Chapter 17: Meeting My Wife: Day 17 Part 1

“Retreat!” Bei Huai swiftly hoisted Jiang Wan onto her back and shouted hoarsely.

“Huh?” Qu Tao sounded reluctant.

The young guys were at that hot-blooded age, refusing to back down from anything, pent-up with frustration—how could they just cut and run, letting the others laugh at them?

He hesitated and glanced over, wondering if the boss had misspoken.

But there was the usually stoic girl, her eyes now rimmed red.

She seemed to be fighting back something fierce, her jaw clenched tight, lips quivering faintly, her face twisted into something almost feral.

Even more intimidating than her usual vibe.

Qu Tao shivered and fell silent. He bellowed at the brothers and sisters locked in the brawl behind him: “Retreat! Stop fighting!”

Tong Baifeng had already dashed over to Bei Huai’s side. She spotted Ading—the sneak attacker—sprawled on the ground, clutching his kicked stomach and wailing nonstop.

A wicked smirk tugged at her lips, malice gleaming in her eyes. She leisurely slipped off one of her heeled shoes and smacked it hard against the man’s face, over and over.

“I’ll fucking make you sneak attack Sister Huai, you lowlife scum! Filthy bug! Drop dead for this lady!”

As the man howled in agony, Qu Tao gingerly tapped at the girl mid-swing and chuckled nervously. “Uh… Sister Tong? Sister Tong?”

“What!” Tong Baifeng snapped without missing a beat, whipping her head around to glare at him.

She radiated the aura of someone who’d murder anyone interrupting her fun.

“It’s… it’s time to go. Everyone else is leaving.”

Tong Baifeng froze for a second, then scanned the room. The pool hall had cleared out fast; the few still there were mostly Qin Xiang’s subordinates, sprawled on the floor and groaning in pain.

Sister Huai and the girl who’d suddenly appeared to block that pool cue for her were long gone.

“Fuck, why didn’t you say something sooner!”

Qu Tao: “…Didn’t want to interrupt while you were having so much fun?”

After barking the retreat order, Bei Huai paid no mind to her little bros. She bolted out the door with Jiang Wan on her back.

“B-Bei… Classmate Bei Huai.” Jiang Wan endured the searing pain in her forearm and murmured softly.

“My arm’s the one hurt. You don’t need to carry me—I can walk on my own.”

“Shut up!” Bei Huai snapped coldly, her steps unflagging, eyes blazing with barely contained fury.

“Who told you to jump in and block for me? You think you’re Superman or something?!”

She’d clearly texted Jiang Wan to head home, but the one person who shouldn’t have shown up had anyway.

Cold sweat beaded on Jiang Wan’s forehead from the pain. She parted her lips but lacked the strength to speak, simply resting her head gently against the girl’s back.

So many people. Such a brutal fight.

Of course she’d been terrified. She could’ve steered clear of the mess, slipped away unnoticed. But seeing Bei Huai and the others getting overwhelmed had her too worried to stay put.

That siren wail? Her doing.

Not a real call to the cops—she wasn’t stupid enough for that. Everyone involved would’ve been screwed.

It was just an audio clip she’d played, hoping to spook both sides into breaking it up and scattering.

She hadn’t counted on someone being shameless enough to launch a sneak attack.

The moment she saw that guy swing the pool cue at Bei Huai’s head, her heart had stopped dead.

No hesitation—she’d charged forward and taken the hit for her.

It hurt. God, it hurt so much.

Her entire arm felt wrecked, white-hot agony ripping through every nerve and limb. She wanted to sob.

Yet the girl ahead of her had eyes even redder the instant she saw Jiang Wan.

That fleeting panic in her gaze made the pain in Jiang Wan’s arm suddenly feel… bearable.

Bei Huai sprinted nonstop from the pool hall all the way to the street. She flagged down a taxi and blurted, “Nearest hospital—hurry, please!”

Glancing in the rearview mirror at Bei Huai’s frantic expression and the girl’s ghostly pallor beside her, the driver figured it was life-or-death. He slammed the pedal to the floor.

At the hospital, Bei Huai scooped Jiang Wan into her arms and bolted inside, yelling for a doctor the whole way. To any bystander, it looked like Jiang Wan had been in some catastrophic accident requiring immediate lifesaving measures.

Amid the curious stares laced with pity from onlookers, Jiang Wan almost laughed. She tugged weakly at the girl still hollering and whispered, “Stop shouting. It’s just a fracture at worst—not like I’m dying.”

She’d racked up plenty of ballet injuries over the years and could gauge the damage pretty well.

Only then did Bei Huai calm down a fraction. She settled Jiang Wan in the waiting area and hurried off to register.

The X-ray confirmed a fracture, but nothing major—a simple break. With Jiang Wan’s sturdy constitution, she’d be healed in under two months.

Relief washed over Bei Huai. She turned—and locked eyes with the girl’s beaming smile.

Bei Huai recalled her earlier foolish antics. “…”

“Little miss, were you the one shouting and yelling downstairs just now?” The orthopedic doctor was a fairly young man. Having reviewed the X-ray, he glanced up at Bei Huai and nodded with great understanding.

“I get it, though. Your girlfriend’s hurt, so of course you’re anxious. Just be more careful next time.”

Bei Huai paused. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Jiang Wan said nothing, merely forcing a smile.

“Haha, I understand, I understand.” The doctor swept a meaningful glance over the two of them, his expression screaming “I get the picture.”

Bei Huai: “…” As if you understand a damn thing.

With the X-ray reviewed, the doctor prepared to reset Jiang Wan’s bone.

She had a high pain tolerance, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of it.

Taking a deep breath, she asked the doctor to hold on. With her good right hand, she pulled a lemon candy from her pocket and turned to Bei Huai.

“Classmate Bei Huai, could you unwrap this for me?” Her left hand was useless.

“What a hassle.” Bei Huai took the candy with a scowl, tore off the wrapper in one swift motion, and popped it straight into the other girl’s mouth.

“Does eating candy actually help? Does it relieve the pain or something?” She just didn’t get it—she saw girls munching on sweets all the time.

Stuffing their faces with sugar like that, weren’t they worried about cavities?

Jiang Wan pursed her lips. “For me, candy’s the best way to lift my spirits. Maybe it’s all in my head, but it always makes the pain in my arm feel lighter.”

As for cavities… well, that was a constant headache for Mother Jiang.

Pulling teeth was agony, but she never learned her lesson.

With the candy in her mouth, the doctor got to work.

Jiang Wan squeezed her eyes shut, enduring the sharp tug on her bone. Without thinking, she reached down to pinch her thigh, trying to distract herself.

But in the next instant, a warm hand closed over hers.

“Don’t you have enough injuries already?”

Her eyes flew open just as a searing pain ripped through her forearm. She let out an involuntary cry, her fingers clamping down hard.

“There. All set.”

The moment the doctor spoke, Jiang Wan felt the tension in her forearm ease, the pain fading to a dull ache.

She turned her head and spotted the red fingerprints she’d left on Bei Huai’s hand. Blushing, she murmured apologetically, “Classmate Bei Huai, sorry about that.”

Bei Huai let out an inscrutable hum—no telling if she was mad or not.

As the doctor applied the cast to Jiang Wan’s arm, she watched Bei Huai sitting in the chair, scrolling on her phone. Finally, she ventured, “Classmate Bei Huai, are we still grabbing that meal afterward?”

Bei Huai nearly laughed from sheer exasperation. “Eat? Eat what? You’re in this state and you’re still thinking about food?”

“Young lady, that’s no way to talk. You have to be gentle with girls,” the doctor chided, shaking his head.

“Hmph.” Bei Huai flashed a cold smirk and stormed out of the room.

“Tsk tsk, your girlfriend’s got quite the temper,” the doctor muttered.

Jiang Wan smiled faintly without replying. She stared at the fresh cast on her left hand, a shadow of melancholy in her eyes.

She’d been looking forward to sharing a meal with Bei Huai today—and if luck was on her side, maybe even wandering the shops together afterward. But now… not only had she broken her arm, Bei Huai had walked out.

She sighed to herself.

Bei Huai always seemed to drift between near and far. Sometimes, even she got tired.

Once the cast was done, Jiang Wan went to pay by herself. She was just reaching the hospital entrance when she nearly collided with Bei Huai.

The girl was carrying a takeout bag. Spotting her, she looked mildly surprised.

“That was quick?”

“What, did you think it’d take forever?” Jiang Wan’s mood brightened in an instant. She grinned teasingly.

Bei Huai frowned. “Here.”

Jiang Wan reached for the bag, but Bei Huai yanked it back. “Never mind. Wait here—I’ll be right out.”

With that, she dashed back inside.

When Bei Huai emerged, she had an extra sheet of paper in hand. She thrust it at Jiang Wan with a cool expression. “Take it. You’ll need this.”

Puzzled, Jiang Wan accepted it and scanned the contents: a detailed list of post-fracture care instructions, including foods to avoid.

So… that’s what she’d gone back in for? To ask the doctor and jot it all down?

Jiang Wan ducked her head with a soft laugh, a warm glow spreading through her chest.

Pretending nonchalance, Bei Huai touched her earlobe and grumbled impatiently, “Didn’t you want to eat? Come on, then.”

She made as if to chuck the bag in the trash.

“Hey! Why toss it?” Jiang Wan lunged to stop her.

“What, you actually want it?” Bei Huai had figured the wait would be long and bought food in case Jiang Wan got hungry. To play it safe with her restrictions, she’d picked preserved egg and lean pork congee.

“Of course!” Jiang Wan nodded vigorously, snatching the bag and heading to the pavilion behind the hospital.

Bei Huai helped pop open the lid, watching as Jiang Wan took small bites. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s, and something complicated flickered in Bei Huai’s eyes.

“Why did you take that hit for me?” she suddenly asked.