Jiang Yuanchao gazed at Qiao Zhao without moving for a long time, then suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear: “Miss Qiao—”
The sleeping girl’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she instinctively responded: “Mm?”
Jiang Yuanchao jerked upright, his lips trembling violently.
He reached out his hand to carefully touch the girl’s cracked lips, but withdrew it before making contact.
He didn’t dare touch her.
If she were Miss Qiao, how could he offend her like this?
But how could such an absurd and bizarre thing happen?
“Miss Qiao.” Jiang Yuanchao murmured, his fingers hovering in the air, tracing the contours of the girl’s face bit by bit.
Two such different people—could the same soul dwell within them?
Jiang Yuanchao couldn’t figure it out, no matter how hard he tried. The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. He leaned closer to Qiao Zhao, staring at her intently, his warm breath brushing against her snow-white cheeks.
Qiao Zhao’s eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.
What met her gaze was the man’s magnified, handsome face, so close that their exhaled breaths intertwined.
Qiao Zhao was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand to slap him.
Jiang Yuanchao caught Qiao Zhao’s wrist, but seeing her frown, he quickly released it. Suppressing his inner excitement, he uttered two words: “You’re awake.”
Qiao Zhao didn’t speak, her mind racing as she tried to guess the reason for Jiang Yuanchao’s change in attitude.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Jiang Yuanchao asked.
Qiao Zhao lowered her eyes: “There’s nothing to say.”
Jiang Yuanchao suddenly stood up, walked to the table to pour a cup of water, then returned and reached out to help Qiao Zhao up, saying gently: “Have some water first.”
Qiao Zhao looked at the hand resting on her shoulder and said coldly: “Lord Jiang, please conduct yourself properly.”
Jiang Yuanchao withdrew his hand as if burned, his expression embarrassed.
Qiao Zhao slowly sat up halfway and took the water cup, drinking several mouthfuls.
Her throat still burned with pain, obviously courtesy of the man before her. However, she had nothing to complain about—they had been on opposing sides from the beginning. Her subtle hints about her past life were equally calculated moves against him.
But she calculated against him to save her life. What was Jiang Yuanchao’s purpose in suddenly interfering with Censor Xing’s affairs?
“Does it still hurt?”
Qiao Zhao was slightly stunned and looked at Jiang Yuanchao while holding the water cup.
Jiang Yuanchao’s gaze swept over the girl’s slender, pale wrist, where a circle of bruises was shockingly visible.
“It hurts,” Qiao Zhao said bluntly, lowering her eyes.
Jiang Yuanchao froze.
The more she acted with such calm indifference, the more she resembled that person in his memory.
Perhaps miracles did exist in this world?
Jiang Yuanchao suddenly felt his mouth go dry. His thin lips pressed together lightly, and his voice was slightly hoarse as he asked: “Is it you?”
Qiao Zhao set down the water cup and looked steadily at Jiang Yuanchao: “Where are Chen Guang and Censor Xing?”
“Is it you?” Jiang Yuanchao secretly clenched his fists and asked again.
“Where are Chen Guang and Censor Xing?” Qiao Zhao avoided answering and continued asking.
Jiang Yuanchao looked at her deeply and finally gave in: “They’re both safe for now.”
Ever since realizing she might be “her,” his heart seemed unable to harden anymore.
Qiao Zhao quietly breathed a sigh of relief and got out of bed: “I’ll go check on them.”
Jiang Yuanchao wanted to say something. His lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t stop her. He sighed: “Come with me.”
Qiao Zhao soon saw Chen Guang.
Chen Guang lay on the bed, pale-faced and motionless.
Qiao Zhao quickly walked over, felt his forehead, and lifted the blanket to examine the wounds on his body.
Jiang Yuanchao instinctively reached out to stop her, then withdrew his hand sheepishly.
The wounds on Chen Guang’s body had been treated, though only cleaned. Fortunately, the weather was already cold, so there was no redness or festering.
“It wasn’t convenient to call a physician, so I had Jiang He clean them with strong liquor,” Jiang Yuanchao explained involuntarily.
Qiao Zhao glanced at him.
Should she say thank you?
“Chen Guang’s injuries are serious. Could you help me buy some medicinal ingredients?”
“Tell me.”
“Do you have paper and a brush?”
“Come with me.”
Jiang Yuanchao led Qiao Zhao to the study.
Qiao Zhao picked up the brush and wrote out a prescription, handing it to Jiang Yuanchao: “Much obliged.”
Jiang Yuanchao’s gaze fell on the paper, staring at the elegant, upright small characters for a moment.
“Lord Jiang?”
Jiang Yuanchao came back to his senses and called out: “Jiang He—”
Jiang He appeared from some corner: “Present!”
Jiang Yuanchao handed him the prescription: “Go get the medicine according to this formula.”
“Yes.” Jiang He nodded in agreement, unable to resist stealing glances at Qiao Zhao.
Didn’t the lord say that when he saw Miss Li again, he definitely wouldn’t let her off? But the current situation seemed wrong—the lord was being obedient to Miss Li after seeing her.
The lord was so strange!
“Hmm?” Seeing Jiang He’s peculiar expression, Jiang Yuanchao reminded him with displeasure.
Jiang He sighed and turned to leave.
It seemed even heroes couldn’t overcome beautiful women—his lord had taken a fancy to Miss Li.
It was over, over. If the Grand Commander found out, he would skin the lord alive!
“Where is Censor Xing?” Qiao Zhao asked.
Jiang Yuanchao stood still, smiling as he asked: “Are you hungry?”
Qiao Zhao bit her lip.
She asked him where Censor Xing was, and he asked if she was hungry. This man was doing it on purpose, wasn’t he?
“I’ll take you to eat.” Jiang Yuanchao gestured for Qiao Zhao to follow, not daring to touch her arm.
He thought the girl before him would stubbornly say she wasn’t hungry, and he was already planning his persuasive words. Unexpectedly, Qiao Zhao nodded: “Alright.”
She needed to eat her fill to have the energy to discuss other matters.
Qiao Zhao hadn’t expected that in such an unremarkable residence, the prepared meal would be quite sumptuous, including her favorite crab dumplings.
“Your hands are injured. Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll serve it for you.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Qiao Zhao gripped her chopsticks and reached for the crab dumplings.
Jiang Yuanchao’s eyes flickered.
After being saved by Miss Qiao, he couldn’t help but investigate everything about her. He wanted to know everything concerning her.
He remembered that she loved crab dumplings most.
Jia Feng had many waterways. Every autumn was the season for eating lake crabs, with the crab dumplings at Wangjiang Tower in the city being the most famous.
The last time Miss Qiao went to Wangjiang Tower before her marriage, he had been hiding in the shadows, secretly watching.
Not daring to approach, having no qualification to approach, and only able to offer his blessings.
But his beloved girl had died in the ice and snow of the north, brought back as a corpse that would never smile again.
Jiang Yuanchao looked at Qiao Zhao as if trying to see into her heart.
Qiao Zhao lowered her eyes and ate gracefully.
Jiang Yuanchao was the person with the deepest schemes among the peers she had ever met. She could only carefully maintain that delicate balance: neither admitting she was Qiao Zhao borrowing Li Zhao’s body for resurrection, nor preventing him from thinking in that direction.
What she was even more uncertain about was how much tolerance he might have for Qiao Zhao.
For some people, a life-saving debt meant repaying with grass and rings; for others, it meant nothing at all.
Gambling on human hearts was inherently the most uncertain thing.
“This ham and fresh bamboo shoot soup is also quite good.” Jiang Yuanchao ladled a bowl of soup for Qiao Zhao.
Qiao Zhao looked up at Jiang Yuanchao, then took the soup ladle and served a bowl of soup, pushing it toward Jiang Yuanchao. Her voice was calm: “Lord Jiang should drink some too.”
Jiang Yuanchao was stunned, then smiled: “Good, I’ll drink some too.”
Qiao Zhao watched him drink the soup and smiled slightly.