Even After My Death
Chapter 455 - 366: Qi Xingzhou’s Embrace

Chapter 455: Chapter 366: Qi Xingzhou’s Embrace

It wasn’t until Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou left and sat in the car that Jiang Ning revealed a hint of a smile, "Just now... was that your doing?"

"Mhm." Qi Xingzhou nodded, "Don’t like how she talks."

Jiang Ning laughed, "You did the right thing."

She wasn’t accustomed to interrupting, originally planning to wait until Madam Huo finished speaking then mock Huo Song a few times using the insider information she had just learned from the System, or even scare him by threatening to call the police and see if Huo Song would reveal any telltale signs.

But, before Madam Huo could finish, Qi Xingzhou had already made his move.

Hearing Jiang Ning’s praise, Qi Xingzhou felt pleased. He shyly looked down, appearing timid and harmless, very pure and innocent.

However, only Qi Xingzhou himself was aware of the torrential anger that had risen within him when he heard Madam Huo’s words.

He didn’t like the Huo family Members’ attitude towards Jiang Ning at all, nor did he like the expression on their faces when they spoke in front of Jiang Ning, and he disliked even more the words that came out of Madam Huo’s mouth.

Qi Xingzhou wanted to call some formidable and ferocious large animals over to "scare" the Huo family Members. However, in the city, it wasn’t easy to get in touch with large animals. Even if he could contact them, it would be difficult for them to arrive quickly.

What worried him the most was scaring Jiang Ning.

Therefore, Qi Xingzhou settled for the next best thing. After spotting some small birds foraging on the opposite street, he immediately called them over.

The birds had simple digestive tracks; they eat, then they evacuate - that’s all they could contribute.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were on the opposite street and it took time to fly over, Qi Xingzhou wouldn’t have allowed Madam Huo to say so many demeaning things about Jiang Ning.

Recalling Madam Huo’s uninhibited remarks just now, Qi Xingzhou’s handsome brows knitted slightly.

Even though he previously lacked emotional depth, after meeting Jiang Ning, his own emotional changes had gradually become more apparent, and his ability to perceive emotions had increased accordingly. Coupled with the boost from the Merit Apple, Qi Xingzhou had made significant progress both overtly and covertly.

He understood what Madam Huo had just said and knew their identity relative to Jiang Ning.

Qi Xingzhou turned his head to glance at Jiang Ning, who was driving, then quickly looked down again. He wanted to verbally comfort Jiang Ning but didn’t know how to start.

Just like before, he wanted to help Jiang Ning retort against the Huo family Members but, being tongue-tied, didn’t know how to snap back, so he simply called over the birds for assistance. Since he didn’t know what to say, he might as well make Madam Huo shut up.

Qi Xingzhou pursed his lips, his expression serious as if pondering a century’s great dilemma.

And he thought about it the entire way without coming up with how to begin!

This convoluted feeling allowed Qi Xingzhou to experience a sense of defeat and helplessness for the first time.

Until Jiang Ning drove into the district where the Qi Family Villa was located, Qi Xingzhou was still mentally wrestling with himself.

Jiang Ning had no idea what Qi Xingzhou was contemplating and even less that he had been troubled the whole way.

Since their acquaintance, Qi Xingzhou had always been the type to speak golden words, rarely initiating conversation. Even when he did speak, the words would pop out one by one, like spitting out little golden pearls – each word extremely precious. Jiang Ning had long been accustomed to his quiet manner.

Jiang Ning brought the car to a steady stop in front of the Qi Family Villa.

Inside the villa, with the lights brightly lit, Ji Shuang along with Qi Jingshan and Qi Chen, who had just finished dinner and were eating fruit on the living room sofa, heard the noise. They immediately turned their heads to look outside, just in time to see a familiar white vehicle slowly driving into the front garden.

With a smile, Ji Shuang said, "It must be Jiang Ning bringing Zhouzhou back."

She subconsciously wanted to stand up and go out to see, but Qi Jingshan lifted his hand to stop her, "What are you going to do?"

Ji Shuang replied with surprise, "Jiang Ning is here, of course I should go out to greet her."

"She’s here to drop off Zhouzhou, not specifically to see you. Give the young couple some private space," Qi Jingshan spoke with an air of knowing.

Ever since he discovered that there might be something between Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou, Qi Jingshan’s lips hadn’t stopped curling upward in these past few days.

In just a few days, he had even thought through the details of their future children interning at the company during their high school summer break.

Ji Shuang also liked Jiang Ning very much.

Before meeting Jiang Ning, she had already developed a fondness for her from hearing about how she helped her silly son in the elevator.

This fondness only grew after meeting Jiang Ning, translating into joy at every subsequent encounter.

Every time Jiang Ning visited the Qi Family Villa, Ji Shuang couldn’t help feeling excited and would always go out to welcome her—that was the reason.

When Qi Jingshan held her back, Ji Shuang initially wanted to shake him off, but after hearing his words, she gave it some thought and felt that he made sense.

Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou were at the stage where they had just met and needed more time to deepen their understanding of each other. She, as an elder, decided it was best not to go out and spoil the mood.

Even Qi Chen, who was sitting beside them holding a tablet, agreed with Qi Jingshan’s advice after hearing it, "Father is right."

"Eh, alright then!" Ji Shuang sighed with a sense of loss and sat back on the sofa.

With Qi Xingzhou’s dull and clumsy manner of speaking, he definitely wouldn’t invite Jiang Ning inside for tea, directly causing her to miss a chance to greet Jiang Ning!

Ji Shuang wore a look of disappointment, as if lamenting his lack of initiative.

She turned her head to look outside, wanting to catch a glimpse of Jiang Ning. However, due to the villa’s steps and railing, those inside could only see a corner of the garden and the adjacent concrete road—let alone Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou, she couldn’t even see the shadow of their car.

Ji Shuang reluctantly shifted her gaze away.

Outside, Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou were unaware of the little episode that had taken place inside. Looking at the brightly lit villa, Jiang Ning unbuckled her seatbelt and said to Qi Xingzhou, "We’re at your house."

"Mm-hmm," Qi Xingzhou nodded, also beginning to unbuckle his seatbelt.

It was only after they both got out of the car that Jiang Ning noticed from Qi Xingzhou’s drooping eyes that he seemed to be a little down.

Jiang Ning looked at Qi Xingzhou with some confusion, "What’s wrong?"

Qi Xingzhou had felt twisted up the whole ride, wanting to say something comforting to Jiang Ning, but faced with his limited vocabulary, he didn’t know what to say.

Under the sparse night sky, he opened his beautiful, puppy-dog eyes, looking at Jiang Ning innocently and helplessly, appearing as though he was on the verge of breaking into pieces.

Just as Jiang Ning was about to say something, Qi Xingzhou stepped forward, lowered his head, raised his hand to draw Jiang Ning into his embrace, giving her a particularly tight and warm hug.

Jiang Ning was stunned by his sudden embrace.

If the person in front of her wasn’t Qi Xingzhou, Jiang Ning would’ve definitely kicked him away the moment he raised his hand to touch her.