Chapter 051: Kissed

Chapter 051: Kissed

Qin Ce's hospital room was very large. If it weren't for his hospital gown, you'd think you were standing in a presidential suite at a hotel.

The night was quiet. When the curtains were pulled open, fragments of moonlight crept in.

Qin Ce sat in a wheelchair, approaching the window to look at his computer. A faint warm light was on, with the occasional tap of keys, and his voice into the headset: "Mm," "Keep it up," "Don't act for now." His voice was very soft, yet it still carried the authority of someone used to giving orders.

After finishing the follow-up work, he ended the call and closed the computer. He could focus on "recovering" for a while. He just had to wait for his dear father, dear brother, and dear stepmother to take the bait, and he would get what he wanted.

"Brother Ce~"

Hearing Ji Pushu murmur in her sleep, she couldn't sleep soundly without someone beside her, seeming about to wake up. She reached out to feel the empty spot beside her, snapping Qin Ce back to reality. He turned his head to look, rubbing his temples in frustration. Compared to scheming and plotting in the business world, dealing with Ji Pushu seemed far more difficult.

Tonight, she absolutely refused to leave, insisting on staying to take care of him. Qin Ce's ears were ringing from her noise, his head buzzing, so he had no choice but to agree.

As expected, Ji Pushu's care was all over the place. She insisted on feeding him. Of course, Qin Ce's mind and hands were fine; it was only his legs that were the problem. He was having none of that. But Ji Pushu wanted to prove herself and had to feed him. His shirt ended up dirty, and she used the chance to grope him while changing his clothes and cleaning him up. Qin Ce was certain—she was definitely groping him, this little pervert.

To make matters worse, bored as she was, Ji Pushu, scaredy-cat yet thrill-seeking, picked a movie about a chainsaw-wielding serial killer, with one of the murder scenes set in a hospital. She made him watch it with her, then scared herself so much she was shaking, her face turning pale. Even going to the bathroom meant waking him up and having him wheel himself to the door to stand guard. Qin Ce remained silent, wishing he could stuff cotton balls in his ears. Every second, she would call out "Brother Ce," and if he didn't respond, she would cry in fear, screaming about ghosts and people under the bed.

At night, she dared not sleep alone in the small patient-care room attached to the suite, so she climbed onto his hospital bed and curled up beside him. At first, it was fine—she just lay next to his hand, tightly gripping his arm, not daring to open her eyes. But once she fell asleep, her sleeping posture became unbearable to behold; she kicked him several times.

"Brother Ce, boohoo, save me! The chainsaw maniac is coming to kill me!" Ji Pushu was having a nightmare. In the dream, no matter how hard she tried to escape, she couldn't outrun the murderer. The sound of the chainsaw was terrifying, but she couldn't wake up. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she was drenched in cold sweat, tears streaming down her face.

Qin Ce thought to himself, "Seriously, doesn't she know how weak her own psychological resilience is?!"

Despite his grumbling, he still maneuvered his wheelchair over, got onto the hospital bed, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside her.

Feeling a sense of security, Ji Pushu immediately clung to him like an octopus, wrapping herself around Qin Ce, nearly choking his neck. This almost made him roll his eyes. He quickly pulled her arm away from his neck, thought for a moment, then decided to let her hold his waist instead. He wrapped his arm around Ji Pushu, cradling her in his embrace—a very secure hugging posture.

In Ji Pushu's dream, just as she was about to be sliced up by the chainsaw murderer, a Brother Ce descended from the sky. He threw left hooks and right kicks at the murderer, whooshing him down in two moves. She cheered in delight.

Qin Ce wondered, "What kind of dream is she having now? She was crying just a moment ago, and now she's laughing, flailing her arms and legs, even punching me in the face."

Although it had no strength and didn't hurt—just felt like tickling—it was still very annoying. He stared at the ceiling in despair, thinking, "If I were truly critically ill and under Ji Pushu's care, I would definitely die young."

Helpless, Qin Ce pulled down Ji Pushu's hand, held it properly, patted her back gently to coax her to sleep, and threatened softly, "Go to sleep now, stop bouncing around."

His words had some effect. Ji Pushu gradually calmed down and fell into deep sleep. As she slept, she was incredibly well-behaved. Her slightly chubby cheek seemed tinged with a blush, like a peach. Qin Ce watched for a long time, then couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek, then switched to gently rubbing it. A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were gentle as he murmured, "You little airhead, I wonder if I'm even in your dream."

If it hadn't been for his own tacit permission, this pretentious little flirt wouldn't have been able to stay by his side for so long.

Everyone knew his attitude, yet she alone didn't understand, happily and cluelessly "pursuing" him. Sometimes, seeing her like this, he almost laughed out loud.

·

The next day.

Zhuang Baixuan came in for the usual checkup, alone, without bringing anyone.

When he saw Qin Ce sitting in a wheelchair, with a cup of warm water on the table and a book on his knees, looking serene, while the person in bed was sleeping soundly, he wondered who was actually the patient.

"Brother, you spoil her way too much. What kind of patient are you? Of course, this is also the first time I've seen a family member take care of a patient like this," Zhuang Baixuan teased, deliberately stressing the word "family member," adding a bit of mockery.

"Don't look at things you shouldn't," Qin Ce glared at him, his brows slightly furrowed in displeasure. It seemed it would be better to recuperate at home, as it was inconvenient here, and also because he was worried about waking her up. He hadn't carried her to the small room.

Zhuang Baixuan rolled his eyes, particularly speechlessly, "You've tucked the blanket so tightly, I almost thought I was in Egypt looking at a mummy. What could I possibly see?"

After all, they were longtime brothers, yet he was being guarded against as if he were some kind of threat. He admitted that the little coquette was very beautiful, but he couldn't handle that level of clinginess. He preferred intellectual beauties. Only Qin Ce could appreciate this kind of person. On the surface, he complained, but deep down, he was quite pleased; otherwise, he wouldn't have indulged her to this extent.

But to be honest, for people like them, she could indeed lighten the mood. If the little coquette's target of pursuit were him, Zhuang Baixuan seriously considered that he probably wouldn't be able to resist either. He would gradually let her approach and fall in love with her—who wouldn't like a ray of sunshine?

Qin Ce didn't respond. He put down the book and let him check his condition.

"Arrange for me to be discharged and go home today," Qin Ce said after Zhuang Baixuan finished his examination.

Zhuang Baixuan looked up at him. "Can't you stay a couple more days? Regardless, the car accident really happened, and you have other injuries on you."

"No need," Qin Ce said firmly. "Have you ever seen a severely traumatized patient in such good spirits here?"

"Alright, you're the boss." Zhuang Baixuan shrugged his shoulders.

Shortly after he left, Ji Pushu woke up, sat up, and stretched, still sleepy-eyed.

"Brother Ce, you look better today than yesterday. See? It's all thanks to me!" She started taking credit before she was fully awake.

Qin Ce didn't respond, just turned a page of his book. "Get up and wash up. Breakfast is ready." Who was really taking care of whom?

"Oh." Ji Pushu was hungry too. To take care of Brother Ce, she had put in a lot of effort. "Is there anything I like for breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Brother Ce is the best! I love Brother Ce the most~" Ji Pushu declared sweetly again.

Qin Ce had heard this many times before. The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a smile before he smoothed it down.

At first, he found it annoying, but later, after getting used to it, if he didn't hear it for a day, he felt as though ants were biting him all over, unbearably itchy and unable to scratch.

Qin Ce's meal was very light, a nutritious meal for recovery, specially prepared by his personal chef. Ji Pushu's meal, on the other hand, was a hodgepodge of various dishes. She didn't eat much, but she had to take a bite of everything.

After eating their fill and learning that Qin Ce would be discharged to recuperate at home today, she eagerly rolled up her sleeves and started packing. The more she helped, the more chaotic things became. In the end, the assistant had to handle it.

However, the Qin family came to visit Qin Ce. It couldn't really be called a visit—they were probably here to confirm his exact condition.

In any case, Ji Pushu sensed malicious intent and schadenfreude.

This time, the visitors were Qin Ce's stepmother and a decent-looking but effeminate stepbrother, only about half a year younger than Qin Ce. He looked like a glutton and a drunkard, with a faint greenish tint under his eyes from overindulgence, giving off a sleazy vibe. When he looked at Ji Pushu with a grin, his eyes carried a lewd meaning, making her feel dirty. What an oily man! In comparison, Qin Ce was so much more pleasing to the eye—there was no comparison.

"Ah Ce, how are you recovering? Your father and I were very worried about you. Your father is busy with work today and couldn't come. Don't be mad at him." The stepmother carried fruit in her hands, looking at Qin Ce with a concerned gaze, her voice gentle and soft, as if she truly cared about her stepson.

She followed the same approach as Jiang Hui, but the good thing was that Ji Pushu's father was clear-headed, while Qin Ce's father was a foolish idiot, particularly fond of his "true love" first love, almost shouting that their love was a beacon of purity in the wealthy world.

From this, one could imagine that when Qin Ce lost his mother at a young age, before the seventh day after her death had even passed, his father hurriedly brought back the woman and child he had kept outside. If it hadn't been for Qin Ce's grandfather, who was still alive and formidable, Qin Ce's life would have been even harder. Now, the conflict was even sharper, as they fought for power and property in the Qin family.

The reason Qin Ce's father didn't come now was that he was eager to take over the Qin family's authority from his son with broken legs. When the old man died, he bypassed his son and gave all his shares to Qin Ce, entrusting the Qin family to him. The will was heavily biased toward Qin Ce. The father himself only got a small portion and had to depend on Qin Ce's whims to live, which made him deeply resentful.

Now that Qin Ce was down, the father, as the elder, naturally wanted to step up and take control of the Qin family, enjoying the prestige that came with it.

Everyone knew about the internal strife in the Qin family—father versus son, legitimate son versus mistress. If it weren't for Qin Ce keeping things under control, chaos would have long ensued.

Now that Qin Ce had been in a car accident and couldn't manage things, chaos was starting. Even the collateral branches wanted a piece of the pie. A large family could thrive only if its roots were deeply and widely extended, firmly anchored.

But if the main pillar falls, the internal strife would cause them to collapse from within, and with an external push, they would be uprooted entirely.

Qin Ce didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at Ji Pushu. "Be careful with the knife when peeling the apple. Don't hurt yourself."

"I know, Brother Ce is so kind." Ji Pushu coquettishly responded, her slender fingers holding the fruit knife, her nails painted in a nice color, like a work of art. "But what if I accidentally slip and the knife flies out and hurts someone? Brother Ce, I'm so scared~"

Qin Ce curled the corners of his mouth. "It's fine, I'll take responsibility."

"Wow, Brother Ce is so amazing~" Ji Pushu looked at Qin Ce with sparkling eyes, full of admiration.

She turned her head toward Qin Ce's stepmother and blinked innocently. "Auntie, do you want to change where you're standing? I'm worried I might lose my grip on this fruit knife and it could fly out and scratch your face. Oh dear, but Auntie has a few lines at the corners of your eyes—you can probably hide them with a smile, right? Auntie's smile looks impressive, so you must have that skill. Brother Ce, don’t you think so?"

"Of course, your observation skills have improved quite a bit." Qin Ce praised her in cooperation.

So she was calling her old and fake! The stepmother's expression changed instantly, especially seeing that Ji Pushu really couldn't peel the apple, making her heart race.

"So it's Miss Ji. Long time no see. Last time I chatted with your mother, we even mentioned you." But her composure was well-practiced; she maintained her gentle smile. After more than a decade of wealthy living, she had shed much of her unsophisticated manner and now carried an air of elegance.

"Wow, Auntie is amazing! My mother is lying underground, and you can still chat with her?" Ji Pushu looked innocent and surprised, her eyes wide and adorable. "Tonight, when Auntie chats with my mother, can you tell her that someone is bullying me? I want my mother to come back and protect me. Please, Auntie, pretty please~" She clasped her hands, staring at her with a soft, pleading tone.

That sounded somewhat creepy, almost like a curse. The stepmother was silent for a moment. She had been referring to Jiang Hui, the current mother, trying to provoke Ji Pushu. After all, she herself was a later entrant, so she naturally disliked children from a predecessor getting in her way.

Seeing his mother at a loss, Qin Jie put his hands in his pockets and spoke with barely concealed gloating. "Brother, how could you be so careless while driving? The eldest son of the Qin family, the CEO of the company, now with both legs broken—how many people are laughing at that?"

Ji Pushu was unhappy. She puffed up her cheeks, immediately defending Qin Ce like a mother hen protecting her chicks, her sharp little mouth spitting out a barrage of sarcasm. "Aren't you the walking joke of the Qin family right now? Your brain is useless, yet you still come out to make a fool of yourself. Even a dog would find you disgusting. I suggest you go wash yourself—you stink." She even covered her nose, and to be safe, she also covered Qin Ce's nose.

"You!" Qin Jie's face darkened, but then he curled a self-satisfied, greasy smile. "Woman, you've caught my attention."

He had found a new source of amusement: stealing Qin Ce's woman and humiliating her right in front of him, making Qin Ce taste the bitterness of betrayal. How satisfying.

He had set his sights on Ji Pushu before, but back then, Qin Ce was still a tiger—untouchable. Now, he could knead and toy with him however he liked. He was no longer a threat.

Ji Pushu covered her mouth, almost gagging. God, how could there be a man with this kind of mental illness in the world!

Unbearable! Would she really have to give up on Qin Ce and choose Qin An? Hell, even looking at this guy one more time was torture!

Meanwhile, Qin Ce's face darkened, his eyes turning sinister as he stared at Qin Jie, already plotting how to deal with him.

That look sent a chill down Qin Jie's spine, fear spreading from his heart outward.

All along, Qin Jie had been the suppressed one, fear ingrained in his bones. But he didn't want to lose face, so he forced a cold snort, feigning indifference. In his heart, he harbored a vicious determination: once he had the Qin family completely under his control, he would humiliate Qin Ce thoroughly to vent his resentment.

"Mom, I think Big Brother has recovered well. Let's not disturb his recuperation. After all, we're busy—we don't have time to loiter here." Qin Jie now held a general manager position and was preparing to bid on a piece of land. He was confident he would win it.

"Ah Ce, we'll be going then. If you need any help, just let us know. We're family—don't be a stranger." The stepmother smiled and nodded, then turned to leave the ward with Qin Jie.

Since Qin Ce had woken up, they had visited every day to put on a show—to check on him, but also to savor the joy of victory.

Many people enjoy flaunting their success in front of a loser, to drive the point home.

"...Why are you staring at me?" Qin Ce suppressed his thoughts and turned to see Ji Pushu staring at his face.

"Cleansing my eyes. Brother Ce is still the best-looking. Brother Ce is the most handsome." And he has a great body, she silently added.

Qin Ce gave a calm "Oh" and asked casually, "You're very attracted to good looks."

"Brother Ce, are you jealous?" Ji Pushu propped her hands on the edge of the bed, leaning close to his face, her eyes bright.

"No." Qin Ce leaned back, putting some distance between them, and poked her forehead. "Don't get so close."

"You definitely are! You're absolutely jealous!" Ji Pushu was convinced of this discovery. She grabbed his hand and pressed even closer.

But she lost her footing and fell onto Qin Ce's chest, pinning him down. Her mouth also pressed against his, their lips stuck together. They stared at each other, both frozen.

"Ahem, boss and Miss Ji, please continue, go ahead."

The assistant had just come up after moving things to the car and saw this scene. He slapped his forehead and quickly retreated, thoughtfully closing the door.

He had interrupted his boss's moment—he wondered if he'd still get his year-end bonus.

"Get up." Qin Ce felt his face heating up, but he played it cool, pushing Ji Pushu's shoulder. "Stand properly."

"Got it." Ji Pushu was still in a daze. She helped Qin Ce sit up, her gaze unconsciously drifting to his lips. They weren't thin or thick, but very nicely shaped, with a Cupid's bow that looked particularly kissable. She leaned in again. "Brother Ce, your mouth is so nice to kiss. Can I have another one?"

Qin Ce: "..." What kind of talk is that?

"No!" Qin Ce's ears were slightly red, and he refused this excessive request with a serious face.

"Oh well." Ji Pushu pouted, a little disappointed.

But then she reconsidered: if she was really going to give up on Qin Ce, she might as well take advantage first! It wouldn't be her loss!

Qin Ce shot her a sidelong glance, seeing the scheming expression on her face.

"Brother Ce, sit tight. We're going home." Ji Pushu helped him into the wheelchair, speaking sweetly, pushing him out with all her heart.

The word "home" lifted Qin Ce's mood, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

If she would be a little more obedient, he wouldn't mind letting her have another kiss.