Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Brother Xiong instantly felt like he’d been handed a hot potato. ”Tell me the truth. That time in Room 209, was that Young Master Qiao’s plan?”

Qin Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said, ”It was his plan. He thought your place was safe. As it turns out...”

Qin Xiang’s voice trailed off. Brother Xiong’s curiosity flared, and the suspense was agonizing. ”As it turns out, what?”

Qin Xiang looked at Brother Xiong. ”Young Master Qiao miscalculated. Your place isn’t safe.”

Brother Xiong’s mouth twitched. ”This time was an accident. Don’t worry, even if Young Master Qiao’s wife turns all of Xiangjiang upside down, she won’t find my place.”

Qin Xiang just smiled without a word. Brother Xiong raised an eyebrow. ’He doesn’t believe me.’

”Did you tell Young Master Qiao that you were injured while saving me?” Brother Xiong asked.

”No.” Qin Xiang shook his head.

”Why not?” Brother Xiong pressed.

”I was afraid he’d get the wrong idea,” Qin Xiang replied.

Brother Xiong’s mouth twitched uncontrollably a few times, his expression indescribable. ’I like women, not... What is there for Young Master Qiao to get the wrong idea about?’

’If he doesn’t explain it clearly to Young Master Qiao, *that’s* when he’ll get the wrong idea after he investigates it himself. And I’ll be dragged into it too. I’ll never be able to clear my name.’

”Young Master Qiao served in the military in Huaxia.” Brother Xiong’s gaze was probing as he stared at Qin Xiang.

Qin Xiang’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. ”Yes, I went with him.”

”You were in the military too?” Brother Xiong’s voice turned a few degrees colder.

’This guy is still trying to test me,’ Qin Xiang thought. He then said slowly and deliberately, ”Wherever he went, I went with him. He joined the army, I went with him. He went on missions, I waited for him on the base. He retired, I retired.”

”You never went on any missions?” Brother Xiong asked. He thought that if Qin Xiang had lied, he would have been suspicious, but with such blunt honesty, doubting him seemed pointless.

Qin Xiang shook his head, looking completely self-aware as he said, ”My physical fitness isn’t up to par.”

”Are the physical standards for Huaxia’s military really that low?” Brother Xiong sized up Qin Xiang, who looked for all the world like a delicate beauty incapable of taking care of himself.

”I was specially recruited.” Qin Xiang sneered inwardly. ’My physical abilities are on par with Jing Si’s, and my combat skills are strong. I could take Brother Xiong out in a second.’

”Specially recruited? For what purpose? To be Young Master Qiao’s...?” Brother Xiong said sarcastically.

Qin Xiang just smiled without a word. His silence was not an admission of guilt.

”When Young Master Qiao came back from missions, would he tell you about them?” Brother Xiong asked again.

”No,” Qin Xiang said firmly.

”Why not?” Brother Xiong asked.

”Classified.” Qin Xiang uttered the single word. Before Brother Xiong could speak, Qin Xiang added, ”And I was no exception.”

Brother Xiong thought for a moment, then asked probingly, ”Do you love Huaxia?”

Without a shred of hesitation, Qin Xiang blurted out, ”I love Young Master Qiao.”

Brother Xiong was speechless.

When Jie Jingchen came out, he didn’t see Qin Mei anywhere. He raised an eyebrow. ’Where did she run off to?’

Qin Mei, wearing a white lab coat, had been pulled away by a nurse to help.

The nurses and doctors were all speaking Cantonese, which Qin Mei couldn’t understand. She looked at a man who was foaming at the mouth—a clear sign of poisoning. Qin Mei stepped forward and placed her fingertips on his pulse. Just as she expected, it was poison.

Qin Mei took a needle pouch from her crossbody bag, opened it, and pulled out a silver needle. Just as she was about to administer it, a large hand clamped down on her wrist and yanked her away.

”What are you doing?” the doctor demanded in Cantonese.

Qin Mei didn’t understand him but guessed what he meant. She held up the silver needle in her hand. ”Acupuncture.”

The doctor paused, surprised to hear her speak Mandarin, and switched to it himself. ”Acupuncture? What kind of acupuncture? Do you have any idea what his condition is? Do you know who he is? What if you cause a problem by just randomly sticking needles in him?”

Qin Mei gave a sarcastic smile, her indifferent gaze meeting the doctor’s furious expression. ”Aren’t all people who come to a hospital patients? And isn’t his condition obvious enough?”

The doctor’s brow furrowed. ”Are you new here?” he demanded.

’It was rare enough for me to be so kind as to save someone, only to be forcefully stopped,’ Qin Mei thought. ’Did the nurse drag me over here just to fill a quota, not to actually help?’

Seeing that Qin Mei wasn’t speaking, the doctor reached out to pull off her mask, but she took two steps back to avoid him.

”Who are you?” The doctor’s expression turned cold. Xiangjiang wasn’t exactly peaceful these days, and some people were audacious enough to cause trouble even in hospitals.

A slight smirk touched Qin Mei’s lips. ”He’s been poisoned,” she said flatly. ”If he isn’t treated, he will die. Guaranteed.”

Hearing those words, the two bodyguards at the side grew agitated.

”Don’t panic. Young Master Qiao just took too much of his medication. He’ll be fine once he throws it up,” the doctor said, placating the restless bodyguards. He then glared resentfully at Qin Mei for spreading such malicious nonsense.