Chapter 97: Chapter 98: Ran Away

In the following days, Qi Yue had no choice but to go to Hu Keqing’s courtyard to check on his condition.

Huang Zai’an said that Hu Chengxuan was extremely stubborn and arrogant, holding himself in high esteem. Anyone who dared to defy him and challenge his authority would be dealt with severely.

Furthermore, he was particularly indulgent towards his only son, Hu Keqing, to the extent that he would give him anything but the moon if he asked for the stars.

Given the situation, for now they could only deal with Hu Chengxuan indirectly and maintain a peaceful coexistence.

Otherwise, not to mention being unable to leave Longnan County Government, even their lives could be at risk.

After a few days, Hu Keqing’s leg had healed significantly, and he could now get up and move around.

Since his leg no longer hurt, he obviously didn’t need to take the medicine that made him sleepy anymore.

Hearing that he would be able to try walking on his own the next day, Hu Keqing felt genuinely happy.

“Master Huang, my leg is truly going to be well?”

“Of course it is. However, it will be a bit awkward at first, and you shouldn’t walk too much at once.”

“Then I can also sit in a wheelchair now.”

“Yes, you can.”

Anxious, Hu Keqing called for someone to push the wheelchair over, preparing to get out of bed.

Huang Zai’an hurriedly stopped him.

“Master Hu, when you start walking, you mustn’t be so reckless; suffering another fall would be troublesome.”

“I’m not going to walk; I want to share this good news with Doctor Qi.”

Huang Zai’an pursed his lips.

His dear disciple was simply worried Hu Keqing would get overly excited after hearing the news about being able to walk, which is why he deliberately made excuses not to come.

But he couldn’t stop a man whose head was muddled by love!

“Gurgle gurgle”

The sound of a wheelchair moving echoed from outside the courtyard, and Qi Yue furrowed her brow.

There was no avoiding it; she would have to face it.

After some thought, she carried a pot of tea to the pavilion in the courtyard, intending to have a proper talk with Hu Keqing.

“Doctor Qi.”

Hu Keqing wheeled over cheerfully, his large eyes brimming with joy.

“Master Huang said that I could try walking tomorrow, and I wanted to come thank you.”

Qi Yue’s lips twitched.

She was well aware that he could walk.

“It was my master who healed you, you should thank my master.”

“I should thank everyone,” Hu Keqing said earnestly, “but I especially want to thank you.”

“No need. You’re a patient, and I am a doctor. Healing is the duty of a doctor, there’s no need for courtesy, Master Hu.”

“Doctor Qi, may I then call you Yueyue?”

“There is no need; I prefer patients to call me Doctor Qi.”

“…”

The conversation cooled off just like that.

Neither spoke, just sitting there until finally, Hu Keqing mentioned an appointment to see Lady Hu and hurriedly excused himself.

As soon as he left, Qi Yue immediately went inside to close the door, entered her space, and collapsed into the rocking chair under the pavilion.

She really wasn’t very good at dealing with these kinds of romantic entanglements.

In her previous life, there seemed to have been a boy who looked at her in the same way as Hu Keqing, not taking his eyes off her.

Back then, she was just in high school, not understanding much of anything, yet she was indeed scared by that gaze.

But after only a few days, that boy’s intense gaze suddenly shifted away from her and onto another girl in the class.

At the time, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Latter, she heard that their homeroom teacher had somehow heard about the incident and severely reprimanded the boy.

The teacher berated him, saying if he didn’t study well, he should just ruin someone like himself, for Qi Yue was to attend a first-class university!

But where could she find a homeroom teacher now, to give young Master Hu a good talking-to?

The image of Zhao Xiyan suddenly appeared in her mind.

He was smiling faintly, shining like the moon, blossoming in her mind like a snow lotus, instantly causing her heart to flutter.

“Zhao Xiyan, would you be willing to act as my ‘homeroom teacher’?”

Qi Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

The current situation was not something a homeroom teacher could resolve.

If Zhao Xiyan were still the War God Marquis, high and mighty, he wouldn’t have taken Hu Chengxuan lightly, but now, he couldn’t even take care of himself.

Moreover, she was just his bride of a practical joke whom he had already divorced, wasn’t she?

In a daze, she just fell asleep in the space.

When she woke up, she realized it was already late.

She hurriedly exited the space, only to discover it was already the morning of the next day.

No sooner had she tidied herself up than Huang Zai’an barged in with a worried look on his face.

“Where were you last night?”

“Last night?” Qi Yue blinked, “Did you look for me last night?”

“Not just me, the Hu Family searched the entire residence but couldn’t find you.”

Qi Yue thought for a moment, she did go to bed a bit early last night.

“Why make such a fuss, isn’t it normal for me to sleep when it gets dark?”

Huang Zai’an gave her a look and sat down opposite her.

“I thought you had run off.”

“The Hu Family thought the same?”

“Mhm, I heard that last night, someone chased out of the city gates after you.”

As Huang Zai’an spoke, he pulled out an empty water bottle from his pocket and tossed it over, Qi Yue caught it, and then took out another one from her pocket and threw it back to him.

“How exactly do you concoct this water? I’ve been feeling much better these days, I should be able to live a few more years now.”

Huang Zai’an took a satisfied sip and stuffed the water bottle back into his pocket.

“And here you were saying that since taking me as your disciple, you’ve had no good days.”

“Why do you, girl, hold a grudge? I don’t even remember such an incident.”

The two were chatting intermittently when they heard a rush of footsteps outside, and several important members of the Hu Family arrived.

Qi Yue silently curled the corners of her lips.

Since when had she become so captivating? Look at the grand welcome.

“Oh, who said Doctor Qi was gone? Isn’t she in perfectly good shape right here?”

Madam Hu approached with her frail voice, her face a mixture of surprise and emotion.

Qi Yue reached for a cup of tea and dumped it directly onto the hand that was extended towards her.

From interacting over the past few days, she realized that Madam Hu was far more cunning than Shen Yu.

It was Madam Hu who had clung to her and used fake tears to deceive her into softening her heart that day. Now she wanted to use the same trick again? No way.

“Madam, this is the Dampness-Removing Tea I developed last night, perfectly suited for this season. Please enjoy,” Qi Yue said.

Madam Hu awkwardly took the cup of tea and sipped from the edge.

She didn’t even know if she tasted it, yet she was already praising it immediatly.

“This tea is truly excellent, it tastes quite pleasant,” she said.

Qi Yue smiled wryly, “Thank you for the compliment, Madam.”

Then, with an expressionless face, she poured a cup each for Hu Chengxuan and his son, Hu Keqing.

“Master Hu, I heard from my teacher that you suddenly developed a fever last night?”

“I…”

Just as Hu Keqing began to speak, Madam Hu laughed.

“Exactly, last night Qingqing suddenly came down with a fever. I thought of calling for Doctor Qi to take a look… but it quickly passed, thankfully we had Old Huang here.”

“When I work on medicinal recipes, I prefer to be in a place where there are no people around, glad it hasn’t affected Master Hu’s condition.”

“Not at all, I’m quite well,” she said, her face beaming with smiles, while Hu Chengxuan remained silent, his face dark and gloomy.

Hu Keqing felt somewhat embarrassed.

Last night, he hadn’t actually had a fever; he was merely upset because Qi Yue had ignored him, and his mother had sent for Qi Yue, insisting he pretend to be ill.

When they couldn’t find her, the whole situation turned into a huge farce.

As the atmosphere grew more awkward, Zhang Fang suddenly came in from outside, announcing the arrival of Qu Wei.