My Contract Husband Won't Behave - Chapter 70
“You think that wasn’t stupid? What would happen to the baby if you took a bullet?”
Nie Jingzhi’s eyes reddened. “Master Jiu, thank you. I truly mean it.”
“Don’t get carried away. I only did it for the child.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back. “You’ve lost this much blood, and you’re still talking tough?”
“As long as you don’t cry. Your crying gives me a headache.”
Despite herself, she laughed in exasperation. She sniffed and forced the tears back.
Feng Wu ran over and crouched to examine the wound, his face paling. “The ambulance is almost here, Master Jiu.”
Bo Jiusi did not answer. His fingers curled around Nie Jingzhi’s and gently held on.
A siren sounded in the distance.
She clasped his hand and leaned close to his ear. “Bo Jiusi, you can’t let anything happen to you. Otherwise, I’ll never repay what I owe you in this lifetime.”
His fingers tightened slightly in her palm.
“Then owe me,” he murmured against the hollow of her shoulder. “Don’t ever repay it.” Gritting through the pain, he used his injured arm to circle her waist, the motion unsteady.
The plain ring she had bought merely to tease him still sat on his ring finger. It stung her eyes, and her chest tightened. She looked away, afraid to answer him or look again.
***
At the Bo family estate, the butler entered while Old Master Bo rested in his traditional armchair with his eyes closed.
“Sir. We have news.”
“Speak.”
“Pang Kun escaped. Master Jiu was injured and taken to the hospital. Miss Nie has only superficial wounds, and the baby is unharmed.”
“Good. What about Little Jiu?”
“His life isn’t in danger, but he’ll need time to recover.”
Old Master Bo gave a disdainful laugh. “For a woman, he even gave up seeing his mother. Little Jiu is still too young.”
The butler kept his head bowed.
“And Pang Kun?”
“He got away. The police are searching, but they likely won’t find him anytime soon.”
Old Master Bo lifted his teacup. “Leave him. He’ll disappear on his own.”
The butler acknowledged the order and started out.
“Wait.” The old man set down his cup. “Prepare another recording for next year. Pick footage where she looks healthier.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
At Zhou Family Hospital, Bo Jiusi was wheeled into surgery.
Doctors treated Nie Jingzhi’s scrapes and ran several examinations before confirming she and the baby were safe. The operating-room light remained on. Feng Wu stood in the corridor and nodded when she returned.
With nothing to say, she sat on the bench and stared at the closed doors. Feng Wu had always treated her with cool professionalism. Any respect he showed came only because Bo Jiusi currently cared for her.
“Miss Nie,” Feng Wu suddenly said in the deathly stillness.
Since Bo Jiusi had publicly sent her the rings, Feng Wu had called her Madam outside. The return to *Miss Nie* meant he had something serious to say.
“What is it?”
He glanced at the operating room, then at her, as though reaching a decision. “Do you know whom Master Jiu was going to see today?”
Her lashes trembled. Something in his hesitation made her heart sink. “He said he was meeting someone. He wouldn’t say who, only told me not to guess.”
“You didn’t trust him?”
“I did. I hadn’t thought about it again until you mentioned it.”
Feng Wu exhaled. “He was going to see his mother.”
Nie Jingzhi froze. “His mother?”
“Old Master Bo has kept her confined for eighteen years. Master Jiu finally won a single chance to see her—this morning.”
Her heart lurched. “Then he…”
“He gave it up to save you.”
Her breath caught.
“He called the old master and asked to tell Madam Liang himself that he couldn’t go, hoping she would forgive him. The old master wouldn’t even let him hear her voice. He only promised to pass along the message.”
“Wait.” Nie Jingzhi interrupted. “Doesn’t everything that happened this morning seem too perfectly timed?”
“Master Jiu thought of that too. He already ordered an investigation.”
She nodded. She did not want to owe Bo Jiusi more than she already did. She hoped there would be answers soon.
Feng Wu continued, “Everything Master Jiu has worked for all these years has been for his mother. He had his reasons for refusing marriage and children.”
Looking toward the operating room, he said, “I saw how he survived these years. Outsiders never say one kind word about him, yet none of them know what he endured. They invent stories because they don’t want him to have peace.”
Nie Jingzhi knew now that he was not the monster people claimed. She had once shared their prejudice, but after coming closer, she had learned that aside from being cold and stubborn, he was rather good in every other way.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You know better than anyone why you approached Master Jiu.” Feng Wu met her eyes directly. “If your feelings for him are sincere, I hope you won’t let him down.”
Her heart stalled, fingertips curling into her palm.
The operating-room doors opened, breaking the silence. “Where is the family?” the doctor called.
Nie Jingzhi suppressed her emotions and hurried forward under Feng Wu’s gaze. “I am. Doctor, how is he?”
“The operation went smoothly. The bullet entered through his left shoulder and grazed the scapula without damaging any major vessels or nerves. We cleaned and sutured the wound. If recovery goes well, his arm function won’t be affected. But we need to watch for infection. The wound is deep, and he may need one or two weeks in the hospital. His family must take good care of him.”
“We will. Thank you.”
***
Nie Jingzhi sat beside Bo Jiusi’s bed, watching him sleep beneath the lingering anesthesia. Thick bandages wrapped his left shoulder and immobilized his arm. His face was pale, lashes resting against his cheeks.
She touched his cool left hand, hesitated, then enclosed it in hers. The plain ring dug into her palm.
She lifted his ring finger and stared at it, her expression complicated.
