched the buildings recede outside the car window, her heart filled with worry for Grandfather Ji, who had fallen ill from anger. She wondered how Grandfather Ji was doing now; he must be very angry.
Something that should have been a happy occasion had turned into chaos. Qing Tian believed Xia Yang wasn’t responsible for these incidents, but who had framed him?
Qing Tian sighed helplessly and continued to space out. Apart from Ji Xiangyu, Grandfather Ji, and Ji Weiwei, she barely knew anyone else in the Ji Family Home. Finding out who was responsible felt harder than reaching the heavens!
Xia Yang made a sharp 180-degree turn and headed in another direction.
Qing Tian was startled. She asked softly, afraid of upsetting Xia Yang’s emotions, “Xia Yang, where are we going?”
Xia Yang’s face was set, his expression could only be described as cold, like ice and frost.
Seeing Xia Yang’s emotional state, Qing Tian’s heart trembled. He was so scary; this Xia Yang was truly intimidating!
Qing Tian unconsciously shrank into the window seat, waiting for Xia Yang to stop the car amidst the long silence. The car drove faster and faster, eventually exceeding the speed limit.
Qing Tian nervously gripped the seatbelt, but even so, she was still very scared and couldn’t scream.
Xia Yang executed a 360-degree turn, and Qing Tian was thrown forward before being pulled back. The sensation was truly unpleasant.
Immediately followed by extreme acceleration, Qing Tian finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Xia Yang, slow down! Ahhh…”
Her words were swallowed by the wind. At some point, the car had become a convertible, and the wind howled past her ears. It felt like a roller coaster, her heart leaping into her throat. It was truly thrilling and perilous.
Qing Tian didn’t understand what madness had possessed Xia Yang to speed like this on the road.
Before long, a white building came into view. Upon closer inspection, the words read: Royal Private Hospital!
Qing Tian was stunned. Wasn’t this an aristocratic hospital? Why had Xia Yang come here?
With an emergency brake, Qing Tian hit the windshield. She looked at Xia Yang with annoyance and said, “Hey, Xia Yang, can you be a little gentler? It hurts so much!”
Xia Yang was taken aback when he saw Qing Tian, then said with apology and concern, “Qing Tian, what are you doing here? Are you alright?”
Qing Tian looked at Xia Yang in surprise. So he asked that because he didn’t know she was in the car? Had she become completely invisible? This was too much; this Xia Yang was truly outrageous!
Qing Tian deliberately put on a displeased expression and complained helplessly, “That’s enough, classmate Xia Yang. You’re ignoring me so much, and you still have the nerve to ask why I’m here!”
Xia Yang immediately leaned in front of Qing Tian ingratiatingly and said, “How could I? You’re so gentle and lovely; how could I treat you like air? I only feel the air getting thin with nervousness!”
Qing Tian wasn’t buying it. “Stop it. If I were that gentle and lovely, you wouldn’t have been speeding. I was terrified just now!”
Xia Yang took a bottle of mineral water from the car and handed it to Qing Tian. “Here, drink some water to calm your nerves!”
Qing Tian took the water and said with a smile, “You have some conscience after all!”
However, Qing Tian didn’t open the bottle. She felt like throwing up now. Xia Yang had driven so fast that everything in her stomach had been churned around, leaving her mouth feeling awful!
Qing Tian asked with doubt, “Why are we at the hospital?”
As soon as she asked, she thought of the answer. It was to see Grandfather Ji, wasn’t it? Only people like the Ji Family would come to this Royal Private Hospital. The cost of one day’s stay here would be enough for Qing Tian’s uncle’s family for a year.
Xia Yang habitually took out a cigarette and fumbled for a lighter several times without success. He irritably tossed the cigarette onto the windshield and looked at the building ahead with helplessness.
Qing Tian watched Xia Yang’s every move. Looking under the car, she saw the dropped lighter. She reached out, bent down, picked up the lighter, then took the cigarette Xia Yang had discarded, handed it to him, and lit it for him.
At that moment, Xia Yang smiled, his mouth splitting open. “Qing Tian, be my woman. Let’s study abroad together. Do you accept?”
Qing Tian, still holding the lighter, froze upon hearing Xia Yang’s words. The lighter slipped from her hand and fell to the ground again. Qing Tian shook her head in confusion. Had she misheard? Xia Yang had said study abroad together.
No, no, it must have been the first part, “be my woman.” Hehe, Xia Yang must be joking! “Xia Yang, stop joking. Don’t think you can coax me into being happy by saying these things. Didn’t we agree to go to Media University together?”
Xia Yang picked up the lighter, a flicker of loss in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden. “I wanted to give you a surprise!”
Qing Tian replied with a chuckle, “This isn’t a surprise at all; it’s a scare!”
After speaking, Qing Tian immediately sensed a shift in the mood. Xia Yang was unhappy. What should she do? Had she said the wrong thing?!
Xia Yang opened the car door, got out, and stood by the roadside, smoking heavily.
Qing Tian watched Xia Yang enveloped in smoke and sat in the car, feeling lost.
After finishing a cigarette, Xia Yang’s expression returned to its usual charming demeanor. “Let’s go. Think about this carefully. I’m serious. Let’s go abroad together, to a place where no one knows us, and live well. Do what you want to do!”
Qing Tian asked doubtfully, “Can we really leave everything behind and start anew?”
Probably not. The things you try hardest to escape are the hardest to forget, aren’t they? Can you truly let go of so much baggage just like that?
Xia Yang didn’t answer her but repeated, “Think about it carefully. There’s no rush. It’s not too late to give me your answer after this semester ends! For now, just let go of the past.”
Xia Yang’s hand landed heavily on Qing Tian’s shoulder. In that moment, Qing Tian was truly flustered. She had never imagined leaving this place, never thought about going abroad. Xia Yang’s sudden proposal had thrown her into disarray.
The streetlights cast Xia Yang’s shadow long and stretched. Qing Tian followed his shadow, stepping behind him.
Qing Tian looked up at Xia Yang’s retreating figure and sighed helplessly. “Xia Yang, what should I do?”
The next moment, she was pulled into an embrace, her mouth covered. Qing Tian’s first thought was that she was being kidnapped. Could it be that unlucky?
Qing Tian tried to struggle, but she wasn’t strong enough. She muffled cries, desperately trying to signal Xia Yang for help. To her surprise, Xia Yang was walking ahead, completely unaware of her situation. Qing Tian cursed inwardly, “Who the hell dares to plot against me? They must be tired of living!” Such thoughts crossed her mind.
The person pinned Qing Tian against the wall. As she struggled, she smelled a familiar jasmine scent and mumbled, “Ji Xiangyu.”
Ji Xiangyu then removed his hand from Qing Tian’s mouth. His eyes gleamed in the darkness, shining within the alley.
Qing Tian gasped for air, her eyes wide, staring at Ji Xiangyu. She was speechless for a moment, only able to glare.
Ji Xiangyu moved closer again. Qing Tian hurriedly and nervously extended her hands, trying to create separation between their bodies that were about to touch, looking at Ji Xiangyu in fear.
Ji Xiangyu finally placed his hand on the wall beside Qing Tian’s head, his face slowly approaching hers. Qing Tian immediately held her breath, not daring to make a sound. In this dark alley, would he kiss her? Thinking of this, a blush crept onto her cheeks. Her previous two kisses had left her with wonderful memories.
Ji Xiangyu was indeed a good kisser. Thinking of this, Qing Tian felt shy!
Ji Xiangyu had initially intended to talk with Qing Tian, but seeing her shy expression, he was taken aback and felt a surge of joy!
However, he had important matters to discuss with Qing Tian tonight and couldn’t afford to lose focus. Thus, Ji Xiangyu coughed a few times to mask his inner turmoil.
Qing Tian looked up awkwardly, only to accidentally bump into Ji Xiangyu’s chin. She clutched her head in pain.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Ji Xiangyu immediately bent down to check if Qing Tian was injured. This posture was perfect, leading their lips to touch. At that moment, his heart was racing like a stampede.
“Qing Tian, are you alright? Does it hurt?”
Ji Xiangyu’s concerned voice reached Qing Tian’s ears. It had been so long since they were this close; his voice melted her heart!
Qing Tian looked up at Ji Xiangyu with a grievance, intending to scold him. But the moment their eyes met, her heart softened.
“You kidnapped me here, was it just for this?”
Qing Tian turned her face away and said indifferently.
Hearing Qing Tian use the word “kidnapped,” Ji Xiangyu’s heart gave a jolt. Wasn’t that word a bit… much?
Ji Xiangyu turned Qing Tian’s head back, looking into her eyes. He smiled slightly and gently coaxed her, “I miss you, I’ve been missing you. Grandfather fell ill, and you were the first person I wanted to find!”
This sudden declaration of affection stunned Qing Tian. Before she could even process it, Ji Xiangyu announced grandly, “Qing Tian, you are my woman. You can only like me. No one can take you away!”
Qing Tian looked up at Ji Xiangyu, her eyes almost popping out in surprise. Why was he suddenly saying these things?
Qing Tian struggled out of Ji Xiangyu’s grasp haphazardly, gasping for breath. “Ji Xiangyu, where do you get off saying I can only like you?”
Ji Xiangyu grabbed Qing Tian’s shoulders again, gazed at her for a few seconds, then lowered his head and kissed her.
At first, Qing Tian was taken aback. But thinking of Situ Jingyi, Qing Tian felt deeply wronged. What was this? He kept kissing her without any clear explanation. Was it that fun?
Thinking of this, she struggled with all her might but couldn’t break free. Finally, disheartened, she waited for Ji Xiangyu to finish. Suddenly, Ji Xiangyu was roughly pulled away, and then a familiar figure threw a punch, hitting Ji Xiangyu hard. Ji Xiangyu then retaliated, and a chaotic entanglement ensued!
Qing Tian watched this scene and cried out with all her might, “Stop! Don’t fight…”
