The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 232 - 224: Missing

Chapter 232: Chapter 224: Missing

Lu Jingqiu got up the next day and cooked millet porridge for Father Lu, along with a salted duck egg for breakfast. Afterward, she went to the market to buy some fresh bamboo shoots.

She slaughtered the duck—half was made into fresh bamboo shoot and duck soup, and the other half into soy sauce duck.

The insides of the duck provided Hua Hua and Hua Guoguo with a hearty meal.

While stewing the duck soup in the morning, Lu Jingqiu washed the dirty clothes at home.

Close to noon, she carried two lunch boxes to the team.

Just as she arrived at the entrance, she saw Jiang Nanzhou wearing a dress uniform, followed by two officers, as well as Li Zhu and Yang Guodong, the atmosphere heavy, seeing off some family members.

Lu Jingqiu did not approach but waited for him on the side, overhearing someone calling him Leader Jiang from a distance.

In just a few months, he had been promoted, an honor earned with lives at stake, which made Lu Jingqiu feel profoundly heavy.

When Jiang Nanzhou came back, he didn’t speak but silently took her hand and walked toward the dormitory.

Lu Jingqiu let him lead her, quietly squeezing his hand, noticing his fingers had become thinner, an indication of just how much he had slimmed down.

His face was clean-shaven, but his red eyes revealed that he hadn’t been sleeping well recently.

Jiang Nanzhou now had a dormitory to himself. Upon entering, she found it empty except for a tofu-block-folded quilt and daily items like a wash basin, and a bag.

Next to a desk, Lu Jingqiu placed the boxed meals on the table. Just as she was about to speak to him, she was embraced from behind, his forehead buried in her hair, his warm breath on her neck. Her heart skipped a beat, freezing on the spot, "Are you okay?"

"I’m okay. I still have that much endurance. I just wanted to hug you."

Gathering courage, Lu Jingqiu turned around, stood on tiptoes, and lifted her arms to encircle his neck, collapsing into his embrace. With her eyes closed, she kissed the corner of his mouth lightly, like a dragonfly touching water. As she opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Nanzhou’s deep, profound gaze, his embrace around her tightening. His hand lifted to cradle the back of her neck, sensing her tension and stiffness, and her cheeks quickly flushed with crimson. They gently leaned into each other, their kiss tentative, restrained, yet filled with desire.

Jiang Nanzhou knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t bear to let her go.

Still, it was Lu Jingqiu who finally said, "The food I brought you will get cold and won’t taste as good."

Reluctantly, Jiang Nanzhou let her go.

A meal of white rice, soy sauce duck, stir-fried vegetables, and fresh bamboo shoot and duck soup—Jiang Nanzhou ate with great appetite.

Lu Jingqiu watched from beside him and said, "Didn’t you eat breakfast this morning? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Jiang Nanzhou nodded, "I didn’t have time in the morning."

Lu Jingqiu knew why, and added, "Are you still going to visit for condolence?"

"I don’t need to go. I’ll be with you from now on."

Lu Jingqiu propped her chin with her hands, smiling, "Okay, but I still have to go to school. I can’t be with you from Monday to Friday."

"Come back. Come back in the evening. I’ll pick you up."

"That’s too much trouble."

"I want to pick you up."

"All right, let’s go to the new house tomorrow, is that okay?"

Jiang Nanzhou nodded.

Just like that, one ate while the other watched, and the two of them chatted about many things.

After the meal, Lu Jingqiu did not leave but sat at the edge of the bed, making sure he rested, insisting on waiting until he fell asleep before she would leave.

Jiang Nanzhou had no choice but to lie down and pretend to sleep.

Only when he heard the sound of her gently closing the door did he closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief: Foolish girl, how could I sleep with you here?

However, after Jingqiu left, as he lay there, he truly fell asleep.

At night, Lu Jingqiu prepared both chicken and fish, and even invited Jiang Nanzhou over, with Uncle joining Father Lu in coming back as well.

In any case, with three meaty meals and nutritious soups a day, Lu Jingqiu was determined to nourish everyone back to health.

During the meal, Jiang Nanzhou even shared a drink with Uncle and Father Lu.

When Lu Jingqiu saw him out, Jiang Nanzhou took her hand where Father Lu couldn’t see and asked, "I heard you fought with Xia Lin?"

"Yeah."

"And it was two against one?"

"Yeah."

"You did well. Did you get hurt yourself?"

Lu Jingqiu raised an eyebrow and said, "Don’t you think I’m being unreasonable and acting like a shrew?"

"What’s unreasonable about that? When someone bullies you, you’ve got to hit back. Of course, you should only fight if you can handle it, run if you can’t, and wait for us to come back and help you."

Lu Jingqiu was taken aback by Jiang Nanzhou’s unwarranted pampering; she thought men didn’t like her shrew-like behavior.

Uncle Lu talked with Uncle Gao for quite a long time today.

I think we should confront the instigator directly, Jingqiu, I promise to make sure Xia Lin doesn’t dare to trouble you again."

Lu Jingqiu quickly shook her head, "No need, I’ve already resolved it my way. Besides, I have Uncle and my second cousin backing me up. If you come back and pursue the matter with Dad, it might appear that we’re being unreasonably persistent. Nanzhou, I know you’re all worried I’ll be at a disadvantage, but let me tell you, I really put my strength into it that day. I even hurt my own hand, but I dared not show it to keep up the momentum."

"You hurt your hand?"

Jiang Nanzhou took Lu Jingqiu’s hand, examined it, and patiently instructed, "Hitting someone in the face also requires skill, next time, you should do it like this..."

Aunt Cuihua and a few other aunts from the courtyard witnessed the two holding hands and chatting gaily as they passed by.

As they moved on, Wu Cuihua said, "Xiao Qiu is really lacking in modesty. She’s not married yet, but she’s pulling and dragging openly in front of everyone, doing this with one and doing that with another—what kind of behavior is that?"

Wu Cuihua spoke with a pointed look in the direction of Lu Jingqiu and Jiang Nanzhou.

Although the rumor about Lu Jingqiu liking Gao Shu wasn’t widely publicized, many people knew about it.

Plus, after Gao Shu got married and Jingqiu returned to the city, she hadn’t had much contact with him.

Nobody mentioned it any further.

Today, with Wu Cuihua being sarcastic, it was evident that the Lu Family had encountered some conflict of interest with the Xu Family.

That’s why she spoke irrespective of the neighborly relations.

Upon hearing Wu Cuihua’s remark, an aunt who had previously had a good relationship with Jingqiu’s mother retorted, "Old Wu, their house is already prepared, and they might even have their marriage certificate by now. The only thing left is the wedding ceremony. If it weren’t for the mission delaying things, Jingqiu could have been married for months by now. Them being so close now just shows their good relationship. What do you mean by doing it with everyone? Jingqiu is a girl we’ve all watched grow up. Everybody in the courtyard knows what kind of person she is. You’re talking nonsense."

Wu Cuihua replied, "Even if they have a good relationship, they shouldn’t be so indiscreet in public."

The aunt glanced sidelong at her and commented, "I suppose Little Li’s wedding is coming up soon, right? The other day, I saw her dining with a man, and he didn’t look like the one you introduced last time."

Wu Cuihua was quick to assert, "Oh, that’s probably just a colleague from her workplace; it’s normal for them to have a meal together."

"But I saw them being quite intimate, not like regular colleagues."

"You seem keen to worry about others; perhaps you should pay more attention to your own family."

The aunt wanted to say more, but considering they were neighbors, she left it at that.

Wu Cuihua was left embarrassed, the reason for her criticism of Lu Jingqiu was due to Old Xu from her family.

Old Xu had the potential for a promotion, but it seemed to hinge on Old Lu’s position.

There’s only so many spots, and with Old Lu above Old Xu and now having established some credit, who knew what the intentions from above were.