Chapter 22

Little Girl

Xu Jiaojiao let out a long sigh and quickly got out of the bed. “I’m glad I don’t need to be hospitalized. I can go home now.”

Qi Shenbai helped carry her drawing board and asked, “You don’t like hospitals?”

Xu Jiaojiao nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know why, but I feel uncomfortable every time I come to the hospital.”

Qi Shenbai did not think too much about it. He only figured that Xu Jiaojiao did not like hospitals because she was basically a child. He took the lead and walked towards the door of the ward. After taking two steps, he realized that Xu Jiaojiao was not following him. He turned around and asked, “Aren’t you leaving?”

Xu Jiaojiao smiled brightly. “You go first…”

Qi Shenbai furrowed his brows and walked out of the ward without saying anything. Xu Jiaojiao followed behind him from a distance. She thought to herself, ‘This is about five meters away. That should be enough, right?’

When they got into the car, Xu Jiaojiao did not sit in the back seat. Instead, she opened the passenger door. Qi Shenbai could not help but ask, “Xu Jiaojiao, what are you doing?”

“Huh?” Xu Jiaojiao was at a loss. “Are you talking about me?”

Qi Shenbai’s face darkened. “Sit at the back.”

Xu Jiaojiao hesitated. “But my brother said…”

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Shenbai interrupted him. “Sit over here.” His tone was cold and unquestionable.

Xu Jiaojiao felt that he was really going to get angry, so she did not dare to stay in the front passenger seat any longer. She quickly got out of the car and went to the back seat, but she did not dare to get too close to him, so she stayed close to the car door.

Qi Shenbai said exasperatedly, “It’s okay if you sit over here.”

“Huh?” Xu Jiaojiao turned her head and looked at him curiously. Qi Shenbai explained, “In my eyes, you’re not a woman.”

“???” That was a blatant insult, wasn’t it?! She lowered her head and looked at herself. “How am I not a woman? Sure, my face is just a little on the rounder, sweeter, cuter side, and I guess I’m a little short. I admit I’m not that well-endowed, but I’m only twenty years old! I can still grow…”

Before Xu Jiaojiao could finish her sentence, Qi Shenbai stretched out his hand and covered her mouth.

Xu Jiaojiao’s voice came to an abrupt halt. Her big eyes blinked as she looked at him, almost as if they could speak. Qi Shenbai’s fingers were dry and warm as they pressed against her lips, causing her heart to beat wildly.

Qi Shen’s thin lips curled up slightly, and he deliberately lowered his voice. “Little girl, you don’t have to deliberately keep a distance from me. I don’t hate you.”

“Little girl”?! Why did he sound a little indulgent when he called her that?!

Qi Shenbai loosened his grip, and Xu Jiaojiao carefully moved closer to him. “So you really don’t feel uncomfortable when I’m close to you?”

Qi Shenbai nodded. Only then did Xu Jiaojiao relax and move closer to him. When she smelled the faint fragrance of wood on his body, she smiled and said, “If you feel uncomfortable, remember to tell me. You don’t have to worry about how I feel…”

As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Shenbai held her hand and looked at her with his dark eyes, as if to say, ‘Do I look uncomfortable to you?’

Once Xu Jiaojiao understood what he meant, she grinned and turned to look out of the car window.

Because the driver reacted in time, he was not injured. However, because he was the one driving at the time, he had to make a report with the police about the accident. The one driving now was Pei Yan. Seeing the interaction between Qi Shenbai and Xu Jiaojiao through the rearview mirror, he frowned in confusion. What kind of magic did Miss Xu have to make Mr. Qi treat her so differently?

The car was silent for a while before Qi Shenbai’s deep voice suddenly sounded. “Xu Zhengyang was promoted last month.”

Xu Jiaojiao turned her head with a blank expression. “I know that.”

Seeing that Xu Jiaojiao had yet to react, Qi Shenbai made things clearer. “He’s currently receiving an annual salary, bonuses for various projects, and overtime pay.”

This time, Xu Jiaojiao understood. “Do you think it’s strange for an adult like my brother to ask me for pocket money?”

“He’s not usually like this.” Qi Shenbai knew that Xu Zhengyang looked like a sloppy person, but he was not someone who willingly spent a woman’s money. Qi Shenbai really could not figure out why Xu Zhengyang would ask Xu Jiaojiao for money.

“I grew up in the countryside and lived with my grandmother. As a result, I’m not that close with my parents.” Xu Jiaojiao played with a lock of her hair, a hint of gloominess in her eyes. “Perhaps they feel that they owe me all these years, so they’re always very polite and careful with me. They’re worried that I’ll feel uncomfortable in any way.” However, they did not know their careful demeanor made it even harder for her to integrate into the family.