Liu He was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that Ji Yang would call his sister in the middle of the night. He had thought it was his idea.
Suddenly, she noticed that Ji Xiaotao was frowning and had a lot in common with Ji Yang. Both of them were fair-skinned and tall, with Ji Xiaotao being about 1.68 meters tall. They were both wearing light blue jeans and white sneakers.
The two women's behavior and gestures were somewhat similar, making them seem like siblings.
Liu He blushed, thinking that if he wanted to get along well with Ji Yang, he couldn't afford to be uncaring towards his sister, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live a normal life in the future—after all, she was his sister-in-law…
"Ah? Yes, yes, I'm sorry... I, I didn't know..."
Liu He looked panicked and hurriedly apologized to Ji Xiaotao.
Ji Xiaotao snorted coldly: "Don't give me that. I could tell when I walked in that you're a jinx! Without you, would my brother have survived? He's been fine for a year, and this is the first time he's been so badly injured! It's all because of you! You jinx! You vixen!" Ji Xiaotao mocked Liu He fiercely.
Two streams of tears flowed down Liu He's face, his voice hoarse. He sobbed softly, "I...I'm not a demon, I...I didn't mean it, I..."
Ji Yang waved his hand.
"Xiao Tao, that's enough. She's still a child. What are you thinking! Don't you know what kind of woman your brother likes? He'll definitely find you a sister-in-law with a big butt and give birth to a big, fat son for you to play with, okay?"
Ji Xiaotao blushed, but her eyes still showed concern. She wiped Ji Yang's wound again, then had him close his eyes and gave him an anesthetic injection in a localized area.
Anesthesia injections shouldn't be given haphazardly. In hospitals, wounds are usually not treated with anesthesia because it affects healing and the effectiveness of the treatment. But Ji Xiaotao felt sorry for her older brother. Such a long wound needed to be stitched up, and without anesthesia, it would be excruciatingly painful.
Ji Xiaotao was busy, while Ji Yang just smiled faintly. Even though sweat dripped from his head, down to his chin, and onto the concrete floor below, wetting the ground little by little, he didn't utter a sound of pain.
Seeing this made Liu He feel even more distressed.
Even if you get anesthesia, it will still hurt. That's called local anesthesia. But for general surgery or suturing wounds, no one dares to use general anesthesia, because it's easy for accidents to happen.
Ji Xiaotao was skilled, but after all, she was trained as a senior nurse, not a professional doctor. She sutured carefully, but not quickly. After wrapping the gauze, she told her brother not to do strenuous exercise for a month.
Ji Yang maintained his smile, and Ji Xiaotao took out a handkerchief to wipe her brother's sweat.
Liu He came over again to take Ji Xiaotao's handkerchief and said, "I...I'll do it. After all, this is all because of me. You...you're tired too. I'll take care of you..."
"Get lost...you troublemaker! I don't need you!" Ji Xiaotao pushed Liu He away and continued wiping Ji Yang's sweat.
Ji Yang sighed and said to Liu He, "My sister and I have the same stubborn temper, so don't take it to heart."
Ji Yang's simple words were a polite gesture, but Liu He was deeply moved. She secretly wondered if Ji Yang had feelings for her but was too shy to say it.
Ji Xiaotao helped Ji Yang into the room, and Liu He followed. The house had two bedrooms and a living room, and there were originally two empty rooms.
The other room wasn't very tidy, and it also had a bed. Ji Xiaotao was originally going to stay next door, but when she saw Liu He come in, she glared at her and said, "What are you doing?"
"I...I'll stay by your side at night. I won't go to bed; I'll just sit on the side." Liu He said, lowering his head.
Ji Xiaotao glanced around and thought, "No cat is immune to temptation. A lone man and a lone woman in a house are bound to cause trouble. Her brother is single, and this little vixen is wearing shorts. It's autumn, isn't she afraid of freezing to death? This little vixen is definitely here to seduce my brother."
Thinking of this, Ji Xiaotao glared at him: "No way! You go sleep in that little house over there, and you leave the next day! My brother is better off without you; it's because of you that trouble happened! You're a troublemaker!"
Liu He looked somber and went to the small house next door alone. There was a sofa in the large house, and Ji Xiaotao lay on the sofa, telling Ji Yang to speak less, but she still briefly asked about what had happened.
Ji Yang simply stated that he went to a disco with Chen Chu and Jin Xing, and when they came out, someone harassed Chen Chu's classmate, which led to a fight.
Of course, no mention was made of Chen Chu rubbing his penis against Fang Yangyang's butt in the van, the two of them having sex outside for half an hour, or Chen Chu and Jin Xing having sex with the lead dancer at the disco, and then going out to a hotel with a woman at night.
Upon hearing Chen Chu's name, Ji Xiaotao widened her almond-shaped eyes and asked, "Where's Chen Chu? Is he injured?"
Seeing the girl's nervous expression, Ji Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned. Sensitive as he was, he felt that the girl's relationship with Chen Chu was not normal. Could it be that something was going on between them?
Logically speaking, Chen Chu is my brother, and he's a good person, but... that kid is too lecherous, and his family isn't well-off. It's already a miracle he managed to get through junior high school. He could learn a trade and earn enough to support his wife and kids for the rest of his life.
Ultimately, they were both from the countryside. Ji Yang never thought about turning his life around, and Chen Chu was even less likely to. Ji Yang wanted to find his sister a boyfriend from the city, at least from Hancheng, with a better family background, preferably from the provincial capital, and with a higher education. His sister had a college diploma, so he should at least have a bachelor's degree.
Ideally, she should have a master's or doctoral degree, and her family should be in government positions. With her looks and temperament, she could definitely find someone, at least a civil servant. But Chen Chu... that guy is not only a womanizer, but he also has no future prospects. Besides, he's three years younger than her... This is absolutely unacceptable!
However, the two were good brothers after all, and Ji Yang smiled faintly and said, "It's okay, Chen Chu is fine. Didn't your older brother take the brunt of this knife?"
"Yes, brother, you did the right thing!" Ji Xiaotao was overjoyed to hear that Chen Chu was alright.
"What?" Ji Yang was stunned.
Thinking to myself, "Is this girl my sister? What do you mean, 'I took all the knife wounds'?" Ah! As long as Chen Chu is alright, it's good that your brother got stabbed so many times. They say girls are more outgoing, and she's not even married yet! And yet... she's siding with outsiders like this! This...
Ji Yang's eyes widened: "Um...girl, Chen Chu isn't injured, but why is it normal for your brother to be injured?"
Ji Xiaotao blinked her almond-shaped eyes, her face flushed, realizing she had let something slip and blurted out what was on her mind.
With a quick glance, Mang Xing explained, "Brother, it's like this... when that old scarred guy was stabbing me, wasn't it Chen Chu who risked his life to save me? He's my savior too! Think about it, if something happened to me, would you be at ease? So Chen Chu is your savior too. And me? I'm still our parents' precious darling. If something happened to me, wouldn't our parents be heartbroken and unable to eat? So Chen Chu is our parents' savior too! So, I said you should take the knife for our savior, and we can't let anyone hurt Chen Chu, right?"
Ji Xiaotao went around in circles, leaving Ji Yang somewhat confused.
However, Ji Yang wasn't stupid. He could see through the girl's little tricks. He sighed inwardly and thought to himself, "I absolutely can't let anything happen between the girl and Chen Chu. She's a country girl, and although she's from a county town, it's still a small county town. If she really has something going on with another man, how will she get married in the future?"
The family will lose all face. The only solution is to find a husband for my sister as soon as possible. Xiao Tao is already nineteen, it's time for her to find a boyfriend. Dating for a year or two will be just right for them to get married.
Ji Yang sighed, then glanced at the girl and said, "Xiao Tao, I have a question for you. Tell me the truth!"
"Oh! What's up?"
"You don't like Chen Chu, do you?" Ji Yang stared directly at the girl.
Ji Xiaotao blushed, her heart pounding. After a while, she said shyly in a low voice, "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about! What if... what if I like him? What if I don't like him?"
"You two aren't a good match, it's best not to see each other anymore. That's all I'll say. If you really have feelings for him, get rid of them immediately, absolutely not! Also, I heard from Mom that a male civil servant is pursuing you... What's he like?"
"Hey bro, I'm sleepy. It's the middle of the night, and I want to sleep too! I have to go to work tomorrow! I'm not talking to you anymore. You're so long-winded, like an old woman. You're such a chatterbox!"
Ji Xiaotao said I turned off the lights and lay on the sofa. Ji Yang wanted to ask more, but Ji Xiaotao was already snoring loudly.
Ji Yang knew she was faking it, but there was nothing he could do. His sister was just too willful. He planned to rest tomorrow and recuperate, but it seemed this injury couldn't be left to heal. He needed to have a talk with Chen Chu and absolutely forbid him from seeing his sister, even if it meant ending their brotherhood...
...
The next morning, Ji Xiaotao woke up early and saw that Liu He had gotten up even earlier. She simply washed her face with water, and her charming face was so lovely that it was hard not to like her.
Ji Xiaotao disliked her from the start, not for any other reason than that her brother was stabbed because of her. If it were her and Chen Chu, she would rather take the knife for Chen Chu. That's what it means for a woman to like a man. And a woman like that is just a troublemaker...
Ji Xiaotao also knew that Ji Yang had stabbed Ma Houzi's nephew yesterday. This matter was not going to end well. Although he had his own ways of dealing with people and wouldn't let his family be implicated, Ji Yang would have to stay here and hide for the next month or two and wouldn't be able to go out. It was all because of this woman.
Seeing that Liu He had gotten up very early and still had to cook, Ji Xiaotao hurried over and said, "You should go now! Hurry up and go!"
Liu He bit his lip and said, "Sister Xiao Tao, I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to make some porridge for you and Brother Ji Yang..."
"No need! I don't need it. Oh, right, you don't have money for the bus fare home, right? I'll give you fifty yuan, you should leave now! I know what you mean, you like my brother, I understand, but I don't accept you! My parents won't accept you either... I want to find my brother a cultured sister-in-law, at least a college graduate! You're not good enough for her. And you... you're still with Chen Chu, right? You... you'd better stay away from Chen Chu, you're a jinx, whoever you're near will be unlucky..."
Liu He wiped away his tears: "Sister Xiaotao, I'm not a troublemaker, I really am. Besides, it's my right to like Ji Yang. Even though you're Ji Yang's sister, you have no right to interfere in his life and marriage..."
As Liu He spoke, he saw Ji Yang come out and hurried over to pull Ji Yang away.
Ji Yang was speechless. He sighed and said, "Liu He, you're a very good person, but I... I don't like you..."
Liu He felt like she was about to collapse. This was the first time she had ever tried to like someone, but she had been rejected so cruelly.
Tears streamed down her face: "Ji Yang, you don't like me, why did you save me? Why did you save me? You saved me and then you don't want me anymore? I hate you..."
Liu He looked at Ji Yang, but his face remained cold. She longed for Ji Yang to say something warm, but that was just wishful thinking.
Liu He pushed open the door and left, not knowing where to go.
...
On the same morning, Chen Chu was sleeping soundly when he was awakened by a scream.
Chen Chu rubbed his eyes and saw Fang Yangyang, who was naked, covering his face and shouting.
Chen Chu thought to himself, "Fine, if you call, I'll call too." Chen Chu also shouted, "What's going on?! How did we end up sleeping together...?"