Chapter 140: Itch

“Nan Nan, there... there is someone here. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? How are you? I am Nan Nan’s elder sister.” Qiao Zijin blushed and introduced herself to Zhai Sheng, waiting for him to make a self-introduction.

“Are you crazy!?” Qiao Nan looked upward and sighed. She turned and ran toward the operating room.

Qiao Zijin was beyond hope. She would be angered to death if she stayed in the same room with her.

Once Qiao Nan left, Zhai Sheng also turned to walk out. Although he did not run, people would have to run to catch up with him due to his long legs and wide steps. It was the case for Qiao Zijin.

Zhai Sheng was only a step behind Qiao Nan. He stood by her side and said, “Don’t worry, Uncle Qiao would be alright.”

“Yes, definitely. Nothing will happen to my dad.” Qiao Nan stared at the operating room, praying fervently inside her heart.

Zhai Sheng stood silently beside Qiao Nan, giving her moral support. Qiao Zijin, who ran out, was furious when she saw the scene in front of her. She gritted her teeth. How dare Qiao Nan berated her for being crazy just now!

Their father was in a critical condition, fighting for his life in the operating room, yet Qiao Nan had the mood to fool around with men. Who exactly was this man, though? How did Qiao Nan know him? Why had she never seen him before?

“Nan Nan, where is Mom?”

“Not even you have an idea, so how could I?” Qiao Nan did not bother to look at Qiao Zijin. She had no time to care about them, be it Ding Jiayi or Qiao Zijin.

There was a saying that goes ‘A bad thing never dies’. Even if her mother did not turn up, nothing would have happened to her.

Qiao Nan’s words were very harsh. Qiao Zijin had no idea how to continue the conversation. There was a tension around them, trapping Qiao Zijin’s words in her throat.

Consequently, the three of them stood at the entrance to the operating room in silence. The dead silence was scary and stifling. Qiao Nan and Qiao Zijin could not help but shuddered.

It was summer, but Qiao Nan felt the chills up her spine as if being assailed by piercing cold winds. She was so cold that she had goosebumps all over her body. Qiao Zijin felt the same way as well.

Qiao Nan’s teeth were about to chatter from the cold. Just when she decided to wrap her arms around herself, she felt something heavy on her shoulder and warmth seeping through her in the next instant. She had another piece of clothing on her.

“?” Qiao Nan looked at the piece of clothing and looked toward Zhai Sheng.

“It might stink with perspiration. Bear with it for a while.” Zhai Sheng who was always calm and composed looked somewhat embarrassed. He was worried that Qiao Nan might find his clothes, which was stunk with perspiration, unbearable. He had been drenched in sweat from training new soldiers today and also had a mission to complete afterward. His shirt was drenched for the whole day.

“Thank you.” Qiao Nan was shivering from the cold minutes ago, but warmth surrounded her now. This piece of clothing not only warmed her body, but she was also touched by his gestures.

Qiao Nan had tried umpteen times to console herself that despite having a biased and unreasonable mother, there were still many people around her who were reasonable. Her mother did not care for her, so why should she be affected by her mother’s attitude toward her?

Zhai Sheng grew more uneasy at Qiao Nan’s heartfelt gratitude. Was the clothing really that smelly?

Zhai Sheng had been used to the smell of perspiration, so he could not tell whether there was any smell.

Zhai Sheng might not have spent a lot of time together with Qiao Nan, but she always smelled very clean. He found it very soothing.

The smell of perspiration on his clothes might leave a smell on Qiao Nan who smelled nice and clean. At the thought of that, Zhai Sheng could not help feeling an indescribable itchy sensation all over his body and in his heart. It seemed like he could feel the itchy sensation all the way to his bones.

When Zhai Sheng was on a mission, he could stay still for an hour without blinking. Contrariwise, he could not bear this itchy sensation and wanted to scratch it away. However, he could not identify where exactly to scratch.

Zhai Sheng leaned closer to Qiao Nan unknowingly.

It was only when Zhai Sheng breathed in the clean, crispy smell—like the warm and gentle spring breeze—coming from Qiao Nan did the itchy sensation subsided.

Zhai Sheng could take in the clean smell of Qiao Nan, and she could also feel the warmth radiating from him due to their close proximity.

Qiao Nan began to feel uncomfortable. She wanted to take a few steps back, but she was worried it might be too obvious and caused Zhai Sheng to misunderstand that she disliked him.

Qiao Nan, who remained in the same position for an hour, felt numb. By then, Qiao Dongliang’s second surgery had finally ended.

The slightly awkward and ambiguous atmosphere was gone in an instant. Qiao Nan hurried forward. “Doctor, how is my dad?”

“Luckily, he was sent for surgery in time. Otherwise, it would be very dangerous for him. Let me repeat myself. The family members must take extra care to stay vigilant and look after the patient for twenty-four hours. This can never happen again.” The doctor was angered by their negligence.

It was initially the patient’s family who was careless. If the patient passed away because of this, the doctors were the ones who would bear the brunt of it.

“I am sorry, it was our fault. Thank you very much for saving my dad, Doctor. Thank you, thank you very much.” Qiao Nan kept on thanking the doctors.

Zhai Sheng frowned and stood behind Qiao Nan. The doctor, who was about to continue with his lecture, stiffened and paused momentarily. “All of you had better take extra care of the patient.”

“Doctor, it was not this young lady who looked after the patient.” The nurse had sharp eyes. She could tell that Qiao Nan was not the one who stayed behind to look after the patient. In fact, the one who looked after the patient was the young lady who stood at the corner and dared not join them.

The doctor’s complexion turned green when he realized he had scolded the wrong person. “Where is your parent?” Why did the parent leave the children to take care of the patient?

Qiao Zijin was still in shock due to the doctor’s lecture. After all, it was her fault for not being vigilant. When the doctor asked about Ding Jiayi, she dared not go forward to answer.

“My... my mom might be busy. My dad had to undergo surgery, and the surgical fee is not a small sum.” Qiao Nan could not be bothered to explain in details for Ding Jiayi.

“...” The doctor twitched the corner of his lips. He had nothing to say to that.

This patient was knocked down by a car and was in a serious condition. Yet, there was no adult with him. What was wrong with this family? Apart from the patient’s wife, was there no other adult?

“Alright, you must be careful this time. The patient would only be out of critical condition after twenty-four hours. After that, his condition would stabilize.”

“Thank you, Doctor. We will take note of it.” Qiao Nan accompanied Qiao Dongliang back to the ward. She finally heaved a sigh of relief. “Brother Zhai, thank you very much for all that you have done today. It is already nine now, why don’t you go back to have a rest?”

Judging from the not-very-pungent smell of Zhai Sheng, Qiao Nan knew that he came looking for her as soon as he was free. It was likely he did not have time to go back home at all.

“Can you cope by yourself?” Zhai Sheng looked at Qiao Nan with a questioning look in his eyes. “Don’t worry about me. When I am on missions, it is normal to go without sleep for two to three days.”