Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 26: Going Home with Her

Chapter 26: Going Home with Her

While waiting for the food, Gu Feiran pulled out two paper towels and handed them to Jiang Ci.

Her fingers were slender, her wrist fair, and even her knuckles were beautiful. “Wipe the table.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Ci took them, folded the two sheets together, and wiped the table. There were no stains; it was quite clean.

Gu Feiran asked softly, “Why did you follow me?”

Jiang Ci bent down, threw the used paper towels into the trash can, and then dared to look at Gu Feiran directly. “It’s late at this hour. I was worried it wasn’t safe for you to go back alone, so I followed.”

Gu Feiran let out an “oh” and teased her, “Worried about me? I thought you were hungry and followed to have dinner.”

“Hmm… both.” Jiang Ci’s answer was vague.

Gu Feiran said, “Then let’s say you were worried about me.”

Jiang Ci didn’t expect Dr. Gu to be so straightforward. Looking into her eyes, she said, “You’re sometimes quite easy to talk to, much gentler and friendlier than at the hospital.”

Gu Feiran smiled lightly. “At the hospital, I see different people’s lives and deaths every day. Even when I’m in a good mood, I can’t always smile. Now it’s off-work hours, no need to think about those troubles, so I feel more alive. If I had Dr. Jiang’s mindset of staying calm no matter what life or death I see, you’d see a gentler, friendlier me at the hospital too.”

Jiang Ci replied earnestly, “You’re already doing great.”

Gu Feiran paused, then said, “Thanks.”

“Your noodles are ready.”

The shop owner brought two bowls of noodles on a tray, identical.

Both were mildly spicy, with cilantro and green onions.

When the owner bent down to serve Dr. Gu’s noodles, she saw the customer who just arrived sitting across from Dr. Gu. She kindly asked, “Dr. Gu, you know this customer? You’re sitting together.”

Gu Feiran said, “Hmm, she’s my friend.”

Hearing it was Dr. Gu’s friend, the owner relaxed and smiled. “Oh, you know Dr. Gu. Eat slowly, I’ll add a braised egg for you.”

“Thanks, but no need,” Jiang Ci declined.

The owner waved it off. “It’s fine, just a braised egg. Pretend my small shop can’t sell them, and they’d go to waste tomorrow anyway.”

With that, the owner went to get the braised egg.

Gu Feiran picked up her chopsticks and spoon, wiped them with a paper towel, and whispered to Jiang Ci before eating, “Eat. I haven’t paid yet; we’ll settle together later.”

Jiang Ci relaxed. “Alright.”

Later, the owner not only brought two braised eggs but also two spicy braised chicken legs.

When the owner mentioned giving a braised egg, Jiang Ci thought about how tough it was for a small business to stay open so late and didn’t want to eat for free. But now, looking at the two chicken legs on the plate, her mind raced: What if I can’t finish?

Jiang Ci wasn’t hungry to begin with, and the noodle portion was large. Finishing the noodles already stuffed her. If she ate the egg and chicken leg too, she’d be too full to sleep tonight.

But it was a kind gesture; she couldn’t just not eat.

Jiang Ci thought it over, then shakily stretched out her chopsticks, stuffed the braised egg and chicken leg into her mouth, and swallowed.

So full.

Gu Feiran finished her noodles, put down her chopsticks, pulled out a paper towel to wipe her mouth, and got up to pay. She said, “Boss, can I take a disposable bag?”

“Sure, help yourself,” the owner replied.

Gu Feiran scanned the QR code on the table with her phone, entered the payment password, and grabbed a disposable bag. She returned, folded it, and put her uneaten braised egg and chicken leg inside.

Jiang Ci, clutching her stomach in discomfort, saw her packing the egg and chicken leg. She slowly looked up, her face full of despair and disbelief. “You’re not eating?”

Gu Feiran said, “I’m full. I’ll take these home.”

Jiang Ci froze. “…”

If she could pack them to go, what was all that effort to force herself to eat? Did it mean she was a big eater?

“Let’s go.”

Gu Feiran grabbed her bag and called her.

Jiang Ci lowered her head, puffed out her cheeks with a sigh, then clutched her stomach, gripped her phone, and slowly stood up, stumbling after Gu Feiran.

As they stepped out, the sound of a successful payment came from inside: Alipay received, forty-two yuan.

The owner looked up instinctively at where Gu Feiran and Jiang Ci sat, now empty. “Dr. Gu said it was a gift, but she still paid.”

Leaving the restaurant, every step Jiang Ci took felt like her stomach was a volcano about to erupt. It was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t vomit either. She really shouldn’t have forced herself to eat so much.

Gu Feiran walked a few steps, noticed Jiang Ci wasn’t keeping up, and turned back. She saw her leaning against a sycamore tree, clutching her stomach, looking very uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?”

Gu Feiran returned to Jiang Ci’s side, grabbed her forearm, bent down, and looked at her with concern.

Jiang Ci furrowed her brows slightly and said honestly, “I accidentally ate too much just now, and now I feel a bit bad.”

Ate too much?

Gu Feiran had seen her finish the noodles, then eat the egg and chicken leg, thinking she was starving, so she ate that much.

Gu Feiran said, “Give me your left hand.”

Jiang Ci, using her left hand to hold the tree, slowly lowered it.

Gu Feiran slung her bag over her shoulder, held Jiang Ci’s hand, and gently pressed the Shangyang acupoint at the tip of her index finger and the Erjian acupoint at the base, rubbing counterclockwise and clockwise. Then she stepped forward, placed her hand on Jiang Ci’s abdomen, and gently massaged her chest and stomach.

This could help with digestion.

After a brief massage, Jiang Ci suddenly grabbed her hand, a bit embarrassed, and said, “It’s helping a lot, but I kind of feel like vomiting or using the bathroom.”

After saying that, Jiang Ci felt even more embarrassed.

But at that moment, she couldn’t care less—she urgently needed a bathroom, and sweat was already forming on her forehead.

Jiang Ci pulled her hand back, shakily opened her phone’s map, and searched for the nearest public bathroom. The page showed one 800 meters away, a few minutes’ drive, quite close.

Jiang Ci closed her phone and said weakly to Gu Feiran, “In this state, I might not be able to drive you home. Dr. Gu, send me a message when you get home safely.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Gu Feiran grabbed her. “Give me the car keys.”

“No need.”

Jiang Ci didn’t want to trouble her, especially with this kind of issue.

“Car keys,” Gu Feiran repeated.

Jiang Ci said, “I…”

Gu Feiran cut her off. “My complex has a public bathroom. It’s less than a minute by car. Your choice.”

“No, I can drive,” Jiang Ci firmly refused.

If it was a scrape or something, troubling Dr. Gu was fine, but diarrhea? That was too embarrassing.

Jiang Ci forced herself to walk to her car and drove off.

Five minutes later, as Gu Feiran reached her complex’s entrance, she got a WeChat call from Jiang Ci. “Um, sorry to bother you, Dr. Gu. I’ll be at your complex in three minutes.”

Gu Feiran said, “Hmm.”

Three minutes later, Jiang Ci appeared in front of Gu Feiran on time, quickly got out, and moved to the back seat.

Gu Feiran opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat.

Normally, outside vehicles couldn’t enter the complex, so Gu Feiran lowered the window, showed her face, and the security guard silently raised the gate to let them in.

Gu Feiran drove to the complex’s bathroom and stopped. Jiang Ci quickly opened the door and got out.

As Jiang Ci walked to the bathroom, she grumbled to herself.

Damn it, why doesn’t the public bathroom have toilet paper!

She always kept tissues and wet wipes in her car, but a month ago, she ran out of wet wipes and planned to restock but forgot due to being busy. A few days ago, she ran out of tissues too, planning to replace them, but she’d been using another car recently and forgot. That’s why she was in such a mess now.

Gu Feiran waited in the car for about thirty minutes before Jiang Ci slowly walked out of the bathroom.

But she looked even worse than before.

Gu Feiran got out and approached her. “How are you?”

Jiang Ci’s face was strained. “I’m… okay.”

She was just nearly exhausted.

Gu Feiran, being a doctor, knew her condition but took her word for it. “If you can’t drive, I’ll call a driver, or you can come with me. I have medicine at home.”

“Call a driver,” Jiang Ci chose without hesitation.

Gu Feiran didn’t push her. “Alright.”

“Wait…” Jiang Ci quickly stopped her, clutching her stomach. “Um, I need to go to the bathroom again.”

With that, she went back in.

Gu Feiran put down her phone, walked to the car, leaned against the door, crossed her arms, and said, “Stubborn.”

Jiang Ci went back and forth to the supporter three times.

When she came out, she was completely drained.

Gu Feiran helped her into the car, closed the door, drove to her other parking spot, and they took the elevator up.

In the elevator, Jiang Ci, embarrassed, said softly, “I… thank you, Dr. Gu. Sorry for the trouble.”

Gu Feiran said, “You ate so much because of me. It’s only right to take care of you. Rest a bit, and if you feel okay, you can drive home.”

Jiang Ci said, “Okay.”

The elevator stopped at the twentieth floor.

The doors opened to a spacious apartment.

The housekeeper had prepared slippers in advance. Gu Feiran didn’t change, bent down, took a pair of disposable guest slippers from the cabinet, and placed them in front of Jiang Ci, gesturing, “Put these on.”

“Thanks.” Jiang Ci took off her sneakers.

Gu Feiran changed into slippers, walked to the door, unlocked it with facial recognition, and stepped aside. “Come in.”

Jiang Ci stepped inside. “Okay.”

The housekeeper heard the door and came over, instinctively saying, “Miss Gu, you’re… back.”

Mid-sentence, she saw someone with Miss Gu and froze. Miss Gu rarely brought people home, only Madam and Miss Fu. This was the first time she brought an outsider.

Jiang Ci greeted politely, “Hello.”

The housekeeper quickly replied, “Hello, hello.”

Gu Feiran said, “Prepare a guest room for her.”

The housekeeper nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it now.”