1163 Like a Panda
Xia Zhe sat up primly beside Qiao Mei and did not even dare to breathe loudly. He only wanted to quietly imprint Qiao Mei’s current appearance into his brain and remember this moment. He felt like he had not looked at Qiao Mei so closely for a long time. The last time they sat together like this was when they were still in Foshan Village.

“What are you looking at?” Qiao Mei looked at her clothes in confusion. She did not drip any soup on her clothes. Also, the clothes did not smell bad. She had only just changed into this new set of clothes.

“I’m just a little agitated and I want to take a good look at you. You have no idea how anxious I’ve been these past few days,” Xia Zhe said sadly.

It was only when Qiao Mei woke up from the operation that she found out about the news which the Xia family had released to the public. Since then, she had been trapped in this small room every day and could not even go out to take a breath of fresh air.

The good thing was that Qiao Qiang’s health was fine and he had recovered quite well. It was just that he was no longer friendly towards Xia Jun. He was still angry with Xia Jun!

At their age, they were no different from children. It was common for them to quarrel and throw tantrums.

The dark circles under Xia Zhe’s eyes were so big and jet-black that he almost looked like a panda. Qiao Mei was worried that Xia Zhe would faint from exhaustion. If that happened, then instead of Xia Zhe taking care of her, she would have to take care of him!

Xia Zhe still looked at Qiao Mei sulkily. He held her hands and refused to let go, afraid that she would disappear if he let go. He only felt at ease when he could feel the warmth from her body.

“It’s not your fault at all. I was careless and allowed someone to take advantage of the situation. Don’t take it to heart. I’m fine now, aren’t I? Don’t worry,” Qiao Mei said as she held Xia Zhe’s hands.

“When people want to harm you, they will seize whatever opportunity they have. It’s impossible to guard against them and it’s useless no matter how careful you are. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me. I didn’t take good care of you. I didn’t fulfill the promise I made to you back then and I don’t know how to face your grandfather,” Xia Zhe said apologetically.

During the time when Zheng Yuan caused trouble, Xia Zhe had told Qiao Mei that he would definitely protect her well and not let her get hurt at all. Later on, when she reached the capital, she first met Qian’e and then He Mei. Now, she was suddenly attacked again. If not for Qiao Mei’s good fortune, she might have died by now!

Qiao Mei also did not know whether Qiao Qiang would reprimand Xia Zhe later. After all, Qiao Qiang did not even cut Xia Jun any slack. Xia Mao did not even dare to visit Qiao Qiang. He would leave his gifts at the door and ask the helper to send them in and to let Qiao Qiang know that he had come by. From the looks of it, there was a high chance that Xia Zhe would get a scolding as well.

“It’s fine! I’m here! Grandfather won’t scold you! As long as I act cute, he won’t be angry anymore,” Qiao Mei said with a laugh.

“I don’t believe you. Even my grandfather didn’t manage to catch a break, so why would I be the exception. However, I deserve to be scolded. I definitely won’t let you be in danger again in the future,” Xia Zhe said firmly.

The two of them whispered sweet nothings to each other for a long time before Xia Xiu knocked on the door and said, “Xia Zhe, it’s time to go.”

The family had not announced that Qiao Mei was still alive. If anyone found out that Xia Zhe had stayed inside the ward for very long, it would definitely raise suspicions. After all, the Xia family had previously indicated that Xia Jun was staying in this ward.

“I… Wait for me. After I catch the culprit, I’ll definitely come and see you immediately,” Xia Zhe said.
“Sure, but you have to rest well too. You can’t look like this the next time you come here. You look like a giant panda now,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

“Then it’s a deal.” After saying that, Xia Zhe turned around and left the ward. When he reached the door, he still looked back reluctantly.

Xia Jun was still getting lectured in Qiao Qiang’s ward every day! Even when they played chess, Qiao Qiang would find a way to criticize him sarcastically.

“Oh my! Why do I lose to you again? Seriously, can’t you just give in to me,” Xia Jun pretended to be annoyed and complained to Qiao Qiang.

“You can’t play well and you still want me to go easy on you. Why don’t you get those criminals to go easy on us and ask them to let my granddaughter off!” Qiao Qiang muttered moodily.

Xia Jun did not dare to make a sound. He quietly tidied up the chessboard and continued to coax Qiao Qiang to play another round. The outcome was still the same as before, with his chess pieces being completely obliterated by Qiao Qiang.