Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran quickened her pace. She didn't know why, maybe she was just too full, but her heart was pounding like a deer, and she felt a little out of sorts.

Chen Jiu followed closely behind, her soft voice echoing her words, "I originally wanted Zhou Mu to go out and look for you, but A Ning insisted that I come. I couldn't refuse her, and since I couldn't sleep anyway, I came out. It's both to look for you and to take a walk."

"..." Qiao Ran's pounding heart suddenly slammed against a wall, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes, "A-Ning?"

Chen Jiu frankly said, "A Ning probably felt it wasn't safe for you to be out alone in the middle of the night, so she urged me to go and look for you quickly."

"..."

Qiao Ran was embarrassed again. She wanted to dig her toes into the ground in embarrassment. Why was she always so presumptuous? She forced a smile, saw the carriage at the street corner, and ran over in a flash, saying, "Then let's go back quickly. It's too late and Aning will be even more worried."

Chen Jiu nodded in agreement, and Qiao Ran's mood, which had been lifted by the food, drooped again.

But why is this pampered young lady from the Chen family suddenly showing concern for her?

Qiao Ran and Chen Jinning were complete strangers. Their only meeting was a brief greeting at noon today. Qiao Ran couldn't understand the thoughts of these well-bred young ladies, but since they meant well, she didn't think much of it.

The carriage headed straight for the villa. Qiao Ran had just put Miss Chen out of her mind when Chen Jiu suddenly brought it up. He smiled and said, "A Ning likes you very much."

"what?"

Qiao Ran blinked her eyes, clear yet bewildered, and casually said, "I am not familiar with Miss."

Chen Jiu simply placed his hand on his knee and lowered his eyes slightly. "A Ning is not good with words and has few friends. If she wants to get close to you, please bear with her if she is a little clumsy."

Qiao Ran was taken aback again. This Miss Chen still wanted to get close to her. She smiled and said, "Perhaps it's too boring in Sichuan. Why don't you let Mu Xiang and the others take you out for a stroll?"

Chen Jiu: "She doesn't actually like going out much."

Qiao Ran guessed that Chen Jinning might have been spoiled since childhood and lacked nothing, so she had become unaware of how novel the outside world was. She said, "What's the point of staying at home all day? Girls like to go to shops selling cosmetics, ready-made clothes, and jewelry. As her brother, it would be best if you accompanied your sister. She would definitely be happy."

Chen Jiu indeed lowered his head and thought for a while. He had never accompanied Chen Jinning shopping. Like his father and mother, Chen Jinning paid the most attention to his health and did not want him to be tired at all. He never bothered him with anything.

"Alright, let's make some time tomorrow and go out with Aning together."

"Okay."

Seeing that Chen Jiu had taken her advice to heart and was quite satisfied with it, Qiao Ran answered without thinking. Only after realizing that Chen Jiu had said "we" instead of "I" did she point blankly to herself, "Me too?"

"Hmm." Chen Jiu looked at him, smiling brightly. "Aren't you a girl too? You'll definitely like rouge, ready-made clothes, flowers."

“…I,” Qiao Ran hesitated, wanting to say she didn’t like it, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn’t bear to see Chen Jiu’s smile fade, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Well then, Chen Jiu has finally recovered, so she'll just stay with him.

Upon arriving at the villa, Qiao Ran jumped out of the car without needing a footstool, waved, and was about to go back to sleep when Chen Jiu suddenly called out to her.

"Jojo."

Qiao Ran turned around. "What's wrong?"

Chen Jiu took two steps toward her, his lips slightly pursed, his expression becoming much more serious. Qiao Ran had never seen him like this before, and she was momentarily stunned.

"I haven't asked you about your affairs in Jin and Chu. Aren't you going to tell me?"

Qiao Ran admitted that she panicked for a moment, but then she thought that she was just a carefree wanderer in the martial arts world, so what business could she have of the country and the world?

She said, "I just haven't figured out how to tell you yet."

“I thought we trusted each other enough that you could tell me anything without worry,” a hint of sadness crossed Chen Jiu’s face. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I won’t force you.”

Qiao Ran felt that she was being a little petty.

She explained, "I found Qin Huai, or more precisely, Helian Huai. I don't think this is something that everyone has to know, Chen Jinzhou. I didn't mean to keep it a secret."

Chen Jiuxu's hand, which was pressed against her waist, curled up slightly, and she chuckled, "I see. I must congratulate him next time we meet."

"Congratulate him on what?" Qiao Ran asked, puzzled.

Chen Jiu said, "He must have had his reasons for wandering around. Congratulations on returning home."

Qiao Ran grinned, casually grabbing the tassel at her waist and swaying it gently, and took the initiative to speak, "Do you also want to know if Qin Huai took Master Kongji's body away?"

Chen Jiu tacitly agreed.

“He didn’t tell me, but I believe it wasn’t him,” Qiao Ran had been keeping these troubling matters in Shu to herself. Before leaving Yedu, she finally couldn’t help but ask. Qin Huai shook his head at her, and Qiao Ran turned and left.

Qin Huai did indeed sneak into Wuting Hall and get injured, and he did go to the yamen, but he did not see Master Kongji's body. He traveled eastward with his injuries, and it was already very difficult for him to sneak out to sea and return to Pingjing alive.

As for why she sought out Kongji, Qiao Ran didn't ask. As she said, she was just a carefree wanderer, mingling among all sorts of people, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, making a few friends she cared about, visiting them when she had time, sitting for a while, and then disappearing into the edge of some small town.

"Chen Jinzhou, these are unimportant things to you and me, right?"

Qiao Ran looked at Chen Jiu with unusual seriousness.

Chen Jiu paused for a long time, then gave a soft "hmm," and said, "I was overthinking it. Qiao Qiao, you should go back to your room and rest. It's late."

Qiao Ran looked up at the sky. It was indeed late at night. The stars had disappeared into the clouds at some point, and the whole place was empty and dark, appearing high and far away.

She always thought that although Chen Jiu could not be completely detached from everything like her, he was a sickly man with no official position, living like a hermit in the lush mountains, thousands of miles away from the capital. What important national affairs could he possibly get involved in with his meager strength?

In a sense, they are all extremely insignificant people.

The son of a prime minister, despite his great ambitions, is unable to fulfill his duties due to his frail health, while the daughter of the prefect of Qiao, having had her soul replaced, is completely unconcerned about the hatred that wiped out her family.

On her way back to the house, Qiao Ran chuckled softly. Life is so short, why worry so much? It's better to just go back to sleep.

Perhaps she had injured her blood and qi while sparring with Yingyan during the day, because she fell asleep as soon as she lay down in her room. The next morning, Muxiang and two maids hurriedly brought in a basin of water and tried to wake Qiao Ran, who was still snoring in bed. Qiao Ran was having a dream at the time.

In her dream, she finally obtained the "Spring and Autumn Annals." The moment her fingertips touched the jade body, a divine light descended. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a high-rise building. She almost cried tears of joy, finally returning to the familiar world.

But when she looked up again, all she saw was Chen Jiu's deathly pale body. Blood was gushing from the hole in his chest. Qiao Ran's horrified gaze went up to his thin, white jawline, and his neck was completely bloodless. Above that, she feared, was that divinely bestowed face still so beautiful on the verge of death.

Qiao Ran was so frightened that she didn't dare to look up. Her whole body froze as if she were in an ice cellar. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and shook her. Qiao Ran screamed.

The wood fragrance by the bed also cried out.

"G-girl..."

Qiao Ran sat up on the spot, covered in sweat, and looked at Mu Xiang with lingering shock.

Mu Xiang's face was still pale as she weakly said, "Miss, please get up quickly. Miss is waiting for you in the next room."

Chen Jinning?