Chapter 44: Chapter 44: I Will Take Good Care of Her

Qin Muye took out his terminal and pulled up some photos to show her.

The photos were all of Yu Chenglan.

One showed him being kicked into a corner, his body twitching. Another showed him with several slap marks on his face, lunging forward in a rage only to be punched again. The most satisfying one was the last: Qin Muye had grabbed a trash can and shoved it over Yu Chenglan’s head, burying him in garbage.

In the last photo, the large screen in the background was frozen on the scene of Yu Chenglan looking down on Jiang Qingli with contempt.

For the past twenty years, Yu Chenglan had always looked down on everyone else, believing himself to be of a higher class. Now, he had been kicked to the ground by someone even more noble, becoming the one being scrutinized and mocked.

’How ironic.’

Qin Muye had taken these photos to help her blow off some steam, but he hadn’t expected her to pat his head instead of breaking into triumphant laughter.

"I didn’t expect you to get revenge for me. You must have worked hard, fighting out there," Jiang Qingli said with a beaming smile. "Thank you, my good little leopard."

Caught off guard, Qin Muye’s earlobes became scorching hot.

’That word again.’

’He was clearly ferocious, so what part of him was ’good’?’

But Qin Muye didn’t retort out loud like he had the previous times.

Instead, a strange excitement surged within him.

It was a feeling more exhilarating than throwing a punch. The blood in his veins boiled at her soft words.

Jiang Qingli was more concerned about the scratches on his face. She reached out and gently touched one with her index finger. "Does it hurt?"

"It’s nothing," Qin Muye said, lifting his chin.

"Baili Jing mentioned earlier that there’s a medicine for superficial injuries..." Jiang Qingli looked at the man sitting next to her. "Which one was it again?"

Baili Jing: "..."

’Putting what I just taught her into practice so quickly... Should I praise her for her experimental spirit?’

Qin Muye, however, sat down on a stool, assuming an expectant posture.

"Let me," Baili Jing said with a smile. "I’m better at this sort of thing."

He started to get up to retrieve the ointment, but Jiang Qingli gently pushed him back down.

"Don’t move," Jiang Qingli said with a serious expression. "You’re the patient. I’ll take care of it!"

With that, she ran to the medicine cabinet, searching for the ointment Baili Jing had used on her earlier.

Out of her sight, Qin Muye leaned back in his chair and tilted his chin at Baili Jing in a challenging gesture.

Baili Jing simply watched Jiang Qingli’s towel-draped back, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Once she found the ointment, Jiang Qingli trotted over to Baili Jing and showed it to him. "Is this it?"

"Yes," Baili Jing’s eyes curved into a smile. "You’re very capable, Xiao Li."

Jiang Qingli felt a little embarrassed. "You’re exaggerating."

"No, you really are," Baili Jing said earnestly, his finger catching the corner of her towel and twisting it playfully.

Sitting to the side, Qin Muye frowned. Something felt off.

’What did Baili Jing just call her?’

’Xiao Li?’

’When did he start calling her that?’

Looking again, it seemed... something had changed between them.

The only reason Qin Muye had been comfortable leaving Baili Jing alone with Jiang Qingli was because he knew she usually avoided that sly fox and had no interest in him.

’But now... they seem to be getting along a little too well?’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’And another thing—wasn’t Baili Jing here to take care of Jiang Qingli? How did he end up in the sickbed playing the patient himself?’

The thought of himself out there, working so hard to beat someone up for her, while Baili Jing won her sympathy just by lying in bed and acting weak, made Qin Muye grit his teeth. A pang of fury shot through him, and he wished he had dragged Baili Jing along to get a beating too.

Opening the tube of ointment, Jiang Qingli dabbed some on a cotton swab and leaned in close.

The ointment felt cool on his face, but to Qin Muye, everything felt hot.

Her breath ghosted across his skin, sweet and fragrant.

Qin Muye found himself wanting to breathe it in more deeply.

But unfortunately, there were only three scratches on his face, and she finished treating them all too quickly.

As the scratches began to heal and she pulled away, a pang of disappointment surfaced in Qin Muye’s heart.

’I should have let that loser get a few more hits in.’

His terminal vibrated at an inopportune moment.

It was a summons from the Palace Internal Training Institute, urging him to return. At the same time, a message arrived from the old master of the Shen Family.

Qin Muye knew he had to head back right away.

He cleared his throat. "Um, something’s come up. I have to go back to the Palace for about a week."

Jiang Qingli nodded. "Okay."

She made no attempt to ask him to stay, nor did she ask what he was doing.

Qin Muye should have been relieved by her sensible respect for his privacy. After all, his original plan was for him and his female master to be nothing more than strangers.

But now, he felt a sharp sense of dissatisfaction and emptiness.

He couldn’t quite explain why.

* * *

After resting for a while, Jiang Qingli supported Baili Jing on their way home.

Yi Nuo was waiting in the garage. When he saw Jiang Qingli supporting a frail-looking Baili Jing, his eye twitched, and he fell silent.

After getting Baili Jing settled, Yi Nuo spoke respectfully. "Miss, the Family Head and the Young Master have already contacted the academy. Your absence won’t be marked, and Yu Chenglan will be confined to the discipline room for two weeks."

They wouldn’t physically harm the students in the discipline room.

But they would be inspected daily and constantly tested to ensure they posed no threat to others.

During this period, there were no recreational facilities, and they were forced to live in spacious, cage-like cells.

Even sleep offered no peace, as spot-checks on their security status could happen at any moment.

Jiang Qingli was a little surprised.

The Jiang Family was in Central City, so it was normal for them to be well-informed.

But Jiang Youchen was in the Lower District, where communications were poor, and he was busy with official duties. For him to have found out in such a short time was astonishing.

’Is their network really that good...?’

A warmth spread through Jiang Qingli’s heart, but it was accompanied by a strange, indescribable tension.

The good news, however, was that Yu Chenglan wouldn’t be able to harass her for the foreseeable future.

A slight weight settled on her shoulder.

Jiang Qingli glanced to the side. Baili Jing was leaning against her shoulder, his brow slightly furrowed and his long lashes cast downward. He looked for all the world like a piteous, tragic beauty.

Her heart softened at the sight. Recalling what the robot had said, she asked softly, "Do you want me to try and heal you?"

Baili Jing looked up, his voice weak. "Is that possible?"

"Of course!" Jiang Qingli nodded.

After Ye Linyuan had given her that gemstone, her spiritual power had improved a lot.

Using it on someone like Baili Jing, whose contamination level was less than 30%, should be fine.

Back at home, Jiang Qingli had Baili Jing wait in her room while she made a beeline for the bathroom. "I’m going to take a quick shower. Wait here for me!"

"Alright." Baili Jing sat down on the sofa.

After watching that slender figure enter the bathroom, Baili Jing took out his terminal and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

On the other end of the video call was a handsome man with a cold expression.

It was none other than Jiang Youchen.

"Did you send that robot in the infirmary?" Baili Jing used a Barrier to block the sound and got straight to the point. "Still can’t accept my marriage to Xiao Li?"

Jiang Youchen’s aura was dangerously oppressive. He enunciated every word. "You were never on the list of Beast Husbands."

Baili Jing crossed his legs, showing none of the frailty he had displayed before Jiang Qingli. A fanatical gleam flashed in his otherwise gentle eyes. "Compared to those outsiders, I believe I am more qualified to be by her side."

Jiang Youchen let out a deeply sarcastic sneer. "You? Worthy?"

"We grew up together. We know each other inside and out. I swore an oath before the Beast God to be loyal to her forever," Baili Jing continued, a smile playing on his lips. "You were there too... brother-in-law."

At those last two words, Jiang Youchen’s ink-black, slitted pupils narrowed sharply, and a dangerous, bone-chilling frost of fury solidified around him.

If the two of them had been face-to-face, an earth-shattering battle would have been unavoidable.

But unfortunately, until a transfer order was issued, Jiang Youchen could not leave the Lower District.

The sound of the running water subsided, and Jiang Qingli called out his name hesitantly. "Baili Jing... I forgot to grab a towel. Can you get it for me?"

Baili Jing answered her call, then turned back to the screen with a smile for the livid Jiang Youchen. "Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Xiao Li."

Without waiting for a reply, he cut the connection, then blocked and deleted the contact in one smooth motion.

Baili Jing picked up the towel and walked slowly toward the cloud of billowing steam.