I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 81 Not Sister-in-Law, Just a Regular Friend

The evening breeze is cool.

After the nurse came to check on us one last time, she didn't bother us again.

The lights in the emergency room rest area gradually dimmed, and the wards became quiet.

Perhaps because she had been too busy that day and had gone through a life-or-death struggle, the little girl fanned herself with a palm leaf fan and fell asleep by Qiao Muting's hospital bed.

Qiao Muting gently took the palm-leaf fan from her hand, enduring the slight pain, and began to fan her.

The way the girl lay on the bed was absolutely adorable.

Her skin was as clear as snow, and her long, loose hair cascaded down her cheeks, giving her an air of languor and nonchalance.

He stealthily brushed the stray hairs from her forehead to one side.

At this moment, the girl quietly closed her eyes, her long, raven-feather-like eyelashes casting a shadow.

Her upturned nose, like a kitten's, and her slightly upturned thin lips gave her a cute and delicate appearance, which contrasted sharply with her cleverness during the day.

He lowered his head slightly, getting closer to her. Her warm breath brushed against his cheek like a feather, making him feel a ticklish sensation.

You have no idea how much I like you.

Qiao Muting murmured these words softly, startling himself.

He didn't know how long he fanned her with a palm leaf fan before he himself fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night with an itchy feeling on my back, followed by a cool sensation.

It turned out she was wiping her back again.

"Xiaoran." His voice was hoarse, heavy with sleep.

"Shh~ Don't wake up the patient in the next bed." Qian Lai finished wiping him down before turning to face him.

“I noticed you were sweating a lot again. I was worried you might get an infection, so I wiped your body down again.”

She fanned his back with a palm-leaf fan.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling cooler?"

Then, she brought over a new tea mug and handed it to Qiao Muting: "Drink up."

The water was actually ice cold.

Where did you get the ice water?

"It was the nurses who helped; they put the medicine in their small refrigerator."

I was worried you might get a fever tonight, so I prepared a cup for you. Drink it quickly. It'll cool you down.

Her smile was innocent and pure, and he felt grateful and his heart was filled with emotion.

"Have a sip too!" He held the teacup out to her first.

"This water is hard-earned, so keep it for yourself. After you finish drinking, get some rest."

Qiao Muting tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls, feeling refreshed and invigorated all over.

This is not water, it is clearly nectar.

"Xiao Ran".

"Ok?"

You're so kind.

"Okay, stop talking. Go to sleep, it'll be dawn soon."

She pressed him down onto the pillow, forcing him to close his eyes and remain silent. He watched quietly as the other person, by the dim moonlight, cleaned up the water in the basin and on the table, then returned to his bedside.

He felt incredibly at ease; as long as she was by his side, he had a tremendous sense of security.

Once he recovers, I wonder if she will allow him to speak his mind?

When Qiao Muting woke up again, it was already dawn.

Looking up, I saw Qian Lai standing there, holding an apple in one hand and a fruit knife in the other, staring blankly into space.

"Xiaoran, what are you doing?"

"Qiao Muting, do you believe that everyone has a simple skill that they could never learn no matter how hard they tried?"

Qian Lai looked at the apple in his hand with disappointment; it looked like it had been chewed by a dog.

Qiao Muting chuckled and said, "I'll do it."

He picked up the fruit knife and with a few quick "snips," a perfectly round and plump apple was flawlessly peeled. The peel remained intact, its width and thickness uniform. Qian Lai couldn't help but envy those slender fingers, as if they had been endowed with some kind of divine power, and seemed to be limbs that were not his own.

"Qiao Muting, why can't I ever learn how to peel an apple?"

He laughed at her adorable and innocent charm: "What's wrong with that? If you can't learn it, then don't. I'll just carve it for you!"

"Old Joe, how was your night?"

The ward door was pushed open, and three heads peeked out from the crack in the door.

The two people inside were unaware that the three people had been watching them through the crack in the door for quite some time.

Zhu Yong grinned from ear to ear as he led Luo Zhiyuan and Yan Pengfei in, carrying breakfast.

Qiao Muting's hand, which was about to be handed to Qian Lai, froze halfway, unsure whether to withdraw it or offer it back.

"Old Qiao, did you have a fever last night? Why is your face so red?" Zhu Yong continued to tease.

Qian Lai took the apple from Qiao Muting, placed it on the table, and left the bedside table for the three of them.

"Xiaoran, I introduced Zhu Yong to you yesterday. The other two, the tall one is Luo Zhiyuan, the youngest among us. The strongest is Yan Pengfei, who's now working at the Xinshi Security Bureau. They're both my good brothers."

"He was a good brother who went through his rebellious teenage years with him," Zhu Yong added.

Rebellious phase! I even went out and explored the world!

Qian Lai's curiosity was piqued, and she looked at Qiao Muting with a smile.

"I'll tell you our story slowly when I have time later."

He wanted to pique her curiosity so he could have a chance to meet her and tell her about his past.

Ever since he told Qian Lai his deepest secret, Qiao Muting couldn't wait to tell her about how he learned to hatch eggs like a chicken when he was three years old.

"Sister-in-law, would you like fried dough sticks or steamed buns?" Luo Zhiyuan asked, placing the breakfast on the table and beginning to distribute the food.

It's my sister-in-law again!

Zhu Yong: "Hey, you can't call her 'sister-in-law.' They're just 'ordinary friends.'"

He spoke the last four words slowly and deliberately, his words full of teasing about the two people.

"She is Xiaoran, you can just call her by her name." Qiao Muting was completely acting according to the girl's wishes, which made Zhu Yong and the others think that he was indeed her "sister-in-law".

"Thank you, brothers. I'm not eating anymore. You all eat with me. I need to pack up and leave now."

My plans to meet Sister Mi yesterday were completely disrupted.

She had to hurry over there today; she hadn't been home for a day and a night, and she was afraid Gu Hanchuan would worry.

"No way! Who will take care of Old Joe after that?"

Zhu Yong could see the reluctance in Qiao Muting's eyes.

He clearly wanted to persuade the other person to speak, but for some reason, he was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, refusing to say anything.

If he won't say it, then Old Zhu will say it for him.

"I'll visit you at the military hospital in a couple of days."

"Today, I'll have to ask you guys to take him home, is that alright?"

"No problem, don't worry. We'll definitely get Brother Qiao home safely." Luo Zhiyuan was younger and didn't understand the subtleties of romantic relationships.

One sentence earned him eye-rolls from Zhu Yong and Yan Pengfei.

Qiao Muting silently tried to put on his hospital gown and get out of bed.

"What are you going to do, Old Joe?"

"Let me see you off."

Qiao Muting's tone was weak and powerless, as if he had some expectations, but also seemed to be reluctant and worried.

She said she would visit him in a couple of days, but that "two days" was just empty talk, a mere formality, wasn't it?
Will she really come?

Qiao Muting's concerns were not unfounded, after all, she had already disappeared suddenly twice.

"Qiao Muting, you should get some rest. Don't wander around. I'll definitely come to see you in a couple of days."

Qian Lai packed his things, said goodbye to everyone, and turned to leave.

Even after everyone had left, Qiao Muting's gaze remained fixed on the door.

At that moment, no one could have predicted that two days later, someone they never expected would suddenly visit.

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