116 Self-care
“How’s Qiao Yu and that girl?”
Although she had already asked, Qiao Yue was still a little worried, but the answer she got surprised her.
“Are you saying the girl has already returned home?”
“Yup! Her family took her away the night you arrived at the hospital. You were unconscious at that time. The girl wanted to see you, but her family would not allow it and left with her in a car.”
Qiao Yue’s eyebrows knitted as she frowned. If it was as Zhou Lan described, the girl either was not well-liked by her family, or the incident had left some indelible mark on their attitude towards her. It was also possible that it was a norm in their family. In this case, the girl likely did not have a good life back home.
Qiao Yue sighed. She had already done all she could to save the girl. There was not much more she could do.
“Hey, Earth to Qiao Yue. Yes, I’m talking to you! If you have so much energy to care about others, why don’t you start by taking better care of yourself? I heard from Chu Jia that you were admitted just two days ago. You couldn’t even tell that your ribs were broken! I’m impressed. I haven’t seen someone with so little consideration for their own health.” Although Zhou Lan admonished her, Qiao Yue could tell it was out of concern.
Qiao Yue grinned as she gently patted Zhou Lan’s head. “I know, I know.”
Zhou Lan swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. How cunning of Qiao Yue to pat her on her head. Whenever she encountered a topic she did not want to engage in, Qiao Yue would pat her head, consoling her like she was a frightened animal.
Zhou Lan let the matter rest; instead, she gave Qiao Yue a full-body check-up and informed Qiao Jing of the results. “Mr Qiao, the patient has a broken rib. It isn’t unusual for her to feel pain during this recovery period. There’s nothing to worry about, Mr Qiao.”
Qiao Jing was not satisfied with Zhou Lan’s answer and looked at Qiao Yue with a frown.
Qiao Yue was dumbfounded by the look her brother gave her. Was there something else she was supposed to say?
Zhou Lan rolled her eyes. “It’d be best if Miss Qiao had someone to care for her while she is recovering; either family or friends would suffice. There are some things only family or close friends can sign off on.”
Qiao Yue shot Zhou Lan a look that seemed to form a large question mark over her head. What was Zhou Lan talking about? Why would close family or friends need to look after her?
Qiao Jing answered, “Okay.” He did not wait for Qiao Yue to give her opinion.
Qiao Yue turned to Qiao Jing, confusion evident in her look. Did she hear things right? Qiao Jing actually agreed? Wasn’t he so busy that he wanted to split every second in two? How was he going to find the time to take care of her?
Her questions were soon answered.
Staring at the assistant bringing documents into the ward, Qiao Yue despaired. Didn’t her brother know that patients needed to rest? How could she rest with everything happening in the background?
Qiao Jing’s assistant gave Qiao Yue a sympathetic look and said, “Good luck!” Qiao Yue almost spat blood. Qiao Jing’s assistant knew what her brother was up to, but he kept mum, hoping to watch a good show!
Even though she was screaming internally, Qiao Yue could not dismiss her brother. Qiao Jing cared about her. How could she trample on his good intentions?
Now that they were in the same room, Qiao Yue finally realised how busy Qiao Jing was. She had heard from her brother’s assistant that he was trying to break into the international market; hence, he had a lot of work every day.
Seeing him in action reminded Qiao Yue why she had returned in the first place. She wanted to talk business. Working with companies in the country was easier than if she tried from outside.
Some people in C-City, especially the very wealthy, viewed foreign goods as better than those produced at home. That was why she wanted to invest in foreign companies and sell the products they produced back home. She did not need to concern herself with the problem of people looking down on her because of her age, thanks to several agents she worked with.
Since her second brother, Qiao Jing, was having so much trouble breaking into the international market, Qiao Yue thought she might as well lend him a hand.
Qiao Yue mulled over her decision for a long time before locking eyes with Qiao Jing, drawing his attention.
Qiao Jing looked up from his documents and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was admiring your looks. Has no one ever said you looked handsome while working?”
Qiao Jing’s ears turned red from Qiao Yue’s sudden compliment. He wondered whether Qiao Yue was so free with her compliments to everyone else, which brought a frown to his face.
“You’re so glib.” Those simple words were a response to Qiao Yue’s praise.
