Chapter 62

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“I’ll never betray her!”

Jiang Shu!

Chi Yin took a long, deep breath, lowered her head, and furiously jabbed at her phone screen:

[This is important! I’m not joking around!!]

Jiang Shu ran over, squinting at the screen. Then she began circling around Chi Yin’s hospital bed teasingly. “Tsk, tsk. You think adding two exclamation marks can scare me, sis?”

Chi Yin’s face grew serious, fixing Jiang Shu with an unwavering stare.

Jiang Shu shrank back instinctively, retreating a few steps. “Sis, glaring at me won’t work! I absolutely refuse to give in to evil forces!”

Evil forces?

Chi Yin narrowed her eyes, intensifying her stare.

So scary… Jiang Shu stumbled back to the sofa, gulping nervously. “Okay, okay, I was wrong, sis!”

Chi Yin typed a single fierce word:

[Speak!!!]

Jiang Shu was close to tears. But even then, her stance remained stubbornly firm. “Even three exclamation marks won’t work on me! If you keep threatening me like this, I’ll tell sister-in-law you’re using harsh interrogation methods on me!”

Chi Yin: “…”

Wow, mentioning sister-in-law really works! Jiang Shu thought to herself, impressed. Sister-in-law truly is powerful!

Her blind admiration for Qiao Ziman intensified even more.

“Well, actually, sis,” Jiang Shu suddenly said mischievously, glancing at Chi Yin with sly eyes, “threatening me won’t work—but maybe if you tried bribery instead… Wait, no! Take out the word threats!”

Chi Yin: “…”

She started typing.

[Jiang Shu, you weren’t like this before. You used to be quiet, reserved, well-behaved, and sensible.]

Jiang Shu pouted. “Sis, bribery doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

Chi Yin: “???”

“Sis,” Jiang Shu rubbed two fingers together meaningfully. “You know what I mean.”

Chi Yin pressed her lips together.

[I’ll cover all your future study materials, exam papers, and extracurricular book expenses?]

Jiang Shu: “!!!”

“Sis, where’s your common sense? Have you ever seen a normal person who actually likes that stuff?”

Chi Yin: [I do.]

Jiang Shu: “…”

Chi Yin: [Fine. LEGO? Collectible figures? A camera?]

Jiang Shu: “…”

“Sis, are you really this clueless?” Jiang Shu rubbed her fingers together again, this time more insistently. “Forget it, I’ll just say it straight—one question, ten thousand.”

Chi Yin was stunned.

[Jiang Shu, have you fallen into a money pit? Who the hell taught you to be this greedy?]

Obviously, Sister-in-law.

“Ahem.” Jiang Shu cleared her throat. “If there’s money to be made and you don’t make it, you’re an idiot.”

Chi Yin: “…” Why does that phrase sound oddly familiar?

Fine. Chi Yin transferred ten thousand yuan to her on WeChat.

[Your sister-in-law—who did she go to meet?]

Jiang Shu crossed her legs leisurely, her tone relaxed. “That, I actually don’t know. Sister-in-law didn’t tell me.”

You—! Chi Yin was so furious she almost regained the ability to speak.

“Hey, hey, hey! Nurse, quick, hold my sister down! The doctor said the patient can’t get agitated!” Jiang Shu shot up from her seat and bolted out of the hospital room. “Once you calm down, I might remember something!”

Chi Yin took a deep breath, then motioned for her to come back. She started typing again.

[Fine, new question. Has your sister-in-law mentioned me recently? Anything negative?]

Jiang Shu tilted her head, then slowly nodded.

“Actually, yeah—” She paused dramatically, then hesitated before raising a single trembling finger. “But that’s extra.”

Chi Yin: “!!!”

Jiang Shu remained resolute. “If you don’t want to know, that’s fine too.”

Chi Yin’s phone screen lit up. [Transfer: 10,000 yuan.]

Jiang Shu’s face brightened instantly. “Sister-in-law said this time your behavior was really serious. She’s mad. Super mad. And once you recover, she’s planning to settle both old and new scores.”

Old and new scores?

Seeing her sister’s confused expression, Jiang Shu’s heart softened a little. She sighed and offered a word of advice. “Sis, you’d better reflect on your mistakes. Take the initiative to apologize. Don’t just sit there like a mute.”

The way Jiang Shu emphasized the word mute was deliberate, and Chi Yin picked up on it instantly.

Her mind spun. Did I slip up?

She clearly remembered hearing someone call her “little mute” on the day of the fire, but at the time, she had brushed it off as a hallucination. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Jiang Shu crossed her arms, sighing dramatically. “Sister-in-law is so young and beautiful. What if you push her too far and she runs away?” Of course, that was just her personal opinion.

Runs away?

Chi Yin’s internal alarms blared at full volume, her sense of crisis skyrocketing.

Her gaze turned razor-sharp as it locked onto Jiang Shu. Forcing out a few raspy, hoarse words, she demanded, “Do you know something? Speak!”

Holy crap—too scary!

Jiang Shu bolted. Legs moving on instinct, she darted out of the hospital room like a startled rabbit. Once she was safely outside, she took a deep breath and steadied herself before pulling out her phone. She quickly messaged Qiao Ziman to report the battle’s outcome.

[Sister-in-law, you were right. Now that Sis can’t talk, she’s way less intimidating. I’m not scared of her at all.]

On the other end, Qiao Ziman removed her boxing gloves, wiped the sweat off her forehead with a towel, and casually typed a reply.

[Did you trick her?]

Jiang Shu: [Tricked her, tricked her! You were right, Sister-in-law—Sis is actually the easiest one to fool.]

Qiao Ziman lifted her chin smugly, feeling like she had finally regained some ground.

Jiang Shu sent another message:

[(Transfer: 20,000 yuan) Am I awesome or what? Today, I totally avenged you, Sister-in-law! (Proud face.jpg)]

Qiao Ziman smirked.

[That’s a bit low. You still have room to improve. Back in the day, your sister-in-law swindled your mom out of five million.]

[No wonder you’re you, Sister-in-law. (Starry-eyed admiration.jpg)]

Qiao Ziman narrowed her eyes in satisfaction as she typed:

[If only your sister were half as smart as you. Keep the money—it’s a reward from me. By the way, did you relay everything I told you to your sister?]

Jiang Shu replied:

[Of course! Not a single word was left out.]

…Though, she may have added a little extra.

Just a little.

But hey, threats had to be memorable, or what was the point?

***

The next few days passed in a blur.

As usual, Qiao Ziman juggled work, workouts, and taking care of Chi Yin. Her schedule was packed from morning till night.

Then, at last, the long-awaited discharge day arrived.

***

At the hospital, Qiao Ziman went to speak with the doctor.

“Doctor, are you sure my girlfriend can be discharged?”

The doctor set his pen down and gave her a calm glance. “Of course.”

“Then why,” Qiao Ziman narrowed her eyes, “can she still not talk?”

The doctor scratched his head.

“Now, don’t be in such a hurry… The test results show that your girlfriend has recovered well. The swelling is gone, there’s no infection, and by all medical reasoning, this shouldn’t be happening.”

“By all reasoning?” Qiao Ziman grew more anxious. “So will she recover or not?”

“Physically, there’s nothing wrong. If there is an issue, it’s psychological. After all, she went through a major fire—it’s natural to be traumatized. Or…” The doctor paused. “Think carefully—did anything happen during her hospital stay that might have triggered her? In any case, take her home and let her rest. See how it goes.”

That wasn’t exactly the answer Qiao Ziman wanted, but she asked a few more questions before handling Chi Yin’s discharge paperwork.

***

On the first day back home, as usual, Qiao Ziman went to the gym.

When she returned, she followed her trainer’s instructions and continued her workout at home. After completing several sets of push-ups, she wiped the sweat off her forehead. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she took a moment to admire her toned muscles.

She flexed her arm, pointing at her bicep with pride.

“You know what this is?” she asked Chi Yin smugly. “Let me tell you—biceps brachii!”

After that grand announcement, she found the perfect angle, snapped a picture of her arm, and sent it to a certain enthusiastic online friend.

[Duan Di, I think I’m ridiculously strong now.]

[Duan Di: Hahahaha! You’re such an interesting person. Keep it up, I wish you success in your… counterattack.]

It wasn’t something she could say out loud to the people around her, but with an online stranger? No problem at all—zero psychological burden. 

Qiao Ziman was completely uninhibited, laughing wildly as she typed back.

[Hahahaha.]

From the corner of her eye, Chi Yin slowly straightened up, her gaze deep and unreadable as she watched her. 

Still grinning, Qiao Ziman continued typing.

[Thanks!]

Her smile stretched wide, radiating a brightness that could outshine the sun.

Then a low, deliberate voice called out her name, each syllable bitten off with force.

“Qiao. Zi. Man.”

Qiao Ziman’s heart skipped a beat. Her phone slipped from her fingers and hit the table with a sharp thud. 

Who just called me???

Her eyes darted toward the source of the voice. Chi Yin was looking at her, half-smiling, half-smirking.

“Qiao Qiao,” she said, her tone light yet dangerous. “Who are you chatting with?”

“You—weren’t you mute?” Qiao Ziman frowned. “And what’s with that tone?”

Chi Yin got up and started walking toward her, step by step, eyes glinting with an eerie light.

“Qiao Qiao, are you disappointed in me? Did I make you so mad that you’ve given up on me? That you don’t want me anymore?”

“Wh-who said that?” Qiao Ziman kept retreating, but there was nowhere to run.

“My sister did.”

Qiao Ziman: “!!!”

Chi Yin leaned in, her warm breath grazing Qiao Ziman’s ear.

Qiao Ziman’s heart pounded like a drum, the steady rhythm growing more erratic with every step Chi Yin took closer. Then, a fierce, domineering kiss crashed down on her, stealing her breath away without warning.

Qiao Ziman’s body went weak in an instant.

Chi Yin didn’t look away, her gaze locked onto her with unwavering intensity. The intoxicating scent of her breath brushed against Qiao Ziman’s cheek, clouding her thoughts. 

“You can only be mine.”

“I’m warning you—don’t touch me!” Qiao Ziman struggled, but it was useless.

All those hours spent at the gym, all that strength she had built up—none of it worked now. Not when it had been so long since they’d been this close. At the crucial moment, her body betrayed her.

Calm down, Qiao Ziman! she chanted silently, trying to hold onto reason. But Chi Yin’s hands were already slipping under her clothes, her touch searing against bare skin.

Lips traced a heated path downward.

A soft gasp escaped Qiao Ziman’s lips.

And just like that, whatever defenses she had left—crumbled.

***

Several rounds later, Chi Yin got up to wash up.

Qiao Ziman, her eyes still hazy, slowly regained focus. Gritting her teeth, she endured the soreness and climbed out of bed. Without hesitation, she grabbed her laptop and darted into the closet.

Unforgivable!

This time, Chi Yin had really gone too far!!!